Title: Lean on me

Summary: "She always thought he was never afraid of anything, until she came home on a stormy evening"

Prompt: Phobia

Rating: K+

As soon as Kari Kamiya stepped outside the university building, she instantly knew a storm was on it's way over Odaiba. The sky was just filled with grey, not a speck of blue in sight.

"It's a good thing I've finished classes for the day." The brunette pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her boyfriend, who was probably already at home and waiting for her. "I wouldn't want to be caught in rush hour with a storm on the way."

Kari started to make her way across campus to the car park where her car was waiting. It was finally Friday and the brunette was looking forward towards a relaxing weekend and to take a break from studies for a little bit. Her phone buzzed with a reply from her boyfriend, telling her to be careful on the drive home.

Just as Kari was about to enter the car park, it seemed the storm decided it had done enough waiting and decided to wreck havoc then and there.

The heavens opened and the rain came down in a sudden downpour, not leaving any time for anyone caught in the pour to find shelter. Kari became sodden in seconds.

"Dammnit" she whispered angrily as she sprinted to her car, the rain showing no sign of letting up. "Great day to not have an umbrella" she muttered to herself.

She quickly unlocked her car before shuffling inside, suddenly feeling the chill of the rain reach her bones. Her hair stuck to her face as she tried to wipe away the excess water dripping down her face. She was completely sodden from head to toe.

As she tried to control her shivering fingers long enough to put her car keys into the ignition, a loud boom was suddenly heard overhead, making the brunette jump in surprise. The storm was a lot closer than she thought.

"So much for a nice weekend."

Kari finally managed to get the keys into the ignition despite her shivering fingers. Once she started the engine, Kari wasted no time in reversing out of her parking space and starting her drive home. A flash of light suddenly danced across the sky followed by another loud boom. Kari was still shivering as she pulled out of the car park, looking forward to getting home to get warm and dry.

The rain was still continuing with its merciless assault when Kari finally pulled up to her place that she shared with her boyfriend. The thunder and lightning hadn't let up either; in fact, they seemed to be more regular. The booms of the thunder seemed louder than ever, signaling that the storm was right over her house.

Kari prayed in her head that the rain would stop a little bit enough for her to run to the door without getting even more sodden, but it seemed that mother nature was not listening to her prayers.

Taking a deep breath and gathering her backpack in her hands, Kari quickly opened her car door and sprinted for the front door, wanting to be in the rain as little as possible.

However, the chill from her sodden body meant shaking fingers, which proved difficult in getting her keys in the lock. With much difficulty, she managed to unlock her door and quickly got inside.

Once inside, Kari whipped round and quickly shut the door. She leaned on it for a few minutes as she tried to catch her breath, her body still shivering due to her wet clothes. Another boom of thunder clashed overhead, reverberating throughout the house.

"Seems this storm is not letting up at all eh?" she said. When there was no reply, Kari's raised her eyebrows in confusion and decided to look behind her into the living room. "TK?"

She looked down by the front door to see TK's shoes placed neatly on the door mat so she knew he must home. She dropped her soaked backpack on the floor and took her shoes and placed them next to TK's before wondering into the living room.

She saw that the TV was turned on but still no sign of the blonde. Kari decided to check the bedroom to see if he had wondered in there and not heard her come in.

The thunder and lightning still rattled above the house along with the rain.

Once she entered their bedroom, she surveyed around to try and spot TK. She checked the en suite bathroom but still there was no sign of him. "I wonder where he is?"

Another loud clash was heard outside, making Kari jump slightly at the closeness of the storm. It was just then that Kari heard a small whimper, almost like a frightened child. Kari honed in on the sound, which led her to one of the wardrobes.

Feeling very confused at the whimpering, Kari placed her hand on the handle and slowly pulled it open. What she saw before her was a shock to the system.

There huddled on the floor of the wardrobe was the blonde boy she had been looking for moments ago, his hands placed over his ears as he whimpered. As another sound of thunder was heard she saw TK flinch and press his hands tighter around his head.

Kari was in a state of shock to see TK in such a state of fear. This was the boy who showed massive amounts of strength and bravery during their dark times in the digital world. The boy who saved her from the Dark Ocean. She never imagined that she would see him like this.

