A/N: Here is a little one-shot I came up while I was writing "Lost Before the Dawn"

I actually wrote this and had it finished before I even finished writing LBD! It is fluffy glory-ness! So enjoy and review! Still...sadly...own nothing...

Midnight Memories

Mai was hard pressed as to why Naru was in such a foul mood. Not that he was ever really in a good mood to begin with, but today…today was different. They had been on a case for the last four days and things were a bit rough but not any worse than they had been through before. Mai was at a loss as to why Naru was so uncharacteristically upset since the case did not seem to be the problem. What was bothering him so?

"Naru" Mai ventured as he stalked past her in the base room destined for a file at the far side of the room, "is there…something wrong?" She followed his form with her eyes as he noticeably flinched at the question.

"No." He responded harshly as he violently grabbed the file and began to flip through its contents.

"Stop being such a jerk! You are obviously not acting like your self so why don't you just tell me what is going on!" Mai huffed angrily. It must have been something rather serious for Naru to be acting the way he was. It usually took a great deal to get him to show any emotion at all let alone for something to actually make him angry. Mai was deathly curious as to what prompted his behavior.

"Nothing is going on!" He fixed Mai with a glare and practically snarled out the words. He watched as Mai's concerned face turned from that of worry to that of extreme anger. Her fists balled at her sides and she grit her teeth hard while narrowing her eyes to fix him with an equally deadly glare.

"Fine!" She shouted furiously before turning on her heels and rushing from the room, "See if I care! Sulk or whatever! I don't give a damn!" She sounded off before exiting the room with a loud slamming of the door.

Naru sighed heavily as he watched her go. He let the file he had been trying to distract himself with slip from his hand and fall to the table from which it came. That girl really had no idea what she was doing to him that much was clear. She wanted to know what was bothering him yet Naru was positive he could not just come out and say that it was her that was the root of his worries. For this, he knew, would cause a much more heated battle that the argument that had just transpired.

"What was that all about?" A smooth voice rang through the room followed by a soft click of the door. Naru looked up to see Lin walking towards him.

"Nothing." Naru simply answered turning away from the man.

"I could hear the two of you from all the way down the hall" the older man sat in front of his laptop, "I would hardly call that nothing."

Naru soon sat himself at the table next to the man and rested his head on his propped up arm and sighed loudly. He closed his eyes letting his head drift downward.

"What's on your mind?" Lin prompted again. He was met with a long pause before the young man next to him finally spoke.

"Last night…" the boy started but then had second thoughts. He hesitated…just remembering the previous night brought a foul taste to his mouth. The case had brought the entire SPR team to the brink of exhaustion. They had all been forced to put in many more waking hours than their bodies could handle and last night was the first night they were truly able to rest. Ayako and Masako both had crashed in a room provided by the client as well as John, Bou-san, and Lin. At the time Mai was still awake working on last minute errands until she finally ended up in the base room curled up in an arm chair. When he came upon her with the intent of checking the monitors one final time before he went to bed she was slightly shivering and contorted in an awkward position. Unable to leave her there, he had taken it upon himself to lift her from the chair and transfer her gently to the couch on the adjacent wall. This situation would not have bothered him so if not for the fact of the single name she muttered while in his embrace. "Mai…"

"Ah, so it did have something to do with her. No wonder you didn't say anything when she inquired." Lin mused with a slight smile on his face causing Naru to sink even further into depression.

"Lin, she called out for Gene in her sleep." The young man relinquished as his head finally hit the table top with a soft thud. "When I was holding her she said Gene. Why…why would she be calling his name?"

"Well, we know that Eugene is acting as her guide when she dreams and she did learn all about you, him, and your past through that fashion. I don't really see why you are so bothered by that fact when you know she is with him when she dreams, so it is only logical that she would call his name and not yours."

"I know. So why am I so angry right now?" Naru rolled his head to the side and cracked open an eye. "I don't understand why I am acting this way."

"Noll…" Lin smiled to himself, "honestly for being such a genius you are pretty clueless about issues concerning your own feelings and Mai. You are acting the way you are because you are in love with Mai." The shocked expression Naru exhibited caused Lin to chuckle softly. "You do love her, right?"

"Yeah…I do love her. If I didn't love her I sure as heck wouldn't risk my life to save her all the time. My body knew I wanted to protect her yet my mind just didn't put it together…but I guess when one will do anything to keep that person near and safe...is love." Naru finished with his voice trailing off near the end of his words. When had it become such an overwhelming feeling of protectiveness? He hated it when she cried, hated it when she screamed or was afraid, hated it when she was in pain. His chest would constrict in painful tightening waves and he had to resist the urge to cradle her in his arms and whisper soothing words of comfort in her ear whenever he saw her in tears. It made him nervous when he didn't know where she was and he didn't like it when she was not by his side. His body would instinctually jump to protect her whenever she was in danger and shield her from harm. And now, he realized for the first time, it bothered him greatly that she called for another man other than him…even if that man was his beloved twin brother. He was angered that she was having dreams, thoughts of him. He was jealous. If these were not feelings of being in love, then Naru decided he had no idea what love was if this wasn't it.

