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violetswritingg · 1 month

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Thunderstruck

Tyler Owens x OFC!

Description: When cowgirl meets cowboy after a year of no-contact and chaos ensues during storm season!

Rating: M (Mentions of blood and death in Tornadoes and storms alike, angst and loss of loved ones, car accidents, Tornado aftermath, and injury to characters)

Want to read the other chapters?

click here

May, 2024

Oklahoma

"Well, at least we got data from inside the vortex, that's always fun." Sarah chirped from her curled up position inside the Warlock, the wing doors open as Riley was elbow deep in the engine. Oil and grime on her face as her hair started to fall from its ponytail. Bare fingers going through components and wires, yanking, pulling, and throwing over her shoulder. Grabbing the extra parts she needed from the paper plate set up on the corner of the open hood. "The doctors also said you need to take it easy!"

“I wouldn’t call ex-pre-med Sam who gave me my stitches a doctor, but okay, besides I am taking it easy!” She could feel the continued stares of every chaser in the lot, new or veteran. She knew what this vehicle meant not only to her but also to the community. The Warlock had been going since before she was born. She's replaced the engine and just about every part in it before at least twice. It was a money pit. It would be cheaper to just make a new one. Their grants would pay for it easily, but she couldn't let go of this one. She wouldn't.

She grunted as she leaned over a little farther, arm almost completely swallowed by the huge piece of machinery. She knew this vehicle like the back of her hand, and it showed. She pulled back and grabbed a wrench from an undergrad, muttering a 'thanks' under breath before tightening something and then putting her flashlight in her mouth to wrap some wires in electrical tape. Ripping out old ones and putting in new ones. She kicks the bumper and bangs the wrench against a component to the side. Leaning around side and wiping her hands off on a rag.

"Try it now Sarah!" Riley called, her head bowing down as her eyes closed. "Come on, come on, come on." She muttered under her breath.

When it roars to life her head snapped up and she fist pumped with a whoop, Sarah coming out to hug her. Swaying them back and forth.

"Not finished yet." Riley looked to Sarah and smirked, the brunette let the blonde go, allowing her to carefully climb into the front seat, flipping up the switch over the trigger for the spikes. "You filming this?" She called out, a little louder than normal, so Sarah could hear it.

"You bet your cute behind I am!" Was Sarah's response. And Riley chuckled inside the vehicle, shaking her head.

"Spikes deploying on 3!" Riley called out, knowing what was about to happen. "2!" The whole lot had joined in, the chorus of voices in the night one of the best sounds Riley had ever heard. "1!" It reminded her just how many people her dad had inspired or had loved him, that his memory lived on. Through her. "Deploy! Deploy! Deploy!"

The sound of the two foot long solid spikes striking through the asphalt sent a shock through the cab and Riley laughed raucously at the sensation. Next, she swung herself out of the vehicle with a huge smile, laughing some more when she felt arms around her and the next thing she knows she was on Daniels shoulders. The college junior grinning up at her with bright eyes, Riley looked back to the lot and took in all the chasers for a second. Feeling her eyes prickle a bit, her smile going wobbly for a second before she pulled it together.

"It lives!" Riley screamed to the parking lot, throwing up her left fist in the air in celebration.

"It lives!" Her hoard of undergrads echo, jumping and screaming together. Jenny, the only other theatre major on their team, who was corrupted by Sarah on her way out following it with the evilest witch cackle Riley had ever heard.

The parking lot erupted into cheers and Riley subtly wiped around her eyes as she was lowered to the ground. Small laughs still bubbling past her lips as she shared in a few more moments of pure joy with her team. The one she put together and chose, everyone really becoming like a family over the months of prep for this storm season making this moment all that much better. Because they believed in her, they thought she could do this, they supported her and drive. They would never dream of telling her to slow down, to give up on her dreams.

"Wonderful, now will you go shower? You are literally still covered in your own blood." Sarah winced and gestured to Riley and how she was still in her bloodied, cut up tank top, and dusty cargo pants from the chase earlier.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Riley swiped at her and Sarah dodged, her still damp hair just out of reach of Riley's oil stained skin. "I'm going, I'm going."

"Good, because you smell like storm and diesel and it's giving me a migraine." Sarah smiled and gestured to the staircase down the walkway from where they were able to get the Warlock. After it decided to stop running a mile before they got back to the motel. They had to have it hooked up to the tech van while pushing it with six of the biggest guys they had that last mile with Riley in the driver's seat steering it. It was horrible. "Also there's pizza on the table, eat something."

