Authors Note: Hey all, this is just a silly little piece I wrote the other night when I was stuck in a tornado warning of my own. Perfect time to be writing, right?! It's not beta'd so all mistakes are mine.
Jessie Pride looked at the man sitting across from her as they found shelter in his basement. She had come to visit her childhood best friend after he settled into his new house, away from the small town they had grown up in. Buzz Lightyear greeted her with open arms, and was happy to have her company again, if only for a short while, but their reunion was cut short by warning of an impending tornado coming their way. Buzz had dealt with a couple tornado warnings during his time away at college, but this would be the first one he faced in his own home. For Jessie, this would be her first time dealing with a storm like this, and she was more terrified than she cared to admit. She tried to take several deep breaths without alerting Buzz to her distress, but she was sure it wouldn't be long before he caught on.
Suddenly Buzz stood up and started to look around the room. Jessie hated to admit it, but having him close to her was helping her stay calm, and now that he wasn't as close, she was starting to hyperventilate. She didn't want to admit that she had feelings for her current survival companion. He was her brother's best friend, and someone she had grown up with; he had become an important part of her life, and as much as she would love to see what a relationship with him would be like, she was afraid to push him and lose his friendship forever if he didn't feel the same way.
"Wh-what are you doing?" She was hoping she could draw him back towards her without creating too much of a fuss.
"Looking for some candles. We could use them if the power goes out." He said, more calm than Jessie could have thought possible.
"Oh." Jessie looked down, trying to get her breathing under control again. She wasn't sure if seconds or minutes passed before he returned with a few candles, a matchbook and a flashlight.
"This is all I could find, but it should be good enough." He sat down across from her again, studying her face and trying to read what she was feeling.
If he was being honest with himself, Buzz would have much rather sat next to Jessie to comfort her, but he couldn't trust himself to keep his emotions in check. Even if they were down here because of a tornado warning, the thought of sitting next to Jessie in nothing but candlelight stirred up emotions deep within his gut that he knew he couldn't act on. Her friendship was important to him, they had been friends as long as he could remember, and as much as he would love to kiss her until the storm passed and they could go upstairs, he knew there was no way she could share those feelings for him. Instead, Buzz would have to be happy with her friendship, and for now, that would be enough. But he knew he needed to distract her, because she was starting to look more pale by the minute.
"We should find something to distract us and pass the time." He said more to himself than to her.
"Yeah, that's a good idea." Jessie would take any distraction she could get, because there wasn't much about their current situation that she liked.
Buzz stood up again to look for cards or some other form of distraction when thunder struck the building and the lights went out. He heard Jessie scream as he reached for the flashlight.
"Jessie! Are you alright?" Buzz rushed to her side and saw that the redhead was now ghostly white. He tried to shake her but knew that it would be no use until he could get more light. He resolved to turn around and light the candles that were beside them on the floor, hopefully then he could coax Jessie to calm down.
It was all Jessie could do just to keep breathing. She was terrified of the dark, and had been since she was a little girl. Whenever she found herself in a situation like this, which thankfully wasn't very often, she froze, and couldn't bring herself to move until the lights turned back on. It didn't help that there were no windows around them; not only was she afraid of the dark, but she was claustrophobic, and her current situation was definitely awakening both of those fears. She could only find solace in the fact that Buzz knew about her fears, and she wouldn't have to try to explain herself to him. She felt herself blinking for the first time in what felt like forever as the first light of the candles started to warm the room.
Buzz took a deep breath as he turned to look at Jessie again. He would have to put his feelings aside and try to comfort her, she didn't deserve to be as terrified as she currently was. He settle himself next to her and placed his hand on her knee. "Jess, can you hear me?"
Jessie heard Buzz, but she couldn't make her muscles move to respond to him. She felt his hand on her knee, and his thumb starting to trace little circles on her skin through her jeans, and it calmed her more than she cared to admit. She forced herself to take slow, even breaths and tried to focus on the fact that she wasn't alone.
