She should have been sleeping, it was late. Half past two in the morning, to be exact. Yet, Satsuki couldn't find it in herself to stay in bed. It wasn't because Ryuko had kicked the duvet off of her and then wrapped it around herself instead, though that might've been a factor. It wasn't because of Mako's clingyness; the warmth of her arms and the light, wheezy breathing she emitted in contrast of Ryuko's periodic guttural snoring were very welcome. No, there was something else keeping Satsuki awake tonight. So there she sat, on the couch in front of the huge window that overlooked her academy.
The plush leather rubbed against her bare skin as she leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, a red sake cup in her hand. The drink shimmered, mirroring the moonlight broken by the heavy rain that poured down outside, tapping loudly against the roof. Satsuki stared out the window, before she took a sip from her drink, tipping her head back. She sighed lethargically, resting the cup against her thigh, and blinking when a flash of lightning lit up the sky. The rumble of thunder that followed after drowned out one of Ryuko's snores, and Satsuki couldn't help but smile dryly. Only Mother Nature could rival her sister's ferocity, it seemed.
Folding an arm under her breasts, the Queen of Honnoji let her head fall back onto the arm of the couch, eyelids closing to block out another flash of harsh light, the powerful growl of thunder echoing through the bedchamber, as if a beast had infiltrated the room. The noise ebbed away, and wasn't followed by another. For a while, Satsuki could hear herself think.
About to take another draw of sake, she paused, hearing the rustling of sheets. Satsuki looked over towards the large bed. From the look of it, Ryuko was still sprawled out, asleep on her back, bed shorts riding up her thighs and her shirt bunched up around her stomach. Mako's side of the bed was empty, and at first, Satsuki assumed the girl had just shuffled over to snuggle up to Ryuko; she was surprised to see Mako getting out of bed. Tilting her head, Satsuki watched Mako hug the robe she'd borrowed from her close to her body- it was far too big for the girl, and it looked as if she was about to get lost in it. Satsuki let a small smile make her lips twitch.
Satsuki ignored the next flash of lightning in favour of observing Mako. What she didn't, nor couldn't, ignore, however, was how Mako jumped as the thunder set in, gripping the robe tight. Satsuki straightened up in her spot, putting her cup down on the table beside the couch. "Mako," she called out to her. Mako lifted her head, and hurried over to the couch before the next stroke of noise and light could scare her back into bed.
"Are you unable to sleep, as well?" Satsuki asked as her lover took a seat next to her on the sofa, studying her.
"It's just the storm," Mako replied with a sleepy smile, her brown eyes bleary, though they also held alarm. "Ryuko's taking over the bed again, too. She's really tired."
"I'd expect she would be, after everything that happened today." Satsuki smiled knowingly. "And earlier this evening." Mako giggled, blushing, and the taller girl reached for her drink again, taking a sip.
"Is there any reason why you can't sleep, Satsuki?"
The older girl closed her eyes, considering for a moment. She hummed a negative tone. "None, truly. I'm just caught up in my own thoughts, it seems. Much has happened in the past few months." Mako made a small noise of agreement. Satsuki left it at that, feeling as if she continued, she'd go on a long-winded speech that would send Mako back to dreamland. She took the final sip of her sake as lightning struck somewhere off in the distance.
In the middle of swallowing her drink, Satsuki was suddenly latched onto by Mako, causing her to sputter, sake trickling down her chin. "Mako?" she coughed out, the girl holding her tight around the middle, face buried into the side of her chest. "Are you afraid of thunder?"
Mako nodded mutely. Satsuki blinked down at her, putting her cup down and twisting her body to return the hug. She could feel the faintest loosening of Mako's muscles beneath the thick fabric of her robe, the grip around Satsuki's waist relenting, not as bruising anymore. The rain outside became louder, pounding against the roof. Satsuki could hear Ryuko making a noise of disgruntled complaint, shifting onto her side and pulling the duvet over herself. Mako said she had always been a heavy sleeper.