"Yes mom." Riley dragged out and turned while taking off, feeling higher than she had in months while covered in mud, grime, and blood. She had barely taken a couple steps before she ran into another body and her hand darted to her side as she hissed and took a couple steps back to steady herself.

"I'm so sorry-"

"It's fine Kate, I shoulda been watching better." Riley's accent came out a little heavier than she meant because of the stinging radiating through her ribs. But she still grinned, even if in pain, nothing could ruin her good mood right now.

"How are you, I saw you get hit, I thought-" Kate cut herself off, looking to the ground for a second, "I'm happy you're okay, looked pretty rough out there."

"Thanks." Riley went to lay a hand on Kate's shoulder but stopped herself, Kate saw the movement and chuckled. "I would but uh- I'm kind of dirty, sorry." Riley laughed, though her grin carried an awkward stress in the corners as she tried to keep smiling, wiping her palm down her thigh as if trying to clean it against the dusty fabric would actually do anything.

"You headed up?" Kate motioned to the staircase, resituating her backpack on her shoulder.

"Yeah, thanks." Riley started walking and Kate followed, side by side in easy silence. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier, with my questions. I tend to let myself get carried away when I get curious."

"Oh, it's fine." Kate waved her off but Riley pushed on.

"No. It's not. My daddy raised me better than to go snoopin' in someone else's business. So, I apologize. Please just take it." Riley chuckled tightly, she couldn't take any more guilt, even just this one thing.

"Thank you." Kate breathed after taking a moment, meeting Riley at the bottom of the stairs before they both started up.

"There is pizza in my room if your hungry," Riley started, "Unless you already-"

"I haven't but I'm okay. Thank you though."

"Yeah, of course." Riley breathed, trying to remember when it suddenly became so hard to make friends. Turning the corner at the landing and stopping dead in her tracks when her name was called out. Well, a name she hasn't been called in a while.

"Rocky!"

"Rocket!"

Kate stopped as well, looking to Riley with eyebrows drawn tight, head tilting to the side, "Rocket?"

"Just an old nickname. Uh Hey guys." Riley waved, her smile tense but softening when her eyes met Lily's, "Hey Lils." Her eyes darted around the whole group in greeting before landing on the one pair she had hoped to avoid. "Owens."

Tyler worked his jaw when Riley's grin dropped and his last name spit from her lips.

"Go east, she said, the west will choke each other out, she said." He quipped, sarcastic grin on his handsome face. Hands pausing their work on the spinning sensor on top of his truck. His eyes cut to Kate for a split second before drilling back into Riley, "Hey Storm Par."

Kate frowned at him, her eyebrows pulling down as she rolled her shoulders back. Riley stepped a little in front of her, leaning her elbows on the siding.

"Well, I still didn't manage to throw you off the scent, did I?" Riley grinned, her eyes glinting in the dim lighting of the parking lot, anger festering under the surface. "I must be losing my touch."

"I-I wouldn't say that." A voice she hadn't heard in person before piped up from beside Tyler, his pink cheeks, big brown eyes, and warm looking skin all very inviting. His smile wide and carefree, she was a little jealous. "I mean, that was great, with the Warlock. Just awesome..." Boone trialed off, holding up a finger as his face went through a couple different emotions, Riley's anger simmering as she allowed herself to enjoy the show. Enjoying the new character. "Have you ever thought about, and hear me out here, putting rocket launchers on the Warlock?" The man punctuated the words 'rocket' and 'launchers' with his hands before gesturing to the chasing vehicle with her small army surrounding it, only the older undergrads still lingering.

Riley can't stop the laugh that bubbles from her lips, "No, I have not." She shakes her head a bit as a more bitter thought filtered in and it showed on her face as she wet her lips, "I'm not exactly trying to run around firing fireworks up into tornadoes. You know you could have caused a fire like that? The sparks could have gotten carried into the dry wheat field. People could have gotten hurt."

Boone's smile dimmed a little and he looked back to Tyler when Riley's eyes shifted from his. Locking onto the blonde, her words cutting his soul. The look of disappointment flashing in her eyes was just the twist of the knife.

"Tyler knew that wouldn't happen, that's what makes him famous." Boone defended his friend, a small frown on his face as he looked up to Riley.

