Note: Please read the Author's Note at the end for a surprise. :)

And sentences in italics are flashbacks.

Sehun and Kyungsoo continued to tease each other as they walked side by side towards Ghirardelli Square. The roadside was filled with mostly closed street side shops and light posts every 10 yards that radiated a warm honey light.

Meanwhile ominous storm clouds covered the sun sky causing the temperatures to plummet to the 50s. As the wind picked up speed, the slight breeze turned into forceful gusts of wind.

“Ay mate, it got bloody cloudy all of a sudden. I never noticed how cold it was.” Kyungsoo said.

It is really cold! Oh my gosh, this could totally be like one of those dramas I’ve watched where it starts raining and I trip and almost die or I trip and almost drown but then my Prince Charming comes and saves me! But wait, I can swim and there’s no reason to trip or jump into the ocean in the first place…

Wow! This year’s ‘Stupidest Idiot Alive’ award goes to Oh Sehun. Congratulations for your achievement. Applause, applause!

Didn’t I tell you to shut up already brain?

Touché

Okay then, time to return to reality.

“It is really cold and cloudy—and it looks like it’s going to rain. But Kyungsoo, why must you always talk in English, and even more, in that weird British accent of yours?” Sehun moaned.

Kyungsoo held up a finger. “First off, we are in America and we should practice our English skills. As for the accent, uh, I feel like it?”

Sehun stifled giggles before replying, “Oh yeah, well I can talk in gangster English if I feel like it. Maybe I should.”

Kyungsoo’s answered by sticking his tongue out.

Bring. It. On.

“Yo dawg, dat is not cool. At all. Okay dawg? Get yo stuff to-ge-ther.” Sehun drawled.

Kyungsoo grinned before breaking out in peals of chiming laughter. “Is that all you got mate?”

Sehun smiled a wicked smile before shaking his head. “Okay, yo know what dawg? I heard that yo dawg and yo like to yo-yo so I got yo dawg and yo a yo-yo so you guys can go and yo-yo all day long. Yo got that dawg?”

Kyungsoo only managed a stunned expression before saying, “All I heard was yo and dog. Literally.”

Sehun grinned, “That was the point.”

Kyungsoo smiled and sighed in mock defeat before replying in Korean (thank goodness). “Okay, okay. You win. Now let’s get under some sort of cover before it starts storming.”

The two looked up at the overcast gray sky and choppy ocean waves before simultaneously looking back at each other and shivering.

“It really is freezing. We should probably get somewhere warmer before it starts pouring since we really aren’t dressed for the weather, you know.”

Sehun was only wearing a YOLO t-shirt (quite fitting for the situation) over jeans while Kyungsoo only had a windbreaker on over his white v-neck. Both were violently shivering in the cold wind.

“C’mon Kyungsoo let’s go, hurry up. Seriously, just watch it start pouring after I finish this sentence.” Sehun yelled as they raced forward.

At this moment, the clouds chose to let loose a deluge of rain. The droplets became heavier and heavier until it fell in frigid and biting torrents all over San Francisco.

“Wow, I never expected my sentence to actually be true. I should become a fortune teller when I grow up.”

Kyungsoo just yelled back, “Just hurry up slow poke. It’s freezing! Come on, let’s hurry!”

Sehun made a face before yelling back, “Hey, I have longer legs than you do, I’m not even trying right now.”

Kyungsoo turned to him with an expression that said ‘dude-ing-hurry-up-this-is-serious-it’s-thundering-and-raining-and-freezing-and-I’m-going-to-get-hypothermia-and-it’ll-be-all-your-fault.’

So Sehun also started sprinting as fast as he could. “Where are we supposed to hurry t-to? L-let’s get under an awning, so we can wait until t-t-the rain s-stops. S-stupid shops, why are they all closed? I-it’s not even t-that late,” Sehun said with chattering teeth, hair plastered over his forehead and wet clothes hanging off his body.

The cutting wind and icy rain continued to abuse and torment him as he stumbled forward, holding onto Kyungsoo for support.

As Kyungsoo and Sehun continued sprinting through the unfamiliar gray landscape, they headed towards an awning they could stay under since all the shops seemed conveniently closed. The biting wind blew gust after gust of cold ocean air and pellets of rain.

“Finally, a proper awning we can stay under! Wait. That guy looks familiar.” Kyungsoo said, pointing at a lonely figure huddled under an awning.

“It’s Luhan! But why is he alone? Where’s Kai?” Sehun asked Kyungsoo as they headed towards the figure. Kyungsoo shrugged and followed Sehun.

“Luhan, is that you? Are you okay?” Sehun asked. He immediately knew the answer when he looked at Luhan’s ashen face and quivering body.

“Huh? Oh, Sehun right? Thank God. I’m s-so c-cold.” Luhan stuttered as his slight figure shuddered in the coldness.

