the sun will shine on us again @sofology - Tumblr Blog

"no clear signal"

synopsis : forced to work together on a dangerous winter night, you and scott are trapped. not just in the snow - but in unresolved resentment from past experiences. as the storm gets more intense, so do the feelings none of you want to admit. who will cave in first?

pairing : scott miller x fem!stormpar!reader

themes : friends to enemies to loversss, fluff, angst, hurt with eventual comfort, confession, cold hearted scott of course, lots of flashback scenes heh, no use of y/n

wc : 5.2k

note : here's a cute little winter special for you guys since i lowkey disappeared for a little... this was so much fun to write so i hope it's just as fun to read! merry christmas!!

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

hoping to not be working on such a snowy night, you get a call from your phone in the morning.

you groan before rolling over to your nightstand. eyes barely open, you grab your phone and put it against your ear, only to hear your boss on the other end of the line.

you take your phone off your ear for a second to scream quietly. "yes, hi." your boss says your name, obvious tiredness coming from his voice. "come by the office right now, i have a mission for you." you agree without trying to banter and get your stuff ready.

as you walk out of your motel room and head down to your truck, you think about all of the cozy movies and snacks you could be eating. you fake a cry as you start your engine and drive off.

"ah, come on in," your boss urges. you slowly walk inside - boots crunching from the snow on the bottom while leaving tracks of wet prints all over the wooden floors. "what is it you wanted me for, sir?" "i was trying to find someone for our storm response unit, but suddenly everyone seemed to be stuck in snow traffic. obviously they weren't, those bastards. anyways, since it's winter and our equipment hasn't experienced storms out in this kind of weather, i need you to test 'em out. simple and easy as that."

you nod, thinking about how it shouldn't be that bad and you could just get through with it in a couple of hours. "sure, sounds good. when do i start?" "5pm. i'll be assignin' you with someone."

you go back to your motel for a little while, as you still have a couple of hours before you have to get out on the field.

after hours and hours of bed rotting and watching corny hallmark christmas movies, you look over to the clock on your nightstand and instantly jump. "4:45pm" it says, written in bright red lights. you mutter a few curse words and start to change your clothes, almost tripping after every step.

the weather's getting much much worse and you can't help but think about what you got yourself into. you could barely even see where you're driving from the amount of snow covering your windshield every other second. your wind wipers could fall off any time from now.

you walk into the storm par building with your cute little winter boots, snow trailing behind you after each step. you decide to ask your boss who you'll be working with tonight, and he told you he'll show up any second now. you take his word for it and decide to wait inside by the front door.

maybe about ten minutes or so, a figure walks in, about six feet something, big boots, a cap, and a white stormpar button up under his winter jacket. you look up after scanning his questionable fashion choice, immediately making eye contact with him. the only expression shown on his face is guilt.

"just give it two more minutes, we're in position soon." scott says into the comms. you were sitting beside him on the passenger seat of his truck, tablet in your hand with data displayed on the screen.

you say calmly, "miller, the pressure's dropping hard. this thing's gonna burst."

"it's just noise." he sighs with his cold hearted attitude. you argue back, "no it's not." you put the screen closer to his face so he has no other choice but to look at it, "if we stay here we're inside the cave zone."

minutes of silence filled the truck - the only source of noise being heard was the engine running and the heavy roar from the storm.

despite the screen being right in front of his face, scott ignores it. "we got a window. we always do." you swallow hard, "im starting to think we don't this time, scott."

you look out the window to your right, wind surging against the truck. after taking a deep breath, you spoke into the radio, "command, this is recon two, i issue a pull back. i repeat, pull back immediately."

from the corner of your eye, you see scott shift in his seat to look towards you. slowly, but sharp. "you don't get to do that." he says firmly. you could hear betrayal within his words.

