Rainy Rest

Down and down, the rain comes. Forming large puddles in the streets, forcing people to skip jump over them. The reflected light ripples through the disturbed water, some of it showering onto the sidewalk upon the hasty advance of a car. Only a random thunder breaks the monotonous and stormy lullaby.

So that lonely orange umbrella marches forward, against the wind. Shielding the plastic bags as he walks, as he jumps over the pools that have make nest in the street, a long sigh he releases as the sight of home reaches his eyes. Pushing against the pouring rain, Takeru makes it back home, fumbling with his keys for a moment before the door relents and opens.

"Ugh, what a mess," he complains while resting the bags on the floor, removing his drenched overcoat with slow movements.

Amidst removing his soaked shoes and shivering at the difference in temperature, something stalls his movements. The lack of sounds, the lack of lights in the kitchen.

"I'm back," he announces to the silence, which returns the expected reply.

Folding the overcoat and taking it to the laundry room, he sees no one in the table, the TV is off, and no sounds betray the storm that's still raging. After leaving the groceries atop the wood, he skips some steps in the stairs and approaches his room.

What awaits inside is the quiet mumbling of a pencil that traces the page in quick succession, quite a few books and pages sprawled over the desk, and a stiff shape scouting and scanning each and every stroke as if it were the key evidence of a murder case. Eyes remaining open, fully so, with redness setting in under them, Chizuru rests her pencil to rub her forehead, slightly slump into the wood.

"Hey there, honey," he calls out, entering the room.

"Oh, you're back already?" She asks, looking back with an eye closed, still massaging her temple.

"Uh, Chizuru, dear, it's been almost an hour since I went to the store. You even hearing the storm that's out there?" He asks, raising a brow, a finger towards the window.

"Ah… I didn't notice…" allowing a short and shallow sigh, an equally claustrophobic inhalation, she leans back on the chair. "So, did you find everything?"

"Yeah, don't worry. They also had some chocolate with a discount, so I got two bars of 'em too. You wanna eat as is or would you like a submarine?"

"Wh- Takeru, you really should stop doing that," she admonishes, lips shrugging and a finger doing circles. "Shops set those discounts near the cashier for a reason. You need some self-control, don't go spending your money so carelessly."

"Oh, come on, dude. It's cold as tits today, why can't we get some warm cocoa as we watch TV or something? It ain't a bad idea, right?" He affirms, nodding to himself.

"Sigh… Something tells me your motives are not exactly as pure hearted as you make them sound," she complains, tapping her glasses.

"Oh, I wonder, what could you be thinking about, Chizuru-kun?" He chuckles softly, approaching slowly, as slowly sinking a few fingers into her loose hair. "Are we not projecting such thoughts onto my actions, mmh?"

Leaning into the gentle touch for a moment, eyelids fluttering in a heartbeat, she straightens up and moves away. "Takeru, I need to finish my reviewing. Not today."

"…You've been like this for a few weeks already, you know?" he asks, sighing as she begins to rummage through the piles of papers.

"I need the preparation, I have to pass these tests," she asserts, giving a delayed, strong blinking as she opens a few books to reference her current notes on.

"Chizuru, when was the last time you stood up from that chair?"

"…I don't know, an hour ago?"

"An hour ago was when I left for the store, before the rain started to collapse onto us."

"Is that so? Well, anyways, I just need to finish these notes…"

Not allowing him entrance into her sight, rushing through the pages and then rearranging her glasses, Chizuru once more dives into the texts, the stream of never ending letters. Lips parted ever so slightly, legs remaining molded together as if frozen, she clears her throat yet finds it difficult to smooth her lips again, to counter the quick pace, the shallowness of her breaths.

A twitch in her hand, a mistaken stroke. Clicking her tongue, sighing yet again she reaches for the eraser, rolling it over and over, a bit more than necessary, skinning the page a bit. Two fingers on her forehead then rest for a spell, when reaching out for the pencil to resume the note taking they meet emptiness. Flapping and flopping the hand about for a second and finding nothing, she looks to her left, finding the pencil standing at eye level.

And a tense expression with shrugged lips falling down on her.

"Sure looks like you could use some rest, you know?"

"…Takeru, give me back the pencil," she demands, extending a hand as a brow corks.

His eyes narrow, he takes a step back while twirling the pencil. "How about you come down to the living room and drink something?"

"Sigh… Come on, please don't be like- Augh!"

