Title: A Night at the Library (Chapter 1)
Author: Lilian
Rating: This chapter is probably T, later ones will be M.
Disclaimer: Not mine. But I do think they are happier after I'm done playing with them.
Author's Note: this story was originally written several years ago, and up until today, it lived in the Shitennou community in LJ. I've decided to start uploading my stories to this ff dot net account as well. If you've never read this before, please come into my Ami/Zoisite parlor. If you HAVE read it before, please take this opportunity to re-discover it, if you wish.
Please tell me what you think, I love hearing from my readers!
For Thalia. My A/Z muse.
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Ami Mizuno was bored. Inexplicably, unequivocally bored. 'I'll-even-let-Minako-play-with-my-hair' bored. Which was the only reason why she left her comfortable, well-worn desk and moved deeper into the library. Outside, the wind howled and raged, snowflakes falling from the dark sky. If she was one to indulge in such fantasies - which she wasn't - she might've believed that she was the only woman left on the planet, a stranded soul inside a library, protected by steel and glass from the swaying moods of Mother Nature.
"I bet Makoto is having a blast with this storm", she muttered to herself, then promptly hushed as the empty stalls and bookshelves amplified her voice a dozen times. It was Saturday night, a time spent by most university students drinking and partying and generally pretending they didn't have to turn in that term paper on Monday. Which all fine and good with her, if it meant she could have the humongous, awe-inspiring library all to herself. A gift to the university by one alumnus or other, it was a monument to modern times: steel sculptures and glass panes from ceiling to floors littered every hallway, and the well-lit work stations positively beamed with promise. At first, Ami had been a little reticent about such modernity in a place of knowledge—weren't books meant to be kept in cozy, small rooms for easier reach, after all? But after a few days spent in the new addition to campus, she had come to realize that the giant steel building actually felt like home. That had been a year ago, and now she had her own favorite station, right on the eastern corner of the second floor, and she couldn't imagine studying anywhere else.
She had never had any trouble concentrating before, so what was the problem now? She couldn't really say. There was something tickling at the back of her senses, an awareness she had never quite experienced before. So she rose from her desk and roamed the empty halls, listening to the soft, rhythmic sounds of her footsteps reverberate all around her. How many incredibly minds would one day go through this walls? Would the next Nobel Prize lean against this wall right here, or stop for a look outside right there? Would people, many years from now, look inside these halls and wonder, just as she was now, about those who had come before them?
Shaking her head, she smiled. Now wasn't she just being a tad bit too melodramatic? What had gotten into her?
The smile was still curling her lips when she first smelled it. It was a faint trace lingering in the air, barely a ghost of a scent, but she caught it anyway. Most likely because it was not supposed to be there—there was an absolute, and strictly enforced, no-smoking policy inside the building, and yet there it was, the bitter, nicotinic smell of cigarettes. Curiosity - and concern for her precious books - prompted her to follow the smell, and as she traveled down the stairs and into the main floor, it only got stronger. She caught sight of the night guard's station; John was nowhere to be seen. Was he making rounds? There was no way he was the one smoking; triple bypass notwithstanding, he shared Ami's love for books and would be as adamant as the library director to usher smokers away. The lights of the main hall were dimmed, an unspoken reminder both to remain silent and of how late it really was, so she tried to make out shapes in the semi-twilight. The clock read half past ten, Ami noticed, her eyes scanning the hall for the source of the smoke. It was the orange glow of a lit cigarette that revealed the culprit.
Zachary Ward, her quick mind provided, genius and rebel extraordinaire. Not only was he in most of her advanced classes, managing to match or beat her at every single opportunity he could, but he was also in Rei's Western Philosophers class. Which meant he was either an overachiever or really, really smart. He was quite a sight, Ami had to admit, letting her eyes roam all over his sleek form. Tall, but not overtly so, and slender, he had the most amazing set of green eyes she had ever seen on anyone, and the most glorious head of hair to boot. Truth to be told, she was a little jealous of his casual beauty, which only served to irritate her a little more. She had never quite know what it was about Zachary that made her lose control like that; he wasn't the first one to beat her scores or to outshine her in class. No, it was something else. He was just so—so indolent about everything. Ami was a firm believer in hard work and in applying oneself to everything, but Zachary somehow seemed to break the rules of her tidy little world.
