#stormchaserau

the end of senior year, dodge decided he wanted to pursue his one true passion; chasing storms. you thought it was a phase, thought he’d grow out of it, but it seemed to only intensify the older he got. the night before graduation, he knocked on your window at ten pm, an envelope in hand. “dodge?” you called in a whisper, pushing open your window, “what’re you doing here?”

“can i come up? need to show you somethin’,” he called, and before you could even agree, he was halfway up your terrace. “just be quiet,” you scolded as he tumbled into your window, like so many times before, landing with a thump on your carpet. “yes ma’am,” he rolled his eyes, sitting up, straightening out his clothes, “sorry, know it’s late, just couldn’t wait to show you this,”

you weren’t sure what you expected, but an acceptance letter from the university of oklahoma’s atmospheric science program had to have been at the bottom of the list. “w-what is this, dodge?” you asked, your eyebrows furrowed as you inspected the letter. you looked up, and your chest ached at the hopeful, beaming expression on your best friend’s face, “i got in!” he smiled, his eyes shining. “i didn’t even know you applied,” you exhaled, your eyes darting between his and the letter once again, “oklahoma? really?” his smile slipped slightly at your tone, his eyes losing their sparkle, “i thought you’d be happy for me,”

“no, dodge, it’s not that!” you said quickly, eyes widening, “i just, i didn’t know you applied, and oklahoma is a bit far from home, is it not?” “not for me,” he said, shaking his head, “i’m just going back home. did you think i’d stay in texas forever?” you felt your heart twinge slightly, your cheeks reddening, “not forever, just- i didn’t think you’d leave the second we graduated, that’s all,” you sighed. “look, i just want to help people,” he said, his tone almost pleading, desperate for you to understand, “this is one of the best programs in the country, and it’ll really give me the chance to learn what causes these massive tornado outbreaks we’ve been having. can’t you see that?”

you closed your eyes briefly, forcing your thoughts to calm down, even for just a moment. “yeah,” you said finally, forcing a smile to your lips, “i get it, dodge. really, i’m so happy for you, i know how important this is to you. i just- i’ll miss you, i guess,” his smile returned at your reassurance, and before you could process it, his arms were around you, pulling you to his chest. he’d done it so many times before, but you couldn’t help the feeling that maybe this time felt different.

“i’ll miss you too,” he said, his voice muffled by your hair, “you’ll come visit, right? i’ll come see you on my holiday breaks, and you’ll come up on the weekends?” you just nodded against his chest, unable to speak, your eyes stinging with unshed tears at the thought of dodge, your dodge, leaving you.

“hey,” he said softly, tilting your head up with his fingers gently, “what’s wrong?” “n-nothing,” you replied, willing your voice to stay even, “i’m really tired, though. we should get some sleep. i’ll see you at graduation, yeah?” he shook his head, his brows furrowed, “tell me what’s wrong, please,” you hesitated, praying your voice wouldn’t crack, “oklahoma is just really far,” you said quietly.

his eyes softened even more at that, and a small smile crossed his lips. “it really isn’t that far,” he said softly, “just a few hours, okay? we’ll still see each other,” you nodded, telling yourself he was right; it wouldn’t change that much after all. “yeah, you’re right,” you smiled as much as you could manage, forcing your eyes to meet his.

it was a mistake, and your composure immediately dissolved at the sight of his familiar blue eyes, your chest aching once again. you felt hot tears slip down your cheeks before you could stop them, and mentally cursed yourself as you felt his thumb immediately come to wipe your eyes. “hey, don’t cry,” he frowned, wiping your face gently, “it’s gonna be okay, i promise. ‘m not just leavin you,” “i know,” you mumbled, your cheeks flush, “i- this is so stupid, i don’t even know why i’m crying,”

“i’ll miss you,” he said, and only then did you notice how thick his own voice had grown, shaky with emotion, “i- you know how important you are to me, don’t you? you’re my best friend in the world,” “i know,” you all but whispered, “you’re mine, too. always,” “always,” he repeated, pressing a chaste kiss to your head.

