Ling Yao was probably the only cab driver in all of Central City who enjoyed the rain. It made him feel like his vehicle was a haven of quietude in a tumultuous universe. Fares seemed much more interesting with their dripping coats and umbrellas. How 'bout this rain, huh? was a standard question, and everyone had a different answer - how much they'd like to just go home or an explanation of how they ended up in the storm… the variety pleased him. Ling was a people person. He loved to be out in the world interacting and, sometimes, simply watching.

As a Xingese expatriate he wasn't a stranger to rain. The wet season in his home country went on for weeks at a time, and these winter storms in Central City weren't even a blip on his radar. The cold, though... he could do without the frigid temperatures. Most of his evening was spent carting patrons of one bar or another home or to a second location. He didn't mind these half-drunk fares, but the extroverted side of him longed for something interesting.

Earlier that day, he'd had to listen to an irate customer's tirade about the inconveniences of funeral processions. Why are funerals so special? she'd complained. It's all so ridiculous! They're dead and do not care who arrives late or on time! Ling hadn't agreed or disagreed; he'd simply listened to her ranting and wondered who on earth had the audacity to be buried on such a bleary day. The rain hadn't been the raging storm that fell on the city now but simply swirled about in a depressing mist. The woman went on bleating without a care as to whether her driver was actually listening. Ling counted twenty cars in the procession. There was even a military vehicle with window flags rippling violently in the wind.

His night was beginning to be outright boring until dispatch directed him to an address in the upper crust residential area of Central City. The bulk of Ling's business was limited to urban areas, and the thought of something new excited him. He pulled up to the curb at the foot of the property, and through the rain, saw a young blonde girl rushing at his car. She clutched an umbrella and seemed to be clad only in a thin jacket, what appeared to be a nightgown, and rain boots. She shut the car door quickly and wrapped her arms around her body. Ling switched the heater on and pointed the vents towards the back seat.

The girl couldn't have been more than a teenager, and she spoke only to confirm her destination address. Ling's curiosity wasn't abated in the slightest upon recognizing the location. Most of his fares came stumbling out of a bar owned by Chris Mustang, but he'd never been to her private home before. He yearned to ask this girl what business she had with the woman but knew when to keep his mouth shut. The stray tears she'd wiped from her cheeks hadn't escaped his attention, and Ling may have been many things, but he wasn't rude.

When he pulled into the Mustang driveway, the girl reached into her pocket and produced a wad of cash. She instructed him to keep all of it and exited the car. It wasn't the largesse of the tip that made Ling wait until she was safely inside the house before pulling away; her disparity had touched him. He wouldn't be able to look himself in the eye if the next day he heard a radio report of a young girl coming to harm wearing nothing but rain boots and a nightgown.

Roy peeked through the floor-length window framing the front door and quickly pulled it open. Riza stood shivering in the rain, and for a moment, all he could do was stare. She hadn't called or anything, and her presence was baffling. When he recovered, he reached out and dragged her into the house.

"What are you doing here? Please tell me you didn't walk in this weather!"

She trembled as he divested her of the umbrella. "I took a cab."

"Riza, you should've called me! And," he stepped back to look her over, "what the hell are you wearing? It's freezing outside."

"I- I didn't think. I'm sorry. I just-"

Roy cringed as she burst into tears.

"I had to get out, Roy. I couldn't stay there with them."

His heart crumbled as Riza stood in the foyer soaking wet, still in her pink plaid rain boots. "It's fine, okay?" He steadied her and pointed at her feet. "Just take those off, and we'll get you some dry clothes. I'm not upset with you."

Riza nodded and followed him up the stairs, leaving the shoes behind. Roy led her to the guest room and dug through the dresser drawers. He handed her a pair of fleece pajama pants and a t-shirt.

"Vanessa was taller than you, but I think this stuff'll work. You can use the bathroom in here, okay?" Roy guided her to the guest bath and turned to leave.

She grabbed his wrist, eyes wide. "Where are you going?"

"Uh, well I was going to-"

Riza was shaking her head, and her grip strong.

"I'll just wait for you out here. Is that better?"

She nodded and shut herself in the bathroom. Roy sank down onto the guest bed and scrubbed his face with shaking hands. He had no idea what had sent his otherwise rationally-thinking friend running off into the night. Not only was such an action dangerous to her person, but the weather could be unforgiving in a storm.

When Riza emerged from the bathroom, she looked dryer and more appropriately clothed but no better. He patted the bed beside him, and she curled into him. "You were right," she whispered, "I should have called."

"And put on more clothes."

Her laugh wasn't the humorous kind. "And put on better clothes."

"I thought your grandparents were staying with you tonight. What happened?"

Riza sighed loudly. "My grandmother opened her mouth again. She thinks I should move in with them and let her take over my life."

