Mable: Hello, everyone! This is a request fic for my friend Sky. ^-^ I don't own the Stitchpunks, except Velvet, and both Sky and Sparky are the characters of Sky herself. To my friend, sorry about the delay on this, but I hope you enjoy it regardless!

In The Pouring Rain

The Stitchpunks didn't camp frequently. At first it seemed like something ever worth doing, considering the Beasts and the frequent windstorms, but things had changed since the Stitchpunks started travelling to visit the northern forest. The forest that resided north of Luxembourg was one of the few places that was both reachable in a day's walk and was still teeming with life. The trees were tall and lush with leaves, streams and rivers ran with clean water, and the cover of the forest provided the ability to hide from beasts. If there were any beasts living in the trees.

When they did camp, tents would be raised and small groups of Stitchpunks would share them to sleep in. Naturally, Nine, Five, and Six shared a tent together. They always did whenever they camped. Since the new Stitchpunks had appeared, though, the tents had to be packed a little tighter. This was fine for Six, who had become close with one of the new Stitchpunks named Sky. Sky was a quiet female, rather shy, but had warmed eagerly to Six who, in return, became more open to her. Appearance wise, Sky had lavender fabric with a purple hood and stood about Six's height.

Sky didn't need much space to be comfortable. Her height made it so that she could lay down back to back with Six in the tent, across from Nine and Five, and still fall asleep easily. Six wasn't as lucky. The Artist tended to have trouble sleeping and frequently rolled around and moved while he had slept. This night was no exception, but what was an exception was that he was in closed quarters with other Stitchpunks and equipment, including his own. He didn't even feel when he knocked the inkwell over, he just awoke when the sound of thunder boomed above the tent.

Six jumped in discomfort and roused enough to shiver in discomfort. A few seconds passed before he noticed that something felt strange underneath his blanket and nudged it down. Through the dim light of the tent he could see black fluid staining his stripes and the bedding around him. He followed the liquid to its source; a tipped over inkwell laying near him incriminatingly. Normally Six would shrug this off and go back to sleep. Unlike the others, his fabric was incredibly resistant to stains and a good wash could usually get out any ink.

This didn't apply to Sky who Six could see was sporting a large ink stain on her back from where she must have laid on. He knew that it would dry and stain her lavender fabric if left alone. He reached out and shook her side, "Sky?" The lavender Stitchpunk shuffled a bit with a hum. "Sky, wake up, there's ink everywhere," Six insisted in concern. Finally, the small female started to rouse.

"Mmm, what? Six?" She opened her optics and looked back at his panicked face. "What? I-Is it a Beast?" He gave her a sweetly embarrassed smile in response.

"It's ink." Sky furrowed her brows and then looked down, noticing the black liquid with a gasp.

"Where did it come from?" she whispered in surprise, still half asleep, and he pointed to the tipped over well. She understood in only a second and Six meekly explained.

"I-I must have knocked it over… It's going to stain unless we get it off." The small female nodded in agreement and looked around the tent. Her brother, Sparky, was fast asleep with the others and she didn't want to wake him. However, they needed to take someone with them, and soon Six made a choice. He climbed over the others and knelt down beside Five, who was still fast asleep. He lightly poked the one eyed male in the side with his finger, his sharp finger, and Five gave a small jump and a noise of discontent.

"Huh? What?" He grumbled as he started to roll onto his back, yawning tiredly and staring at the Artist. "Six, what are you doing awake so late?" The striped male gave an embarrassed smile as he explained.

"Some ink spilled on Sky and me. We need to go clean off or it's going to dry… Can you take us to the stream?" As tired as Five was, yawning once again, he got a warm smile and nodded.

"Alright. Better to go now then trying to get the ink out after it dries," he stood and grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He thought it was best to bring the weapon, to Six and Sky's relief, and exited the tent with the two in tow behind him. The camp was silent outside the tent and the campfire had died long ago, leaving it darker than expected. Five looked upwards at the dark clouds, "That doesn't look good…" At hearing this, Sky felt the urge to speak.

