A/N: I do not own Artemis Fowl. That would be Eoin Colfer.

This fic takes place right around TTP. The twins are around two. Yes it was titled after the song featured in The Hunger Games. No, that has nothing to do with this fic, nor is it referenced in the fic.

[Update May 6 2014: fixed some typos. Thank you all for the encouraging reviews!]

Artemis vaguely acknowledged his consciousness. It must have been late in the night, for, though he was facing his bedroom window, no light was shining on his closed eyes. So why was he awake? His brow furrowed. His body was usually on a strict sleep schedule.

Then the thunder echoed again, and he had his answer. He was not afraid of a storm. But thunder that close was enough to wake anyone. He kept his eyes closed. There was no reason to wake up, it was only a storm.

Then he heard his door creak open. He didn't stiffen, but faked sleep, brief paranoia overcoming him. But when he heard the patter of two little pairs of feet he knew who it must be. The storm had awakened his younger brothers as well.

"Artemis," Artemis heard Beckett hiss as he felt a tap on his foot at the end of the bed. "Artemis."

Artemis opened one eye to see his two wide-eyed brothers sitting at the foot of his bed.

Blonde-haired Beckett clapped his hands. "You wake up!"

"Grammar, Beckett," Was the first thing Artemis said.

"Beckett was scared," Myles explained.

Artemis sat up. "Beckett was scared? So why did you come?"

"He woke me up," Myles met Artemis's eyes, daring him to question the explanation. The dark-haired boy so resembled his brother, especially at moments like this.

Artemis decided not to press the matter. Instead he asked, "Why didn't you go to Mother and Father?"

Beckett pointed to his older brother. "Closer."

"Ah," Artemis said. "You can go back to sleep, it's noth-"

A thunderclap interrupted him. Myles jumped. Beckett squealed and crawled onto his brother's lap, pressing his face into Artemis's shirt.

Artemis didn't know what to say. He looked over at Myles, who looked at him with wide, expectant eyes.

It was then that Artemis appreciated his brothers' trust. These little boys trusted him. They depended on him, even for these little things. But he didn't deserve their trust. In fact, he knew those who would never trust him again, and who had good reason. But all the complications of what he had come to accept as everyday life were null and void in the eyes of these two innocent, undoubting, unsuspecting, trusting children.

Was this what it was to be an older brother?

He sighed heavily. "Alright. You can stay."

Myles heaved himself up too, and leaned against Artemis's side. "This is the part where you put your arms around us and say, 'It's alright, I'll protect you.'" he said helpfully.

Artemis smiled. He put one arm around Myles, and the other around Beckett, and held them both close.

Thunder rumbled again. Beckett shivered and Myles tensed. How to ease the suspense?

"Do you know how thunderstorms are formed?" he asked.

Beckett stuck his thumb in his mouth. "Nope."

"Well, when a warm front pushes against a cold front–"

"What?" Myles asked.

Artemis frowned and simplified it. "When a mass of warm air pushes against a mass of cold air, it lifts moisture and forms large clouds. The moisture builds and builds until the clouds are huge and heavy. The heavy droplets of water fall to the ground; that's rain. Thunder occurs when wind going up into the cloud brushes against wind going back down out of the cloud, and the water droplets create friction, which creates negatively charged atoms. These negatively charged atoms- get your thumb out of your mouth, Beckett- are attracted to positively charged atoms on the ground and their movement creates the spark we call lightning. Thunder is the sound of lightning. Now when a cloud keeps growing––"

He was suddenly interrupted by Beckett's loud, fake snores.

Myles giggled. "Artemis simple-toon!"

"Can you blame me for trying to put you to sleep?" he laughed along with his brothers.

Thunder rumbled again. Myles jumped a little and grabbed his brother's hand.

Artemis looked to Beckett, who had his thumb in his mouth again, and to Myles, who held Artemis's hand tightly.

"It's alright," He whispered his promise to them. "I'll protect you."

A/N: Thank you for your time! Reviews are appreciated, and criticism taken seriously. This is my first one-shot, so I would be grateful for any helpful hints.