"On Youtube?" Kate piped up for the first time, head tilting to the side as she also stared down the blonde now. Stepping up to Riley's side, mimicking her position.

"Yeah!" Boone got excited again, missing Kate's sarcasm and other members of the crew confirmed over 1 million now. Riley was impressed, last season they were no where near that. That was a far far away dream. A tinge of pride streaked through her chest and she shared a more genuine smile with Lily.

"Riley St. James correct? Just in case I include you in my article." Riley looked down into the spectacle covered eyes of the British reporter that was following Tyler around. Riley grinned, genuinely, not like he had ever done anything to her. Tyler huffed, biting down on the inside of his cheek to temp the green eyed monster.

"That's correct. At your service, if you need anything or these chuckles are giving you a hard time let me know, I'll straighten them out for ya okay?" Riley chuckled when Ben smiled up at her, nodding at her before looking to Kate.

"And your name? For the same reason, if you don't mind." Ben was so polite. So different than the rough and tumble rag tag team Tyler had created for himself.

"Just Kate is fine. Not Storm Par." Some low whistles come from the group when Kate bared her claws. Riley looked to her with raised eyebrows, her grin easy.

"Don't be fooled Ben, Riley is a tricky one. I'd bet Kate here is too." Tyler comments and Riley does her best to ignore him.

"You made a good call, you know, earlier. The other storm looked stronger, but the cap never broke." Boone complimented and Riley nodded.

"I'm sorry, what's a 'cap'?" Ben asked, looking like a confused puppy and Riley took a breath. Her mouth opening at the same time Dexter went to answer.

"It's a temperature inversion-" They both started at the same time, Riley's voice much more enthusiastic and Dexter zipped his mouth shut grinning up at her before gesturing up to her. Riley grinned bashfully, tucking some stray strands of hair behind her ear.

"It's a temperature inversion inside the mid-part of the lower atmosphere. Inversion meaning that the temperature of the air get's hotter as it rises instead of cooling like normal. It creates a stable environment that can and will keep a storm from forming or from getting severe. Sometimes when it's really strong looking, you can't always trust what's there." Riley explained, "That make sense?" She checked and Ben thought about it for a second, Riley glanced at Kate and rolled her shoulders back before continuing, "If not I have some videos on my channel that go over it in better detail, they're pretty short and sweet, and explain it in a more non-meteorology way." The Brit sent her an appreciative grin before nodding and thanking her.

Lily taking a sneaky picture of Tyler and how he was smiling a bit, catching him perfectly as he glanced up at the dirty blonde on the landing.

"So where did you all meet?" Kate gestured to Riley and the others, "Did you all study Meteorology at the U of A?" It was quiet for a second before the majority of the group was laughing. Riley doing her best to keep her amusement at bay. Kate looking to Riley confused, while Riley could only give the woman a kind grin.

"Yeah. No. None of us did. But Tyler did. He's a cowboy scientist. Got a natural feel for this kind of stuff." Boone threw an arm over Tyler's shoulders from his spot next to the blonde in the cab of the red truck.

"Him?" Kate asked immediately, her filter obviously failing in that moment. Riley barked out a laugh before clapping her hand over her mouth. Feeling her cheeks gone bright red. Kate looked to her with raised eyebrows.

"Nothin' uh, I'm in the PhD program right now. But uh, their crew isn't like yours, or even mine really." Riley started to explain before Tyler cut her off. She wanted to kill him.

"We don't need fancy PhD's and gadgets to do what we do." Tyler looked up from where he had previously been looking, in his head about something. His words struck a particularly soft spot and when his eyes cut to her, he could tell the effect his words had on Riley and he wanted to kick himself. But he pushed on, being the asshole she though he was, "I bet these guys have seen more tornadoes than anyone in this lot combined. Minus Riley, she's been doing this since she was 12, she doesn't count."

"Nice Tyler. Still the same I see."

"No need to fix what ain't broken." He grinned caustically and Riley frowned. Her mood officially ruined.

"We apparently have different definitions of broken." Riley grinned right back, eyes squinted in fury.

"Do you think we'll see another one tomorrow?" Ben asked, putting himself right in the firing line, poor guy. He couldn't tell they were all walking on the mine field created by Tyler and Riley issues.

"Oh absolutely!" Riley nodded a little too enthusiastically.

"It's an outbreak baby." Tyler answered over the top of her and Riley took a deep breath.

