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The rain beat a light rhythm on the jeep's rooftop. It sounded like it was laughing at him.
Du Cheng's jaw worked as he listened to the rain tittered around him. He checked his phone again, groaning at his updated weather app. The storm would continue for another forty minutes. At least.
"Don't say it," Du Cheng warned. He kept his gaze forward, not glancing to his right. He could picture Shen Yi's face, though: a practiced blank expression that said he wasn't sharing the rain's amusement. But because they've been partners long enough, he also knew Shen Yi's eyes would probably say otherwise.
"I wasn't going to," Shen Yi rasped, barely audible behind his mask.
"Uh huh." Du Cheng slanted a look at his passenger.
Shen Yi wore layers of knits and cotton like it were November, not the middle of April. He appeared to be preoccupied with the purple and black lacquered thermos of hot herbal tea. He found it on his seat when Du Cheng picked him up this morning. Du Cheng's own thermos, now empty, rolled around the backseat.
Du Cheng grumbled absently during dinner at Jie's last night about a bug spreading among his team. He told Jiang Feng and Xiao Chen to go home. The day before that, it was Lao Yan.
It probably didn't help Du Cheng cleared his throat several times in front of Jie. Nor did it help Shen Yi only picked at his food, his replies barely intelligible. Jie and Du Cheng frowned at Shen Yi's bowed head all night. And this morning, Du Cheng's jie sent two thermoses of herbal tea to Du Cheng's condo by messenger and a flurry of texts reminding him to make sure he and Shen Yi drink them hot.
The rain's continued drumming made Du Cheng's jaw clench. And the silence in the jeep hung above him like a storm cloud waiting to burst.
"Oh, go ahead. Just say it," Du Cheng sighed. He waved at his windshield. He wished he could swat the rain away as he would a fly.
"I'm enjoying the rain." Shen Yi cupped the face mask over his mouth to cough, although it sounded more like a badly disguised laugh. "Don't you think it sounds relaxing on the roof?"
The rain continued its merry little tee-hee-hee over their heads.
"How often," Shen Yi continued musingly, "do we get to stop and listen to our surroundings?" Shen Yi pressed a fist over his masked mouth and coughed. Or laugh. Probably both.
Du Cheng gnashed his teeth. He turned the ignition key again.
His jeep wheezed and huffed. Then the engine's rumble dropped into silence. Again.
The thermos rattled as Shen Yi unscrewed the top. Shen Yi pulled down his mask and blew at the brew. He flicked his eyes at the dash.
"The gauge still reads empty," Shen Yi said mildly.
"I can see that," Du Cheng grumbled.
Du Cheng glowered out of the windshield. Rain came down in sheets, rippling down the glass, obscuring the bridge around them and the passing cars' red taillights. The cars sped past like firework streaks.
"Damn it." Du Cheng let out a growl between clenched teeth. Beating the steering wheel was tempting but pointless. But so was sitting at the side of the bridge while half his team was out sick.
"Nothing can be done," Shen Yi pointed out. His palm slipped over his mask again, and he coughed. He took another drink. "And Zhang-ju said we don't have any urgent cases."
"I know," Du Cheng sighed. He side-eyed Shen Yi. "Why aren't you asleep or something?"
"I only fall asleep in the car," the mask tugged back into place a beat too late to cover up the smirk, "when it's moving."
Du Cheng thumped his palms against the steering wheel. "I was going to fill the tank on our way to the station," he groaned plaintively, "but I got distracted."
Another sip. Shen Yi readjusted his face mask before commenting, "You always say we need to focus behind the wheel." He paused. His brow drew together. "Although I don't know why that applies to me. I don't drive. I ride my bike."
Du Cheng's mouth pressed thin. "Not today, you don't. Good thing you didn't ride your bike."
"Yes," Shen Yi agreed easily. Another small sip. Another small, stifled cough-laugh. "If I had ridden my bike, I would have missed listening to the rain."
Du Cheng's eyes dragged over. Shen Yi's eyes were the only thing visible above his face mask. They crinkled at the corners, glinting suspiciously.
"Hilarious." Du Cheng rolled his eyes. He heaved a sigh. "Now I have to wait for this to stop before I can walk to that petrol station behind us."
"Think of the nice walk we'll have when the rain stops." Shen Yi cough-laughed again. "We might see a rainbow."
"II I wasn't worried about that fever you won't admit you have, we could be back at the station by now," Du Cheng muttered. He grimaced when he heard himself.
The thermos halted midway to Shen Yi's mouth. Shen Yi blinked at Du Cheng.
"Oh," Shen Yi said finally. The thermos lowered. Those two red spots on his pale cheeks darkened. He absently tugged his face mask over his mouth.
"Finish your tea," Du Cheng said gruffly as he slumped into his seat. He watched his windshield wipers brush ineffectively against the water.
Next to him, Shen Yi took a careful swallow.
"The rain really does sound nice," Shen Yi offered. A beat later, he added, "Thank you for the tea. I am feeling better."
Du Cheng's head dropped back onto his headrest. He closed his eyes. He listened to Shen Yi drinking his tea. He listened to the rain tap secret messages on his roof.
A quiet scoff escaped Du Cheng's lips.
Maybe Shen Yi was right: the rain was kind of nice to hear. Du Cheng wouldn't mind if they got to see a rainbow, after all.