The quiet thud of feet on pavement was all but lost beneath the din of rainfall, save for the occasional splash of Mia's shoe in the various puddles collected on the beaten sidewalk. She had a destination, of course, and it was a long walk even without the rain, but the thoughts racing through her mind kept her going. Sarnrei's house, big and warm as himself, was the happiest place on earth as far as she was concerned, and certainly a welcome change from her own home life.

As her feet carried her along the road, her mind thought of what would await her arrival. Even at two in the morning, he would be awake and warm. She'd wear his clothes, which would be warm and dry after a half hour of running through the rain. He'd probably have a mug of tea ready for her by the time she came back down the huge staircase. The slate kitchen floor would be cold on her bare feet, so she'd stand on his, which would be covered by thick brown socks. She'd tell him what happened, and he'd be as understanding as he always was.

The difference between her tears and the rain that landed on her face was long gone, and it felt good. It was cold. The water was beginning to soak through her coat, but she kept running until at last she nearly collapsed onto the porch of Sarnrei's house. She reached out and hit the doorbell once, but there was no response. Again, she hit it, and a light clicked on in a room off the balcony above the entryway. Mia recognized it as the master bedroom.

"Hi," she said with a cringe, noticing the grumpy and tired expression on Alister's face when he opened the door.

"Good morning," he mumbled. "I assume everything is not entirely alright, as you've rung the doorbell to my house at two o'clock in the morning looking like you've just run a marathon through a hurricane?"

"Something like that," she replied. "Is Sarnrei around?"

"He's sleeping, because it's two o'clock in the morning."

Mia nodded slowly. "That would make sense," she said, waiting for an invitation inside, which didn't seem to be coming. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Oh, not at all, please make yourself at home," he said with a kind smile, stepping aside and opening the door wider. "And you're welcome to wake Sarnrei if you wish, but please keep it down. I'm just down the hall."

Mia stepped inside, watching the odd man make his way back up the stairs, whistling an unrecognizable tune to himself. Her fingers found the buttons to her coat, and she unfastened the front, slipping her arms out and tossing the coat haphazardly on the coat rack.

She slipped off her shoes and started up the stairs, but when she turned the corner on the landing overlooking the driveway, she nearly fell back down from the surprise of seeing Sarnrei standing at the top.

"Good morning," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Hey."

"Family troubles?"

"Yeah," she said, starting again up the second half of the stairs. "My dad kicked me out."

Sarnrei's teeth could be heard grinding together as he heard this, and his expression grew cold. "Why'd he do that?" he asked as evenly as he could manage.

"He was drunk," Mia defended, honestly grateful he'd given her nowhere else to go. "He just wasn't thinking straight."

"That's not an excuse," said Sarnrei. "If he can't keep his act together, maybe--"

"Can we do this later?" Mia interrupted. "I know it's wrong, but right now I'm really tired, and I'd really like to change out of these clothes."

Sarnrei looked out the window positioned over the landing, which faced the general direction of Mia's house, but nodded. "Yeah, alright," he agreed. "I've got some pajamas you can wear."

Sarnrei's wallpaper had been astronauts since he was six years old. That's not to say that he had the same wallpaper. In fact only two years earlier they'd renovated his room, and again at age sixteen he asked for astronaut wallpaper. For a reason she couldn't place, this always made Mia smile.

"Here," he said, rummaging through his bureau and pulling out a pair of flannel pants and a large tee shirt. "This'll do?" he asked, and she nodded. "Alright, anything else?"

"Tea?" she asked.

"Sure thing," he said, leaning in to kiss her, and planting it on her forehead.

Sarnrei puttered about the kitchen downstairs, quietly fixing tea for the two of them. Cream and sugar for his, honey for hers, humming quietly to himself. With the water on, he wandered into the living room and sat in the large recliner, where he closed his eyes.

"Tea's ready," Mia told him a few minutes later, taking the two steps down into the living room with a mug in each hand. "Not usually a good idea to fall asleep with the stove on, you know."

"Sorry," Sarnrei replied, leaning forward and accepting his mug. "Thanks."

"Sorry about waking you," Mia said, sipping her tea carefully.

