~Starless Storm~
by Strawberry Moon Rose

There's this one meme of a man sitting in a chair in the middle of a field alone with the caption, "Well, I guess it's just me and my feelings" and above it it says, "When you read a book with no fandom." That's how I feel about Super Lovers! I cannot believe how little fanfiction there is written for this amazing manga/anime...seriously only ten English fics on this site, that's insane! :O

Well, I don't expect this to get many views, but if you do enjoy this, please leave a review. We fujoshi gotta stick together. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Super Lovers or any of the characters. They belong to Abe Miyuki.

Drip. Drip.

Ren cast his gaze towards the darkening sky. It was only five-thirty, but it felt later than usual thanks to the storm brewing on the horizon. The fifteen-year-old's brow furrowed. He didn't realize until he felt drops sprinkling his disheveled hair that he'd forgotten his umbrella back at school.

I'm closer to home now anyway, he thought to himself and continued down the sidewalk of Tokyo.

It was Friday evening which meant he had to stay late for his Japanese lessons with his new mentor. He didn't mind, but after a long week Ren was looking forward to the weekend away from all the people.

Rrrrrumble. Thunder growled in the distance, reminding Ren of the time he was playing outside with the dogs in Canada when it had started to downpour. He remembered clearly how 16-year-old Haru came out looking for him in the midst of the storm and carried him back safely on his shoulders.

Ren nearly smiled at the memory. I'm almost as old as Haru was back then... Though I don't feel like it... He wondered if he'd ever feel as old as Haru, though he knew that was silly because Haru would always be older than him. Part of him worried Haru would always look at him and see that frightened child from that summer so long ago, no matter how many birthdays passed.

Lost in thought, Ren was startled when a flashy red car slowed to the curb and rolled down the window.

"Ren?" The man behind the wheel leaned over, pulling down a pair of shades to reveal familiar brown eyes. "I thought it looked like you from behind. You on your way home?"

"Natsu." Ren stiffened and adjusted the school bag across his body. "Um, yeah. What do you want?"

"I'm on my way to the cafe for drinks with Takamura-san later tonight. You want a lift or not?"

Ren shook his head vehemently and continued walking. "That's okay, it's not much farther."

Natsu cruised alongside him. "You sure? It's gonna rain."

"I don't mind."

A car behind Natsu tapped it's horn. Natsu hesitated before leaning back into his seat with a shrug. "Suit yourself, I guess." And with that, he sped away.

Ren set his mouth in a line and picked up the pace. It wasn't all that long ago Natsu kissed Haru at his birthday party. Just the memory of their locked lips made Ren feel like electricity was snapping off his skin. He wasn't sure why Natsu had done that, but he'd be lying if he said it didn't still bother him.

He was just fooling around. It didn't mean anything. Besides, Natsuo is Haru's cousin... Ren swallowed at that thought. Though I guess I'm his brother after all...

A dazzling flash sparked the sky, followed by a snarl of thunder. The mist suddenly turned to a steady rain, darkening Ren's school uniform and drowning his bangs into his eyes. Two girls sharing an umbrella darted past him, squealing at the sound of thunder.

Holding his bag over his head, Ren nearly ran the rest of the way home. It felt like the storm was chasing him, nipping at his ankles. Anxiety gnawed at his belly. Dark road, the sound of engines, the scent of wet pavement, headlights blinding... It felt treacherously familiar. Ren didn't like to think about things that happened before Haruko took him in. But sometimes they streaked through his memories like the lightning in the sky.

Ren reached home in five minutes, not even slightly winded thanks to the fact he ran almost ten miles every morning. He passed the cafe knowing he was too much of a mess to go inside and headed straight for the house.

Relieved to be out of the rain, Ren shut the front door and started taking off his shoes. They were so wet, even his socks were soggy. "I'm home."

"Welcome back," said Shima, glancing up over the novel in his hands. He was sitting on the couch closest to the door. Natsu was lounged on the other sofa, texting on his phone when Ren walked in.

"Didn't I tell you it was gonna rain?" Natsu's lips twitched into a smirk. His fingers danced across the keyboard. It was probably one of his female clients from the host club.

Ren turned his head the other way, ignoring the comment. He saw Aki in the kitchen making stir-fry at the stove. The scent of green peppers and meat tickled his nose. His stomach growled at the same time an eruption of thunder shook the empty plates on the table.

"Hey, at least he made it home in that downpoar!" Aki exclaimed. "Our idiot brother will be so relieved, he won't care if he looks like a drowned rat."

"I'll get you a towel, Ren." Shima set his book down and headed to the bathroom.

"Thanks." Ren shifted uncomfortably. He couldn't wait to change into warm, dry clothes and sit down for dinner. Afterwards he'd curl up in bed with a manga and Tanuki in his lap.