that was all it took for all your pent up feelings to come forward, spilling out before you could help it, “dodge, i-“ “don’t say anything,” he pleaded, resting his forehead against yours, “if we talk about this, it’ll just make it harder,” “talk about what?” you asked weakly, though you already knew the answer, “just let me-”

you never got to finish your sentence, his lips pressing against yours and effectively stopping any further admissions from either of you. you tensed at first, but relaxed almost immediately, kissing him like it was the most natural thing on earth for you. it was brief, but the emotions between you were enough to leave you breathless, your chest heaving and cheeks completely flushed. when he pulled away, the look in his eyes told you everything you needed to know. this kiss, and everything unsaid accompanying it, wasn’t enough to make dodge mason stay.

now we're going one hundred, your hands aren't on the wheel

'cause you're just staring at me like you're not convinced that i am real

and now we're at one-eighty, and i can finally see

but then it's over in a second, crashed the car into the tree

yeah, i can see it all happen, you'd rather die than take your eyes off me

i don't love you like that

i'm a careful driver, and i tell you all the time to keep your eyes on the road

but you love me like that, you're a reckless driver, and one day it will kill us if i don't let go

five years later, texas experienced the worst tornado outbreak in the state’s history. the meteorologists couldn’t figure it out, people were panicking, always waiting for their town to be the next victim of the summer storms.

you weren’t surprised when you got a weather alert as you finished up your work for the day, notifying you of a storm cell moving in from the east. you’d grown used to the alerts by then, after nearly a month of sirens going off daily in the surrounding cities. you figured it was only a matter of time before carp had it’s share of damage.

you were deeply surprised, however, when the storm developed before you even had the chance to lock up at the diner. the bell chimed, and you looked up from your silverware wraps to a face you hadn’t seen in half a decade. dodge was the same as he had been the day he left, all tan skin and bright blue eyes you’d tried your hardest to let go of when it became clear his holiday visits were not becoming a reality like he promised. unanswered calls turned to unread texts, and soon after he left, you were sure you’d become nothing but a memory for him.

but here he stood, blue jeans and a white t-shirt soaked through with rain, the cowboy hat you could have sworn he’d had since high school dripping water onto the floor. “sorry ‘bout the rain, miss,” he said politely, having not looked up yet, “if you got a towel i can-”

you could hear the moment he realized, the second he recognized you. he stopped mid sentence, the hitch in his breath audible even from across the room. “dodge,” you hoped your voice sounded as casual as you intended, feigning indifference to this man you’d spent so many nights dreaming of seeing again. “i didn’t know you worked here,” he replied, and you nearly laughed.

five years of not speaking, of fantasizing of this very moment, and that’s all he said to you. “well, how would you have?” you replied, forcing an easy smile to your lips, “don’t worry about the floor. i’ll clean it up when you leave. can i get you anything?” “i- uh, no, i’m alright,” he stuttered, very obviously surprised by your nonchalance, or at least you hoped, “i’m sorry about-”

you stopped him, this time, holding up a hand. “don’t worry about that either, dodge,” you said shortly, “now if you don’t mind, i’m tryin to close up here. be safe out there,” he watched you warily from his spot by the door, hesitating, “you shouldn’t be drivin in this,” he finally settled on, his tone gentle like he always used to be. “i’ll manage,” you waved a dismissive hand, and with almost comedic timing, the power flickered, leaving the two of you in the dark. “jesus,” you sighed, tossing your rag into the tub of cleaner, “guess i’m closin up now, then,”

“let me drive you home,” he said after a brief silence, and you nearly laughed for the second time since your reunion. “i’ll be fine, dodge,” you shook your head, nudging him out the door as you fumbled for your keys to lock it. “it’s real bad out here, just let me,” he pleaded. you turned to look at the clouds, noticing how much darker they’d gotten. “fine,” you sighed, “but only because my tires don’t have good traction,”

so there you were, sitting in the seat of dodge’s truck just like high school, trying your best not to look over at him as he drove. “you can talk to me,” he said after a couple miles, “i- i’m really sorry about everything, okay? i don’t want it to be like this,” “it doesn’t have to be like anything, dodge,” you said shortly, “i don’t intend to see you again after you take me home, we can both pretend this never happened. okay?” “no, not okay,” he replied, looking over at you, “i missed you, okay? i’m sorry i didn’t reach out-” “reach out?” you repeated incredulously, your voice high, “you didn’t even reply!”

