The clouds lazily waddled on the sky and the wind blew harshly. The rain which started as a mere drizzle now gradually pouring heavily. And this is his favourite time to brew some tea with a pinch of sugar and milk, stretched his long legs inside his warm bedroom. He his computer, trying to do his assignment for the next week, ignoring the raging sounds of rain outside his sanctuary. His hand reached for a bag of tortilla chips, casually take some chips with chopstick because he hate his hands got dirty.

 

“Dad?” he answered his phone. The teenager sat up, trying to grasp what his father said as he put down his chopstick and tortilla chips.

 

“TaoTao,” the man started. He’s on the driver seat, the car parked on the side of the empty street. “Have you eaten?”

 

Tao glanced at two bags of chips, a pack of snickers, and some granola bars which filled his trash bin. “No, I haven’t, dad. Do you want to buy dinner?”

 

The father paused a bit. “Alright, get ready, I’ll pick you up in thirty minutes,” he said as his eyes never leave a teenager with messy hair and miserable face on his passenger seat. The man could see how the boy fidgeted and try to look away quickly.

 

"Really? Where are you now, dad?” Tao asked.

 

The man glanced outside his car window, watching people quickly run away from the rain and entering the near building. “I’m on the park near a music school,” he replied. “I have a kid who messed up people’s fence on the back seat,” he added.

 

Tao frowned and asked, “A kid?”

 

“Nah, a kid on your age,” he explained as the said kid started to pay attention on their conversation.

 

Tao giggled, and it seemed the mentioned teenager heard it too with an interested expression. “Really? Is he cute?” Tao retorted back curiously.

 

The man snorted loudly. “Hey,” he titled his head to see the boy clearly, successfully surprised the poor kid.

 

“Yes, sir?” he asked nervously. His jacket is all wet and he looks like he escaped from a storm.

 

The uniformed man repeated his son’s question to him with a giggle from his phone as a background. “My son asked if you’re cute, so what you think? Are you?” He lifted one of his bushy eyebrows with an intimidating glare.

 

The teenager meekly nodded with a red face. “My mother said I’m good looking, sir,” he replied with a goofy grin.

 

“His mother said, he’s good looking indeed,” he said to Tao who heard their conversation.

 

“Yeah, I heard it.” Tao saved his work and sashayed towards his closet to pick some clothes.

 

“Okay, that’s good,” his father sounded a bit annoyed when he found the boy on the back seat smiled weirdly. The kid vandalized other people’s property with some paints and he tried to deny it though he found some paint cans inside the kid’s knapsack. The man is on the way to his office after finished his patrol shift and accidentally ran into an elderly man spat on a kid. Without furtherado the officer got out from his parked car and walk into the heated argument. He decided to take the kid with him to the office and wait for the parents to pick him up with a juvenile crime.

 

Tao’s ready, he put on his long sleeves t-shirt, jeans, and boots. He shut down his computer, threw the trash to the kitchen, and switched on the lamps outside the house. He fiddled his IPhone as waiting for his father on the kitchen. He heard a car honked, a cue for him to get out of the house with all doors and windows are locked and safe. He smiled as his father pulled over. “You’re so quick, dad.” He sat on the seat next to the driver.

 

“I’m afraid you didn’t eat for a whole day so I think we’ll go to a restaurant. But now, we need to go to my office,” he explained, petted Tao’s head. The teenager turned around to put his wet umbrella on the back.

 

“Oh!” he squeaked softly as he found out it’s not only both of them. There’s a teenager on the back seat with a surprised face, scratched his head awakwardly. Their eyes met and they exchanged awkward smiles.

 

His father tapped his thigh lightly. “Fasten your seatbelt,” he commanded.

 

“Y-yes,” he said softly. Tao fastened his seatbelt, he glanced at teenager behind him nervously. Unknowingly they did the same things until their eyes met once again. Tao’s breath hitched a bit and he quickly looked away. The other teen smiled smugly, hiding his balled fist under his knapsack.

 

Tao obeyed his father to wait in another room, talking with Zhou Mi, his father’s junior. “How’s Henry-ge? Is your kid fine?” Tao asked Zhou Mi.

 

Zhou Mi smiled kindly, stacked some newspaper on the middle of the room. “Xiao Bao’s condition is better than yesterday. Henry took him to a hospital, and the doctor said it’s a common thing so no need to worry,” he explained. He tied the used newspaper together and put them inside the trash bags.

 

“I see,” he nodded. Tao helped Zhou Mi to gather and tied another pile of newspaper to keep him busy.

 

The door opened and the taller teenager wobbled out. His face looked relieved with a hint of guiltiness. Tao smiled brightly, the teenager unconsciously smiled softly as if he’s a knight who came back from the battlefield. He can’t deny this shorter boy looked really attractive with lean body, and cute smile. He felt embarrassed when Tao got into the car with him got falsely accused. Fortunately, Xiaoming, the officer who caught him would like to hear a real story he spew. He told him about everything, about his friend who painted the fence, and wall and how he espaced, leaving him with his friend’s knapsack. He remembered the house owner spat on him harshly even if he tried to explain the truth. That bastard friend took his own backpack which full of his papers and ran away, obviously made it to his home. He’s so unlucky, all he wanted to do is go to McD but he got no money with him, once again thanks to his so called friend. He left to deal with a problem that’s not his.