Shima returned with a small towel in hand. Ren thanked him and started dabbing his dripping hair when the front door burst open behind him.

"Oh- Ren..!" Haru cried over the deafening rain. He quickly shut the door and threw his arms around his youngest brother. "I'm so glad you're home safe! I was worried, it started pouring and then I remembered you were going to be home late tonight. I should've picked you up, but I just got off work now. I was afraid you might not have returned yet and I'd have to go looking for you."

"It's okay," Ren managed to get out. He hugged the taller man back gently, relaxing at his familiar scent. He noticed Haru's hair and clothes were as drenched as he was, and he felt a little better about the mud he had tracked into the entryway.

"Hey, bro!" Aki called from the kitchen. "Come give me a hand! The rice is about done too."

"Sure, sure." Haru held him for a moment longer before pulling back and planting a tender kiss on Ren's cheek. His lips felt warm on Ren's chilled skin. He smiled down at the younger boy before going to help Aki with dinner.

"Ren, go change into some dry clothes before you catch a cold," Haru said over his shoulder.

"Okay."

"You should too," Shima told him, his nose back in his book.

"I'm fine," Haru replied. He glanced into the living room. "And Natsuo, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here for food."

"How convient."

Natsu stretched his arms behind his head. "Shouldn't drink on an empty stomach. Besides, Takamura-san won't be here for another half hour."

"You're sure spending a lot of time around him, huh?" Aki commented while sprinkling some seasoning.

Natsu bristled. "It's for work. He's helping me deal with a troublesome client, that's all."

"If you say so..." Haru shook his wet hair in a way that reminded Ren of a dog. Haru dug into his pocket and pulled out an elastic hair tie. Ren watched him finger-comb his damp locks into a half ponytail in a matter of seconds.

Ren paused, letting the towel around his neck hang comfortably. Haru's hair looked a darker shade of ash blonde when it was wet; the tresses grazed the collar of his work uniform, exposing the nape of his neck. Haru's smooth complexion almost glowed under the warm kitchen lights. Ren couldn't help but notice how see-through his shirt was from the rain, clinging to his body in a rather appealing way as he moved around the kitchen.

"Ren," Shima murmured.

Ren blinked. He tore his gaze away from Haru and it suddenly felt like he'd grown a million extra nerve endings, and they were all tingling. His breath quickened as he realized why Natsu was gaping at him in a mixture of disbelief and amusement from the couch and Shima kept adjusting his glasses.

Ren quickly shifted his school bag to cover the hardness in the front of his pants. He lowered his chin and started across the room, ignoring the snicker that came from Natsu's direction. He even felt Aki's eyes on him.

Haru caught a glimpse of his younger brother's expression as he headed for the stairs. "Ren? What's wrong?"

Ren's cheeks warmed. "Nothing. I'm just going to go take a bath and change for dinner."

Haru set the last plate on the table and took a step towards him with. "Idiot, you can't take a bath during a storm like this, you'll get electrocuted."

"I won't then," Ren said obediently, impatiently.

Haru looked at him. What Ren imagining it, or did his lips hold the trace of a smile? "Okay, well don't take too long. We'll be eating in a few minutes."

"He might need longer than that to take care of himself!" Aki teased.

Ren scowled and hurried up the stairs, feeling Haru's eyes on him until he disappeared out of sight. He tuned out the voices coming from downstairs. He didn't want to know what they were saying.

Ren slid into his bedroom and closed his eyes. He didn't let a lot of things bother him usually, but he had been caught so off guard. I should be more careful around Haru.

When his heart returned to normal, Ren tugged his wet clothes off and changed into a t-shirt and comfortable pants. To his relief, he had more or less settled down down there. Ren stared at his reflection in the small mirror that hung on his wall. He hated how young he looked, and at times like this, how young he felt. He yanked a comb through is dark hair and waved a hairdryer back and forth, warming himself up. Then he took a deep breath and headed downstairs.

Much to Ren's relief, dinner passed like any other night except for the crazy storm outside. There were no comments and no weird looks from anybody about what they saw earlier.

They had to pull up a chair for Natsu, but as long as he wasn't seated next to Haru, Ren didn't mind if he joined them. He ate his food quietly, listening to the others talk. Haru asked for any suggestions for additions to the cafe menu, Aki complained about a girl he'd recently started seeing, and Natsu yawned several times, saying he hadn't gotten any sleep since yesterday.

When they had all finished eating and were placing the dishes into the sink, Shima got a phone call from a girl he was tutoring who needed help with her homework and disappeared into his room for the night. Aki popped in a movie in the living room and Natsu headed over to the bar.

"If I get too drunk you'll let me stay here for the night, right?" Natsu asked as he pulled his arms through his coat and flipped up the hood. It was still raining pretty heavily.