Which was why, when she saw him breaking yet another rule, something in her snapped.
"You're not supposed to be smoking in here."
Her voice came out a little harder than she had intended, and when he turned those eyes towards her, she felt the beginnings of a blush on her cheeks. Thanking the dim lightning, she met his gaze head on, staring accusingly at the cigarette in his hand. He blinked lazily, drawing her attention to those impossibly long eyelashes of his, and shrugged. "Have you looked outside, princess?"
She already had, and yet her eyes were still drawn towards the double glass doors keeping the inclement weather at bay. It was a full-blow snowstorm now, snowflakes falling so thick that it was hard to make out the park that lay just outside the walls. She forced her eyes back to him, keeping her frown in place. "Yes, I have. And still, there's no smoking in the building for a reason."
He took a drag off the offending cigarette, as if daring her to do anything about it. Ami had always disliked smokers—the smell of nicotine clinging to clothes and skin was too strong for her, leaving a bitter taste on the back of her mouth that took hours to fade. And yet now, watching his lips puff and blow a perfect ring of smoke, she felt a sudden tightening of her belly she hadn't felt in quite a while. She shook her head slightly. She wasn't going to let his charm and charisma woo her like it did everyone else. Hardening her resolve by sheer strength of will, she tried again: "Would you please put that out?"
Zachary seemed amused by her insistence. Pushing himself off of the pillar he was leaning against, he held the stub on one hand carefully, eyeing it and her with a strange look. "Why?" She blinked, surprised. Couldn't he read the signs? There was one right behind him, even, in red lettering and white background, asking people to please refrain from smoking within the building or even on the stairs outside. "Because—because it's wrong! It's against the rules!"
The smile that curled his lips was predatory, the kind you don't expect to see on people at midnight in an empty library with John the night guard nowhere in sight. Ami took a single step back, not because she was afraid, but because she feared what she might do if he kept smiling at her like that. "And do you always follow the rules, princess?"
She ignored the nickname - twice already he'd called her that, when she knew for a fact he knew her name - and nodded. "Yes, I do." It seemed to be the answer he had been waiting for, because his smile turned even wider. His coat - leather, she noted, and completely ridiculous in such weather but dear God didn't it look gorgeous on him? - moved with him as he strode closer and Ami had the sudden thought that it would be very nice to be covered in it. Preferably with him inside as well. And wasn't that the strangest thought? Maybe that double mocha latte she had had about four hours ago was finally kicking in, because for the life of her she couldn't explain the sudden, animal attraction she felt towards him otherwise.
"What are you doing?"
The question came out quick and high-pitched, the butterflies in her stomach making it hard to think. God, what was happening? And why was he so close? And why wasn't she afraid? Her spidey sense - Senshi instinct, she corrected herself, still fighting a losing battle against Minako's choice of codenames for their abilities - wasn't going off, so he wasn't a threat to her... and yet everything in her that was a woman was saying that he was. Not in the 'dark, foggy alley, footsteps in the night' kind of way, but more of a 'come here and ravage me senseless' kind of way. Which, when she thought about it, scared her even more.
He shrugged again, a graceful rolling of his shoulders that did all kinds of interesting things to his shirt. It gaped open just the tiniest bit, revealing the skin of his collarbone, and she swallowed past the gulp of her throat. "Nothing," he answered her, and he was close enough that she could smell him now, a clean mixture of aftershave, leather and mint, "not yet, anyway." There was a promise in his words, something she didn't pause to consider lest she take him up on it. Instead, she focused on the still lighted cigarette, now in close proximity, and fed her confusion into anger.