 

“Daddy!” Tao greeted happily. “Do we have a dinner now?” he eagerly tugged on his father’s arm.

 

The man sighed. “Sorry Tao, I need to take this boy to his house.”

 

A grumbling sounds interrupted them. Three pairs of eyes lied on the messy haired boy. “Ugh, sorry,” he shied away.

 

Tao stared at him, felt sorry for him. “Dad, how about taking him to a dinner with us? Look, he’s all drenched, and hungry,” he pleaded using puppy eyes to melt his father’s heart.

 

The man inhaled deeply. “Fine.”

 

They sat on the corner of restaurant with steak, curly fries, some salad and extra desserts for Tao. The poor kid ate his food eagerly. He had eaten weird tasted tuna sandwich before went to the teacher’s office, talking about his grades. So now he’s  indeed ravenous.

 

“I’ll go to the toilet,” his father said, left them both all alone.

 

The awkwardness lingering on the air, and they didn’t want to make eye contact. But those hands grabbed a bottle of sauce at the same time and they look up straight to each other’s faces. A bit longer than necessary.

 

“S-sorry,” they both stuttered. Parted their hands away with blush coloured their cheeks.

 

“You first,” the taller said abruptly.

 

“N-no, you first,” Tao replied curtly.

 

Silence thickened and once again their hands grabbed the same bottle in synch. The scene repeated again, and those skin contact felt longer and warmer than before. They couldn’t look away. Honestly the taller teen eyes couldn’t help but watching the shorter teen’s teeth bite his own lower lips and he gulped at that.

 

“Tao, here, I got you another banana kiwi smoothie,” the deep man voice interrupted their daydreaming as a jazz music softly played from some speakers on each corners. 

 

Tao thanked him, sipped the smoothie soundly as a part of his bad habit. He saw the teen in front of him smirked a bit and almost choked on his drink. He’s so awkward to face the stranger on this nightfall. The cursing on his mind sounded so lame as he walked side by side with the mentioned stanger under his umbrella. His father forgot to bring an umbrella so he let the teens walk alone with Tao’s as he ran with his snapback on. Tao knew his father is a good parent and he’s proud of him.

 

Apparently the taller teen lives near Tao's school. He followed him to step on his porch. Their backs a bit hunched, and their elbows touched, shied away from the rain drops. The eldest man clear his throat loudly, he didn’t like to see them in a close proximity. The messy haired teen almost sleep in the cell if he didn’t fish out a wallet with another kid’s identity card for God’s sake!

 

“Kris!” A woman wearing a pink onepiece opened the door. She hugged the teen, ignoring his almost dry jacket. “Oh my God!”

 

Tao giggled softly when he saw Kris’ ears turned red. Kris stood next to his mother as Tao stood next to his father. The officer told the mother about the recent situation of how Kris got ducked to his office. Meanwhile those two teens stared at each other, Kris’ mouth opened a bit as if he wants to say something but nothing came out. Tao lowered his head, who knew the wood plaster would be so fascinating.

 

The auburn haired teen greeted Kris’ mother with a small smile. He didn’t see Kris slipped into his home and quickly appeared with fresh t-shirt and tamer hair. He seemed anticipating Tao to come in and have a good long chat.

 

“Thank you, ma’am. I think we need to go now.” Xiaoming nodded a bit, Tao smiled politely at her.

 

As they stepped out, a warm big hand wrapped on Tao’s wrist, slide in a folded paper into his fist. Tao tilted his head at him. Kris’ face looked serious with a hint of blush creeping on his cheeks.

 

“Call me, we could hang out sometimes,” he quickly retorted before Tao said anything.

 

The shorter one nodded, smiling sweetly though his father hissed harshly. Kris pulled up the corner of his lips, he stood on the porch, watching that small back walked away and got into the car. Ah, he couldn’t wait to see those bubbly cheeks, and that cute smile sooner. Of course, in a proper situation and time.

 

He abruptly straightened his back, he remembered about his own backpack. Dashed out with an opened umbrella, he yelled, “Ma, I need to go to Chanyeol’s, I left some stuffs.” He brought his friend’s knapsack and ran to his friend’s house next to him. He promised some pains for his weird eared friend, and he make sure it would last for at least three days.

 

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午前４時９分、 ２０１6年１２月２２日 「木」

 

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Author's note: Honestly, I want to translate my own fics since last year but I need to focus on my thesis but hell, I can’t help it. I need to share my fics with you guys. I’ll start to translate my prompt fics from now on. I’m sorry for grammar mistakes, I really need a beta-reader because my grammar is so lame.