After a few minutes, Buzz could see a little color returning to Jessie's face so he resolved to try again. "Jess, I'm right here. You're going to be okay." Buzz had been with Jessie more than once when she had one of her panic attacks, but normally Woody, her brother, was there as well, and he was the one who helped calm Jessie down. Buzz tried to remember everything that Woody normally did to help the small, panic-stricken woman.
Jessie turned to look at Buzz, finally gaining a little control of her own body. The fear he saw in her eyes made his breath hitch in his throat. He wanted to take that fear away from her, but he wasn't sure how to help. He would protect her with his life, but there wasn't much he could do to protect her from herself. He moved the hand that was on her knee to her cheek, and tried not to pay attention to how much this made him want to kiss her. He didn't have to distract himself long because soon Jessie threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. He was a little shocked by her sudden movements, but calmly placed his arms around her waist, pulling her close.
"Oh, Buzz!" She began to sob. Jessie tried not to think about how this moment was ruining any shot she might have with him. Someone like Buzz could never love someone so frail and easily spooked by just the lights turning off. But as the tears rush forth, she took comfort in how good it felt to be in his arms, how warm he was, and how he made her insides stir because he was now drawing circles on her back.
After a few minutes her sob slowed to trickles, and she began to feel silly that she had thrown herself at him. She leaned back, leaving her arms around his shoulders, not ready to lose his contact quite yet. She took a deep breath, but couldn't look him in the eyes, afraid of what she might see there.
Buzz wasn't going to have that, he needed to see what she was thinking, how she was feeling. He gently lifted his chin with his fingers and felt his heartbreaking at the pain he saw. He wanted to kiss away her tears, he wanted to let her know that nothing would hurt her while he was around, but he couldn't find the words. They were better off left unsaid anyway, she was hurting right now, and she didn't need him to make it worse. So he decided to settle on wiping away her tears instead. He placed his hand gently on her face again and whisked away several of the fresh tears that had just fallen. He saw a flash of something in her eyes, but before he could decipher what it was, it was gone again.
Jessie hated herself. She hated that she was so easily scared, and she hated that she was taking comfort from Buzz. He was her friend, and nothing more, but for a little while, she could pretend that the way he was comforting her meant something more. In her mind, she felt like she was using him; betraying his trust because she was taking his friendship as so much more. She was taking comfort from how good it felt to be near him, how much she loved the attention he was giving her, and how much he seemed to care for her. When his hand touched her cheek for the second time, she wanted to kiss him, but she quickly dismissed that idea, worried that he would push her away. She needed him now, more than ever, and she couldn't give into temptation when it could mean that she could lose the affection he was giving her. The thought brought more tears to her eyes; normally she wouldn't let something like this bother her, but she was already emotional, and she couldn't stop her panic from taking over other parts of her mind.
Buzz watched as more tears fell from her eyes, and without thinking he placed his other hand on her cheek, so that her face was gently cradled between his large hands. His thumbs tenderly whipped at her falling tears, as if keeping them from falling completely could save her from the pain she was feeling.
"It's alright Jess, I'm not going anywhere." His voice was barely above a whisper, and a little shakier than he would have liked, but she could hear him perfectly.
Her breath hitched, wanting to believe that his words meant more than what they sounded like. She couldn't keep herself from stealing a glance at his lips. If his hands could bring he so much comfort, she was sure his lips could bring her double, but she could not bring herself to find out. Her eyes returned back to his, and not more than a second could have passed, but she saw a look of confusion on his face. It was subtle, but it was there.
Buzz found himself lost in thought. He had clearly seen Jessie look at his lips, and though it must be wishful thinking, but he could swear she wanted to kiss him. He hadn't missed her reaction to his words, and he found himself wondering if she was calming down because he was here, and not just because someone was here to comfort her. He knew that he had been giving her more attention than he should, but he did not expect another chance to have her in his arms. His simple touches had been for him, so he could memorize what it felt like for her to be in his arms. It was purely selfish, but he suddenly could not bring himself to feel guilty.
