A/N: Welp, here I am again! This time with another prompt and God do I love this one. This one is inspired by two different prompts I received. Mariesosauras on AO3 suggested a fic where Gray is scared of a thunderstorm and Zach comforts him and lilylavendar810 on Fanfiction suggested a fic going more in-depth with Zach comforting Gray during his night terrors. I sort of combined the two into this! I also submitted the thunderstorm prompt to Jurassic World Prompts on Tumblr in case any of you want to take a crack at it, too! (And I really encourage you to do so—we NEED more sibling fluff in this fandom! ALL the sibling fluff!) If you have any more prompt ideas, don't forget to send them to Jurassic World Prompts or to me! So without further ado, I give you my latest.
The dream had started out fine. It was so natural, in fact, that Gray hadn't questioned how he'd ended up in the gyrosphere in the first place. He didn't remember boarding with Zach, strapping himself into the spherical vehicle, or pulling out of the loading station. He was just there.
The grassy meadow stretched out endlessly in front of them, more lush and green than any park or field he had ever seen in Madison. Apatosaurus towered over the vehicle as Zach steered from his seat and Gray marveled at the truly epic proportions of the creatures. But something was different. The boy was acutely aware of that fact from the beginning. Zach wasn't brooding or upset. He was laughing, pointing excitedly to various dinosaurs they encountered along the way. And there were diplodocus, which was funny because Gray didn't recall ever seeing diplodocus or hearing them mentioned at the park. And then it was quiet. The dinosaurs' feet came down in gentle whumps in the grass and the gyrosphere glided along silently. The eleven-year old frowned to himself momentarily but allowed himself to take in the feeling, revel in the magnificent creatures surrounding them and the fact that Zach was actually willing to have fun with him.
That was when it all went to hell. The first clap of thunder registered differently in his dream. The sky was still sunny but he heard the low rumbling very distinctly. Zach was still laughing about something. None of the dinosaurs around them seemed to react but he just knew. And then there was the second rumbling. One, two, three, four, five dinosaurs. A roar. And the next thing he knew, he was in his own bed, in his own room, sitting bolt upright, screaming in terror.
The night light had gone out. A flash of lightning illuminated part of the room, painting his shadow across the opposite wall. The rain pelted the window savagely, the constant tap, tap, tap threatening to burst through the double-paned glass like so many teeth puncturing a gyrosphere. Another flash. A low rumble that started to build. Gray felt his breath hitch, his heartbeat quicken, and he subconsciously drew the sheets up to his chin, screwing his eyes shut but opening them a second later when another burst of thunder ripped through the air.
Zach was up the second he heard Gray's panicked cries. He knew the cause of his brother's distress even before his feet hit the ground. There hadn't been any thunderstorms since they'd returned from Isla Nublar—it had been the middle of winter. But the weather was warmer now and April was right around the corner. Of course the storm would remind him of the island. Even Zach got chills when the thunder first started, despite the fact that he knew where it was coming from.
Zach reached for his bedside lamp, flicked the switch multiple times to no avail. Power's out. Another clap of thunder. Gray whimpered in the other room. The teen picked his way carefully to the door, pulling it open softly and stepping out into the hall.
His mother's door flew open a moment later and he locked eyes with her as she pulled her robe tightly about her.
"I'll take care of him," he assured her.
Karen nodded. "I know. I'll go check the circuit breaker." Her oldest son nodded and watched her hug the bannister as she made her way slowly down the stairs.
Zach couldn't even be annoyed with her anymore. It wasn't for lack of trying that she simply gave in. Gray preferred him and their mother was just a substitute—a placeholder—for the older brother. She would inevitably be pushed out once Zach arrived.
He paused outside Gray's door, laying a hand on the brass knob, the metal cool to the touch. The only sound filling the house was the constant thrumming of rain on the roof. He eased the door open gently and stepped inside the darkened room, taking baby steps toward Gray's bed to avoid tripping over any of the assorted clothes and toys strewn about the floor.
"Zach," Gray's voice was small.
"Yeah, it's me," Zach confirmed, finally making it to the edge of the bed and leaning against it, hoisting himself up next to the younger Mitchell.
"The power's out," Gray lamented.
