Work Text:
The sound of thunder overhead gave Alex pause. She peered up at the sky and noticed the clouds had turned an ominous shade of gray. Quickening her pace, she continued down the loop trail, wincing as the occasional droplet hit her skin.
Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for a light rain to evolve into a torrential downpour.
Great…
The day had started off well enough. Alex had been gradually familiarizing herself with the park over the last month and had actually made a lot of progress. The activity did wonders to clear her mind and reduce her stress levels.
On any other given day at least…
Now, however, she was more focused on finding shelter from the storm.
Through the curtain of rain, she could just make out a cluster of buildings in the clearing ahead. Taking a deep breath, she began sprinting in that direction. Okay, maybe more like stumbled. It was just a little hard to see (or breathe for that matter) when her face was getting pelted with water.
After what felt like twenty minutes, but was probably closer to two, Alex managed to reach her destination in one piece, finding refuge beneath the porch roof. And that truly was a miracle considering her eyes had been closed half the time.
She leaned against the railing, taking a moment to steady her breathing and admire the absolute monsoon she had just escaped.
“Excuse me, ma’am? You can wait inside if you’d like.”
She turned towards the voice and immediately burst out laughing, still light-headed from the adrenaline.
“Alex?” Ryan chuckled. “We gotta stop meeting like this.”
He took in the state of her waterlogged appearance.
“Shit. Looks like the storm got you good. Here,” he nodded towards the open door. “I’ll get you a towel.”
Alex stepped in after him, her shoes squeaking against the flooring. While Ryan was busy rummaging through cabinets on the far side of the room, she used the opportunity to study her surroundings.
“Is this your office?”
“Sort of. Ranger station. One of them, at least,” he said over his shoulder.
“Cozy,” she nodded approvingly before removing her glasses, using the hem of her sweater to clean them off.
“Yeah, I’m just trying to finish up some reports at the moment.”
“Damn. So what you’re telling me is that even out in the middle of the woods, there’s no escape from paperwork.”
“I’m afraid not,” Ryan laughed. “Ah! Found it.”
He made his way back over to Alex.
Using her free hand, she gently took the towel being offered to her. When she glanced back up to thank him, she noticed his expression had gone soft.
“What?” Alex asked, hyper aware of how she must look right now. Like she had taken a dip in the lake, no doubt. Hair soaking wet and clinging to her face.
“Nothing,” he said. His words were quiet, whispered almost.
She raised her eyebrows expectantly.
“It’s just…I mean, you look…” He stuttered.
But Alex continued staring up at him, brown eyes searching blue ones.
“I look…?”
The question had come out breathier than intended. And despite her shivering, she suddenly felt rather warm.
“Um, cold,” he finished, deflating a bit. “Sorry. You should...dry off before you get sick.”
He shook his head to himself and turned to walk away, leaving Alex to stand there, blinking in the aftermath.
What…had just happened?
She replaced her glasses and began patting herself dry, which proved to be almost completely ineffective but…better than nothing?
Before long, her attention drifted back to where Ryan was standing, sorting through reports on his desk. Her eyes bore into him, desperate to get a read on the man. A whisper of a thought. An inkling of emotion. Anything.
But whatever was on his mind was beyond her grasp.
She pulled back, defeated.
It wasn’t often that Alex was struck with an actual desire to know what people were thinking about her. But as with so many of her rules, Ryan was quickly becoming an exception to that.
Eventually, her concentration shifted to the window and the chaos unfolding just outside of it. She stared, mesmerized by the rain that swept across the forest in waves. It was beautiful and strangely cathartic. Like witnessing a release of pent up energy. Disorder and destruction, followed by the promise of a new and brighter day.
“Crazy out there, huh?”
She startled, not noticing that Ryan had walked up beside her.
He smiled apologetically.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I kind of like it.”
“Did you know there’s a word for that? Chrysalism.”
She snorted. “Why am I not surprised you know that?”
“Apparently, our brains are constantly craving sensory input, and when we’re exposed to sounds in nature like thunderstorms for example, it fulfills that need and calms us down. It’s great background noise for people who tend to overthink or…have trouble sleeping…”
He trailed off, and Alex peered over at him questioningly.
