-- Chapter 3 - Your rooom or mine - part 3 --

The next time Yuuki opened her eyes, sunlight was streaming through the window. Her head was still pillowed on Zero’s shoulder, his arm heavy around her waist, his breathing deep and regular. He was sound asleep.

She yawned but resisted the urge to stretch, not wanting to wake Zero again. I should get up, she thought.

A sudden thought occurred to her – had Zero locked her bedroom door last night when he carried her here? Otherwise, the Chairman might discover them – he had checked on her every night since her high fever a week ago, brushing aside her protests that she was just fine. If he found them like this – man, that would be awkward. Really, really awkward. Almost automatically, her brain started stringing together plausible excuses to explain why was Zero sleeping in her bed, but they were all too cringe-worthy to even comprehend, much less complete.

Why don’t I just go check… she decided. Carefully, she lifted her head from Zero’s shoulder then slipped out from under his arm. Silently, she moved slowly over to the edge of the bed and stood up, then glanced back at Zero, long pajama-clad legs tangled in her blanket, longish silver hair falling over his closed eyes.

The door wasn’t locked! Yuuki inhaled a little sharply – thank goodness the Chairman hadn’t checked on her last night – perhaps he’d overlooked it after his meeting…

Yuuki glanced back at the bed; Zero was still sleeping. She caught up her towel and a fresh change of clothing, then let herself out quietly to have her shower in the main bathroom.

Zero’s eyes opened as the door closed. He’d awoken when he felt her slender body sliding out from under his arm. He’d almost tightened his arm around her then but thankfully stopped himself in time.

He’d also heard her sharp intake of breath at the door. No doubt she’d found the door unlocked and was… relieved they hadn’t been discovered. Zero’s lips almost twitched. He should get up, he thought. Even though it was nothing short of heavenly… waking up in Yuuki’s bed, her pillow under his head, her blanket across his legs, her soft, sweet scent surrounding him and the memory of her body against his, still imprinted on his mind.

He stretched lazily, then turned onto his stomach, burying his face in her pillow. Just two minutes more… he thought drowsily.

Yuuki hummed softly to herself as she padded back to her bedroom, rubbing absently at her wet hair. She’d worn her favourite T-shirt (with a teddy bear holding a flower in front) and shorts. The Chairman wasn’t anywhere to be found though… she’d even gone down the corridor to the kitchen to make sure. Oh, well.. it’s Sunday…!

Back in her bedroom, Yuuki’s breath caught as she saw Zero in her bed. What – still sleeping? she thought disbelievingly. Then why is it that the Chairman and Zero always insist that she was the record holder for sleeping the longest? She blew out her breath. Well, this time she had definite proof that Zero was the lazy one, not her. No, sir. She was going to find the Chairman right now and inform him that Zero was still sleeping… in… her… bed. Damn.

She sighed, then reached a hand behind her to twist the lock on the doorknob and slide the deadbolt home. Oh well, at least Zero won’t be able to deny this once he opens those gorgeous amethyst eyes of his to find her showered, dressed and standing right before him, right?

Draping her towel across the back of her chair, she walked over to the bed. His face was buried in her pillow, his right arm alongside it.

She was suddenly reluctant to wake him up. After all, she knew better than anyone else of the nightmares he suffered last time, perhaps even now…

Moving a step closer, Yuuki felt an unexpected urge to touch his hair, a curious feeling given the fact she’d touched it numerous times before, starting from the very first night the Chairman had brought him to the academy on a cold winter’s night four years ago. She realised the ends had grown long past his shirt collar. It was time she reminded him to get a haircut. But at the same time, it looked… soft. Really soft and … touchable…

Inching closer, small teeth holding her lower lip, she stretched out her left hand tentatively towards the silvery strands lying against the wool of his sweater at the back of his neck. Closer… a little more… okay, right here…

Zero’s right arm whipped up, palm turning inwards, long fingers closing around her slender wrist, causing Yuuki to shriek in surprise. He flipped onto his back, automatically shifting his body towards the centre of the bed to avoid falling off it.

Sleepy amethyst eyes looked up into startled brown ones. “What now?” Zero enquired, voice still husky with sleep. Yuuki looked and smelled wonderful, he thought.

“Nothing…” she denied, blushing and pulling on her trapped hand. He held on to it, still looking up at her, one eyebrow raised.

“It’s nothing, Zero! Let go now!” she insisted, pulling her hand even harder.

Zero loved watching the color bloom in her cheeks, particularly when he was the one causing it. “What do you mean by ‘nothing’?” he drawled.

Yuuki clamped her lips together and stopped tugging on her hand. He knew what she was going to do and waited for it. As she drew in her breath, preparing to tug even harder, he pulled her suddenly towards him. The move was nicely timed; Yuuki gave another shriek of surprise as she lost her balance and tumbled right onto him.

Zero let out a small grunt of surprise. Yuuki wasn’t heavy but he hadn’t expected her to fall right on top of him, ending up with her right elbow and lower arm flat on the pillow beside his left ear, her left hand braced on the wall behind the pillow, wrist still trapped in his hand, her stomach on his own flat one, her face inches away from his.

