Authors Note: Hi guys, this is my first time writing literally anything fiction outside of a high school English class so be gentle lol I just had an idea for a story and couldn't get it out of my head; it seems like writing it down is the only way to make it stop! Anyways, there are a few logistical mistakes like it's their third year but there are certain characters that should have graduated. All I can say is, my bad. Lol that was just poor planning on my part and I apologize if that takes away from the story. Without further ado, please enjoy!
"Can't this thing go any faster?!" Erina Nakiri screamed into Soma's ear. The heavy rain was coming down in buckets and she was soaked through her clothes.
"Uh, not unless you want us to crash and die!" Soma retorted over his shoulder as he maintained their speed on his bike, which was already going dangerously past the speed limit. The bike revved along the path, cutting through the giant puddles, causing them to splash in every direction.
As soon as they pulled up to her mansion, they whipped off their helmets and dashed to the door. Slamming the door behind her dripping wet, Erina exclaimed, "This is all your fault! If you had done your Elite Ten Council work for once, we wouldn't have had to stay at school so late waiting for you to finish it!" Her uniform and golden hair were soaking the floor beneath her and she felt chilled to the bone. The rain was making her button-down blouse and skirt cling to her skin uncomfortably and it was taking all her self-control not to strip right there in the foyer.
Soma sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, saying "Yeah you're right, Nakiri, my bad! I didn't think you'd wait for me to finish it though! But in my defense, you could've left a long time ago. I told you the storm was going to get bad! Guess you really care about me, huh?" He grinned at her, peeling off his wet jacket and handing it to the butler that approached them.
Erina flushed, "You idiot, I couldn't care less about you getting caught in the storm. I just knew if you didn't finish your paperwork by tonight, I'd end up being the one to do it."
Sanzaemon Nakiri, Erina's grandfather and Director of Tōtsuki, entered the grand hall and approached them. "Finally, you're home! I was about to call the school to locate you! The storm is getting terrible; it's a good thing Soma brought you home as soon as he did. Thank you, young man."
Soma merely smiled at Erina's irritated look and said, "No problem, Gramps! I don't mind giving Nakiri rides when she needs them. Anyways, I should really be heading back to Polar Star now!" He turned to face the door but was stopped by a giant hand.
Senzaemon gripped Soma's shoulder, effectively locking the boy in place. "Oh no, you can't possibly drive back in these conditions. The roads are completely flooded and will most likely stay that way until the morning. You will stay here for the night and return home tomorrow when it is safe to drive."
"But Grandfather—", Erina began frustratedly.
"Sweetheart, look outside and tell me it is safe for him to return to his dorm", the old man challenged.
Erina turned to look out the window. It really was a horrible storm. The torrential downpour made it impossible to see more than a few feet in front of her. She could barely make out the way the wind was forcibly bending whole trees and branches were flying off like they were made of nothing. The giant crack of thunder and lightning that followed echoed through the mansion, only further confirming the perilous conditions outside. It was honestly a miracle they made it in one piece.
She faced Soma. "Fine, just for the night. We will have a spare bedroom made up for you at once. Don't worry about your bike, someone will move that into a garage."
"Excellent! Now, both of you need to change out of those wet clothes if you want to avoid getting sick. If you'll excuse me, I have other matters regarding Tōtsuki to attend to." And with that, Sanzaemon Nakiri excused himself back to his office.
Soma followed Erina back to her room, which took a surprisingly long amount of time.
"Damn, Nakiri. I always forget how big this place is! A fitting castle for such a princess," he winked.
Erina scoffed, "Of course. You can't expect us to entertain important guests from all around the world in anything less than magnificent." She stopped in front of her bedroom door. "Because your room isn't ready yet, you can take a shower in my room. Do not, under any circumstances, touch anything besides the knob on the door, the shower handle, and the soap. And if you ever tell anyone I let you use my bathroom, that storm outside will be like a walk through the park compared to the hell you'll get from me."
Soma laughed, "Geez, I get it, chill out! I'm not going to do anything weird. I just need to get out of these clothes, I'm freezing." Erina nodded, agreeing. "Oh wait, what am I going to change into after?" Soma asked.
"Shit, I didn't think about that…" Erina stopped to think for a second and said, "I'm sure Kurokiba wouldn't mind if you used some of his clothes. I'll go stop by Alice's room and ask her if you can borrow some. They might be a little big on you though." She smirked, thinking of how muscular Ryo was in comparison to Soma. It would be funny to see him swimming in those clothes.
