Rain is one of the most pleasant sounds you can hear, Tyler thinks as he brushes his teeth. He can't hear it too well now, while he's in the bathroom, but he's practically giddy to finish up and lie in bed, listening to the fall of the drops against his window. He always slept better on Rain Nights, and they hadn't had one in months.
Tyler bounced on his heels and spit into the sink. Rinsing his mouth, Tyler dropped his toothbrush into the cup on the counter and rushed out into the hall, where he nearly crashed into his boyfriend and bandmate, Josh.
"What's up?" Tyler asked. It was 10:00 now, and normally they didn't go to bed until 12:00, so it made sense Josh would still be up. But Josh knew Tyler slept more on Rain Nights, so why was he here now, blocking the way?
"Do you wanna watch a movie with me?" Josh blurted out suddenly, fast and nervous. He reached a hand up and ran it though his bright pink hair. It struck Tyler as unusual, because Josh normally left his hair to do whatever it wanted.
"Okay..." Tyler responded slowly, a little unsettled. "Is something wrong, Jish?"
Tyler used Josh's nickname to lighten the mood, but he was all serious. Josh's furrowed eyebrows and odd expression was freaking him out a little bit, and the pseudo-reassuring smile Josh was now adorning wasn't exactly helping ease Tyler's worry.
"Nothing's wrong, Ty! Just..." Josh paused like he didn't know how to back up his own argument. "Wanted to watch a movie with you." Another fake smile. Odd.
Tyler smiled back. It was small, but at least his was real.
Josh walked down the hall into the small are of their apartment they called their living room, and Tyler headed to his room to grab his soft fuzzy blanket.
When he arrived, Josh was already sitting on the couch, bowl of popcorn in his lap and remote in hand. He practically beamed as Tyler walked in and, and Tyler couldn't help but wonder what caused the sudden mood change. Tyler sat next to Josh, pulling the blanket around both of them, and snuggling close with his head on Josh's shoulder.
"What're we watching?"
"Fight Club." A sheepish side-grin was cast in Tyler's direction, making Tyler laugh.
"That's like the third time this week!"
"Because it's a good movie!" Josh defended indignantly, but he was laughing now, too.
They settled in to watch despite Tyler's protest. Tyler didn't actually care about Josh's movie preference; he tended to zone out anyways. He couldn't tell you the plot of Fight Club if he tried.
About twenty minutes in, the rain picked up, doubling in intensity. Tyler listened to the soft swooshing sound of rain on the roof, while he picked at the popcorn with the hand he wasn't using to hold Josh's.
Guess I'll have to brush my teeth again, he thought idly.
A boom overhead startled Tyler. But if 'startled' was what described Tyler's reaction, it was a huge understatement for what the thunder did to Josh. He had been tense the whole time, that much Tyler had noticed. But now it all made sense, as Josh scrambled to pick up the popcorn kernels from the floor where they'd spilled when he'd jumped at the thunder.
"Oh my God! You're scared of thunder!" Tyler exclaimed. This was unreal, something you read about in books. People in real life aren't scared of thunder! But as Tyler looked Josh in the eye, he knew Josh wasn't joking. "It's not like...not a big deal," Josh said hesitantly, avoiding Tyler's eyes as he sat back down.
Tyler leaned back into Josh's side and squeezed his hand tight.
"Well, you don't have to worry about it, Jish," Tyler chirped cheerfully. "I'll be here 'til it stops. And forever after that."
Tyler didn't have to look at Josh to know about the relieved smile he was sending his way. That night, Tyler learned to enjoy Rain Nights for a different reason. And I suppose this beats a couple hours sleep any day, Tyler thought, closing his eyes and snuggling up by Josh's side.
