Struggling out of the bus, Danny stumbled onto the sidewalk. Hurriedly, he pulled out the small umbrella that he conveniently kept in the compartment at the side of his bag, thankful that he listened to his mother for once in his life.

Raindrops showered on the midnight-blue fabric of the umbrella once it was up, the pitter-patter sound so familiar and surreal, beating in time with the sloshing of puddles collected in those spots where the ground lowered slightly.

Once Danny had squeezed out the water he could from his damp hair, he tilted his head and released the umbrella from where it was lodged between his neck and shoulder. He sighed, adjusted his backpack, and started his journey home.

It wasn't a thing he particularly liked-- walking home-- because his house was quite a distance from the bus stop and the sun usually tried to play a game of Dehydration Station every time.

But today, the project presentation which Mr. Gonzalez insisted on having every student do, none being allowed to leave until there were no more assignments to present, had run on until the sun filtered through the blinds in a soft pink and orange glow.

When they were finally let out, moans and groans filled the room, backed by curses which were muttered under breaths. Danny didn't care though, he was actually grateful that there wasn't going to be the struggle of slowly dying under the scorching sun. He was already tired from having to speak for an hour, even more so from carrying his backpack which was stacked with books whose weight was equivalent to a ton of rocks. The cool weather was a blessing.

However, the dark clouds which let down all the weight they'd been carrying through precipitation was a different case. He didn't let it bother him much. You win some, you lose some.

Danny slipped his phone out of his pocket, waking the screen to look at the time. 6:18. That meant he'd be home in about eleven--

"Watch where you're going, dumbass," called a voice as Danny stumbled, dropping his umbrella. He managed to break his fall with one hand, making sure to keep the one which clutched his phone out of the way.

He was shaken by the fall, breathing heavily for fear that he'd break his phone, or his hand. Or both. But nothing chilled him as much as the deep voice that spoke out. He hadn't seen anyone around, and the possibility of someone warning him from inside a house was thin since the curtains in the ones nearby were all drawn.

Danny stood, wiping his wet hand over his shirt as he reached for his umbrella. He fixed the hinges that stuck up and lifted it over his head, turning to see what had tripped him. Or who, for that matter.

He didn't know what his expectations were, but he was certain that he wasn't one of them.

"Allen?"

"Damn, don't you have somewhere to go?" Allen sneered, wiping his face with his hand even though it was no use considering the rain that still fell. Danny knew him. He was a high school senior, a year higher than him. They had never interacted but he had heard enough about him to know that he was the type that commanded attention wherever he went.

Right now, he had effortlessly captured Danny's. Well, as effortlessly as a trip could be.

"Don't you have somewhere to go?" Danny repeated, because who in their right mind would ask him that while they themselves sat on the sidewalk under the rain, probably soaked right down to their underwear.

The answer he received wasn't one he expected. Come to think of it, nothing about this night was something he had thought to see on his way home.

Allen's voice was calmer, softer, as he replied with "Not anymore." He bowed his head, resting it against his knees which were pressed to his body.

"Oh... I'm sorry. I d-didn't know."

"Save your sympathy for someone else," Allen snapped through gritted teeth which chattered after every uttered word.

The guy clearly needed help, and Danny was determined to help him whether he wanted it or not. "I would, but I think you need it more."

He reached out a hand, expecting Allen to grab unto it. Instead, he stared up at Danny, lips drawn to a thin line. There was a tense moment where they locked eyes, a moment where the rain sounded too hard and the night too cold. Until... warmth.

Danny's hand clasped Allen's, and they were both out of the rain a second later, nestled closely under the proximity of Danny's umbrella.

It took a while for Danny to realize they still held onto each other's hand, and when his gaze lowered, Allen immediately let go.

They walked on in silence, with Danny stopping every few seconds to adjust his backpack which weighed him down and constantly poked out of the umbrella's shelter.

"Give it," Allen said.

"What?"

"The backpack." He groaned when he was handed the item, adding, "What the heck is in this thing? A body?"