A hand supports her weight on the desk as a cold shiver claims her lower leg, contraction numbing it all from the knee downwards. Another hand slowly covers her back, granting balance and relaxation to her feet as his sigh tickles her ear.

"Chizuru, please. You've been reading up so much stuff, if you don't rest properly you won't make it to the exams in good shape," he whispers, running a hand on the back of her head, twirling and spinning over her hair.

"But I need the grades," she counters, chewing on the inner side of her cheeks, nibbling at her bottom lip while still supporting herself onto him.

"Your scores are superb thus far, and there's no shot you're fucking up your finals. Ouch!" He winces, a pair of fingers pinch and bull at his lower back.

"Language," she repines, lips shrugged. Sighing afterwards as he chuckles, a hand flattens her sweater, over and over again, before clasping onto an elbow. "I can simply remain complacent or I'll end up coasting. Achieving a decent enough score is what I'm after."

"…And all those notes and prep work ain't enough to warrant a little rest time?" He asks, pointing with his chin at the sprawling mass of paper and ink she had produced in only the current session.

Compacting her posture even more, taking a step away, a deep breath, Chizuru looks away to the window as a thunder roars. "If I stop now, I'll break my concentration… Just another half an hour, that's all I need. Yes, and then lay down the equivalences, note down the references… Oh, yeah, I haven't yet reviewed the arguments over the- Ah!"

Two arms slowly wrap over her shoulders, pulling her closer, her face falling onto him, into the vanilla scent.

"Takeru, let me go," pressing her palms onto his chest, she tries in vain to propel herself off the hold.

"…You're always overthinking things, you know?" He whispers, again threading and sinking a few fingers over her hair, the other hand waving back and forth from her shoulder to her elbow. "Trying to speedrun all the content won't let it all properly sink in. Weren't you the one who taught me memorizing everything was a bad call?"

"Yes, but…" fingers grip and pull at his clothing, lips and legs shrug the more his hand tends to her hair, "but sometimes it's a necessary evil. I won't make it otherwise."

"You've blazed past every test so far, and you ain't slacking off either. What makes you think you don't got this one too?"

"These are different and you know it."

"Then, don't you deserve some rest to recharge your batteries? Pretty sure someone once told me sleeping well was key in letting our thoughts spread roots or something like that?"

"Ugh… Why do you always remember my advice at the most inappropriate times?" She repines as her eyelids cascade down, slowly and gradually in imitation of those droplets of water stuck to the outer side of the window.

"Because that's when you need it the most," he tells, also closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath while resting his face onto her hair. Giving a brief kiss to her forehead, brushing her bangs aside, he looks straight ahead into her eyes. "Can't you note down some memo to what you've got in mind and call it quits for tonight?"

"Siiigh… You're always so selfish, you know," she puffs a cheek, poking one of his with a finger.

He simply chuckles. "Well, consider it payback for forcing me to study so much all the time. We need some balance in our lives, after all. And," leaning in, grasping her chin as if an antiquity it were, he allows his lips to meets hers for a second, "you really need to chill down, Chizuru. You've been at it all day long, ain't no way you're failing with how much you're prepping up for it. Unless you exhaust yourself, that is," he notes with a nod.

"I guess…" she whispers back, hands running over his arms, into his back. "But there's still so much material to review, I really might not make it."

"Then take a short break. Believe me, if you stay up for so much you're gonna keel over as soon as you step away from the desk. Same happened to me with Valgern-On, you gotta know your limits."

"…I can't believe you're actually right."

"Oh, don't be like that," he smiles, talking funny, pulling her even closer to smother her cheek with one of his, to her groaning and squeaking. "This is all thanks to your phenomenal tutoring, honey."

A momentary squirming ensues, hands that grip and pull, legs that brush and entwine. Gentle sparks, gentle heat resulting from the proximity, from the lack of frontiers between each other. As if under the rainfall, only a lukewarm kind of one, their breathing eases up along their shoulders, along some more groaning on her and chuckling on his. Until her fingers meet his scalp, propelling it down, down to her lips.

And for that moment, neither the storm nor the test existed. Only the warmth of the embrace, the slow inhalation into the other's perfume, into the remaining humidity in his hair and body, the small quiver which comes as her muscles loosen upon the circles his hand draw over her back, the light nibbling he forwards to her lip.

"Mmh… So, feeling better?" He asks, giving a peck to her nose.