"Come, let's lie down." Easing away from Mako, Satsuki rearranged herself to lie on her back, Mako coming down to rest against her chest. Satsuki shifted her hands under the borrowed robe, pressing her hands against the warm skin of Mako's back, absently tracing scar lines with her fingertips. The actions soothed both of them; the task was mindless and calming for Satsuki, while Mako found the patterns making it easier for her to breathe, easing away the fear of the storm. Though it seemed as if the actions were for naught when the thunder struck again, Mako pressing her face into Satsuki's neck. Satsuki wrapped her arms around Mako's back and hugged her against her body in comfort.
"Is there anything in particular that scares you about storms?" Satsuki enquired, keeping her long, strong arms firm around Mako. The younger girl nodded. Satsuki gave her a moment to recover.
"When I was little, someone brought their hurt friend to Dad's clinic. It was late, and it was raining really, really hard. Mom and I were woken up by the all the noise, but Dad called us for help anyway. The patient was in really rough shape." Mako absently traced Satsuki's clavicle while she took a breath to continue her story. "It took all three of us to calm them down. And even then, Mom and the friend had to hold their arms down. The friend told Dad that they had been out drinking, and they ran into some guy who was someone wanting to mess them up. When the patient was on a bathroom break, the friend left their drinks unattended. His best guess is that the person who was on outs with them messed with their drinks. When the patient came back, they finished their drink. The friend told us they went pale after a couple of minutes, and then had trouble walking, which was weird because the patient could hold their drinks."
Mako paused, letting the new information sink in. When Satsuki nodded, the story continued.
"The friend explained the symptoms, and Dad told him it was poison. The patient really started to writhe around then, and the friend started to panic, but the only thing Mom, Dad, and the friend could do was hold the patient down and hope for the best. My parents told me to go to bed, but I didn't listen. I watched from the doorway as the patient had something like a seizure, they were even foaming from the mouth. The thunder was loud, and when the patient died, they looked straight at me with their eyes bugging out and stuff." Mako shrank against her girlfriend. "It was terrifying. The first death I ever saw in Dad's clinic. I was just six years old."
Satsuki absorbed the situation. She pressed her lips against the crown of Mako's head, finding that she didn't have anything to say. She hoped her skin against Mako's was enough to comfort her. "I'm sorry," Satsuki murmured, "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
Mako didn't verbally respond, just pressed her nose against Satsuki's neck. Satsuki rested her cheek against Mako's head.
They stayed like that for a while, neither of them able to fall asleep, both back to thinking. The rain was quiet now, and the thunder was so distant Ryuko's snores were drowning it out again. Satsuki could start to feel her skin sticking to Mako's, the heavy robe causing them both to sweat. "We should try to sleep again." Satsuki commented, Mako nodding. They parted, and when Satsuki sat up, she could feel and hear her skin unsticking from the sofa. She kept a mental note to wipe the couch down in the morning. Mako stood up and shed the bath robe, left in her underwear, while Satsuki corked her bottle of sake, putting the cup on the coffee table. Before standing, Satsuki took Mako's hands, then stood and pulled her in for a light kiss.
"Are you feeling alright, now?" She asked, looking down at Mako.
"Much better." The small girl smiled back. "And now I'm much sleepier."
"I'm glad," Satsuki lead her back to bed. Mako climbed in first, ending up in the middle when Satsuki laid down next to her. Mako scooted closer and snuggled up to Satsuki's chest, and in response, the older girl wrapped her arms around Mako.
"...Do you think we were unable to sleep because we both had something on our minds?" Mako whispered after a moment of silence. "And we could both tell?"
Mako's strange curiosity always puzzled Satsuki. "Perhaps," replied Satsuki, contenting the sleepy Mako's thirst for an answer. The small girl quickly drifted back into her sleep after, Satsuki following not long after.