"Mom's checking the circuit breaker," he soothed, fully aware that that wasn't the problem. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room, he could see Gray's tired eyes, his sleep-mussed hair. How long had the dream lasted? How long had it prevented fitful sleep? "You okay?" the older brother asked after a moment of silence.
"Had a nightmare," Gray murmured in response, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. Zach threw an arm around the boy, pulling him closer. Gray slumped against his older brother, curled up in his lap, could hear his heart beating in his chest. He felt warm and safe until another clap of thunder caused him to tense.
"It's okay," Zach spoke softly, his grip tightening on his little brother. "It's just a thunderstorm. Wanna talk about it?" He knew the answer even before he asked. Gray always ended up talking to him about it. It was inevitably the only way he could fall back asleep soundly. As expected, he felt the younger boy nod against his chest.
"We were in the park," he started. It was how almost all of his bad dreams started. He and Zach would be together at Jurassic World—riding in the gyrosphere or watching the mosasaurus feeding show or sitting in the petting zoo—and inevitably something horrible would happen. A pterosaur would swoop in and carry Zach away or grip Gray in its sharp talons and drop him from hundreds of feet up. The mosasaurus would leap from its enclosure and straight into the audience, leaving blood and gore and death in its wake. Raptors would attack them in the back of the ambulance while Aunt Claire looked on in horror and uselessly tried to beat them back or Owen shouted desperate commands that went unheeded. Indominus rex would come crashing out of nowhere, bearing down on them.
"We were in the gyrosphere and I thought it was okay but then there was a loud noise and I saw it there and it roared…" the boy trailed off and shuddered against his older brother as he relived the nightmare. It was only thunder it was only thunder it was only thunder it was only thunder. "It roared so loud, Zach. It was the thunder but it roared so loud. And that's when I woke up."
The older brother hazarded a glance down and saw that Gray's eyes were glassy with frightened tears. "You're safe now," the older brother whispered, wrapping both arms around the boy and holding him tightly. He rocked back and forth gently, mimicking the motion his mother had done years ago when Gray was still small. A flash of lightning lit up the room and he felt his brother brace for the inevitable thunder that would accompany it. Even then, he jumped when the sound came. It was beginning to look more and more like a sleepless night.
There was a light rapping at the door and their mother poked her head in. "Everything okay in here?" she asked, offering her brightest smile to Gray, barely visible in the darkened bedroom. He nodded mutely. "I checked the circuit breakers. Nothing worked. It must be on the electric company's end. I'm sure we'll have the power back by tomorrow. Will you be alright?"
"We'll be fine, Mom," Zach responded. Gray nodded sleepily, wrapping his arms tighter around his brother's torso. The woman smiled in the dimness and sighed. They're fine. They'll be fine. Another flash of lightning lit up the room and she could see Gray's eyes drooping as he reclined against Zach.
"Okay, then. I'll go back to bed. I'm right here if you need me," she said, her voice bright and encouraging. Zach acknowledged her with a nod and she backed out of the room, shutting the door with a soft thud.
"Don't leave," Gray peeped once their mother had gone, tightening his grip even though the older boy hadn't moved to get up.
"Not gonna leave you, buddy," Zach promised. A low rumble sounded, more distant than before and this time, his little brother didn't react. Gray's breathing evened out and the older brother could feel the steady rise and fall of the boy's chest, his deep inhales and exhales. "Not gonna leave you," he repeated, gently rubbing Gray's arm. The boy didn't stir from his sleep and Zach gently leaned his head against his brother's mop of hair. The pelting rain had died down to a drizzle, audible due to the power outage-induced silence. Slowly, the older brother shut his eyes and drifted off.
A/N: Fin. Thanks to Mariesosauras for suggesting a prompt idea that I LOVE. I'm a sucker for a good thunderstorm comfort story and this was so fun to write. And thanks to lilylavendar810 for the nightmare comfort prompt that helped complete this story! I hope you guys loved it! The JW fandom seems to have slowed down a bit but I don't want to stop! And I NEED more Zach and Gray sibling fluff so if any of you have prompt ideas, please send them to me. OR WRITE YOUR OWN! PLEASE! WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! So I hope you enjoyed and let me know what you thought in a review!