Unaccustomed

( Zero & Yuuki )

prompt : I only feel this way when you're around

Disclaimer: I do not own Zero, Yuuki, absolutely nothing of Vampire Knight. These words, however, are mine.

"Isn't it so nice to get away from the Academy like this, Zero?" Yuuki asked from ahead of him, swinging her arms up into the air and managing to spin herself around in a circle as she walked without falling flat on her face. He would've liked to see that. "I can't believe that the Chairman got so sick, especially at a time like this! How are we supposed to get all the food we need back with us?"

"I'm sure you'll manage to think of something." He replied, gesturing offhandedly with his hand. He hadn't meant that as a compliment... Nonetheless, she took it as one.

"You're right! When have I ever not thought of something great?" Yuuki announced.

"I can think of a few things." Zero deadpanned, several memories filling his mind. "Like you thinking that your entire collection of toys should try to survive a flood -- which happened to be in the toilet." An image of a soaked Yuuki, smiling sloppily and pointing to her waterlogged stuffed animals overflowing the toilet made him smile. Just a little.

She had the grace to blush and turned around to face him, walking backwards. "I was young and curious." She defended herself, huffing. "At least I had my adventures; all you could do was walk around reading books and insulting me."

"I must've known the adventures you would pull off later in life would include me and I needed to retain my innocence as long as possible."

She laughed outright, which to his surprise turned into a shrill shriek as she stumbled over her own feet onto the ground.

"You're one hell of a mess, you know that, right?" Zero sighed after a moment of staring at her, about to move to help her up (as always, he thought wryly) but he didn't manage to do more than think about it, before someone was behind Yuuki, helping her up themselves.

Correction: helping her up himself.

Flustered, Yuuki allowed the man to help her up, before she spun around, taking a few steps backward to get a better look at him. He was young -- about their age and he was smiling crookedly at Yuuki. "Sorry if I startled you, but... Since this guy," he said, gesturing behind her to Zero, "wasn't exactly being helpful, I stepped in. I'm sorry if I was being too forward..." He finished, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Oh, no no no. Thank you for helping me!" Yuuki hurried to say. "You're right, Zero wasn't being helpful at all." She agreed, laughing wickedly internally, but putting on a resigned front for the man to see.

She didn't need to look behind her to know that Zero's eyes had turned frosty, since he had been about to help her up...

But really, where was the fun in letting the guy know that?

"My name's Yuuki!" Yuuki supplied cheerfully, holding her hand out for him to shake.

"Nakayo." He replied, taking her hand and not shaking it...

But kissing it.

Zero wasn't accustomed to the flare of jealousy that rose up inside of him and he didn't like it. Actually, to be more specific, he didn't like this Nakayo character. Who was he that he thought he could just walk in and start up a conversation with a girl he barely knew? Although, by the sound of the conversation, they were doing quite the job in remedying that.

Still... He couldn't let his emotions get the best of him and so he forced himself to calm down and let his expression remain... Well, expressionless. "Yuuki?" He cut into their conversation and he was horrified to hear his voice clipped and slightly... Angry. When she turned to look at him, he grit out that they had things to do, before he turned and walked away.

And still, even as he walked away, he could hear her continue to talk to the idiot standing with her.

And he could feel himself becoming increasingly more agitated.

"Zero! Wait up!" Yuuki finally called, but he ignored her. Why didn't she go back and talk to Nakayo? He seemed such great company.

He wasn't aware that he had voiced that until Yuuki stepped in front of him, trying to get him to stop walking so she could talk to him properly. "You're really cute when you're jealous, though I have to say... This is definitely the most unsettled you've ever gotten."

"I don't get jealous." He scoffed. "And I don't see anything here to be jealous of."

She held up a finger, waving it back and forth. "Zero, Zero... I know you're lying, so I will refrain from bashing you over the head for that one." Sighing, she said, "you must know that you're the only one, Zero. My favorite little man." She punctuated her last words by ruffling his hair and he swatted her arms away irritably, brushing past her.

Of course, he would never admit to her the fact that his ego was sated every time she did the little things like that, or said the little things like that.

And perhaps he wasn't as unaccustomed to the licking flames of jealousy as he liked to believe. He was always around her and she was always around him, so naturally when they ran into other people...

But she was the only one who could make him feel that way.

And he relished the feel of her warm and trusting body against him as she threw herself onto his back, clamping her legs around his waist until he hooked his arms under them with a dramatic play of tortured sounds as she laughed close to his ear.

Because he was the only one who could make her feel like that; like she could laugh and have fun.

They were accustomed to that.