Summary - Blackstar was a cyclone. And despite her fear of storms, she somehow fell in love with one.

Cyclone

As we left the house and took a step outside
I could taste in the air a familiar sense of pride
And the wind, it blows, as you held your head up high
Then I saw the clouds draw storms into your eyes

- Sticky Fingers, Cyclone

The elders said that the first storm of new-leaf was always the worst.

They weren't wrong.

Blackstar sat at the lip of his den, amber eyes narrowed against the rain that poured down from angry black clouds. Suddenly lightning flashed across the sky, and in the distance, thunder followed.

It had been like this for two days, on and off. The rain never ceased, always a constant downfall, but the thunder and lightning and the howling wind picked up after dusk. He imagined his Clanmates were slowly driving each other crazy, furious at being caged in their dens while the moon was out. Initially Blackstar was grateful that he had a den to himself, but now the silence was starting to grate on his nerves.

He was considering braving the downpour to visit Littlecloud when lightning illuminated the camp again, and for a moment Blackstar thought he was seeing things because there was no way that Russetfur was streaking across the camp-

And into his den.

Blackstar jumped out of Russetfur's path as her paws skid against the floor and she slid to the back of his den, crashing into the back wall with a loud oomph. Never one to make a fool of herself, she quickly jumped to her paws and shook her pelt dry, soaking the walls with rainwater. Then she turned to fix him with a look of betrayal.

"You moved!" she cried.

Blackstar wrinkled his nose in the beginning of a snarl. "You were trying to tackle me?"

"I couldn't slow down, and I thought you would make a soft landing! You know, because," she gestured vaguely to his body, "you've gained a lot of weight since you became leader."

Blackstar recoiled. "Did you just call me fat?"

"Fat and soft," Russetfur confirmed, moving to inspect his nest. "Kinda like your nest. It's awful cushy for just one cat, don't you think?"

"I'm the leader of ShadowClan, I'm allowed to have a nice nest! And- fat and soft? I have half the mind to throw you out in the rain!"

"Do it," Russetfur meowed, not looking up as she prodded his nest with a paw. "I dare you."

"You're acting like a kit."

"I double dare you."

Frustration bubbled in his chest for sure, but it refused to give way to the anger that Blackstar needed to keep good on his threat. Even as Russetfur poked and prodded his nest, blatantly disrespecting him in his own den, Blackstar knew that burst of anger wasn't going to come.

So instead he asked, "What do you want? Did something happen in the Warriors' Den?"

"Oh, right. Yeah. They're all driving me crazy." She rolled her eyes. "Deerfoot and Tallpoppy are being cute and completely disgusting, Oakfur won't quit pacing, Tangleburr is telling every terrible joke she knows, and Boulder stepped on my tail three times."

"So you decided to come and drive me crazy?" Blackstar asked.

"No, I decided to come and keep you company. I was worried about you!" She climbed into his nest and stretched out leisurely. "You know, all alone and brooding in your own quiet den. You must've been miserable before I showed up, right?"

His mind flashed back to when he was staring at the storm and brooding, contemplating visiting Littlecloud, and he cleared his throat. "Well, it was definitely quieter before you showed up."

"See?" Russetfur meowed, triumphant. "I know you." He didn't miss the challenging note in her voice, daring him to prove her wrong.

And he couldn't prove her wrong, either, because Russetfur knew him better than any cat that ever lived. But just like she knew him, Blackstar knew her, and suddenly it all made sense when thunder practically shook the earth, and the red fur along her spine lifted, and she pressed herself into his nest, green eyes wide.

Caught off guard, Blackstar didn't think before asking, "You're still afraid of storms?"

Russetfur shot him a nasty look. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you think kithood trauma just disappears after so long? Because it doesn't."

Clearly. Blackstar shook his head. "Of course I didn't, I'm not lizard-brained. It's just… been a long time since I've seen you react like this."

"Been a long time since we've seen a storm like this," Russetfur muttered, her gaze drifting past him and to the raging weather outside.

