Tap tap tap tap tap tap...

Droplets of rain fell from the heavens, splashing against the window pane, light and soothing. It blanketed the city that lied beyond the dry and cozy living room. Being on the top floor, the hazel eyed graduate student could just hear the grouping of water molecules whip against the shingled roof.

Leaning comfortably on the pillow, legs outstretched on the two-seated couch, Tatsumi Souichi redirected his gaze towards the scientific paper he held in his hands. Ash-blonde hair hung loosely over his shoulders, the loose ponytail lying against the nape of his neck. It was the perfect weather to be snuggled on the couch with a warm drink, reading scientific journals to advance his research. From time to time, he could hear the growling of distant rolling thunder. Soft flashes of lightning were visible further off in the horizon.

Lulled into a deep concentration, Souichi didn't notice the time passing, soaking up the theories and data displayed before him. Morinaga, his more-than-roommate, toiled with chores, moving from his room to the kitchen, finally settling on cleaning the dishes from their supper long since gone and fully consumed. Slowly, the sky grew darker – not simply due to the soon setting sun. Thick ominous clouds grew closer and closer.

A bright flash tore through the sky. Seconds later...

BOOM!

Startled out of his absorbed reading, Souichi bolted upright, sitting on the couch at full attention, heartbeat pounding against his chest.

Morinaga snickered, and then giggled beneath his breath, setting aside the clean, dry plate.

"Are you alright, Senpai? Did you get scared?" The taller man's voice had a light lilt to it. It actually sounded like he was teasing his senior. Souichi turned his head to face his kouhai. From the kitchenette, green eyes danced with mirth.

"No, I didn't. It just surprised me, that's all." Souichi returned to his reading, turning away from his pestering roommate.

"I didn't know you were scared of thunderstorms." Morinaga pressed on, blatantly ignoring his senpai's statement.

"I said I wasn't scared, Idiot!" The blonde was getting irritated, as if he would dare suggest such a thing.

"It's alright, Senpai. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Many people are afraid of-" Souichi spun around, not letting his kouhai finish.

"Shut up, I said that-" Souichi was cut off mid-sentence.

The lights went out. All of them. All of a sudden he couldn't see; he was surrounded by darkness.

"Shit." Souichi cursed beneath his breath. With eyes not yet adjusted to the very low lighting, everything seemed pitch black. Looking outside, he was able to tell that they weren't the only ones affected by the dark spell. What was once littered by specs of light pouring through windows and street lamps now lied in total darkness. He couldn't see anything other than the distant flashes of lightning as they randomly littered the sky.

"Don't worry Senpai. I'll find us a flashlight." Drawers and cupboards alike opened and closed, their contents shuffled around as Morinaga searched for the elusive battery operated light source. The blonde waited.

"It should be around here... somewhere..." Souichi let out a heavy sigh. Setting aside his papers, he left the comfort of the couch.

"Just great." Mumbling beneath his breath, he headed towards his room in search for his own flashlight. He knew of one that should be hiding somewhere in his desk. He scanned his memories but couldn't fully recall where he'd last seen it. That meant he'd have to look for it. In the dark.

Having successfully navigated around the glass coffee table, Souichi hurriedly headed towards the door to his room.

Thud!

Before arriving at his destination, he hit something. Hard. From the corner of his eye, he had barely made out the swift movement of a dark shadow. Too little too late, he realized that it was heading his way. The collision, added with his momentum, caused the shorter man to trip, completely lose his balance, and fall forwards.

Tensing his muscles, Souichi took in a sharp breath, bracing for impact. He felt his stomach rise as he fell. However, the feeling of freefall was short lived. Hitting the ground, the air whooshed out of the blonde's lungs. The wind was knocked out of him as he collided with... something.

Everything was so dark, Souichi couldn't see a thing. He could only feel. His body ached, slowly recovering from the impact. Coming to his senses, he realized that the length of his torso was lying flush against something solid and soft. His legs were tangled in something. One hand felt the cool slick surface of the wooden floor beneath it, while the other gripped warm material. What was he on?

The thing started to move, shifting a little beneath his chest.

"Uhn... Ow..."

"Morinaga?" Upon realization, Souichi felt his heart skip a beat. Taking into account the direction and intensity of Morinaga's voice, as well as where he could feel the rise and fall of the warm chest lying directly beneath him, he figured that his face was lying against the other's shoulder. Bringing his head up, he could feel warm breath on his cheek.

"Sorry, Senpai. You ok?" Concern tinted his tone.

"Yah... How 'bout you?" Souichi tried in vain to see anything beyond his nose. He knew Morinaga's face should be right in front of him, but could not make out any facial features. The only thing he could distinguish was the other's silhouette against the lighter coloured floor.

"Mmm... I'll be fine." Morinaga didn't seem to be in much pain. He was most likely also aching due to their collision and rough landing. Besides, he was the one that ended up cushioning both of their falls.

Souichi felt legs move against his own, untangling them and relieving the discomfort. He felt hands travel up his sides. It was so dark; Morinaga seemed to be assessing their situation, getting a better idea of where his Senpai was so that he'd be less likely to bump into him again.

They were so close.

Souichi felt shivers travel up his sides in the wake of his kouhai's gentle touch. Why was his body reacting so much? Morinaga wasn't really touching him, and he could barely stay in physical contact with the idiot without feeling something. It felt a little strange while not quite tickling him, sending up a mildly pleasant feeling. He tried very hard not to make a sound.

"So sorry, Senpai. I didn't mean to run into you." The idiot still sounded concerned. The blond gave up on trying finding those gentle green eyes. He didn't need his sense of sight at this distance. He could feel Morinaga's presence quite well… maybe a little too well.