"I- umm- thank you, Mr. Five. I know it's really late and dark," Sky meekly thanked, lightly stuttering as she spoke, and Five sent her a smile.

"It's no problem, and you can just call me Five." This wasn't the first time he had to correct her or her brother for calling him 'mister'. It was sort of endearing but Five wasn't one to enjoy the title. It made him feel a bit too stuffy, like something that One would request to be called. He looked around at the forest surrounding the camp and exhaled, "Umm…" This would be the first time that Five would be escorting others alone and already he felt turned around in the darkness. "You know what? I should probably wake Velvet. She knows these woods better than I do."

Velvet was another of the new Stitchpunks who had joined them and, as Five suggested, Velvet knew the woods well. Unlike Sky, who had a twin brother, Velvet had two grandmothers who lived in these woods and had shown her the various paths and landmarks. The female Stitchpunk had a corset strung front and long hair made of leather, and was currently sharing a tent with Seven and her grandmothers, who had decided to stay at the camp instead of heading home. Five approached the tent and then looked to the other two.

"Uh… Maybe one of you should go in and get her… Sky, maybe you should go. They might feel more comfortable if it's another female," Five awkwardly explained as he rubbed his hands together. Sky and Six both had a feeling that Five was probably more bothered than and of the females would be. Sky looked to Six who gave a shrug and then gave her answer in the form of a nod. Quietly, she snuck into the tent. Thankfully, Velvet was near the front on the opposite side of where Seven was laying. Sky knelt beside her and shook her.

"Umm… Velvet?" The female jumped under her hand and woke quickly.

"I'm awake," Velvet started sitting up quickly, as though thinking she had overslept, and Sky shushed her lightly and checked to make sure the others hadn't woken. Once she realized that they hadn't, she beckoned the older female out and the two climbed out of the tent. Once outside, Six waved in greeting and Five approached.

"Sorry to wake you up like this," he apologized, regretting not sketching a map of the area earlier, but Velvet waved it off and stretched.

"Oh no, it's fine… What's going on? Is everything alright?..." she suddenly noticed the black spot on Six. "Six, you, uh- I don't know if you noticed or not, but you've got a little ink on you," she lightly joked to the striped male. Six gave an embarrassed smile, Sky gave a light giggle, and Five rubbed over his patch.

"There was a little spill. We need to get it cleaned off before it dries and… I was hoping you'd know the quickest way to the water." He gave a soft, thankful smile. "We'd really appreciate it."

"Alright. It's not too far, I should be able to manage it," Velvet insisted with a smile back. She wasn't bothered and merely stretched her legs before leading into the trees. "It's this way." The small group headed into the trees a short way. They weren't very far in where there was suddenly a boom of thunder, louder than earlier. Six sort of cowered down a little, which Sky noticed in concern, and Velvet jumped. "You… Didn't say it was storming. We probably should hurry," Velvet spoke before quickening her footsteps.

"Hold on, you're losing us!" Five gave a playful call after her and she stopped to look back at them. He looked down at Six with some concern on his face, "Are you okay, Six? You don't have to come with us if you're uncomfortable. It won't stain yours if you wait." As his hand moved to lay on Six's shoulder, he raised his head and his mismatched optics flickered over the three Stitchpunks' faces. He almost considered it for a second, but for some reason the striped male couldn't return to the tent.

Maybe it was the fact that Sky wasn't scared. He didn't want her to be ashamed of him or to think he was a coward. "N-No, I'm okay. It's just a little noise," Six forced a shaky smile that Five returned.

"It's just noise. It's not going to hurt us," Five reassured and put his arm further around the smaller male. He tried to be supportive with his brotherly gesture, hoping it would help him calm down a little, and it somewhat worked a little bit. They started to walk further into the dim forest and soon arrived at the stream. By time they got there the thunder had boomed again, leaving them more concerned. Five was even starting to become uneasy, "Maybe you two should hurry… We don't want you getting cold, right?" He forced his own smile, hoping to reassure them.

