Writings and Stories

[Kaltes-Herzeleid]

Spring's Rain
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Rain sprinkled from the dark skies outside the safety of the home, pattering against the structure with an indifferent persistence and nourishing the land with motherly care. I was awake, the warmth provided by the blanket slipping off my shoulders to feel the familiar chill of the endless spinning of the ceiling fan. Blades rotating in an endless and unbroken cycle.

"Are you awake?" Zero Two spoke from the place beside me. Nightmare was still at the castle, overseeing royal business. Esdeath and Lupusregina had decided to take a hunting trip together, so for the time being it was just us.

"No. Are you?"

She smirked. "No."

Moment of silence.

"Are you okay?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. It's important to get your sleep, darling."

My head sunk deeper into my pillow as I adjusted my position to looking over at her. She was looking at me now. Kindheartedly.

"You're letting your horns grow out a bit," I smiled, the tip of my forefinger tapping the crimson tip of her left horn. She blushed and playfully swatted my hand away.

"I know you like them," her cheeks nearly the same color as her hair. "Though filing them will take just a bit longer now."

"I can help you with that. I think it'd make for a good bonding activity."

"It's a date then," she giggled.

We both lay on our backs now. The rain seeming louder in the silence. Looking over at Zero Two I saw her hair spilled out over the pillow like pink wings. Thoughtful, intelligent teal eyes and soft lips. She wore a dark red tank top and my eyes couldn't help but appreciate the bare skin of her shoulders and clavicle. Her demeanor relaxed, graceful in her ease. An angelic sight.

"Darling, you're being a pervert again," she laughed, shoulders moving in that unique way they do when the body is shuddering from a laugh.

"You stare too," I replied knowingly and unable to prevent a small smile. I didn't hate my appearance anymore. In fact in that regard I was overall comfortable with myself. My smile was less one of egocentricity than so much as a quietly happy feeling that such lingering looks were mutual.

"C'mere," she beckoned me into her grasp, nestling herself against my bigger frame. Fingers trailing invisible marks of affection along my back. These movements had no obvious pattern but were determined entirely by the feelings and the atmosphere of a moment in the progress of life. My own fingers busied themselves with her lustrous hair, lifting a few strands in contrast with the dark and allowing them to fall back into place. Her breathing tickled my neck.

"Seriously darling, are you okay?" She moved her head to look me in my deep brown eyes.

"Of course, I just woke up is all. Nothing at all out of the ordinary, my sweet," I purred reassuringly to her, my fingers caressing her jaw and earning me a cute smile. I loved being able to make her smile. I never wanted her to feel unhappy or distressed.

"No dreams?"

"No dreams."

More silence. Shorter this second time. "I feel as though I should inquire the same, Zero Two. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just woke up to the rain and thought I'd listen to it. I love the rain."

Thunder rumbled and I turned my head to look up towards the ceiling. The ceiling fan blades still spun. I remembered something that elicited a tugging smile that came with recalling something from childhood.

"When I was a kid my mom told me thunder was just angels bowling."

Zero Two giggled again.

"I remember the first time I heard thunder," she said in an tone that was vulnerably anecdotal. "Funny enough I wasn't scared. I just remembered how powerful it sounded. I wondered what it'd be like to fly through it. Through the rain and the wind and the clouds." Thoughtfully her fingers stroked my beard and from the glint in her eyes I knew she registered the softness and it was pleasing and soothing. Her thumb found my bottom lip and tenderly pulled at it for a sweet moment before releasing it. The sound of it meeting my upper lip was a little pop, barely noticeable like the clicking of a blinking eyelid.

The rain still fell and I could paint in the portal of my mind a stretch of grass, raindrops glittering on them like earthly stars. So green and soft. A forest. Bark a darker shade and full leaves. Serenity left in the wake of the rain as the sun's morning pilgrimage to create the day began as it had for eons.

"I associate you with water now, you know." Her fingers moved now to my neck with feather care down my collarbone to my chest. She smiled at me and clearly wanted me to continue.

"I almost drowned once so for many years I never liked it all that much," her face became serious at my speaking of nearly drowning but I went on. "Seeing how much you love it makes me think of it differently. Times like these remind me how special it is. It's a gateway to an altered state of being."

She was smiling again.

"My pink water nymph."

"I'm hardly a nymph," she moved a knuckle over her lips to conceal a widening irresistible smile and again she giggled and it colored the air the sweetest shade.

"Well if I saw you basking on the rocks I'm absolutely certain I could not resist. I wouldn't want to either."

"You're so sweet, darling," she kissed me. I enveloped her in my arms, her warmth melding with my own. I felt the tip of a fang with my tongue and my lips were sweetly wet. My hand found a place over her beating heart and love louder than the greatest thunder resonated against my palm.

Affectionately she touched her horns to my forehead, clutching my hand. Hers were petite and pretty. Soft and deliberately gentle.

"We should really get some sleep."

"Yeah."

Settling ourselves down and pulling the blanket back over us I looked again at her beautiful face, her eyes guiding me into peace. The sound of rain faded and my mind swam in teal hued slumber.

"Good night darling. I love you."