"Where are you chasing tomorrow?" Lily asked, "It'd be cool to see you out there again, it's been so long, almost felt like the good old days."

Riley softened again and was about to answer honestly before Tyler was kicking up dust again, "Oh no, we're not falling for that again. I mean, it may feel like she's back but she's not part of the crew anymore, we don't need her to navigate for us."

That was her limit.

"Fuck you, Tyler." Riley spit and stormed up the stairs, ignoring the calls of her name.

"Well, you know what they say, you can always trust a guy who puts his face on a t-shirt." Kate rolled her eyes and went up after Riley. The reaction of the chasing group below them dulled in Riley's ears, "Hey, you okay?" Kate called, getting to Riley's door just before she closed it.

Riley was obviously just putting on a brave face when she waved Kate off, and the slightly older blonde frowning but taking it. It's not like she had a right to dig. What was it Riley said earlier about not getting into other people's business?

But she had so many questions, specifically about the trailer of empty barrels and Dorothy on the back of them.

But that wasn't her business.

~~*~~

Riley's shower had been quick, used to hurrying through everything just in case a storm warning rolled through. It was something that Tyler always complained about, that she never allowed herself time to breathe, to rest. A workaholic who had no sense of self-preservation. Is how she believed he phrased it.

She did feel better though, now that her skin was clean, and her clothes weren't stiff with dried blood. Having changed into another tank top, this one a medium toned brown with a white embroidered cloud and a couple yellow stars on the chest, a pair of blue jeans, and her work boots. Which were just heavy-duty hiking boots really.

Padding to the table after she tied her shoes, pawing at the open pizza box, pulling out a slice of pepperoni, and taking a bite. Building her courage to head back down to the parking lot, there was still work to be done tonight. She had to prep the mixture all over again, as she was the only one who knew the measurements besides Sarah, and Sarah was already working on crunching the numbers for tomorrow's storm cells and the data they needed to get out asap. There were some data sets from inside a vortex, due to her, her dad, and her current team. There was no one else doing this kind of research right now and that's why grants kept coming their way.

And then she had to make sure the undergrads with responsibilities didn't shuck them off till the morning when they were planning an early start.

Making a checklist, she finished her pizza, tossing the rock-hard crust back into the box for Sarah who liked to knaw on it like a fucking dog to a bone. Riley was honestly too scared to ask about it, psycho behavior, truly.

Her hand hovered over the door nob and slowly opened it, locking it behind her and taking a breath as she approached the stairs. Ignoring Tyler's looks as she walked past the first landing without even a glance in his direction.

"You look better, than before. Less tired, less bloody." His voice stopped her in its tracks, the genuine concern she could hear. Picturing the way that he used to look at her. After she had gone down another research rabbit hole and hadn't slept in 48 hours, probably also hadn't eaten in that time either. Soft concern and gooey warmth dripping over her every frayed nerve as he would drag her to bed and make her comfortable before pulling up the covers around them and holding her so tight she thought there was never going to be a time it wouldn't be like that.

"Thanks." She whispered over her shoulder and darted down the rest of the way.

~~*~~

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violetswritingg · 18 days

Text

Thunderstruck

Tyler Owens x OFC!

Description: When cowgirl meets cowboy after a year of no-contact and chaos ensues during storm season!

Rating: M (Mentions of blood and death in Tornadoes and storms alike, angst and loss of loved ones, car accidents, Tornado aftermath, and injury to characters, slight age gap (5 years))

Want to read the other chapters?

Click here

A few seconds later......

"I'm just fine, you're the one who almost had a house drop on them." His words bit at her exposed nerve endings. Filling Riley with regret for even stopping to check on him, her stomach twisting in knots.

"Right. Okay then." Riley was tired, she was hungry, but also still nauseous, her head hurt and now her chest felt tight hearing the sharp tone that had left Tyler's lips. Something so familiar but so distant in her memory. It was how he always sounded when he was upset with her for doing something dangerous.

Or, at least, stupidly dangerous.

Riley turned on her heel and made it a grand total of two steps before the sound of skin against skin and a quiet yelp made her turn back around. Witnessing Tyler, holding his shoulder, glare at the dark-haired man beside him, who had appeared out of nowhere. Having been around the back of the house-turned-debris they were poking around. The new face simply raised his brows and put his hands on his hips, coffee eyes drilling expectantly into Tyler. His ever-present smile never really leaving his face, even present now, a slight curl to them as he nodded his head in Riley's direction.