“i know, and i’m sorry,” he said quickly, “i’m trying to explain, if you’d let me,” “there’s nothing to explain, honestly. i get it, you went to college and you didn’t need me and that’s fine. it’s in the past, we don’t have to talk about it. actually, i’d prefer if we didn’t,” “but it’s not like that,” he pleaded, “i just got so overwhelmed at school and my hometown got wiped out by this storm and it got so intense so fast, and before i knew it it had been weeks and then it felt too late to reply,”

“well it wasn’t too late,” you sighed, leaning your head against the window, “you could’ve called anytime,” “i know, and i’m sorry,” he said softly, putting on his blinker as he turned, “i was really busy chasing, and time got away from me,” “chasing,” you repeat, “you’ve seriously been storm chasing?” “it’s my whole life,” he said easily, like it was obvious, “what do you think i’m doing back here?”

you stopped to think about it then, all the pieces connecting in your mind. dodge was back in carp for the first time in five years, during the worst outbreak in history. of course that was why. “i didn’t think about it,” you shrugged, keeping your eyes on the pelting rain, “well i hope you find what you’re looking for,”

“jesus, don’t you see i’m trying to talk to you?” he sounded tense then, his voice tighter than usual, “i’m trying to tell you how sorry i am and how much i missed you, and you’re just waving me off-” “waving you off because you left, dodge!” you threw your hands up, unable to hide your frustration, “you left me without even bothering to call me and tell me if it was worth it! you fucking kissed me and then you didn’t stop to reply to my messages!” “i was busy!” he snapped, “you have no idea what it’s been like for me, okay? i’ve been through-”

before he could manage anymore explanations, all you could hear were tornado sirens. you’d been so caught up in the argument you hadn’t noticed the green tint of the sky, the eerie stillness of the trees as you drove past them. “dodge,” you breathed anxiously, “we need to pull over,” you heard the static of what sounded like a police radio from the other side of the car, reading off reports of the funnel cloud spotted just a couple miles ahead. “fuck,” he exhaled shakily, “uh, alright, this is fine,” you could tell he was convincing himself more than you, “just make sure you’re seatbelts on tight, okay? we’re gonna be fine,” “shouldn’t you pull over?” you ask, panic evident in your tone.

“shit- yeah, yeah, i’m about to pull over,” he replies, watching the tornado form a mile away, “it’s gonna be fine, alright? i’m not gonna let anything happen to you,” his voice is firm, far more confident than you could hope to be in this situation. “it looks really bad,” is all you can manage, your eyes never leaving the storm as it tears through fences and land. “this is what i do, it’s gonna be fine,” he attempts to soothe, and you try your best to take it to heart. in an attempt to relax, you lean further back into the seat, holding your seatbelt tightly like it’ll protect you from the raging storm.

“hey, you’re fine,” his voice is softer than you’ve ever heard it, and you look over as you feel his eyes on you, watching you almost expectantly, “we’re pulling over now, it’s gonna be fine,” you want to believe him, and you’ve just barely started to when you feel the truck turning to the left, despite the fact that he’d just put it in park. you don’t even have time to panic before the winds have swept the old chevy into a tree, your last sight being dodge’s head slamming into the steering wheel.

you come to a few minutes later, no trace of the tornado that had passed through. dodge is still unconscious in the seat, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead, and you forget your own wounds as you rush to check on him. “dodge,” you exhale, eyes wide, “dodge, hey! wake up,” you unbuckle his seatbelt, tapping his cheek gently to gain some consciousness, “hey, cmon,”

he wakes with a start, his eyes wide and confused. “what happened?” he asks, groaning quietly as he presses a hand to his head, “are you okay?” “i’m fine, we just wrecked. are you okay? you were out cold,” he nods, wiping his face gently with his shirt, “yeah, i’m okay. i’m so sorry, i can’t believe that happened,” he inspects your face, eyes widening slightly, “you’re bleeding,”

you turn to look in the trucks rear view, wincing at the cut on your cheek from the broken window, and the bruise across your neck from your seatbelt. “i’m fine,” you tell him, wiping your own face, “just a little cut, i’ll be fine,” “you’re not fine,” he insists, “i’m so sorry i let this happen. i’ll take you home,”

don't wanna scrape you off the pavement

i can't be your savior

i don't wanna be here when you lose control

don't wanna watch it as it happens

see the crowd's reaction

i don't wanna be here when you kill us both

two days later, you sat in your apartment, mindlessly watching an old movie and trying desperately to keep your thoughts off of dodge. you heard a knock and sighed, dragging yourself off the couch and to the door, opening it without checking through the peephole.

