-- Chapter 13 - Thunderstorm --

It was after midnight. Heavy black clouds had rolled in to obscure the sky since evening with the promise of a storm to come. However, the rain held off until midnight. For the Day Class students, it was delicious to snuggle under the blankets and let the heavy pattering of rain send you to sleep… until the storm started in earnest together with the requisite amounts of lightning and accompanying thunder.

In bed, Zero reluctantly opened his eyes. He’d actually been awake for more than half an hour now and he lay there quietly for a minute. Lightning flashed again, illuminating his darkened room and making his pupils constrict painfully. A couple of seconds later, thunder rumbled once more. Loudly.

Zero sighed and turned to his right to glance at his alarm clock. He didn’t even need to wait for the next occurrence of lightning to see the hands of the clock quite clearly – it was now a little past two in the morning and he wasn’t likely to get any sleep until the storm blew over.

He knew Yuuki was in for a sleepless night as well. Oh, he knew she liked rainy days well enough, if it came with a cup of hot chocolate, curled up in a corner of the sofa in the living room, or on the window seat listening to the rain as she watched droplets slide down the glass. He knew she also liked rainy nights with the steady fall of rain lulling her to sleep. But not thunderstorms… oh no, Yuuki had been afraid of them for as long as he’d known her, and even longer before that.

Zero had experienced quite a number of times when Yuuki would cry out in the night after a particularly loud thunderclap. Either he or the Chairman would end up in her room comforting her. Sometimes, Zero would get there first and their Father would later find them both on the living room sofa, waiting out the storm. Yuuki would be pressed close to Zero’s side while he sat there with his chin resting on his other hand, looking like he’d rather be any place other than where he currently was. And of course, somewhere along the line, he’s lost the urge to even pretend to look like that…

The violent thunderstorm continued and after about ten minutes while Zero was still debating with himself whether or not to actually go check on Yuuki – she was no longer eleven years old after all – he heard her light footsteps go past his door outside in the corridor. Well, she was definitely awake and out of bed. Zero sat up, swinging long legs to the floor and wriggling bare feet into slippers.

Yuuki was standing at the kitchen counter making what smelled like hot chocolate. Zero leaned against the kitchen door, letting his eyes get used to the bright fluorescent glare while they skimmed over her pyjamas. Yuuki was wearing the girlish salmon pink set that made her look even sweeter and more petite than usual.

She finished stirring the contents of her mug. “Yuuki…” called Zero softly from the doorway, wanting to get her attention before she started to carry her mug to the table and dropped it in surprise upon seeing him. Immediately, she swung around to the door, her brown eyes startled. “Zero, you awake too?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned back to the counter. “Do you want some hot chocolate?” she asked, already reaching for the tin of powdered chocolate.

“Yeah, just not too sweet...” Zero walked over to the kitchen table that stood in the corner and sank down into his usual seat.

Yuuki flashed him a quick smile over her shoulder before she turned back -he felt the warmth of that smile all the way down to his toes.

They sat in silence for a while as they sipped the hot beverage but the storm showed no sign of letting up. Lightning and thunder came at regular intervals along with the heavy unending rain and Zero realised they probably wouldn’t be the only ones to sleep in the class the next day. Well, at least the Night Class students would have no such excuse since it was officially their ‘daytime’. He smiled grimly at the thought.

Yuuki rested her heavy head in her hand, yawning every two minutes. She desperately wanted to sleep but she just couldn’t. And she’d much rather be in the kitchen with Zero than in her bed alone, stuffing her fingers in her ears or burying her head under her pillows. A particularly loud boom sounded after another flash of lightning and Yuuki actually jumped up about six inches from her chair, after which she edged even closer to Zero, not caring what he thought of her by now.

Zero glanced at her without speaking. He had a remedy of course… but as it involved either him sleeping in Yuuki’s bed or her sleeping in his, it wasn’t one that he could put into practice… not anymore.

