be my shelter
Title: Be My Shelter
Author/Artist: TamLin
Setting: Crisis Core/pre-ACC
Rating: T
Summary: punkiemonkie over on ffnet asked for the prompt of 'umbrella/raining/romance' - but they forgot their umbrellas. Hope everyone is having a good thanksgiving and spending time with the ones they love.
Tifa stood in the doorway and watched the rain come down. It wasn't a heavy rain but it was the dull, dreary gray rain that she knew from experience would be cold and soak under her clothes and generally do it's best to make her miserable as long after she was out of it as it could. She gave a quiet sigh and tried to steel herself for it, stalling by trying to decide if it was worth running through or if it wasn't even worth that.
It was her own fault really. She was trained enough, had lived her long enough, that she had recognized the signs when she'd left her house. She hadn't brought her raingear though because she's just meant to be gone a few minutes. A few minutes had turned into a few minutes more however as she'd got caught listening to Mr. Green recite his usual litany of aches brought on by the threatening weather as she'd paid for her groceries. And now she was standing in the doorway of the shop, watching the rain come down, cradling her sack of groceries against her chest and pretending the weather was going to clear any minute now.
Any minute now…
Any minute…
Any - oh, who was she kidding? With a quiet sigh and an overdramatic slump of her shoulders to make fun of her own reluctance and make her feel better, she gave in. Time to brace up. It wasn't that far to her own house and then she could dry off and change into clean clothes and wait for the chill to leave her bones.
It wasn't monsters or breaking bridges after all.
Behind her boots scuffed on the wooden floor and she jumped a little in surprise, turning wide eyes to look over her shoulder, startled at how close the sound was. And then her eyes widened just a little bit more.
It was the soldier from before. The one who had saved her from the summoned monster at the reactor and gotten hurt. Zack had told her he was okay - but she hadn't seen him in the three days since she'd helped him back down the mountain.
She'd thought he was avoiding her.
She hadn't exactly been the most helpful when the summon had attacked, so surprised that she'd frozen momentarily and he'd had to get in the way to save her from it's attack. He'd gotten hurt because of her. She'd wanted to apologize -
Except now that he was in front of her, everything she'd wanted to say just dried up and she couldn't think of anything at all. What squeaked out was a pathetic little:
"…hi."
She couldn't see much more than his chin because his helmet was in the way but that pale skin ducked just a little bit more and she had the distinct impression he was peering up at her through his bangs. His shoulders were hunched just a little bit forward and his hands hung in loose fists at his sides. Finally he gave what was close to a nod. Against the canvas bag she was holding, Tifa's own fingers clenched and unclenched.
She wasn't sure why she felt suddenly so shy. She had no problem with Zack and he was a big, bad SOLDIER. Something about the soldier in front of her though made her feel - strange. Kind of soft and shy and super aware of the fact rain made her hair a bit frizzy and the fact she was just wearing her kick around clothes instead of her nice outfit. Awkward, she shifted a little on her feet.
The soldier rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his boots.
"I - um - I wanted to thank you. F-for saving me on the mountain?" she stumbled over it and it wasn't at all what she'd pictured herself saying - or how she'd pictured herself saying it - when she'd been going over it in her head at night before she fell asleep. His face turned to the side away from her and she heard the creak of leather as his hands fisted in their gloves. Stupid. She was doing this so stupidly. Not at all as smooth and beautiful as she'd envisioned. As much as she'd wanted to see him, now all she could think about was getting away so she could mentally berate herself in private.
"So - thanks," she nodded several times and then shrugged so that the bag in her arms lifted. "I've - ah - I've got to get home now though. Um, dinner and all. You know?"
Mentally wishing she could scrub her hands over her face at how badly she was handling this, she gave him what she hoped was a convincing smile. Why was she having such a hard time? She never had a hard time talking to people. Except here she was, stumbling over her words and worrying about her hair and wishing -
…wishing he was blond. Because then everything would make sense.
"Got to go," it was all the warning she could managed and then she ducked out into the rain as quickly as she could, clearing the two stairs down to the ground and then shutting her eyes to cringe. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
And then the rain let up.
