Thunder rumbled in the distance, like a million tigers roaring on key; lightning flashed across the sky, synonymous to a horde of paparazzi flashing thousands of cameras; and rain pounded the rooftop, sounding as though an enraged elephant was stomping around above.
Ten year old Noodle hid beneath the covers of her bed, shaking fearfully. She had only been at Kong for a few months, and this was the first thunderstorm experience for her while living there. She couldn't remember having endured any storms while in Japan. All she knew was that she was frightened of them. The last memory she had of one was when she was being shipped in a crate to Essex. She remembered the ship rocking frantically from side to side, while rain flooded the deck and rolling crashes of thunder shook the sky. Poor Noodle was so scared and frightened, fearing that the storm would break her crate open and drag her off into the sea. She shrank into a corner of the crate, curling into a small shivering ball.
Here at Kong, she was reliving the same nightmare. But something in her heart told her not to worry, because she was no longer in a small crate, nor was she all alone. She was in a gigantic studio building, with her big brothers within a short walking distance from her bedroom. If they weren't afraid of a storm, then why should she be?
Nevertheless, as a loud burst of thunder crashed in the sky, she snatched up her blanket, grabbed her stuffed monkey, and ran out of the room.
Russel received a sudden rude awakening when he heard a frantic knocking at his door. Groggily, he dragged himself out of bed and opened the door to find little Noodle standing there with her blanket and stuffed monkey.
"Noodle? What's the matter, lil' sista? Somethin' wrong?" he asked.
"Storm-u! Sleep wit you?" she responded.
It took a moment for Russel to fully comprehend what she meant. "Storm…? Oh! The storm scares you, so you wanna…sleep here?"
She nodded hopefully. Russel sighed, scratching his head. "Um…yeah, I guess it's okay."
She broke into a bright smile, then ran over and jumped into his bed.
When he prepared a spot for himself to sleep on the floor, Noodle cried out, "No! Here! Need you!"
"All right, all right!" he said hastily. He climbed into the bed, trying to give her as much of her own space as possible, but she moved next to him, curling up against his stomach.
Russel heaved another sigh. "This is gonna be weird." He muttered to himself uncomfortably. "I hope those other two don't find out and start calling me a pedophile…"
Noodle woke up later, realizing that she couldn't breathe. There was a tremendous pressure crushing her small body, pinning her firmly against the bed.
"MMMPH!!" she yelled, hoping her cries would be heard, but to no avail. Finally, with a good amount of kicking and flailing, she managed to wriggle herself out from under the massive drummer. Panting, she crawled off of the bed and picked up her blanket and monkey.
The drummer snored on, unaware that he'd nearly crushed the young guitarist. Frowning, she turned and left the room, leaving him to his slumber.
2D slept through the storm too, dreaming that he was a zombie superstar, singing the band's latest single to an adoring audience.
A flash of lightning and another crash of thunder sped Noodle to his bedroom door. She tapped on the door sharply and urgently with her knuckles, rousing the singer from his dream. He rose from the bed and stumbled over to the door, nearly tripping over the various objects that littered his room. He opened his door but didn't see anyone out there. Feeling something tug at the hem of his pajama shirt, he looked down and saw Noodle looking up at him with pleading eyes.
"Eh? Whasamatta, love? Demons keepin' ya awake?" he asked sleepily.
"Storm-u! Sleep wit you?" she inquired.
"Huh?" The man just stared at her blankly with his black, irisless eyes and scratched his blue head.
"Storm-u! Sleep wit you?" she asked again, speaking more slowly.
It took a moment for the singer's "blank sheet of paper" (also known as his brain) to miraculously spark a brief sense of comprehension for the guitarist's words.
"Uh…yeah, okay, but I only got one bed, y'know." He answered. There was another flash of lightning, which caused Noodle to rush forward and hug him around the waist for comfort.
2D didn't mind sharing his bed, mostly because he loved children, and also because he understood the girl's plight. He used to be scared to death of thunderstorms as a child and spent many sleepless nights wide awake and shivering underneath his bedcovers while the storm raged.
The singer instantly fell back asleep, as Noodle snuggled up against him, taking in the sweet smell of butterscotch that he gave off.
A little after drifting off to sleep, Noodle was suddenly awakened by a "thud." It sounded like a body hitting the floor. She leaned over the side of the bed to see the sleeping singer sprawled on the floor, facedown in a pile of his dirty clothes, with his legs propped up against the mattress. It was then that Noodle realized that his bed was accustomed to fit his body size, and she only took up space.