"Phew… Yes," she smiles, licking over the back of her teeth, rubbing both thighs together, curling into the hold if only to safeguard the minute kindling which gently burns her breaths for a few seconds more. "…Can you go prepare something? I'll tidy up here."

A slow nod, another peck, a tentative squeeze down below which she returns in kind, a moment of simply holding each other, of wrapping the other in a cloak of faint heat, of enjoying the descent of their chests, the tickle of the exhalation.

Little does it take her to arrange notes and bookmarks for the next day, as little as his hesitation in simply heating up what leftovers were left from the day before and heating the prepackaged karaage he bought. Despite the initial complains, the scent of the chicken spurred saliva to build up within Chizuru's lips as he served the table. Only for said excess to be stolen in another kiss.

"Ugh… Where do you think you're touching?" she repines, despite not enlarging the nonexistent distance between their bodies.

"I dunno… Anyways, sit down already. It's gonna get cold," he says, going to his chair, right besides hers.

"Sigh… You really do love fried chicken with rice," she chuckles, taking a small bite.

"If it were up to me, I'd eat this every day. Either that or mackerel."

"I suppose, taking breaks to make sure you don't exclusively buy the same food over and over is going to be necessary," she smiles, lightly hitting his leg with hers.

"But ain't there a nice charm to such simple food? I mean," he leans closer, bumping shoulders, "with the rain as the background, a warm meal, a cozy couch… This is basically Heaven already," he nods, taking another piece of chicken to his lips.

"Sigh… I figured this was why you insisted I came over today," she smiles, shrugging as she returns the leaning, edging closer until their legs tough. "Should have seen it coming with your parents being gone. Anyways, shouldn't you have made more for when they come back?"

Waiting to properly chew, he shakes his head. "I've no idea where they went."

"Huh? Again?!"

"Yeah. They simply told me they were gonna be out for a week or so and peaced out."

"Shouldn't you be a bit more, uh, concerned over the fact you don't know where your parents are?"

He chuckles, only to flinch as a piece of chicken goes where it shouldn't, thus causing him to seek a glass in desperation. Chizuru sighs as she hands him the water, unable to halt her chuckling at his hurried gulping or relieved sigh. "Cough… Well, to be honest, they always were like this. I mean, I had no fucking clue where they went when Meiya crash landed here. Ouch!"

"Takeru, mind your language," she shrugs her lips, twisting and pulling at his thigh. "Good grief, why can't you stop swearing so regularly?"

"Sorry, sorry. Sigh… But yeah, I thought they were gonna be here when I invited you over."

"Huh, is that so?" She asks, leaning closer, the fingers now running over, upwards.

"Yeah," he smiles, falling down, letting their foreheads meet, "it has been a long while since we could enjoy some quality time together, after all."

"Sorry, I just-"

"It's cool, I know you got your own priorities. If you like studying here, you're welcome whenever you want."

"…Really? You won't, um, you know…"

"What?"

"Well, ask anything of me or… um…"

"Oho, are you looking forward to something in particular, Chizuru-kun?"

"Sigh… Yeah, but I… I have to- Mmh…" she quivers, for as long as the peck lasts.

"It's cool, I told you. There is something nice about… you know, simply spending some downtime together like this, right?"

"…Yeah."

Doing idle chatter, emptying their plates, she stops him from having a too large second serving. Which in turn causes him to insist on her eating that share, to avoid heating the chicken a second time. A few more complains over wordings as he complains about his course, more massages to her hair as doubt threatens to claim her phrases, a few odd debates of plans for the incoming free days they shall have as they drink their cocoa, time simply passes them by.

So simply, so slowly, as they find no motive to lift their voices from the whispers they had become, to gain further distance, to dare to extend the warm cloak which enveloped both.

Insistence on his end forces the dishes to remain in the sink until dawn, the yawn and repressed stiffness causes her to relent her agreement to the notion.

"Well, it is already quite late…" she says, eyeing the clock.

"And it's raining," he notes, hugging her from behind, playing with her strands of hair.

"…But I didn't tell mom I wasn't-"

"You can call and tell her. Plus, all your notes are already here," he whispers, kissing the outer rim of her ear.

"And I… guess I don't have enough money for a taxi," she relents, pushing back onto the hold, fingertips tracing his hand.

"Then, you're staying the night?"

"…I do need to wake up early and study, Takeru. We… I mean, I'd like to but…"

"Hey," circles on her shoulders, near her neck, "I can tell you're tired, Chizuru. Let's just lay down and rest, if that's what you'd like."

