(Y/n) always found that the rain hindered her progress on certain things whenever it fell. Often times when it rained, lightning accompanied it which made it dangerous to go outside. Regardless of whether there was lightning or not, it was usually just unsafe in general to be out and about during a storm. There were just certain things a person could not do from the comfort of their home, and weather like this only brought her mood down.

        (Y/n) sighed as she walked over to her window and checked to see if the storm had lightened up any. It certainly sounded horrible out there, but looking out the window at the lack of improvement sometimes still made her feel a bit better.

        A crackle of lightning lit the sky the moment she got to the glass pane, but she didn't immediately move away because something caught her eye. The reflection of the bluish purple light hit something outside that shouldn't have been there. The thunder that followed shortly after the lighting is what startled her out of her shock and into action. (Y/n) rushed to the door and opened it to call out to the struggling figure in the distance. The wind wasn't showing the stranger any mercy.

        "Hey!! Quickly, this way!!" (y/n) shouted as loud as she could. The person heard her and hurried over only to suddenly stop. She was baffled by their halt until lightning struck the ground in front of the stranger. (Y/n) yelped in fright, but the person closest to the danger had remained rather calm. He continued onward until he made it to the now less open door.

        "Are you alright?" (y/n) asked as she quickly closed the door behind him. He was surprisingly not too drenched in water, but he did shiver as he stood nearby not daring to go any further into the home. "Stay right there, I'll be right back."

        (Y/n) quickly ran off to grab a towel and a blanket. She was relieved to find that her guest hadn't moved from his spot. Bringing strangers into her home was not a regular occurrence, and she didn't want to make it one. This time was simply an exception to help someone in need.

        "Thank you," he quietly mumbled as he accepted the towel. (Y/n) waited and watched him try himself before handing over the blanket. It wasn't warm, but it hopefully would do the trick to stop his shivering.

        "Oh, you can sit down. You don't have to stand there," (y/n) said when she noticed that the boy hadn't attempted to go anywhere else. "He's probably being cautious too. A good habit." (Y/n) remained standing and went around the living space cleaning up little things that she left out to give herself something to do.

        "Thank you for inviting me in. I was under a tree for a while, but the lighting drove me away," he said with a slight laugh.

        Right, the lighting! "How did you know it was about to strike there when you were running?" It genuinely captured her curiousity. "You were so certain."

        "Oh that..." he pulled the blanket around himself a bit more. "Let's just say I've learned to predict them ahead of time during my travels."

        "Oh, you're a traveler," she noted.

        "Yes, something like that." He smiled. "I'm Aether. It's nice to meet you, and thanks again for helping me get out of the rain."

        "No problem. I'm glad I checked outside. Sounds like you were in some serious trouble out there with that lighting." He gave her a short laugh but winced and pulled the blanket around himself even more. "Oh, are you still cold? I have another blanket. I can make you something warm to drink too if that will help."

        Aether seemed hesitant, but he did nod. "Yes, please. That would be a big help."

        She nodded and headed off to grab the other blanket for him. He seemed like a nice guy, and only looked around her home in curiosity.  He didn'ttouch anything, and he didn't ask any questions either. (Y/n) didn't come across to many people like that nowadays. She felt comfortable enough to leave him to himself while she prepared a drink for the both of them to enjoy. While (y/n) hadn't been the one caught in the rain, she was feeling a little chilly herself.

        "Here you go," (y/n) spoke as she handed Aether his cup. He accepted with an expression of gratitude. She sat down next to him leaving enough room so as not to make him uncomfortable. Neither of them said anything for a while as they enjoyed their drinks under the safety of (y/n)'s roof.

        The storm sounded like it was lightening up, but (y/n) wasn't going to let Aether leave until the skies were almost completely clear. His shivering had decreased, but it had made it clear that he had been exposed to the elements for longer than he could handle.

        "Sorry...I'm not to good at conversation," Aether spoke up. "Well, I am usually but...I just don't really know what to say right now." He gave her an awkward laugh and stared at his nearly empty cup.

        "Hm? You don't have to worry about that. Sometimes it's okay not to have anything to say." She leaned back against her seat. "It's especially hard to open up to someone you don't know, so I understand. You can just listen to the rain instead. Once the thunder and lightning go away, it turns into one of the most calming sounds you can ever hear."

        Aether seemed to relax a bit more after hearing those words. He looked towards the window and tilted his head as if trying to find a better angle to hear from. "I guess you're right," he almost whispered. "Thank you."

        (Y/n) wasn't sure when it had happened, but both of them fell asleep right their in that chair. However, when she woke up, Aether was gone. One of the blankets he had been using was partially draped over her while the other was neatly folded nearby. Sunlight beamed through the window and fell onto the note that lay atop the folded blanket.

        "He already left huh." (Y/n) picked up the noted and read it. She found herself grinning at what was written on the small slip of paper.

        "Thank you for letting me stay with you while the storm passed by! I'll come back to repay your kindness one day soon. The truth is, I wasn't having a very good day, and I got caught in the rain because of it. What you said made my dreary day much brighter! I can't thank you enough!"
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Until next time you amazing readers!