He lay there, stunned. But strangely, or perhaps… not strangely, being Yuuki, she didn’t seemed alarmed. Surprised certainly… but not alarmed. She was staring intently into his eyes, as if transfixed. He shifted a little. “What is it?” he asked softly.

“Your irises…” she murmured. “They’re purple… mostly… but they’ve got these really, really tiny silver chips in them…”

They have…? wondered Zero absently. He was more interested in the tiny frown between her eyebrows as she studied him… how the delicate strokes of her eyebrows perfectly matched her heart-shaped face. He noted the long dark lashes that fringed her large eyes… the meltingly soft chocolate of her eyes that made him feel as if he could drown in them… the sweet pink of her lips as small white teeth caught on a lower lip in concentration.

Yuuki shifted on him unconsciously, dipping her face still lower. Toothpaste scented breath wafted over his face. “They’re beautiful…” she breathed, seemingly in awe.

Zero didn’t give a hoot about his eye color or whether or not they did in fact have silver chips in them but his body tensed all the same. This isn’t really a good idea… apart from the fact that they were on a bed… together… her body was right on top of his, her hips were right on … He’d better do something before his body did…

He lifted his head off the pillow, his keen sense of smell reeling with Yuuki’s scent enveloping him. Under the superficial fragrance of the shampoo and soap she used, her own scent was intoxicating - soft but oh so sweet… he would never get enough of it… never. Even the faint scent of her period was immensely... Zero groaned silently as his body started to awaken… but whether with bloodlust or with… something else, he couldn’t tell.

Yuuki yelped in surprise as Zero surged up suddenly, abdominal muscles tensing against her stomach as he pushed up, grabbing her right wrist at the same time. He intended to have Yuuki sitting on the bed, and himself off it completely. But he didn’t realise Yuuki’s legs had gotten tangled in the folds of her blanket when he’d pulled her onto him earlier. They both tumbled back onto the bed with their positions reversed; Yuuki’s head was on the pillow, as were her hands, slender wrists still clasped in his grasp. This wasn’t really any better… his face was now buried in her neck. Great.

“Idiot! You made me lose count…!” Yuuki said, sounding more annoyed than anything else. One minute she’d been busy counting the silver chips in his left iris, the next moment, her head was spinning as she found herself lying on her pillow, Zero’s body weight heavy on her. A giggle escaped her lips.

“Sorry – “ Zero broke off. It was a mistake trying to talk with his lips already on her skin… It felt almost like a kiss…

“Uh… Zero?” said Yuuki uncertainly. She shifted uncomfortably.

Zero gritted his teeth, his upper jaw starting to ache as his fangs lengthened a little. Get a grip! he told himself. He lifted himself up a little, breathing a little more heavily, bracing his arms on either side of her head. “I’d better get out…”

Someone tapped on the door. They both froze.

“Yuuki? Are you still in bed?” called the Chairman.

Brown eyes widened as they gazed into equally stunned amethyst ones. Both pairs of eyes swung to the door in unison then back to each other. Hell, I didn’t even hear him coming… thought Zero distractedly. A thought occurred to him.

“The door…!”

“It’s OK, I’ve locked it…”

Automatically, they spoke in whispers. There was a moment of silence as they read both guilt and alarm in each other’s gaze. Yuuki swallowed, her gaze moving to the door again, her cheeks flushed.

“Yuuki, are you still sleeping?” sang the Chairman. The doorknob rattled.

Yuuki gave an almost soundless moan, eyes darting back to Zero’s helplessly.

“Say something!” Zero hissed.

“What? You say something!” she hissed back at him.

Zero rolled his eyes. “Idiot! This is your room, I’m not even supposed to be in here!”

Oh, right…

“Uh… I’m getting dressed, Father…!” Yuuki called out then closed her eyes, cheeks flushing even more in mortification. She’d always, always avoided calling the Chairman that unless he insisted and even then, it was only in his presence. To do so in front of Zero…

The Chairman chuckled, delighting in his dear girl’s choice of words. “Take your time, my dear girl! In the meantime, I’ll go look for Zero. Breakfast will be ready soon…”

They both stared at the door, listening to his footsteps fading. Yuuki turned back to see Zero staring at the wall, his arms stiff, his body tense.

“Phew!” she exhaled softly. “That was close, huh, Zero?”

Then, as Zero said nothing, she wriggled a little. “Gosh, you’re heavy…” she huffed. Still no reply.

“Zero? You OK?” she asked softly.

He swung back to her then. “No, I’m not OK!’ he burst out. “That was way too close! Suppose you hadn’t locked the door? Suppose we were… I was… you know…” he floundered then broke off, scowling. His breath had quickened and it wasn’t entirely due to the Chairman’s sudden presence outside the door. He knew that the Chairman was already aware that he drank Yuuki’s blood… Zero inwardly cringed, remembering their conversation last evening.