Danny laughed. "Yeah. And you're gonna help me bury it."

"I should have known you were dangerous with that hair and edgy look," Allen muttered under his breath, a small smile tilting the corners of his lips up.

It faded when they arrived on Danny's porch, just like his footsteps which ended at the front door.

"Are you sure you want me in your house?"

"I'm sure I would hate it if you were stuck in the rain." Danny's answer was all the confirmation Allen needed.

They walked through the front door, mistakenly letting it bang against the frame.

Danny froze, causing Allen to also tense up.

"What is it?" he asked

"Shh," Danny warned. "Let's get out of here before my mom sees us."

He dragged Allen along to his room, shutting the door just as his mother asked why he was trying to destroy her front door. Danny faked a laugh as a way to avoid her question and have her come to his room.

As soon as he was sure she wasn't going to walk in, he entered the en suite bathroom and searched through the cabinets. He found what he was looking for.

"Here you go."

Allen stared at the towel in Danny's extended hand for a while, before reaching out to take it. Silently, he wiped the drops of water which spotted his skin. The towel then went up to his hair, and he rubbed at it until his soaking locks were merely damp with moisture, falling over his face in beautiful dark curls.

"Thanks for doing this, man."

"I thought you didn't want my help," Danny retorted, rolling his eyes until you could only see white. Doing that always made his eyes and head feel funny, and he was sure it was going to blind him one day.

Without thinking, he blurted out a question. "Mind telling me what happened?" Danny realized how nosey it sounded after the words were let out into the cool air, prompting Allen to look at him. He regretted what he said and buried his face in his hands, silently cursing at himself for being so stupid.

With a sigh, the older boy replied. "My parents kicked me out..."

"What? Why?"

"Apparently, I'm not fit to be their son." He shrugged with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It's fine."

"No it's not. I don't know what you did for them to throw you out, but I'm sure it's not--"

"They don't want a gay person in their household, Danny, it's not hard to understand." A dry laugh followed. "And that's who I am."

"Oh..."

"You're gonna kick me out too? I won't hold it against you, you know." Allen proceeded to stand, plucking his wet shirt from the top rail of the chair and throwing it over his shoulder.

"You should never be treated like that because you were brave enough to be yourself." His tone was firm. "So I'm not kicking you out, no."

"No?"

"No," echoed Danny.

A challenging smile graced Allen's face. "Why don't you go tell your mom that you're propably queer and let's see if you'll be saying the same thing."

"I don't have to," Danny said with a small smile. "Already did a year ago. And I'm still here so..."

"So your mom knows what's up, Danny." He nodded coolly. "I respect that."

"Yes." Not knowing how to react next, Danny ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know how she's gonna feel if she knows I sneaked a guy into my room though."

"Probably think that we did something," he laughed. "I'll be outta here in the morning for sure, you can sneak me out again so she'll never have to know."

"Mm," Danny hummed. He faced away from Allen, pulling off his own shirt and tugging a new one on as quickly as he could. Allen had changed in a languid, breezy manner, not caring at all whose gaze was fixed on him. Danny admired the confidence he had with his body and hoped he would one day be that comfortable in his own skin. For now, he liked having his torso covered.

"Hey, do you use this towel."

"Nah," Danny said, "Why?"

His question was answered when he turned to see the material wrapped around Allen's waist. He tried not to dwell on the fact that the dark-haired guy's jeans were now discarded on the floor. He tried even harder to prevent his thoughts from wandering to the territory that suggested Allen probably didn't have---

"Don't look so freaked out, I'm not naked."

Him clarifying was a much worse alternative in Danny's opinion. Oh God. Oh God oh God. He saw me stare.

Cheeks aflame, the white-haired boy turned after, breathing heavily through his mouth to control his shallow breaths.

The embarrassment increased when Allen spoke up again. In the most casual tone, he said, "I don't see any other bed or mattress in here. Are we gonna have to share that one?"

~~

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