Hello, everyone! It's Elsi, back with another fun little one shot I came up with yesterday morning. Basically, the Littlepaw chapter I'm supposed to be writing is giving me grief, so I distracted myself. Don't worry! The chapters you're actually looking for will be happening. Never fear.

If you're new to this universe and don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry! This is a one-shot set in my Elemental AU. You probably won't know who the characters are if you haven't read Elemental...

RAINY DAY

Genres: one-sided romance, friendship, some light angst

Characters: Littlepaw, Honeypaw, Stealthstep

Time Period: Endless Reign, Chapter 9/10-ish (no actual spoilers, but a reference to an event in a previous chapter)

Honeypaw glanced up at the older apprentice at her side, watching in silence as Littlepaw's entire body went tense. She followed his eyes up towards the sky, where dark storm clouds gathered.

"It's going to rain later, huh?" said Honeypaw. Littlepaw flicked a ear but gave no other indication that he had heard her. Feeling very much as though he had just dismissed her, Honeypaw stared at her paws and kicked around some dust. She wanted to be friends with Littlepaw, and it seemed that with everyone else, he was lively and exciting. He had been lively and exciting with her as well, up until a few moons ago, when she had become an apprentice. What had changed?

"Hey, you two!" Honeypaw looked up, pleasantly surprised to see Stealthstep meandering towards them, a rabbit in his jaws. The warrior dropped his catch at their paws. "Have you eaten yet?"

Honeypaw shook her head, eyes wide. A rabbit! No one ever caught rabbits on ThunderClan territory. They were too hard to catch. Littlepaw purred his gratitude, the noise sounding foreign but warm on his calm voice. Honeypaw once again turned her attention to the golden apprentice, wondering to herself what was going on in his head.

"Did you catch this, Stealthstep?" Honeypaw asked.

"With the help of Cloudtail," said Stealthstep. He laughed. "Do you really think I could do this myself?"

"Still an impressive catch," said Littlepaw. His voice was gentle, as it always was. Honeypaw turned in attempt to aim a question at the little apprentice, but Stealthstep beat her to it.

"How is Willowpaw? Did she recover from her fainting spell the other day?"

"Yes, she's fine," said Littlepaw. "We were…training. I guess we went a little too rough, and she hadn't eaten anything all day, so she exhausted herself."

"How is she?" said Honeypaw. Littlepaw blinked.

"I just said she's fine."

"No, not about the fainting thing." Honeypaw couldn't help that the words came out, and she saw Littlepaw's features shut down. "Sorry, is that out of line?"

"No, no, you're fine." He was smiling again. Honeypaw felt warmer when she saw him smile. She tucked her paws under her stomach and tried to smile back, cautiously. "She's doing well, actually. Still a little skittish around everyone, but that's to be expected."

"Of course," said Honeypaw. Hoping to make up for her blunder, she added, "She's lucky she has such a good brother to support her."

"I think Mountainpaw has been more helpful than I have," said Littlepaw, typically modest as usual. "But thank you. I try to help."

They ate making small-talk for a short while, Honeypaw half reveling in the company of the brave, quiet, and gentle-hearted cat beside her, and half reveling in the warm and foreign taste of the rabbit in her jaws. She complimented Stealthstep for a fifth time on the catch. Littlepaw laughed, making Honeypaw's heart skip a beat. He had a wonderful laugh…and…

She felt the heat gathering in her chest, and she turned her eyes away from Littlepaw.

"You're sweet," said Littlepaw. "I'm glad to spend time with you."

Surprised, Honeypaw glanced up, catching those strange amber, turquoise-rimmed eyes and marveling in them yet again. She had no idea such a color was possible, but it seemed entirely natural in Littlepaw – unnaturally beautiful, of course. But that was all.

"I'm glad to – " Honeypaw was stammering her way through a reply when suddenly, Littlepaw's ears perked, and he turned away from her, his laughter dying and turning into a deep frown. Honeypaw followed Littlepaw's gaze to find Skypaw and Mountainpaw glancing at him.

