Chapter Text
Xisuma absentmindedly drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of his truck, there was an old song playing on the radio that he wasn't really paying attention to, catching small snippets of whatever it was, he could hear the faint pitter patter of rain hitting the roof, barely muffled by the thin padding on the ceiling of the cab that was supposed to dampen the noise.
No his mind was elsewhere, eyes flicking around to the crowd of people rushing out of the building and into the drizzle, looking for some familiar white hair.
He wasn't about to admit it but he was sort of happy that he'd lost a game to Etho, the loser owning the winner a favor and Etho had chosen his to be that Xisuma picks him up after school so he doesn't have to wait for public transportation.
It's nice seeing Etho's eyes light up a little at the sight of Xisuma waiting there for him.
Especially since the weather had been getting worse and the bus stop at Etho's campus didn't have any cover and he wasn't about to buy a rain jacket, something about how it'd mess up his style.
Xisuma wasn't really sure what Etho had meant by that but whatever, he didn't have much to do after his own classes anyway.
Etho smoothly slid into the passenger seat like he was meant to sit there, like a puzzle piece clicking into place. Grabbing the towel kept on the back seats to try and dry himself off a little.
“Long day?” Xisuma asked as a greeting, eyes back to looking out the windshield, flicking over once to make sure that Etho had buckled himself in.
The seatbelt sensor in the truck had been removed by the previous owner and Xisuma never had the time to fix it.
"Something like that," Etho replied, muffling his voice slightly as he ran the towel over his damp hair. The rain hadn't been too heavy, but it was enough to make his white locks stick to his forehead, a few strands refusing to be tamed even as he tried. "Professor went on a tangent again. Class ran late."
Xisuma hummed, flicking on the windshield wipers as a fresh drizzle blurred the glass. "Must've been some tangent if it made you actually complain about it."
Etho snorted, shaking out the towel before tossing it onto the dashboard with a practiced motion. "It was about economics. I don't even take economics."
Xisuma couldn't help but chuckle, finally pulling away from the curb and easing into the flow of traffic. "Sounds riveting."
Etho let out an exaggerated sigh, slouching into his seat. "Absolutely life-changing," he deadpanned.
They lapsed into comfortable silence after that, the quiet hum of the truck's engine mixing with the occasional swish of the wipers. Etho had his hands tucked into the sleeves of his hoodie, gaze flickering between the rain-speckled window and the dashboard clock.
Xisuma didn't mind the quiet. It was one of the things he liked about Etho—he never felt the need to fill the air with pointless chatter.
After a few minutes, Etho spoke again, voice softer this time. "Thanks, by the way."
Xisuma glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "For what?"
"For picking me up," Etho said simply, like it was obvious, like it actually meant something to him.
Xisuma swallowed down the warmth that crept up his throat, keeping his focus on the road ahead. "No problem," he said, like it was nothing at all.
“I'd like to see a hurricane someday,” Etho broke the silence in the cab.
Xisuma glanced over at Etho, raising an eyebrow. "A hurricane, huh?"
Etho nodded, gaze fixed on the rain-speckled window, watching the city lights blur as they passed. "Yeah. It's fascinating how they form, needing some just right conditions, how easily they can be killed.
“All you need is some light wind, high humidity, water 200 feet or so deep with a surface temperature of 26° Celsius, and for it to be in a low pressure zone,” Etho continued, with almost a fondness in his voice, “anything else and it kills the hurricane, they're surprisingly fragile considering what they do.”
Xisuma huffed a quiet laugh. "I forget you actually know this stuff."
"Why do you think I like meteorology?" Etho shot back, smirking slightly. "It's interesting. Hurricanes are just... raw power, completely untamed, but still following a pattern. They don’t just appear randomly; they build up, feed off the ocean, and grow stronger the longer they go unchecked."
Xisuma hummed, turning onto a quieter road. "And you'd want to see one up close?"
"Not like, in a 'get blown away' kind of way," Etho admitted. "But experiencing something like that, seeing the eye of a storm in person? That'd be something."
Xisuma shook his head with a small smile. "You’ve got a weird bucket list."
Etho just shrugged, still watching the rain. "Guess so. But you gotta admit, it’d be cool."
Xisuma didn’t argue. He could picture it—Etho standing on some storm-battered shore, watching the sky churn with dark clouds, completely in his element.
Though he'd be lying if he said that he was a huge fan of storms, sure they'd been breathtaking at first, but a bad experience had left a sour taste in his mouth at the thought of being caught up in something like that.
It's been a lot worse when he'd been younger but he'd been living with it long enough that he was able to function a lot better during them.
If Etho noticed that Xisuma gripped the steering wheel just a little tighter he didn't mention anything.
The rain picked up again, heavier now, drumming against the windshield as Xisuma flicked the wipers up a notch. Etho shifted in his seat, stretching his legs out a bit, settling in like he belonged there.
"By the way," Etho started, tone immediately taking on that telltale edge of amusement, "you hear about Bdubs and Doc’s latest lovers' quarrel?"
Xisuma let out a sharp exhale through his nose, already fighting off a grin. "What is it this time?"
Etho smirked. "Bdubs swears up and down that Doc stole his favorite pocket watch—says he left it on the counter, and now it's gone."
Xisuma shot him a glance. "And Doc?"
"Claims he never touched it," Etho said, shrugging. "But he’s been suspiciously smug about the whole thing, and Bdubs is on an absolute warpath trying to prove he's lying."
Xisuma shook his head, a smirk tugging at his lips. "They really aren't dating?"
Etho snorted. "You'd think, huh? I mean, Bdubs was ranting about it like Doc personally betrayed him, and Doc is enjoying this way too much. They’re basically an old married couple at this point—just missing the wedding rings."
Xisuma chuckled, turning onto the road leading to Etho’s apartment building. "If they ever do start dating, you think they'd even notice?"
Etho hummed in thought, then grinned. "Nah. They’d wake up one day, realize they've been acting like a couple for years, and just go 'huh, guess we are.'"
Xisuma shook his head again, amused. The truck rumbled to a stop in front of Etho’s building, the neon glow of the lobby lights reflecting off the wet pavement.
Etho unbuckled his seatbelt, stretching his arms over his head before reaching for the door handle. "Appreciate the ride, man."
"Yeah, yeah," Xisuma said, waving him off. "Don’t get blown away in a hurricane before I see you next."
Etho looked like he was smirking under his mask. "No promises."
And with that, he was gone, disappearing into the building as the rain poured down.