"She can't make you do anything, Riza. You're technically an adult now."

"I know that, and she knows that, but it didn't stop her from saying whatever she wanted. I didn't get angry until she made a negative comment about my dad and how I was acting just like him." Her fists tightened in the fleece of her pants.

"Your grandfather didn't stop her?"

"He tried, but he's kind of soft spoken, I guess. She's clearly the dominating one in their house. Anyway, I lost my temper, and there was some shouting. She went on to say I'm basically everything that was wrong with my parents in a different body."

"Wow."

"That's when I grabbed my jacket and left. If my boots and umbrella hadn't already been by the front door, I wouldn't have thought to grab them. The money I paid the cab driver I found in my dad's coat pocket." She looked up at him and tried to smile. "I didn't think they'd take a credit card."

"Well, I'm glad you came, and I'm even more glad you didn't wind up with a driver who was a creep. That jacket was really the worst, and your nightgown hid absolutely nothing."

Riza's face flushed red, and she turned into his shoulder. "I didn't even think about any of that, to be honest."

"Are you hungry? Thirsty? Tell me what I can do."

"I'm just tired. I'd like to go to sleep, if that's okay?" She yawned and glanced at the bed behind her.

"Of course. I didn't mean to keep you awake after such a shitty day." Roy stood and pulled the decorative pillows from the bed. Riza turned the blankets down and crawled beneath them.

"Did you think the funeral was okay?" she whispered as Roy switched the lamp off.

"I think your dad would be proud of you, Riza. It couldn't have been any better."

"I wish the sun could've come out, even if just for a moment." Her eyelids drooped, and she struggled to keep them open.

"You can't help the weather, regardless of what your grandmother thinks." Roy bristled at the memory of Mathilda Grumman's complaints. The rain hadn't been in the forecast when the service was planned, and she acted as if the wetness had been a personal insult.

"She's just a grumpy old cow," Riza mumbled.

He chuckled and grabbed the doorknob. "Get some sleep, okay? Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow."

"I doubt it," he heard her say as he pulled the door shut.

Roy would've thrown himself on his bed if it weren't covered in papers. He'd been sifting through the pile of forms and missives that came in his application packet for the military university when Riza arrived. Now he felt too distracted to even glance them over. He blew a lungful of air heavenward and gathered the mess into a single stack just before an earth-shattering crack of thunder made him jump, sending the papers falling to a pile on the floor. Roy leaned down to gather them, and when he stood, he leapt back into the edge of his desk.

"Fuck, Riza, you scared me! You can't sneak up on a guy like that!"

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, clutching a box of tissues. "The thunder scared me, too."

Roy exhaled and placed the rumpled papers on his desk. "Don't be sorry. I just didn't hear you come in."

"Can I sleep in here with you? I don't want to be alone."

He wouldn't have turned her away anyway, but the expression on her face ruined him.

"Yeah, I was just going to sleep. Come on." Roy felt embarrassed that his bed wasn't in the pristine shape the guest bed had been and tried to straighten his blankets. Riza didn't seem to notice and simply slid between the sheets without commenting. He pulled the lamp cord, and the room fell into semi-darkness with only the light from the hallway glowing yellow under his door.

"I think today was the worst day of my life," Riza whispered into the night.

"I wish I had words to make this better." He reached out and pulled her closer.

She tucked herself against his body. "There aren't any."

Roy felt her finger brush the healing scab on his lip and hoped she couldn't hear his heart thudding in his chest.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Only a little," he breathed.

Her touch was feather light, and he froze when he felt her lips press to the spot Havoc's fist had split open. She pulled back only a fraction and met his eyes briefly before kissing him. Her lips were soft and tentative. Roy didn't hesitate as much as he later felt he should have before returning her kiss, and Riza responded instantly. Her hands gathered in his shirt and held him against her as their lips slid against one another. Much like with the fight in the library, he didn't think, only acted. Everything about her invaded his senses, and all he could focus on was his mouth on hers.

Not until he heard her whimper beneath him and felt the skin of her hip in his palm did Roy have discernible thoughts. He pulled back from her and sat up in the bed. "Riza, we can't do this."

She sat up beside him and pressed her forehead to the back of his shoulder.

"I can't do this. Not when you're so upset, and not so soon after-"

"I know," she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Roy turned to face her. "I couldn't take it if you regretted me in the morning." He could see her smile sadly and swing her legs over the side of the bed.

"Do you want me to go?"

"Of course not. I want you to sleep." Roy pulled her back down onto the pillows, and she lay facing away from him.

"Tell me everything is going to be okay," he heard her murmur into the darkness.

His arm circled her waist, and Riza backed against his chest.