"Normally I'd tell you to get lost," Haru answered, "but I don't want you driving in this weather. Especially after you've had a few drinks and haven't slept properly. The couch is open. But don't get used to it!"

"Thanks." Natsu paused. It looked like he wanted to say something else, but he turned and left, the sound of rain swallowed him up into the night.

Ren and Haru helped out with dishes since Aki had made dinner. Ren scrubbed each plate, then handed them over to his older brother who dried and stacked them into their place in the cupboards.

"Got any plans for tomorrow?" asked Haru.

"Not really."

"Hmm..." Haru clucked his tongue. "You know, I feel like I'm not allowing you to have enough real world experiences. Is there anything you would like to do you haven't done before? Go to karaoke? Visit an amusement park?"

"I don't really mind not doing many things." Ren rinsed a glass under the faucet. "I like being at home, helping Kiri-chan with Lyuba, and taking Tanuki for walks. But if you wanted to take me on a date to an amusement park, I'd like that too."

A smile spread across Haru's face. "So you'd go if it was a date?"

"If you didn't trick me again..."

Haru chuckled. "I think you'd like an amusement park. If we went on a weekday it wouldn't be as crowded. You'd just look so cute on one of the pastel horses on the carousal!"

Ren's features crumpled into a scowl. He scrubbed the plate in his hand harder. "That's for kids. I'm not that small, you know."

"I'm just teasing you, Ren," he laughed.

Ren gave him a withering look.

"It'd be fun if we went at night, too. The Ferris wheel would be a perfect spot to watch the fireworks."

If Ren was a dog, his ears would have pricked up. "Haru, we could have sex at the top of the Ferris wheel."

Haru nearly dropped the plate he was drying. He fumbled to set it on the counter.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that!" Aki called from the living room.

Haru's face pinkened. "Don't tell me you're still thinking about that kind of thing," he said in a hushed tone.

"It was in a book I read."

"What kind of books are you reading?!"

"A manga I bought from the bookstore by the station. Did you know there's a whole genre section called 'BL'? I've learned a lot about how two guys have sex." Ren turned to face the taller man, who was looking at him nonplussed. "I want to do those kind of things with you, Haru," he said simply.

"Ren...!" Haru felt his heart catapult to his throat. Ren's eyes looked so innocent, yet so determined, so beautiful, yet so dangerous. But they were drawing him in again. As I expected... I'm no good at this.

"Bro, please don't tell me you're thinking about doing dirty things to our beloved youngest in an innocent amusement park ride," said Aki, entering the kitchen with an empty popcorn bowl. "You really are a borderline criminal, you know that?"

"Say what now?!" Haru exclaimed. "What, no! Ren was the one who-"

Aki held up a hand to stop him. He scooped more popcorn into his bowl and returned to the living room wordlessly.

Haru felt his insides wilt. He shot Ren a disapproving look, to which the younger boy returned the stare blankly. Ren handed him the last plate and dried his hands. "I'm headed up to do homework for a while."

"Um, okay. I'll be up later..." Haru watched him leave and found himself pursing his lips. I don't know how much longer I can do this...

I'm a terrible adult.

It was eleven-thirty when the bedroom door creaked open and Haru slipped inside.

"Ren, you asleep?" Haru whispered into the sea of darkness. He had to squint, but he made out movement under the sheets.

"I can't sleep because of the thunder," Ren complained groggily.

"Yeah, it is pretty loud. I heard on the radio it's supposed to let up in the morning or so."

"I hope the vegetables Mikiko-san had me plant out back will be alright."

"I hope so too." Haru pulled a pair of pajamas from his dresser and unbuttoned his shirt.

Ren shifted the covers to his chin and watched him undress in the shadows. A flash of lightning illuminated the room, and for a fraction of a second he saw Haru in just his underwear. And like that, the image was gone.

"Are you watching me?" Haru teased, pulling up his bottoms.

"No."

"Hmm, I felt like I was being watched..."

Ren rolled so his back was to him and shut his eyes. "Your delusions have gone too far," he muttered.

With a faint smirk, Haru peeled back the covers and slid in beside him.

All of a sudden an earth-shattering thunderclap shook the entire house in a deafening explosion.

"H-Haru!" Ren clasped his hands over his ears, nearly jumping out of his skin. His heart thumped madly, it almost hurt.

"Shh, shh... It's alright." Haru slipped his arms around the fifteen-year-old boy and held him close. "I'm right here," he whispered.

Ren's hands gravitated to the arms wrapped around him from behind. Haru's warm lips pressed against the back of his neck, sending a shudder down his spine.

The wind shifted direction, howling against the bedroom window. It sounded like somebody was heaving pebbles against the glass.

"It's just a little hail," Haru whispered, snuggling in closer. He hooked one leg over Ren's hip and curved to the boy's small frame as if he were a body pillow.