Her head jerked up and she blinked drops off of her lashes. The worn leather of a brown glove brushed water from her cheeks almost reverently. She was surprised when it didn't startle her. She wasn't used to being touched. Looking up, she saw one of the empty burlap feed sacks Mr. Green kept near the door was being held over her head to keep the rain off and the soldier from the store was holding it awkwardly in place that way across his arm while he peered at her under it's shelter.
It was so - incongruous and awkward and sweet that she had to rapidly blink a few more times against the tightness in her throat and there was nothing in the world that could have stopped the shy, blushing smile she gave him. Under the shelter of his helmet, his own lips offered back something just as embarrassed and shy.
"Like a mama chocobo," she said before she could realize how it sounded and stop herself but the sack was draped across his arm and he had raised it to hold it over her head like a wing. Where she could see the hint of them, his cheeks went red - but then his lips twitched again and he gave a quiet cough she somehow knew wasn't a cough. It reassured her, made her feel safe and comfortable and so she shyly scooted a little closer to him with the silent excuse of making it easier for him to keep the fabric over her head. His chin tucked closer to her and she offered another shy smile.
"Thank you," she whispered and this time he hummed a low, soft sound deep in his throat that made all the tightness in her chest relax but made all the muscles in her stomach tense oddly.
"You're getting wet too," she murmured, realizing it with a flare of guilt for not thinking of it sooner but he only grunted and shook his head a little, reaching up to tap knuckles against the metal of his helmet. It jarred the cloth over her a little and he was meticulous in rearranging it to make sure she stayed dry. She stood carefully still so she wouldn't disturb him as he did.
He still smelled nice. Like leather and detergent and that quieter clean mountain air smell she thought was just him. This close to her, he was warm too and that was nice against the chill of the rain too. His hand shifted in front of her, bringing her attention back to the present with a questioning gesture and her cheeks heated. He was right though, the burlap wouldn't hold out the rain forever and they really did need to get her home.
She started forward but she already knew that the second they started moving it was all going to fall apart. There was no way they could match steps close enough in the awkward position they were in and her little shelter wouldn't last. It was all right though. She didn't really care about the rain anymore.
Except they didn't jar apart. Somehow his steps matched hers almost as if he knew the way she walked and the sack stayed raised for her, warding off the wet and the damp. He was even standing in the path of the wind, body blocking hers from any gusts of rain and she had no idea whether it was on purpose or just chance. Her heart liked to think it was on purpose even if she felt bad for him taking the rain instead of her. Rain off of Mount Nibel wasn't something you ever got used to but at least she was from here and had toughened to it a little. He had no such luck but she noticed that he didn't give any indication of being bothered by it and his steps stayed even and steady with hers, in no hurry to get in out of the storm.
She wasn't exactly either and felt disappointed when he finally stopped walking and she did automatically next to him to realize that they were in front of her front door. She peered up at him from under the cover of his shelter and found he was already looking down at her, chin tucked a little, shoulders less bowed forward than they had been before. She gave him another smile, wishing she lived further away so they could have walked longer - even if it was selfish of her. Searching the shadows under the rim of the helmet, she asked:
"Would you like to come in? You're wet and I can get you something warm to drink to help."
He shifted in answer, for a second leaning almost closer and then he was straightening and shaking his head, exhaling silently through his lips.
She caught herself doing the same thing.
Somehow - she wasn't surprised that he wouldn't come in but it still didn't stop the disappointment. She ducked her own head, determined not to spoil things now though just because of that. So she nodded and looked back up at him with a smile that was just for him.
"It's okay," she assured him. And was then brave enough to add: "Maybe next time."
The hope hung in the air between them, back patterned by the quiet hush of falling rain. His lips parted and then pressed shut. Parted again. Shut again. Finally she saw him swallow and nod weakly.
It flushed her system with light as bright as summer sunshine and the smile she beamed back at him held it all.
"Okay." She nodded. Still riding that wave of joy, she ducked her head forward quickly before she could lose her nerve and pecked a quick kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you for saving me. Again."
Cheeks flushed, listening to him make a choking noise as his pale skin flared red, she opened her door and darted inside, shutting it quickly afterward. She still scooted quickly over to the side though so that she could peer out the window, hidden by the curtain and watch as it took the soldier a very long time and several rubs to the back of his neck before he finally turned and walked away. Smiling to herself, she thought, maybe, he was walking just a bit straighter too. Then she sank back against the wall and let herself slide down it, still hugging her bag of groceries to her chest.