"yes, i do." you reply, voice staying calm even as your heart hammers by your decision. "this is dangerous, scott."

just for a second, you thought he might raise his voice at you - get angry, or even tell them it was a mistake. but he didn't. he didn't raise his voice, he surprisingly didn't show anger, and he let them pull back. he never even swore. scott just stared blankly into the road, jaw tight, and hands gripped onto the wheel.

you hear a short crack from your radio, "pull back is confirmed. all units disengage. i repeat, pull back confirmed, all units disengage."

scott releases a cold but short laugh. the ride back to the base was awkward in ways you couldn't even describe. no one muttered a single word. everytime you glanced at him, he was driving like he was the only one in the truck.

there was a debrief back at the building. when it was over and the room started to empty, you found him staying back.

you stand up and break the silence, "you're mad." he didn't look up. "you got what you wanted." "that's not-"

"you pulled us out!" scott raises his voice, whole body tensing up. you flinch for a second. he sees you and he immediately looks likes he worried. his body relaxes, "all the data's gone. the opportunities are gone."

"scott, i only pulled us out because we could've died out there. i was only trying to look out for you. for us." you say, your eyes beginning to slowly water. you stare at him trying not to let your cry out. just waiting for him to say something. anything.

he finally looks up at you again. this time, his expression is cold and unreadable. "there is no more us. i don't want to go out on missions knowing there's someth- someone holding me back. you're not going to be the reason for my failure." he swallows, "i dont want to work with you anymore."

it stings you straight in the chest. those words finally let the tears welling up in your eyes fall across your face. as you put your head down to wipe your tears, scott stands up from his chair and walks past you to leave the room.

his words hit you harder than the storm did.

"what are you doing here." scott scoffs in more of a demanding way than a question. ever since whatever you would call what happened between the two of you, you and scott chose missions that involved being away from each other. only other time you saw him was on a random sunday morning at a gas station. of course you went on with your day and didn't bother to acknowledge him.

"i got called in for the response unit." you burrow your chin further down the collar of your jacket. still keeping his distance, scott replies, "guess we have to work together then."

you look up from staring at your boots to staring at his face. none of you looked amused to be working together again, but neither looked like you wanted to back out either. you try to ask without making it awkward, "so uh, who's truck are we taking?" before you could blink, scott replies confidently, "mine."

"right, yeah, i knew that." just like old times. you honestly couldn't remember the last time he let you take your truck instead of his. "my truck's more advanced," the boy would always protest. his truck was in fact the tiniest more advanced - if you squint.

you load up the equipment in the back of his truck, making sure you got all you need to test out. as you walk around the truck over to the passenger side, you pause as you reach out for the handle. one specific memory appears in your head of your favourite time in this truck together. one which makes your stomach flutter, but you never know why.

"you missed the turn." you point out, lifting your head from your tablet screen. scott doesn't look your way, "no, i didn't."

you put your legs down from the position you were sitting in, and lean forward to point at the road. "that sign clearly says we just passed it." he argues, "that sign is outdated." "it was installed 3 months ago." "and you know that because?" sarcastically you say, "because i helped with the funding for it."

scott keeps his mouth shut but you can see the obvious annoyed look displayed on his face. you decide to piss him off a little more. "you're trusting your ego over a map."

scott shoots you a look, "well my 'ego' has gotten us where we needed to be every time." you fiddled with your tablet, "then you sure wouldn't care explaining why the storm's behind us?" "it's not behind us," he says. "it's..." scott pauses, looking at the radar display. "slightly to the left."

you smile childishly, "five miles to the left."

scott sharply turns the wheel, pulling into a narrow side road. "happy?" he flashes a quick sarcastic smile with no teeth. "immensely." you smile back.

the truck bounces roughly over the uneven pavement, slowly pushing the two of you close together. you held onto the dashboard to steady yourself. scott reaches for the coffee cup wedged in the cup holder. "did you finish this?" he asks, wiggling the cup in front of him to check if there's any left overs. "you said you didn't want it." you imply. "i said i didn't want it then." "you had an hour!" you say in a sweet high pitched voice that you know would annoy him.

he glances at you, unimpressed, "you're impossible, you know that?" you smile to yourself and try to hide it by looking out the window, "and you're dramatic."

the truck bounces roughly again due to another bump on the road. scott steadies it with one hand firmly on the wheel. you can't help but stare.

