Well, this is my first Ned's Declassified fic. It's just a one-shot about Ned and Moze spending time together one summer night a little after Fieldtrip. I hope you all like it!
Disclaimer- I don't own any of these characters, they're all someone else's.
It was an overcast, cloudy summer evening and both Moze's parents were at work. She was bored out of her mind, watching re-runs on the television and eating little snacks. She had tried calling Ned's house, but he wouldn't pick up the phone. She knew that both of his parents were gone too, but he obviously was too wrapped up in something to come to the phone. So she had to settle for watching TV and doing nothing all day. But then the phone rang. It was Ned.
"Hey Moze, can I borrow some ice tea?"
"Tea?"
"Yeah, I don't know why, but I have this craving for ice tea."
"Why didn't you answer the phone earlier?"
"Oh, well, I might have been in the shower, or something…"
"Or to lazy to get up off the couch."
"Eh, yeah, you caught me. But could I come over and borrow some tea?"
"Why don't you just come over here and I'll make a pitcher to share?"
"Alright. I'll be right there."
"See you in a few."
Moze hung up the phone and headed toward the kitchen to start mixing a pitcher of ice tea, glad for something to do. She heard the front door open as Ned came in.
"It's raining." He announced as he walked into the kitchen. Moze looked up and she could see little wet spots on his shirt.
She poured the ice tea into two glasses and handed one to Ned.
"Here you go craving boy."
"Thanks." Ned took the glass and drowned it, quickly going to refill it. "That hits the spot."
"Glad to hear it." Moze couldn't help but laugh. "You love ice tea too much."
"Not as much as the who made it." Ned smiled cheesily.
"Oh, what soap opera did you get that off of?"
"Can't a guy be romantic?"
"Only when he's good at it." Moze tried to keep a straight face at his expression.
"You don't want this tea on your head, do you?" Ned asked her, raising his glass menacingly at her.
"You wouldn't!"
"Oh, try me!"
Moze turned around and ran out of the kitchen. She was about to go into the living room, but instead she opened the door to the screen porch and slammed it shut behind her. Ned came up to door and pounded on in.
"Let me in!" He yelled through the glass.
"Yeah right!" Moze called back.
"Oh yeah?! Then I'll lock the door in here and then come around to the porch from your backyard. And then we'll be stuck outside!"
"What are you going to do, go out through the rain?"
Ned disappeared from the door and Moze could only laugh at his stupidity. He was going to be dripping wet. She could see out into the yard from her screened porch, and it was raining hard. All of a sudden, Ned came running around the side of her house, getting soaked by the heavy downpour. He slung open the back door and came into the screened porch, his clothes dripping water everywhere.
"Ha ha! Now we're trapped outside because you wouldn't open the door!"
"Wow, you're brilliant Ned. Did you leave your house unlocked?"
"No but I'll just get the spare key from…" he paused.
"From inside my house?" Moze asked him grinning.
"Dang. We really are trapped."
Ned looked around the tiny screen porch. There was a small table and one of those swinging benches. He went over to it and sat down, swinging slowly back and forward.
"Well at least there's a place to sit down."
"For you." Moze said. "You're getting the seat all wet."
"Oh, is Moze afraid of the water?" He got up and walked towards her.
"No, I would just prefer to stay dry."
"Then I'll just have to hug you then!" Ned began to chase after her.
Moze let out a little squeal and ran away from him, as much as she could in the small area. They were running around the perimeter of the screened porch until Ned cut across the middle and came up right behind her. He pulled her to him with his arms and squeezed her tightly.
"Ahh! Wetness." Moze tried to push him away, but eventually gave in as her clothes became damp with rain water. Ned began to walk her backwards towards the door, and before she noticed, she was pushed outside; straight into the torrent of rain that was falling from the sky.
"Ned!" She screamed.
He laughed at her from the doorway until she grabbed his wrist and pulled him out with her.
They both stood soaking wet in the rain, laughing so hard that they couldn't breathe.
"Who's wet now Moze?" Ned almost slipped on the muddy ground as he turned towards her.
"We both are, so it's not like you won."
"Yes, but I chose to go out in the rain for the first time. You were forced."
"Yeah, well you're about to be forced to eat some mud!" Moze leaned over and grabbed a handful from the ground. She was about to unleash it on Ned when a clap of thunder caused both of them to jump out of their skins and head back for the screen door. They hadn't even made it inside when another clap of thunder sounded, accompanied by a flash of lightning that lit up the sky.