She didn't know exactly what had happened but she knew it was good. Her heart told her so. Determined, she finally got back to her feet. Now she just had to make sure that she didn't mess anything up.
Except she never got the chance. That night Nibelheim burned and her world of childhood dreams and hopes turned to ash along with it.
It was many years later and rain from an entirely different continent that had Tifa standing in the doorway of a different shop and staring out at the gray drizzle. Her black and white sneakers made squeaking sounds against the concrete floor as she fidgeted in the doorway.
Home wasn't that far away and she had to get dinner started soon. Marlene would be waiting. It was just a little bit of wet and even if the rain that fell on Edge always smelled a bit funny and was a bit dirty, at least it wasn't cold most of the time. Wearing her work leathers the way she was, she wouldn't even get that wet. It was just -
She was so tired of the rain and gray skies. It had been raining for almost two weeks and when it didn't rain it was just - blah. Everything in Edge was blah and sometimes she didn't blame Cloud in the least for being gone away from it so long on his deliveries. It was as if the recent disease that was starting to inflict itself had taken over not only the humans but now even the sky, spreading its bruised gray across the entire world. Tifa was feeling tired and worn down and lonely and she knew that the rain was nothing to let bother her, it was just -
She was tired of being - dreary.
What a stupid thing to be letting herself feel.
Still, she hesitated in the doorway.
And as if in answer to a silent call she'd never made, she watched a dark figure materialize out of the dim alleyway and trudge with slow, steady steps toward her. He had a scarf of thick wool that he sometimes wore when it got truly cold around his shoulders and pulled up to shelter his head but even without the tell-tale golden spikes visible there was no mistaking Cloud Strife.
She would have known him even without the giant sword in it's harness against his back though.
His steps didn't falter or hesitate until he came to a stop directly in front of her at the foot of the low stairs that kept the worse to the mud out of the shop. Silent he raised his face when she murmured his name and his blue eyes were tired but still bright as they locked on her under the shadow of his hood.
"You weren't home."
His voice came out throaty and raw and quiet, coarse as if he hasn't used it lately. He cleared his throat in the rain and tried again.
"I got home and you weren't there. Marlene said you'd come here."
He stopped abruptly as if he'd run out of words with still more left to say and simply looked up at her with his eyes of tropic blue, looking a little lost and very determined.
He was here to bring her home. Where she belonged.
It made something in her throat tighten and she had to blink several times against it but the edges of her lips trembled upward for him and whatever he saw it convinced him to take those two steps up to join her in the doorway, dripping puddles of water carelessly into the interior of the store. He didn't notice and who was going to chide Cloud Strife, savior of Gaia for being a bit messy? Without a word, he unwound his scarf and then draped it around her, taking his time, brows down in concentration as he meticulously rearranged its folds around her and then pulled the thick part of it up to form a protective hood for her, sheltering her shoulders and head from the drizzling rain. Careful, worn leather of his gloves raising unintentional goose bumps across her skin, he made sure that her hair was tucked up into it as well, frowning a little at himself as he worked.
She stood very still so that she didn't interrupt him and watched his face as he did.
Finally he was satisfied she was as protected against the harmless water as she possibly could be and he wordlessly took her bags from her arms, shifting their weight so they both sat in the cradle of one of his arms. His other hand shifted and he looked suddenly lost with what to do with its freedom.
With a soft smile, Tifa slipped her fingers between his there and felt him relax. Together they stepped out into the rain, steps matched and made their way home down the narrow street and reworked alleys. Fenrir was parked outside the back door to Seventh Heaven under the awning they'd put up for it until they could build a garage and it ticked in the cool air, still in the process of cooling down. Cloud dropped her hand so that Tifa could go up the low steps first. She pushed the door open but Cloud had paused at the bottom of the steps. She turned in the doorway and he was looking up at her again, blond hair dark with moisture, pale, tired face still smudged with some of the more stubborn stains from his traveling to get here, forgotten groceries still in his possession.
Waiting.
He'd been gone a very long time this trip.
With a smile, Tifa's face softened and she stepped back into the house just one step, just enough to make room for him.
"You're wet," she told him softly. "Come in and I'll get you something hot to drink."
Through the rain, through the gray, his eyes of tropic blue found hers and she watched the edges of his lips soften. With a hum and a nod, he followed her up the stairs and into the house, closing the door behind him.
