[Fic] Don't Mind the Storm (with You)
She wasn't exactly looking where she was going as she crossed the street. It had been a long day, after all, and Gladys had to get home and wash other people's blood out of her clothes. She was tired--she'd done a lot of healing that day, since nine in the morning when the explosion had gone off. She wasn't exactly thinking straight--someone had FORCED her to go home, after over ten hours of shift. It was dark and she could barely see as she stumbled home.
So it wasn't really all that ridiculous when, at the end of her day, she didn't notice the car waiting for her to cross. It wasn't all that ridiculous that she strayed off her path, eyes barely open, and smacked right into the side of the car. It wasn't all that ridiculous when she catapulted over the side of the car, slid down the hood and came to a rest right smack at the bottom, headlights flashing as her body passed over them.
It wasn't ridiculous, but it sure felt like it.
Gladys moaned when her body came to a rest on the striped crosswalk. She was so tired. She didn't want to get up again--all she wanted to do was lay here and fall asleep and then wake up refreshed and go back to work where she was needed. She didn't want to have to deal with the fact that she had scraped her leg on the side of the car and was maybe bleeding just a smidge--not like she'd been actually HIT by the car, mind you, but enough that she could feel it, like she'd cut her leg shaving or something. Most of all, she didn't want to deal with the owner of the car who was struggling to get out of the car as fast as possible. She'd probably dented the car, and she'd have to borrow money from Lizzie or someone just to pay them for the damage she'd caused and she hated being in debt to people and...
Above her head, the blinding headlights flickered and she saw a very concerned man staring into her face. The minute she locked eyes with him, he drew back in surprise, and then just stared at her for a full minute. Gladys looked back up at him, and then decided she was going to have to be the one to start this conversation.
"Can I help you?" she asked. "Other than paying for whatever damage I did to your poor car?"
The man just blinked a couple of times. "What?" he finally said.
"Your car," she said. "I didn't damage it too much, did I?"
"What about my... oh! No, I'm not worried about the car. That thing's a junker anyway, to tell you the truth. I was just coming over here to see if you were alright." There was another moment of silence. "Are you alright?" he asked finally.
"Well," she said calmly. "I think I'm fine. There's a scratch on my leg, but no need to call the ambulance or anything. I just have to get back to my apartment and--"
"Do you believe in guardian angels?" he asked suddenly.
Gladys was thrown off by his sudden interruption. "Excuse me?" she asked, trying to process what he'd just said.
"Guardian angels," the man replied. "Do you... believe in them?"
"I've met a few in my time, so yes, I believe in them."
"What if I told you that they were real and--you've met a few?"
With a sigh, Gladys sat up carefully and let out her wings. The man jumped back with a squeal of surprise before falling silent again, staring at her.
"Oh. I guess then you know how this sort of works."
"I've got a vague idea. So you're my guardian?"
"And you're my ward. Who is a..."
"Angel of Healing. So I apologize in advance for that."
"Uh, it's no problem I'm sure. ...Do you need a ride home?"
Gladys laughed a little. "I don't even know your NAME."
More blinking. He was a little slow on the uptake, maybe, but Gladys could somehow sense that he was a good person and that he would be a good guardian. "Oh! Um. It's Rhys." He offered her a hand, which she took and used to help pull herself into a sitting position.
"Lovely to meet you, Rhys, and sorry about the car. I'm Gladys."
"Gladys. Gotcha. Well. Um." He looked around the street nervously. Behind him, a car honked its horn impatiently. "So about that ride home..."
"It's not too far away. You can come up and meet my roommate and everything. Do you like tea?"
Rhys stared at her for a moment. "I think so," he said finally. "So, um." Another impatient honk from behind. Gladys turned, smiled at the driver and quickly gave him the finger. Rhys just watched her, the words falling from his mouth. "Hop... in.... I guess."
Gladys smiled. "Thank you," she said, and climbed into the car. Well. It wasn't what she had been expecting on a night like this, but she wasn't one to protest a friendly surprise or two.
