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The skies on one lonely evening were stained a dark grey from the clouds looming above. Under those gloomy skies was the hustle and bustle of a city known as Craterdust Capital, and an unsuspecting green-horned inphernal named Boombox just so happened to be walking down the street. He was going to visit his friend Skateboard for a game night, but unfortunately, the weather had other plans. Between every few steps he took on the pavement, he glanced at the sky, hoping that by some miracle it would magically clear up.
The reason Boombox was so concerned with the current state of the weather was not because of any normal reason like his clothes getting soaked or his visor glitching out. The real reason he was so bothered was because Boombox had a very bad case of pluviophobia, or the fear of rain.
While the idea of his clothes getting drenched with water wasn’t the main reason he was scared of the rain, he didn’t really like the feeling of his clothes sticking to his skin. The main reason for his rather unorthodox fear was actually the sound of it all, which he found very overwhelming. It’s quite ironic how Boombox, of all inphernals, was scared of loud noises (and his fear of rain could definitely be classified as a fear of that instead), but at least when he was in his studio he could lower the volume. The loudness of the rain wasn’t something he could adjust with a slider, and it made him all the more scared of it. In short, the rain was an absolute sensory nightmare for Boombox.
Soon enough, he arrived at Skateboard’s apartment. He rang the doorbell and not long after did the other respond.
“Yo, Boombox!” Skateboard greeted warmly, welcoming Boombox into his humble abode.
“What’s up, Skate?” Boombox greeted back.
Skate let Boombox into his apartment like he had many times in the past, whether it be for previous game nights or something else entirely. Boombox knew his way around the place for that reason. The two then went over to the living room couch, which Skate prepared for the upcoming game night. On the table was a big bag of sour cream chips for them to eat while playing. There were blankets and pillows on the couch so that they could sit comfortably, and on those blankets lay two controllers hooked up to the gaming console.
Skateboard eventually sat down, picking up the controller whilst doing so. Boombox followed, grazing his fingers over the slightly worn down buttons. Shortly after, Skateboard booted up the game and the both of them prepared to absolutely thrash each other in Mario Kart.
“Let’s do this!” Skateboard yelled.
A considerable amount of rounds passed, and Boombox was absolutely demolishing Skate. He won almost all of the games they played, and Skateboard was mad fuming. The reason it was ‘almost all’ and not ‘all’ was because Skateboard managed to win one game by distracting Boombox.
“Dude, what the hell?? How are you so good at this?”
“Haha, maybe you’re just bad, I dunno,” Boombox replied, snarkily.
“You little- Wait, we’re out of chips,” Skateboard said. Lemme just get some real quick,” he added, then he stood up and went to the kitchen.
This left Boombox all alone on the couch, patiently waiting for his friend to return with more chips. Now it was all fine and dandy until all of a sudden, he heard the dreaded sound of not-so-light rain. He was a bit disappointed that it did end up raining, but he wouldn’t say he was surprised. Still, the noise was too low for him to get all that bothered as it was dampened by the fact that he was inside. The rain was getting increasingly louder, though, and Boombox proportionately grew increasingly more concerned.
Skateboard eventually returned with the chips, and the two resumed their game night like normal.
“Dude, this is the third game you’ve lost in a row. You good man?” Skate asked.
“Yeah, no, it’s just, uh, I can’t seem to focus very well,” Boombox answered, trying not to make Skate even more worried. The sound of the rain had grown to an almost unbearable volume, and it was getting to his head. He was having a really hard time trying to focus while the noise outside shot directly into his ears.
They continued on with their game, and it was once again, all fine and dandy. Boombox definitely couldn’t concentrate, though, and his hand-eye coordination became much clumsier. Skateboard took note of this, periodically looking up at Boombox’s face and wondering what could possibly be bothering his dear friend so much. Skateboard continued to win the next few rounds, redeeming himself from the countless times Boombox beat him before.
