Title: Caught in the Rain
Characters: C/DG
Timeline: Post eclipse
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own Tin Man
Summary: It's funny how getting caught in the rain can change things.
A/N: Why NO, this ISN'T one of the 101 chapters I should be writing…but it exists because I just COULDN'T GET THAT LAST IMAGE OUT OF MY HEAD! You're welcome.
TMTMTMTMTMTMTMTMTMTM
He gave up trying to give her his hat because every time he set it on her head, she'd put it back atop his after a minute. They were both slowly getting soaked by the rain that would just not let up. As they continued walking, the trees of the forest they were in began to thin and the rain started to fall harder.
And he was getting grumpier.
"There!" she called, pointing to the right. "There's a barn! Come on!"
She started to run, and he stared after for a moment as she zig-zagged through the trees. Her coat wasn't fastened and it flapped behind her as she ran. Her hair that was pulled up into a bun was soaked, sagging, and falling down. She had her arms held up slightly at her sides for balance like she always did while running. As she ducked out of view behind a tree he was startled out of his daze.
He looked down at the muddy ground before taking off running after her. His longer gait and surer steps helped him catch up to her easily. Although of course, as he matched her pace, his foot slipped on the slope of the hill and mud. He threw up a hand to keep his balance, nearly hitting her in the process.
"Careful!" she laughed, grabbing his wrist and directing it away from her face.
He was about to apologize when her foot slipped off of a root and she stumbled forward and towards him a bit, calling out in surprise. His hand that hadn't moved far from hers quickly secured hers and offered support as she righted herself.
She looked at him wide-eyed in a that-was-close way, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Careful," he said dryly.
She breathed a laugh and kept running, not letting go of his hand lest she stumble again. As they finally broke from the tree line they ran faster, the rain pounding down relentlessly on them. They slowed as they reached the open stable doors, stopping just inside.
Panting hard, he released her hand and looked around, observing their shelter. Cobwebs and hay covered the floors and walls, old tack and horseshoes lay in a corner looking neglected, and the stall gates hung open to reveal that their occupants were long since missing.
"Now what?" she exclaimed, sounding annoyed. He turned to her and saw she was looking outside and gesturing towards the storm outside showing no sign of letting up.
He removed his hat and shook the water off, huffing in frustration. They were lost and he didn't want to admit it. Not that they had a schedule or route to follow. Nobody would be looking for them if they ended up having to stay the night here. There wasn't a plan. There wasn't a back-up plan. There was him. Following her around the OZ, wherever she wanted to go.
Her parents had simply said, 'Go on an adventure.' He shook his head mentally at the memory. 'Be safe,' Be back in a year,' and 'Go be adventurous,' were all the advice they had given her.
And he followed her why? He wasn't entirely sure. Part of him followed her because of some ghost of his duty bound self. Another part of him wanted to see the OZ as well, learn what's changed and what hasn't. And another part still, that he didn't pay attention to very often, reminded him that the kid made him feel at home when he didn't fit anywhere else anymore.
But it was times like these. Times when they had been at each other's throats for days, and little things like the weather make or break situations; these, made him question his decision to follow her.
He threw up his hands signaling her guess was as good as his. He could feel rainwater trickling down his back, making his shirt and coat stick to him and so he began tugging at his collar and shirtsleeves. With each effort his discomfort and annoyance at being caught in the rain in the first place heightened, as did his scowl.
A muffled noise brought his attention back to her. She was holding a hand up to her mouth, trying to hide a smile. He could see that her clothes were completely soaked, though she didn't seem to mind. Her eyes were twinkling with mirth and her hair stuck to her face and neck. She drug a finger back along her jaw pulling a strand of hair away from her skin revealing a full blown smile in the process. He was so frustrated that he nearly didn't observe how breathtaking she was, even in their current predicament.
She chuckled, lifting a side of her jacket, showing him how soaked she was, and then motions to him. He raises an eyebrow. Then she moved both of her hands out to the side and let them slap back against her sides, sending rainwater everywhere, laughing heartily.
He suddenly realized just how ridiculous was being in their situation and burst out laughing too. She started laughing harder and he shook his head at her.
As her laughter faded, he noticed her tilting her head at him and smiling hesitantly.
"What?" he asked, a smile lingering on his face.
She suddenly looked shy, and looked down for a second. He didn't have time to process that before she looked back up and stepped in front of him, cupping his jaw and brushing a thumb near the corner of his mouth.
"You should smile more…" she stated even though his smile was fading quickly.
A million observations, revelations, and ideas bombarded his mind at once as he tried to focus on her. They had been traveling together for months now. Moments like these had happened before. They had been fleeting. They had been a joke. They had been an accident.
And they had been happening more frequently.
He knew it was a risk of traveling alone with someone. Your attention had to be directed somewhere. He knew they had gotten comfortable around each other to the point where these moments didn't bother them. They never spoke of them, never pointed them out, and never kept them from happening. But this one was different.
This time was different because he was the first one to think of kissing the other.
Her hand lingered as she studied his features with a slight smile. She had yet to look up to see that his eyes had clouded with seriousness as a feeling he classified as uncomfortable heated and intensified in his chest with each passing second. When his smile had completely disappeared her eyes strayed up to his and she realized her error.
Her friendly gaze was suddenly unsure as he studied her intently, her chin tilted down slightly from where she was looking up innocently into his face before, and her hand froze as he swept his eyes over her face, the lack of space between them, and back again.
He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, the movement surprising her, and causing them to sway where they stood.
A moment passed and he had barely backed off to assess her reaction before she was leaning into him and rising up on her tip toes to kiss him back. Her arm went around his neck and she fisted his lapel with the other hand. He dropped his hat as he returned the kiss passionately and ran an arm around her lower back while the other wrapped around her shoulders.
There they stood kissing, framed by the open stable doors revealing the rain drenching the green landscape outside. They were pressed together and miles away from another soul. And while there may have been a hundred more ideal opportunities and scenarios, ones where they weren't both soaking wet and lost, he chose this one to kiss her. After getting caught in the rain.