Almost without thinking, Buzz began to lean forward to close the small gap between them. His own brief glance at her lips gave her warning of what he was about to do, and he was surprised when his lips pressed against herself without any resistance.
Jessie could feel her heart beating in her ears, it felt like an eternity passed while Buzz was leaning in to kiss her. She was sure that she must have passed out, and that she was dreaming, but as their lips met she was instead sure she was awake.
A fire stirred within each of them, and suddenly the darkness around them didn't matter. They were in their own world, where nothing mattered but everything was right. Jessie tightened her grip around Buzz, pulling him closer and silently asking him not to let go of her. But letting go of her was far from his mind. His right hand slipped backwards to tangle in her hair and the other returned to her waist, holding her against him. Their lips moved together in tandem, until Jessie dared to lick at his lips, asking permission to enter. Buzz gladly opened his lips to her, pulling her ever closer to him, not able to get enough of this new side of her that he was suddenly introduced to. It was only when they both thought they might faint from lack of oxygen did they part, resting their foreheads against each other and gasping for air.
Jessie opened her eyes, and for the first time was surprised to find that she wasn't afraid of the darkness that surround them. She felt a peace she had never felt before, and she knew it was because of the man who was currently had his arms protectively wrapped around her. There was a difference about the embrace, and it was obvious that it was due to the passionate kiss they had just shared. Jessie was sure she had never been kissed like that before in her life, and she wasn't sure she wanted to be kissed like that by another man ever again.
Buzz was actually the one afraid to open his eyes. He was afraid to look at Jessie and see that she regretted kissing him. For him, nothing had been more perfect than the minutes they had spent kissing, and he found himself wanting to remain in those moment, hoping not to lose them.
"If I would have known that could calm my panic attacks, I would have tried it a long time ago." Jessie risked saying her thoughts aloud, hoping that the way she was feeling wasn't one sided. She had a pretty good idea, but she found herself still nervous that he would push her away.
Buzz chuckled lightly and finally open his eyes, only slightly surprised to find her smiling. "I'm happy I could be of assistance." He was still being careful not to show his full emotions, rejection now would hurt more than he cared to think about.
Jessie found herself giggling softly, the last sound she expected to hear from herself given their current situation. "Buzz?" She spoke cautiously, hoping he would look at her again so she could be more sure of what she wanted to say. She was happy when he did just that.
"Yeah, Jess?" He wasn't sure what he might ask him, or if he was prepared to answer, but he found himself searching her eyes for the answers to his own questions.
Jessie hesitated, biting her lower lip softly and looking away from a moment, before looking back at him with a new resolve. She didn't know that biting her lip sent a wave of desire through Buzz that he was fighting to react. The thumb on the hand around her waist started drawing circles on her skin again; something Buzz did absentmindedly, but that drove Jessie wild. At that moment, she gave up her fears, gave up her doubts and chose to be happy.
"Kiss me again." She was giving him the option to back out. One kiss could be a mistake, but two would mean that they were going down a whole different path. One she would be happy to take with him, if he would let her.
Jessie saw the moment his eyes went dark with desire; in a moment, all his anxieties and fears melted away and were replaced by much stronger feelings.
"Oh Jess." His voice came out as all but a moan, and it sent a new wave of desire through Jessie's body as she watched him lean in again.
Their lips crashed together, driven by the hidden feelings they had both been hiding. In an instant they were back to the same level of passion their first kiss had shared, and they knew it wouldn't take long before they would top it. As if moving in sync, they both opened their mouths at the same time, wanting to deepen the kiss and pull the other closer.
A moan from Jessie drove Buzz to release his grip from around her waist and take hold of her knees so that he could pull her onto his lap. The new position gave Jessie the dominance to take the kiss wherever she may want to go. One hand tangled in his hair, pulling him closer to her, as the other slid between them to rest on his chest. Feeling his strong muscles under her hand sent feelings through Jessie she didn't know existed. But the feeling of his heart under her wandering hand gave Jessie the confidence to admit one thing, even if only to herself; she was madly in love with Buzz. Her realization drove her on, wanting more and not sure how to get it. Her hand slipped lower, before lifting up his shirt and reaching inside to feel his skin on hers.