dodge stood on your porch, a hopeful look in his eyes and a bouquet of lilies in his hands. “i know you don’t want to see me,” he said quickly, “i know there’s no excuse for what i did, putting you in danger like that, but you have to understand i never intended to put you in that situation, okay? in all the time i’ve been doing this, i’ve never once wrecked, and i know you don’t want to be a part of my life if i’m still chasin, but i just- fuck, i just miss you,”

“i-“ you stood, dumbfounded, your eyes wide at his words, “dodge, i don’t know what to say,” “say anything, say you forgive me, say you hate me, say whatever you need to say but just talk to me, please,” he sounded broken, a slight whine in his voice, and you were taken aback by the realization that he was begging for you to hear him out.

“you can come inside,” you sighed, moving out of the doorway to let him in the apartment. “thank you,” he breathed a sigh of relief, wiping his boots on the welcome mat and hanging his hat by the door, like he always used to do at your parents house back in high school. “you never change,” you said before you could stop yourself, an almost fond tone in your voice.

“what d’you mean?” he raised his eyebrows, looking over at you. “you just do all the same stuff you did back then. it’s almost like you never left,” you smiled slightly, “like hangin your hat on the key rack. you always used to do that,”

“old habits die screamin, i guess,” he smiled, taking a step closer to you, and your breath faltered. “i guess they do,” you replied, watching him intently as he moved closer, the tension in the room suddenly unignorable.

“dodge-“ you started, but were cut off immediately, “we don’t have to talk about it, not right now,” he said softly, “just- let me hold you? i missed you and i just wanna-“ he stopped himself, pulling you into his arms, and any resolve you had melted immediately.

you sigh with relief, melting into his touch as the two of you stand in your living room, an overwhelming sense of nostalgia in the air. “i can’t believe you’re here,” you mumble into his shirt, “i’ve thought about this for so long,” “me too,” he hummed, and you can feel the rumble of it in his chest, “so sorry i didn’t call you, sweetheart. never meant to just leave you like that,”

“figured you forgot about me,” you admit, hating the mere thought of it, “it’d been so long,” “i’d never forget you,” he says quickly, “never in a million years. you have to know that by now, don’t you?” “i know,” you say quickly, “just- i don’t know, dodge. it was just really hard,”

“i know,” he mumbles, “i know, and i’m so sorry, alright? i don’t ever wanna take off like that again,” “you’re going back to oklahoma,” you pull away slowly, “you said you weren’t stayin here,“ “come with me,” he pleads, and your breath falters, your brows furrowed, “come with you?” “yeah, come with me,” he repeats, like it’s the simplest thing in the world, “you’d love oklahoma, and i’ve got a dog back home, you’d think he’s the sweetest. come on, just-“

“no, dodge,” you cut him off, shaking your head and backing away, “you don’t get to come back here and try to whisk me off back home with you. that’s not fucking fair,” “honey,” it leaves his lips with such a gentle, familiar lull, you almost forget you’re mad, “come on, just hear me out, okay? i missed you so much,” “dodge,” you hate the way your voice cracks, “this isn’t fair,”

“i’ve loved you since we were fourteen,” he says quietly, reaching out for you, “i thought about you everyday, and im so sorry, okay? i’ll never be able to tell you how sorry i am, but i can try,” “you love me?” you choke out, your cheeks hot, “dodge-“ “don’t,” he pleads, “don’t tell me no, don’t tell me i don’t mean it, don’t rationalize. i love you, okay? i love you so goddamn much-“

you don’t even realize what you’re doing as you press your lips to his in an impulsive, desperate kiss, almost crying as the memory replays of that night all those years prior. you kiss him with a fervor, your hands tangling in his cropped blonde hair, the taste of cigarettes and cinnamon gum overwhelming you. he kisses you back with equal enthusiasm, his hands finding your hips like it’s their natural home, pulling you impossibly closer.

he pulls away after a moment, panting softly as he leans his forehead against yours, “fuck,” he whispers, his voice hoarse with need, “missed that so fuckin much, baby. you have no idea,” “missed you s’much,” you murmur, catching his lips in yours once again, pulling him down closer to your height. he takes a step back, falling onto your couch and pulling you into his lap, the two of you moving with completely fluidity.