"That", she said, taking the stub from him with a quick move and putting it out on the nearby trashcan, "is close enough." He didn't seem surprised at her move, just deeply amused. He gave the rapidly fading embers one last look and then turned those green cat eyes back to her. "Now look what you've done", he began, approaching her slowly. "I have nothing to entertain myself with now." Ami shivered, his tone of voice an overt promise of—of something. Without even realizing it, she began backing away, mirroring every step he took with one of her own. It was all quite ridiculous, said a voice in her head, but it was quickly drowned by the intense lust burning in his pupils. He was offering her something, and Ami feared what her answer may be. Which is why she turned on her heel, ready to flee, and almost slammed into John. She shrieked, a girly, embarrassing noise, and Zachary chuckled behind her.
"Scaring the patrons again, Zachary?" John asked, a grandfatherly smile on his face as he made sure Ami was properly back on her feet before releasing her. Ami's back was still turned, so she didn't see Zach answer, but John clucked his tongue in response. "I swear to God, kid, if you were my grandson…" He let his words trail off, but it was obvious what he meant to say. Ami looked at one man and then at the other, her heartbeat still going a mile a minute, not sure whether to be thankful or regretful that John had showed up when he did.
What would have happened if Zach had caught her instead? When her mind proceeded to provide her with a very detailed, very graphic description of what it wanted Zach to do to her, she shook her head in despair. Great, just great. Not only was she stuck at the library with the mother of all snowstorms blowing outside, but her concentration was shot to hell and her hormones were all over the place.
"You okay, dear?"
Her eyes flew open. John was peering at her, worry written all over his aging face. She nodded slowly at him, appeasing his concern. "I'm fine, John. It's just—it's getting a little late. I think I should go home."
Still behind her, Zachary chuckled again. "Didn't you hear a thing he said, princess? They've declared a total shutdown because of the storm. Buses don't run this late, and I don't think you should be walking outside in this snow. Looks like we're stuck here till tomorrow."
Somehow, he made that last sentence sound incredibly naughty. Ami blushed, hurriedly looked away from his prying gaze, and doing her best to ignore the squeal of delight a small part of her emitted at the news. Seriously, she really needed to stop hanging around Minako if her thoughts were actually going where she thought they were going. "I can make it home—" she started to say, just when a specially strong gust of wind slammed against the windows making them creak and groan under the force of it. Zachary did that thing again, where he eyed her up and down as if sizing her up – or undressing her, she wasn't really quite sure – and said: "You look like a strong breeze might knock you over. A storm like that? Will carry you all the way to Africa before you can even blink."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh yeah? Well I could just transform and—" She fell quiet, horrified at what she had almost said. What was she thinking? She had all but confessed to this annoying, infuriating man who she really was! Luckily for her, John had completely missed her response as he tried to get the phone lines to work. Zachary, however, was still looking at her, one of those perfect eyebrows arched in silent questioning. Struggling for an answer, she amended: "Transfer. I meant transfer to a train down on stop 53."
Before Zach could say anything, though, John returned scratching his head. "Well, it looks like it's just the three of us. I did a run-down of the building just now, and we're the only people here. I have some cots and overnight bags on the storage room, so it shouldn't be too bad. There's also a vending machine on the foyer if you're hungry."
Ami stared at him, blinking slowly. Well, just her luck. Beside her, Zach sighed loudly. "Of all the days to come here, it had to be today," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. John continued: "I radioed the night watch on campus and they said they'll be here as soon as the storm gets better. In the meantime, we should make ourselves comfortable, 'cause it looks like it's going to be hours before that happens."
The idea of spending a couple of hours – or Serenity forbid, the whole night – in a small room with Zachary next to her did all kinds of interesting things to Ami's body. And if there was one thing Ami hated, was not being in control, especially if her own body was concerned. So without a second thought, she stopped John before he could usher them both behind the counter and towards the break room: "Actually, I think I'll study a little bit more. There's no one around, and all this peace and quiet shouldn't go to waste."