A blanket of calm settled over Ren. He gave Haru's hand a gentle squeeze. His heart rate fell.

"I didn't know you were afraid of thunder," Haru murmured.

"...I'm not afraid, I just don't like it."

"Isn't that kind of the same thing?"

"Not really." Ren felt chilly. "Storms make me feel...alone."

"Why's that?"

Ren frowned. He felt like he was reaching into the back of his mind for a distant memory, but found emptiness. "I'm not sure," he said in a wobbly voice.

Haru rested his forehead into the back of Ren's hair. "You're not alone anymore," he whispered. His words were warm and moist, making Ren shiver in all the right ways.

A comfortable silence settled between them. Clouds rumbled in the distance.

"Haru...?" Ren said after a long time. He couldn't tell if he had fallen asleep or not.

"Mmm...?"

Ren rolled over to face him. "Why did Natsuo kiss you that day?" he asked.

"Eh?" It took Haru a second to process what he'd said. He studied Ren's features and found nothing but seriousness. "Honestly, I don't really know myself," he replied after a long beat. "He was probably just trying to get a rise out of both of us... That's still bothering you?"

"A little," Ren said quietly. "...He admires you. Because of your reputation as a host, and how you care for me and Aki and Shima. I think he feels left out, jealous even."

"What makes you think that?"

Ren shrugged the blanket they shared up to his chin. "It's obvious," he said.

Haru thought for a moment. "Well, I can tell you this much, Ren. You don't need to spend any more time worrying about Natsuo. He's more trouble than he's worth, and you're one-hundred times more important to me than he is. And if anybody should be concerned about him, it's me. He only kissed me, but he was going to sleep with you."

Ren lowered his eyes, a flush creeping up his neck. "I didn't think of it like that," he mumbled.

"Exactly." Haru let out a pent-up sigh. "Anyway, I'm just glad you came to your senses and didn't go through with it. That's all that matters now."

"I don't know what I was thinking. I only want you," Ren whispered.

Haru's insides shimmered at those words. He touched his forehead against the younger boy's, brown eyes meeting green. "I'm yours," Haru murmured. He leaned slowly towards Ren, then kissed him on the lips.

Ren's arms wrapped around him, small hands clawing at Haru's back. He let the older man's tongue explore his mouth. He felt Haru's hands in his hair, then at his shoulders. Everything about Haru enchanted him. His scent, his taste, his warmth.

"Mm..." A soft moan escaped when he felt Haru bite at his lip.

Oh damn... Unable to restrain himself, Haru shifted so he was on top of the brunette. Deviating from his mouth, he scattered kisses along his jawline and down the side of his neck. He could feel Ren's pulse beating fast beneath his lips.

"Th-That tickles..." Ren turned his head, shying away.

Haru smiled and pulled back, feeling his excitement pressing against his body. "You're hard, Ren," Haru mused.

A blush spread across Ren's face. He cut his gaze away, looking frustrated.

Haru slid Ren's night shirt up, exposing his stomach. His fingers toyed at his nipples, producing a soft gasp in response and making them stand erect.

"That..." Ren's hands clenched in his ash blonde hair.

Haru caressed his lips down Ren's stomach, slowly and passionately, making the younger boy squirm as his warm tongue licked his skin. Haru slipped his hand down and stroked him through his pants.

"H-Haru! I'm-" Ren cried. His fingers, entwined in Haru's locks, trembled. Lightning illuminated the room. His breathing was audible over the thunder that followed.

So fast... Haru smirked at the wet spot in the front of Ren's pajama bottoms. "Guess you didn't do it earlier?" He teased and slid up beside him.

Ren looked embarrassed. "Y-You saw?"

Haru smiled. "Your expression was obvious," he replied.

Ren looked away. "Um. What about you...?" he asked, changing the subject. Haru was still turned on.

"I just want to hold you right now."

"I could..." Ren's voice trailed off.

"No need." Haru pulled him closer and nestled his head against Ren's.

"Why don't you ever let me?"

"Because. Seeing you get excited is more than enough for me."

"But I can someday?" Ren looked up at him.

Ah, damn it... It took every ounce of strength in Haru to keep himself together when Ren gazed at him with those glittering, innocent eyes. Like two pools of chocolate, he drowned in their sweetness.

All he wanted to do was spoil this child forever, but he knew those days were coming to a close. With each season Ren felt less like a brother to him. And with each day he became more unsure how much longer he could keep up that act.

"Who knows, maybe I'll let you have your turn at the top of the Ferris wheel," Haru whispered in a husky voice.

"Y-You mean it?"

Haru chuckled. "What do you think, Ren?"

"I don't know, that's why I asked."

Haru hugged him tight, the storm outside dying down, but the storm in his heart raging on. "We'll see."