“Goodness you’re soaked. Here.”

Sehun opened his somewhat waterproof backpack and pulled out an extra jacket. “You should probably take off your shirt and jacket and put this on. It’s warmer than the wet clothes you’re wearing right now.”

“Are you s-sure? I’ll b-be fine. Y-you can wear it.” Luhan replied while shivering. He suddenly sneezed right after. And it was the cutest sneeze ever.

“Come on Luhan, you’ve been out here longer than we have, y-you’re probably colder. You might get sick! Come on, you’re wasting time.”   Sehun insisted forcefully.

Luhan nodded before taking off his soaked jacket and quickly slipping out of his shirt. Despite only being exposed to the frigid air for a short amount of time, his body was wracked with violent shivers. He quickly shrugged on the jacket, but he continued to shiver even with the added warmth. Goosebumps rose on his pale flesh and his teeth continued to chatter. Nonetheless, it was an immense improvement when compared to the wet and miserable clothes he had on. Luhan appreciatively smiled at Sehun.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” Sehun replied.

“Why are you here by yourself? Where’s Kai?” Kyungsoo asked. Sehun nodded beside him.

“Well, K-Kai and I were at Ghirardelli Square. We were sitting by the beach when we looked up and saw the storm clouds. Kai thought it was really likely to rain s-so he went out to buy an umbrella or rain poncho since he passed a store on the way there. He told me to stay near the beach. So I waited.

After about 15 minutes, he still didn’t come back. I tried calling his phone, but he wouldn’t pick up. So I tried to go and find him. After about 5 minutes, it started raining. I tried to keep looking for him, but I couldn’t find him. I was freezing and drenched, so I decided to wait under shelter until the rain stopped. Then you guys came.” Luhan explained.

“We have to go find Kai, right? We can’t just leave him out there by himself! I’m going to go right now.” Sehun exclaimed, completely freaking out. 

 “No you are not going to go rushing out there without any plans,” Kyungsoo replied, holding Sehun’s arm.

“Don’t hold me back! YOU HAVE NO ING IDEA WHAT KAI MEANS TO ME. OKAY? Now let go of me and left me find him.” Sehun yelled in outrage, struggling to get out of Kyungsoo’s hold.

“Let me go find him.” Kyungsoo said, quickly holding up a hand when he saw Sehun angrily opening his mouth. “Wait, listen, okay?”

When Sehun nodded Kyungsoo continued.

“Okay. First off, I have the windbreaker, which is waterproof. Therefore, I will not get wet or soaked or sick.

“Secondly, your phone is almost out of batteries and I want you to stay here with Luhan so that I can just call Luhan instead.

“Thirdly and most importantly, you running out there by yourself when you’re not in your right mind is not safe and not smart. Think about it, I know these streets better—don’t deny it, you told me yourself you have no sense of direction. And I care about Kai a lot, and I want to find him—I just have a more rational way of going at it. All in all, I have the better chance at finding him.” Kyungsoo said.

 “Fine then, let me go with you. I’m sure Luhan will be fine.” Sehun conceded.

“NO.  You. Have. No. Sense. Of. Direction. Besides hearing you say it yourself, I think I learned that just from walking here. You’re just going to go charging off and I don’t want another lost person wandering around in this rain. Plus, don’t you think I want to stay here with Luhan? I’m one of his best friends and I care a lot about him. But I’m more capable of finding Kai and that’s more important at the moment. You are going to stay here with Luhan and take care of him while I go and find Kai, and that’s that.”

Sehun resignedly nodded before agreeing. “Okay. But you still have to take the umbrella. Luhan and I are just going to wait the storm out.”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Okay, then let’s do this.”

“Wait, why don’t we try calling him one more time first? This way the entire situation could potentially be avoided.”

Kyungsoo nodded before taking his phone out and dialing the number. The others waited in silence, barely suppressed tension palpable in the air.

But the call went straight to voicemail—indicating that either Kai had turned his phone off or it had run out of batteries. The three looked at each other before nodding in determination.

Kyungsoo stood up, ready to go, when he felt a hand on his arms. It was Luhan.

“Please be careful Kyungsoo. Don’t hurt yourself and don’t get too rushed, and don’t forget to keep your phone on, and remember to call us when you find Kai, and you know how important you are to me, right? So keep safe and bring Kai back safe and sound, okay?”

Kyungsoo chuckled before nodding and lightly hugging Luhan. “I got it, don’t nag.”

Sehun started, “Hey Kyungsoo, I know we just met today, but this afternoon has been really fun, and I really enjoyed it. So don’t get yourself into unnecessary trouble and bring Kai back, or call when you find him. Okay?” With this, he threw himself at Kyungsoo and tightly hugged him, Luhan joining the group after a moment’s hesitation.

Kyungsoo felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, but refused to let them out. 