Souichi couldn't concentrate on much when he felt the other's hand stop on his side, beneath his left arm, and the other on his upper arm, close to his shoulder.

"It's... fine." Souichi mentally cursed himself, mortified by how breathless he sounded.

"You sure?" Morinaga whispered sensually. Souichi could only gasp in response. A hand had traveled up from his shoulder to his neck, leaving behind a trail of goose bumps, fingers grazing behind his ear. There was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Souichi took in a deep breath. What in the world was he doing? He needed to get off of his roommate. His hands found firm ground as he looked up.

A flash of light lit up the whole room. It only lasted a second – just long enough for the blond to see just how close he was to his kouhai's face. However, within that second, time stood still. He could see everything, from a sweet, tender smile to deep, caring green eyes, displaying their owner's happiness, desire, devotion, and love.

When their surroundings were drowning in darkness once more, Souichi felt a shiver run through his whole being. Those eyes... They were staring right at him. It felt like Morinaga could see into his soul.

Not a moment later, an earth quaking boom resonated through their apartment. Startled, Souichi's muscles tensed, clearly flinching in alarm. In no time, he found his kouhai's arms, gripping the material in a tight grip. His face was buried on the other's shoulder. His heart was beating so fast, pounding against his rib cage.

Realizing what he had done, the blond relaxed his grip, taking slow, calming breaths. He hadn't expected the lightning to be so close, and for the thunder to be so loud. That totally caught him off guard. He furrowed his brow in confusion. Why was he so jumpy?

Gentle fingers moved to caress the back of his head and lower back, tracing soothing patterns.

"Don't worry Senpai. I'll protect you." Gentle words were whispered against the top of the blonde's head. A deep blush painted his cheeks when he realized that he was still clinging to his kouhai, his head resting contently against a warm chest.

"Shut up, you idiot! I just got startled." Souichi's head bolted up, pouring as much irritation into his heated words as he could to cover his embarrassment.

"Uh-huh." Morinaga didn't sound convinced.

"Tch!" Of course that idiot didn't believe him. Before he could launch himself into a tyrannical rant, fingers snaked through the strands of his light coloured hair, caressing his scalp a little more sensually than a second ago. Replacing the soothing caresses, those fingers were now moving with purpose, intentionally finding key spots on his scalp.

"A-ah!" Tingling sensations crawled down his neck, traveling all the way down his sides. Souichi rested his forehead against the other's shoulder, taking in shaky breaths. He had to stay calm.

Morinaga's other hand found its way to the hem of his senpai's shirt. Sneaking underneath the thin material, fingers began tracing patterns directly on the skin of the blonde's lower back.

"Mmmm..." More shivers were now traveling up his lower back, spanning across his shoulders. Souichi was becoming fully aware of the other's presence. Every touch – everywhere they made contact with one another – sent new tingling sensations crawling across his skin. Hands on sturdy upper arms, trembling fingers gripped the other's long-sleeved shirt while a growing heat was sent pooling at his core. He tried to calm his beating heard. He was breathing so heavily now.

Finally mustering the energy, Souichi brought his head up. He still couldn't see anything, but soon felt soft lips crash against his own. They were warm, moulding around his. It felt good. Nimble digits found that sensitive spot behind his right ear as a devious tongue licked its way into his mouth.

"Mm-nnnn..." Souichi moaned into the kiss. His chest constricted. It was getting difficult to breathe. That warm wet tongue played with his, engaging it into a dance. How was this idiot able to do this? Just one simple touch was able to trigger the strongest reactions. Why was his body responding so much? He was getting so hot; his skin felt like it was on fire.

Disengaging from the kiss, both men were finally able to breathe, gasping for air. Still seeing nothing but shadows, Souichi could just hear their heavy breathing over the heavy rain striking the roof and window pane. The autumn storm raged on.

Morinaga's right hand, roaming his senpai's lower back, drifted down to rest atop the waistband of the shorter man's jeans. Pushing down, he brought their lower bodies closer together.

"Ah!" Souichi's whole frame began to tremble. His kouhai had his left leg pressed firmly against his crotch. With that hand guiding his hips, he couldn't escape the added pressure.

Another flash of lightning lit up the room. Looking down at his kouhai's shirt, Souichi was beyond the point of caring about what he saw; only concentrating on the overwhelming feelings that coursed through him. That's when he noticed a hard growing bulge rubbing against his upper left thigh. He wasn't the only one enjoying the increased friction.

"Mmm... Senpai. You're even harder than I am." That idiot really never passed up a moment to tease him.

"Sh-shut... up! Ah!" Morinaga's upper leg was right between his legs, adding even more pressure.

"Senpai... I'm so glad you're enjoying this." Souichi clawed at the material beneath him, firmly holding onto his roommate.

"Hah... It's all your fau- Ah! Nnnn!"

"Hmm... Sorry." The younger man had his nose buried behind his senpai's ear, lips trailing, inciting more erotic moans. Morinaga kept grinding their lower bodies together. Souichi felt uncomfortably tight, but couldn't muster the energy to fix the problem.

"Let me make it up to you." The other devious hand went down to trail up Souichi's back, dragging his shirt up with it, leaving a trail of icy pleasure. Before he could utter anymore sounds, his lips were reclaimed.

Within the warm, cozy apartment, the sound of the falling rain accompanied with the distant rolling thunder could be heard throughout the night.

A/N: Another seasonally inspired one-shot.

I hope you liked it! Please let me know. :P

And now… back to continue my work on my other series.

Wish me luck! :D

Until next time!

Getsuei ;)