John protested, but Ami was certain: if she could actually take all of her hormonal turmoil and focus it on her studies, she should be able to finish at least three more chapters tonight—and if that also meant getting away from Zachary Ward and his distracting come-hither looks, then all the better. With a final pat on John's shoulders, she sent him on his way… and noticed Zach wasn't following him.
"Aren't you going with him?"
Zach shrugged. "Don't feel like sleeping."
Silence fell between them, blanketing the wide open space and letting the muffled sounds of the storm seep through. It was quite a beautiful snowstorm, powerful and raw and primal… and yet the snowflakes fell so gently on the ground, carried by the wind. She could feel the power of the storm, like an invisible weight on the back of her head, ice and water and wind scouring the Earth. Ice was her element, and there was so much amount of it out there that it was like being in the middle of an electric current—a faint buzz, or a pressure of sorts, it was hard to tell. It called to her – snowstorms always did – but she almost always managed to not heed their call. It was a particularly strong summon this time, as the storm recognized her as kin; she was pretty sure the reason the wind gusts kept slamming against the windows was because snow was trying to reach her any way it could.
She sent a faint trickle of power outside, the metaphysical equivalent of patting an eager puppy on the head. The snowflakes falling closest to the window danced in intricate patterns, joyfully acknowledging her presence. She smiled at her thoughts; who would've thought rational, logical Ami Mizuno would ever assign emotions to weather?
"What are you thinking about?"
Zach's voice startled her. Was he still here? She looked at him, standing to her left, and wondered how was it that she had completely forgotten he was still there. He was staring at her with the strangest look on her eyes; wondering and intrigued, as if he had just witnessed something wonderful. She blushed again – something she seemed to do quite a lot whenever he was around – and shrugged.
"Nothing important," she said in the end, when he did not look away. She did, though, the force behind his gaze too much to handle. She almost jumped out of her skin when his fingers cupped her chin and softly lifted it back up. She was too surprised to do anything but comply with the gentle pressure of his touch, and she found herself lost in the green depths of his eyes. How was it that she had never noticed the golden specks in them?
It seemed like an eternity the time they spent staring deep into each other's eyes, but it must've only been a second or so. Zachary was the one who broke contact first, letting his hand fall away from her face. It was all she could do not to lean forward, following that residual warmth. And she was about to do just that, as a matter of fact, when he winked at her and said: "You're hiding something, princess. And I'm going to find out what." With that final remark, he strolled away and disappeared around a corner.
Ami gaped at the spot he had just vacated. What had just happened? Mimicking the mood swing of its mistress, the storm thrashed outside, bewildered. Sending another tendril of magic towards it and feeling it relax, Ami tried to put some order into her chaotic thoughts.
Zachary Ward had some sort of effect on her, that was a given. He irritated her, aroused her and confused her all at once. It was a mixture Ami had never had to deal with, and she was grasping at straws trying to stay afloat. Which irritated her even more, so it was all some sort of weird, backwards cycle that made the beginnings of a headache start pounding behind her eyes.
"Might as well make use of it," she muttered to herself, and made her way towards the second floor.
The light on the desk she had been using was still on, casting its fluorescent light on her books and pens. On any other time, Ami would've considered such a sight a warm and profuse welcome. Instead, it now seemed a cold and bleak march to an unwanted destination. She told herself she was only keeping an eye out to the storm and not looking for Zach when she moved her things towards a desk by the window that, coincidentally, also had a much better view of the staircase. And she played with her hair because it was getting in the way, not because Minako had told her that bangs brought out the blue of her eyes and Ami sort of agreed with that.
She forced herself to read the page in front of her, forced thoughts of mint-colored eyes and a lazy grin out of her mind and focused on books instead. She was so concentrated on concentrating, that she never even noticed when she fell asleep.
TBC
