‘This is ing insane!’ Luhan screeched, sprinting towards the rest of us who cowered under the shelter provided by a dodgy bus stop.

The rain pelted down heavily, flooding the streets with dangerous gushes and drenching all innocent bystanders. Thick and murky, the rain completely disguised the view of anything further than a metre away and created absurd difficulty in attempting to find the next addition. Though all of us squinted, cupping our hands around our eyes like binoculars and leaning out as far as we could without getting wet, the only distinguishable thing was the bare tree to the left of our dry haven.

I nudged the damp strands of hair away from my face irritably and tilted forward to enhance my dim view, when a deafening crack reverberated through the street. Startled, I pounced backwards into Kris’ arms, knocking his sharp jaw with the solid back of my head. Too frightened to notice the pain in my skull, I remained frozen in his rigid embrace, eyes darting back and forth.

‘Never heard thunder before?’ Chanyeol questioned sarcastically, pointing at Kris and I who immediately separated, cheeks blushing with embarrassment.

Kris, always the cooler of us two, pointed towards bundles of charcoal clouds as they scuttled together and obscured all remaining sunlight. ‘I don’t think that was thunder, actually. It sounded as though something was struck by lightning.’

‘We should get the hell out of here if that’s the case’, Jongin murmured.

Luhan peered up at the sky, before gesturing for us to follow him. The five of us dashed madly, arms pumping powerfully by our sides, thighs and calves burning with purpose. Being the shortest, I was fully determined to prove that my legs were capable of carrying me long distances. I shot past the others and took my place at the front of the pack, leading with a faint smirk playing at the corners of my lips.

When we finally arrived back at our apartment, I paced sluggishly towards the window and gazed out, shaking my head in disbelief at how horrid the weather was. An hour earlier had seen us basking in beautiful, warm sunlight. Was it possible for such a drastic change to be a natural occurrence?

Hands extending, I rubbed the light fog off the glass only to notice a saturated figure standing outside, his coat flapping frantically in the wind. Judging by the angle he had his head tilted, he was staring up at me. However, the direction in which he pointed his eyes was shadowed by the black hood tugged across his face. Though I couldn’t confirm any suspicions, my brain was commanding that I went down to him, so I snuck out of the room without muttering a single word to the others.

He retreated a few steps as I emerged from the building, my arms wrapped tightly around my body in a poor effort to shield myself from the harshness of the raindrops. I quickened my stride to lessen the proximity between us, before coming to a sudden halt a mere few inches from him. The hood concealing his features blew off as we were struck by a powerful gust of wind so I tried to catch a glimpse of him. Clumsy as usual, I managed to lose my footing instead.

A hand shot out to grasp my arm and tug me back up into an awkward hug. The stranger’s calloused fingers felt warm against my skin, eliminating my intense shivers for a moment. His uneven breaths hit my neck and I found myself leaning into them until I noticed how violently his body shook.

I pulled away, my hand yanking at his. ‘Let’s get you inside!’

‘I can’t go in there’, he started, prettily curved lips trembling, ‘I don’t know how to control it! I’ll hurt somebody!’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘My power…I can’t control it!’

‘I’m not leaving you out here! You’ll get sick!’ I shouted over the rain, now hauling on his arm with more strength.

Already weak, the man couldn’t resist and stumbled behind me, occasionally tripping on his own two feet. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, I felt his grip loosen. His knees buckled and with an almost inaudible groan, he flopped lifelessly to the side. Without hesitation, I dropped down beside the handsome stranger and scooped him up, my muscles bulging as I attempted to carry him bridal style. My legs vibrated viciously and beads of strained sweat began to dot my upper lip, but with a humiliating battle cry, I pushed on towards our apartment.

Kris darted over to relieve me, taking the man from my arms and jogging to his room to place him gently atop the bed. He bent down and wiggled the stranger’s boots off, ed his sodden coat and snatched a towel to ruffle his caramel hair dry. I smiled at this and proceeded to pull a blanket over the man, kindly tucking his feet in.

‘He looked so scared, Kris’, I whispered as we exited, closing the door silently behind us, ‘he said he didn’t know how to control his power.’

‘Did he tell you what his power was?’

I sighed. ‘No and I didn’t really get a chance to ask. He must’ve been out there waiting for a long time.’

‘He’ll be fine. Don’t worry.’

The storm passed soon after the stranger fell asleep and morning rolled around quite quickly. When I stirred awake, eyes sticky with gunk and body incredibly stiff, I stretched only to be restricted by an arm around my waist. Gingerly, I craned my neck.

Kris was sprawled behind me, his broad chest pressed against my back. One arm held me close and the other supported his neck, whilst both of his legs were in a tangled mess with mine. Soft snores seeped almost soundlessly through his parted lips and occasionally, he twitched, his lengthy toes jabbing against my calves.

Luhan looked up cheekily from his spot on the floor. ‘If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that your friend likes you a little more than he should.’

‘Shut up’, I hissed bitterly, fingers coiling into fists to smack Kris aggressively.

He moaned and rolled to face the back of the couch, freeing me from his oppressive hold. I cracked my neck once and shook both feet, trying to wake myself up before I visited the new addition. The door creaked and I peered through a small crack, careful to be quiet. The man sat upright, hair no longer flat against his face but puffy and somewhat adorable. He watched me with wary eyes as I approached, sitting uneasily on the edge of the bed.

With a friendly smile making my eyes crinkle, I extended a hand to him. ‘I’m Junmyeon.’

‘Jongdae’, he responded tenderly, shaking my hand with a gentle grip.

‘How are you feeling?’

‘I’ve been better, but I could’ve been much worse if you hadn’t forced me inside. Thank you.’

I shrugged. ‘You’re one of us now, Jongdae. The least we can do is look out for each other.’

‘I don’t know if you’ll be able to handle me.’

‘What…what is your power?’

A boom sounded from outside and I leant forward to look out the window. Constant jolts of lightning hit the Man At Sea sculpture mercilessly, again and again. Soon, the white masterpiece shattered and began to crumble, huge chunks collapsing and rolling into the ocean only to be swept away and lost forever. When I jerked back to gaze at Jongdae, his eyes were filled to the brim with stingy tears.

‘I can decide when I use it, but I can’t control where it strikes.’

My fingers found his to give them a reassuring squeeze. ‘I was a lot like that a few years back. Honestly, I couldn’t even drink a glass of water without it spraying around or floating away from me. Kris helped me control it though. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to help you too.’

‘Thank you.’

Luhan burst through the door, the other three hot on his heels. ‘Hey newbie, where’s your phone? We better not let the next fella slide!’

Jongdae’s eyebrows shot up and he began to fiddle with his pants, a phone suddenly slipping out of his pocket. He wiped the screen with his thumb and after a moment of hesitation, passed it over to the strange boy dressed in football gear.

[Blocked Number] 2:30pm

In two days’ time you should revisit those sculptures you admire so much. Be careful though…you wouldn’t want to see them fall.

[Blocked Number] 6:13am

There are 318 million citizens in this country and almost 40 million people living in this state, but the place you will find him is desolate. The rocks bleed red, the mountains touch the clouds and the rivers flow silently. At 5:30pm on Thursday you can see this real life ironman here.

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Jongin giggled and prodded the screen. ‘He’s cute.’

Five pairs of judgemental eyes flashed in his direction. He didn’t pay any mind, attention too closely focussed on the joyous figure in the photo.