"you hungry?" he casually says. you blink, "is that some kind of trick question?" scott chuckles, "there's a gas station up ahead. we've got... five minutes? until things get interesting."

you tried not to smile - but failed, of course.

"fine," you said. "but if we're late just know it's on you." scott pulls up into the station, "if we're late i'll blame you. just like i always do," he teases with a grin.

you reach to finally open the truck door, sitting in the passenger seat like you always do. scott was already inside, engine running, eyes looking through the windshield. he didn't look over at you when you came in. didn't greet you, didn't say a word.

you shut the door beside you harder than usual. the silence hit right away. you buckled yourself in - the click of the seatbelt becoming way too loud within the silence of the truck. scott drove the truck out of the parking lot and you pulled out your tablet to keep you occupied.

neither of you spoke, not even batting an eye at each other.

the road ahead of you seemed long and empty. like you could be in this car ride forever. the sun was starting to set, like an orange and yellow painting replacing the blue sky.

"there's a storm a few miles ahead of us. we can test the equipment in that area." you break the silence, only for it to come out in more of a whisper. "mm." scott replied. you thought to yourself, "that's it?" not even an "okay," or a little nod to acknowledge your presence. nothing. just barely a mutter.

eager to get words out of him, "you want specifics?" you ask. he just sighs like he's already had enough of you. you ignore his attitude. "the pressure on this thing's inconsistent. it could be rapid or just a false cycle." "or it could mean nothing." he says.

"that's not what the data says," you reply. "i didn't say it was." he says evenly. "i said we don't move yet."

there it was - the good old scott who would boss you around out on the field just about a year ago. the same tone and voice he would use when he could sense something would go exactly the way he said it would. overriding his words with yours, knowing you only want the safe way through. you stare at your screen for a few seconds, "fine."

another wave of silence fills the vehicle. the radio in between you and scott releases crunchy noises coming from an unknown line from the stormpar workers. scott reaches out to adjust it without thinking, accidentally brushing his arm against yours.

you both freeze.

his arm stayed on yours for a few more lingering seconds before he could realize what just happened and pull back. "sorry," he mumbles. the apology surprised you more than the contact. "it's fine," you say a little too fast.

for the whole car ride, you can't help but think if you and clark will ever turn back to the way things were. to stormpar's two best workers, despite all of the arguing. everyone's seen the way you two work, and no one questions it because it always seemed to turn out perfectly.

whenever you two were out in bars with your other coworkers, they would tease you about scott until your ears would bleed from the amount of times they've said his name. you never let your guard down. you'd always laugh it off or go with the old, "he's just a coworker." though, you'd be deemed a liar if you told them you've never thought about it. there's been times where you two would be riding together and you could see the perfectly sculpted veins on his arms when he gripped on the wheel. or the times he would take all of his anger out on javi or tyler, but when you walked in the room his whole attitude would change into something softer.

people saw him as a big meanie. an "asshole," they'd call him. but not to you. to you, scott was amiable. around others, he would defend you when anyone would say anything against you. even if you weren't in the same room as him. but when it was just the two of you, he'd let himself loose. you share the same sarcastic attitude that he has, so making jokes with you was easy for him. it let him be himself and express his emotions in a way that no one else could understand, since they don't bother to see under his nonchalant personality.

that's why he let himself be around you - because you never judged. you never questioned it, instead you'd give the same energy right back to him. you're open minded and unfiltered. you don't care what anyone has to say about you, and he admired you for that.

that was until the big argument, of course. you don't know where it came from, since all of your arguments with scott were either fully sarcasm or something so stupid that the two of you would get over it within the next five minutes. so when he told you the whole "partner" thing was over, you didn't know what to do. for the next few days you went to work confused, always zoning out during discussions and meetings. there was one time where you were following a storm, but you zoned out and made a turn that was a completely different direction. you called it a day after that.

it's been around half an hour being in the truck with scott, and the snow started acting up again. it was just a few flakes at first, but scott noticed it immediately. he always did.

he says your name, "that wasn't in the forecast. it wasn't supposed to start for another hour." you look down at your screen, frowning.

the wind suddenly picked up unexpectedly, slamming onto the truck hard enough to make it sway. scott adjusted the wheel, posture getting sharper. "of course," he scoffs. the road ahead of you began to disappear, filling up with fog and more snow. "i can't see shit." scott mutters.

