So... This is another fic I wanted to get started, so it's ready for when the actual storm season starts up. This one won't be updated much until then and even then SFtM will take priority. Hope you enjoy! Also! It's been a very long time since I used anything weather related for terminology or facts so I'm working off what I can find on official websites and book resources.
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Listen to the Rain
I
Rain pelted the parched earth below, causing small divots in the dusty earth beneath. The air had cooled slightly, the humidity remaining as a charge started through the air. The tension had been building all night, finally formulating in the heated hours of mid-day. The winds had slowly picked up, dancing through the trees at the start of the day and slowly becoming a gusting force that tore through branches and leaves. The clouds overhead shifted, slowly rotating where within the air currents of the storm.
Observing a few miles away, a team of four kept a close eye on the building cell. The most prominent of the group stood a little further ahead, his gaze squinted slightly as he studied the rotations. His blue green eyes flickering slightly from side to side, trying to take in the full cell in as little time as he could, looking for any sign that this storm would give him exactly what he was looking for. His auburn hair was swept to the side, a few random strands of red or blond nestled in and creating a unique color of their own. His pale skin looked almost gray in the dull lighting, giving him a more porcelain look.
A crack of thunder echoed along the open fields and a smile formed on the brunet's face. Perfect...
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Kurt Hummel loved thunder storms. There was something about the sublime beauty that just drew him in. The sound of the rain dancing down to the ground, the thunder rolling just above his head, it relaxed him. Maybe it had something to do with what his father had told him on the day of his mother's funeral.
It had been storming, the rain coming down hard heavy and the heavens rumbling with angry thunder. They'd buried her in the rain. Kurt had stood outside with his father, holding the man's hand and staring blankly down at the casket as the hole was filled up with dirt. He'd flinched with every crack of thunder until his father had pulled him close, rubbing his back.
"You know Kurt... there's nothing to be scared of. Storms are a part of nature... a part of your mother..." Burt Hummel had choked out through his own tears. It was odd, Kurt hadn't cried once since his mother's death. He didn't know why, but he had never felt the urge to nor the need. He looked up at his father, frowning a bit.
"What do you mean, papa?"
"Think of the storms as your mother's voice singing you to sleep... the rain whispering her love in your ear..."
Burt Hummel had never been the most articulate with words, but Kurt remembered the entire speech. He remembered the love and the truth behind his father's words. Maybe that's what started Kurt's life in the direction it was now.
Regardless, Kurt could always find a way to compare his life to a storm. Schooling, family life, his step-brother and step-mother, his relationship with his father, dating, even sex. All of it. Kurt lived, breathed, and slept storms. And he knew his life was complete when he met his fiance.
Blaine Anderson was perfect. To Kurt, he was a storm encompassed and embodied into human form. Everything about him that drew Kurt in and made him fall in love was like the storms that held Kurt's heart so tightly. They'd met during a storm chase, their teams meeting on the same road in hopes of catching sight of the cell's power. It had only turned out to be a Chubasco, the short lived violent storm passing quickly and with minimal wind damage. It had left both teams thoroughly soaked and everyone in a good mood.
Kurt had been laughing with his team when he'd looked over to the other group and locked eyes with most amazing caramel colored gaze he'd ever seen. Black curls had been plastered against the slightly tanned skin and a grin, that had already formed, grew wider as their gazes met. It was pure electricity.
That had been three years ago on May 27th, 2009. It was Kurt's 25th birthday. Three years later and the beginning of the season was today.
Shifting in bed, Kurt groaned and blinked open an eye to blearily look around the room. The other half of the bed was messy, the covers pushed back and the pillow hanging half off the bed. The brunet sighed. Blaine never had been a calm sleeper. He had a few bruises to prove it, but all in all he didn't mind. It's not like the other could help it.
Yawning, he rolled over in his bed and looked at the clock. 7 A.M. He groaned. He knew what this meant. Blaine was up and moving. Blaine Anderson was already meeting with his team. Blaine Fucking Anderson was an entire hour ahead of him.
