A/N: It was raining yesterday, and just felt the need to write this. Another fluffy DL oneshot to mark my 50th story! Yay! It's sort of a drabble, to me anyway. Goodbye Zoey happened, but Chase and Zoey are dating after she gets back from London, and sophomore year has about three months left.
Disclaimer: I don't own Zoey 101 or the song 'Umbrella (Remix)' by Rihanna and Chris Brown. Which you should listen to by the way while reading to set the mood.
Dedicated to: FOBsession-DL-Freak. Why? Just because she's the biggest DL fan on here, to me anyway (smiles)
Rain
There's just something he likes about the rain.
As a child, he remembers the monster-sized puddles the rain leaves after a long downpour. It's like hitting the jackpot because the ripples the puddles make under his rain boots fascinate him, and the splashing seems to entertain him for hours. The sound is steady, and consistent as it rains on Pacific Coast Academy for the second day in a row. His roommates are with their girlfriends, and it's just not his scene.
Being with two couples, well three, when the brunette scientist and her boyfriend are counted would irritate him, and his mood would go from a steady raining to a gusty rain, with the occasional clap of thunder and flash of lightning. But the sound soothes him. It makes him calm, and shut out everything that makes him angry, or pressured.
The clear windows, almost bleed from the outside, with the rain streaking in a vertical direction.
The rain is the reason why they have a mutual understanding. It's silent, and no one else understands how it comes to be.
Three years later, it still remains their little rainy secret.
--
It's raining on a quiet May evening in 2005.
It sounds like that of a waterfall, as she watches by a window. Her roommates don't understand she is the quiet state she's in, but they go against questioning it.
"Hey, we're going to watch a movie with the boys in the lounge, you coming?" her blonde roommate questions, jerking a thumb behind her. "Nicole's already popping popcorn if you want some, and Quinn's hooking up the DVD player."
"No," she answers, kind of hypnotized by the rain that continues to fall. It seems never ending, but she tears the gaze she has to look at her roommate. "I'm not up for a movie, okay?"
"Oh, okay, then. But are you sure you're okay?" Zoey questions, with a concerned tone in her voice, as she stands in the doorway. Only her, the curly-haired girl thinks to herself. She feels fine, and she's not crazy for wanting to stare at the millions of little raindrops that are pulled down by gravity, collectively.
"Yes, Mother, I'm just peachy," she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Zoey smiles, knowing this is how she really is, and walks away to the lounge. There's really nothing wrong.
It's quiet, and solitary. No screaming, no sounds of the hairdryer. No sounds that'll be painfully annoying to her because the rain is like nature's music. Well, that's her opinion anyway.
And any kind of music is good enough for her.
Except Nicole's screaming.
It sort of molests her ears, figuratively and almost literally speaking.
A voice breaks her gaze, one she knows all too well, as he sits on the couch by the wide paneled window. There's nothing in the room, but the two of them and the sound of rain.
"What are you doing here?"
He shrugs with a carefree demeanor, "The movie's lame. Nicole's about to talk my ear off. Enough said."
This isn't new to her, as he sits beside her, gazing out the window. It's almost unfathomable to them. She wonders what would happen if the rain drops stop in mid-freeze. It would be mind boggling. Soon, they're looking at each other, and realizes that his eyes are a balanced ratio between the main brown irises, and the flecks of green in them.
It's a minor detail, so whatever.
Not that she cares…much…
"Look, wanna call a truce for today?"
She raises an eyebrow, curiously, "Why?"
"Because I'm really not in the mood to fight with you, when it rains. I don't know what it is, but I've always been fascinated by the rain, even as a kid. Stomping in puddles was my favourite…" he explains, looking at her in the eyes with a sincerity she's never seen in him, of all people before. It almost startles her, but she keeps that to a minimum. A shadow of a smile pulls at his lips, but it's easily turned into a playful smirk. "I have a heart, Cruz."
She laughs, "Wow, you could have fooled me, but okay, I'm up for your twenty four-hour-day truce. Deal?"
She puts a hand out, and he reaches to shake it, but just as lightning comes and goes, his lips are instantly pressed against hers. Her breath hitches, and her heart races, and she wraps her arms around his neck. His hands are at her waist, pulling her close, and their lips move in synchronized harmony.
He knows she tastes of watermelon because of her lip gloss. The sound of the rain causes them to melt into each other, like collected rain in a puddle…
They pull away, needing oxygen, and there's a tinge of red that no amount of Nicole's blush or concealer can cover up. Shit, she curses in her head.
"Meh, you're not bad," he tells her, only kidding with a hint of playful arrogance. With fake annoyance, she playfully shoves his shoulder. Then she lays her body across the couch, her head into his lap. She feels his fingers intertwined with her caramel curls.
"You realize that I'll have to be a bitch to you tomorrow, right?"
"I'm prepared, but you realize I'll have to be a complete dickhead too, right?" he fires back, making her roll her eyes as if to say, 'oh please'.
"Yeah, don't spoil the moment…" she replies, quietly, as they're mesmerized by the falling rain…
--
Now, it's another rainy evening in April 2007.
She leaves for France, a month after that encounter, on a rainy day. Oh, the irony. He remembers like it just happened. Almost three years, and he still remembers when it usually takes him a day to forget the usual things that don't matter.
That's just it.
In a rainy, wet, kind of way, she does matter.
His Tekmate plays that familiar ringtone, the one just for her, "Really good to hear your voice sayin' my name, it sounds so sweet, Coming the lips of an angel – "
He lazily reaches out for the Tekmate, being charged, and facing the window, he flips the little front screen open. Still, the rain falls, and there's two messages waiting for him.
Rain won't let up. Crashing at Fulton 'till it stops. Coco's loud.
-Michael
PS. Chase says don't have any orgies and keep his bed pure. Mine too, actually. Peace out.
He rolls his eyes, with the usual smirk that he's famous for. Typical roommates. He closes that one, and opens the new message after it. He's pleasantly surprised, and clicks it, his eyes scanning over the message, and his curiosity is awakened.
I'm coming back on the next rainy day, Reese.
-Dana.
PS. I love you, haha. No, I was being serious.
He closes the Tekmate, leaving it to charge up. The rain continues to pour, and the sound actually puts his to sleep. He's not the kind of guy to listen to weather forecasts, because they're "dumb". But, he listens to one this morning, and is glad he does. He yawns, climbing his top bunk bed, and is already in sleepwear as he gets under the covers.
He closes his eyes, the sound of rain like a lullaby. His eyelids are heavy, as they get droopy over his hazel eyes, and finally close.
The rain puts him in a drop slumber, and a thought makes his lips twitch into a small smile.
The next rainy day is tomorrow…
He's isn't sure what he likes about rainy weather.
He isn't sure why the rain has captivated him from such early age, but he knows that there's just something about the rain…
Aw, DL fluff. That flashback takes place somewhere in Season One after 'Little Beach Party', okay? Okay. Hope you like it.
FOBsession-DL-Freak, I wish there were t-shirts saying how much we loved DL, because you'd probably buy one, and wear it proudly lol. But since there are no t-shirts, I've decided to deserve this oneshot. I hoped you liked it.
Everyone else, feel free to review. I like feedback. Check out 'Easy As ABC' if you want more DL. I will be writing that Zoey/Michael dark oneshot, and it's called "My Best Friend's Girlfriend", but I'll be in exam mode so that won't be seen until the end of January. Sorry. I've just been itching to write it, but I'll restrain myself.
Post on my forum too, if you want.
Enough of my jabbering.
Review.