Title: Day of Rain

Author: OpheliacAngel

Pairings: Tana/Valentina

Genres: Friendship/Romance

Rating: Teen

Summary: It felt good, for a change, just to sit in the rain and not have to think about running anymore.

A/N: Written for femslashficlets for prompt #049 TV Tropes. This is for the trope 'Happy Rain.'

Soundtrack: Title's from the Thriving Ivory song

Tana didn't have to run anymore.

Sure, there was staying here and trying to make the best of it, but Tana had a well of love and support. Gavriel had gotten her through the Cold and Aidan had been oddly supportive since Gavriel had smacked some sense into him and taught Aidan to ride through the ever-gnawing waves of hunger instead of giving into them. Tana didn't envy him that.

After getting through the worst of the sickness, Valentina had offered Tana a job at the shop. There was always enough business to keep her there too, to whittle away the days. Jameson brought in newcomers, some of which were flush with cash, and for the others Tana exchanged trinkets for clothes and other essentials. She traded tips too, like where to bunk and what areas to avoid and how to get through the worst of it until one adjusted to their new, often chosen, life. Of course, many already came with a predisposition to adjust, but Tana prided herself that she was at least doing some good.

There was Valentina too.

Tana would be lying if she said she didn't enter the shop every day excited to see her, but she refused to do anything about her infatuation given Valentina was trying her damnedest to catch Jameson's attention, and Tana couldn't ruin that. Besides, there was no way that Valentina was interested in girls: she talked about Jameson constantly, not to mention boys in general, boys from her past and boys in magazines. Tana always listened because they were best friends, not just because it was a necessity that they stick together, but she found herself longing for something… more. She could care less about what Valentina had been, she was probably the least judgmental person on Earth actually, but the question was what Valentina was comfortable with.

It had taken her so long just to be able to hold up a conversation with Jameson, and considering that Tana had helped her to get there she couldn't just uproot everything.

The shop was dead today, probably due to the weather. It rarely rained at the Coldtown, but as Tana stood in the disarrayed shop trying to organize by working through one small section at a time, she found herself increasingly staring outside the window at the storm clouds and the light rain and cravingto feel that cold liquid on her skin.

She hadn't felt rain on her skin since coming here.

Rain didn't really cleanse one of all past wrongs, but Tana felt like it might clear her head and excitedly slipped outside. The day was cold, rain chasing away the fog, and the streets were empty save for a stray cat picking through an overturned garbage can. Tana wrapped her arms around herself and sat on the sidewalk, slipping her shoes off and stretching her feet out into the open. She rested there for a few minutes before pushing herself forward and giving herself up to the elements. She tilted her face up to the sky and closed her eyes, savoring the sensation of soft, chilled liquid streaking down her forehead and cheeks and dripping down onto her shirt.

A voice pulled her out of her reverie. "Don't go getting sick on me. I've still got two days off, all to myself." Tana smiled and Valentina sat down beside her, though slightly behind Tana in order to stay out of the rain. "Just thought I'd stop by, see how you're doing." Tana still didn't say anything; just listening to Valentina's voice was soothing. "No customers today, huh?"

Tana opened her eyes, reached for Valentina's hand and pulled her closer. Valentina sighed but relented, and Tana watched her perfectly shaped face as it shifted upward, to the dark gray clouds.

Valentina didn't move out of the rain, not even when it picked up its intensity. She didn't take her hand back either, just wrapped an arm around a shivering Tana and pulled her closer until Tana's head rested against her shoulder.

The sun didn't come out that day, yet Tana couldn't recall a happier moment.

FIN