Rika T. Strange with another Mirabi fic- hopefully better than the last because I'm still not satisfied with that bastard [/rant] Anyways this is a rather nostalgic thing for me, since I was first introduced to fanfiction through a "one blanket scenario" Inuyasha fansite... I figure it's about time I try my hand at it. Hopefully I've done it justice!

Characters are Hoshino's!

------------------

Miranda and Lavi stumbled through the doors of a cabin, the former slamming the door shut behind them. "A-are you alright, Lavi?" She asked, eyeing his blue lips with concern.

"Fine," he answered more slowly than he should have, the cold slowly affecting his motor skills. It didn't help that the weather outside was a direct result of an akuma attack, or that the hit he'd taken to the leg had nearly frozen the appendage.

Miranda nodded but didn't believe him for a moment; she started to rummage through the cabin for anything that might be of use to them. She found a few stray pots, a bag of cornmeal, some firewood without matches, and a slightly worn blanket. The last item was at least enough to keep him warm, so she handed it to him with a smile. "You can wrap it around your leg."

"What about you?" He asked, scowling at the slowness of his lips.

"I-I'll be fine," she answered, already skittishly encouraging him to sit down on the floor.

"Hrn!" Lavi grunted with discomfort as he sat, his otherwise numb limbs protesting at the movement. He realized that he was going to have to do something drastic before it got any worse. "You know anything about hypothermia?"

Miranda fussed with the collar of her exorcist uniform. "A-ah, n-not really…" All she knew is that it sounded bad.

"S'when your body temperature drops too low." He attempted to spread the blanket on the floor with some success. "You'll need to treat me for it or I'll die."

"How do I treat you for it?" She asked, biting her lip. The last thing she wanted was his death on her hands.

"Basically we strip down to our underclothes to share body heat, and wrap our clothes and the blanket around us." He would have laughed at Miranda's utterly scandalized expression, if it weren't a matter of life and death.

"Y-you're quite sure?" She seemed unwilling to part with her uniform just yet, judging from her white-knuckle grip on the neckline.

"Completely," he answered flatly, already trying (with limited success) to unbutton his jacket. After a moment, Miranda sighed and knelt down beside him to help. Her face was extraordinarily red, but neither said a word. She slipped off both their jackets with ease but she hesitated at her undershirt. Miranda had never been this bare in front of a man before, and to have it be Lavi of all people-

A look at his chattering, blue lips set her resolution. She pulled off her top, a simple pink bra beneath, and then started unbuttoning his. To his credit, Lavi was very gentlemanly and only stole glances when he was positive she wouldn't notice.

Pants presented another difficult problem. Having already bared most of her chest, Miranda wasn't too worried about taking her own off… But she had never seen a man more than shirtless. This is silly! She chided herself, resolutely pulling off her pants and starting to unbutton Lavi's. I'm sure… It'll be fine. And it was, for the most part. She got his pants off with no problem but couldn't help but giggle slightly at the heart pattern on his boxers. Lavi managed a smirk and suddenly pulled her close, her back against his chest.

Miranda jumped at the sudden contact and the coldness of his skin, but stayed put. "Sh-should we stay sitting like this?" She asked, tentatively laying her arms atop his.

"It helps if you're lying down," he told her, doing just that and bringing her with him. Miranda's eyes widened but she went along with it again; she pulled the blanket over and around them to make sure they stayed warm.

She could hear his uncomfortably slow heartbeat and measured breathing; the softness of the sound should have soothed her but the slowness made her worry. "A-are you doing better?"

"A bit," he answered, biting back a flirtatious comment for once. He didn't need to make this any harder for her, much as he loved to see her flail and blush for him. "My leg's still damn cold though."

"Is there anything I could do to h-help?" Miranda asked, turning her head back to look at him. He nodded and clumsily rubbed his chilled legs against hers for a moment.

"Rub your legs against mine, like that. The friction creates heat."

She swallowed hard and nodded, reminding herself that this was to save his life and trying very hard to ignore the electric jolt that shot up from her core each time their legs brushed together.

Lavi closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation but trying not to show it. Miranda was a beautiful woman but no matter how soft her skin or how warm her body, she was only supposed to be ink on paper to him. She had a beautiful soul but no matter how deeply she cared for her comrades or how quietly she cried for him he was only supposed to be Bookman's apprentice to her.

He shivered suddenly and Miranda rolled over in his arms to wrap her own around his torso. "A-are you still cold?" She asked, her face flushed with more than just embarrassment- not that he could tell.

"Yeah." He pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair and telling himself it was only for the warmth but knowing that was a lie. One hand came to rest in the small of her back, while the other found its fingers tangled in her bra strap. He smirked only slightly. "Just a bit."

She nodded, trying not to fluster at his hands, and pressed herself against him as closely as she could. Her face lay against his chest and their legs tangled together, now unmoving. He was only supposed to be a Bookman's apprentice for her, and she was only supposed to be ink on paper for him. But that didn't change their feelings or the fact that they were pressed together, human.

...He could worry about his Bookman duties later.

Miranda squeaked when he kissed her, soft and playful. She squirmed slightly but didn't pull away; her lips were as clumsy as she was. He didn't mind, though, and neither did she when his wayward hand unclasped her bra.

------------------

Rika says: A good song for this fic is "Night Drive" by Jimmy Eat World~ I listened to it a lot while writing it, since the lyrics fit really well.

Don't forget to review, especially in regards to how I wrote Lavi! I'm still kind of iffy on how I think I did with him.