Author/Artist: TamLin
Setting: Crisis Core/pre-ACC
Rating: T
Summary: punkiemonkie over on ffnet asked for the prompt of 'umbrella/raining/romance' - but they forgot their umbrellas. Hope everyone is having a good thanksgiving and spending time with the ones they love.
Tifa stood in the doorway and watched the rain come down. It wasn't a heavy rain but it was the dull, dreary gray rain that she knew from experience would be cold and soak under her clothes and generally do it's best to make her miserable as long after she was out of it as it could. She gave a quiet sigh and tried to steel herself for it, stalling by trying to decide if it was worth running through or if it wasn't even worth that.
It was her own fault really. She was trained enough, had lived her long enough, that she had recognized the signs when she'd left her house. She hadn't brought her raingear though because she's just meant to be gone a few minutes. A few minutes had turned into a few minutes more however as she'd got caught listening to Mr. Green recite his usual litany of aches brought on by the threatening weather as she'd paid for her groceries. And now she was standing in the doorway of the shop, watching the rain come down, cradling her sack of groceries against her chest and pretending the weather was going to clear any minute now.
Any minute now…
Any minute…
Any - oh, who was she kidding? With a quiet sigh and an overdramatic slump of her shoulders to make fun of her own reluctance and make her feel better, she gave in. Time to brace up. It wasn't that far to her own house and then she could dry off and change into clean clothes and wait for the chill to leave her bones.
It wasn't monsters or breaking bridges after all.
Behind her boots scuffed on the wooden floor and she jumped a little in surprise, turning wide eyes to look over her shoulder, startled at how close the sound was. And then her eyes widened just a little bit more.
It was the soldier from before. The one who had saved her from the summoned monster at the reactor and gotten hurt. Zack had told her he was okay - but she hadn't seen him in the three days since she'd helped him back down the mountain.
She'd thought he was avoiding her.
She hadn't exactly been the most helpful when the summon had attacked, so surprised that she'd frozen momentarily and he'd had to get in the way to save her from it's attack. He'd gotten hurt because of her. She'd wanted to apologize -
Except now that he was in front of her, everything she'd wanted to say just dried up and she couldn't think of anything at all. What squeaked out was a pathetic little:
"…hi."
She couldn't see much more than his chin because his helmet was in the way but that pale skin ducked just a little bit more and she had the distinct impression he was peering up at her through his bangs. His shoulders were hunched just a little bit forward and his hands hung in loose fists at his sides. Finally he gave what was close to a nod. Against the canvas bag she was holding, Tifa's own fingers clenched and unclenched.
She wasn't sure why she felt suddenly so shy. She had no problem with Zack and he was a big, bad SOLDIER. Something about the soldier in front of her though made her feel - strange. Kind of soft and shy and super aware of the fact rain made her hair a bit frizzy and the fact she was just wearing her kick around clothes instead of her nice outfit. Awkward, she shifted a little on her feet.
The soldier rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his boots.
"I - um - I wanted to thank you. F-for saving me on the mountain?" she stumbled over it and it wasn't at all what she'd pictured herself saying - or how she'd pictured herself saying it - when she'd been going over it in her head at night before she fell asleep. His face turned to the side away from her and she heard the creak of leather as his hands fisted in their gloves. Stupid. She was doing this so stupidly. Not at all as smooth and beautiful as she'd envisioned. As much as she'd wanted to see him, now all she could think about was getting away so she could mentally berate herself in private.
"So - thanks," she nodded several times and then shrugged so that the bag in her arms lifted. "I've - ah - I've got to get home now though. Um, dinner and all. You know?"
Mentally wishing she could scrub her hands over her face at how badly she was handling this, she gave him what she hoped was a convincing smile. Why was she having such a hard time? She never had a hard time talking to people. Except here she was, stumbling over her words and worrying about her hair and wishing -
…wishing he was blond. Because then everything would make sense.
"Got to go," it was all the warning she could managed and then she ducked out into the rain as quickly as she could, clearing the two stairs down to the ground and then shutting her eyes to cringe. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
And then the rain let up.
Her head jerked up and she blinked drops off of her lashes. The worn leather of a brown glove brushed water from her cheeks almost reverently. She was surprised when it didn't startle her. She wasn't used to being touched. Looking up, she saw one of the empty burlap feed sacks Mr. Green kept near the door was being held over her head to keep the rain off and the soldier from the store was holding it awkwardly in place that way across his arm while he peered at her under it's shelter.