Six and Sky silently agreed and waded into the water while Five and Velvet sat down on the mossy shore. "Sky, I'm so sorry," Six apologized again as he started to rinse his hands. "I'm… Sometimes I knock things over in my sleep. If it was just me I wouldn't have woken you, but I- I didn't think you'd want ink stains all over." Sky noticed how depressed he sounded about the entire ordeal.

"Six, don't worry! I don't mind a little ink," she encouraged with a tiny smile. "And it's… It's sort of fun, right?" With that she gave him a tiny, playful splash with the creek water. He flinched back, surprised by the action, and then broke into a smile. Without a word he gave an eager splash back and she squeaked and tried to shield it with her arms. Once he paused she attempted to send more his way with one arm while blocked herself with the other in an attempt to block off his attack. He started to move in and she broke into a fit of giggles.

Then the entire area briefly lit up. Six and Sky stood there for a moment in shock, staring at each other, and then both jumped as a loud crash followed afterwards.

"Whoa! Did you see that?!" Velvet cried out, staring towards the sky in shock. As though spurned on by her words, or the lightning, the sky started to open and it began to start raining. Five leapt to his feet and headed to the water's edge.

"Six, Sky, it's not safe! We have to get back to shelter!" The two started to wade towards him. "Hurry!" he insisted as they started to climb out. Both of them were wet and heavy, but panic drove them to move quickly as they followed the older male back towards the direction of their camp. Though even camp didn't seem safe as the lightning continued to flicker across the clouds in white and pink streaks. The rain started to pour and the ground became slick underneath their feet. Five himself nearly fell when his foot slipped on a patch of moss.

It was in this instant that he had an epiphany; it wasn't safe enough to keep going. They had to find a shelter until the storm died down. "Wait, wait!" he stopped the others briefly as he scanned the surroundings. "We need- We need to take shelter, now, we can't keep going." Thankfully he noticed a small burrow underneath a short ridge on the forest floor. "There!" The group of Stitchpunks dashed into cave and huddled some ways into it. Deep enough that they were safe from the rain and dry. Six and Sky were already shivering from a mix of fear and being wet.

Sky started to sit down and coaxed Six with him. The striped male moved stiffly and seemed to be a little distracted, staring at the opening of the cave. Another boom of thunder caused him to jump and fall forwards just a little against the female. He ignored how awkward it was and put his arms around the smaller female, burying his face into her hood. "Six…" Sky murmured softly in surprise at his boldness. As she laid her hands on his back and head, she realized that his gesture wasn't one solely of affection; Six was genuinely afraid of the storm.

"Oh Six…" Sky held him tighter as Five and Velvet sat down closer towards the mouth of the cave. "It's okay. The others probably moved to where it was safe and this cave will keep the storm out," she encouraged with a warm smile. Six turned his head slightly so that he could speak.

"I know… I just don't feel safe… I don't like storms." He took a deep inhale as he forced out the acknowledgement that he didn't want to say, "I got caught in a storm, a long time ago, when I was alone. I was so wet and cold, and the thunder- and the lightning- I never felt safe again when the lightning came back." Sky was surprised, but also sympathetic, and also a tad curious.

"That must have been a long time ago…" Sky pointed out in an attempt to not obviously ask. "How long were you alone?"

"I don't know. Umm… Maybe a few days? It was before I found the others, or they found me," Six admitted to her. "But… But in the Library or back in the Cathedral I always felt safer. Like the walls could keep the storm out. Not here. Here… I'm out in the open, and anything can get me." He buried his face again, as though seeking safety that he couldn't achieve. The female wanted to do something; she had never felt so protective of him, never felt so determined to protect him as she did right at this moment. Her arms tightened around him and pulled him closer.

"Six, no," she protested sweetly. "You're not out in the open, you're safe. We're safe in here and nothing is going to get us." Her hand caressed through his yarn, lightly playing with the soft tips and sighing at the sensation. She had never been this close, had this free of reign to touch and comfort, and it felt wonderful. She nuzzled her cheek in the top of his head, pushing her hood back in the process as she did so. "I-I'll protect you if I have to! If it came to that then I would, I promise." The Artist looked upwards slowly.