"I promise it will be." Roy was glad she couldn't see his face. He hid his nose in her hair and closed his eyes. So many things were not okay, and even though his body still hummed from kissing her, he felt afraid.

When morning came, the sun crept across the bed slowly, and Roy took his time waking. Riza still smelled of rain and the fabric softener his aunt used. Memories of her lips pressing against his clouded his mind, and he became quite aware of her closeness… and his problem. As quickly as possible, Roy disentangled himself from Riza and dashed to his bathroom. His behavior the night before had been terrible enough without her waking to that.

Riza was gone from the bed when he emerged from his bathroom, and he felt almost glad. There would be no hiding the glassy eyes following a morning rub-out. Roy pulled his shirt off and pawed through a pile of clean clothes for a replacement. He stumbled back into his desk in surprise, again, when his aunt entered the room unexpectedly. His hip ached, and he scowled.

"Does anyone in this house know how to knock?"

Chris smirked. "Were you busy?"

"No! But I could've been!"

"Lucky me." She leaned against the door frame. "Riza is downstairs. Want to talk about it?"

Roy sighed and tugged the clean shirt on. "She showed up here late last night in the rain, and I gave her some dry clothes. I didn't know what else to do. Should I have sent her home?"

"No, it's fine that she stayed. You know I don't mind, but do her grandparents know she's here at all? I saw the wet clothes in the guest bath. It doesn't look like a whole lot of planning was put into this visit."

"There wasn't. She got into it with old lady Grumman and just left, I guess. She said she took a cab here. I don't know, but she looked upset."

"I see. Well, make sure she knows not to call any more damn cabs. It's a waste, and dangerous for young girls in wet nightgowns."

"I told her that, too."

Chris nodded and moved to leave. "I'm going to sleep. Try to get her to eat something, okay? I'm sure she's still staring out the window and ignoring breakfast."

"I'll handle it."

She left him alone, and Roy changed into clean socks and pants. He didn't make an effort to shut the door since no one ever bothered to knock anyway. He found Riza at the kitchen table, exactly as his aunt had left her. A muffin sat untouched on a napkin, and her eyes were focused on the rain still falling beyond the window. "You should eat something."

"I know." Riza made no moves to comply.

"Aunt Chris is worried about you." He grabbed a muffin for himself from the tin and took a seat across from her.

"She doesn't need to be worried; I'm just not hungry."

"People eat in the mornings. It's kind of a thing."

Riza sighed and frowned at the muffin.

"There's no nuts in it, I promise."

"Is she mad I just showed up last night?"

"Nope," Roy said around a mouthful of muffin. "You can stay here however long you want, but I've been instructed to tell you no more late night cab rides in thin pajamas."

Riza smiled. "I guess that was a stupid idea. Could you take me home today so I can get some things? I don't think I want to be alone at night yet." She scowled. "I'm not selling my house, but I need some time away."

"We can go as soon as you finish eating."

"Are we at the bargaining stage now?" Her grin was sarcastic, but she did eat the muffin.

The drive to the Hawkeye house was silent. Riza stared out of the passenger window, and Roy couldn't keep his thoughts from drifting back to the night before. He tried but failed. Kissing her had been so much more than he imagined, and in the last couple of weeks, he'd imagined a lot.

When he pulled into the driveway, the Grumman's black town car was still parked out front, and Riza groaned. "I suppose it was too much to expect them to be gone."

Roy grabbed the umbrella and held it above them both on the trek up the long front walk. Under the cover of the front porch, he shook the droplets off and leaned it against a bench.

"I can go in with you, if you want."

Riza chewed her lip and shook her head. "No, I need to do this on my own. Grandmother will respect me more, I think."

"Alright. I'll be back around sunset to pick you up, okay? Promise me you'll call if you want to come sooner."

She laughed lightly and stepped toward him. "I promise."

Roy sucked in a deep breath when she took his hand and threaded her fingers through his. "Listen, Roy, about last night. I shouldn't have kissed you."

He shook his head. "Riza-"

"No, just listen. I'm sorry for the poor timing, but I'm not sorry for doing it. I want you to know-" She looked up at him, and Roy's mouth went dry. "I could never regret you. And maybe when there's been some space between all this-" Riza sighed and gestured toward the house. "And us, you could think of me?"

Roy pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "Riza, I already think of you." He stepped even close to her and slid his free hand around her waist. "Take all the space you need, okay? I'll wait for you." Before he could consider whether it was a good idea or not, Roy brushed his lips against hers lightly. Riza's grip on his hand tightened, and she kissed him once more before pulling away. Her smile made him feel light-headed.

"I should go deal with my family," she whispered.

"Yeah, you should. I'll be back tonight." He nearly stumbled over his shoelaces making it down the porch steps and back to his car. Her soft giggle stuck with him the rest of the afternoon.