A/N Lmao I wrote this months ago but I forgot to post, oh well. Set in the non magical au (Aka where Laser Kisses was set in) but months before Laser Kisses happened. Chronologically? This is in like, November and at that time they're still antagonistic to each other lmao. Anyways enjoy! Reviews are appreciated.
It was raining. Actually, the term rain felt wrong now as the weather continued. This mess of natural forces wasn't rain. It was perhaps the monstrous cousin of rain, the kind all of the younger kids feared and often sang songs to make it go away. She should know, she's been one of them before. Normally Hannah didn't mind this sort of wild weather Britain would often have but since she was stuck in it, she naturally despised it.
The raindrops battered the bike shelter Hannah was under and its intensity came like the tide, it's sound was akin to those of war drums, there would be a steady beat, a slight pause before the bang that would lead the next beat in and the cycle would continue. Hannah sighed once more as she checked her phone, still, there was no response from her mum, nor was there one from her older sister which meant that she still needed to wait for a ride. She wasn't going to go out in that kind of rain, not when the wind ruined her own umbrella, she would be soaked to the bone.
"What the fuck are you doing out here England?"
Hannah raised her head up, eyes already watering, lips ready to pout to her rescuer to beg for a spare umbrella. She was so distracted and was so cold that she didn't even recognise the voice who called to her. Needless to say, her prepared expression fell when she caught sight of Amanda O'Neill in jogging bottoms wearing a backpack and a damp hoodie, staring at her like she wasn't supposed to exist in the present moment.
"Why are you here O'Neill?" Hannah sneered automatically as she crossed her arms at her. It was not that she was planning to be antagonistic, it was a habit after getting into verbal fist fights with her about her homework when they had their study sessions together. The girl was stubborn as she was gay, which really spoke a lot.
Amanda rolled her eyes and stepped into the bike shelter to take off her hood. "Nice to meet you too I guess," she said sarcastically as her damp hair fell across her eyes. With an annoyed grunt, Amanda pushed her hair back in response creating this boyish look with her hair before she focused on the heavy rainfall outside.
Hannah watched that entire scene go down and didn't bother to look away. In fact, she couldn't look away. At first, she was going to mock Amanda for her terrible wet hair but then she pulled it back and her throat suddenly became very dry. Which was ironic considering every part of her was damp with the rain. Her cheeks flushed red and her eyes couldn't leave Amanda's hair and the cool and seemingly refreshed smile on her face as she stared into the rain. It was that moment when Hannah finally understood why a cocky idiot like Amanda O'Neill had a fan club in school to begin with.
"Geez, Hannah how long have you been out here?"
Hannah blinked, suddenly aware that Amanda was no longer looking at the rain but at her, concern expressed through her furrowed brows and narrowing of emerald eyes. "What?" She said stupidly as she was now aware of the new level of warmth across her cheeks.
"Your cheeks," Amanda explained as she moved closer to Hannah and put both of her cold, shivering hands on them. They were inches apart and after that sudden realisation, the lack of distance only escalated the temperature of her face and the spread of her blush. Hannah's eyes widened as she spluttered at Amanda's boldness and her cheeky grin. "They're so warm."
Fortunately, Hannah wasn't too far into the deep end of this sudden gay thought for Amanda to not lose sanity with the fact that Amanda was close to her face and held it with both of her hands. Within a second Hannah found the logic and strength to push her away after she said those words. It helped that the stark contrast of temperature against her hands and her own cheeks snapped her out of it. "And your hands are freezing! What the hell were you doing in this weather!?" Hannah yelled as she looked at Amanda.
Amanda grinned at her as she moved some of her hair that fell forward with a push back to its place in the boyish look. Hannah remembered to stay conscious at her surroundings when she did that and hoped that the gulp she did was subtle enough for Amanda to not notice. "Well there goes my personal heater," Amanda sighed in disappointment. "Shame, my hands needed that after jogging."
"Oh please like I would be your personal anything," Hannah scoffed, she was about to remind Amanda that her standards haven't dropped to her test scores but she caught on to another insane piece of knowledge. "Wait, did you say jogging!?" She turned to Amanda, jaw wide open and eyes wide. She can't be serious right?
Amanda downright cackled at her expression, she even hugged her stomach to ease her sides. "God your face England, fucking priceless."
