A/N: This was just supposed to be drabble about two people sleeping but then it escalated into something bigger. Goddess, help me on this writing spree. Anyway, this is the first half of this two-shot I'll be making centered around the adorable bluenette. Hope you enjoy and reviews are highly appreciated! :) - Tia

Like Earth, Like Fire

Earth chapter

Soma was careful not to wake Megumi when he opened the door to his room that night. He saw her sleeping by his bed, arms tucked neatly by her side, and her hair was flowing down past her shoulders as she turned in her sleep.

Checking to see if she had set the alarm on her bed properly (she didn't), he slid over to the edge of his bed, cautious not to wake the girl up. After all, the reason they decided to sleep on the same bed in the first place was due to both parties' recent lack of rest. He slid over to her side and settled himself so that he can prop his elbow on the pillow and observe the figure beside him.

Carefully, oh so carefully, he brushed away the hair covering Megumi's face, making sure his touch was light so as not to disturb her. But if there's one thing he always seemed to forget about her, it's that she's a light sleeper.

Despite the brief contact that ensued between Soma's fingers and her hair, the bluenette stirred. Slowly, she looked at the person beside her with half-lidded eyes, sleep still very much visible on her face.

"How was," she yawned before settling herself beside her partner, this time placing her head by the crook of his jaw, "your taste-testing for the upcoming cooking battles, Soma-kun?"

To Soma, Megumi was his land to rest on after a weary day. She soothed his weary eyes with her smile and her very presence around him made his tired body relax with ease. Just brushing her hair with his fingers as he told all about the things he was experimenting on regarding his food seemed to make his heavy heart lighter, like there wasn't even a weight in the first place.

The redhead didn't notice it, but soon, his words became like a lullaby to Megumi as she began to drift off in her dreams. He only noticed she was asleep when he saw the rise and fall of her chest match with his own and when he saw her peaceful face as he looked down on his tired-looking partner.

Soma was about to tuck in himself when he noticed his partner's strange movements. She was shivering, despite the fact that they were both wrapped in blankets.

And that's when he knew that he needed her right then.

He knew that when she began to tremble, the nightmares would usually follow.

Scooting a little closer to close the gap between them, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his chest. They were so pressed together that he could sense the shivers himself flow through her body, could feel her heart beat in time with his, can hear the little breaths come from her lips.

Back then, Soma wasn't sure what to do when he heard his neighbor crying during late at night beside him, so he agreed to accompany her until she was able to fall asleep peacefully. Evening talks turned to late-night conversations and soon enough, Megumi grew accustomed to sleeping beside his bed.

When he first suggested that they should sleep together, Megumi was flustered. (Who wouldn't be, anyway?) But after a little prodding and reassurance that they would stop it once she got rid of the nightmares, everything went smoothly afterwards. So smoothly, that it felt more like a nightly routine now more than anything.

Soma continued to hold her close and brush her hair with his fingers, humming an old tune to himself as he did so. He was glad that she wasn't crying as often anymore, too. For the heck of it, he decided to comb through her hair just once before he decided to join her in her dreams. He twined his fingers easily with her hair and gently slid them down the tips of her navy locks. It was smooth as silk and it felt like caressing a small flower in his palm.

Satisfied, he laid his head on the pillow with an arm still wrapped around the girl's waist. Their faces were barely inches apart and he could clearly see the delicate features on Megumi's profile more closely and feel her breath right across from his. Out of the blue, her face changed briefly, as if to speak.

"Mother, the person... Cook for..." the girl suddenly muttered, "whole life..."

Curious, Soma waited for her response. Her face seemed to change into an expression of embarrassment before returning to her original peaceful image of contentment.

"Soma-kun, Mother... My guiding light." she finally said before drifting off once more.

Feelings of shock, then disbelief, then warmth flooded Soma's senses as he heard her tiny confession. He wanted to know more but, as he looked at the moon casting light on his partner's serene face in the dark, he'd save it for when they would wake up later. He closed his eyes and hoped that Megumi couldn't hear the pounding in his chest as he held on to her tighter.

The first thing Megumi saw when she woke up was Soma's eyes staring directly at her.

He was beaming at her with half-lidded yet focused, golden orbs that pierced through her. She felt his arms still wrapped around her, deducing that she might have encountered nightmares again last night only for him to comfort her again. She was about to apologize when he got to her first.

"Tadokoro, do you remember anything about what you said last night?" he asked.

Megumi shook her head. "Nothing at all. I was so tired from the research society's activities lately that I decided to rest immediately. Why do you ask, Soma-kun?" She began to sit up so that she could open his curtains when she finally noticed that they were already parted.

The sunlight rarely touched where the beds are placed in the room. But, since they were positioned just where it rose from the sky, the light was able to hit them directly and its rays gave the Soma in front of Megumi a gentle morning glow. A glow that gave him the face of an angel.

She wasn't sure if she said it because she was still half-asleep. She wasn't sure if it was just a slip of the tongue. She wasn't sure if she was even thinking when it happened, but...

Megumi made a small comment on how beautiful he looked that morning, disheveled hair and all, and then she saw a fire in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. Realizing at what she had just said, she was blushing so hard when she tried to take back the words that escaped from her mouth when Soma pulled her close to him and pressed his lips against hers.

A soft, chaste kiss right on her lips in the morning. It was unconventional but it was her first kiss.

Her first kiss.

When they pulled apart, Soma greeted her with his usual smile, but the fire in his eyes never wavered.

"Good morning, Tadokoro."

A fire that Megumi knew all too well as he took her lips in his own once more.