Suddenly, a bright light pierced through the room and a loud ‘boom’ crackled and fizzled into the air.
“Eep-!!” Boombox yelped, clearly startled by the sudden loud noise.
The next moment, the lights and everything connected to the electricity immediately shut off.
“Shoot, the power’s out,” Skateboard uttered. “I’ll go phone the landlord and you stay here, alright?”
Boombox silently nodded, still rocking in his seat from the abrupt lightning strike. The rain was already heavy enough, but when paired with the thunder, it was all too overwhelming for him. He whimpered from how loud it all was, covering his ears with pillows in a desperate attempt to muffle the noise. He bundled himself within the blankets, trying to soothe himself while the storm raged on outside. He felt like a dog in a fireworks display, helpless under the explosive noises that he couldn’t control. Soon enough, he was curled up in fetal position and wrapped in blankets. His visor went black as he violently sobbed under it.
Skateboard came back, phone in hand used as a flashlight to illuminate his surroundings. He was going to break the unfortunate news that there was no more electricity when he suddenly heard someone crying.
“Turns out they don’t got an emergency power source, so I guess that’s the end of game night- Boombox?”
He rushed over towards the couch and saw the horrible state that his friend was in, tightly snuggled into the blankets and pillows with his face stained with tears and snot.
“Boombox! Are you alright??” Skateboard fretted, clearly worried about Boombox’s mental condition.
“I-It’s- hff- fine- agh!” Boombox choked, quickly shut up by another lightning strike.
It was at this moment that Skateboard finally pieced together what was bothering Boombox so much during their gaming session. He sat down beside Boombox and went through his hair, slowly petting him in an effort to calm him down.
“Are you.. scared of the rain?”
Boombox nodded.
He then placed Boombox’s head on his lap, continuing to pet him while the other tried to plug his ears. He lifted his visor up and wiped the tears from his face with his hand.
“The rain’s not gonna hurt you man, you’ll be alright,” Skateboard reassured, trying to comfort his friend whose sobbing only got worse as the thunder continued. He seemed so pitiful with all those tears on his face, so horribly frightened by the storm. Skateboard couldn’t help but feel bad.
“Do you want a hug?” Skateboard offered, not really having any other way to comfort him. Boombox silently accepted.
Skateboard then scooped Boombox up into a warm embrace, letting him use his hoodie as something to wipe his tears on. He patted the other’s back as he continued to weep and they hugged until Boombox could let out a coherent string of words again.
“The thunder.. It’s- snf- scary,” Boombox stuttered shakily, sniffling in between words. “B-but.. but I need to go home…”
“There, there, Boom, it’ll be okay,” Skateboard consoled. “Do you want me to walk you to the bus stop?”
Boombox let out a small ‘mhm’ before Skateboard stood up from the couch, helping him up in the process. They made their way towards the door, and Skate picked up an umbrella before unlocking it. They headed downstairs into the lobby and just as they were about to step outside, Boombox hesitated.
“What’s wrong, Boom?” Skateboard asked.
“Nothing, I just-”
“You scared?” He teased, with Boombox’s face going red and clearly annoyed.
“What- no! I- you- uh-” Boombox sputtered before sighing and dejectedly agreeing.
“C’mon, don’t be shy. Let’s get you home,” Skateboard said as he put his hand on Boombox’s shoulder. “You’re not gonna face the rain by yourself.”
That small gesture boosted Boombox’s courage, and the two set out for the bus stop, ready to survive the storm.
Skateboard took the first step outside the building, holding out his open umbrella for Boombox to walk under. The rain was much louder when they were almost directly under it, and Boombox felt dizzy. Nonetheless, he eventually followed Skateboard, and the two made their way onto the sidewalk.
As they treaded the dark, wet streets of Craterdust Capital, Boombox covered his ears while attempting to regain focus. He needed to drown out the terrifyingly loud sound of the raging tempest, as he couldn’t think straight with all the noise around him. The sound of heavy rain hitting their umbrella made his headache even worse. His sneakers were already soaking with water due to how flooded the street was, and he felt the discomforting, dreadful feeling of wet socks. His eyes were tearing up again from the sensory overload.