"Fuck!" Kurt hissed, launching himself out of bed, only to get his legs tangled in the sheets and hit the floor with a smack! A pained groan and he rolled around slightly, untangling himself and scrambling up from the floor. "That son of a bitch..." he growled, glaring at the ring on his finger and resisting the temporary urge to launch it across the room somewhere.
As childish as it was, the two of them loved their games of cat and mouse. Getting married or not, they refused to work on the same team, both of them leading their own group of misfits and having their own style of storm chasing. Oddly enough, their rivalry through work was the perfect way for them to sort out any arguments. They had a deal, any anger or hurt would be taken and used to try and best the other in the field. At home, they left work behind and became the perfect loving couple they always wanted to be.
Staggering to the shower, Kurt went through his morning routine in record time and was out the door with no time to spare. He needed to meet with his team and get on the road. Calling each member of his team, he set up the rendezvous point at their usual garage, knowing Mercede's would already be up and prepping their gear.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"Anderson called..." Was the first thing that greeted Kurt as he walked into the main office. Sighing, the brunet looked over to his step-brother. The taller man was nearly 6'5", his brown eyes wide, giving him a perpetually confused expression despite his knowledge in the field. Beside him, a tanned man of very slightly shorter stature snorted. His mowhawk was freshly trimmed, the strands having gotten longer over the winter.
"Puckerman, Finn..." Kurt greeted, looking to the tanned man first and then to his step-brother. "What did that bastard have to say for himself?" he asked, slipping into his own chair and dragging out his laptop to start it up.
"Told us to wake up sleeping beauty when we decided to take out job seriously..." an Asian man stated, stepping into the room as well. He smirked slightly in amusement. Kurt turned his unamused look to the other.
"Thank you, Mike..." he muttered, rolling his eyes. "Remind me why I agreed to marry that man?"
"Because, according to you," Puck started, a smirk dancing in his coffee brow gaze. "That he fucks than he dresses and-"
"Ok! Thank you for the reminder of my love life..." Kurt interrupted. His computer started up and he plugged in the password, bringing up the radar automatically. Honestly, he hated the area he lived in. Or at least, he did until tornado season rolled around. Then he was in heaven.
"So... Kurt, um... Rachel kept asking me if she could meet you..." Finn started nervously. The brunet blinked and looked up at his sibling, studying him for a moment.
"Who?"
Finn frowned a bit, fidgeting. "Rachel... my girlfriend... you know the one I plan on proposing to this summer..."
Kurt blinked a few times as he searched his memory. Finn had a girlfriend? Since when? "...Oh! Oh! You mean the girl you met while you were in Ohio visiting dad and Carole?"
"Uh... yeah..."
"Alright... I'll meet her when we fly over for Christmas..."
Finn frowned. "Kurt, she moved in with me like... three months ago. In fact, she's here today..." Kurt's fingers stilled on the keyboard as he let this sink in. "...She really wants to meet you..."
The brunet bit into his lower lip in thought, frowning a bit. He really needed to get on the road. The more time he spent playing nice and meeting this woman was more time he lost to Blaine Anderson and the Storm Birds. But then again this was his brother.
"...Fine. She can come with. But she's not slowing us down. This is the beginning of the season and I refuse to let Anderson and his band of song birds to get ahead of us again." Kurt stated, lifting his gaze to his brother, silently promising pain if any setbacks were to happen.
Finn grinned. "Thank you!"
"Right. She rides with you." Kurt added, frowning at the other. "Puck! You're with me!"
"Got it, Princess!"
"Good. Mercedes!" Kurt turned and called deeper into the building. Moments later the door opened and an African American woman stepped in, running a hand through her hair as she carried a few charts in her other hand.
"Right here." She replied, grinning and setting the charts down for the others to see.
"And what, my dear favorite woman, do you have for us today?" Kurt purred, leaning forward and reaching for the charts eagerly.