She was right. It had been a long time since they'd seen such a storm. As a matter of fact, the last storm to have shaken her nerves took place in the middle of leaf-bare, back when Tigerstar first took over the Clan. Blackstar had still been Blackfoot back then, obviously, and their nests had been as close as they could get without being close at all. That night, though, they had shared his nest after their Clanmates settled down and went to sleep.

"It's awful cushy for just one cat, don't you think?" Subtle.

Blackstar had tried hard to forget about their history, but Russetfur found sadistic pleasure in reminding him every chance she got. It was the one thing she could do to really make him angry these days, when she would look him in the eye and dare him to say that their nights together never happened, never meant anything to him, and he couldn't do that so he would have to order her away from him before he exploded.

This wasn't one of those times, however. She wasn't trying to get a reaction out of him, she was genuinely anxious, and the only way she knew to fight it was to be close to him.

Silently, Blackstar slinked towards her and settled into his nest. Russetfur wasted no time pressing into his thick white fur, and a heavy sigh rattled her chest. "Thanks," she whispered.

"If you wanted to cuddle, all you had to do was ask."

"Shut-up." A pause. "And that's a lie. If I would have asked, you would have actually thrown me out in the rain."

He laid his head across her back. "Maybe, but then I would have felt bad."

"Why, he does have a heart! It must be hidden underneath all that fat."

Blackstar pulled away, scowling. "I am not fat! It's all muscle!"

Russetfur shrugged. "I know that. It's just what I tell myself when you stand in the right light and suddenly become unbearingly handsome. I'm trying to discourage those feelings." A pause. "It isn't working, by the way. Just in case you were curious."

He didn't have a response prepared for that. Thankfully he didn't have to think of one, as lightning forked across the sky and Russetfur shied away from the brilliant light. Instinctively, Blackstar pressed his muzzle against the side of her face and murmured, "you're safe here."

Thunder shook the earth once more, but Russetfur pushed into him and with a shuddering breath, she said, "I know. I'm always safe when I'm with you."

"No matter what," he insisted. "Even when we're old and I really am fat. I'll always care about you, Russetfur."

In response, Russetfur laid her head on his paws and closed her eyes. It took Blackstar a moment to realize that the vibrating he suddenly felt was her purring and not another burst of thunder.

She purred like that until she fell asleep. Blackstar was determined to stay awake and wait for the storm to end, but it had been too long since he had his warrior pressed against his side like this, and he didn't stand a chance; sleep claimed him just a little while later.

Blackstar was - is - a cyclone.

Sometimes she thinks that's why she hated him for so long; every impossible jump, every devastating strike, every proud smirk, and every thundering snarl reminded her of being caught in a hurricane when she was only a few moons old.

She remembers returning from battles feeling drained, almost too sore to make the trek back to camp, and he would march to the front of the patrol with his head high and triumph fueling his strides.

She remembers gathering on the battlefield to face BloodClan. Everybody was scared of what the outcome would be, but she watched as slowly, all of the fear left him. His steps became heavy, dangerous, and he lowered his head, ready to charge the first enemy he saw, and she saw a wildfire burning in his amber eyes.

Blackstar was a hurricane; a wildfire; a cyclone. He could devastate warriors twice his senior and he could bring down even the swiftest of enemies.

Blackstar was a cyclone. And despite her fear of storms, she somehow fell in love with one.

I'm not sure why I headcanon that Russetfur has a fear of storms, but it's been one of my favorite headcanons ever since Dark Shadows; as a matter of fact, this one-shot was inspired by the scene that inspired that entire fic! That scene was very different from this one, but it still resulted in Black/Russet snuggling in his nest, so.

If you're waiting for me to update one of my fics... those updates are coming, they're just coming very slowly. For more details on that, visit my Tumblr account (KatieK101). I have some explanations already up, but if you can't find them then you could always drop an ask.

If there's a specific headcanon or idea you would like me to explore, feel free to request something in a review! I'm here to serve, after all :)