A groan escaped from Buzz's lips and his hand trailed up the back of her legs and settled on her butt. He gave it a tight squeeze, relishing in how she felt beneath her jeans, and he found himself wanting to take off her jeans so he could see her for himself. A slight movement from Jessie pulled him out of his thoughts. He realized exactly what she had just moved against, and he knew they needed to slow down. As much as he had dreamed of this moment, he wasn't about to let their first time be on a basement floor. At the same time, Jessie let go of his hair and suddenly both her hands were at his waist, starting to unhook his belt.
"Jessie wait." He grabbed both her hands with one of his and pulled away, hating the look of rejection he saw on her face. He gently let go of her hands and tried to figure out how he could back track and explain himself to her.
"I-i'm sorry" Her voice was quiet, and she couldn't look him in the eyes. She moved to get off him, thinking that he was not interested in going that way with her, but he stopped her. Placing one hand on her waist and the other on her cheek, he gently forced her to look at him.
"I'm not." He chuckled lightly, deciding it was time to be honest with her. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time."
"Then why..." She couldn't bring herself to finish her question. She wasn't really sure she wanted to know the answer.
"Because, we are in a basement, for crater's sake." His thumb moved against her cheek, trying to pull her from her negative thoughts. "As interested as I am in seeing where this might go... I lo... care about you way too much to let our first time be against a dirty basement floor. I would much rather it be somewhere special." He smiled at her, and she was sure that she would melt from the look he was giving her. He tried not to panic at the fact that he had almost told her that he loved her, choosing to focus on the fact that she was smiling back at him and practically glowing.
"You do?" She asked, not referring to any of his comments specifically. She was too distracted by the fact that he had just told her that he cared about her, and the fact that he had referred to it as their first time, like he wanted there to be more. She wasn't sure what she wanted to hear more of. "Oh Buzz! I didn't think it was possible for you to feel the same way I did!" She added, throwing her arms around him and pulling him in for a hug.
"I was thinking the same thing Jess, but I'm happy I'm wrong." He smiled, wrapping his arms around her tightly and resting his head against her shoulder.
They were quiet for a moment, happy just to be in each other's company, especially knowing their shared feelings. Another close strike of lighting made Jessie jump and look around, remembering exactly where she was for the first time in quite a while. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her heart and her nerves once again, and smiled as she let it go.
"Ya know, I never thought I could be so happy to be stuck in a storm. I definitely have a new perspective on them now." She smirked at Buzz, a look he hadn't seen in quite a while.
"I'm glad I could give you something else to focus on." He rested his hand on her cheek again, it was beginning to be a new favorite for him. "I was really worried about you for a minute there Jess." He didn't mean to turn the conversation so serious.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I wish I could control my panic attacks a little better. You know I would if I could." She looked away, feeling nervous again.
"I know Jess. I just didn't know how to help you, and I'm not used to feeling like that. I hated not being able to help you." He admitted both to himself and to her.
"Well, it's not like I was about to try something like that with Woody!" Jessie laughed anxiously.
"I would hope not! Though if I had my way, you wouldn't kiss another guy again." Buzz froze, he hadn't meant to say the last part out loud. "I… Uh…" He was trying to think of a way to recover, but his brain wasn't moving fast enough.
"I wouldn't mind if that were the case." Jessie added shyly. She still couldn't believe she was having this conversation with him.
"Jessie, I…" Before Buzz could finish his thought the lights popped on around them.
"The power is back!" Jessie jumped up off his lap and ran towards the stairs. "Do you think it's safe to go out?" She hesitated, not really knowing when they should leave the basement.
Buzz shrugged, a little thrown off that he was about to tell Jessie that he loved her before getting interrupted. "We should have brought a radio down with us, but I didn't really think about it. I guess all we can do is go upstairs and turn on the news and see what they say. I would say the lights are a pretty good sign." Buzz sighed and resolved to find time to tell her later. He bent down and blew out the candles as Jessie started up the stairs.