It would take more than his two hands to count the number of times John woke up in the middle of sleep because of a slight disturbance. He sleeps very much like a dog - mindful of his surroundings, always in the alert. He would have to be drugged in order to sleep through a thunderstorm as worse as this one.

The rain fell against his hotel window rhythmically, and instead of lulling him to sleep with its hum like with most people, it kept John awake, staring at the ceiling, waiting for it to stop. He grumbled and tossed in his sheets, willing his eyes to close, but it was no use. Looks like there won't be any sleep until it lets up.

John was equally surprised and happy that he heard a soft knock on the door. It was a welcome distraction, albeit an unexpected one, so he moved from his blankets to stand up and make his way towards the door. He rubbed his eyes groggily and stumbled his way towards the source of the sound, which was now followed by another impatient knock. On the way there he stubbed his toe on the drawer desk and resisted the urge to say profanities.

He was half-expecting Mai to be there waiting, telling him to get dressed because no, the case wasn't actually over yet, and some spirit still needs exorcising. Heaven forbid John actually gets decent rest after all that work he had to go through toda- stop it, you're complaining. He was half-expecting to come face to face with Mai's brown eyes, weary with exhaustion like everyone else's when they finally called it a day.

But it wasn't Mai. No, this was a different set of eyes, and they were very much not brown.

"Masako-san?" The girl in question quirked an eyebrow at him, and John suddenly remembered they ditched the honorifics long ago. John grinned sheepishly, wordlessly explaining that he was still partly recovering from sleep. Or lack thereof. Whether Masako understood that gesture, he'll never know.

"John," she started, and John saw her look away from him and into the dimly lit corridor, where her room (he assumed) was supposed to be and by extension, her. "Have I interrupted your sleep? Forgive me." Her hand darted up towards her mouth, probably to cover it with her kimono sleeve, but it fell to her wrists at the last second.

"Yes? May I help you?" John asked, head slightly cocking to the side in a quirky manner, a habit he had carried since childhood. He wondered what she might want; it wasn't everyday you get a famous TV personality on your doorstep. But then again, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. They have been friends for a long time, after all. Plus, John knew that in his profession, there are crazier things than celebrities on your door. John stepped away from his room to better accommodate her and closed the door behind him. Masako stayed put, unmoving from where she stood. "Do you need something, Masako?"

She looked uncomfortable, shifting in her place, her hands fiddling with the fabric of her sleeve. John's brow furrowed into a worried frown. Whatever it was, it must be pretty important, if she was willing to seek him out at - he glanced up to the wall, where a clock was hanging - two ten in the morning.

There was a flash of lightning that illuminated the walls for a split second. Masako jumped, clinging to him in an instant, her hands gripping his nightshirt tightly. Put off by the sudden contact, John fumbled backwards, his back colliding against the hard door. "M-masako!" he stammered, his hand coming up to push her gently away when a thunder broke out against the halls, jolting both of them awake. Masako gasped, and he grimaced as her grip on his shirt tightened and he felt what seemed like her fingernails digging into his skin. His hands, now forgetting what they were initially meant to do, rested on her shoulders and it was then that he noticed her trembling.

...Was Masako scared of thunderstorms?

John waited for his heartbeat to stabilize before giving her shoulders a light squeeze. She looked up at the comforting gesture, eyes wild and wary. Even though she was literally inches from his face, John managed to remain unflustered enough to say the next few words.

"Would you like to sleep here for tonight?"

John's mom would always make him cocoa for rainy nights when he was young, and luckily the hotel they were staying in for this case kept a stash in the small, personal refrigerators they kept in each room. It wasn't the brand of cocoa he liked, but it would have to do. He stirred the hot, steaming water carefully, smiling softly at the familiar scent wafting to the air. He handed the mug towards Masako, who had taken to curling up into a shivering ball on his bed.

"They didn't have the little marshmallows, so..." he trailed off by way of small talk. He cringed - it sounded better in his head. When she didn't bother replying, he sat down slowly on the bed. "Here," he handed it again, and she took it with both hands cautiously, barely looking up at him as she did so. John smiled awkwardly, not really knowing what to say at these kinds of situations. She seemed to be deep in thought, and he decided against bothering her with this. He sighed, and moved away from the bed to leave her be.

She perked up all of a sudden at his movement, and her eyes roamed to focus on him. "Are you displeased?" she asked, her voice feeble and weak against the pitter patter on the rain. John halted in his tracks and saw a frightened child huddling in his sheets. It was almost adorable, really. "Of course not," he placated, going back to sit next to her form and he smiled brightly to reassure her. "Why would you think that?"

Masako closed her eyes and breathed deeply - John noted the way the steam dissipated as she exhaled into the cup. "I'm sorry for barging in like this... I don't deal very well with thunderstorms."

I guessed as much, John thought, but he didn't dare voice it aloud. He watched as she took a sip from the cocoa. "This is delicious, thank you."

John scratched the back of his head, uncomfortable at the praise. "Thanks," he responded lamely. "My mom used to do the same for me back when I was little." At his words, Masako paused mid-sip, and stared at him openly.

"Y-you're scared of it, too?"

John smiled at her encouragingly. "I used to, yes. I don't remember how I got over that fear, though. I probably just grew out of it, I guess," he finished, noticing how she took a sip again.

