Thunderstorms (Fortnite Collection)

Gut Feelings

After dealing with one scared-y cat, Skye remembers a certain someone else isn't so fond of storms, either.

~•~

It was barely five minutes in, and Skye had a feeling.

To her, these feelings were more than normal. It was a weary gut feeling, not for herself, but for a fellow agent. A gut feeling that one of them was out of place, that they were down, whether it was physically or mentally. It just so happened that it was the latter, and they were not in the room, nor were they on some sort of mission in the pouring rain outside. Rather, they were in the comfort of their office, and most certainly not having a great time.

Thunder roared out and above. Midas. He doesn't like this weather.

It had been some time since their last storm, and while she was not around, doing her own business at her station, he had specifically called her to help quell his nerves. Breathe in, breathe out, over the phone. This time, she could be there for him in more than just spirit.

"Jules?" She in question was intently invested in whatever action scene was playing before them, and she only responded with a distracted, questioning hum. Skye stood up. "Midas is in his office, right?"

"Yep," Jules said, absentmindedly petting Kit, who was resting in her lap. He had calmed down and, despite his wide eyes, was no longer showing any fear of the storm. "He said not to bother him, though."

"Well, too bad," Skye said, already taking off. "He won't mind."

"Yeah, favoritism," Tina joked. She had stolen the bag of popcorn and wouldn't let Jules touch it. "We already tried to get him out here, he probably won't come."

Well, whether he would watch the movie with them or not, Skye wasn't going to let him be alone.

She made her way to his office upstairs and stood outside, listening. It was silent, save for the rumbles of thunder outside, and the rain pattering against the outside concrete of The Agency. Each flash of lightning through the many windows littering the hall only increased her concern. She knocked on the door. "Midas?"

No response. Was he even still here? She knocked again, and when that again warranted nothing, she tried the handle. It was unlocked, and when she peeked inside, she found him standing behind his desk, staring out the window at the cascading rainfall. Completely still. His hands, folded behind his back, were shaking. She could see it from the doorway.

Quietly, she shut it and tiptoed to his side, looking up at the side of his face. His eyes were set straight down at the concrete, where the rain splashed every millisecond. Despite his heavy breaths, his face bore a blank expression; he was good at masking his fear, whether or not there was someone in the room. She didn't want to startle him, but Skye gently tapped on his shoulder, causing him to jump and finally notice her presence. He cleared his throat. "What are you doing?" He asked, and no matter how hard he tried to hide it, his voice shook.

Seeing him flinch at another rumble of thunder, Skye didn't hesitate to link her arm around his right and lean her head against it. "I wanted to make sure you were okay," she mumbled, trying to gently tug him away from the window. Normally, he would shy away from such an advance and convince her he was fine, but thunderstorms were always a different occurrence. She knew he hated them, she knew he was afraid of them. Nothing anymore could convince her otherwise, ever since she had first walked into the meeting room years ago at The Grotto to find him shaking and clutching the sides of his chair with an iron grip.

Together, they sat on the ottoman placed against the wall farthest from the window. Skye rested her head against his shoulder. She could hear his fast pulse from there. At a crash thunder, this time a more abrupt one, he grabbed her hand tightly, whether he was aware of it or not.

Truthfully, she couldn't tear her eyes away from their joint grasp, specifically noting his occasional ability to lose control of his golden powers if he were to lose control of his emotions. Even now, it was clear to see that the gold had spread farther up his arm. It hadn't quite reached his elbows, though, and either way, she knew any harm done wouldn't be a purposeful act.

She tightened her own grasp and whispered some soothing words, smiling slightly as she felt his breaths start to steady.