"…Really? You won't… well…"

"Oho, are we wanting something else?"

"Mmgh… If you don't wake up by morning… I get to d-decide how we do it next time."

"I mean, I think we both know I ain't waking up anyways. But if you'd like to ask for a date once the tests are over," he kisses her neck, repeatedly, lower and lower while hugging her stomach, "then it'll be my pleasure, Chizuru."

Both hands lay atop his, she turns back to return the kindness, the small and repeated pecking. "It's decided, then. I'll call mom so… uh, wait, is it going to keep raining tomorrow?"

"Who knows? With some luck, yeah."

"What luck? The streets are gonna get flooded."

"But I get to stay with you, so that's a win in my book. Ouch!"

"Don't be silly, Takeru."

"Hehe… Sorry."

As he tidies up the kitchen she informs her mother of the change in schedule, a minimal stuttering ensuing after flushed cheeks. Further pinching comes about as he teases the purse of her lips, yet in each other's arms they take the stairs, go back into his, or rather, their room.

More repining comes as he flings his clothes about, chuckling as he places them in the proper basket. Sharing some of his t-shirts with her for usage as night clothes, Chizuru hesitantly sits on the bed, rubbing both legs together, drawing circles over the sheets and unable to meet his eyes.

"What's up?"

"Um, thanks for inviting me over. I really needed the… space today."

"C'mon, there's no need," he smiles, sitting besides her. "Still, you're sure contradictory. First you complain about me buying the chocolate but then you gulp your cup down in a second."

"…It was nice, to have something warm with how the weather is being," she admits, tilting into him. "Sigh… Thanks, really."

Silence extends as their arms do over each other, frontiers that are broken, soft bumping and pulling, a gentle sway of the embrace. Noting the slowness of the gestures, the eyelids which struggle to remain open, he slides off the bed, laying her down on it to go and flick the switch off. Before complains came about, he procures a book from the shelve, searching for the bookmark that had sunk into the pages.

"Why don't we continue our last read?" He suggests, opening the sheets.

"Now? But I, well, might fall asleep…"

"And? We can resume from what you last recall tomorrow, right?" he suggests, brushing a cheek of hers. She relents a nod, taking off her glasses, safeguarding them in the drawer nearby.

A subtle nod later at his cheeky smile, she slides under the covers, waits for him to do the same. A hand propels her waist off the cushion, a squeak leaves her lips as he places her on top. Some grumbling later, Chizuru rests onto his chest while Takeru runs his fingers over her hair, over and over. Clearing his throat, placing his free hand on her waist as hers embrace him fully, Takeru inhales slowly as the softness of her hair snuggles onto his chin.

Such indivisibility causes jealous thunders to fall down, try and linger into the room, their eyes. As they swirl and nuzzle against one another, the calm cloak of rain serves to further lower the intensity of their breaths. Under the stormy lullaby, only the gentle whisper of his telling reaches Chizuru's ears. An eye on the page, the other on her relaxing features, Takeru shifts her posture, accepting the pull of her hands and becoming her personal pillow.

And for that moment, the storm, the exams, the issues of their parents and the like simply cease to be. Eyes to eyes, lips to lips, skin that melts and allows hearts to become singular. In this brief sanctuary of respite there is nothing else, nothing else besides just the two of them.

Shuffling together, whispering so that only they could hear even without the storm, his slow and soft telling continues, her chin and cheek sinking more and more into his chest, as his fingers knead and thread her hair more and more. Until snoring overtakes the storm, a hand clinging to his shoulder which loosens and tickles instead. Smiling and kissing her forehead, setting the bookmark and then resting the novel on the floor, Takeru curls to a side and then embraces her fully. Chizuru gives out a drowned moan, nuzzling against him again, relaxing further as he kisses her forehead and whispers to her ear.

"Sweet dreams, Chizuru."

Inhaling deep, exhaling long, Takeru then returns the snuggling, settling calm as their foreheads remain in contact. And he, too, soon finds it hard to open his eyes, to have any reason to. With the lullaby of the rain as his overseer, Takeru also allows his thoughts to still, clinging to the sweet scent that billows from her hair as they become the other's pillow, breaths and heartbeats in complete synchrony.

Enjoying a soothing night's sleep in their beloved's arms. Just the two of them, under the calm watch of this storm.