"You don't like the fact that she is dreaming of Gene. Jealousy is a terrible thing, Noll. You are above that." Lin patted the young man's shoulder reassuringly. "Why don't you start by apologizing to Mai and then talk to her about it. What she has to say might put your mind at ease."

"Or throw me into deeper turmoil." Naru lifted his head off the table and let it fall back down dramatically. "Do I absolutely have to apologize?"

Lin raised an eyebrow in the boy's direction. Now he was acting more like a confused teenage boy should act; one that didn't understand his own feelings, one that was afraid of confronting a problem, and one that was unwilling to admit his own thoughts. "Yes, especially if we want any peace around here so we can finish up this case. Just try not to be your usual charming self, okay? Try to be nice."

"I am nice."

Lin rolled his eyes. "If you call nice being a demanding, authoritative, and bossy individual who answers everything with sarcasm or wit in an apathetic and cold way then I advise you to not be that kind of nice in front of Mai."

"What should I say?" Naru opened his eyes to emphasize his desperation.

"That…I can not tell you. It is something that you are going to have to figure out on your own." Lin smiled as a grunt escaped Naru's mouth. "Go now before she gets in trouble or something."

Naru slowly rose from his position and stretched in his seat. He gingerly stood and made his way for the door. This was by far the worst solution he could imagine but it was probably the best course of action…if he could only push his pride aside. He reluctantly made his way down the hall towards the green house located at the back of the house. Mai would undoubtedly be there. She was awe struck when they had first arrived and she explored the premises. She rushed around the structure smiling and laughing as she touched and fondled the various blooms. Apparently she loved flowers. It figured. A bright, cute person like her should like flora since they go so well together. An image of a smiling Mai holding a blooming pink blossom while wearing a pastel summer dress filtered through his mind brining a gentle smile to his face. Yep, they were perfect together. He shook the image from his head as he neared the entrance of the greenhouse.

-----

He cursed at himself for thinking such things when he should have been thinking of what to say to the girl but before he had the chance he already found himself in the humid environment of the greenery. Not ten feet from him sat a red-eyed Mai crouched on the ground next to a variety of potted blooming plants.

"What do you want?" She spat before he had a chance to speak. "If you are here to tell me to get back to work, I advise you not to since I am an emotional wreck right now and I will probably mess everything up."

"No, that is not why I am here" he started, "but I don't think I would want you to work looking like that even if you wanted to" he mused with a smirk as she spun to face him with reddened features.

"Well, excuse me for looking like this! It's your fault since you are being an ass!" She scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand trying to wipe away the remaining traces of her tears she had shed.

"Don't do that" Naru moved forward and took hold of her hand effectively stopping her from rubbing her face, "you will only make it worse."

"Why do you care!?" She pulled her arm from his grasp and glared at him. "Just leave me alone! I was just worried about you, but as usual you just push me away and don't even give me a chance to say I'm sor-"

"I'm sorry." He cut her off while taking possession of her wrist once again as he fixed her with a serious look. "It was not my intention to anger you earlier…it was just…"

"Just?" Her angry expression faded to that of curiosity.

"I didn't want to tell you what was bothering me because it had to do with you."

"With me!?" Mai's loud voice bounced off the glass walls of the greenhouse and echoed for a few seconds before silence once again enveloped the pair. "Did I piss you off in some way!? You bastard, you better tell me what the hell is wrong!"

"Well, last night you…" he trailed off and looked away finding a bright red flower to hold his attention.

"Last night?" She paused looking deep in thought. "What about last night?"

"You don't remember?"

"I don't have any memory of last night. I don't even remember how I got to the couch in the base!" She huffed and finally realized that her arm was still being held by Naru. She pulled it away and flopped to the ground in a cross legged fashion.

"I put you there, and you really have no memories of last night. Did you dream?" He looked down at her with an expectant stare.

Mai's eyes widened with realization. She had dreamed last night. Gene had guided her through a particularly confusing vision that she had been meaning to tell Naru about before he made her angry and she left the room. In her frustration she had forgotten all about the dream and last night. "I…dreamed." She hesitantly spoke, "I was going to tell you about it before…but…"

"What did you see?" Naru inquired using his professional tone. "Was Gene there?"

Her eyes shot up to her boss's face. What was the real reason of this whole conversation? Was it to gain information for the case or to gain something else? "What does it matter if he was there or not?"

"Was he?" Naru pushed.

"…Yeah…he was there. He led me through the vision." Mai finally started to put the pieces together. "Did I say something in my sleep last night when you took me to the couch?"

