One would not expect a night so clear to become dreary in the blink of an eye.
Yet this came to be, much to Yuuki Yuuna's dismay. For unbeknownst to her friends, Yuuna had a fear of thunderstorms. Here she was, lying in bed with her best friend Tougou Mimori, shaking as she and her only source of comfort were turned away from each other.
Rumble, rumble...
Yuuna felt her breath hitch as the thunder drummed in the distance. She gripped the baby blue pillow that laid under her head, and curled up tightly. There was a lump in her throat, throbbing and threatening to let sobs break through. She felt her teeth digging into her bottom lip; not hard enough to make it bleed, but enough to hurt.
BOOM!
Yuuna screamed, bolting upright with a heaving chest. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated and laced with fear She looked down at Tougou, hoping she didn't wake her up with what she thought was a weak fear. Tougou rolled over, now facing Yuuna. Before she could let out a sigh of relief, eyelids separated and deep green orbs glanced up at her.
"Yuuna...?" Tougou mumbled out. She pushed herself upright, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Why are you still awake...?"
"Oh, Tougou!" Yuuna laughed sheepishly, "I just woke up, ahaha! You know, when you just kinda wake up in the middle of the n–" Yuuna let out a scream, and under the deep blue covers she went hoping to escape the sounds of thunder. Yuuna hugged her knees tightly, breath shaking almost as much as her body was.
"Yuuna..." Tougou peered under the covers, a soft smile on her face. "Are... you scared?"
"Pfffft, no!" Yuuna laughed it off, before her hold on her knees tightened after another low growl in the sky. "O-okay, maybe... maybe I am..."
Tougou chuckled softly, and pulled the cover over her head as well. "Yuuna, it's okay to be scared... lots of people have fears like this."
"Yeah, but..." Yuuna shifted uncomfortably, "I... I'm not used to being the scared one, Tougou... I was always the one comforting my friends, it was never me that got scared..." She sighed, burying her face in her knees. "I feel weak..."
Tougou wrapped her arms around her friend and nuzzled her cheek lovingly. "Hey, you're not weak, Yuuna... like I said, lots of people have the same kind of fear... like Fu! Did you know Fu's terrified of flying insects?"
Yuuna lifted her head, pinkish eyes glancing up at green ones. "She is...?"
"Yup! Itsuki always has to act as her little barricade against them..." Tougou chuckled softly, "it's actually quite funny to watch. I know that sounds mean, but..."
"That sounds incredibly mean..." Yuuna mumbled in response, "but... it does sound kind of funny..." she let out a soft giggle, earning herself a smile from Tougou.
"See? And Karin's scared of bunnies."
"S-seriously?"
"Yeah!" Tougou nodded, "it's because a bunny frightened her as a kid. At a pet store, she asked to pick a bunny up. An employee gave one to her but it started to kick and struggle. She panicked and dropped it. Karin hasn't been able to even look at a bunny ever since."
"Oh..." Yuuna's head was fully up now. "W... what about Itsuki?"
"I'm not sure about Itsuki, honestly... she never told me," Tougou responded, "and of course, there's my fear of highways..."
"Well, yeah... but you and Karin have reasons for your fears!" Yuuna murmured, "Fu probably does, too... I don't!"
"Fu doesn't, either," Tougou patted Yuuna's head gently, "it's a phobia; an irrational fear."
"A... phobia...?" Yuuna asked.
"Yup!" the smile on Tougou's lips widened a bit, "but it seems that you're unaffected as long as you're distracted."
"Wait, what?" Yuuna asked.
"The storm's over, Yuuna," Tougou giggled, "you didn't hear a single rumble while we were talking!"
"Oh..." Yuuna let out a quiet laugh, "well... maybe I should glue you to my side whenever there's a storm!"
Tougou laughed as well, before a yawn escaped her mouth. Yuuna followed suit, laughing, yawning, and laughing some more.
"Maybe we should go back to sleep..." Tougou smiled, setting her upper body back down on the mattress.
"Maybe..." Yuuna giggled in response. She laid herself down besides Tougou. "Good night, Tougou... and... thanks for the talk..."
"No problem, Yuuna... good night, Yuuna."
