Summary: Instead of Zoe, Zig is the one who goes after Maya in the storm.
Disclaimer: Don't own Degrassi. 'Nuff said.
Author's Note: This was requested by youdeservebetter. Hope you enjoy!
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Storm
By: Lady Azura
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"Screw this. I'm going to the dance on my own."
Zig winced as Maya made her grand departure, slamming the door behind her dramatically for good measure. He didn't know why he'd thought Grace's plan would work; he knew from experience that Maya was a nasty drunk and putting her in the same room as Zoe of all people and expecting them to get along was practically asking for trouble. He'd tempted fate and his goal of dancing the night away with two gorgeous girls had ended in disaster instead. He let out an exasperated sigh, mentally berating himself, and from his peripheral he saw Zoe stand up.
"I should go after her." She said. "We obviously have some issues to sort out."
Zig shook his head, rising to his feet.
"No offense, but you're probably the last person she wants to talk to and believe me, Drunk Maya is not exactly the most reasonable person to deal with. I'll go." Reaching over, he grabbed his jacket and umbrella before making his way out of the kitchen – but not before pausing to address the brunette, giving her an apologetic look. "Sorry about all this."
With that, he was out the door.
.
.
.
It didn't take long for Zig to catch up with the blonde, although it did surprise him how far she'd gotten in her current state. Not to mention the weather, which made it nearly impossible to see. Fortunately, Maya's pink dress was easy to spot even in the pouring rain.
"Maya!" He called out. "Maya, stop!"
"Leave me alone!" The other teen shouted back, trekking on.
Zig let out a frustrated sigh. He hated how stubborn she was. There was a small part of him that was tempted to just leave her to her own devices and return back to the Matlin house to see if he could still salvage the night with his other date. But he couldn't risk Maya getting hurt and given how upset and wasted she was, it was certainly a possibility. With that in mind, he quickly gained some ground and eventually caught up to the blonde, grabbing her arm when she was finally within reach and bringing her to an abrupt halt.
Maya whipped around, eyes blazing with fury.
"Don't – touch – me!" She shrieked, trying to pry herself from his grasp but to no avail.
"Maya, we have to go back. You're drunk." Zig told her.
"You go back! Go back and make out with your new girlfriend and have a grand old time without me!" Maya sneered.
"She's not my girlfriend." Zig said, rolling his eyes.
"But you like her." Maya accused.
He didn't answer, but his silence was enough for the petite girl who clenched her jaw and weaseled her way out of his hold before he could even react. Realizing what was happening, Zig tossed his umbrella aside and grabbed her once more, using all the strength he had to lift Maya, thrashing and screeching like a wild animal, up and throw her over his shoulder.
The rain started to come down even harder while the wind blew in every which direction. Glancing around in search of shelter, Zig managed to make out a familiar sign and made his way toward it, ignoring the blonde pounding her fists against his back and demanding to be let down. He tried the doorknob but it was locked – of course. Everything was closed during the storm and everyone had been advised to stay indoors, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Without a second thought, Zig used his elbow to break the glass door and unlock it.
Once safely inside the Dot, Zig finally set Maya down – only to move back when she took a swing at him.
"Knock it off!" He growled, grabbing both her wrists.
"You're such a jerk!" She snapped.
"And you're a bitch." Zig retorted.
He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth, guilt coiling around his throat like a snake and squeezing tightly as he watched the hurt flicker across Maya's face. It was gone as soon as he blinked, replaced with a cold stare that should have scared him but given how angry and frustrated he was, it had little effect.
"I just wanted to have a fun night with my best friend and you ruined it by bringing her along!" Maya hissed.
"I thought you guys were cool!" Zig cried. "I didn't think you'd care!"
"We were cool until I found out she tried to steal my boyfriend!"
"She was drunk, Maya! People do stupid things when they're drunk. You of all people should know that!"
"I know but…" Maya trailed off and looked down at her feet.
She seemed to be sobering up somewhat.
"But what?" Zig pressed, trying to remain calm. "Why are you so mad?"
The blonde's head snapped up, hurt etched across her face. "Because she's stealing everyone from me! Tristan, Miles, you…" The emphasis on 'you' was not lost on Zig, whose brow furrowed in confusion.
Her bottom lip trembled, her eyes glistening with angry tears. A blanket of silence fell over them, the only sound coming from the harsh rain pelting against the windows and the occasional crack of thunder. A flash of lightning lit up the Dot briefly and as Maya crossed her arms and slouched her shoulders, Zig noticed that she was shivering. Running a hand through his damp hair, he sighed.
"Maybe you should take that off." He suggested, motioning to her dress.
Maya threw him a strange look and it was then that he realized what he'd said. Zig's cheeks and ears burned with embarrassment and in that moment, he was glad the storm had knocked out the power, preventing her from seeing just how red his face probably was. He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"I-I just meant… you don't want to get sick or something. Uh…" Leaning over the counter, he spotted a small pile of extra t-shirts and grabbed them, tossing the smallest size to Maya. "Here."
He turned away to give her some privacy, even though it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. Given their living arrangement, he'd had the "misfortune" of walking in on his half-naked housemate on more than one occasion. Not on purpose, of course – he wasn't some voyeuristic creep – but he certainly wasn't coming to complain about his luck either.
"Zig?" Maya's soft voice shattered Zig's train of thought and he looked over to see the blonde struggling with the zipper on her back.