"scott," you say worried, looking at the data, "this system's pulling in colder air faster than it should be." scott takes a peek at the data, "meaning?" "meaning this is about to turn into a full whiteout."

the truck staggers. scott curses under his breath as the traction from the tires start to slowly give up. he eases off the gas, unwilling to give up. nothing. you realized what was happening, and you panic silently. you were not about to have yourself stuck in this vehicle with scott miller. not today.

"you've got to be kidding me." he says to himself. snow was piling up on the windshield now, fully blocking your view of the road. you stare at your tablet, eager to get a hold of updates with this awful reception. your heart drops, "they closed this route ten minutes ago." scott shoots you a look, "ten minutes ago?!"

"you were already driving." you say shyly. he exhaled sharply, running his hands over his face. "great." scott tries the engine again, slowly and carefully. this did not help at all, but only made the truck sink deeper within the snow. you two were completely stuck. the realization hit harder.

you pull out your radio to try the comms, but only static came out. "comms are down." you say defeated. scott leans back in his seat, jaw tightening. he didn't say anything, and that worried you even more.

finally, he speaks. "alright," he lets out a sigh, "we wait it out." "but we don't know how long this'll last," you disagree. "i know," he looks at you, "that's why we don't panic." scott fully says this targeted towards you.

offended, your eyebrows furrow and you snap. "what? i'm not panicking!" he raises his eyebrows, "could've fooled me." you look away from his direction and try to force a steady breath. as you look out the window, the snow only started getting heavier.

time passed strangely after that. minutes went by, then stretched into hours, then longer hours. the sun was fully out of sight and it was dark. scott reached forward and turned the heater back on, warm air creeping into every part of the truck. it was weak, but strong enough for you to feel it slightly against your skin.

"tell me if it gets too cold," scott whispers. "i will." but you didn't. not when the cold breeze crept in. not when your toes became numb.

he noticed anyway, of course. he lifted himself slightly from his seat and began unzipping his jacket. before you could protest, he's already draping it over your bundled up figure. "scott-" "don't." he stops you. "i run warmer anyways."

you hesitate, but you let it be. you can't help but notice a scent from his jacket. it wasn't the cold air, it wasn't coffee, but it was something quite familiar. it was him.

"thanks," you respond gently. he just nods, keeping his gaze forward. "i hate this part," scott suddenly admits. you look towards him, "waiting?" "being stuck." he says. "it's like you have no control over anything. you're just left there to think."

you smirk to yourself, trying not to let him notice, "explains a lot." he shoot you a look, "careful." but there was no bite to it.

there was another few minutes of silence as you and scott stare out the windows. eager to break the silence, you bring it up, "do you ever regret it?" scott didn't try to act like he didn't know what you were on about. "everyday," he admits. you caught your breath. "then why'd you never say anything?" his jaw tightens. "because if i said anything out loud, i'd have to deal with it. and you know i'm not good at that."

"that's an understatement," you gently smile. scott huffs a quiet laugh. "yeah."

snow crept softly against the roof, maintaining a steady rhythm. "i didn't pull us back because i didn't trust you," you explained. "i pulled us back because i trusted our data. and because i trusted you enough to know you'd survive being mad at me."

scott slowly turned towards you. really looked at you. whole body facing yours.

"i wasn't mad," he admits. "i was scared."

the admission sat in between you. fragile and raw. "of what?" you ask him. he looks down at his lap, "that you were right. and that i almost got us killed." you swallowed. "i never thought you blamed me for that."

"i never wanted to," he says almost whispering. "but it was honestly easier than blaming myself."

something within your chest loosened. looking back out your window, the storm seemed to be calming down. not gone, but definitely less violent. the wind softened and the world felt less hostile. you shifted slightly in your seat, your shoulder brushing his slightly. but this time, neither of you moved.

