Keraunophobia
The redhead heard the crackling of thunder outside, the bright light flashing into his small bedroom in the Abbey, the light bouncing off the dark stone walls. He pushed himself further beneath the sheets, releasing a quiet whimper as there was another flash of thunder and lightning. Maybe his bed under the window wasn't helping him much. The thunder and lightning went on for ten more minutes by the time he started to cry. He hated that sound, he hated that feeling.
The heavy patter of rain against the glass window bothered him so much. Then that painful cracking of thunder scared him, it made his heart beat faster, it gave him a fright every single time it happened. The trembling increased and the thin blanket and quilt on his bed was no longer enough to help him. He couldn't even believe himself, he was twelve and he was crying over the thunder and lightning.
He sniffled and cried further though, dragging himself out of bed and pulling his sheets and quilt off the bed. He ran to the other side of the room where Bryan was, sitting at the side of him on the bed before shaking him awake, "Bryan…" he nagged once the boy wasn't waking, "Bryan, Bryan, please wake up." He couldn't help but sob as there was another sound of thunder and the lightning shone the whole room momentarily; he shook the boy harder, finally stirring him.
"Tala, what the hell?"
"I can't sleep, the storm is scaring me!"
Bryan sighed exhaustedly and dropped his head down onto the pillow, "I'm going back to sleep." He yawned tiredly, turning over onto his other side. "You should too…We have training in the morning."
"But Bryan! I can't sleep!"
The younger boy turned to the redhead again, looking up at him with tired eyes and watching those pale cheeks begin to turn red with frustration and sadness and become tainted with trails of tears. "What's the matter?" he asked in a weak whisper. His body had suffered numerous injuries within the past few days; he needed his sleep and helping the boy first was the fastest he was going to be able to get it.
"I'm cold, I'm wet, I'm tired," Tala didn't know where to start and where to stop, just knowing that his words started and stopped with tears and sobs getting caught in his throat.
"Well why aren't you wearing something warmer than that?" Bryan grumbled, sitting up. Tala continued to cry profoundly and the younger boy got out of his bed slowly, walking over to the stack of drawers. He pulled out a large coat, one that one of the scientists had wrapped him in when he was trembling with extreme cold as a side effect to one of their experiments. He moved over to Tala slowly, tugging the blankets off the sobbing boy with care before helping him into the coat. "Lie down." He murmured, pushing him down against the pillow.
"What are you doing?" The redhead murmured, brushing his damp cheek against the pillow.
"Trying to keep you warm." Bryan replied, tugging his sheets over his friend and then putting Tala's sheets over his own. "Just move over a bit." He added while trying to push himself into the little space beside Tala in the even littler bed. "Relax…go to sleep now." Tala pressed his face further into the collar of the other boy's t-shirt and continued to sob louder every time the thunder struck. "Be quiet, someone will hear." Every time the weather made itself known to the young boy, Bryan would pull the boy closer to him protectively and to try to cover his ears. "It's okay."
Eventually the sobbing and trembling subsided into quiet relatively-even breathing. Finally the boy had fallen asleep. It had never crossed his mind that the little redhead would be afraid of something as simple as the thunder and lightning. Though it wasn't something that rarely happened in Russia so the boy was going to have to get used to it eventually. If that didn't happen, then Bryan was looking to plenty more nights with Tala curled up in his bed and sobbing. He needed to prepare himself for that.
A/N: Awww poor Tala is afraid of thunder and lightning! It was kinda difficult to write since I adore both but it was okay in the end. I just love the Tala-Bryan friendship. Please leave a review. Take care everyone!