It was so - incongruous and awkward and sweet that she had to rapidly blink a few more times against the tightness in her throat and there was nothing in the world that could have stopped the shy, blushing smile she gave him. Under the shelter of his helmet, his own lips offered back something just as embarrassed and shy.
"Like a mama chocobo," she said before she could realize how it sounded and stop herself but the sack was draped across his arm and he had raised it to hold it over her head like a wing. Where she could see the hint of them, his cheeks went red - but then his lips twitched again and he gave a quiet cough she somehow knew wasn't a cough. It reassured her, made her feel safe and comfortable and so she shyly scooted a little closer to him with the silent excuse of making it easier for him to keep the fabric over her head. His chin tucked closer to her and she offered another shy smile.
"Thank you," she whispered and this time he hummed a low, soft sound deep in his throat that made all the tightness in her chest relax but made all the muscles in her stomach tense oddly.
"You're getting wet too," she murmured, realizing it with a flare of guilt for not thinking of it sooner but he only grunted and shook his head a little, reaching up to tap knuckles against the metal of his helmet. It jarred the cloth over her a little and he was meticulous in rearranging it to make sure she stayed dry. She stood carefully still so she wouldn't disturb him as he did.
He still smelled nice. Like leather and detergent and that quieter clean mountain air smell she thought was just him. This close to her, he was warm too and that was nice against the chill of the rain too. His hand shifted in front of her, bringing her attention back to the present with a questioning gesture and her cheeks heated. He was right though, the burlap wouldn't hold out the rain forever and they really did need to get her home.
She started forward but she already knew that the second they started moving it was all going to fall apart. There was no way they could match steps close enough in the awkward position they were in and her little shelter wouldn't last. It was all right though. She didn't really care about the rain anymore.
Except they didn't jar apart. Somehow his steps matched hers almost as if he knew the way she walked and the sack stayed raised for her, warding off the wet and the damp. He was even standing in the path of the wind, body blocking hers from any gusts of rain and she had no idea whether it was on purpose or just chance. Her heart liked to think it was on purpose even if she felt bad for him taking the rain instead of her. Rain off of Mount Nibel wasn't something you ever got used to but at least she was from here and had toughened to it a little. He had no such luck but she noticed that he didn't give any indication of being bothered by it and his steps stayed even and steady with hers, in no hurry to get in out of the storm.
She wasn't exactly either and felt disappointed when he finally stopped walking and she did automatically next to him to realize that they were in front of her front door. She peered up at him from under the cover of his shelter and found he was already looking down at her, chin tucked a little, shoulders less bowed forward than they had been before. She gave him another smile, wishing she lived further away so they could have walked longer - even if it was selfish of her. Searching the shadows under the rim of the helmet, she asked:
"Would you like to come in? You're wet and I can get you something warm to drink to help."
He shifted in answer, for a second leaning almost closer and then he was straightening and shaking his head, exhaling silently through his lips.
She caught herself doing the same thing.
Somehow - she wasn't surprised that he wouldn't come in but it still didn't stop the disappointment. She ducked her own head, determined not to spoil things now though just because of that. So she nodded and looked back up at him with a smile that was just for him.
"It's okay," she assured him. And was then brave enough to add: "Maybe next time."
The hope hung in the air between them, back patterned by the quiet hush of falling rain. His lips parted and then pressed shut. Parted again. Shut again. Finally she saw him swallow and nod weakly.
It flushed her system with light as bright as summer sunshine and the smile she beamed back at him held it all.
"Okay." She nodded. Still riding that wave of joy, she ducked her head forward quickly before she could lose her nerve and pecked a quick kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you for saving me. Again."
Cheeks flushed, listening to him make a choking noise as his pale skin flared red, she opened her door and darted inside, shutting it quickly afterward. She still scooted quickly over to the side though so that she could peer out the window, hidden by the curtain and watch as it took the soldier a very long time and several rubs to the back of his neck before he finally turned and walked away. Smiling to herself, she thought, maybe, he was walking just a bit straighter too. Then she sank back against the wall and let herself slide down it, still hugging her bag of groceries to her chest.
