-- Chapter 10 - Falling part 2 --

Yuuki huffed to herself as she marched to the main bathroom. Ideas…?! The only one she could think of which she could actually bring herself to say was for Zero to have a cold shower, and that was the one thing he didn’t actually need, since he’d just had one.

She paused at the bathroom door, belatedly realising she was empty-handed. But – she’d been carrying her towel and clothes earlier, hadn’t she? Stepping inside, she was relieved to see them lying on the wooden bench that stood next to the bathtub. She must have tossed them earlier upon seeing Zero in the shower cubicle. Thank goodness she hadn’t left them in his room – Yuuki was suddenly very reluctant to face him again until she’d had some time to let her burning cheeks cool down a bit…

She shied away from the memory of the blush-inducing remark from Zero, that had caused her to flounce from his room just now, and from the even more blush-inducing wild kiss they had shared, but her mind recalled them nonetheless, and in excruciatingly clear detail. The kiss in particular, in which she’d unbuttoned his… and he’d touched her…

Exhaling loudly, Yuuki shook her head hard to clear her thoughts about what they had each done. Stripping off his sweater and her underwear, she stepped into the shower, washed her hair and showered, then dressed in clean clothes. She stopped by Zero’s room to drop off his sweater and pick up her discarded and still damp uniform before going to her own room to toss her towel onto her desk chair and run a comb through her wet hair. She was a little surprised to find it was already past ten o’clock; no wonder she had been feeling so hungry for the past several minutes. Walking to the dining room, her nose informed her that dinner – or rather supper - was already ready, and her stomach growled appreciatively in response.

Two bowls of steaming noodles in soup stood waiting on the dining table and Zero was lounging in his usual seat, absently twirling the chopsticks in his lean fingers. He didn’t look up at first even though he’d heard her approaching the dining room.

“Hey, you needn’t have waited for me…” chided Yuuki gently as she sat down opposite him. Zero flicked a glance at her. “I always eat faster than you, anyway” he commented, straightening up. They started eating in silence.

After about half a minute, Yuuki frowned a little – the comfortable silence they normally enjoyed was somehow missing. Surely it couldn’t be due to that earlier kiss? Her cheeks heated up again and she kept her gaze resolutely on the contents of her bowl. Well, yes but not entirely… it was probably also due to the fact that she’d agreed to sleep with him. Yuuki winced inwardly at her choice of words – sleep, real sleep, and not... not anything else…

Zero could also feel the tension between them and he had a pretty good idea of why that was – the kiss probably accounted for most of the blush Yuuki was desperately trying to hide by giving her noodles undue rapt attention. But there was also another reason. The previous times they had ended up sleeping in each other’s beds, those had been impromptu decisions - made and carried out within seconds before any really uncomfortable feelings could have arisen. This one wasn’t.

The simple meal dragged on for longer than it normally would have. Zero finished first and waited until Yuuki had swallowed her last mouthful before he stood up. The sudden sound of his chair being dragged back made Yuuki’s head jerk up.

Zero regarded her expressive face silently for a moment before reaching for her bowl. “Yuuki, if you’re uncomfortable with it, then don’t” he said quietly.

Yuuki bit her lip and glanced away. “Don’t what?” she asked even though the deepening flush on her cheeks told Zero she knew very well what.

“Don’t come to my room after this” he said bluntly.

Oooh…! Yuuki flushed even more and stared down at the table. Then her own chair scraped backwards as she stood up suddenly and faced him with a defiant toss of her head, palms flat on the table. “Who said I was uncomfortable?” she challenged him.

Zero looked rather taken aback. He thought Yuuki would’ve grabbed the chance he offered. Then again, being Yuuki, she didn’t always behave in the way others would… He shrugged in a carefully off handed way before stacking her bowl on top of his own one and grabbing their chopsticks.

“Hey…” Yuuki reached for the bowls. “I’ll wash up, since you cooked…”

Zero shook his head. “I’ll do it. You go get ready for bed” he said gravely. He didn’t quite mean for it to come out sounding like it did, but he found himself enjoying the sight of Yuuki’s blush anyway.

Ignoring the heat she could feel burning her face, Yuuki narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m ready whenever you are” she tossed back.

Zero almost smirked. He settled for raising an eyebrow instead. “You’re going to sleep in those?” he asked mildly, nodding at her clothes.

Yuuki glanced down at herself, then back up at Zero. He was trying very hard not to smile but his dimple showed anyway and she smiled ruefully. “Well, I’ll be ready in five minutes” she conceded before trailing off to her room .

“I’ll be waiting” he called after her.