CRACK!
Moze jumped again even when she was inside the screen porch.
"Ooh, I wish we could go inside now."
"It's just a thunderstorm. No big." Ned sat down calmly on the swinging bench. After a pause he added, "You can sit down now you know. We're both soaked."
Moze obliged and sat down next to him on the bench, cautiously looking around as if watching for the next flash of lightning. As soon as it came, her fingers flew to her ears just in time for the of thunder.
"Moze, I thought you were over your fear of thunder."
"I'm not scared; I just don't like loud noises. And it's so much louder out here."
Ned sighed. "Sorry."
"It's not your… well, yes it is, but that's okay. It's not so bad, when I plug my ears."
Ned ed his knuckles like he did when he was nervous or he felt bad. "You know, once the loud ones go away, it's kind of pleasant to sit outside in a storm. Me and my dad do it all the time." He looked over at her.
Moze relaxed a little, but she still kept her fingers at the ready for thunder. At the next boom, Moze plugged her ears and Ned put his arm around her without thinking about it, and he was quickly embarrassed that he had done it. But Moze relaxed against him and he didn't pull away. Instead he relished in her warmth. It felt good against the storm breeze blowing through their wet clothing. They sat for a moment in silence until the next crash of thunder made both of them jump, because it was so sudden and loud.
"Man this is intense." Ned said in a hushed tone.
"Yeah, kind of like those movies where the people get electrocuted."
"Oh come on Moze, that's not going to happen."
In between the thunder, the silent stretches were comfortable. The only sound was the beating of the rain on the roof and the sound of Ned's shoe pushing off the ground every once in a while to keep the bench swinging a little. It all could've lured Moze to sleep if it weren't for the lighting and thunder. Even Ned had to admit that the loud booms were a lot scarier out side.
Eventually, the lighting flashes and the sound of thunder grew farther apart and the claps and crashes turned to slow rumbles in the distance. The rain didn't fade though. It only seemed to grow in intensity and the downpour sounded like stampeding animals. The sun was now completely set and the night sky was hidden behind large gray clouds. The porch was in total darkness because all the lights were controlled from the inside.
Ned began to feel even worse about locking them out and he couldn't wait for one of their parents to get home. But he was also enjoying the fact that Moze was laying against him, with her feet pulled onto the bench, staring out into her backyard.
"How long do you think we've been out here?" She asked in a tired voice.
"Just a couple hours or so. I mean the sun was still barely out when I came over."
They both fell back into silence because the moment didn't really seem like the time to hold a conversation, more like the time to just sit in silence and enjoy each other's company.
After a few minutes, Ned looked down and realized that Moze had fallen asleep, her head now down in his lap. He absentmindedly played with her hair, twirling it between his fingers, thinking about his last few years of middle school. He never would have guessed that he would end up going out with his best friend. His mind strayed to some memories of when they were younger; going to the beach, building the tree fort in his back yard, their first ever lemonade stand, going to see whatever hot new movie was coming out, and just hanging out on the weekends, doing nothing. After a while, he also drifted off to sleep, a small smile playing on his lips.
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"Ned. Ned! Wake up, honey."
Ned felt himself being shaken awake. Moze's mother was standing over them, looking amused.
"What on earth are you two doing out here?" She asked when she saw that they had started to stir, "There was a thunderstorm!"
Moze sat up slowly.
"Yeah, we know."
Ned smiled guiltily. "I kinda locked us out."
"I will never understand you two. Are you wet?"
Ned felt his still damp clothes and nodded. Mrs. Mosely sighed.
"Well you'd better be headed on home Ned. It's stopped raining, so you can just leave out the back here."
"Alright, thanks Mrs. Mosely." Ned stood up and Moze's mom went back inside.
Moze stood up next to him.
"Despite the fact that you locked us outside," she paused and smiled, "I had a good time tonight."
"Me too." Ned agreed.
She meant to hug him, but Ned had other plans. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips, pulling her closer with his arms. Moze felt butterflies rise in her stomach, and she pulled back grinning at him.
"You'd better get home. My mom might come back out."
They both laughed as Ned stepped out into her backyard. Moze watched him cross over to his house and she waved as he closed his back door. She turned around and went into the kitchen, pouring herself another glass of ice tea.
Did you like it? Please leave a review so I can know how I'm doing. I'm open to any constructive criticism. Thanks!
