Never Let Me Go (Camren/Norminah)

Chapter 4: The Storm

"Camila relax, it's going to be okay. My parents always used to tell me that thunder was just angels bowling."

"You always tell me that, it never really helps."

Camila was curled up in a nest of blankets, shivering against the single mattress in a tight ball. Lauren had wrapped herself around the brunette with a book in her hands, trying to reassure her that storms were only temporary.

"Do you want to go downstairs? You never know, it might be quieter underground."

"I'm not moving." Camila mumbled. "It's also really cold downstairs."

"You're such a pain in the ass." Lauren shook her head, smiling down at the fuzzy lump that was tucked against her body. "Your mother was right, no one ever knows what to do with you."

"Shut up." Camila muttered, tucking her chin down further as hair fell haphazardly over her face. "Your mother was right too, you're terrible at giving Christmas gifts."

"Wanna have sex?"

"What?" .

"You said it was cold downstairs." Lauren shrugged. "Sex would fix that."

"I'm not having sex with you in the middle of a thunderstorm." The brunette grumbled, snuggling close again. "Have you ever seen a movie? That's how people get killed."

"Camila." Lauren sighed, collapsing down into the pillow. "You're being ridiculous. What's the problem you have with a little thunder and lightning anyway? I thought you were supposed to get over fears like that when you were nine, not in your early twenties."

Camila shivered. "I guess not everyone is made as perfect as you."

"Camz." Lauren drawled out, wrapping her arms around the girl and squeezing tight. She felt her girlfriend reciprocate the embrace, pressing even closer and trembling subtly. After a moment, she then wriggled away and managed to get to her feet, turning on the small lamp by Camila's bed.

"What're you doing?" The brunette peered up sadly. "Are you leaving?"

"No, we're both leaving." Lauren crouched down and took her hands, guiding her up off the bed just as a rather intimidating round of thunder crackled through the area. "Quietly though, if we wake the others it's going to be a whole different kind of night."

With a nod, Camila followed. The pair tiptoed out of the room and down the stairs, careful to make minimal noise as they dipped into the basement room and descended further. It was far colder, despite the space heater being on, and Riley being curled up in the bed she was quickly outgrowing. Lauren shoved Camila towards the bed, tossing a number of covers over her before turning on the ceiling light and fishing around the messy floor for her laptop.

"You need to clean up in here again." The brunette mumbled as she reached down and pet the dog, who had happily sauntered over at the new company.

"I did clean up."

"You need to clean up better." Camila corrected.

"You need to shut your pie hole." Lauren retorted, bringing the laptop over to the bed and sliding down next to her, flipping up the lid.

"Well I never..." Camila propped a number of pillows up against the headboard and leaned back, Lauren doing the same as she brought the laptop up closer and increased the brightness on the screen. "What are you doing?"

"Cheering you up." Her girlfriend replied as another, albeit faint round of thunder sounded overhead. "I found this really great video of a bunch of kittens the other day when I was trying to read a journal article. I think you'd like it."