She didn't know exactly what had happened but she knew it was good. Her heart told her so. Determined, she finally got back to her feet. Now she just had to make sure that she didn't mess anything up.
Except she never got the chance. That night Nibelheim burned and her world of childhood dreams and hopes turned to ash along with it.
It was many years later and rain from an entirely different continent that had Tifa standing in the doorway of a different shop and staring out at the gray drizzle. Her black and white sneakers made squeaking sounds against the concrete floor as she fidgeted in the doorway.
Home wasn't that far away and she had to get dinner started soon. Marlene would be waiting. It was just a little bit of wet and even if the rain that fell on Edge always smelled a bit funny and was a bit dirty, at least it wasn't cold most of the time. Wearing her work leathers the way she was, she wouldn't even get that wet. It was just -
She was so tired of the rain and gray skies. It had been raining for almost two weeks and when it didn't rain it was just - blah. Everything in Edge was blah and sometimes she didn't blame Cloud in the least for being gone away from it so long on his deliveries. It was as if the recent disease that was starting to inflict itself had taken over not only the humans but now even the sky, spreading its bruised gray across the entire world. Tifa was feeling tired and worn down and lonely and she knew that the rain was nothing to let bother her, it was just -
She was tired of being - dreary.
What a stupid thing to be letting herself feel.
Still, she hesitated in the doorway.
And as if in answer to a silent call she'd never made, she watched a dark figure materialize out of the dim alleyway and trudge with slow, steady steps toward her. He had a scarf of thick wool that he sometimes wore when it got truly cold around his shoulders and pulled up to shelter his head but even without the tell-tale golden spikes visible there was no mistaking Cloud Strife.
She would have known him even without the giant sword in it's harness against his back though.
His steps didn't falter or hesitate until he came to a stop directly in front of her at the foot of the low stairs that kept the worse to the mud out of the shop. Silent he raised his face when she murmured his name and his blue eyes were tired but still bright as they locked on her under the shadow of his hood.
"You weren't home."
His voice came out throaty and raw and quiet, coarse as if he hasn't used it lately. He cleared his throat in the rain and tried again.
"I got home and you weren't there. Marlene said you'd come here."
He stopped abruptly as if he'd run out of words with still more left to say and simply looked up at her with his eyes of tropic blue, looking a little lost and very determined.
He was here to bring her home. Where she belonged.
It made something in her throat tighten and she had to blink several times against it but the edges of her lips trembled upward for him and whatever he saw it convinced him to take those two steps up to join her in the doorway, dripping puddles of water carelessly into the interior of the store. He didn't notice and who was going to chide Cloud Strife, savior of Gaia for being a bit messy? Without a word, he unwound his scarf and then draped it around her, taking his time, brows down in concentration as he meticulously rearranged its folds around her and then pulled the thick part of it up to form a protective hood for her, sheltering her shoulders and head from the drizzling rain. Careful, worn leather of his gloves raising unintentional goose bumps across her skin, he made sure that her hair was tucked up into it as well, frowning a little at himself as he worked.
She stood very still so that she didn't interrupt him and watched his face as he did.
Finally he was satisfied she was as protected against the harmless water as she possibly could be and he wordlessly took her bags from her arms, shifting their weight so they both sat in the cradle of one of his arms. His other hand shifted and he looked suddenly lost with what to do with its freedom.
With a soft smile, Tifa slipped her fingers between his there and felt him relax. Together they stepped out into the rain, steps matched and made their way home down the narrow street and reworked alleys. Fenrir was parked outside the back door to Seventh Heaven under the awning they'd put up for it until they could build a garage and it ticked in the cool air, still in the process of cooling down. Cloud dropped her hand so that Tifa could go up the low steps first. She pushed the door open but Cloud had paused at the bottom of the steps. She turned in the doorway and he was looking up at her again, blond hair dark with moisture, pale, tired face still smudged with some of the more stubborn stains from his traveling to get here, forgotten groceries still in his possession.
Waiting.
He'd been gone a very long time this trip.
With a smile, Tifa's face softened and she stepped back into the house just one step, just enough to make room for him.
"You're wet," she told him softly. "Come in and I'll get you something hot to drink."
Through the rain, through the gray, his eyes of tropic blue found hers and she watched the edges of his lips soften. With a hum and a nod, he followed her up the stairs and into the house, closing the door behind him.