Back in her room, Yuuki reached for her pale yellow satin pyjamas then hesitated, wondering if Zero would remember it from the last time she’d sought him out in his room to force him to drink from her. The slow, almost sensual way he’d half undressed her, sitting behind her on the same chair and holding her close to him as he slaked his thirst at her neck, the tender way he’d held her, then carried her to her bed after that, the surprise on his face after she'd pulled him down to brush a soft kiss against his cheek…

Realising that she was now fingering the shiny material in her hands in a most undecided fashion, Yuuki sighed impatiently and pushed it aside, grabbing the salmon pink pyjama set instead. The soft cotton was patterned with small yellow daisies and rather girlishly trimmed with lace around the collarless neck, short sleeves and matching knee length pants.

Five minutes had already gone by. Yuuki quickly brushed her teeth at the sink in her room, smiling in spite of herself as her toothbrush invoked a recent and amusing memory, then ran her comb once more through her almost dry hair. Finally, she left her room, switching off the light and locking the door before pocketing the key.

Zero was already standing by his room window when he heard Yuuki’s light footsteps approaching. He was wondering if she was going to wear the pale yellow pyjamas that had felt so satiny smooth under his fingers when he’d bared one shoulder to drink her intoxicatingly sweet blood in his room previously…

A cursory tap sounded on his door before it opened and Yuuki entered his room. “Phew – lucky the Chairman is not back yet, huh? she smiled, reaching behind her to slide the deadbolt home. Her smile faded as he looked silently back at her. “Zero?” she asked.

Zero let his eyes rove over the pyjamas she was wearing, slightly disappointed it wasn’t the pale yellow satin pair. Although he had to admit this one looked cute as hell too… Hurriedly, he cleared his throat. “I think… perhaps we shouldn’t - ” he broke off, realising how unconvincing he’d sounded. He tried again “I mean, if you’d rather not - ” Hell, that sounded even more cringingly pathetic.

Yuuki frowned at him in mock annoyance. “Who’s feeling uncomfortable now?” she challenged, chin lifted. Zero had to smile a little at that. “I’m not if you’re not…” he told her.

Yuuki smiled tentatively at him. “Well then…” she said softly and reached for the light switch, flicking it off and plunging the room into darkness, lit only by the moonlight streaming in through the window.

Suddenly uncertain, she paused by the doorway. Geez, this was rather awkward… the previous times he’d slept in her bed, he’d carried her there but now… Yuuki was suddenly reluctant to actually walk to his bed. It would feel so - weird.

Zero sensed her uncertainty. Without a word, he walked over to her as she stood there, silent and wide eyed. He looked down at her for a moment, inhaling her soft sweet scent and feeling it soothe him, calm him. Then, with a suddenness that took Yuuki by surprise, he swung her up in his arms. Yuuki shrieked softly but flung her arms around his neck as he cradled her head against his shoulder.

“Who’s feeling uncomfortable now?” he teased as he carried her back to his bed.

Yuuki turned her face into his shoulder. “Not me…” she mumbled.

He paused at his bed. “Yuuki…?”

She lifted her head to look at him.

“But you trust me…” It was a question and Yuuki smiled, her awkwardness suddenly vanishing in the wake of the softly spoken words. “Always, Zero” she replied.

He sighed a little in relief then bent down to place her gently on his bed, her head on his pillow. Yuuki shifted in to make more room for him and he slid in beside her, reaching for his blanket at the foot of the bed.

Yuuki turned to face Zero, raising herself onto her elbow and propping her head in her right hand. He paused in the act of covering them with the blanket. “What is it?” he asked.

She hesitated, catching her lower lip again. She wanted to ask him something but she didn’t know how to form the words. She wanted to ask a few somethings, actually… like how he was feeling after that very emotional outburst. Like whether or not he had also felt the slight tension between them as they ate just now. Like why that kiss was so… different… from its two predecessors. Like whether he was more… relaxed... now.

Zero waited, watching Yuuki trace small circles on his pillow with her finger, still chewing on her lower lip.

“Zero…”

He dragged his gaze away from her lips and flung the blanket over both their legs. Mirroring her posture, he rested his own head in his left hand as he looked back at her.

“Yeah?”

Yuuki settled for the question that was the easiest to ask out loud even though she didn’t really want to bring it up at all.

“Are you feeling OK now?” she asked softly. The slightly haunted look in her eyes told Zero she was referring to the Level E vampire he’d killed and he glanced away before looking back at her.

“Yeah…”

It was a lie and they both knew it.

Yuuki hesitated again, her finger drawing larger circles on his pillow. About the other questions…

Seconds drifted by as Zero silently read all the questions in Yuuki’s face, then she sighed softly and murmured “Never mind…” She settled down again on the pillow, still turned towards him. Then she changed her mind and turned to face the wall. A second later, she shifted back to face Zero again. By this time, she’d managed to pull the blanket off both of them.

Yuuki paused in an agony of indecision - should she turn to face him or the other way around? She hovered there awkwardly for a moment before finally glancing up at Zero. He was looking at her, trying hard not to smile.