“Stop it guys, I’m not going on a death mission, I’m not even in that much danger. So stop being so melodramatic. I’ll call you about finding Kai before you know it and I’ve got your numbers saved.” Smiling, Kyungsoo waved bye to Luhan and Sehun, then ran off into the rain.

Luhan and Sehun watched Kyungsoo until they couldn’t even see the slightest smudge of the purple umbrella through the torrents of rain.

Sehun suddenly noticed that Luhan was holding his hand as he squinted through the rain. In the face of the dilemma, he had almost forgotten about his attraction to Luhan. But now he couldn’t prevent a slight flush from creeping up his face.

“Achoo!”Sehun suddenly sneezed, finally realizing the coldness of his sopping clothes.

“Are you okay Sehun? Are you really cold? I feel so bad for taking your jacket.” Luhan said in a small voice.

“I’m okay…Because I brought another jacket! But this one’s thinner. You know, just in case one was too hot, I had another one for back up.” Sehun replied.

Luhan chuckled and shook his head. “You thought so much in advance Sehun, but I’m glad you did. Now we can both have dry jackets!”

Sehun grinned back before shrugging his wet clothing off and into the new jacket. “Now it’s so much better. I also brought tissues, snacks, a book to read, and some other random stuff I felt necessary.”

Luhan grinned, “Well, I’m glad to know if we ever end up stranded here, we’ll be okay.”

Sehun smiled back before scooting close and slinging an arm around Luhan. Luhan did the same, and soon they were pressed together in order to conserve body heat. Luhan felt an electric shiver run up his spine while Sehun blushed at the close proximity of their bodies. They both felt warm and fuzzy inside, satisfied with the arrangements.

Smooth Sehun, smooth. I commend you for your smoothness.

What? It’s just to conserve heat.

Right…

Shut up brain.

“Better?” Luhan asked with a smile on his face.

“Yep.” Sehun replied, mentally patting himself on the back for not stammering. Luhan gently smiled and leaned his head on Sehun’s shoulder. He felt the heat of their bodies mingle together as they sat under the awning, watching the steady drum of the pouring rain.

“We should probably call the others to see if they’re okay.” Sehun suggested.

“Sure,” Luhan replied, but mentally he pouted.  We have to move now?  I’m too lazy to move, and it’s too cold—Sehun’s awfully warm and actually quite attractive. Ugh, fine, I’ll move.

Sehun sighed. ed by myself and my awkwardness. I don't even have anyone to blame this time.

Slightly regretful, Sehun pulled out his phone and dialed Junmyeon’s number.

 “Hello?” Junmyeon’s worried voice answered.

“It’s me, Sehun. I’m with Luhan right now. I’m not sure where Kai is, but Kyungsoo’s looking for him right now.”

“Thank goodness you guys are okay. I was really worried because it’s raining really hard here. Where’d Kai go?”

“I don’t know—that’s why Kyungsoo went out to look for him. Apparently Kai went to go buy an umbrella, and didn’t come back for a while. He’s around Ghirardelli Square.”

“Call me when Kyungsoo finds Kai, or get Kyungsoo to call me, okay? And call me again if you get in any trouble.” Junmyeon replied.

“Sure. Oh yeah, we might not get back to the hotel in time for us to all meet up. We probably won’t leave until the rain stops.”

“That’s fine. Come back to the hotel as soon as possible, okay?”

 “Sure. How are you and Yixing doing?”

“We’re fine, we were outside when it started raining, but we’re in a café right now. I’m going to go call the other people and see how they’re doing. I’ll call you if something comes up. And make sure Kyungsoo and Kai are okay, alright?”

“Sure. We’ll come back as soon as we can. I’ll call you if Kyungsoo and Kai come back.”

“Okay, bye!”

Sehun hung up and looked at Luhan who was gazing at Sehun with a vulnerable expression in his face. “It’s my fault Sehun. I should have gone with Kai! I shouldn’t have let him go alone. He was so nice and funny today, yet..What if it’s my fault that he got into some sort of trouble? What if we can’t find him?” Luhan asked.

“Shh… It’s okay Luhan. It’s not your fault.” Sehun replied. He reached both arms around Luhan and gently hugged him.

“It’s going to be okay. I promise.” Sehun softly crooned. Luhan buried his face into Sehun’s shoulders and allowed himself to be lulled by the warmth and sense of security.

Sehun gently smiled, slowly rocking Luhan back and forth as the two stared out into the downpour, both secretly glad they had somehow ended up with each other.

“Thank you Sehun. For everything.” Luhan breathed.

Sehun smiled, “You’re welcome.”

Author's Note:

Oh my gosh, I realized I have over 300 subscribers for this story. Like, what? Thank you guys so much--for the subscriptions, the comments, and the upvotes. I seriously cannot describe how happy I was. *Hugs you all.*

Thank you!