Another loud bolt of thunder crashed, and Boombox whined in fear.
“You okay?” Skateboard asked, with Boombox quickly nodding in response. He saw how Boombox’s side was dripping with rain and offered to shield him completely with his umbrella, granted that he would be soaking wet instead. Boombox saw his act of kindness as Skateboard yet again caring about him more than himself, but he couldn’t really do anything to stop him. Skateboard was now already freezing cold, and he was sure to get a cough the next day. It didn’t matter to him, though. As long as he could make Boombox’s time the best that he could possibly make it, even if it was to his own detriment, he was happy.
As the sound of thunder howled through the air, more tears fell from Boombox’s eyes. He was so stressed out from the environment that he couldn’t even walk straight. Hell, he couldn’t even think straight. It was all so terrifying. He felt lightheaded. His vision began to blur. He was just about to fall forward into the rough asphalt, until-
Suddenly, a familiar hand gripped onto his.
“Everything’s gonna be okay, Boombox.”
Those words came to him like warmth in the cold rain, and he smiled as he let more tears stream down his face. It was comforting knowing that he had someone who cared about him so much, and his sobbing turned into uncontrollable tears of relief. Skateboard had been his best friend for as long as he could remember, and there had been many times where they helped each other out. But in that single moment, he felt something move in his heart.
After that long, nightmarish walk, the two eventually arrived at the bus stop.
“See, Boom? You did it. The rain’s not that scary after all,” Skateboard assured, trying to make Boombox feel proud of himself.
“I can’t really stay here for long. Skate fam needs me,” he added. “See ya later, dude.”
He slowly walked back home, now properly taking cover from the rain using his umbrella. Boombox couldn’t help but notice how wet Skateboard’s clothes were. He’s so selfless, he thought. While Boombox processed everything that just happened, he suddenly remembered that he forgot to thank Skateboard. He quickly stood up from his seat and looked the other direction, but alas, Skateboard had already disappeared. He had so much left unsaid, yet in the end he didn’t have the chance to say any of it. He stared off into the distance with a lingering bitterness in his heart, wondering if he had acted sooner things would’ve played out differently.
Soon, the bus arrived. Boombox got on it, sat on one of the leather seats, and waited for his stop. The thought of Skateboard’s actions continued to weigh on his mind, and he couldn’t stop thinking about how generous he was to do all that for him. It felt almost selfish to just take his kindness for granted. He wanted to do something for him, to repay him for his hospitality.
He went home thinking about how he currently felt about Skateboard. He’s been his friend for so long that moments like that could easily be forgotten. He wondered if Skate felt the same about him.
Once he showered and changed into something less damp and soaked in rain, he grabbed his phone, sat on the bed, and messaged him.
[Yo]
[Thanks for walking me to the bus stop earlier]
He of course didn’t expect any kind of response from him, after all, he was busy with the skate fam. Unexpectedly, however, Skateboard managed to reply back.
[No problem dude, it’s the least I can do]
[Still scared of the rain?]
[Kinda]
[But it’s much less scarier with you by my side]
[Glad I could help]
[Gtg now, skate fam’s calling]
[Ok bye!! xP]
Boombox felt the corners of his mouth form into a soft smile. He felt so warm and fuzzy inside as he read through the texts, and he couldn’t believe someone like Skateboard was his best friend. Speaking of which, he didn’t even know if he saw him as just a ‘best friend’ anymore. After all that happened, the lines between ‘friends’ and ‘something else’ started to blur. Did Skateboard do all that purely out of friendship, or was something else brewing beneath the surface? Boombox’s head hurt from thinking about it too hard, so he decided that since it was so late he might as well just sleep. He turned the lights off and fell asleep with Skateboard still on his mind. And he definitely wasn’t getting out of it any time soon.