Yuuki’s head started to droop again and auburn strands came dangerously close to getting dunked in hot chocolate. Zero made up his mind. “Come on, it’s more comfortable on the sofa at least…” He drained his mug and stood up. Yuuki did the same before placing both mugs in the kitchen sink and filling them with water from the tap.

They walked out of the kitchen, past the dining room towards the living room, Zero trying his best to ignore the fact that he wanted to put an arm around Yuuki. She headed for the sofa immediately, curling up on the left side, away from the windows. Zero pressed her shoulder gently, saying “Wait here, I’ll get our blankets…” Yuuki smiled her thanks then winced when a particularly vicious streak of lightning flashed. Quickly, she clapped both hands over her ears, making him smile for a moment.

She watched as Zero walked off to their rooms. Zero knew about her fear of thunderstorms and she appreciated the fact that he’d never laughed at her fears, and that he was voluntarily keeping her company when he could be comfortably ensconced in his bed. She didn’t know why she’d accused him of not caring a couple of weeks ago – she knew he did. No matter what he said, or how he looked, she knew he did.

The object of her thoughts swiped the blankets off their respective beds, unconsciously burying his nose in Yuuki’s as he walked back to the living room – he hadn’t realised just how much he’d missed the heavenly smell of her blanket. Geez, what a love-struck idiot he was…

As Zero walked back to the living room, he lowered her blanket and tossed both of them down onto the sofa before throwing himself down on the other end, slouching his tall frame and stretching out his legs in front of him.

“Zero? Sit here please…” Yuuki moved towards the centre of the sofa and patted the corner she’d just vacated. Obediently, Zero got up and sat down again at the designated spot, slouching as before. Yuuki swung her legs up onto the sofa, spreading her blanket over herself before leaning on Zero’s right arm. Automatically, he placed hisarm around her shoulders, holding her close. Ah, it was utter bliss holding Yuuki like this… he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

After a moment, a soft giggle sounded against his arm. Zero opened his eyes and glanced down. “What’s so funny?” he asked.

“The fact that we’re now reduced to sleeping together on the sofa” replied Yuuki drolly and Zero paused, startled, before he too chuckled reluctantly. “Yeah, guess Father can’t say anything this time, huh…”

Yuuki snuggled closer to Zero’s warmth, her eyes already closed. “Hey, you’re not using your blanket…” she murmured sleepily. “I’m fine, go to sleep” said Zero softly, bending his head to drop a kiss on the silky hair falling over her forehead.

Yuuki dropped off to sleep almost immediately as the following claps of thunder were noticeably quieter than before. The storm was finally started to slow down and after a while, Zero shifted, swinging his legs up onto the sofa as well. Yuuki slept on, her upper body resting on Zero’s chest and her face tucked into his neck.

Zero managed to fling his blanket over their bodies, but it wasn’t easy to fall asleep like this. For one thing, the sofa wasn’t as comfortable as his own bed. For another, the warm soft body lying on top of his chest with its most enticing scent teased his senses unmercifully. He was also all too aware of the fact that only the thin cotton of his pyjama shirt and Yuuki’s were all that separated his chest from her sweet curves – she obviously wasn’t wearing anything underneath. That and the warm soft puffs of her even breathing against the sensitive skin at his neck and her soft sweet scent kept him awake for quite some time before he too finally drifted off to sleep.

Three hours later, the storm had reduced to a light drizzle. The Chairman’s room was located along the same corridor as his study, which lead to the living room just a few feet away from the sofa. He shuffled out to use the main bathroom and the sounds of the toilet being flushed woke Zero up from his light slumber.

On the way back to his room, the older man saw a silver head pillowed on the arm rest of the sofa and discovered the two occupants lying on it. Zero’s left arm was dangling off the sofa with his knuckles resting lightly on the floor. His right arm was clasped around Yuuki’s shoulders as she half lay on top of him, her legs tucked into the small space between his own and the leather-clad back of the sofa. Her blanket was tangled around her legs and Zero’s was already on the floor.