While his gaze was still directed out the window, he didn’t appear to be looking at anything anymore.
She could sense it now. A muted sadness. This…subdued grief. It was hard to tell whether the emotion was his or her own. The feeling just seemed so familiar. Like a bad memory she had cut out of her life long ago and refused to revisit. But seeing that sentiment now from someone else, as an outsider looking in, suddenly made it oddly intriguing.
She felt her mind reach out, her consciousness beginning to wrap around it when a loud sneeze erupted from her, completely ruining the mood.
“Sorry,” Alex sniffled. “I think…the rain might’ve soaked through my clothes.”
He shot her a worried look, blue aura now gone. “I should get you home before you catch a cold.”
“Oh, no you don’t have to do that. You’re working. Plus, it’s still raining.”
“Hey, one of my job priorities is the safety of all park goers. Also, it looks like the storm’s starting to let up. Should be safe enough to drive now. Unless you want to wait around some more and change into some dry clothes for the time being. The only thing we have around here are spare uniforms though…”
“Oh, you know what? You’re right. I really should be getting home soon. Is your car out front?” she said in a rush, heading straight for the door.
For a split second, Alex could’ve sworn she saw a look of disappointment cross his face.
---
The drive home was surprisingly soothing. Something about having Ryan’s calming presence beside her while they listened to the radio and made casual conversation, the storm clouds clearing to reveal a pink and orange streaked sky. It was simple, but given her tumultuous past and her near constant state of emotional distress, peaceful moments like these were truly pure bliss.
Soon enough, they arrived at the Black Lantern. Ryan put his car into park, and Alex turned towards him, suddenly shy. She realized that this situation wasn’t too different from previous dates she’d been on. That moment where both people struggled to find some parting words, neither of them wanting the date to end.
“Thanks, Ryan. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” he replied in that easy-going way of his.
“If you ever have a Take-Your-Empath-Friend-to-Work day or something, let me know.”
He let out a light laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She scooted out of the car and shut the door behind her.
As she watched him drive away, Alex felt a hint of longing wash over her. She’d grown to really enjoy Ryan’s company these past few weeks, and while she had never been the clingy type before, it was always a little saddening to see him go.
The sound of a text message pulled her from her thoughts.
Steph : We still on for tonight?
Alex : Uhhh what’s tonight again?
Steph : Dude don’t tell me you forgot. Party at your place. Movies, games, drinking??
Oh shit.
Alex : Calm down. I was just fucking with you lol. Also I’m not sure just the three of us counts as a party
Steph : Whatever man. At least tell me you got the good snacks this time
Alex : Of course
The empath rushed inside, quickly changing into some dry clothes before making her way to the grocery store, suddenly giddy again.
---
The three of them were sat around the coffee table now, eyes fixed on the cards in their hands.
“Shit, what happened to you?” Steph asked, nodding towards the wet clothes hanging on the staircase railing. “Get caught in the rain or what?”
“Something like that,” Alex said, sneaking a knowing look at Ryan, who chuckled under his breath as he drew a card.
The rest of that night had passed by in a blur. Drinking games had a way of doing that to you.
---
The next morning, Alex awoke to a flurry of texts, almost all of which were from Steph. After responding to those, she clicked over to Ryan’s.
Ryan : You okay? You hit those shots pretty hard last night
Alex : Ugh my head is killing me. Please tell me I didn’t do anything embarrassing
Ryan : Nah you didn’t
Alex : Ok good
Ryan : Except…
Alex : ?????
Ryan : Except the part where you grabbed your guitar and started belting Sarah McLachlan
Alex : Ehhhh that’s not so bad. Unless you’re a hater. Celine Dion ain’t the only Canadian treasure, y’know
Ryan : HA trust me. I’ve got nothing against her. I’m talking about how you changed the lyrics
Alex : To…?
Ryan : “In the arms of a ranger”
Alex let the phone slip out of her fingers and onto her chest. Slowly, she covered her face with her hands.
It was about five minutes later when she had finally gathered enough courage to respond.
Alex : Oh god. I’m so sorry you had to witness that
Ryan : That’s okay. I actually liked it
Ryan : It was nice
She felt her cheeks heat up, suddenly overcome with giggles.
And with that, yesterday had officially become the perfect day.