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Waverly Earp liked rain. A statement that surprised many people whenever they found out; used to her sunny disposition and an even warmer smile, they expected her to be bothered by it, perhaps even have her optimism dampened, but to Waverly, rain felt like a warm hug instead of a menace.
She remembered the times her mother would take her outside during the rain, laughing as warm droplets surrounded them, jumping around the old backyard. Ward Earp was never a fan of it; deeming it an annoyance that soaked his uniform with water and mud, but try as he might, the steady flow of it, soothed some of his demons, just enough so Waverly could catch a glimpse of the father Willa and Wynonna had.
As she grew older, rain reminded her that everything in life moved periodically, giving her hope that Wynonna, who’s as restless as a storm, would come back into her life, just like rain.
The steady pitter-patter just seemed to mock her now, as she stared at the puddle of water in the middle of her bed, atop her favorite three blankets.
Glancing up, she was able to identify the culprit; the ceiling of the dorm had succumbed to the storm, the old wooden planks never stood a chance. Just the perks of living on the last floor; not only was there not an elevator, the risk of the roof giving away was the highest.
Naturally, like many things in her life, it fell right on her lap.
“Just Earp luck,” she muttered testily, not even bothering to try to salvage the bed. No use getting any of her towels wet. She’d just have to call the Principal in the morning to complain.
Just as she was about to call Chrissy Nedley and ask her to spend the night, one look at the time silenced the thought. She knew Chrissy had an important exam in the morning; and as a light sleeper, she probably wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep if Waverly were to wake her up.
She turns to the door in surprise, as she hears Nicole fumbling with the key. Shit. She’d completely forgotten about Nicole; she probably wouldn’t be too pleased to hear she’d be forced to sleep in the cold, as the hole in the ceiling allowed the wind to permeate the warm air of their shared dormroom.
“Hey Wave,” Nicole greeted her, dimples prominent as she grinned at her, but quickly disappeared as her gaze lowered to the bed. “Damn, when did that happen?”
“No idea,” she replied, arms crossed over her chest in a show of irritation that’s too adorable to be taken seriously. “I came back, looking forward to just falling asleep, but then I noticed a frigging lake had formed on my bed.” By the last part, she was seething, and if looks could kill, then her whole bed would have spontaneously combusted in seconds.
“Don’t you have that big history exam in the morning?” Nicole asked, bending to take off her running shoes, unknowingly giving Waverly the perfect view of her rear end, covered by black leggings that hug her form beautifully.
At the mention of the exam, all thoughts of Nicole’s body, perfect as it may be, fled her mind, instead replaced by terror. Her exam, scheduled for exactly 8 in the morning.
“Oh my god, I’m going to fail it.” Insomnia and Waverly Earp did not mix; and the little Earp was very particular about where she slept; and the floor or chairs would not cut it. Unlike her sister, who could pretty much fall asleep on her feet, Waverly, for the life of her, cannot sleep outside a bed, with blankets almost smothering her.
“Take my bed!” Nicole blurted out, and seemed as shocked at the outburst as Waverly was. “I mean, it’s not like I have anything to do tomorrow morning, so I’ll just sleep on the floor.”
“Nicole!” Waverly gasped, “The floor will get wet! It’s your bed, I’ll just sleep on a chair or something, okay?” even as she said it, the bad mood she’d been in slowly retreated, warmth at the knowledge Nicole would willingly give up her bed for her, growing in her chest. Nicole, who she’d been crushing on ever since the redhead entered the room and introduced herself as her new roommate.
“Waves,” rolling her eyes good-naturedly, Nicole recovered from the shock quickly, “I know you. You couldn’t fall asleep that one time Stephanie Jones borrowed one of your blankets, I’m pretty sure you’d just wreck your posture if you tried to sleep on a chair.”
“But-“
“Plus, what kind of a gentlewoman would I be if I let a pretty girl sleep on the floor while I did nothing about it? It’s basically my duty, Waves!”
The warmth in her chest grew even more, pooling in her cheeks this time, quick as a burst of thunder. Waverly was not blind; she knew what she looked like, took pride in taking care of her body, but she suddenly felt like one of those women on magazine covers.
Any other day, Waverly would have refused, but with the threat of losing her scholarship looming over her head, she nods, salvaging one of her pillows that, somehow, hadn’t gotten wet. “Thanks, Nicole. I’ll make it up to you, I swear!”
Nicole just chuckled in response, and she let herself get lost in the melodic sound for a moment. “Just get settled, alright? You don’t owe me anything and I have some homework to finish anyway. You could say you helped me, since I would have likely just ignored it until it piled up.”
