They’d been biking through the park when the heavens opened. Addison curled up behind him as Zed pedalled down the winding paths of Seabrook’s central park. It had only taken seconds for the evening stars to blink out above, replaced by the grey indigo of stormclouds before unleashing all their gathered forces onto the earth below.
Addison shrieked, the freezing rain soaking her to her skin in an instant. Zed had skidded to a stop, shucking his jacket as they dragged the bike into a doorway, huddling under his already sopping coat together, watching the world.
It had only taken seconds to change the world.
In that instant, everything had gone. The people, the sound; the world silenced save for the clash of thunder against their ears, paired with the blinding white that cracked through the blackened clouds filling the air, imprinted against their lids in blues and white.
The green of the park darkened, shades of blue coating the vibrancy of the grass, the delicate leaves bowed with the weight of the heavens as they cascaded down, blackened under the indigo sky. Her eyes followed the droplets as they hung, perfect only for a single moment, then they crashed to the ground and joined the rest, lost to the storm.
Addison pressed against Zed’s chest, his arm curling around her waist drawing her attention.
He wasn’t looking at her, instead out at the world beyond their tiny alcove. Mouthing words she couldn’t hear, he scanned beyond their small horizon, searching for the end of the skies, the end of their captivity.
Water dripped down the back of her neck as she stared, warmth glowing under her skin. She’d always loved the rain, ever since she was a kid. Something about how quiet it was; in the colour and the bustle and the noise of Seabrook, the rain was a welcome reprieve. Something different, that gave pause to the go go go and the perfection everyone insisted was normal.
Even Seabrook couldn’t control the weather.
Her eyes trailed across his profile, watching as the rain clung to his pale skin. The sound beyond the door was hushed, everything on mute; the rain’s patter against the stone whispering against thunder murmuring through her bones as Zed pulled her into his side, tucking her away against the elements. Lightning flared, each droplet still resting on his cheeks glittering diamonds, full of blue and white and beautiful radiance, hovering in a single moment.
Her palm found its way to his chest, and she joined his gaze to the world beyond.
A haze of silver sheeted over everything. Their bike barely standing in the winds as they curled and wound around, the rain a prisoner to its whims. Addison looked to the skies.
I wonder what it’s like…
To be the rain.
Peaceful chaos. Eternally ephemeral, destined to last a single moment before it would be lost to the world, there to exist for the sake of existing. It was beautiful, she felt. The paths they carved down glass windows, choosing their own way without a care for other plans, doing what they felt best and finding a way in the end. How it could change, each drop merging together to become one, then pulling apart to leave new creations behind. A force of nature curled into each, delicate drop. No telling what it might touch, or who it may reach, but always certain to impact. To be remembered, for a second.
But there was so much more.
Her eyes trailed up, following the path of the rain as it carved across the empty sky, grass rippling under its presence. It gathered on their bike, droplets scattered on every surface. She smiled. Raindrops were her favourite, watching them gather as morning dew was something she’d done every day as a kid, mist swirling around her ankles as she crouched to stare.
There was something about them in a storm that made her heart sing even louder.
Maybe it was their defiance. Determination to exist in serenity against the chaos of nature. Knowing it wasn’t going to last, but appreciating it anyway. Just doing it because they could. Because the skies had opened, and they existed. In that moment, they existed.
Lightning flared to life.
Living. Not for gain, or a purpose. Not to fulfil a destiny, or push an agenda. Just...living. Living just to be. To be for no cause. To hold onto a moment. To grab the present and be. No justifications. No excuses. Just...exist. It was so wonderful.
The rain hammered on the pavements around them, and she tangled her fingers together with Zed’s, his dark eyes finally landing on hers. His smile still made her heart warm, the cold of her skin meaning nothing as he squeezed her hand. His green hair looked almost black as it flopped across his forehead, dripping down onto his nose.
Outside, everything raged on.
They rushed out together, laughter swirling into the air. Lost forever. But it didn’t matter. Their hands remained united, the two spinning around as the wind fought to pull them apart, whirling them together in the next heartbeat. Neither really cared. They were soaked to the skin, hair plastered to their heads, but in the rain, it didn’t matter.
He pulled her close, and she threw her arms out, lost in the moment of the chill against her skin, the slick of the water running through her hair, and the way Zed’s dark eyes shone in the light of the glow of the sky, hair ruffled by the wind as he smiled at her in a way no one else had ever done.
It didn’t matter that it had to end. That it was only going to be a moment. It was their moment. Their rain; a singular eternity, where it didn’t matter who they were or where they were; it just had to be.
Maybe she was thinking too much. Maybe, in the end, the rain was just that: rain. Something that fell from the sky, pulled together by the weight of the clouds and released just because that was how it all worked. But Addison didn’t believe that for one second.
Rain was powerful. It was special. It could last forever in a single instant, it could hold onto the sky and touch the earth all in one second. It pulled people together, showered everything in its own colours. It was cold, but warmed to her skin. It was rain: eternal, ephemeral; it washed away the need for distraction and haste and gave pause; it was gentle chaos among the noise, a reprieve she didn’t know she needed.
A reason to just be, and be happy. For them to be. Together. The rain was theirs; it was them. Utterly, unstoppably them.
Yo yo yo can you really name all the background newsies? And if so, uh, HELP please XD
I sure can! Here’s a link to my post about the newsies (I’m a link!) and here’s a link to a more in-depth look at the Brooklyn newsies (I’m another link!). There’s also several newsies that aren’t in the live version like: Coffee Beans, Barney Peanuts, Knobs, Fem!Smalls, and Fem!Sniper (from various broadway newsies productions) and Boots, Snitch, Jake, Itey, Snipeshooter, Dutchy, Snoddy, Skittery, Bumlets, and Pie-Eater (from the 1992 movie)
Fun fact - my sister introduced me to the Newsies Broadway musical and now I'm obsessed and tldr im so happy i found this blog 😭
omgggg welcome to the pit!!!!!!! newsies is amazing and jeremy jordan owns my ass so you’re definitely in the right place ❣️ if you ever wanna yell about it, my inbox is open!!
Hi! Once you get this you have to say five things you like about yourself, publicly, then send this to ten of your favourite followers (all optional of course, but highly recommended!)
Oh my...I’m so sorry it’s taken so long to get to this! Here we go.
1) I try to have a positive outlook
2) I’m vaguely determined
3) I have good friends (yes they’re all going to be in the tags)
