Alfred probably should have thought this out a little better. Or at least planned to have his spring picnic with Mattie in a area that wasn't so prone to sudden violent storms. He loved coming to his midwest states, they were sleepy quiet states with lots of farms and old traditions and few bustling cities. Nebraska had even offered his house for Mathew and him to stay in while they were in the area. But of course Nebraska couldn't control the weather and his land was certainly known for it's sudden storms and weird weather. The only thing Nebraska had to say about the matter was "At least it's not freaking snowing...". Alfred couldn't bring himself to remind him that it was late spring and why on earth would it be snowing. He knew better. It had happened before. The freckled blond was currently out calling in the horses, Nebraska only found the storm to be bothersome but nothing to be really worried about, while Alfred and Mathew sat inside watching the news.
"Sorry, Matt, when I checked the weather yesterday it didn't look like it'd be this bad." Alfred said, looking away from the window. It was already coming down hard, he could barely see anything past the constant torrent of water running down the window. The old farmhouse groaned and the windows rattled slightly as the wind picked up and Alfred winced and stepped away from the window. Maybe his State was so used to this kind of weather that he no longer feared it, but Alfred couldn't say that he'd be willing to go out with it storming like this. He walked over to where Mathew was curled up on the couch, hugging his bear so tight the poor thing looked like it couldn't breath and his eyes glued to the TV screen as the weatherman once again showed the weather map showing how the storm was progressing. The worst of the storm hadn't even hit them yet by the looks of it.
Mathew didn't say anything as Alfred walked over and sat down next to him. He didn't move or pull his gaze away from the TV as Alfred scooted closer and brushed the hair away from his face and made a questioning noise.
"Mattie? You're not upset are you? I mean, we can still have the cookout tomorrow, these things blow over really fast here. No mountains to keep the storm for long..." Alfred knew Mathew shared the great plains with him, that he should know that storms rarely lasted more then a few hours before blowing over. But then again, he didn't pay too much attention to Canadian weather. Did they have the same kind of storms he did? He wasn't sure. Maybe he should look that up...
Mathew finally looked away from the TV and opened his mouth to speak, only to let out a girlish squeal at a sudden clap of thunder that made the windows rattle and the picture on the TV flicker. It took Alfred a moment to realize what had just happened, the thunder had startled him too, it sounded like it had come from right over head. It took Mathew's eyes going wide and his cheeks staining a dusty red for Alfred to realize that the high pitched noise had come from Mathew and not the bear Mathew was currently squeezing the life out of.
"...Mattie...?" Alfred asked, staring at his brother.
Mathew squeaked and let go of the bear to cover his face. "Nothing! It's nothing, it just startled me." He muttered, his hands muffling his words. The white bear huffed and jumped down from Mathew's lap, seeking freedom now that it wasn't being clung to.
Alfred frowned, but didn't push any. He didn't want to upset Mathew more then he already seemed. The next few thunderclaps weren't as loud, but the wind was picking up, making an eerie howling noise from up in the attic. The wind howled the rain pounded down until it was a constant low roar of noise, only broken by flashes of light outside and cracks and claps and deafening roars of thunder, and the almost too calm voice of the weather man spouting facts about possible tornado sightings and reports of golf ball to softball sized hail.
Each sudden howl of wind and crack of thunder made Mathew jump or wince and Alfred didn't even think about it. He reached out and pulled Mathew into his lap. Mathew made a protesting noise only to squeak and hide in Alfred's shoulder at the next deafening crack of thunder outside. Alfred worriedly pet his brother's hair, holding him close, but for once not saying anything. Mathew was glad for that. He didn't want to explain, he wasn't even sure he could. It was silly and childish to be afraid of a storm, but he couldn't help it.
Not too long after that, the front door opened and a sopping wet Nebraska came in, hurriedly closing the door behind him to keep the rain out. The boy looked to be just old enough to be considered a teen, but not much older then that. Round tanned cheeks spattered with freckles and bright wide blue eyes and messy wild golden hair that matched the sundried grasses his State used to have. "Hey, Al, has the worst of us hit us yet?" The boy asked, wiping wet hair out of his face and shedding his soaked jacket and pants, leaving him in a t-shirt and undershorts. "I think some of that lightening is hittin' right over us, did you hear that last thunderclap? That was the biggest strike I've seen in ages."
Alfred glanced over at him, not too surprised by the boy's behavior. Neb was the kind of boy who did his work and did it right and fast the first time. No nonsense and logically thinking, he didn't have much tact or modesty beyond the basics. He was a good kid though. Al glanced at the TV then back at the boy. "Looks like the main storm is just starting to hit us. We're just outside Bellevue/Omaha right?"
"Yeah. Damn, this will be a rough one... A tornado's already hit down a few miles south, hopefully none will form up here... One is hard enough to clean up after... I'll start lighting candles before the power goes ou- Hey, what's wrong with him?" Neb asked, just noticing where Mathew was curled up. Though he was no longer hiding in Al's shoulder, he was staring at Neb with something close to horror.
Al made a questioning noise, glancing down at Mathew. "Huh? Oh, Mattie's just a bit nervous. Hell, I'm a bit nervous... Shouldn't we be in the basement or something?"
"Eh? Uh, I guess you can if you want, there's an old tv and couch set up down there in the family room, so you can watch the news down there too." Neb asked, looking little surprised. "It's not that bad yet, so you don't have'ta go down yet, but if you feel safer down there, I won't stop you." He said, pulling some old candle sticks out from a drawer as well as a few candlestick holders. He set them up and started lighting the candles with some kitchen matches.
Al nodded, feeling a bit odd that Neb was so unafraid of such a violent storm, but Neb /did/ grow up and live here. He guess that after having so many storms, you stop panicking over each one till it was really bad. "Yeah, we'll head down there..." Mathew frowned up at Al, not wanting to get up, but at the same time, the basement did sound much safer then the living room couch. He got up, allowing Al to get up as well and take a candle from Neb to take downstairs. It didn't take too long to get downstairs and get the TV on and on the right channel. Neb brought down several old thick quilts and pillows after changing into some dry clothes. Mathew hid under the blankets, clinging tight to Alfred. Al didn't pay too much attention to him, just rubbing his back over the blanket and hugging him when the hail started or asking quietly if he was okay when a loud clap of thunder made him jump. Somehow, it was just perfect. Mathew didn't feel stupid or silly, instead Alfred's calm acceptance and small reassurance made it all okay. He didn't want fussing or questions anyways. This was all he needed. He didn't have to deal with the storm, he could just hide under his blanket and lean against his brother's strong chest and pretend the rest of the world didn't exist for a moment.
When the power went out Neb joined them downstairs with more candles and blankets, and the boy's dry, witty humor along with the board game he dug out from under the stairs, helped pass the time and keep Mathew's mind off the howling wind and deafening thunder outside. It was like their own privet world, playing word games and children's board games by candle light. When the power came back on and they checked the news, Mathew was almost sad when they found the storm was over. But then Al just grinned and turned off the lights again, claiming it was time for scary stories and shadow puppets and pillow fights.
Somehow storms didn't seem so scary when you had downy pillows exploding and little white feathers flying everywhere.
Well until someone knocked over the candlestick, but that's another story for another day.