The expression plastered on the teens face resembled that of a deer caught in headlights. Bingo. She must have said something that angered Naru and that was why he was being such a dick this morning.

"What did I say?" She clung to his pant leg nearest her just in case he decided to bolt. Her grasp tightened as she continued to stare up at his beautiful eyes. "How did I make you angry?"

Naru frowned as he looked down at her. To hell with it, he was tired of beating around the bush and if he was a man he should be able to tell it to her straight. "You called out his name when I held you!" He rushed the words in an attempt to get the truth out.

"What?" Mai tilted her head to the side slightly in a questioning glance. Could he actually…

"What?" He questioned back matching her look.

"Are you…jealous of Gene?" She asked softly.

Naru tried to take a step back but Mai was still holding on tightly to his pant leg. She had asked the one question that he did not want to face. He was not jealous of his brother. Jealousy was beneath him. He just didn't like the fact that he didn't know what was happening in her dreams. When she dreamed she was in a place that he could no longer reach. In that realm…if Mai was scared, sad, in pain, or afraid…Gene was the one to hold her close and calm her fears. Why is that bad? It is much better than her being alone. 'I want to be the only one to hold you…'

Mai began to worry due to Naru's long pause and lack of response so she spoke again to try and break the tension. "You know…it was probably just coincidence that I called out his name when you were holding me…" Naru was feeling insecure, that much she could figure out. How could she make it clear to him that he had nothing to worry about?

"I wish…I wish that I were the one there with you. I wish I could be the one beside you day…and night." That was it. That was what he wanted and what had bothered him all morning.

Mai eyed her boss for a moment before answering. She had been with the boy for some time, but this was the first time that she had actually seen him acting even remotely his age and for some reason that thought made her insanely happy. "You can be, you know."

"What?" The response took him by surprise. It was far from what he had expected to hear.

"You can be" she repeated. "You can be beside me day and night." She smiled brightly slipping her hand down his leg to rest on the ground just at his foot. She noted the confused look on Naru's face. It was cute…there was no other word to describe it. "During the day you can stay by my side and protect me if I need it. At night you can sleep by my side and hold my hand or embrace me tightly so that when I wake I am not alone. In that way, you know that it is your touch and your touch alone that I respond to. Even if I dream…even if I see Gene…even if I get scared and he holds me…it is still you that will be truly holding me." Mai shifted to her knees and took hold of Naru's legs with both hands bringing herself closer to him. She looked up at him warmly, "Isn't that good enough?"

Naru was too shocked to move. His brain was working furiously trying to process the words she had just spoken and it was failing miserably. He stared down at his assistant who was pressed against his legs looking up at him with large brown eyes. It was just as if a puppy were looking up at him begging for attention or a treat and inevitably its cuteness would win over and the desired result would be gained. Had Mai really just implied she wanted him with her? Had she really just given him permission to go another step forward in their relationship? Did this mean they were in a relationship? So many questions were racing through his mind; so many things he wanted to ask but it seemed all his reason and rationality had left him and so he did the only remaining thing that he could clearly think of.

He kissed her. He smoothly reached down and effectively pulled her from her knees to his chest. He gently tilted her chin up with his hand and pressed his lips to hers in a fast but passionate kiss. Her eyes remained opened as she tried to comprehend what was happening. He soon broke the kiss to look at her startled face and chuckled as a pure smile graced his handsome features. "I suppose it's enough…for now."

Mai stood frozen with an intense blush breaking upon her cheeks. She couldn't believe what had just happened and she stared blankly at the smiling Naru before he turned and started to leave.

"I suggest you go back to your room and wash up before getting back to work…you look terrible." He smirked mischievously, "Oh, and hurry up…we have wasted enough time here doing nothing." With a slight wave of his hand he left the greenhouse grinning like an idiot the entire way back to the base. She would be angry with him again that was for sure but it would be worth it. He loved her expression when she was angry. And besides…tonight he would be able to hold her and see many expressions, breath in her scent, feel her warmth. It was worth it alright…even if he had to push his pride aside momentarily.

Meanwhile, unknowing of Naru's inner thoughts, Mai continued to stand frozen in place by the unexpected kiss she had just received from her beloved. For such short contact, such a short moment of pleasure, Mai felt as if she were in heaven. Her face burned and her body felt hot. She feared that if she moved she would fall since her legs had no feeling. Reluctantly she took her first step forward, and then another until she was on her way back to her room, a silly smile and a rosy blush plastered to her face.

"When you are with the one you love, even the slightest touch can change the world into something different…" Mai whispered before she pushed open the door of the base room and met the faces of her co-workers with a smile.

Tonight…tonight would be the happiest night of her life for she would be able to spend it in the embrace of the man she loved.

"Midnight Memories"

-End-

A/N: Thanks for reading and please let me know how you liked it! This story is loosely set after "Lost Before the Dawn" if you were wondering, but it works as a stand alone just as well! Please review!