Author's Note: For the If You Dare Challenge, prompt "Rain", and Imagine Your OTP: … after a dinner date, waiting for Person B to be picked up by a friend… raining, so Person A is holding an umbrella over them. Person B then thanks the other for the date, and they soon share their first kiss. They have to break it because Person B's car just arrived.
First Rain
(On a rainy night outside one of the Capitol's diners, the future District Twelve stylists kiss for the first time.)
"Dinner was fun," Portia says, nervously kicking a rock in the small road just beyond the curb they're perched on.
"Yes, and excellent weather, too," Cinna remarks with a wry smile. She nudges him, displacing the umbrella he's holding momentarily, but savoring the contact.
"You don't have to stay, you know," she says, hard to hear over the rain, feeling bad that his house is actually within walking distance but he's waiting for her ride, trying to keep her out of the storm that just grew heavier. On the other hand, she prays that he doesn't actually leave, and thinks it might be selfish, but….
"Nonsense. I want to stay."
A rare car drives by them, and she practically whispers, "Red one," referring to their usual color-counting game. Cinna smiles.
Feeling brave (and sleepy, and cold), she leans against him just a bit, and he switches the umbrella to his other hand to put an arm around her, running lightly over her jacket sleeve. Somewhat unable to believe her luck, she's quiet for a few minutes.
"Cinna?" It's barely audible, a mumble muffled against his shoulder, and she's surprised when he answers.
"Hmm; yes, beautiful?"
She's not sure what she was actually about to say, and blushes. "The air smells good, from the rain."
"Yes," he agrees, but gives her a curious look.
"I—well, I mean—it's… nice," she squeaks out the end, and avoids looking at him. Then she glances up almost frantically. "You're sure, you want to stay?"
"It shouldn't be much longer, anyway."
She wonders if that's a good thing or not—if he's hoping that it won't be that long. Well, no wonder if he doesn't, she thinks. "Another red car," she says quickly, to change the topic as one goes by them.
"Indeed," he says, amused, then, "I think I saw a blue one earlier."
She just nods, not sure what to respond with. There's silence for a few seconds.
"Well… thanks, for tonight," Portia tries awkwardly, not knowing how much longer they have left to talk and wanting to get it in. She looks up at him from against his shoulder.
"Of course. I'm just glad you said yes."
"Oh," she says, and suddenly avoids his eyes, just listening to the rain, snuggling a bit closer to him in the cold.
His arm slips from around her. She feels his fingertips at her cheek, tilting her face towards his again, and she has a second to process—heartbeat racing and pounding, palms sweating, breathing fast and shallow, was there that much gold in his eyes before?—and then his lips are on hers. Instinct takes over and she winds her arms around his neck, feeling warmer with the closeness, and her eyes are still open but she's thinking more about the odd angle, and is this really happening?
The kiss is soft and gentle, slower than she might have expected, so she can breathe as much as she was before. It doesn't last long. She hears another car, vaguely registers it, and looks up. "That'd be my ride," she says, glancing towards the ground.
They both stand, untangling from each other. Cinna opens the passenger door for her with his free hand, still holding the umbrella over them in the other. "I'll see you tomorrow," he says, smiling at her.
"Yeah. Tomorrow," she echoes, in something of a daze.
He laughs, and almost-tentatively kisses her forehead. "Goodnight, Portia."
"'Night, Cinna."
END