Tyler glanced her way looking like a kicked puppy, barely meeting her slightly amused-mostly shocked expression and round eyes.

"Sorry" Tyler sighed, "I didn't mean that."

"Kinda felt like you did." Riley swallowed hard, eyes squinting as the sun started to shift positions in the sky, having to raise a hand to block the rays from fully blinding her. "I'm uh- I'm gonna go." She started to walk, Tyler's voice calling after her. His boots crunching against the ground in quick strides.

"No, wait, really, I'm sorry. I'm just still pissed off about that shit with Kate-"

"It's fine Owens. You don't owe me any-" She had barely turned around, desperate for Tyler to not see the hurt she was feeling, because she had no right. But also wanted to just drop everything and apologize and fall into his arms. After her day she knew a single hug from him, if they were still in good standing with each other, would probably make her feel like it would all be okay. Truly. If even only for a couple minutes.

"Please don't call me that." Riley stopped, angled away from the blonde man, shoulders raised. Tyler's voice barely carrying, but it was enough. A lead weight dropping onto Riley's chest. "Just..." The man looked around for a second, "This isn't your fault ya know?" Tyler's abrupt change, turning it on her, shouldn't have thrown her. Not after her experience with it firsthand. But she is.

"Easy for you to say," She sputtered, "It's easy for you, all you do is run around and shoot fireworks up into tornados or god knows whatever else your followers ask you to do next. But for me?" She should stop, She knew that, but once she had started it was like a single crack had suddenly blown open and the dam was crumbling more and more with every word that left her mouth unfiltered, "Every time I fail, it's a town that's hit. Family homes ripped from the ground. Torn to shreds. Parents without kids and kids without parents. So, thank you for saying that, but it is. I could have prevented this Tyler. I could have." She didn't know who she was begging to believe her. Him or herself. "But I fucked up. As per usual."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tyler scoffed, eye wide as he stared her down, hating how Riley's face dropped, her eyes losing any spark they had, but confused more than anything. She couldn't think-

"I'm not my dad. He was always so good at this, I'm sure he'd have it all figured out by now." Riley shrugged, small, pitiful little bubbles of semi-laughter popped up and out of her lips as she shook her head. Gaze eventually falling to her feet as her arms wrapped around her stomach.

She looked so small.

"Maybe..." Tyler started off gently, "but you can't know that. And I'm sorry, but have you met you? You are exactly like him, in a good way." Tyler points at her quickly as she went to open her mouth. "You are not a fuck up Riley. You're working harder than any other chaser I know to actually find answers, help people. But Jesus Christ Riley," He chuckled, beside himself, worry glazing over his eyes, "when is it going to be enough? You almost let yourself get crushed by a house! A couple hours ago! And then you just walked away like it was no big deal." Tyler couldn't stop more incredulous laughter from tumbling past his lips like missiles aiming right at her open wounds.

"So that a family could lay one of its members to rest intact!" Riley bit, chewing through every word. Nails digging into her palms.

The word hit him like a punch to the gut and flashes of that moment. Seeing Nathan's body, Riley sobbing under his weight and covered in her fathers blood. The woman, now grown, in front of him and lacking the rust-colored stains as the one in his memory.

"Ty, I'm sorry-" She wanted to kick herself. Screaming why?! Over and over and over. Tyler didn't let her finish though. Riley taking a step back at the shift in his posture, his shoulders slumping forward as his jaw dropped, quick breaths puffing in and out of his lungs.

"What about you? Is it me that's going to have to pull your body out of a house so I can bury you intact? Like I pulled you out of that truck?"

It felt like she had been dealt a physical blow, the way all the air left her body, as if punched in the stomach. That's what she would equate it to. That sounded right. Shit. Her eyes started to burn, still locked on Tyler's now wide-open orbs. His own shock painted so clearly in the blue-green waves, followed by guilt, and lastly, panic.

For the first time in a very long while, she was met with the familiar feeling of losing something she didn't think she ever would. But that was her fault, as per usual. It was all her fault.

"Riley-"

"Ri, there you are. I have been looking everywhere for you!" Riley was broken out of the fog she didn't even realize she had fallen into by the sudden jolt of a hand clapping her on the shoulder. Shaking her gently a bit before pulling her into his side.

"Daniel." She muttered, leaning more into his hold as exhaustion swept over her like a storm cloud on an April day in Oklahoma. Knees feeling like Jello all of a sudden.

