Moonlight

Twelve was pushing up on the bed the moment he heard the first weak moan. He hadn't been able to sleep anyway, his mind was too wound up with worry and guilt since Mishima Lisa fainted out on the hall, and Nine had taken to the storage room to sleep without saying another word to him—leaving him to take care of Lisa all on his own. Nine wasn't one to blow up an argument or raise his voice, but he always made it clear when he wasn't happy.

He hated upsetting Nine. This was not the first time he had acted on impulse, not the first time he had gone against Nine's wishes, and certainly not the first time he had reached to an outsider if only to make Nine nervous. But he had definitely never let it come this far, not to the point of bringing someone else into their home. He couldn't even say his seeking out Lisa had anything to do with Nine anymore.

He ran a hand through his unruly hair, his eyes traveling to the curled up figure of the girl lying on their couch; using his only pillow and his only clean blanket.

Was this getting too involved?

He shook his head. Of course not, he had this under control, once she got better he'd—

The sigh that escaped the lips of the girl below was so soft he was surprised he was able to see the pale yellow at all.

He swung his legs off the bed, got up, and slowly made his ways downstairs and to the chair next to the couch by her feet. He sat down and stared at her for a moment, waiting for a reaction to his presence if she was indeed awake. For several minutes she didn't move or make a sound; her face, though, indicated evident discomfort. Her brows were furrowed and her lips were pressed tightly together into what Twelve thought as the most childlike of pouts.

His head tilted when she finally stirred, her tiny groan and a small string of incomprehensible words were muffled by his pillow as she pressed her face against it.

"Huh?"

She fell quiet, and for a moment he worried she'd suffocate in her sleep.

Sick people were such a hassle, he thought, as he started rising from his chair. Just as he took a step forward the girl pushed up on her elbows and slowly opened up her eyes, squinting so hard her eyes looked like two dark slits.

"Li—?"

"So… bright."

His brows rose in surprise, it was the middle of the night and he hadn't turned on any lights. He followed her gaze and, as it fell on the big window, he realized that she was referring to the moonlight, beaming brightly right into her face.

He couldn't help the loud snorting sound he made even as his hand came up to his face to muffle his bout of laughter, because of all the things she could have been complaining about –the hard-as-a-rock couch, for one—Lisa had chosen the shimmer of the moonlight coming from their window as her main source of discomfort.

The noise made her jump and shrink back in fear against the couch as her now wide eyes traveled over to him; she actually looked like a deer caught in the headlights. For a moment he wondered if she'd recognized him or if she'd have a freak out and wake up Nine.

He composed himself as quickly as he could manage and offered her his best non-threatening smile as he took a tentative step forward. "It's me. Do me a favor and don't scream, or we'll be both sleeping in the street tomorrow night."

Lisa blinked several times, her fevered brain obviously trying hard to process the situation and follow his instructions "Hi..sami…?"

Good. She remembered his name. Well, his completely fake civilian name, anyway. Not that she knew any better.

He liked when she addressed him, and thought it'd be nice to hear her call him Twelve at least once… She probably wouldn't be around long enough for that to happen though.

He willed the bitter thought away and concentrated on her as she let go of the blanket she had bunched up against her chest when he had startled her. "Are you feeling…ah…better?"

She nodded feebly; even when it was evident she wasn't much better than she had been a couple of hours ago.

"Try to go back to sleep, okay? If you still have a fever in the morning then I'll give you some medicine," he rubbed the back of his neck "I'm sure we have something that could help, but I'm afraid all our meds are in the room where Nine is sleeping and well, I don't want to wake him up right now."

Lisa nodded again and he was sure she wasn't really listening.

"Okay then," he turned away and then felt a tug on his shirt before he could take a step.

"Could you turn off the light…before you go?"

He looked back at her, grinning "Are you asking me to turn off the moon, Lisa?"

Lisa stared at him, confusion etched into her flushed features as the hand gripping his shirt slowly let go and fell to her side.

For one crazy moment he wished he could do that for her, and almost laughed out loud again at the absurdity of the moment. He didn't care. He did not care, really, he didn't. He was just curious and she was such an amusing and unique individual. Maybe it was her fever. Once she was healthy again he'd have to ask her to leave and it would be over.

He hadn't gotten too involved. It wasn't too late.

Still, he moved his chair to the other end of the couch, and sat down in front of her, effectively shielding her with his body from the beam of light. "Better?"

The smallest affirmative noise left her mouth as she settled back down, closing her eyes.

"Not even a thank you, how rude." But he was smiling and his stare lingered on her sleeping face before he forced himself to look away.

She would most likely not remember a thing tomorrow morning.

That was fine. As long as he made sure no evidence of this exchange was left before either she or Nine woke up then he could pretend the same. And he would, because she couldn't stay.

She couldn't stay.

He slumped against the chair and threw his head back, forcing his eyes closed. Then why was his mind already working on all the possible excuses he could give Nine to keep her around?