It's pouring. Adam is soaking wet and his shoes are heavy, soaked through so thoroughly that his socks squish with every step. The bottoms of his all-stars have been coming unglued for too long but now they flap against the bottom as he walks, no, runs along the sidewalk. It's less to save himself and more to save his camera; he's already got it wrapped up under his shirt to try and protect it from the rain, but he knows that the downpour is heavy enough to get to it if he doesn't pick up the pace.
That's when he sees the figure standing in the rain, her outfit soaked through, long dirty hair dripping with water. Adam can't help but sigh as he approaches, trying to keep his head down. He doesn't want to draw attention to himself or interact with anyone, not now when he's only feet away from being inside the apartment building. He can't help but glance up as he draws closer though, and he falters.
"Amanda?"
Lazy eyes lift to look at Adam, pupils blown out so that her eyes nearly look black, the recognition in them missing. Dark makeup is smeared down her face, and Adam can't tell if it's from the rain or tears.
"Amanda, what are you doing out here?" Adam asks, shoulders hunched in an attempt to protect his camera from the constant onslaught of rain that refuses to let up for even a moment.
Amanda's eyes squint as she tries hard to study Adam's face, and the man can tell that they're fading in and out of focus as she stares him down.
"Adam?" she finally asks, voice hoarse and sad; pathetic, Adam thinks sadly.
"Yeah. Yeah, it's me," Adam sighs, reaching up quickly to grab Amanda's hand and pull her along. He guides her inside quickly, though she stumbles the whole way, guiding her into the dry interior and toward the stairs. As they make their way up the creaking wooden stairs, Adam notices how slow she moves and how her shoes are missing, only wet footprints left on the stairs as she ascends them.
"Adam?" Amanda asks suddenly, sounding panicked, and she whips around in the middle of the staircase faster than Adam would have thought possible. He's left slinging his camera over his shoulder so he can use both hands to catch her before she goes tumbling down.
"Yeah, Mandy, it's me, I'm still here.. C'mon, let's go upstairs."
She nods her head dumbly, following along and letting Adam guide her up the stairs steadily. She stumbles a few times but Adam isn't sure she even notices.
They make it to his apartment eventually and Adam unlocks the door and lets Amanda in first, locking it behind them. It's cold inside and Adam guides Amanda into the living room by her shivering shoulders, guiding her down onto the couch before turning on the radiator against the living room wall. It rattles and hisses as it comes to life and Adam has to kick it once to get it going. After that, he strips off his striped shirt and sets his camera down on the coffee table, grateful to find it mostly dry.
"Stay there, I'll get you a towel and some clothes," Adam says, though it doesn't seem like Amanda can even hear him.
In the darkness, he navigates his bathroom-turned-darkroom and grabs two towels, stripping and drying himself off before throwing on a pair of boxers and sweatpants and going back to the living room.
As expected, Amanda hasn't moved an inch, and Adam almost sighs in disappointment. The woman is so catatonic that Adam barely knows what to do with her. It isn't the first time though and he doesn't suppose it'll be the last, unfortunately. He can always hold out hope though.
"Bad night, Mandy," Adam says as he kneels in front of her, peeling off her fishnets and drying her legs. Amanda nods, blank eyes staring through him.
Her shirt comes next and as soon as Adam's hands slide under the edge, she lifts her arms on reflex, letting him peel the wet article of clothing away. She's completely exposed from the waist up and Adam carefully wipes her down with the towel, going over each part of her with extreme care. He only dabs at the bend in her left arm; as dotted as it is right now, he doesn't want to accidentally hurt her any worse.
"You gotta stop this," Adam whispers, and he can see the tears gather in Amanda's vacant eyes, even as she stares blankly past him.
"It's...." Amanda can't even form the thought, too far gone in the moment.
"Amanda," Adam says, and he grabs her upper arms in a firm grasp, gaining her attention for the first time tonight. "Please. I miss you. I love you. You can't keep doing this to yourself. Please."
Something in Amanda cracks and for a moment, it's almost as if she's sober as she begins sobbing uncontrollably, throwing herself forward in Adam's arms. Half naked in Adam's cold, dark living room, Amanda wails into his warm skin. It's messy, snotty and wet, and Amanda hiccups and drools, but Adam holds her. He holds her close both to keep her together and keep out the cold. It's only when she's softly sniffling that Adam pulls back enough to use the towel to wipe her face and his chest, holding her chin and looking into her blown out eyes.
"We can do better," he encourages gently, nodding along with her when she does. Cradling Amanda's head, Adam pulls her close gently, kissing her forehead with his warm lips.
They fall quiet again after that, listening to the rain as it taps harshly against the living room window while Amanda sniffles. Adam finishes drying off her upper half and covers her with a baggy sweatshirt that swallows her whole. She provides as much help as before when Adam removes her skirt and dries the rest of her off, helping her into a pair of soft, fuzzy sleep pants, and then he's guiding her into his bedroom. The radiator against the wall ticks every so often but Adam is used to it and Amanda doesn't notice.
Tucked beneath the blanket, Adam pulls Amanda against his chest, cradling her as she closes her eyes and falls asleep almost immediately. The rain is still loud and endless, but Adam doesn't mind it as much now, not when Amanda is safe inside.
