kiss me in the shadow of every spark

Thank you, I really appreciate it.

Yukino rolled her eyes again, then turned back to her phone as someone answered on the other end. Rogue used his phone's light to make his way to the back of the store, tugging off his work shirt and pulling on a hoodie. Another crack of thunder shook the store and he jumped, shivering. When was this going to let up?

"Your boyfriend's here!" Yukino shouted. Rogue sighed, shouldering his bag and heading back out to the front. Sting's beat-up car sat in the parking lot, headlights illuminating the heavy rain pounding down onto the pavement.

"You sure you're gonna be okay by yourself?" Rogue asked, turning to look at Yukino. She waved him toward the door, still on the phone. "Yeah, Minerva's on her way, I'll be fine. Big tough girl, I can handle myself." She winked at him and he laughed, waving as he headed for the door.

The second he pushed it open, he was pelted with heavy raindrops that immediately soaked through his sweater and plastered his hair to his head. Rogue darted across the sidewalk to the parking lot, yanking the door open and practically jumping into the front seat.

"Shit, this is insane!" Sting turned to look at Rogue, who shook out his hair a little, wiping his face with the sleeve of his drenched hoodie. "You okay?" His voice seemed tense, and Rogue frowned.

"Yeah, just... damp." Rogue shivered, putting his hands out in front of the heaters which were blowing air that wasn't quite warm enough to be effective. "Thanks so much for coming to get me, I really appre—"

"Dude, it's not a problem." Rogue tried not to stare at Sting's smile, his cheekbones, his lip piercing. Fuck, he was hot. "It might take us a while to get home, though." The wipers were running at full speed and the windshield was still blurry with rain. Sting turned up the music – some sort of classic rock Rogue didn't recognize – and turned to look behind him before pulling out of the parking lot.

"All the lights are out," Rogue murmured, looking down the street that was nearly pitch black. Sting flicked on the high-beams, creeping along the road at a quarter of the speed limit. "Look at all the trees!"

Several more of the trees lining the street had fallen into the road, and Sting drove around them carefully, hands tight on the steering wheel. Another strike of lightning struck down from the sky, seemingly right in front of them, and when the thunder clapped above them Sting shouted, jumping in his seat.

"Fuck, sorry," he gasped, shoulders tensing. Rogue frowned.

"You okay?" He asked, shivering in his damp hoodie. Sting swallowed, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Yeah, I just..." he shook his head, navigating around another downed tree. They were approaching an intersection where the lights were out, and Sting slowed down even further, searching each road carefully before moving through. He exhaled shakily as he turned down one of the side streets.

"Fuck, I can barely see," Sting muttered, leaning forward to peer out the windshield. The rain on the roof was so loud it drowned out the music, and the water was pouring down the glass, blurring everything in front of them. "This is ridicu—"

Another flash of lightning nearly blinded them both, coming down only feet away from the front of the car. The tree it hit split with an enormous crack, and it slammed down into the windshield just as the thunder roared above them.

The sound was deafening and Rogue clapped his hands over his ears, leaning back away from the windshield as it cracked and shattered. He winced as sharp pieces of glass pricked his forearms, and large chunks of the windshield fell into the vehicle.