Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Gentle Embrace
It was just after 2am when Javi bolted upright with a startled cry, chest heaving and skin covered in a thin sheen of cool sweat. For a brief moment, he flailed wildly to rid himself of the pressure constricting his chest and throat, awkwardly reaching over and unbuckling his seatbelt upon regaining enough awareness to recognise his surroundings.
Heart hammering against his ribs, the latino slowly leaned back against the seat with an exhausted sigh, glancing down at his wrist in an effort to read the time despite his trembling hands.
The crew had been chasing storms in a more remote area of Oklahoma for the past week, where even motels were so scarce that Javi had opted to just sleep in his truck, as did most of the Tornado Wranglers.
Looking out his rearview window, he could clearly see the little nest of cars, RVs, and trailers the others owned, all circled around a central firepit. Thankfully, it seemed no one had been woken up by the sound he’d emitted, as every vehicle remained dark and still in the early morning hour.
Adrenaline still raging from the nightmare plaguing his sleep, the tech wizard shivered at the phantom sensation of glass shredding the flesh of his back, desperately fighting back tears as his eyes swept the crew’s mobile housing, silently debating whether to risk seeking comfort amongst the more embracive members or remain awake with only his rapidly-deteriorating thoughts to keep him company.
His gaze unexpectedly paused on the sight of Tyler’s truck positioned directly across from his own, the cargo bed lowered to house the small cot the cowboy kept for the occasional “camping” trips, the only visible part of the youtuber being his long legs stretched out on the dropped tailgate.
Biting his lip as he considered the idea, his answer came in the form of the quiet click of his truck door opening as he slipped barefoot out into the soft grass, a thin blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Vision aided by the gentle glow of the moon, the tech wizard padded across the clearing to Tyler’s vehicle, nervously peeking over the side of the cargo bed.
The meteorologist was fast asleep in his cot, arms crossed over his chest where he lie on his back, his slender frame stretched over the surface of the travel mattress, clad in the same clothes he’d worn the day prior.
Goosebumps peppered the man’s skin everywhere his flesh was exposed, a gentle frown marking his features as his body stubbornly fought a similar unconscious threat Javi had, his distress causing visible tension ripples in his muscles and the occasional whimper or whine to spill from his lips.
With utmost care, the tornado chaser methodically climbed into the cargo bed to join the other on the cot, cautiously maneuvering himself over the meteorologist’s slumbering frame with the blanket spread over his back, their chests hovering just inches apart.
Heart revving in anxiety, the latino found himself holding his breath as the taller suddenly shifted, arms sliding apart before rising to coil about Javi’s waist, one hand sliding up to rest protectively on the nape of the smaller’s neck as the genius followed the downward pull and melted into the embrace.
The moment his cheek was pressed comfortably against a sculpted pectoral, the former Stormpar could feel Tyler relax almost instantly, heart rate slowing significantly as he sighed in content. The wave of laxity the tornado wrangler emitted washed over Javi like a tsunami, drawing his bone-deep exhaustion to the surface, where it eroded his anxiety in favor of delivering a wonderful sense of euphoria that immediately drew a sleepy yawn from his lips.
With the security of two strong arms wrapped around him, it didn’t take long for the latino to drift off again, the previous nightmare dissolving into dreams of fun, laughter, and love that started a gentle rumble in his chest, the vibrations serving to further drown his unexpected partner into peaceful rest.
And if Tyler awoke the next morning to what he thought was a stray cat cuddling up to him only to realize that it was a dead-asleep Javier Rivera, he would speak nothing of it…but he would secretly borrow the man’s watch to snap a little picture as a keepsake.