I Don't Mind

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Nothing Much to Do/Much Ado About Nothing.

A/N: This story is set in a universe where everything happens except Balthazar and Pedro getting together. The chapters will not take place in chronological order, so don't think you've missed anything if chapters don't match up with the ones before. Also, there'll be mention of a major character death, so yeah, there's that warning. Hope everyone enjoys this - I'll try to update as often as possible!

The light pattering of rain can be heard on the window as Hero lies on the couch, staring at the ceiling. She's tired. Really tired. For the life of her, though, she can't seem to fall asleep. It's four in the afternoon, and she's trying to take her usual nap. Luckily, as a freelance graphic designer, Hero has the slight luxury of napping.

With a sigh, Hero turns to her side. It doesn't help. Neither does the other side. There's just too much to think about for her brain to shut down.

'Just close your eyes and listen to the rain, Hero,' she tells herself. 'Relax and listen to the rain.'

Hero stepped out of the art building into the torrential downpour. She had been working late without realizing that the clear, warm weather from the earlier part of the day had been replaced by bucketloads of rain.

'Well, I guess I'll be leaving my bike here.' Hero didn't trust herself to ride through the huge puddles in the street without falling off and hurting herself. With no umbrella to protect her head or her bag, she ventured out from under the building's overhang. She was immediately soaked but had no option of turning back - she couldn't very well sleep in the art building in her sopping clothes.

"Need an umbrella?" The question startled her, and she spun, hands up in some semblance of self-defense. Her ninja pose was met with his concerned face. Hero laughed in relief and put her hands down.

"Don't you know you're not supposed to sneak up on people at night?" He shrugged and held his large black umbrella over her head so it covered both of them. "What are you doing here this late anyway?"

"Which way do you live?"

Hero tried to not feel exasperated at the lack of answer. "Over on Oak by that gross, little pizza place."

He turned and started walking in the direction of her apartment, leaving Hero to jog to catch up with him. "I was doing some research for a film project in the fine arts library. You?" Hero knew he was a film major from the few time she had talked to Ben about him. Out of everyone who had made YouTube videos in high school, he was surprisingly the only one to continue. He was such a private person, but apparently airing his feelings and frustrations to a captive online audience actually helped him work through everything. That had led him to becoming a film major. Him being at her university just happened to be chance.

He was still looking at her, waiting for an answer. "Oh, yeah, I was finishing up this 3D project. I'm doing an installation piece made from wire coat hangers, and they're a lot harder to work with than I thought." She showed him the scratches on her hand. "I'm done with it. Not actually done, but, you know, checked out. Maybe I'll just do something with paper."

"But then you'll get paper cuts, which are arguably worse. Maybe you should just quit art and go into politics. After all, no one gets hurt there." Hero laughed. When did he get this sense of humor?

"Yeah, but then I'd have to get used to backstabbing and rumors, and you know how I am with those." She chuckled. He didn't. Damn, why did she say that? "I'm sorry, that was really out of line. The first time I've seen you in three years, and I go say something -"

He stopped walking and grabbed her shoulder. Hero looked at him and saw pain in his eyes. "Hero Duke, don't you ever apologize to me. Just don't. It's going to take me a lifetime to apologize, so I sure as hell don't deserve hearing a sorry from you." He let her shoulder go and kept walking.

When they got to her apartment, they said goodbye, and he made sure she got through her door safely.

The next evening, he showed up in the art building with wire cutters and dinner.

Hero wakes to her husband gently shaking her awake.

"Hey, babe, what were you dreaming? You were making your weird happy face." He looks amused, like he knows exactly what she was dreaming about.

She just smiles when she notices his large black umbrella leaning against the wall.