"Hey, he's not that much bigger! We work out together, you know?" Soma answered, unable to hide the slight blush on his cheeks from her poking fun at him. "But yeah, that would be great if you could ask him. Thanks." He shut the door behind him and walked off to the giant bathroom to bathe.
Erina knocked on Alice's door and waited. She knew no matter how she phrased the following words, Alice would take them out of context.
"My dear cousin, what a surprise! And all wet, what happened to you?" Red eyes shimmered mischieviously back at cold amethyst ones.
Erina could see Ryo in the back of her room, lifting weights. "Hey," he mumbled apathetically, as he always did when he wasn't wearing his red bandana.
"We got caught in the storm and I haven't had a chance to change yet," Erina stated.
"Oh, did Hishoko walk home with you or something? Where is she?" Alice glanced around the hall, expecting to see Erina's pink haired assistant tagging along behind her as she usually did.
"Uh, no not exactly. Yukihira gave me a ride from school after taking YEARS to finish his Elite Ten paperwork and Grandfather says he can't go back to his dorm tonight since the storm flooded all the roads."
Alice smiled like the Cheshire cat at this statement. This could be fun, she thought. "Poor Yukirhira-kun, what a predicament he's gotten himself into. Thankfully he has you to look after him," she finished innocently.
Erina growled, "I don't know what you mean by that, since if it were up to me, he would not be staying the night. Anyways, the reason I came was to ask if he could borrow some of Kurokiba's clothes. He's showering now and won't have anything to change into." She blushed deeply as she finished the last part of her sentence, trying her best to hide it by pushing past Alice and walking into the room.
"Sure," Ryo muttered. "Just go in my room and take anything."
"Thanks." Erina looked at the weights in Ryo's hand. "Do you and Yukihira really go to the gym together?" She asked absentmindedly.
"Yeah, we go with Hayama pretty frequently. Sometimes we'll play basketball pickup games and stuff with the Aldini brothers."
"I see." And with that, she left the room, heading towards Ryo's to get her arch nemesis some suitable clothing.
Soma had just finished up his hot shower when he heard soft knocking on the bathroom door. He wrapped a towel around his lower half and opened the door a crack. Steam from the bathroom escaped through to the main bedroom.
"Uh, I brought you some clothes." Erina shoved the clothing through the crack in the door, trying her best to avoid any sort of eye contact with the redhead.
Soma smiled brightly, "Thanks! Perfect timing too!" He opened the door wider just for a second to grab the clothes, but that was enough for Erina to see his shirtless and in her opinion, well formed, abs and chest. She muttered something about modesty and quickly turned around after making sure he had the clothes.
After a few moments, Soma came out of the bathroom fully dressed in grey sweatpants and a white cotton shirt. It looked like something he would have worn normally, as neither boy had a particularly unique sense of style. Cooking, sure. Soma and Ryo both had their own flair and individualistic way of cooking and presenting each dish in a way that was uniquely theirs; but style? Hell no.
Surprisingly enough, the clothes fit well. Since Soma usually wore a jacket whenever he was with Erina, she never really noticed how toned his arms or shoulders were. It really caught her off guard and she couldn't help but stare a little. It threw her off even thinking these thoughts! Why did she care what he looked like? She hated him!
"Okay, your room is prepared; it's the one across the hall. My duty as your host is officially over. Please get out of my room so I can shower. Goodnight, Yukihira." The golden-haired beauty essentially shoved her classmate out of her bedroom and slammed the door.
Soma chuckled to himself, thinking of how even a year ago, she would have left him out in the rain. People really can change!
Soma wandered the halls, looking for something to do when he ran into Alice and Ryo.
"Yukihira! Just the man I was looking for," Alice purred. The white-haired vixen was smiling playfully, as she usually did. "We were wondering if you wanted to join us for a movie? This weather just makes you want to curl up and relax, doesn't it, Ryo?" Ryo grunted in agreement.
Soma nodded, "Sounds like a plan! I'll let Nakiri know what we're doing. Although she made it sound like she wanted to be alone tonight…" Soma trailed off.
"Nonsense, Erina loves movies! She'll agree, don't worry. Meet us in say, half an hour in the media room?" Alice asked, conspiratorially.
"Alright, see you then!" Soma gave them a thumbs up and started back in the direction he came.
Once he was out of sight, Ryo turned to Alice. "My lady, why are you meddling in other people's affairs again? Especially your cousin's. You know she hates that."
Alice replied, "She'll thank me one day. She can try as hard as she wants to deny it, but I know something's going on there and I'm going to help her realize it!" She smiled at Ryo coyly and grabbed his wrist. "Come on, we have to pick the perfect movie to help them fall in love!"