"Hey there boss lady, we need your help with something." His arm over her shoulder anchored her, her hand coming up to grab his as he started to shift them away from the blonde man who looked like he was about to lose his mind.

"Wait- we were in the middle of something. Riley, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it- Not like that-"

Tyler stops in his tracks, having followed behind a couple step without hesitation, as Daniel whipped his head around with a far nastier glare than Tyler ever though such a baby face could make. His breaths felt heavy in his chest, Pulling away from Boone as he felt hands on his shoulder and back. Dragging a hand down his mouth and shaking his head as he could only watch Daniel take Riley away.

"We were worried you had found yourself buried under some other little old ladies house, Sarah, Jenny, and I at least." His voice was gentle, but still joking. Trying to bring the old Riley back, the one who would hang out the Warlock's window in the middle of a storm. Their Riley. Their fearless leader and most looked up to person. Their hero. "You're welcome for the assist, by the way. I take payment in affection and head pats." The 20-year-old grinned down at Riley and the slightly older young adult shook her head. Slowly coming back to herself. Her grin practiced, not meeting her eyes, having almost perfected it after pushing herself to meet their expectations – everyone's expectations – for years.

"Can it Casanova, save it for girls your own age." Riley could see the pure relief sink into Daniel's face and her head ached.

"What if I don't like girls my own age? What if I don't like girls?" He grinned brightly, still supporting her but bouncing up and down as best he could.

"Then why you looking at me like that, huh?" Riley elbowed his side a bit, wincing when her body ached, her side stinging at the movement.

"This is just how I look at people Riley. What are you talking about?"

"You are really pushing your luck kid."

"Ooh. It hurts, I may never recover!" He pretended to sputter and keel over, almost taking Riley with him. Daniel trying to keep his laughter at bay, conscious of their surroundings even when goofing off. While Riley forced hers to cover the shot of pain that went through her side at the sudden jolt.

"Good."

Daniel gasped and clapped a hand over his chest as he straightened up. Riley audibly groaning and gripping her side as he pulled her up with him.

"Sorry!"

~~*~~

“Thanks Sam.” Riley grunted as she tried not to flinch away from the feel of the needle going through skin. Fixing her ripped stitch. “You’re a lifesaver, knew it was a good decision to bring on a med student.”

“Ex-Pre-med student. You’re just lucky I watched way too much youtube way too early on in life with no parental controls in place.” Sam finished off the stitch and pressed a clean bandage over the area gently. Dead silence filling the room as three sets of eyes drilled into his head.

“I’m sorry what?” Riley breathed through clenched teeth.

“You said you knew how!” Sarah gasped, “You said-”

“I said I knew how, you never asked from where!” Sam defended himself, taking off his gloves and throwing his hands up.

“I thought it was obvious why I was asking you! The med student!”

“I was pre-med. For like six months!”

“Oh my god.” Riley muttered, falling back onto the motel mattress, her shirt falling back down as she threw her arm over her eyes.

“We trusted you!” Daniel chimed in, definitely not as angry as he was pretending to be. If anything, just based on his voice alone Riley could tell he was holding back laughter and she couldn’t help but think this was an incredibly stupid thing to be experiencing right now. And so she started laughing.

Then Daniel cracked, which triggered Sam, Sarah being the last to break. Actors.

~~*~~

It had been a couple hours since the whole youtube doctor incident, Daniel and Sam made pretty quick exits once it was confirmed she wasn’t going to die. Sarah stuck around a little longer, flouncing around the way she does when she’s worried and didn’t want to leave Riley alone.

The blonde managed to convince the brunette she was fine and was probably going to turn in early. No storms on radar, not ones that looked like they would produce anything till late tomorrow at the earliest. If not dissipate before anything could even really happen. Tomorrow would most likely be just a inventory and restock day. A day for data analysis and writing a couple more chapters of her thesis that needed to be turned in by the end of next week.

Riley’s mood had slightly increased but she still couldn’t seem to shake the lingering feeling of Tyler’s words. How they clung to her skin and ridges of her brain, the hurt. It brought up a lot of other unresolved feelings that then made her restless.

Trying to turn on the Tv for some white noise didn’t even help like it normally did, not when it was immediately on a local news channel. The broadcast showing footage from the wreckage at Crystal Lake. She knew it was torture to make herself watch it when she spent all day in it, having only washed it off her skin and hair before Sam fixed her stitches. But the feeling of debris dust and dirt and dried blood would always be a sensation that would never leave her mind or her skin. Lingering guilt hanging like a sword.

