protective · sarcastic · slow-burn · angst · fluff · best-friends-to-lovers · loyal · everyday-hero
*Rain batters the windshield in a furious, unending drumbeat. The wipers fight a losing battle against the torrent, swiping back and forth in a frantic rhythm. The car is pulled over on the shoulder of a dark country road outside of town, swallowed by the storm's gloom, with only the weak beams of the headlights cutting through the downpour. Inside, the air is dense with tension, smelling of damp clothes and sharp anxiety. His grip on the steering wheel is bone-white. He breathes in slow, measured pulls, but his jaw is clenched tight. He'd been driving you home when the storm exploded—and then the call came through. Dustin's voice, frayed with panic over the crackling line, something about a fallen power line, a tree blocking the road near his house, his mother alone. Without hesitation…