“Just wake me up if you change your mind, it’s your bed after all,” she tried to reason, if anything just to mollify her own conscience. As much as she wanted to ask Nicole to just share the bed, the knot in her stomach couldn’t loosen enough for the words to slip.
“I won’t.” Nicole waved her off, already turning on her laptop.
Minutes later, Waverly lied in the bed, Nicole’s blanket covering her from head to toe in order to combat the cold, and failing miserably. As comfortable as the larger bed was; curtesy of Nicole being much too tall for the bed Waverly got, the one layer of covers simply wasn’t enough, and in her mind, Waverly heard her own teeth chattering.
Though, that could as well have been Nicole, typing away at her computer.
After twenty more minutes of laying still, hoping the warmth of her breath will somehow make the blanket thicker, she groans miserably, embarrassed.
“Um... Nicole?” she whispered, careful as not to wake the other girl up if she happened to be sleeping. At least one of them should get some rest.
“Yeah, Waves?” came the answer, clear and loud.
“I’m cold.” She whined, “do you happen to have another blanket? Or five?”
“Umm,” she could almost see Nicole scratching the back of her head, “I tend to run hot, so that’s the only one I’ve got. Do you want me to go to the car and take the emergency one from the trunk?”
That at least, wakes her up some more. Almost violently, she shakes her head, “No! It’s still raining. I don’t want you to get sick because of me.” And then, another thought hit her over the head, “Wait, if that’s the only blanket you have, what are you going to cover yourself with?”
“I’ll survive. It’s not that bad. Though, you could make it up to me tomorrow with a cup of coffee. I’m pretty sure I’ll need it.”
“Body heat is a great way to retain heat, so you know, if you don’t mind-“ stopping herself in the middle of that sentence, Waverly blushed again, thankful for the blanket covering her, “Nevermind, forget I said anything.” she mumbled, cringing inwardly at the outburst. There was no way Nicole would share the bed with her.
“Ah, ah, Miss Earp! I won’t have you freezing on my watch. If you need a bonus blanket, I will provide you with one.”
It took a little fumbling for the redhead to get under the blanket, while the bed was larger than Waverly’s, it definitely wasn’t made for two people to sleep comfortably in. Especially now, that Waverly realized just how small it was. She regretted asking immediately, even as her statement rang true; the cold didn’t bother her anymore, but the heat did.
The blush on her cheeks had yet to recede, and if Nicole’s unsteady breathing was anything to go by, the older woman wasn’t comfortable either. She kept her hands glued to her sides, in a clear effort not to box Waverly in, or invade her personal space.
“Wave, are you sure you’re fine with this? Do you want me get up?”
“I was just about to ask you that! It’s your bed, Nicole. Can you even fall asleep like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re stiff as a board.” To prove her point, the younger woman probed her arm with a finger, noticing how stiff it was.
“I just don’t wanna make you uncomfortable, Wave.” She heard Nicole mumble, sounding insecure for the first time that night.
“Don’t be silly, how can I not be comfortable around you?” Waverly responded, trying to soothe both Nicole and herself. Because it was true; Nicole never made her feel like that.
“You are?”
“Yeah, so please, get comfy. I’m not going to kick you out of bed if you touch me, Nicole.”
“Always took you for the kind of girl who’d feed me breakfast and then kick me out,”
Nicole teased, confidence back in full swing after the brief moment of insecurity.
She didn’t know what possessed her then, the tiny bit of bravery in her sparked to life again, “well, be my bonus blanket and find out,”
“Yes ma’am!” with a mock salute, Nicole finally relaxed, and Waverly tried not to shudder as one of her legs touched her own, or as she rested a muscular arm on the pillow, over her head.
As the world slowly got blurry, she didn’t even bother to stop the smile spreading across her lips, as Nicole wrapped a hand around her waist, in a movement so fluid it must have been in sleep, without Nicole’s too considerate mind to interfere.
When she wakes, Waverly is aware of a couple of things. First, she definitely moved in her sleep, tucked into Nicole’s chest, with the other girl gently spooning her, with no real pressure at all. The embrace, as unintentional as it was, did not feel the slightest bit constricting.
Then, she felt Nicole’s lips near her ear, puffing out slow, measured breaths. The clock read 8 am, and in her distress, she must have forgotten to turn on the alarm, but the Earp couldn’t find it in herself to be bothered, instead pushing herself even more into Nicole, to the point where she wasn’t sure where each one of them began, and let the slow pitter-patter of rain lull her back to sleep.
She felt Nicole smile against her neck.
Waverly Earp loved rain.