The Chairman stood looking down at them for a moment, a gentle and somewhat resigned smile on his face. He moved to the front of the sofa and picked up the fallen blanket. Shaking it out, he covered both their sleeping forms with it, tucking one side around Yuuki’s back to keep it from slipping again to the floor.

Only after straightening up did he realise Zero was actually awake, the amethyst eyes regarding him silently. The older man didn’t say anything and after a moment of silence, Zero raised his left hand off the floor to pull the blanket higher up over Yuuki shoulders. “Thanks…” he said softly.

The Chairman hesitated. Thanks for covering them? Thanks for not yelling? Thanks for what?

“The storm’s over, Zero, you should take Yuuki back to her bed…” he suggested gently.

Zero glanced down at the sleeping girl. “I don’t want to wake her…” he said softly, feeling more than a little embarrassed and vulnerable lying there on the sofa with Yuuki half sprawled on top of him and the Chairman looking down at them both. Did he know that Yuuki never wore her bra when she slept? Zero found himself wondering uneasily. OK, don’t think of that now…

A wry smile tugged at the older man’s lips as he shrugged. “Well, don’t blame me if you suffer from a crick in the neck for the next two days…” he said before turning and heading back to his room.

Zero let his eyes drift shut once more. He was already starting to feel the slight ache at the back of his neck as the arm rest his head was on was much higher than his pillow. At the same time he was reluctant to wake Yuuki up. He tried moving his head sideways to relieve the ache.

“Whassa matter, am I heavy?” came Yuuki’s sleepy voice against his neck as she stirred.

“No” answered Zero. “But since you’re awake…” He slid his arm off her shoulders and sat up slowly, wincing. Twisting his head to the right and left, he reached up his other hand to work out the kinks in his neck.

“Here, let me…” said Yuuki, sitting up as well. Her small hands were good at finding out the right places to apply pressure on and Zero closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her fingers at the back of his neck and shoulders.

“Better?”

“Mmm, thanks…” Zero rolled his head once more then stood up as Yuuki yawned again.

“Come on, sleepyhead, back to bed…” He tucked both their blankets under one arm and held out his other hand to pull her up.

Yuuki stayed where she was and pouted, she was still very sleepy. “Aren’t you gonna carry me?” she asked hopefully.

Zero froze for a moment before lifting an eyebrow at her. “Why, can’t you walk?” he shot back, seriously tempted all the same.

Yuuki’s head toss was very, very slight. “Well, of course I can…” she muttered. Zero regarded her bent head for a moment, smiling slightly. “But it would be nice though…” she looked up at him with a winsome smile that she knew he wouldn’t be able to resist.

Zero’s smile became a grin. He folded their blankets, passed them to her, then reached down to swing her up in his arms, hushing her automatically when she giggled. “Shh – do you want Father to come out again?” he said warningly. He skirted the sofa and headed for their rooms.

Yuuki’s head came up from its comfortable spot on his shoulder. “What - Father was here?” she asked in alarm, suddenly wide awake as she twisted her head to look around in case the Chairman should suddenly pop up somewhere from behind the sofa or the TV.

“Yeah…”

“Well, what did he say?” demanded Yuuki, still looking around somewhat wildly.“Put me down, Zero!”

Zero looked at her in mock surprise. “I thought you wanted to be carried to bed?” he asked.

Yuuki struggled again, causing Zero’s arms to tighten automatically around her. “Hey, settle down, Yuuki. He just covered us with the blanket then went back to bed…” he explained as he walked down the corridor with his precious burden.

Yuuki goggled at him. “He what?” she asked, amazed.

Zero glanced down at her. “Well, what did you expect?” he asked. Yuuki blinked. “We weren’t doing anything except sleeping…” he added.

Yuuki blushed. “Not this time…” she said with a meaningful look. Zero caught her look and looked away, wondering which time she was actually referring to.

“Uh, never mind…” she muttered, seeing him on the verge of asking her. She released one hand from the folded blankets to twist the doorknob and push open her door.