"Sorry, I'm off," he said. Before Honeypaw could even say goodbye, he was trotting across the clearing, meeting his littermates. They exchanged a maximum of fifteen words collectively before heading into the brush.

"Could those five be any more secretive?" Stealthstep rolled his eyes. "Honestly."

"They're…" Honeypaw searched to find the word. She knew that Littlepaw and his littermates were close – almost to the point where they were willing to sacrifice all other friendships for each other. It was a wonder Willowpaw had Brackenpaw and Mouseclaw padding after her, as she spent over two-thirds of her time in the company of her littermates and no one else. Out of them all, Mountainpaw was possibly the easiest to contact, and she knew Snowpaw and Skypaw had grown close – although that in itself was a mystery, for Honeypaw found Skypaw to be more selfish and irritating than entertaining. She liked Mountainpaw and Willowpaw fine, and she thought Birdpaw extremely pleasant, but Littlepaw was a mystery, and that's what made him so fascinating. He was friendly, but private to a fault, never willing to share the deeper thoughts on his mind. Honeypaw contented herself with hearing him speak about basic inconsequentialities: the weather, the forest, other Clan-mates.

"I wonder if they're all secretly on a mission to spy on the other Clans," said Stealthstep. Honeypaw glanced up, eyes wide. The mottled warrior's whiskers twitched. "You're so gullible."

"Do you think that could be true, though?" said Honeypaw. "I mean, they have time to themselves often." She could imagine Littlepaw streaking through the forest, trained to perfection, every fiber of his being tight and locked on his target – information. He would make the greatest spy.

"No way," said Stealthstep. "Mountainpaw can't keep a secret."

"Littlepaw could," said Honeypaw. Stealthstep smirked. "O-or Skypaw."

"Could you really imagine our Littlepaw ever spying on anyone?" said Stealthstep.

"I mean…" As the words came out, she realized how silly the entire proposition was. "Okay, maybe it's far-fetched."

"Littlepaw's good at being a mystery," said Stealthstep, yawning. "If anyone, it would be him."

"Yeah," said Honeypaw. "It would, wouldn't it?"

A drop of water splashed against her nose, startling Honeypaw out of her patchy daydreams of the spy-cat she was inventing. Just as Honeypaw looked up, the skies opened up on her, and Stealthstep shrieked as rain pelted them.

"What was that?" said Honeypaw, glancing at Stealthstep, who was already dragging what remained of the rabbit to the nearest overhang.

"Shut up," said Stealthstep. He pawed the soggy rabbit, shaking out his pelt and staring out at the sudden downpour. "I wanted to protect the fresh-kill."

"Yes, of course," said Honeypaw. She stepped into the tiny space with him and the rabbit and peered outside. It was coming down harder than she had imagined, even when Littlepaw had predicted the rainstorm. If anything, she was startled it was coming down so fast, so quickly.

"So, Littlepaw," said Stealthstep. Startled, Honeypaw glanced up at the young warrior and opened her mouth to explain. "Sounds like someone has a little crush."

"I do not!" said Honeypaw, her pelt growing warm at just the thought. "You're cruel."

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"No way!"

"What about that dreamy face you were making earlier?" Honeypaw glared as Stealthstep pretended to swoon. "Oh, Littlepaw, you brave spy-cat! You're such a good brother! You're the best!"

"You're a mouse-brain," said Honeypaw. "I would never…"

"And why not?" said Stealthstep. "It isn't as if he's a bad cat. Are you saying you don't like Littlepaw?"

"Of course I like him, I just – "

"So you admit it!" Stealthstep purred, victorious. Honeypaw rolled her eyes and watched the clearing. The cats of ThunderClan had pulled up against the walls, huddling together or in the confines of their dens instead of risking the sudden onslaught of harsh weather. It had rained in the morning, but Honeypaw had been hoping it would clear up for longer than just a few hours. She was just starting to get used to the warm sun, too…

"What a disappointment," said Stealthstep, poking the water-logged rabbit carcass with a claw. "Rabbits are so rare, of course this one gets ruined."