"we don't have to fix everything tonight." you said, still gazing outside. "good." scott nods.

"just... stop pretending we're strangers." you finally look back at him. his mouth curved into the faintest smile, "i don't think i ever managed that."

the loud purring from the heater hummed as the snow continued to fall. and for the first time since you've been stuck, the silence doesn't feel heavy anymore - it feels warm.

the rest of the night crept in without ceremony. one moment, the world beyond the windshield of scott's truck was a dull gray, the next it was nothing but pitch black and gushing snow. scott turned down the headlights, leaving the area surrounding you lit low and soft.

"battery's holding," he said. "barely."

you nod, tucking yourself deeper into his jacket and an extra blanket he draped over you and himself just a few minutes ago. the cold air crawled in from the edges, but it wasn't unbearable. not with him this close.

"you should sleep." scott gently says. you look up at him, "you too." he shakes his head, "i'll take first watch." you study his face for a moment. "you don't have to do that." "i know," he pauses. "i want to." for some reason, that felt like a confession all on its own.

you lean your head back against your seat, eyelids slowly starting to get heavier. the truck creaked occasionally as snow shifted against it.

"do you remember the first time we worked together?" you asked quietly. scott's lip twitched, "you corrected my map." "it was wrong." "it was mostly wrong." scott corrected you.

the first thing you noticed about scott miller was that he didn't ask for help. the second thing you noticed was that he was wrong.

you were barely five minutes into the briefing when you had spotted it. a map spread across the hood of his truck, weighed down by a wrench and a half empty coffee.

"you're going to want to take route 16," scott said to the stormpar team, tapping the location on the map. "it cuts us straight through."

you hesitated - eyebrows furrowed and face looking confused. then, you stepped closer, peering over his shoulder. "that road's been closed for two months." scott didn't look up, "no it hasn't." he replied with sass.

you leaned in, landing your finger lightly on the edge of the map. "it has. bridge collapsed, county rerouted the traffic."

he finally glanced at you. slow and judgemental. "and you are?"

you give him your name, "logistics and analysis." scott snorts. "of course you are." you ignored that. "if you take 16, you'll lose at least twenty minutes backtracking. if the storm accelerates, you're toast."

scott folds his arms against his chest, "i've taken this route a dozen times." you scoff, "and i've updated this map twice in the last year. they changed the bypass here..."

you reached into your bag, pulled out a marker, and marked a clean line across the paper. "and here." you close the marker and rest your hands on your hips.

scott stared at the line you drew on his map like it personally offended him.

"you just drew on my map." he said firmly. "you were gonna get yourself driven off of a bridge." you replied, "seems fair."

a couple of people around you laughed. but scott didn't. "you could've just mentioned it," he said. "i did," you replied. "you said no."

he studied the map again, then back at you. something flickered. irritation, yes, but also some kind of interest. "you always this confident?" he asked, stepping slightly closer towards you. "only when I'm right." you stand confidently, hands on your hips once again. scott let out a short breath through his nose, "fantastic."

the lead of the unit cleared his throat. "she's right. route 16's closed." everyone began to quiet down.

scott picked up the map from the hood of his truck, folded it in half, then handed it to you. "fine," he said. "you drive navigation." you blinked. "what?" "until you get us lost." he replied. "then i get to say i told you so." scott flashes a grin at you then quickly dropped it back into his straight face.

"alright then." you say as you grab the map from his hands, more aggressive than you imagined.

after the briefing, you climb into the passenger seat of his truck. scott glances at you, already buckled in his seat looking ready to go. "next time, ask before vandalizing my equipment." you buckle yourself in, "next time, update your data."

the corner of his mouth twitched. not quite a smile. but close enough.

"you were insufferable." you smile at him. he smiles back, "i still am." "yeah," you said softly. "but at least you listened." scott stares out into the darkness. "i listened to you more than anyone." it was like he only meant to say it in his head, but it ended up coming out of his mouth. the words landed heavy.

