Familiar Faces {Marissonshipping}

Roaring Thunder

QUESTION BEFORE YOU START: I will be writing a Christmas special one shot with one of the two ships: Ikarishipping (Dawn and Paul) or Contestshipping (Drew and May). In the comments below, please tell me what ship you would rather see me writing about. All criticism is acceptable too. Anyways, on with the chapter!
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Late nights in a creepy mansion was one thing. But add a thunderstorm at two am in the morning and all hell breaks loose.

At least that's how Mairin viewed it.

She HATED thunderstorms with a passion. Ever since she was a little girl she feared the loud cries of lighting screaming in the night. When she traveled with Alain, however, things were different.

When she was twelve and still traveling with Alain, they had separate tents and sleeping bags. But when there was a thunderstorm, Alain allowed Mairin to bring her sleeping bag into his tent with him so she wouldn't be so scared by the thunder.

Mairin never thought about it too much growing up, but now she realized why Alain protested the first time she brought it up to him while they were traveling.

Back in the present, Mairin had her ears covered with her pillow and was currently bundled in blankets, holding a small chespin doll close. A roll of thunder shook the house and Mairin could have sworn she heard the floor boards start to break.

She peeked her head out to see if her assumption was right only to be interrupted by a flash of lighting and a loud cry of thunder. Mairin yelped out in fear and then automatically covered her mouth.

'Shit,' Mairin thought, 'that probably woke someone up!'

Just then, the sound of floorboards creaking and movement was heard from outside her door. A small knock was followed and Mairin mentally kicked herself for waking up someone.

In a low voice, Mairin answered, "C..come in..."

"Mairin? Are you okay?"

It was Alain.

Alain slowly opened the door and poked his head into the room. His hair was tossed around in a messy hairstyle while he wore his black shirt and grey sweatpants to match. Under his icy blue eyes were baggy eyelids indicating that, indeed, Alain was tired. Somehow, he looked cute in this state.

Mairin then shook her head vividly. 'Madness!'

"I'm sorry if I woke you up...it's just-" Mairin was cut off by the sound of thunder. She hid back under her covers and squeezed her eyes shut. Alain frowned and walked over cautiously. He sat down at the edge of her bed and tapped what seemed to be her shoulder. She looked up slightly and Alain stared at her for a second and sighed.

"Do you want me to lay here until the storm is over."

Silence. Only the sound of the pouring rain and thunder in the distance filled the room. After considering the idea, Mairin nodded and patted the empty spot next to her.

Alain laid down next to her and grabbed one of the available pillows. He turned his back towards her and stared out her window and listened to the sounds of the night. Another crack of lightning lit up Mairin's room and made a loud booming noise.

Out of complete fear, Mairin quickly wrapped her arms around Alain's waist and buried her face into his shirt. Taken by surprise, Alain turned fifty shades of red while turning his head to face her.

'She can't help it,' Alain thought, 'she just has a fear, and I have to help her get over it.'

Alain decided to trek into new boundaries and take the plunge. Cautiously, he turned over so he was facing her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer into his chest. Alain felt Mairin tense in shock, but slowly calm down and except their new position. Alain couldn't help but smile.

'This feels good,' Alain thought, 'No, it feels right...'

Giving her a sense of security made things start to make sense. This was something deep down he wanted. This was something he was lacking. It was....

It's...

Exactly what was needed for Alain. Something to hold and never let go.

'It's love...'

Alain came to realization that he must have held her like this for awhile because she was asleep in his arms and the storm had blown over. Only the patter of rain was left.

He debated on what to do next. It wouldn't be right to stay in her room like a creep. So, slowly getting up and motivating himself to move, Alain let go of Mairin and started to exit her room.

Before he could fully exit the room, he heard a small, gentle voice call him back.

"Please stay... just for a bit."

Alain turned around and faced Mairin. Her eyes were barely open, but she was sitting up in her bed and was looking at Alain. Alain looked down at his bare feet and smiled.

"Okay..."

Closing the door gently, Alain made his way back over to the bed and laid down in the same spot as before. He was tired and cold, and Mairin probably wouldn't mind if he slept under the covers. He slid under the comforter and felt sleep call him over; but there was one thing missing. It wasn't storming anymore, but something encouraged him to wrap his arms around her again and hold her close like he was going to lose her again.

Now, he was ready to sleep.

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Mairin woke up the next morning, feeling warmth against her back and....arms? Holding back a scream, she slowly turned around and noticed it was her friend Alain holding her close.

'When did this happen...' she questioned internally.

Memories from the night before started flooding into her head and her face turned bright red. She was about to jump up, only to be interrupted by a low growl coming from Alain. She looked at him, and noticed that he was starting to wake up. She quickly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

Alain slowly opened his eyes. Sunlight was shining into Mairin's room and fletchlings were happily chirping. Alain knew where he was and knew what situation he was in. Before Mairin could "wake up," Alain quietly got out of her bed and went back to his room so she wouldn't wake up so flustered.

Once he was fully out of the room, Mairin huffed and stared out her window. Her sour attitude changed quickly until she realized what had just happened. She started squealing and kicked the sheets all around before hitting back onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling fan. The chespin doll was on the floor, also staring at the ceiling with its stitched smile in place, Mairin grabbed it from the floor and went back into her original position.
Mairin smiled and held her chespin doll close to her chest.

Realization, too, had hit her.

"Chespin, I think I'm in love with Alain."

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ARGH I LOVE THIS CHAPTER SO MUCH!!!! I actually got this idea when it was storming a couple of days ago. It helped clear some writers block and helped me progress further into the story, so I guess I killed two birds with one stone. I know this chapter was short, but I reallyyyyyy wanted to get it done and I knew many of you would be excited for it. The next few chapters will be either the same length or slightly longer depending on my mood. I don't know. Anyways, thanks again for your support, and remember to answer the question that was stated before the start of the chapter. Remember to stay happy!
~M