The next day, Jongdae woke up to find that his mother’s condition had improved tremendously. Though she was still a little congested, she was able to walk around without getting dizzy, and no longer had a high temperature. But that didn’t stop Jongdae from shoving her back into the bedroom, saying if she dare try and get out he wouldn’t get the ice for the cooler.

Instead of taking him seriously, she laughed in his face.

After he bade his mother farewell, he left the house once again adorned in his loose tank top and torn shorts (the only outfit he owned), and his cloak with a basket in one hand. He knew he had to get the ice from the local iceman, but he was so tempted to go back to that talking rock. He wanted to talk to the weird sorceress, but he knew he needed to get his priorities straight.

So he set off for the iceman, beaming when he saw the flowers that were starting to grow. Though that smile turned upside down once he realized that spring brought one thing that he absolutely hated. Rain.

He hurriedly went down the trail, wincing as his feet stepped onto twigs and stones, while watching the sky that was starting to darken and grow cloudy. After approximately a half hour run, he was at the iceman’s place, and he took the slips needed to pay him out of his basket.

The iceman happened to be part of the minority granted with the privilege of being middle class, so it wasn’t a surprise that he had a brick house instead of a rotting, wooden one.

He knocked on the door, a frown on his face as it opened, revealing the iceman.

The man grinned. “Jongdae! Hey kid, haven’t heard from you and your mother in a while, how you been?”

Jongdae raised a brow, holding the slips out for him to take. “We’re fine Shindong. Now,” he said, lifting the basket up into the air, “can I please have the new batch of ice?”

Shindong nodded, letting out a sheepish laugh at his failed attempt of striking up a conversation. Grabbing the slips, he went inside, and Jongdae let out an impatient groan as he felt something wet hit his head. Of course it has to rain when I’m away from the house. Mother Nature is always so kind towards me. He scoffed at that thought.

“Here you go, kid.” Shindong handed a cooler to Jongdae, smiling to him but was blatantly ignored as Jongdae grabbed it, putting it into the basket and turning to leave.

“Thanks,” he told him. Then Jongdae went back down the trail, putting the hood over his head as the rain started pouring. He hurriedly walked and cringed as his feet sloshed around in the watery soil.

Though he was hoping to get home quickly so he could put the buckets on the ground (nothing was worse than a flooded house), his feet seemed to have minds of their own, so he was quite surprised when he found himself arriving at the spot where the rock sorceress was. He bent down, picking her up in his hands.

A yawn sounded through his ears. “Jongdae?” she mumbled. “Is that you?” He guessed he had woken her up.

“Yeah,” he replied, walking down the path, shivering as the rain began to pick up. He tilted his head down more.

Jongdae practically sprinted back home, slamming the door open, then shut it behind him. There were buckets strewn around the room, collecting the rainwater that dripped from the ceiling. He hurriedly threw his basket, cloak and Jiyoung on the table, rushing in the bedroom to find his mother placing a bucket on the floor. Just as she turned her head to greet him, he had urged her to sit on the bed, scolding her for exerting so much energy when she was ill.

“Alright, alright I’ll lay down,” she told him and complied to his wishes.

Grabbing some more buckets, he went back into the other room, observing the ceiling as he situated the buckets on the damp floor. Wiping some rain off of his face, he reached for the next one when the room suddenly went pitch black. His eyes widened, and he froze, waiting anxiously for the inevitable. A flash of light and a boom! of thunder paralyzed him, and he collapsed to the floor, grabbing his hair as his breathing grew erratic.

No. No.

Another flash and a bellow from the skies caused tears to leak from Jongdae’s eyes.

Warmth spread across his back, and a faint glow shrouded around his torso.

“It’s okay, Jongdae,” Jiyoung told him, her voice so soft and comforting. “I’m here with you.”

The panic slowly subsided. The loud sound of the thunder slowly began to disappear as his eyes lulled shut, his body falling back against the being. Everything was so calm. So pleasant.

“I’ve got you.”

**

For the first time in a long time, Jongdae felt cheerful. He woke up feeling relieved of his stress, and didn’t feel a bone ache in his body, nor was there a crick in his neck from sleeping on the floor. He was comfortable, which was something that didn’t occur quite often. He sat up with a yawn, arms stretching into the air as some of his bones cracked, and looked at the many buckets set around the room that were filled to the brim with water. After checking up on his mother, he would need to pour them out.

“You’re awake,” the sorceress said. He nodded. “I made you and your mother some breakfast.”

His eyes widened in delight. He jumped up, observing the two plates of food on the table. The stone itself and the space surrounding it was completely dry, even though the rest of the table was damp from the rain. He didn’t dwell on the strange observation much longer, though, sitting down in a chair and gobbling up his meal after chirping “Thank you”.

When he finished it, he went to the kitchen and placed the plate into the sink, then grabbed a spoon. He went back out and took the other plate to give to his mother.

“Hey,” Jiyoung called out. “We need to talk.”

His head whipped back as he looked at her, his thumb pointing to the door. “Can I check on my mom first?”

“Yeah, just – sure, we’ll talk after.”

He went into the bedroom, sitting on the bed as his mother began to stir. He urged her to eat, and after a couple of bites she stopped him. “Are you okay?” she quizzed.

A smile was on his face - he hadn't smiled this much in what felt like years, and it felt great to give his mother a genuine grin. Jongdae nodded eagerly. “Yeah, of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

She stopped his hand, which reached out to give her another spoonful of food. “The storm. I know how you get during them.” Frustration began to shake his happiness, but he wouldn't let it faze him. He was in a very good mood; he wouldn't let the conversation ruin that. “I’m sorry I wasn’t th