"i never meant to make you feel disposable." you said. "after the pull-back i mean. after everything." he exhales slowly. "i know that now." "and then?" "and then I let my pride turn into distance." he admits. "i told myself you didn't need me backing you up. that you were fine on your own."

you swallow. "i wasn't." scott's jaw tightens, "i figured."

silence took over. not awkward, but full. scott continued. "but i thought, if i kept it professional, it wouldn't hurt. turns out it did." you turn towards him, "i think you just don't do vulnerability well." "no," he said. "i do responsibility. and avoidance." you quietly laugh. "you're doing better than you think." scott looks at you, eyes catching the dim light. "you stayed." you smile, "i always do."

that made him still. "yeah," he said after a moment. "you do."

the heater clicked on briefly, then off again. instinctively, scott shifts closer, angling his body to block the cold air seeping in from the door. his arm rests along the back of the seat, not touching, but close enough for you to feel the warmth.

"you can lean." he clears his throat awkwardly. "if you want." you didn't answer. you just did. you close your eyes, breathing slow and evenly. outside, the storm continues to fade. not fully, but it's losing its grip.

inside the truck, surrounded by quiet and warmth, the space between you finally felt like something safe.

half an hour passed by, and for some reason the quiet felt dangerous now. like it was bound for something bad to happen.

scott leans back in his seat, one hand scrubbed over his face like he was about to regret whatever he has to say. "we shouldn't," he says. "shouldn't what?" you stiffened, sitting up from leaning on his shoulder. "this," he replied, gesturing vaguely in between you. "whatever this is turning into."

the words stung more than you expected. maybe because it was unexpected.

"right." you say quietly. "because goodness forbid we acknowledge it." "that's not what i meant." he drops his hand, jaw tight. "i mean every time we get close, something goes wrong."

you swallow. "so your solution is distance?" you scoff, because that sounds a little too familiar. "it used to work." he said. "did it?" you ask. that stopped him. snow brushed softly against the windows, a sound too gentle for how heavy your chest feels.

"i spent a year telling myself i was over it," you continued. "that i didn't need closure. that seeing you again wouldn't matter." scott let out a bitter breath, "and?"

"and the second i saw you walk through those doors this morning, i knew i'd been lying to myself." he turns toward you slowly, "you think i didn't feel that too?" "then why are you pulling away, scott?" you ask genuinely, face begging for answers.

"because," he says, voice rough, "i don't trust myself to ruin it again." the honesty hit you hard. "i don't need perfect," you say. "i needed you to stop deciding for both of us." his shoulders dropped slightly, like the fight had gone out of him.

"i replay that day all the time." scott admits. "the pull back. the look on your face when i didn't argue for you. i tell myself i was protecting the team, but.." he shook his head, "i was only protecting myself."

your throat tightened. "i thought you chose the mission over me." "i chose fear," he replies, "and i lost you anyway." silence followed, raw and exposed.

scott shifted closer without even realizing, his knees brushing yours. he noticed. and he froze.

"you should tell me to stop." he says quietly. you didn't. instead, you reach out, fingers grazing his hand. "i'm still mad." you say softly. "i know." "i don't forgive you yet." "that's fair."

"but," you added, voice barely above a whisper, "i never stopped wanting this." scott's breath caught. "neither did i."

for a long moment, neither of you moved. the space between your faces was charged, fragile. like one wrong move would shatter everything. scott leans in closely, then stopped right when his forehead rested against yours. "if this is a mistake," he murmured, "this is the one i'm choosing."

you closed the distance, finally placing your lips onto his. the kiss was quiet, but full. months of regret, restraint, and longing pressed into something soft and trembling. scott's hand came up to cradle your jaw, adoring, like he was afraid you might disappear.

when you pulled back, your foreheads stayed together, breaths uneven. "this doesn't fix everything," you tease him. "no," he agrees. "but it changes something."

outside, the storm had finally begun to clear. inside the truck, neither of you felt whole, but you felt honest. every weight being hung on your shoulders has been dropped. and for now, that was enough.

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