Knowing there was no way she could lift a grown man by herself, she left him sleeping there, pulling the blanket off of the bed and covering him. With a heavy heart, she grabbed her own blanket and toy monkey and left the room.
Murdoc was not asleep. He was, in fact, wide awake in his Winnebago, reading over some sheet music he was writing out, while his beloved raven Cortez munched on a cockroach. With his bass strewn across his lap, he would pause from writing to strum a single note on the instrument's strings, wondering if that was the right tune he wanted for the song.
Over the roar of thunder from outside of the carpark, he thought he heard a tapping sound somewhere, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact source of the noise. He looked up at Cortez to see if it was the raven who had been making the noise. The raven simply cocked his head to one side and ogled the bassist with his beady black eyes, as if to say "Wasn't me."
Finally, after a flash of lightning, the tapping became louder and sounded more urgent. This time, he realized it was coming from the door. Rolling his eyes, he went over and opened the door, only to find a small, shaking Noodle at the doorstep.
Noodle wasn't very fond of Murdoc. Even though he was the one who her crate was addressed to, she still thought of him as a scary, smelly old man who yelled and swore all the time and beat up her big brother 2D for no reason. Quite frankly, she was a little scared of him, but she was also more afraid of the ferocious storm.
"S-Storm-u….sleep wit you?" she asked reluctantly.
The bassist just stared at her. "Eh? Sleep with me? No 'fense, love, but I don't do children. That's disgusting!"
"No!" She shook her head exasperatedly. "Storm-u!"
He put a hand to his head. "Look, love, if this is some kinda joke set up by those two three-watt lightbulbs, I don't get it. Besides, ain't it past your bedtime?"
Before she could speak, another crack of thunder sounded. She ran forward, throwing her arms around his waist and burying her head against his stomach. Taken by surprise, he stepped back into the trailer and tried to pry her off of him.
"Sweet Satan, she sticks like Velcro!" he muttered as he tugged on her arms.
"Storm-u!" she yelled again.
"All right, all right!! Just get off me 'fore ya break something!"
She did, obligingly, and followed him into the trailer, looking curiously at the pictures posted on the walls.
"'Ey! Watch your curious eyes, love, or Russ's gonna break me legs if 'e finds out ya been lookin' at those!" he said, sliding a hand over her eyes and yanking her away.
When they reached his bedroom, she ran right over and leapt onto his bed, upsetting Cortez. The bird squawked at her.
"Sod off, ya dumb animal!" Murdoc snapped, shooing the raven away.
"Pretty bird!" Noodle said.
"No, love, stupid bird. Kinda like stupid dullard."
After another flash of lightning, she pulled her blanket over her head, whimpering fearfully.
"Storm-u!" she cried out.
Murdoc sat down in a chair opposite to the bed.
"Oh, so you're 'fraid of the storm, are ya?" She nodded.
He pressed his fingers into his eyes. "Oh for Satan's sake, how do I explain this to a kid…IT'S…NOT…GONNA…HURT…YA. Well, at least, not if you're standin' in the middle of the damned thing wavin' a metal stick or sumthin'."
She peeked out from her blanket. "No hurts?"
"Nah, love. Not one bit. Its fun ta watch, though, 'cause sometimes the lightning will strike a tree an' ya get ta see this big fireworks show when the 'ole thing catches fire."
Not understanding what he meant, she nodded and smiled anyways, feeling better now that she saw he wasn't afraid.
"Murdo-san no 'fraid, then Noodle-u no 'fraid."
"That's the spirit, love, now why doncha get some sleep. We gotta wake up early tomorrow ta start recordin'."
She tugged on his arm. "Sleep too. Good for you."
"Eh...all righ', why not?"
Reluctantly, he came over and lay down next to her on the bed, not bothering to change his clothes. Smiling, she snuggled up next to him and closed her eyes.
Cute kid, he thought. Reminds me of meself when I was a lad. Of course, she's a girl, and she smells better.
With that, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Noodle looked out window the and saw the storm raging outside of the carpark. She stuck her tongue out at it, knowing there was no way it could get to her now...not when she was safe in her big brother's arms.
i luv stories with Murdoc-Noodle fluffyness! (nothing sexual of course! he's 40 and she's a teen for heaven's sake!!) hope you liked it! i'll try to write some more, if i can overcome my writer's block...