"Well?" Hannah fumed as her fists clenched. If she actually did jog in this horrendous weather she was going to get an earful on how stupid she was. "Did you or did you not?"
"Yeah of course I did, why else am I here?"
With that simple sentence, Hannah unleashed her rage on the idiot. Unfortunately, Hannah yelled out her incoming attack, with justified rage, so Amanda held her hands up in time to block the initial wave. "You are such an idiot!" Hannah said as she tried her best to slap some sense to Amanda. "Why in Jennifer's name are you jogging in this weather! Do you not care about your health? What happens if you get a cold? Or slip on wet pavement and break something!?"
"By the nine Hannah," Amanda said as she managed to stop Hannah's failing attempts to hit her by holding her arms tightly, but not enough where it would hurt. "I'm fine alright? Hell, I even got an umbrella."
Hannah blinked. Then she continued her fit of rage and struggled against her restraints. "Then why aren't you using it you, idiot!?"
"Alright, Alright," Amanda stubbornly agreed as she let go of Hannah. "Since when did you care about my health anyway?"
Hannah paused as she looked away to avoid Amanda's gaze. She crossed her arms against her chest and let out an annoyed huff. She hated that she doesn't know how to answer that question, she doesn't even know why she cared to begin with. Sure they respect each other enough to hold civil conversations sometimes but often than not they end up fighting like earlier till one of them or both of them give up or give in. So why did she care?
"That doesn't matter," Hannah said swiftly, deflecting the question entirely to both herself and to Amanda whilst still not turning around to face Amanda. If she did turn around then she would've seen an amused smirk appear on Amanda's face. "Anyways I heard you have an umbrella you're not currently using?" Hannah asked as she finally turned back round to Amanda.
"Yeah, it's in my bag, why?"
"Well, I'm wondering if I could use it so that I can head home during this weather since I hardly doubt it will end any time today," Hannah explained as she uncrossed her arms. "I promise that it would be looked after carefully and that I will return it on Monday."
"Hah, would you look at that, even one of the school's pet is stupid enough to forget to bring an umbrella," Amanda snickered as she placed her hands in her pockets to warm them up.
"My umbrella broke you, idiot," Hannah snapped as she gestured to the broken umbrella resting against the bike stand. "Clearly your eyesight is the same as your IQ if you haven't noticed it."
"Rude," Amanda scoffed as she grinned proudly at Hannah. "My eyesight is 20,20."
Hannah smirked at her, "That's exactly my point 20 IQ."
"Hey!"
After a second of silence, they both burst out laughing in their own various ways. Hannah placed a hand above her lips but not close enough to muffle it, like a dainty princess laugh. Amanda's laugh was a big contrast, though Hannah's volume was loud but controlled, Amanda's was an entirely different level. It was wild, boisterous, the one that people would stare at in crowded places. Hannah found it rather charming. She then snuffed out that thought completely.
"So do you think I can use your umbrella?" Hannah asked again after they were done with their shared moment of laughter.
"Eh, why not," Amanda grinned as she opened her bag and took it out. Hannah reached out to take it but Amanda quickly pulled it away from her grasp. "But I have to use it with you," she added causing Hannah to gasp and glare at Amanda.
"And why on earth do I have to use it with you?"
Amanda smirked as she pointed the umbrella to the rain and opened it. To Hannah's surprise, the umbrella was much bigger than she expected it to be, in fact, it was big enough to-
No...
Hannah looked at Amanda, horror expressed with her shocked gaze and wide mouth. They weren't going to do that right? Why on earth would Amanda gain from doing something like that?
Amanda's grin widened as she nodded her head to Hannah as if she could read her thoughts. "That's right Hannah, you and I are going to share an umbrella, any objections?"
There were many objections, several in fact. Like how she trust that idiot to be her personal space after today's fiasco. Or how she hated Amanda's smug grin and nice hair. Or the fact that she would probably show Amanda where she lived if she wanted to get home dry. Yet despite all of these reasons and more, Hannah still grumbled before begrudgingly getting her bag and stuffed her ruined umbrella back in it and walked next to Amanda. Even going so far as accepting they way their hands brush against each other as they both held the handle. "Let's just get this over and done with okay, then we don't talk about this ever again."
Next to her, Amanda chuckled. "Lead the way then Hannah England." Together, sometimes with their hands brushing against each other, sometimes not, Amanda and Hannah stepped into the rain and headed home.