Title: Downpour
Author: drjumbomart
Rating: FRT (Fan Rated Suitable for Teenagers)
Disclaimer: I don't own ER or any of its characters. Heh. I wish.
Spoilers: Hmm... None, really.
Content Warning: Some profanity and sexual content (!)
Summary: It's raining/storming/whatever, the power goes out, Ray and Neela are bored. Anyone up for a game of flashlight tag? ;) 1339 words! Huzzah!
Neela cursed under her breath. She hated the rain. The puddles that seemed to gather nowhere but the center of the crosswalks, the downpour that soaked her to the bone, the whole lot of it. She muttered her disapproval as the wind flung icy drops at her.
"Rain, rain, go away," she mumbled. "And stay the hell away." She entered her apartment building and trudged down the hall, soaked and miserable. Thunder rumbled outside. The lights that lit the hallway flickered briefly before going out.
"Son of a bitch!" Neela shouted angrily. She pulled her apartment keys out of her pocket and thrust them into the lock on the door.
"Son of a bitch, son of a bitch, son of a-" She looked down to her right and saw a small boy looking up at her with wide eyes. She forced a smile on her face.
"Hello, Liam," she said.
"Hi," said the boy. They stared at each other for a moment before Neela opened the door.
"Have a good night, sweetheart," she said, entering the apartment. Turning around, she closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall, rubbing her tired eyes.
"Hey." Neela jumped at the sound of the voice. "Relax. It's only me." Squinting, Neela could make out Ray's silhouette in the dark apartment. She sighed.
"You're going to give me a bloody heart attack someday," she muttered. Ray snickered.
"Do we have a flashlight?" he asked hopefully. Neela nodded.
"Yeah, there's one in the cupboard next to the microwave," she told him. Ray disappeared into the dark kitchen. Neela peeled off her coat and hung it on a hook by the door. She realized that her clothes were soaked and a puddle was forming at her feet. Ray returned triumphantly with the flashlight, pointing the beam at Neela, who shielded her eyes. Ray stared at her, fascinated by how tightly her wet clothes clung to her. Neela sneezed.
"Excuse me," she said. "I believe I've developed a cold."
"A cold, huh?" asked Ray, staring intently at Neela's chest. "Well, if you want to get better, you should get some breast. Rest! I meant rest." Neela rolled her eyes and walked past him to the other room. Ray closed his eyes and hit himself several times in the head with his flashlight.
"Stupid, stupid!" he scolded himself quietly. He spun around on his heels and followed Neela. He aimed the flashlight at her. She lay sprawled out on the couch with a 'don't-you-dare-come-near-me' look on her face. Ignoring her glare, Ray sat down next to her and placed the flashlight on the arm of the couch, positioning it in such a way that the wall in front of them was illuminated. He stuck his hand in front of the beam and twisted his fingers, casting a shadow that looked like a wolf on the wall. Neela watched out of the corner of her eye, pretending not to be interested. Ray twitched his fingers, making the 'wolf' run across the wall. He grinned at looked over at Neela, who turned away.
"Heh," he muttered. "Not impressed, huh?" Neela grabbed a book from a nearby shelf and stuck her hand out.
"May I have the flashlight, please?" she asked. Ray shook his head. "Why not?" asked Neela, exasperation in her voice.
"I'm using it," said Ray, making an antelope leap gracefully across the wall. Neela frowned.
"Not funny, Ray. I'd like to read," she mumbled.
"I'd like to read," Ray repeated in a high-pitched voice.
"Are you mocking me?" asked Neela sharply. Ray snickered. "Oh, you think you're funny, do you?" Neela quickly grabbed the flashlight, eliciting a yelp of protest from Ray.
"Hey!" He grabbed the handle of the flashlight and tried to yank it away from Neela. Glaring at each other, they engaged in a fierce tug of war. Light from the flashlight darted around the room, giving the impression that a bolt of lightning was ricocheting off the walls of the apartment. Neela's fingers slipped off the plastic handle and the flashlight hurtled backwards into Ray's nose.
"Yow!" he yelped. Neela gasped.
"Are you okay?" she asked. Ray dropped his prize to the floor and clutched his nose. Neela picked up the flashlight and pointed it at his face.
"Here, let me see," she said, gently pulling his fingers away. A trail of blood trickled from his nose.
"Am I bleeding?" he asked. Neela nodded.
"A bit," she admitted sheepishly. "Come up, let's get it cleaned up." She helped Ray up and started to walk with him to the bathroom. Suddenly, he spun around to face her.
"Go away. I can do it myself," he snapped. Neela stepped back. Ray snatched the flashlight from her and stalked off angrily to the bathroom. "I'm not your freakin' patient," she heard him mutter. She stood where she was, watching him storm off. She felt sorry for what she had done and hurt by his reaction. It was an accident. She would never intentionally hurt him. Sure, she and Ray got into fights. Loads of them, in fact. They weren't exactly each other's ideal roommates. But they never stayed angry at each other, and they always managed to end their fights before things escalated too far. Neela flinched as Ray slammed the bathroom door shut. She had gone too far this time.
Ray pointed the flashlight at his face, examining his injured nose in the mirror. He cursed quietly when he saw the blood trickling down all the way to his chin. Grabbing a washcloth, he soaked it in the sink and cleaned his face. He winced as he rubbed his sore nose. Stupid Neela, he thought. Never thinks of anyone but herself. Stupid, selfish, lousy . . . Beautiful . . . Brilliant . . . Neela wasn't so bad. She did think about other people. Ray remembered the time she had taken several shifts for him when he was stuck in bed, sick as a dog. He remembered how she always rolled her eyes at his wisecracks, but he saw how she chuckled to herself when she thought she was out of his sight. No, Neela wasn't that bad at all. She hadn't even meant to hurt him, and he snapped at her. Ray felt a pang of guilt and remorse for his actions. Wiping his nose once more, he grabbed the flashlight and headed out of the bathroom. Neela looked up at him from her spot on the couch. He sat down next to her and set the flashlight down on the floor. Neither of them spoke. The only sound that could be heard was the rain pounding on the roof.
"I'm sorry," said Neela after awhile.
"Me too," said Ray. They stared at each other in the darkness. Ray sighed and looked away.
"Look," he said. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I shouldn't have been such a jerk."
"And I'm sorry I inadvertently crushed your nose with a flashlight," added Neela.
"So . . . " said Ray. "I guess . . . I guess we can forgive each other, right?" Neela nodded.
"Yes," she agreed. "I suppose we can." She stared at Ray. He noticed her stare and looked over at her. She leaned close to him and kissed him. If Ray had stopped her and asked her why, she honestly didn't think she would have an answer for him. Ray, though at first stunned, quickly came to his senses and kissed her back. The kiss started out slow and tender, but quickly became fiercely passionate. Ray pinned Neela down on the couch, running his fingers through her hair. Neela felt his tongue dart into her mouth, and she met it with her own. She reached down and grabbed the bottom of his shirt and tugged it over his head. They both panted heavily as they broke the kiss. Ray's shirt fell to the floor. Suddenly, the lights flickered back on. Ray smiled.
"Hey, the power-" he began, but he was cut off by another kiss. Thunder roared outside, lightning flashed across the sky, and another roommate conflict was resolved.
Like? Don't like? It's my first fic... Heh.