RENDEZVOUS

19 | rain rain go away

jaemin trudged his way to the bus stop, dragging his feet and dodging raindrops.

only yesterday the sun had been shining and temperatures had soared, but it had all come crashing down to a muggy downpour, verging on a summer storm. jaemin wasn't scared of thunder or lightning, but the thought did make him walk just a little faster.

the sky was darkening with the cover of clouds, the light dimming even as early as 5pm. most students went home earlier, but jaemin had stayed after school to give nancy some last minute biology tuition, seeing as the exam was only a weekend away. she'd gone home in her father's four by four, but jaemin had to take the bus. but it was okay, because getting to hang out with someone so pretty was more than worth it for jaemin.

he suddenly stopped in his tracks. a low rumble crackled along the skyline.

"geez..." jaemin breathed, trying his best to stay calm as he hurried along to the bus stop.

suddenly, a figure sped past him, looking anxious and afraid as he sprinted for the shelter of the bus stop. the rain got heavier and jaemin squinted to see who it was. the boy, nearly tripping over his own feet, was none other than lee daehwi.

relieved at the sight of a familiar face, jaemin pulled up the hood of his jacket and ran the rest of the way to the bus stop, skidding to a stop on the bench beside the younger boy.

"hey," he said breathlessly.

daehwi looked pleased to see him, his face almost lighting up even in the dim light. "jaem!" he blurted, breaking into a grin.

jaemin looked so cute right then, hood tugged up around his pink cheeks scattered with raindrops. daehwi didn't want to look away even for a second.

"jaem?" jaemin chuckled at the nickname.

daehwi's face fell slightly. "oh... i- i just... it's fine if you'd rather i didn't call you that... i should call you hyung, really-"

"no, no, it's okay," jaemin insisted, laying a hand on daehwi's arm in reassurance. "what are you doing leaving school so late anyway?"

daehwi shrugged and scratched at the nape of his neck. "homework," he answered, a little embarrassed, "we don't have a computer at home..."

jaemin's expression softened to one of empathy. "hey, i-"

"hyung," daehwi brushed him off, "it's fine. you don't have to feel bad or anything." he glanced away, clasping and unclasping his hands together, fiddling with the oversized sleeves of his school shirt.

jaemin hesitated as the rain got visibly heavier. he didn't want to feel bad for daehwi, but he did feel indebted. vague memories drifted to the surface of his mind, of xiyeon's birthday party and how much daehwi took care of him then.

suddenly, there was another rumble of thunder and a crackle and a distant flash. daehwi let out a small whimper and brought his knees up to his chest, hugging them tightly.

jaemin tried his best to remain calm. "hey," he said gently, "it's okay to be scared-"

"i'm not scared," daehwi denied, though he was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles had turned white.

"you don't have to be though," jaemin assured him, partly reassuring himself, "the laws of physics tell us that lightning only strikes at the highest point. we're really low on the ground, so-"

there was another faraway flash.

daehwi inhaled sharply and seized jaemin's hand without thinking, his skinny fingers nearly crushing it. "stop talking about the lightning," he pleaded, his whole body trembling.