"Really?" his voice was so meek, contrasting with the following boom of thunder. Though Sky noticed this time that he hadn't jumped at it. He had all of his attention focused on her instead.

"Really," she promised back. Then she leaned forwards and pressed her lips against his striped cheek. He tightened the hug out of reflex and pulled her closer, now down against his front and key. Sky eagerly curled into Six's hold and inwardly, even she knew the situation wasn't the best, wished that the night would never end.

Closer to the entrance, Five and Velvet were more determined to watch the storm outside and see if it would stop in the near future. Five was clearly still worried about the others and watched the entrance uncomfortable. Velvet was simply becoming more fearful of the storm and watched the entrance anxiously. The healer exhaled with a sigh and the Storyteller reacted. "Huh?" she asked uneasily, thinking he said something.

"Nothing, I was just… I'm sure the others are okay, but I can't help worrying about them," Five admitted quietly. "I guess I worry about a lot of things. Usually when I don't need to." There came a pang of self-consciousness at this admission. "I'm sorry, I'm probably not making this any- …Are you okay?" He noticed her shivering beside him. "Are you cold?"

"Uh, no. No, I'm fine. I'm just a little wired after the run over here," Velvet quickly excused. It was obvious that she wasn't being honest and the one eyed male reached out. When touching her upper back he realized her red capelet was wet. Suddenly he felt a pang of concern.

"You should take your capelet off. It's soaked through; you'll get ill," Five insisted as Velvet released a soft sigh at the touch. He went to move her hair and gasped, "Your hair's soaked too!" He was clearly concerned and she finally gave in, taking off her capelet.

"It's okay, Five, I'm fine, just… Don't worry, I'm okay," she rambled, tossing her capelet onto a rock jutting out of the side of the tunnel. "I'm just… A little uneasy… I don't know, I just don't like lightning, you know?" She looked over as he gave a nod of understanding, but he had a feeling it was more than that. As he watched her fuss with her leather hair he noticed familiar patterns; faster breathing, repeating movements, and clear discomfort. He couldn't tell if she was bordering on a full anxiety attack or not, but either way he became concerned.

Five slid an arm around her back to hold her steady. "Deep breaths. We're safe here, it's just not as comfortable as the tents would've been," Five encouraged her in a gentle tone. He hoped it would bring her back to clarity.

"I'm sorry," Velvet blurted out through shaky breathing.

"Don't be," Five answered as he held her close. Over the next couple of minutes, he could feel her calm down and her body relaxed against his. She leaned more against him, eagerly accepting the affection that he was so willing to give her. It wasn't just out of being a Healer either; Five had a feeling that this was probably going beyond what a good, unbiased healer would do.

"How long do you think it'll last?" Velvet quietly asked as she looked out at the rain. It was the first time she had spoken in the cave where her voice was clear and steady. Usually this signaled the end of an attack and the beginning of the recovery afterwards. Though to Five's surprise, she didn't move away from him, so he continued to hold her.

"Oh… Well, uh, probably not long…" Five answered and cleared his voice module a little nervously. The reflexes of being a healer were wearing off and soon were replaced by his normal demeanor, which left him a little more aware of how close they were. His face was practically buried in her hair and she was close enough that she had to be able to hear his pounding pulse.

"I hope not. I don't know if it could sleep with it like this outside," Velvet murmured back. To punctuate her point, thunder once again rumbled outside. "Or that." She pressed her face into the burlap of his shoulder. A sudden amount of warmth followed afterwards and travelled straight to Five's face. He tried to suppress it a little.

"Y-Yeah, it's pretty loud… But we're dry and safe, and warm, so it's better than nothing…" Five then decided to become bolder again. He pulled her closer to his front, tucking her against his chest in a protective manner and holding her in his arms. "And if you get scared, or nervous, I'll be here for you. I'm not going anywhere."