Making his way over, he ignored the more perverse side of his brain as she moved her hair out of the way, allowing him to reach up and dragged it down, exposing her pale shoulders and the pink clasp of her bra. He quickly averted his gaze as the fabric pooled around her feet, trying to look anywhere but at her as she slipped into the oversized shirt.
"Thanks." She mumbled, giving him a wry smile.
"Any time." Zig replied, his voice strained.
They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before simultaneously lurching forward, their lips colliding in a passionate kiss that left him more than a little lightheaded.
Zig didn't know what, exactly, had come over him – or Maya, for that matter. Maya who, earlier that night, had gone on a drunken tirade about how it was Zoe's fault that she and Miles were no longer together – but in that moment, Zig didn't care. As much as he tried and tried and tried to get over her, Maya Matlin had a spell on him.
Her mouth moved over his earnestly, desperately, like she couldn't get enough of him. Her hands were everywhere, clutching his hair and at his dress shirt and anywhere else she could reach, never staying in one place. As the kiss grew more heated, they stumbled back into the nearest table, where Zig wasted no time hoisting her up onto it. The blonde responded by wrapping her legs around his torso and pulling him closer, the oversized shirt she was wearing riding up in the process. Grabbing her bare thighs, he dragged her body toward the edge of the table and pressed his hips firmly into hers, eliciting a shuddery gasp from the blonde and causing her to break the kiss.
He had learned a thing or two during their last make out session and intended to use that to his advantage. Her lips parted as she gazed at him, her cheeks flushed and wet, scraggly hair clinging to her face, neck and shoulders. He smirked, rolling his hips against hers slowly and deliberately, watching her face contort in pleasure. He could feel his pants tightening uncomfortably, but it was well worth.
"Maybe we should stop." He advised, kneading her outer thighs with his fingers.
They weren't exactly sober. Especially Maya. Although his buzz had long since worn off – he wasn't sure about her.
Maya shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line as she fought back a moan.
"No." She choked out, lifting her own hips to continue but Zig stopped her.
"You're drunk." He reminded her.
Her eyes flew open. "I'm not."
At his skeptical look, she narrowed her eyes.
"I'm not." She insisted. "Not anymore."
"What about Miles?"
"What about him?" The blonde asked, toying with the zipper on his jacket before he pushed her hand away.
"You love him." He said. When she opened her mouth to protest, he cut her off. "You do, Maya. You wouldn't be so pissed off at Zoe if you didn't."
"I don't want to!" The blonde cried before dropping her gaze and adding quietly, "Just the thought of you with her makes me sick…"
The corner of Zig's mouth twitched.
"Are you jealous?"
Maya scowled. "No."
"You are. You're jealous that I might actually like someone who isn't you." He couldn't help but feel somewhat triumphant over this turn of events. It was what he'd wanted for almost a year – some kind of conformation that Maya saw him as more than just a friend.
"Do you?" She demanded. "Like her?"
"Does it matter?" He countered nonchalantly.
Maya glared at him for a moment before her expression softened and she glanced away.
"You're all I have left."
Letting out a small sigh, Zig gave her a sympathetic look. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel like he was abandoning her. "Maya, I like you." He told her. Hell, he probably loved her at this point. "But I'm not going to wait around for you forever. I can't keep doing that. I can't keep being your rebound every time you and some jerk have a fight and break up. I can't. But…" Taking one of her hands, he gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'll always be here if you need me. For moral support, or whatever."
Releasing her hand, he pulled away from her entirely. It was still raining pretty hard but it had stopped thundering; it appeared as though the storm was finally starting to pass. Reaching into his back pocket to retrieve his phone, Zig sent Zoe a quick text to let her know that he'd found Maya and that they were fine, and to apologize. He felt bad about having left her behind and made a mental note to somehow make it up to her. Venturing behind the counter, he managed to find a fleece blanket and some more shirts. He laid them out on the floor, creating a makeshift bed. It wouldn't be the comfiest, but it was better than the cold, hard ground.
Stripping out of his wet clothes, he peered over at Maya who hadn't budged and was still sitting on the table, seemingly lost in thought.
"There's room for one more." He announced, gesturing to the spot beside him.
The blonde's gaze flickered to the spot in question and then to him before she finally got up and walked over, settling down next to him.
After making themselves comfortable, the two lay there silently for a while, listening to the storm as it slowly died down. Or at least, that's what Zig was trying to do, but being in such close proximity to a half naked Maya Matlin was proving to be rather distracting. He was acutely aware of her bare leg, which was touching his, and the smell of her coconut-scented shampoo was beginning to invade his nose. It was all he could do not to wrap his arms around her and hold her close.
A frustrated growl emitted from the blonde, dragging Zig back to reality.
"That's it!"
Before he could react, Maya's knees were planted on either side of him and he found himself staring up at her in both wonder and confusion.
"Maya –" He was cut off when she suddenly leaned down and captured his mouth in a short but heated kiss, leaving him breathless when she broke it, only to latch onto his neck.
"… not a rebound." She mumbled against his skin before pulling away and giving him a sharp look. "You're not, okay?"
All he could do was nod.
Maya's lips curved upward.
"Good." She said, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Because you, Zig Novak, are officially done waiting."
With that, she claimed his mouth once more.
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FIN
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So, originally this was going to be a lot more smutty but I couldn't seem to work that in and still keep them relatively IC. Hopefully the make out session and open ending is enough to satisfy. I'll try to write a full-fledged smut when I get the chance, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoyed. Please