RPDR One-Shots (Requests Closed)

Must've Been the Wind (Ella Vaday x River Medway)

Been a while since I've written a one-shot based on a song. Let's see how this goes.
❌TW: Implied Domestic Abuse❌
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Ella's POV:
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I quite liked my new apartment. It was comfy and the neighbors seemed pleasant enough. At least they hadn't bothered me yet. I liked my quiet when it came to working from home, and I had to do that quite a lot. Being a writer means spending a lot of time alone, and I was only ever able to focus when it was silent.

Which is why I took notice to the sound of broken glass coming from the apartment below me.

Now maybe most people wouldn't think twice if they heard that. It could be anything. A frame falling from a shelf, a mug being dropped, but this was different. It sounded so forceful. Like it was thrown against the wall. Or maybe I was just overreacting and my apartment was just so quiet that even the simplist sound was super loud to me. Even still, I couldn't shake it off.

But then I heard the soft sound of crying after. I frowned and stood up from my desk that I had been working at. I couldn't just ignore it now.

So I grabbed my jacket and headed out the door. Even if nothing bad had happened, at least this would be an excuse to introduce myself to my downstairs neighbors. I had only interacted with the ones on my floor thus far. I stepped into the elevator and took a deep breath, hoping nothing was wrong.

I located the apartment that was directly below mine, knocking on the door. I couldn't hear the crying anymore. I tilted my head after not getting a response for a bit, about to knock again before hearing the person inside unlock the door.

It opened up and there stood a girl who was just slightly smaller than me, her dark hair hanging loosely in her face as she ran her hand over her cheeks. She faced me with a confused expression. "H-Hi...?"

I gave her a small smile, noticing that her jacket was pulled up to her chin. "Hello, I'm Ella. Your neighbor from the next floor up." I introduced myself to her. "I heard glass breaking and thought I heard crying. Is everything alright?"

She stood there, staring with wide eyes. I really hoped I hadn't been too blunt with her or made her uncomfortable. She took a shaky breath. "I...think your ears are playing tricks on you." She managed a small smile. "Thank you for caring though. That's really nice of you."

I tilted my head but nodded a little. I was still certain I had heard something. She must've noticed my hesitance, letting out a small sigh. "I have to go back in. I wish I could tell you about the noise but I didn't hear a thing. It must've been the wind."

She looked scared and anxious, so I didn't want to bother her any longer. I gave her another nod, turning away to go back to my apartment. "I didn't catch your name?" I said before she could close the door.

She looked back up at me, and in the short time of me turning away, her eyes had filled up with tears. "...River." She said softly. "It's River."

I was more worried now, but tried not to be. I gave her a small wave. "I'll see you around then, River."

River bit her lip, leaning against the door. "See you around..." She said and closed the door all the way.

After that interaction, I couldn't get that girl out of my head. She seemed so scared, and so shy. I hoped she was okay.

A couple days later I laid awake in bed. I couldn't sleep at all for some reason. I closed my eyes to try to fall asleep once more, about to drift off until I heard yelling from the apartment below me.

I immediately sat up in concern. Their words were too far away for me to be able to make out what they were saying, but I knew it was yelling I heard. I rubbed my arm, questioning if I should go down there again. I didn't have all the facts, it wasn't my place to intrude.

But just like the first time, I found myself standing up and grabbing my jacket. It was better safe than sorry after all. I made my way back to the elevator, and once I had reached the correct floor, the yelling had stopped.

I walked up to the door and took a nervous breath, knocking on it once again. The silence made me uneasy, and I really hoped nothing was terribly wrong.

River opened the door after a moment, this time the tear stains very noticeable on her cheeks. "It's...you again..."

I nodded. I'd rather be bothering her instead of something worse happening to her. "Y-Yeah, it's me again. I heard yelling. Is everything alright?"

River took a shaky sigh, trying not to hide behind the door. "...I think your ears are playing tricks on you again..." She said softly, rubbing her eyes. "Thank you for checking in though. It's nice..." She looked down, and I heard her named being yelled from inside of the apartment.

I tilted my head in concern. "Are you sure everything is alright, dear?"

River bit her lip, taking a step back. "I-I wish I could tell you about the noise but I didn't hear a thing..." She said, and I could hear her voice trembling. She sniffled quietly, gripping the handle of the door. "I have to go back in. It must've been the wind..." She trailed off and gave a sad wave, stepping back into the apartment.

I stood there for a moment, not believing a word River had said. I had no choice but to go back up to my own apartment. I prayed she would be okay. She deserved to be okay.

About a week later, I had fully settled into my new apartment. I sat out on the balcony to work, busily typing on my laptop and enjoying the soft breeze. Nothing too strange had happened lately, until I heard crying from below me.

I stopped typing, slowly placing my laptop down and walking to the edge of the balcony. I looked down to see River leaning over the railing of hers, head buried in her arms as she tried to silence her cries.

I frowned, trying to find my voice. I knew something was wrong. I took a breath before calling down to her. "River?"

She jumped and quickly looked around before turning her head up, fidgeting with her hands. "...Hi."

I managed to give her a small smile, determined not to let her go through whatever this was alone anymore. "You know, I'm not playing tricks on you." I said, referencing her telling me my ears were playing tricks. "You're always welcome to come in and you can stay for a bit. If you ever need a friend, I'm just a floor away."

River stared up at me. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and nodded, pulling the scarf she wore up closer around her neck. "I-I would like that, please..."

So I met her down on her floor, so she wouldn't have to walk to my apartment alone. She was quiet until she closed the door fully, immediately gripping onto my arm. "I-I'm sorry to be a bother..."

I shook my head, leading her to the elevator. "You're not a bother at all. I promise."

I managed to get her to smile a real smile. We stepped into the elevator and I kept her close beside me. "We can talk about the noise when you're ready. Until then, it must've been the wind."

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This one feels a little different. Hopefully a good different. Hope you enjoyed!