Muse: Gladys (younger)
Word count: 860
Prompt: an angel's face smiles to me under a headlight of tragedy for _coherent
So it wasn't really all that ridiculous when, at the end of her day, she didn't notice the car waiting for her to cross. It wasn't all that ridiculous that she strayed off her path, eyes barely open, and smacked right into the side of the car. It wasn't all that ridiculous when she catapulted over the side of the car, slid down the hood and came to a rest right smack at the bottom, headlights flashing as her body passed over them.
It wasn't ridiculous, but it sure felt like it.
Gladys moaned when her body came to a rest on the striped crosswalk. She was so tired. She didn't want to get up again--all she wanted to do was lay here and fall asleep and then wake up refreshed and go back to work where she was needed. She didn't want to have to deal with the fact that she had scraped her leg on the side of the car and was maybe bleeding just a smidge--not like she'd been actually HIT by the car, mind you, but enough that she could feel it, like she'd cut her leg shaving or something. Most of all, she didn't want to deal with the owner of the car who was struggling to get out of the car as fast as possible. She'd probably dented the car, and she'd have to borrow money from Lizzie or someone just to pay them for the damage she'd caused and she hated being in debt to people and...
Above her head, the blinding headlights flickered and she saw a very concerned man staring into her face. The minute she locked eyes with him, he drew back in surprise, and then just stared at her for a full minute. Gladys looked back up at him, and then decided she was going to have to be the one to start this conversation.
"Can I help you?" she asked. "Other than paying for whatever damage I did to your poor car?"
The man just blinked a couple of times. "What?" he finally said.
"Your car," she said. "I didn't damage it too much, did I?"
"What about my... oh! No, I'm not worried about the car. That thing's a junker anyway, to tell you the truth. I was just coming over here to see if you were alright." There was another moment of silence. "Are you alright?" he asked finally.
"Well," she said calmly. "I think I'm fine. There's a scratch on my leg, but no need to call the ambulance or anything. I just have to get back to my apartment and--"
"Do you believe in guardian angels?" he asked suddenly.
Gladys was thrown off by his sudden interruption. "Excuse me?" she asked, trying to process what he'd just said.
"Guardian angels," the man replied. "Do you... believe in them?"
"I've met a few in my time, so yes, I believe in them."
"What if I told you that they were real and--you've met a few?"
With a sigh, Gladys sat up carefully and let out her wings. The man jumped back with a squeal of surprise before falling silent again, staring at her.
"Oh. I guess then you know how this sort of works."
"I've got a vague idea. So you're my guardian?"
"And you're my ward. Who is a..."
"Angel of Healing. So I apologize in advance for that."
"Uh, it's no problem I'm sure. ...Do you need a ride home?"
Gladys laughed a little. "I don't even know your NAME."
More blinking. He was a little slow on the uptake, maybe, but Gladys could somehow sense that he was a good person and that he would be a good guardian. "Oh! Um. It's Rhys." He offered her a hand, which she took and used to help pull herself into a sitting position.
"Lovely to meet you, Rhys, and sorry about the car. I'm Gladys."
"Gladys. Gotcha. Well. Um." He looked around the street nervously. Behind him, a car honked its horn impatiently. "So about that ride home..."
"It's not too far away. You can come up and meet my roommate and everything. Do you like tea?"
Rhys stared at her for a moment. "I think so," he said finally. "So, um." Another impatient honk from behind. Gladys turned, smiled at the driver and quickly gave him the finger. Rhys just watched her, the words falling from his mouth. "Hop... in.... I guess."
Gladys smiled. "Thank you," she said, and climbed into the car. Well. It wasn't what she had been expecting on a night like this, but she wasn't one to protest a friendly surprise or two.
Muse: Gladys (younger)
Word count: 860
Prompt: an angel's face smiles to me under a headlight of tragedy for _coherent