"You can still eat it," said Honeypaw. "It's just a little…"

"Drenched?"

"A little bit." She giggled. "I wouldn't take you for a picky eater."

"I wouldn't take you for someone who would eat anything!" Stealthstep's eyes shone with teasing. "What are you, a RiverClan cat?"

Honeypaw batted at him with a paw, pushing him out into the rain for a second. Stealthstep reeled in and glared at her.

"Are you afraid of water, Stealthstep?" she teased.

"Mouse-brain, of course not. I just don't like to be in this terrible weather."

"The rain isn't that bad," said Honeypaw. Stealthstep smirked again, and she shrieked when he shoved her into the pouring rain. She huddled back into their shelter again. "Okay, so I don't want to be out in a storm. It's cold! But there's nothing wrong with a little water."

A flare of gold caught her eye, and she glanced over, seeing Skypaw and Littlepaw enter. A few words were passed, and Skypaw strode across the clearing for shelter. Honeypaw watched, fascinated and a little curious, as Littlepaw took a seat on the side of the clearing. He sat there as rain pelted all around, wreathing his body in grey shades and murky wet. His golden tabby pelt was slapped back onto his body, and he would have looked something like a drowning mouse had it not been for the intensity on his face, lifted to the sky. The rain dripped down his muzzle and ran along his closed eyes, flying off his body in a constant pattern. Still, Honeypaw thought he looked serene, as if the rain replenished him in some way. She wanted to try it herself. Hesitantly, she got to her feet.

"You aren't seriously thinking of going out there, are you?" Stealthstep made a face. "And you say you don't have a crush."

"I don't!" said Honeypaw. "He just looks so peaceful out there."

"You just screamed when I pushed you into the rain for a few seconds," said Stealthstep. "For him, it's peaceful?"

"You're the worst," said Honeypaw. She wanted to step out there, to feel what Littlepaw felt. Maybe that was why she had never understood him – he was so mysterious, and she needed answers to his puzzle. She couldn't go without knowing. Hesitantly, Honeypaw took a few steps forward, letting the rain attack her body. It was brutal at first.

"Go on, the object of your affections won't wait forever," teased Stealthstep. Honeypaw made to move again, but before she could take another step, Littlepaw's eyes shot open, freezing her in place. Honeypaw stood still, feeling very much as if the rain driving into her fur was the sheer power of his eyes, those amber-turquoise eyes that watched and waited, judging silently. Honeypaw wanted to close the distance between them, and she wanted him to accept him and share his secrets. She just wanted to understand him, to be with him, maybe even to be the cat he would trust?

Yes, she did have a crush. How could she deny it anymore? Not to Stealthstep – she would always deny it to Stealthstep.

Staring into Littlepaw's eyes across the clearing, Honeypaw waited for his verdict, hanging into the moment. Would he make the first move? She could hardly believe it, the way he was staring, almost as captivated by her as she was by him.

The moment broke in half as Littlepaw quickly dropped his eyes, and he had turned, more quickly than was usual for his cool demeanor. He was out of camp before Honeypaw could take another step. She stood in the pouring rain, hardly capable of surprise. Of course he had walked away. She would never be deserving of him – he would never return her feelings. Honeypaw glanced up, closing her eyes and letting the droplets strike her pelt for a few seconds. The raindrops felt like teardrops, running in reverse down her face. Honeypaw opened her eyes, resisting a sigh. The rain wasn't all that great anyways.

I don't get to play much with Honeypaw or Stealthstep in the regular series. It kind of bums me out. I actually like Honeypaw a lot, and I think Stealthstep was a super good friend to Mountainpaw and Littlepaw until Book 3, when things started escalating and the kids started shutting everyone out. As this chapter discusses.

Anyways, enough of my rambling. Tell me what you think! Don't forget to follow me so you can keep up with all that's happening in the universe! There will be a lot of updating, maybe not on this story, but on the others! Thanks, all!

~Elsi