kiss me in the shadow of every spark

A storm raged through the city.

Rogue yawned and looked out at the café. Most of the patrons were gone, with a few stragglers sipping their lattes and chatting with friends. He glanced up at the clock – only forty-five more minutes, and the rain was pounding down, making blurry patterns on the window panes.

"It's getting worse," Yukino commented, nudging him out of the way to open the pastry cabinet and start boxing up some of the croissants. "It's really coming down out there."

Rogue nodded, watching the rain pound down onto the asphalt of the parking lot, filling the potholes and spilling down the edge of the curb into the drain. He jumped a little as a flash of lightning brightened the café for a moment, followed nearly immediately afterward by a rumbling crack of thunder.

"Shit!" Yukino jumped and nearly dropped the box of croissants. Rogue managed to catch it before it hit the ground, handing it back to her. "Maybe we should close early, I'm worried about the—"

Yukino's sentence was interrupted by another brilliant flash and a pounding rumble of thunder that shook the whole building. A tree just outside the building shuddered, then cracked nearly in half and was slammed sideways by the heavy winds.

There was a schwoooom sound, and then the power went out.

"Fuck." Rogue reached one hand out to the counter and the other to grab Yukino's arm. "Hang on a sec." He grabbed his phone from his pocket, flipping on the flashlight and panning it around the café. "Guess we are closing early."

The patrons throughout the café began to do the same as Rogue, flipping on their flashlights and looking worriedly out at the fallen tree. Yukino sighed, setting down the box of croissants.

"Well folks, we're closing up!" she called out, eliciting nervous laughter from the patrons. "Please be careful out there!" She turned to Rogue as the few remaining people dropped off their dishes at the counter and stumbled to the front door, tripping over the carpets and the step.

"You okay?" Rogue asked as Yukino took out her own phone, then flipped through her contacts.

"Yeah, I've just gotta call the owner and get someone out here about the power lines." She glanced out the door, but it was so dark that nothing was visible except the outlines of leaves blowing in the gusts of wind. "We won't be able to get any cleaning done, so I guess you're done early. You got a ride?"

Rogue shook his head. He was supposed to walk home, but there was no way he'd make it far in this weather. He pulled out his phone and scrolled past a few names, shaking his head and finally landing on Sting. Rogue hesitated with his thumb over the number. Sting was really the only person who lived close enough to come pick him up, but...

"He'll say yes," Yukino said, raising her eyebrow. "Just text him."

Rogue grumbled. He didn't want to text Sting, because that meant he had to see Sting, which meant he had to control the enormous, inconvenient crush he had on Sting. One that made him say stupid things and make dumb jokes that weren't funny and stare at Sting's lips until it was awkward. Rogue's ears burned just thinking about it. He sighed.

Hey, I'm sorry to bother you but the power went out at the café and I can't walk home in the storm. Would it be out of your way to pick me up?

"Seriously?" Yukino rolled her eyes at the message and grabbed for Rogue's phone. He swatted her hand out of the way and scowled. "'Would it be out of your way'? What are you, ninety?"

"Shut up," he muttered, hitting send. Less than a minute later, his phone dinged.

of course man i can be there in 5?