title: kisses from the sky

genre: angsty

words: 1.5 k

summary: it’s raining and Sehun gets worried of the stranger who doesn’t have an umbrella

Sehun first saw him after his shift at the convenience store where he part times, it was 2 in the morning, cold and raining softly. He first saw his shoes really, stepping over a puddle. Sehun tips back his umbrella so he can look higher---to legs clad on ripped black skinny jeans, higher until it lands on a solemn face, catlike-eyes. They made eye-contact for a second before Sehun passed him completely. Sehun actually stopped walking and turned to follow him with his gaze.

He didn’t have an umbrella.

The second time, it was not raining although earlier in the day it rained hard. The pavement was still wet, the rain can still be smelled in the air. Sehun saw him, positively wet from head to foot. There it was again, the brief eye contact until they passed each other and Sehun stared after him.

The third, Sehun was still doing his shift, he looked up from the register out the window, and that exact moment, he passed by holding up his hand to shield his eyes from the rain.

It was ridiculous, why wouldn’t you bring an umbrella? Sehun thought.

The fourth time, he saw Sehun first and it wasn’t raining this time.

Sehun was walking behind a couple of people working and carrying a small advertisement billboard. The workers took a turn, sans billboard blocking the way, Sehun noticed him, already looking at him as if he recognized Sehun. The stranger looked away first, just so casually---and again, Sehun stared after him.

The fifth time, the rain was back. Sehun was walking home and passed by two guys smoking in front of a furniture store that was closed at that time of the night, they were probably waiting for the rain to let up.

The cloud of smoke dispersed and Sehun realized one of the guys was him, he was looking at Sehun again, cigarette between his thumb and forefinger, looking at Sehun like he’s an interesting distraction.  Sehun looked away, eyes on the road but even when he was a long way away, he can feel the gaze following him.

It’s exciting, made the hair on the nape of his neck tingle.

The next days, whenever it rains, Sehun thought of him and if he managed to get himself an umbrella already.

He didn’t.

He was walking in the rain as per usual, and Sehun thought what the is wrong with you, not getting an umbrella during this merciless rainy season?

Sehun was still on shift, but he got an idea. With a quick call to Jongin that he’ll be right back, he got his own umbrella, got out of the store and ran after him.

He tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned around, confusion in his eyes then recognition.

Sehun held out his umbrella to him, without a word, no sort of introduction or explanation.

He took it with a little bit of surprise and amusement tugging at the corner of his lips. Sehun returned the small smile and adds a small wave before running back to work.

Okay now he has an umbrella, Sehun said to himself when he’s back to work and the reality of what he did already settled. He felt oddly relieved by the thought and then he smiled when he realized that whenever it rain and he uses the umbrella, he’ll think of Sehun.

Oh damn, Sehun should have at least told him his name so when he think of Sehun there’ll be a name attached to the face. It doesn’t matter now. Maybe they’ll meet again some other day.

The some other day came soon enough, only two days later, it was raining again and outside the store, Sehun was hit with the realization that he no longer had an umbrella for himself.

When he decided the rain was soft enough to brave, he stepped out and merely had to walk a few steps when an umbrella was suddenly covering him.

He looked to his side and there he was, right beside Sehun, holding up an umbrella, his umbrella for him. But more than anything, smiling, smiling widely and Sehun can’t believe he’s worth this kind of friendly smile already, when they are nothing but strangers to each other. He can’t help but smile back though. He thought of maybe introducing himself but he saw, written on the strip of clasp of the umbrella, his complete name Oh Sehun.

He had the habit of naming all his possessions because he stays in one of his college dorms where borrowing items and not giving them back is common but not more common than items just disappearing.

So he didn’t introduce himself but instead, finally, asked, for the stranger’s name.

“Minseok.”

“Minseok,” he repeated, feeling a ridiculous sense of accomplishment.

Sehun hadn’t forget that Minseok always walk to the opposite direction but he didn’t point this out as they walk together towards Sehun’s dorm, shoulders slightly brushing and talking about the rain, of course.

Then Minseok cusses about climate change.

“ climate change, global warming,” he said loudly and Sehun chuckled because that was just silly.

Minseok feigned being insulted for his sentiment not being taken seriously.

“If you just got yourself an umbrella early on, maybe you won’t resent the rain so much,” Sehun explained.

Minseok shook his head, “no no no you don’t understand, I love the rain, or used to, I love it pelting my skin, the top of my head, like the raindrop was a kiss from the sky you know.”

Sehun stared, Minseok was already looking forward but eyes unfocused. Sehun noticed how the wetness of Minseok’s lips caught the light of the street light. He swallowed and looked away.

“But since this climate change thing,” Minseok resumed, “the raindrops became er—bigger you know what I mean—angrier...... and walking under the rain---it’s not getting kissed anymore, more like getting punched in the face.”

Sehun laughed but this time he totally got it.

 “Like a lover---who changed---and it hurts to continue loving what they had become.”

That got the smile out of Sehun’s lips. He wasn’t surprise to hear such words, it made sense, coming from the stranger with deep eyes, black ripped skinny jeans and black hoodie, who walks in the rain during the silence of the night at a time when everyone else was asleep.

They became silent, only hearing the occasional car passing, and that pitter patter of rain against their umbrella. Then Sehun said, with a certain sense of liberty and uncertainty that goes with talking to someone you know nothing about, “So you blame change----hate change, instead of admitting that it is the rain you actually came to hate.”

Minseok laughed, “ you’re right,” he said and Sehun swell with relief and something else he can’t quite understand.

“But hey I’m using an umbrella,” Minseok said while unnecessarily swaying the umbrella about which got raindrops to steal their way into Sehun’s hair and into Minseok’s. “Do you know what this means? An umbrella is a metaphor for rain right in the face.”

“And sunlight too.”

“Well yeah, that too. So I guess—er—thanks for the umbrella, the catalyst for me to move on from the love I fall out from.”

“First a metaphor, now a catalyst, I didn’t expect for this to play such roles when I gave it to you, I was just hoping you would stop getting wet.”

Sehun felt he had said too much....but then again, Minseok was the one who skipped the small talk and proceed straight to the heavy stuff. At least he didn’t reveal to him that he was hoping Minseok would think of him whenever it rains.

“But thank you all the same,” Minseok said simply and Sehun suddenly feared that this was a one time thing, Minseok was just looking for someone to dump all that heavy thought.....and a stranger, Sehun, was perfect for it.

But he need not worry because Minseok started fetching him from work and walking him home every other day (because that was Sehun’s schedule and by random circumstance, was Minseok’s too, in the coffee shop where he part times as a barista.) And it became apparent that a stranger wasn’t what Minseok saw in Sehun but a friend.

Sehun didn’t buy an umbrella of his own and Minseok fetched him even when it doesn’t rain.

They don’t go straight home, instead go for a drink or wherever else that’s open at two, even though both of them have classes in the morning.

Their first kiss, was under the very same umbrella, which Sehun happened to be holding and dropping when Minseok’s lips pressed against his. Minseok laughed through it but Sehun used his now free hands to tug at Minseok’s collar and get a proper a kiss. They stopped only when the rain soaked through their clothes.

And Minseok whispered, “kisses from the sky,” while running his thumb on Sehun’s lower lip.

When Sehun came back to his senses, he noticed the umbrella got blown away by the wind. He ran to retrieve it. Minseok ran after him, chuckling.

He got the umbrella back and gingerly folded it.

“This umbrella is just too damn precious.”