"I see," Masako looked down, glum all of a sudden. John resisted the urge to frown. "I... I didn't - I wasn't scared of it before. At least, not by this much," she paused, and John waited in anticipation. "My father would always tuck me in to bed during rainy nights, and he... well..." at this point, Masako blushed, "he would tell me he'd always be there in the next room should anything go wrong and I'd need protecting." John almost smiled at the mental picture. "But then, he left my mom." Masako went unnaturally quiet, and for several moments only the rain made noise - John could see little pools of wetness collecting in her eyes but chose not to comment on it. "So whenever I hear thunder, I just regress, you know? It's been years since he left, but he still has this hold over me... I just turn into this pitiful child he left behind," her voice broke, and John found it physically painful not being able to do anything about it.

"I'm sorry," he tried miserably, even when he knew it would bring her little comfort. "But... it won't be like this for long."

Masako did her best to muster an appreciative smile. One of her hands went to grasp John's. "Yes, I'd like to think so, too."

There was another bright stream of lightning and the both of them jumped. John barely registered the thunder that roared soon after - he was distracted by Masako's sharp intake of breath as the cup she was holding threw its contents over her sleepwear.

As luck would have it, the lights suddenly went out.

After all the crazy headless corpses, creepy music boxes, and countless exhausting exorcisms, John didn't really think anything weirder could happen today.

He was wrong.

"A-are you done yet?" John asked, cringing as he almost croaked the words out. He was facing the wall, cheeks probably burning as he tried not to think about the woman changing her clothes behind him.

"Just a moment," she replied, and John could've sworn he heard a squeak to her voice. Just beyond their (his!) room, he heard light footsteps - probably the staff working out the power connections. He closed his eyes and heaved a sigh, trying to assuage his fluctuating pulse. "You may turn around now."

It was dark, but John could still barely make her out in the dim moonlight. She was wearing one of his shirts, - now that hers are soiled with cocoa - and he was surprised at the little back flip his heart just made. He was relieved his pajama bottoms actually fit her despite its length. Then again, it's not like she's that small. She seemed to shift under his scrutiny, and John looked away, embarrassed to be caught staring. "Y-you should go to sleep." He thought she hadn't heard him and was about to repeat his words when she spoke up.

"So should you."

"I'll manage. Please, go ahead. You should get some rest. It's been a long day."

"One you've spent exorcising nonstop. I hardly think you deserve the floor."

"No, it's okay, really. I don't need sleep," John almost kicked himself at how terrible a liar he was (John, that's a good thing). She seemed to notice this and her eyes narrowed at him. His hands gestured wildly in an attempt to salvage the situation and get his point across, but Masako didn't seem convinced. On the contrary, she stepped away from the bed.

"John, don't be absurd," she said sternly, and John flinched. She walked towards him and pushed him towards the direction she'd been. "This is your bed."

"I won't have you sleeping on the floor!" exasperated, he turned to face her, and reversed their roles, with him now coaxing her into the bed. "I'll be fine."

He thought she finally complied when she hopped onto the bed and into the sheets, but John should've known better than to hope for such compliance. Masako positioned herself at the very edge of the bed - the single bed. "I won't take up much space." She patted the area next to her and motioned invitingly.

John had never felt so scandalized in his whole life.

"I- what, no really, you - we - I can't!" he blanched, cheeks flushed. He would never do such a thing! He could hear his inner self berating her for such stubbornness, but John didn't have it in him to scold her. He made to sit up on the spot next to the bed. The floor never looked so welcoming before.

From where he was lying, he could hear Masako huff and shuffle the sheets. "Fine," she said irritatedly, and for a moment, John thought they could finally let it go but then she continued, "if you're not going to use the bed, then neither would I."

John felt the subtle signs of frustration come over him. He grumbled and picked himself up, plopping down on the bed with a hmph like a child who didn't get his way. Beside him, Masako grinned victoriously. John considered putting up a barrier between them on the bed, perhaps the pillow, but then realized he couldn't. Not with that space. He faced away from her, his back against hers (thankfully, it seemed she was thinking along the same line as him) and his hands folded to make up for the lack of pillows.

Everything was as peaceful as it could get until thunder roared, and he swore the whole bed shook when she startled, and John felt her trembling against his back. He closed his eyes, before reaching a resolution. He turned to face her in the bed, and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey."

The petite girl turned as well, and John made sure to keep as much distance between them as possible. His hand sought out to find hers and he murmured softly, "it's going to be fine. I won't leave you." She held her breath and John looked straight into her eyes to tell her he means it. He saw her eyes soften and she breathed thanks, positioning her fingers so that it fit through the gaps of his.

John never slept so soundly through a thunderstorm before.

Morning came and John, light sleeper that he is, felt Masako rouse from slumber. He could feel her eyes boring holes into his skull but John ignored it, pretending to be asleep. He wanted to avoid awkward morning-after conversations as much as the next guy. Between tangling her legs with his and him placing an arm around her waist, John was really in no mood to talk about their little situation. Masako didn't budge from where she lay and John thought she went back to sleep, before he heard a soft sigh.

"Good morning to you too," she whispered and John panicked inwardly before realizing she couldn't possibly have known he was already awake. She sat up and untangled her legs from his (thank goodness!), but their hands remained clasped together. John heard nothing from Masako as she sat there, probably watching the rain pour. She gently took her hand from his and he noted, to his confusion, that he missed the contact.

John heard fabric rustling and he tried to pacify his palpitating heart. What does she think she's doing?! Upon further thought, John couldn't blame her. It was the wiser thing to do than walking around the hotel and possibly bumping into someone they know wearing his clothes.

He heard her light footsteps come near him and John waited with baited breath. He felt something remarkably soft press against his forehead before moving away.

When he heard the door close, John moved to position himself in the middle of the bed. He found it comforting to know that her side was still warm.

A/N: Did I just write something after so many months?!

Why yes, yes I just did. It might be a little OOC, though. Please tell me what I should improve on in the reviews. I'd appreciate it a lot. :D