Now it was Velvet who seemed to get a bit more flustered. She got a light blush, but hid her face in his shoulder so that it wasn't visible, "Thank you… I think I needed that." She smiled against his burlap, finally starting to calm down and ease into enough of a comfortable state that she could ease back into sleep. Five trailed his fingers through her leather; his soul pulsing strong even as he started to relax. The four were still separated from the rest of their family, but they were safe from the storm, and that was enough for the moment.

Morning eventually did come and light filtered into the small cave. It was Six who woke first and saw the sun, immediately perking at the rays that signaled the end of the long night. Slowly he moved away from Sky and gently positioned her so that she would be comfortable as he went to check the outside world. He scrambled over to the entrance and stared out at the sunny, but still slightly misty forest surrounding them. He beamed and turned, hurrying back into the cave and to Sky's side, kneeling down beside her and lightly shaking her.

With his hands still being clean of ink, he wasn't as afraid to touch and stain her as he was before. Six lightly shook her side, being careful not to poke her either. "Sky, wake up. The sun's out; the storm's over."

The smaller female yawned and started to rouse, sitting upwards as she massaged her optics. "Hmm?" she questioned before looking past him to the light coming in. She gasped; as though she didn't think the sun would ever come back out. "Oh, it's over!" Suddenly she realized what was going on and a wide smile crossed her face. "It's finally over! It's morning!" She didn't intend to be so loud, but finished her joyous chiming by embracing Six in a quick hug. It was only broken so that the two could hurry outside.

Five roused from the sound first, and as he unwrapped his arms from Velvet she awoke too. They stayed silent as they gathered their things and followed the two; too awkward to speak, but each with smiles. Five with a shyer one, Velvet with a slightly giddier one that she had trouble suppressing. He helped her to her feet, silently, and let his hand linger on hers as the wandered out of the cave to follow the others.

Six and Sky were still celebrating outside. It was obvious that the Artist was overly happy about the storm, and night, being over; especially as he eagerly scooped Sky into his arms and swung her in a quick circle. He stumbled slightly and Sky reacted with a fit of giggles. Five almost didn't want to interrupt the scene, but as he approached Six lowered Sky to the ground and looked to him attentively.

"We should hurry back to the others. We don't want them to worry too much about us," Five pointed out to them. "Though Two's probably going to do that anyway. I hope he and the others took shelter other than the tents…" He trailed off, as though about to get lost in a train of thought. Before he could slip too far out of it, Velvet gave a slight tug to his hand.

"Then let's stop worrying and go find them! I'm sure they're just as worried about us," she reassured and the others seemed to agree. They started to hike through the moist undergrowth of the forest, heading back in the direction of camp.

As expected, the others were extremely concerned when they had realized that they were missing four Stitchpunks. They welcomed the group with inquiries, relief, and One's usual bombardment of partially scolding comments. Either way, all had turned out well enough. Though Six wasn't exactly ready to put the incident behind him yet. Instead, once they had stopped their explanations and before they made an attempt to move camp, as their current campsite was too flooded to stay at, Six approached Sky again.

He waited until she looked undistracted, then approached quietly and caught her attention. "Sky?" He asked quietly, quickly making sure that nobody was watching. "Thank you for last night… I'm sorry I fell apart like that, and after I spilled the ink…"

Sky was immediately defensive, "Don't be sorry! It was an accident, a-and you had a good reason for being scared. I was scared too, but…" She got a tiny smile on her lips, "But being there with you made it better." This brought a light blush to Six's face, along with his smile returning, and he moved forward.

"Thank you," he murmured one last time before pressing his lips lightly against her cheek. It was a soft motion, but it was new for Six, and Sky felt her face grow even warmer as delight overtook her. That alone was worth the night. She could only hope that it wasn't the only night.

To be safe, they would have to start keeping the inkwell in arm's length. Sky would make sure of it, because it was worth risking the stains.

FIN

Mable: Posting on 'Our Inner Beasts' will be in a couple of days, along with a new request fic I just got. ^-^ I'm very excited to post both. I hope everyone enjoyed!