"It's alright, it was important." Even if it wasn't important, he would have said it was alright.

Mia smiled and sat down on the arm of Sarnrei's chair. He set his own mug aside on the end table and wrapped his arms around her waist, where he closed his eyes again.

"No falling asleep here," she warned.

Sarnrei mumbled something that she couldn't make out.

They spent some time sitting there together on the large recliner, during which Sarnrei did in fact fall asleep again.

"Hey, wake up," Mia was saying, shaking his shoulder. "Come on, you should go back up to sleep. We've got school tomorrow." Her fantasy may not have gone entirely to plan, but she did wake him at two in the morning, steal his extra pair of pajamas, and have him make her tea.

"Yeah," he mumbled, sitting up groggily, but she had already collected both mugs and returned them to the sink. "You wanna' set up here on the couch?" he offered, picking himself up out of the chair and climbing the two steps back into the kitchen. Mia finished rinsing out the mugs and turned on him.

"That's one option," she said, walking the few steps that separated them. "I had something else in mind." She reached up to clasp her hands behind his neck and, standing on her toes, kissed him.

Sarnrei provided no verbal response to this, but his hands found her back and pulled her close to him, and slowly they began to sway together where they stood in the middle of the kitchen. After a time, Sarnrei broke the kiss and offered Mia a warm smile. He stepped back, and she released her hands which quickly found his, and together they made their way back upstairs.

The moment the door closed, Mia wrapped her arms around Sarnrei's neck and kissed him there in the darkness of his room. She grinned as his warm hands clasped behind the small of her back.

Sarnrei found the hem of the shirt he'd leant her and he lifted it. As they stumbled toward his bed, their lips parted only long enough for the shirt to pass between them.

Her hands fumbled at his belt as Sarnrei discarded his own shirt to the chair by his desk. She was almost done when he leaned in and kissed her cheek, and her jawline and her neck down to her shoulder.

"Damnit Sarnrei," she muttered. He smirked and kissed along her collarbone and across her chest.

Mia's hands managed to unclasp her bra despite their shaking, and it too was cast into the dark corners of Sarnrei's room.

"Ow," Mia said. She had found Sarnrei's end table with her toe.

"You alright?"

"Fine," she said, using the distraction to finish unbuckling his pants. They too were kicked into the darkness.

Sarnrei grabbed the waistband of Mia's borrowed pants. "Hang on," he said.

"What?"

There was a brief pause.

"I'm kinda tired actually," he said.

"Oh shut up."

"No really. Maybe we can just do this tomorrow?"

There was a quiet thud of Mia punching him in the arm. "Take off your god damned underwear already."

Sarnrei chuckled, and as he bent over, his head knocked against Mia's.

"Ow! Dumbass," Mia grumbled.

"Klutz," Sarnrei shot back, and then shoved her onto the bed. She let out a yelp of surprise. He'd hardly followed her into the bed when Mia pinned him.

"Tired my ass," she whispered. Sarnrei imagined a devious smirk across her lips.

"Well if your ass is tired, maybe--"

There was another thud as she punched him again.

"Hey, you said it, not--" he started, but Mia silenced him with a kiss.

Sarnrei could feel her breath quicken and her body tense as he corrected his posture.

Mia's hands gripped his shoulders. Hands guided her hips before tracing her sides. A bead of sweat was picked up on Sarnrei's forefinger as his fingertips danced along her back and shoulders, trembling with each touch.

Her hair fell into Sarnrei's face, and she brushed it behind her ear. "Sorry," she breathed. He didn't notice.

What he did notice was Mia. He noticed her hands on his chest and every motion she made. He felt her body and every glorious feature that made it unique. Most of all, though, he noticed her. He imagined her voice and her laugh and the way she lit up in the morning when she saw him. He picked up his head and kissed her neck and heard her breath falter.

Mia buried her face in Sarnrei's neck and let her own thoughts slip away. This wasn't a time for thinking, it was a time for being. With Sarnrei she could allow herself to feel. His breath was heavy and strong, but his touch was light and caring.

Little more of consequence was said that night. Very little needed to be said. That night they were there to feel and to be together and alone.