Zero had absolutely no intention of letting the older man actually witness it… his cheeks flushed a little as he imagined the look on the Chairman’s face were he to witness Zero (or any other vampire for that matter) satisfying their bloodlust from his precious daughter’s neck, rivulets dripping down her neck to stain her shirt…

He groaned softly as bloodlust stirred within him again. After all, he’d only taken a little from Yuuki last night… and spent the whole night lying next to her as well… I’m demented, he decided. Blowing out a sigh, he released her wrists and sat up, swinging his legs onto the floor. He pushed frustrated fingers through his hair, then cradled his head in his hands.

“Zero? Do you need more…”

“No, Yuuki…!”

“But –“ she started.

He swung round to glare at her then almost immediately, turned away again. Yuuki sat up as well, seeing the need he couldn’t quite hide in his eyes. She reached up to place both hands on his shoulders. He tensed.

“Yuuki… don’t…” he muttered.

“But I’m well now…” she insisted.

Unable to stop himself, he glanced back at her. Hair still damp from the shower, head tilted slightly to one side as she regarded him with compassionate warm eyes, she looked… invitingly, divinely tempting… His eyes strayed to her neck. Damn.

The cute T-shirt she wore had a high, tight neckline. It would be too… messy… Yuuki saw where his eyes went. She reached up a hand and fingered the neck of her T-shirt. It wasn’t the most suitable thing to wear in these… er, circumstances… and she knew he was thinking the same thing.

He frowned slightly as Yuuki gave a little toss of her head that usually meant she’d made up her mind about something. “Yuuki…?” he asked, sounding faintly alarmed as she crossed her arms, grasping the hem of her T-shirt with both hands. “What are you – “ he broke off, eyes widening with shock as she drew the T-shirt swiftly over her head. He had a brief glimpse of a cream colored bra that held a most intriguing shadow between two lacy cups before she hugged the T-shirt tightly across her chest.

“I’m… running out of clean shirts, that’s all…!” she said, blushing as Zero continued to gaze at her in shock. One arm holding the T-shirt in place, she swept her hair off her right shoulder with the other. It was the same side he’d bitten last night and the healing twin puncture wounds were still visible. “Hurry up…” she urged.

Zero shifted around to face her more fully, his hands grasping her shoulders. “Yuuki, you sure?” he asked.

“Yes!”

He lowered his face to her neck and she tilted her head a little more. He released one shoulder to cradle her head, sliding long fingers through her damp hair, keeping it tilted to the side. Warm lips latched onto her skin, his heavy breath feathered across her ear and cheek.. A faint shiver shook her as he ran his tongue gently over the twin bite marks. She felt his fangs graze her neck and sighed, closing her eyes.

“Yuuki, you still in there?” the doorknob rattled a second time.

What the - ! Zero’s head jerked a little, causing his fangs to scrape her skin, making Yuuki gasp. Surely not the Chairman again?! Her heartbeat, already quickened at the anticipation of being bitten, went into triple time.

Zero froze, breathing hard against her neck, fingers tightening almost painfully in her hair. He shuddered, trying hard to control himself. “Say… something…” he panted, his lips next to Yuuki’s ear.

Yuuki blinked. Pulling herself together, she cleared her throat then spoke “Uh, just five more minutes… I need to dry my hair first…” Her voice quivered a little but she prayed it went unnoticed. Well, it wasn’t a lie, her hair was still wet… she thought, heart still hammering in her throat. Zero had closed his eyes, his body trembling very slightly as he held himself in tight control, his own heartbeat accelerating even more at the rush her blood in her veins.

“OK, hurry up then … Can’t find Zero though, where is that boy…”

For the second time, they both listened to the Chairman’s footsteps fading down the corridor, Yuuki’s left hand at the back of his neck, the fingers of her right hand still gripping his shoulder.

Zero kept still, taking deep breaths, trying to shake off the feeling that he’d almost been caught making out with the boss’s daughter… Dammit!

“Zero?” Yuuki said against his ear, “it’s OK, you can continue if you want…” She tried her best to sound serious but a giggle escaped her lips nonetheless.

Zero scowled again. “You find this funny?” he growled, lifting his head and glaring into her eyes. Grasping her shoulders, he gave her a little shake, causing her T-shirt to slip down onto her lap. He completely forgot what he was going to say next.

Yuuki snatched the T-shirt with both hands, clutching it to her. She darted a glance at Zero, seeing him close his eyes and curse under his breath.

“Forget it!” he swung his legs onto the floor again, then stood up. Long strides carried him swiftly to the door. Decisive fingers unlocked the door with quick movements.

“But… Zero…!” Yuuki glanced around her room, desperately searching for something to say. Her gaze landed on her Algebra workbook lying on her desk and she found inspiration. “… you promised to help me with my Algebra homework, remember?” she asked softly.

Zero stopped, startled. Slowly, he turned his head to look at her. Her eyes were wide and innocent… but why was it her voice had sounded… almost… triumphant…? He looked down and exhaled loudly, closing his eyes for a moment before regarding her again.

“This evening, then…” he tossed at her, then left.

Alone in her room, leaning against the wall, Yuuki smiled softly.

-- To Be Continued --