The soft sounds of the light rain outside, the fresh cool breeze wafting from her window and the realisation that wake up time was still another couple of hours away made for a rather delicious prospect and Yuuki sighed happily as Zero deposited her gently on the bed, her hands still holding both blankets. “I wish…” she started then broke off and bit her lip.

With rather jerky movements, Zero retrieved both blankets from Yuuki’s unresisting hands before shaking out her own over her. “Yeah, me too…” he said quietly before snatching up his blanket and turning away.

“Zero? How do you know what I was going to say?” came Yuuki’s voice from behind him.

He didn’t turn around. “Because that’s what I want, too…”

Silence.

Zero turned around slowly to see Yuuki staring down at her blanket. “Am I right, Yuuki?” he asked.

“Yeah, well…” she said before looking up to regard him with those wide brown eyes that he swore could always see right through him to his very soul. He sighed then walked back to her.

“Go back to sleep, Yuuki…” Zero stretched out a hand and patted her head in a deliberate and infuriating big brotherly manner. As he’d fully expected, Yuuki snorted in indignation.

But he couldn’t in a million years have expected her next impulsive actions – Yuuki snatched at his hand and yanked hard until Zero found himself sitting down abruptly beside her. Before he could say anything, she’d grabbed his head with both her hands and pulled him towards her for a defiant kiss. Right on the lips.

Zero forgot all about being brotherly. His hands closed over her upper arms, pulling her closer so that he could deepen the kiss. His tongue reached out, asked for permission, got it, and started plundering the sweet depths of her mouth. Yuuki closed her eyes as she kissed him back, her hands moving of their own volition as they started to work the buttons of his shirt. She got the first two done before Zero’s warm hands clamping onto her wrists stopped her.

“Yuuki…” he said warningly against her lips, his voice low and husky. He pulled away, looking down at her.

“Hmm? What?” asked Yuuki dazedly, opening her eyes and staring up into intense amethyst ones. “Do you want me to do what your hands are doing?” he asked seriously. Because God help him, he wanted to…

“Oh…!” Yuuki had a pretty good idea of what Zero could, or would, do once he got her shirt buttons undone. Hurriedly, she snatched her hands off his shirt and placed them in her lap, blushing furiously.

“Do you?” prompted Zero softly, wondering what he’d do if for some reason she actually said yes…

Yuuki bit her lip, then glanced up hesitantly at him. “No, I – no, of course not… no…” she mumbled, wincing at how much of a ‘yes’ the words actually sounded like.

Zero smiled rather painfully. “Then go to sleep, damnit…” He released her wrists to grasp her shoulders and give her a little shake, mostly out of frustration.

“Idiot…” Yuuki muttered, knowing Zero was right.

“Silly…”

“Jerk…”

Zero opened his mouth and closed it again. His next word would have actually been an outright endearment and he didn’t know who would have been more shocked if he’d actually said it out loud.

“Well?” Yuuki demanded, waiting for the next familiar insult.

Zero sighed and shook his head. “Sleep well, Yuuki” he said then stood up and turned around, remembering to grab his blanket at the same time.

Yuuki was silent for a moment before she sighed as well. “OK, so you’re not a jerk, Zero… you know that, don’t you?” she said softly.

Zero paused by her door. “I know…” he opened the door. “But you’re still silly…” He grinned to himself and counted to three before he heard her indignant gasp, followed by “Hey, what do you mean by that!”

Zero stepped out and closed her door gently. “Zero, you – you jerk!” he heard her call out. There was silence and he counted to five this time before hearing Yuuki’s laughter just on the other side of the door. “Silly…” she said softly, a world of tender affection in that one word and Zero smiled.

“Sleep well, Yuuki” he said again.

“You too, Zero” there was an amused resignation in that soft voice that told him Yuuki knew she could never be truly angry with him…

Zero nodded and went back to his room. It would be more enjoyable to sleep in her bed for the next couple of hours but still… his own bed wasn’t too bad.

Kinda lonely though…

-- End -