"Like a kid in a candy store..." Mercedes chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I called Sam at NOAA. He sent over the predictions for today as well as the humidity, pressure, and flow charts. Looks like we've got the perfect window of opportunity brewing just south of El Reno." She muttered, pointing out a few spots on her maps. "The conditions are right and already we're seeing build up of a cumulus field that's capped. It could break at any second and a nice ol' super cell could build. My guess is, Anderson doesn't know anything about this one.."
Kurt grinned, licking his lips slightly like a cat. "Perfect... Alright, boys. You know the drill. Pack up and let's get on the road." he called over his shoulder.
The room was filled with the sounds of chairs scrapping and movement as bags were grabbed and tossed into the two vehicles. Kurt turned and pulled Mercedes into a quick hug. "We'll keep in contact." he promised before pulling back and heading outside. "Alright! We're going to take the freeway out of the city and head south! Keep your pagers on to frequency 20! Let's go!"
"Kurt!" He heard his brother call. Sighing, he bit back the urge to roll his eyes and turned to the other.
"What?"
Finn just blinked and grinned, pulling a grinning brunet woman up beside him. "This is Rachel..."
"Hi! It's a pleasure to finally meet you! Finn talks about you all the time and I've been so eager to meet you! And I mean your job is amazing! So much danger and adventure! I don't know how you can handle i-"
Kurt sighed and cut in. "Rachel?" she nodded. "Look. It's nice to meet you and I'm sorry but we don't have the time to talk right now. So if you would, please... shut up and get in the truck." he finished flatly. "PUCKERMAN!" he called out again, hearing a reply as he turned on his heel and went to his own truck. He honestly could care less that he'd left the woman standing there in shock. He had a job to do and he wasn't about to lose this one.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Getting on the road was easy, the team getting onto highway 81 and going South as directed. By the time they reached their destination they would be in the perfect position to intercept and, if they were lucky, place pods in the path of a tornado. If they were lucky. Which Kurt Hummel usually was.
Checking they were on the right road, he set cruise control and glanced to make sure Puck had the radar up on his laptop. Knowing they were set, he pulled out his phone and got to the other part of business. The fucker picked up on the sixth ring.
"Do you have any idea how much I hate you right now?" Kurt growled out before he could get a greeting. A chuckle at the other end followed by a purr.
"God you're sexy when you're angry..."
"Shut up, Anderson. Your cute little game of turning off the alarm clock just won you a week on the couch." Kurt shot back. He could practically hear the smirk in Blaine's voice now.
"That right? Looks like you won't be getting any for a while then if that's my sentence..." Kurt just rolled his eyes. "We can have pillow talk when we get home. Being serious now. You guys on the road?"
It was amazing how fast their flirting could become good natured rivalry. They taunted and teased, but in the long run, they watched one another's backs. And Kurt loved Blaine even more for it. "Yeah.. we're on 81 headed south."
"Where to?"
"El Reno. There's activity starting up there as we speak. Looks promising."
"Good. We're almost to Yukon just East of there. If you want we can both set up halfway, work this one together? Was kinda hoping we could catch lunch together..."
Kurt rolled his eyes but smiled none the less. "We'll see how it all plays out. Until then, you're on your own."
"What ever, Hummel. Let us know when you get closer. I'd like to know there's someone else in the area in case something goes wrong like last year..." Blaine added, a frown hidden in his words.
Kurt shuddered slightly at the thought, swallowing a bit. Blaine's team had lost a member, Thad. He'd been struck by a large piece of hail to the back of the head. He'd died instantly. "Yeah... Yeah, I'll call in and keep tabs. You do the same?"
"Of course, babe..."
Kurt smiled a bit at the reassurance. "And don't let that newbie make any rash decisions? What was his name again?"
"Sebastian. And don't worry, he's stuck with David and I. So he doesn't stand a chance of causing trouble."
"Good... I love you..."
"I love you too, Whirlwind..." Blaine replied, Kurt smiling a bit more at the nickname the other man had given him.
"Be safe."
Ok, so the ending could have been better... still! I hope you liked it!