“Would you prefer – ”

“Why don’t you - ”

They spoke at the same time. Her tone was hesitant, embarrassed. His was gentle, amused.

Yuuki looked into Zero’s eyes and the moment stretched into silence as he looked back, wanting nothing more than to lean forward and kiss away the endearing way she was still catching her lower lip with her teeth. The only reason he didn’t was because of the way she had shrunk back a little from him earlier.

Finally, Zero forced himself to smile before saying “Turn around and face the wall, Yuuki”. That small smile coaxed an answering one from Yuuki. Then, surprisingly, she started to giggle and that pulled a reluctant chuckle from Zero. The tension melted away as if by magic as they both started laughing.

Shaking her head slightly over what had just transpired, Yuuki turned onto her other side. Zero covered them once more with the blanket before pulling her back against his chest. She pillowed her head on his shoulder and reached for his right hand, interlacing her fingers with his warm ones and tucking it against her stomach. Zero’s breath ruffled her hair and Yuuki wondered why she’d felt so awkward earlier when snuggling against him now felt so… right. She gave a small sigh.

“Hey, you OK?” asked Zero, carefully maintaining a couple of inches gap between his hips and Yuuki’s.

“Mmm…”

“Me too…”

Yuuki giggled again. “Goodnight, Zero” she said, rolling her eyes a little even though she knew he couldn’t see.

“Goodnight, Yuuki” he said softly, burying his face in her hair.

Yuuki fell asleep almost immediately but Zero’s thoughts kept him awake for much longer.

- o -

When morning came, both Zero and Yuuki were still sleeping soundly, her back tucked up even closer against his chest and his arm wrapped securely around her waist. They awoke with a start when someone started banging on the door. Zero mumbled something unintelligible against Yuuki’s hair before jerking to full wakefulness. His normally alert vampire senses appeared to have temporarily deserted him. Again.

Yuuki twisted in his arms to look up into his face, her wide eyes registering alarm. Not again…! They both glanced in unison at the clock on her nightstand – it was slightly past seven in the morning, not quite time for them to get up yet…

“Zero! Are you in there? Open up!” called the Chairman, sounding rather agitated. It was a good thing Yuuki had locked the door last night, since the doorknob was also rattling. Loudly.

“Zero!”

Yuuki stopped breathing, her fingers clenching hard on Zero's arm. They both stayed still.

"Zero! Open up!"

Zero sighed and rose up onto one elbow, dislodging Yuuki’s head onto the pillow. He gave her a look of warning before easing away from her temptingly sleep-soft body. Reaching the door, he slid back the deadbolt and opened the door exactly three inches, making sure his body blocked any sight of his bed and praying Yuuki had exhausted her giggles, at least for now.

“Zero - have you seen Yuuki?” asked the Chairman hurriedly.

Startled, Zero stared at him for a moment before opening his mouth, fully prepared to lie. Something stopped him. It could have been the genuinely worried look in his adopted father’s eyes. It could have been the fact that this sort of thing had happened one to many times. He didn’t exactly know.

The older man was looking close to panicky now and the words tumbled out of his mouth “I couldn’t find her anywhere. Her door is locked and she’s not answering… I thought she was just sleeping soundly, but perhaps something’s wrong, I just know it!” Chairman Cross knew he was babbling somewhat – and to Zero of all people - but he couldn’t forget Yuuki’s scream during her recent nightmare.

“I may need to break down her door; she may have fainted… maybe high fever…” he muttered now as he tried to shove the door open enough to grab Zero’s arm to follow him. “Come now…” he pushed harder on the door as he felt resistance. “Now, Zero!”

Zero’s keen ears had caught the very soft sounds of Yuuki sitting up cautiously in his bed. He could lie, of course. It wouldn’t be the first time. He could say he’d be right there and give them both a moment for Yuuki to slip out unnoticed. He could say Yuuki was probably working on a surprise that she didn’t want them to find out just yet. He could – he could have said a hundred other things to throw the older man off the scent.

So he didn’t know why he did what he did then. He didn’t know what made him loosen his grip on the door. He didn’t have an inkling of what caused him to meet the Chairman’s gaze squarely. And he definitely had no idea what made him open his mouth to say “Yuuki’s not in her room.”

The Chairman frowned. “Wha – what do you mean Yuuki’s not in her room? Where could she be? Her door is locked...” He stood there looking rather perplexed at Zero’s cryptic statement.

Zero remained silent.

A thought struck the Chairman. “And how do you know she’s not in her room, Zero?”

Again, there was a hundred ways Zero could’ve replied to that question. He didn’t know why he chose one of the worst. Jaw clenched hard, he said tightly “Because Yuuki slept here last night. In my bed.”

And the silence that ensued as he gazed into the Chairman’s shocked eyes was absolutely... and profoundly... deafening.

-- End --