Âmes en peine (English ver.)

¹⁴ 𝐆𝐢𝐧

—Hey Hana, a deep voice rang out as a hand gently shook her shoulder. Wake up.

—Mmh, grumbled the woman who was just emerging from her half-sleep. Two more minutes, she implored, burying her face against her makeshift pillow.

Keisuke laughed lightly, shaking again the young woman comfortably nestled against his shoulder. They had left the party at around three in the morning, and the young man had insisted on walking her home. Partly to make sure she got home safely, partly to get his skateboard back.

They'd both managed to catch one of the last night buses, and despite the euphoria still running through their veins, Hana hadn't been able to battle the fatigue that had taken hold of her. So, with her head resting against her partner, listening with a distracted ear to the music streaming from the headphones he'd lent her, she hadn't tried to resist the urge to close her eyes for a moment.

—We'll miss the stop, the dark-haired man informed her quietly.

Not without a groan of annoyance, Hana forced herself to open her eyelids. Gently, she straightened up in her seat, stretched her ankylosed limbs, returned the earphone to its owner and lazily got up to follow Akaashi. The bus doors opened, and the sound of raindrops crunching on the asphalt broke the silence that had reigned until then. At that moment, the last traces of his drowsiness vanished, and her eyes widened.

—Oh no, it's raining, she said aloud.

At his side, Akaashi didn't seem to mind.  With his hood pulled down over his head and his hands in his pockets, he quietly got off the bus. Hana eventually followed, grimacing imperceptibly as her boots landed in a puddle. With as quick a step as her legs, still numb from the drink, would allow, she caught up with the young man who, seeing that his companion was finding it difficult to walk upright, put his arm around her waist for support. They exchanged an amused glance before sinking together beneath the thick curtain of water.

The rain doubled in intensity, and in less than a minute, Hana felt the water drip from her hair and seep under her clothes. Soaked to the bones and surprisingly cold for a May night, she would have been chattering her teeth if the young man's warmth hadn't enveloped her. His arm was still firmly wrapped around her body, and she wasn't shy about clinging to it in return.

—Why the fuck is it pouring like that ? Grumbled the boy as even his boots began to fill with water.

—You can sleep at my place for a few hours until things calm down, Hana suggested spontaneously. On the other hand, you forget about sleeping in late. I'm not sure my grandmother would appreciate me bringing people behind her back.

—I'll be gone before you wake up, promised the boy with amusement.

—Oh, and you'll have to be discreet and climb through my window, she explained, giggling at the prospect.

—Are you sure you'll make it back upstairs? He teased with amusement. You can barely stand up.

—Leave it to the professional I am.

The Hoshino mansion finally appeared in their wake, and the student increased his pace in the hope of reaching the shelter as quickly as possible. This was without taking into account the young woman's reduced abilities, however, and she nearly collided several times, eliciting barely controlled laughter each time. Their hilarity only increased when they had to climb the porch leading to the younger woman's bedroom. The rain had made the hooks as slippery as ice, and even the figure skater had to think twice before she managed to climb onto the roof.

Hana was the first to take cover. Luckily, the book she'd used to keep the window open hadn't suffered too much from the rain, unlike her clothes, which clung to her like a second skin. By the time she had untied her shoelaces, Akaashi had crossed the window. Their eyes locked, and the young woman beckoned him to remain silent, her index finger resting on her lips.

—You'd better not wake the old witch, she told him as she threw off her leather jacket on the back of her desk chair. She's kind of grumpy when she wakes up.

—We'd have made less noise going through the front door than climbing over the roof, remarked Akaashi as she removed her hood, a wry smile on her lips.

—I'm not sure about that, giggled the young woman, taking off her wet socks. With her knee problems, my grandmother's room was moved to the first floor to avoid her having to climb stairs. So unless she's awake, she's unlikely to hear us.

Akaashi removed his hoodie, dripping with water, and placed it on a drawer nearby.

—The bathroom's this way, she indicated, moving towards a door behind him. Come on, she intimated, grabbing his hand as she went.

A handful of minutes later, the two of them emerged from the bathroom, free of the remains of fluorescent paint that the rain hadn't washed away. Once that was done, Hana made her way to her closet to find them some dry, comfortable clothes to make up for the few hours of sleep they'd had.

—I'm sure I can lend you clothes, she said, rummaging through her wardrobe before letting out a little cry of victory. Ah! Here. Catch.

In the half-light of the room, Akaashi had just enough time to see and intercept the garment before it would crash into his face.

—I should have a T-shirt in your size somewhere too, echoed the young woman's voice.

—No need, it'll do more than enough, he retorted as he inspected the jogging in his hands. Whose is it ?

—Kazuya's, confessed Hana after a few seconds of hesitation. He used to sleep at home...

The boy shrugged, not too thrilled at the idea of wearing a garment belonging to his captain.

—I'd rather have stayed naked, he grumbled in a low voice as he reluctantly changed, not at all embarrassed by the young woman's presence.

—Don't be picky, laughed Hana as she closed her wardrobe. Besides, it fits you like a glove, she added, moving behind the screen next to her closet.

By the time she had changed, Keisuke had already dropped onto the sheets of her bed, his eyes riveted to the screen of his phone, inviting himself in as if he were at home. The young woman didn't mind, however, joining him there the next moment with a yawn. The mattress sagged, and the young man separated himself from his cell phone just as he felt a weight on his chest. His gaze fell on Hana, clearly still reeling from the joy of the evening. A small smile floated on her lips, and even in the near-complete darkness, Keisuke could distinguish the cheerful gleam in her eyes.

And then, without warning, the young woman approached him and placed a light kiss on his lips.

It had only lasted a brief moment, the time of a blink, and yet the sweetness of that simple kiss had unsettled Keisuke like no other had. She had kissed him without ulterior motive, with a tenderness he hadn't expected. Nothing like the exchanges he'd grown accustomed to, and yet that simple kiss, innocent as it was, had taken his breath away. And she was still watching him with that look of affection, full of life, and the young man had to be placid in order to regain the use of speech.

—What was that for? He managed to murmur.

—To thank you, retorted the brunette, resting her chin on her hands, which were placed on his chest. For bringing me to this party tonight. I had a great time thanks to you, so I really wanted to express my gratitude.

Hana punctuated her sentence with a chuckle, quickly followed by another yawn. Her eyelids grew heavy, and the next moment she was sleeping in Morpheus' arms.

─── ∗∙⋅❀⋅∙∗ ───

As he had promised, Hana woke up alone in the early hours of the morning. As if nothing had happened. And if, for a moment, she thought she'd been dreaming about the night's events, the scent permeating her sheets had the gift of dispelling her doubts. It was light, but she could still smell it.

Masculine perfume, the scent of cigarettes and, if she concentrated hard enough, a hint of sweet tangerine.