What is the saying? Heavy is the head that lies the crown.

All the damage played out in front of her as dollar signs flashed at the top, how much can an estimation of the face value even really touch the priceless thing those people had just lost? The feeling of home. Everything they once had, shattered. It can’t be tallied. It’s impossible.

But they still try. It’s absurd.

Quiet knocks at her door cut through the Tv. Riley rolling her eyes and huffing, pushing herself off the mattress slowly, “I’m fine Sarah! You don’t need to tuck me in,” Her hand gripped the door handle, pulling it open, “I’m a big girl I-”

“Hey.” Tyler really tried to tamper down his grin, but he knew he was caught. He never could hide from her.

His laughter wasn’t out loud, but she could see it, and it made her want to shrivel up and die on the spot. Honestly hoping for a hole to open in the ground and swallow her whole. They were in the wrong state for that unfortunately.

“I uh- I heard through the grape vine you and your child army had moved out by the rodeo, and I uh thought you might be hungry. You always forget to eat after a bad chase…” Tyler kept going until it was almost physically painful, until he simply, awkwardly, held up the pizza box in his grip. Like a kid giving his first ever date to the school dance her corsage. It was like a shock to her system, how disarmed she could be for him when he was like this. No bravado, no smirk or cowboy hat. Hair a little messy and not all put together. When he was Ty.

Time to go. Is what her brain was screaming at her.

So she took the pizza, gave him a flash of what she hope passed as a grin and shut the door. His face turning down at every corner as the door clicked in place. Riley, as if made of metal walked over to her bed, sat down, opened the pizza, and looked down.

Pepperoni, sausage, and olives. Her favorite.

Fuck.

Her hands were finding the door before she could really think about what she was doing. Her eyes meeting Tyler’s in an instant, the man’s shoulders rolling back as he stood taller. At attention, waiting for her next move.

Riley opened the door a bit more, leaning on it, hand gently placed over her right side, “Find the dog?” she asked softly, head leaning against the door now as well.

He just looked at her, eyebrows raising.

“Of course you did, what am I thinking?” She answers her own question with a pitiful chuckle. Head dipping down as her eyes went to her socked feet.

“I’m sorry Riley. I feel like I’m saying that a lot lately, I just- there isn’t really an excuse for it. I’ve been an ass, and I apologize.” Tyler burst out after taking a breath, dipping his head down to try and meet Riley’s eye. He hated when she was like this, especially when she was like this because in part of something he said.

“Thank you.”

“How are you doing after all that?” Tyler swallowed, tucking his chin a bit and stuffing his hands in his pockets. Leaning against the door frame, but giving Riley her space. Mentally telling himself to pull it together.

Riley just shrugged, “You know me, can handle the storm but never the aftermath.” Not after becoming the aftermath. It was never the same after that.

“I thought that you might want to see something good after all that today.” He held out his hand. “I wanna take you somewhere, might help take your mind off things for a bit.” His grin was hopeful, but cautious. His gaze soft.

Earlier had been bad, as bad as it gets with them, but this feeling. That look. It always left her stomach filled with proverbial butterflies, made her think that as long as Tyler Owens cared about her enough to look at her like that, that everything would be okay. And it would be, because he would make it okay, because he cared.

It was a look she didn’t think he would ever give her again after last chase seasons dramatic, heartbreaking close. So, she takes his hand, gives it a quick squeeze. He turned it over and sees the blistering and cuts that dotted her palms. Wounds she hadn’t even realized were there until they got to the new motel. Her breath got caught in her throat and she pulled away out of instinct. Tyler looked crushed and that was just too much for her conscience to bear. Her mouth moves before she knows it is.

“Give me a minute? I need to get changed.”

“Yeah. Yeah. I’ll be out here.” Tyler grinned, a slight bounce in his step as he backed away from the doorway and moved back to the railing surrounding the walkway around the second floor looking into the parking lot and across the street. Riley waiting till the door was closed to let her smile slip, something feeling like it was sliding back into place and locking in. Like she had finally found the next correct piece of a jigsaw puzzle.

It was a nice feeling. Like something was going right for once.

~~*~~

#twisters #twisters fanfic #tyler owens #aint no love in oklahoma #angst #cowboy #forgiveness #glen powell #hot brisket summer #love

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