you straddle him, kissing him more intensely with the new angle, your hands resting on his shoulders as you grind against him subconsciously. he groans into your mouth, biting your bottom lip gently. you don’t know how long the two of you stay that way, kissing like giddy high schoolers, and you don’t know exactly when you end up half dressed, your t shirt in the floor next to dodge’s.

he kisses down your chest, your skin burning from the feel of his lips. “so fuckin beautiful,” he mumbles, his fingers undoing the clasp of your bra and letting it drop to the floor, “my gorgeous girl,” your cheeks flush at the compliment, sucking in a breath at the cool air on your chest. he wraps his lips around your nipple, biting down just barely, his tongue lapping hungrily against the pebbled skin. “dodge,” you whine, grinding your hips down into his, your fingers twining in his hair.

you can feel him smile against you as he pulls away slightly, moving down to slide your sweatpants off, helping you kick them to the floor. you reach between the two of you, unbuckling his belt with shaky hands, his jeans following soon after.

“are you sure you wanna do this?” he asks between kisses, his thumbs rubbing circles on your thighs gently. “m sure,” you nod, peppering kisses down his neck, “want you so much, dodge,”

he takes your jaw in his hand gently, kissing you hard enough to make you dizzy as his free hand works to pull your panties to the side, his boxers sliding to the floor to accompany his jeans. he ruts against you a few times, capturing your whimpers with his lips as he slides against your clit.

you pull away to let out a soft moan as he slides inside you,, his eyes screwed shut in pleasure. “fuck,” he groans, holding your hips tight enough to bruise, “god, you’re so fuckin wet,”

you place a hand on his chest, leaning against him as you rock your hips, sliding down his length once again. you can feel his fingernails break skin just slightly, too lost in pleasure to care.

“feels like you were made for me,” he mumbles into your neck, pulling you flush against his chest as you ride him. “maybe i was,” you whisper, your voice cracking as he thrusts up into you. “slow down, baby,” he hums, “wanna make this last,”

you nod, resting against him as you rock your hips slowly, kissing his chest lazily. he runs his fingers through your hair gently, tracing your jaw with his fingertip before trailing his hands lower, rubbing your clit slowly.

you gasp softly at the added pressure, tightening around him. it doesn’t take long before you’re close, whines and curses leaving your lips as you ride him faster, chasing your high desperately. “there you go,” he murmurs lovingly, his fingers quickening against you, “come for me, baby, you got it,”

you let go with a loud moan, his name falling from your lips like a prayer. as you come down, you feel him pull out, a soft whine of protest leaving your lips. he just smiles, gently lifting you from his lap, and you’re too dizzy from your own high to realize he’s gently pushing you onto your knees. you look at him through your lashes, brows furrowed, but he just strokes your cheek gently. “wanna finish me off?” he asks softly, like it’s the most innocent question in the world. you nod, stomach clenching at the thought as you reach for him, wrapping your fingers around his length.

he exhales shakily as you lean forward, taking him between your lips, nearly moaning at the taste of yourself on his skin. he entwines his fingers in your hair, pushing ever so slightly as you go down further, your eyes watering as he hits the back of your throat. “fuck,” he pants, rutting his hips against you, “god, baby, feels so fuckin good,”

you lap at him desperately, satisfied as you feel his thighs shaking slightly under your hand. “gonna come,” he warns, gazing down at you with blown out pupils, “fuck, baby,” you moan around him as he fills your mouth, his hips bucking sporadically as he finishes. once he’s come down, you pull away, wiping your mouth on your hand and smiling blearily up at him.

he pulls you back into his lap, wrapping his arms around your waist and settling you against him. “love you,” he murmurs, kissing your shoulder, “feels so good to be home,” your heart warms at the sentiment, knowing good and well his true home is back in oklahoma. “love you more,” you mumble sleepily, burying your face in his neck, “i’ll come to oklahoma, kay? just for a little while,”

he pulls you away just enough to look at your face, brows raised, “really? you’ll come?” “yeah,” you smile, “yeah, i’ll come for a while. maybe we can split our time here and there,” “i’d love nothin more than that,” he smiles, and you think you might see tears in his eyes, but he’s pulling you back into his chest before you can think twice about it.

you fall asleep like that, cuddled on the couch with that man you’d spent four years missing desperately. maybe oklahoma won’t be so bad, after all.