A/N: Just so you know, my dialogue is a little weak. If anything seems wrong with the way they speak, I'm sorry but I can't make it seem natural.
Rain
a fanfiction by secondrate
She rested her forehead against the cool glass of the window and watched the rain run down the windowpane and fall to the ground below. Her breath misted on the glass, condensing into a light coat of moisture. Absentmindedly, she traced a single pale fingertip across it, making random patterns on the window before rubbing the whole thing out.
Long before he approached she knew he was there. The second he had entered the room it was someone had turned the volume to full on a Napalm Death album. Of all of her comrades and friends, his emotions were the easiest to read, much more unrefined and unhidden. For a while they stood there, both of them staring out of the glass window into the storm. His arm was raised against the window, his head resting on his forearm. Two pairs of eyes followed the paths of the raindrops down the pane of glass.
"You all right?" he asked eventually. For a few moments, she didn't answer, and then shook her head 'no'. "What's the matter?"
"The rain," she answered.
"You're scared of the rain?" he asked, incredulous. She shook her head again. "What about the rain has you feeling less than all right?"
"It's a prison," she replied, "the little drops are like bars, they make me feel like I've been locked away in a cage. When it rains, it prevents you from living your life. It's a barrier and it is like nature is stopping you herself."
At her words, he shook his head. "You've got to stop thinking in terms of barriers Rae," he said, "the way I see it, when you're out in the rain, you're in a world all of your own, one where you can just stop, think or just live without the normal bounds of society. In my opinion, the little that it is worth, rain is freedom, not a prison."
She gave a small sad smile, her gaze flitting briefly to his face before moving back to the glass. "It's just another example of how apart we are Gar." Her voice was tinged with the tiniest amount of sadness, an emotion reflected in both her lips and her eyes. "You see freedom where I see shackles. You hope when I despair. You're innocent Gar, I'm guilty of so much. I wish it were different, but we cannot change what we cannot control."
"It's always control with you, isn't it?" he snorted, "Hasn't it ever occurred to you just to allow yourself to be happy for once? To maybe just feel for once instead of being so…"
"Cold?" she interrupted, her voice rising ever so slightly, "You know that I need control. You've seen what happens when I lose it. I've only just begun to fully understand the whole range of my emotions. I need more time."
"It's always what you need, isn't it Rae?" he almost-shouted, "What about me, huh? What about my needs? I'm fully prepared to give you the space you want, but why can't you just accept the way I feel about you?" Abruptly, he stopped speaking, closed his eyes and bit tightly down on his bottom lip. When he opened his eyes again, he had visibly deflated.
"I'll give you the space you need Rae. I'll back off, give you time. When you've got it all worked out, come talk to me. I'll wait for you." He turned away and walked to the door. When he reached the door, her voice caused him to turn back and face her.
"I'm trying, Gar," she half whispered, "I'm trying to accept what you feel…and what I might be feeling in return."
"Try harder," he replied with a small smile, "maybe you should try to understand the rain first though." With that last remark, he left her alone by the window.
Outside in the storm, the heavens wept because she could not.