reupload from ao3 (now deleted)
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The clouds seemed a little heavier than usual.
Minghao didn't know why he felt so down in the dumps. Perhaps it was the pitter-patter of the rain or the insistent ringing in his ears, but he just couldn't pull himself out of his emotional slump.
He sighed, his breath turning white as it hit the cold temperatures outside. The rain showered ever so slightly harder and a little bit louder, although, in his head, the soft droplets ricocheted against the concrete like bullets to his skull. Minghao didn't bring an umbrella with him, the impending weather far from his mind this morning as he walked to the bus stop, something he now regrets.
Minghao trails down the stairs in front of his campus, his left arm barely hanging onto the railings as he feels his clothes being splattered with water. He didn't mind that much. He takes a right on the sidewalk. There were barely any people walking in the same direction as him, so he was thankful.
The rain was somehow colder than he expected, the drops pricking his skin like needles through his dress shirt. It's pounded down on his shoulders, burdening them like hammers smashing down on his back. He endured, trudging through the dampened sidewalk, ignoring all the murmurs around him. Deep down, he knew he was just exaggerating his emotions. He pushed all the street's clambers into the background, muffling them as he continued for his bus stop.
The rain grew more relentless and pounding; Minghao hoped that all his assignments were keeping dry in his bag because they were all due soon, and he wasn't finished with them. If he had to redo them because of water damage, he might just scream.
His head hung low, as if he was ashamed of himself, his feet dragging low, he could practically feel the mud gathering at the base of the soles, and for a moment, Minghao wished the rain would stop.
He wished the rain would stop pouring down on him. He wished he had brought his umbrella this morning. He wished his dreams were working out and that college wasn't stressing him the fuck out.
And then everything hushed. There was no more chatter and murmurs, there was no more coldness, and there was no more rain.
Minghao shot up in an instant, his eyes wide with confusion as he peered to his side. There stood a boy, a little shorter and much more happy-go-lucky than he ever was. The boy had pastel pink hair and held an umbrella over their heads, holding it at an awkward angle to block out the harsh downpour. Minghao couldn't help but think he looked like an otter pup. The little boy glances up at him, showing off his boisterous laughter along with his gentle smile.
They arrive at the bus stop before Minghao can properly comprehend anything. It's as if the world had been fast forward apart from them. The otter boy next to him still wears his soft smile as he clasps his hand over Minghao's, pushing the umbrella handle into the other's hands softly. Minghao couldn't help but shiver when the stranger's fingers ghosted off his far too slender ones; the little boy's hands were ice cold.
"You can keep it! Don't go out walking in the rain like that again. You look so down, smile a bit more!" The otter-looking boy sends him an endearing chortle, pointing at the corners of his lips as he steps back. Minghao can't help but comply, the corners of his mouth quirking up into a genuine smile as he gripped the pink, Pikachu patterned umbrella closer to his chest.
"Thank you," He slips out flimsily.
The boy only shakes his head, "It's my pleasure! Anyway, you're one of Wonwoo hyung's friends, right?" Minghao nods once again, trying to figure out if they had ever met before. The pink-haired stranger lets out a giggle, sending Minghao's heart into a frenzy.
"He's my older brother! My name is Lee Chan! It's nice to meet you!" The boy Minghao now knows as Chan, puts his hand out, and Minghao grasps it confidently, just like he's been trained to do at job interviews.
"Xu Minghao," He answers back shortly, not thinking much about his wording as he blankly answers. He felt infatuated by the younger's warm, cozy aura. It was as if sunlight radiated off of Chan's small frame.
The younger nods and points at something behind the Minghao; the Chinese doesn't need to look back to hear the familiar sound of a bus parking behind him. Chan chuckles once more, taking another step back from the other as he holds his hands behind his back politely.
The rain is now showering down on Chan, and Minghao has the instinct to shelter him with the umbrella, but Chan shakes his head before Minghao could leap into action as if he had predicted Minghao's thoughts.
"Hyung will pick me up in any minute! Don't worry, Hao-hyung, you'll miss your bus,"
Minghao hesitates, but he can already feel the bus driver's searing glare on the back of his neck; he gulps before bowing to Chan gratefully with a sheepish smile.
"Thank you so much, Chan-ah, tell your hyung 'hi' for me," He answers back in a warm tone; he can practically feel the honey dripping from his gaze as he looks down at Chan's childish grin. Then he enters the bus, and when he finds his seat, he sees the younger peering back at him, waving. Chan's now soaked in the rain, but he didn't seem to care; he almost seemed to enjoy it as he bounced up and down in a puddle, occasionally glancing and waving back at Minghao's general direction. He was glowing despite the gloom surrounding him.
Minghao waves back, beaming brightly back at the younger. As the bus starts moving, he is reassured to see Wonwoo's car pull up and Chan hopping excitedly inside. He sees Wonwoo's fond smile as he rustles his younger brother's dampened hair with a mischievous smirk.
Minghao pulled his phone and headphones out of his bag and played some calm music as he felt his mood slowly lifting. He lets himself smile once again, thinking about the little otter-like boy.
Minghao figured Chan must've been his little guardian angel as he holds the pink Pikachu umbrella a bit tighter, his smile spreading a little wider, and the rain growing ever so slightly fainter in his mind.