"TK?" she said as she kneeled down. He didn't respond to her voice as he was too caught up in his fear. Hesitantly, Kari reached out and placed her hand on one of his. The sudden contact made TK jump up and try to scramble away, though he couldn't go far in the wardrobe.

"Hey hey, it's okay it's just me." Kari whispered as she tried to reach for him again. Her hand touched his knee and she began to rub his skin slowly, trying to calm him down. "It's just me."

TK continued to stare at her with wide blue eyes but his breathing started to calm down. He slowly leaned forward, moving off the back of the wardrobe but making no move to exit it. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there." He mumbled quietly, his voice sounding tense and scared.

Kari's eyes softened at the sight of her boyfriend like this. She hated seeing him like this, more so that she didn't know what had upset him this bad. She gently grabbed one of his hands with her free one, bringing it to her lips and placing a soft kiss on the back of his hand.

"What's wrong TK? Why are you hiding in here?" she asked cautiously. She knew he was never one to share everything that was bothering him with his friends. He hated showing weakness, especially in front of her.

TK gulped and continued to stare at her with wide eyes. His mind debating whether he should reveal what is bothering him. "I-"

BANG

TK suddenly whipped his head downwards and his hand tightened on Kari's. The brunette gasped at the sudden tightness she felt on her hand. It was like TK was clinging onto her like she was his lifeline.

"TK, are you afraid of thunder?"

TK refused to meet her eyes as she asked that question. He kept a firm hold on her hand as his body shook a little. "W-when I was little, I was at home with Matt whilst our parents were out and he was in charge of looking after me-" TK's grip never loosened on Kari's hand and the brunette kept her own firm grip on his hand too, providing silent support and strength to the blonde.

"Whilst Matt was listening to music in his room, I had gone to the bathroom. I then somehow managed to lock myself in the bathroom and couldn't get out."

TK lifted his head slightly but still refused to look at Kari in the eye.

"It was then that a thunder and lightning storm began. It was right over our house so it was very loud and I couldn't get out of the bathroom. I tried screaming for Matt but he couldn't hear me. I could see the storm from the bathroom window and it terrified me at how close it was, and no matter how much I banged the door I just couldn't get out." Kari could hear the panic rising in TK's voice as he relieved the memory. She decided to take the initiative and placed both her hands under TK's knees and tugged him towards her.

TK didn't protest and he shuffled towards her, now sitting on the edge of the wardrobe with his legs draped around Kari as she kneeled between his legs. She then placed both her hands on his chin and made him look at her. "Why did you never tell me this?"

The blonde stared into her brown eyes, instantly melting and losing himself in them. She always had this effect on him. "I didn't want you to think I was weak."

Kari's eyes softened before she placed her lips softly on his, gently holding his head in her steady grip. Another bang of thunder sounded overhead and she felt him flinch but he didn't pull away, instead he placed his hands on her head and responded to her soft kiss.

The kiss lasted for a few minutes before Kari pulled away. "You are anything but weak TK, we all have something we're afraid of." She ran her fingers through his golden locks and massaged his scalp gently. "You're still the bravest man I've ever known." She whispered before kissing him again.

TK thanked the heavens for having the most amazing girl as his girlfriend. He never thought he would share his most deepest secrets with anyone, but the girl before him had managed to get beneath his walls and break them down, was able to draw out the most deepest secrets out of him and never see him any differently. He loved this girl dearly.

"Thank you." He whispered he as placed his hands on her waist. It was then he noticed the state of her clothes. "Kari you're clothes are soaked!"

Kari suddenly remembered that she got soaked during the rainstorm on the way home. She saw the fear disappear from TK's eyes and replaced with concern for her well-being.

"Don't worry, I just got caught in the rain on the way home." She said as she began to stand up. She was about to walk away before she felt a hand grab her wrist and stop her. She turned to see TK stand up with her. Just as he did, another boom of thunder clashed over the house, causing TK to freeze on the spot.

His eyes were clenched shut as Kari began to speak. "It's okay TK, I can take care of myself, don't push yourself."

TK opened his eyes and stared at her with the upmost gratitude. Unlike the other few people who knew of his fear, Kari was patient. The others always pushed him to just 'get over it'.

Forcing up the courage to ignore the raging storm outside, TK stepped forward so he was standing in front of Kari and grabbed the hem of her shirt. He lifted it over her head and off without much difficulty. He then reached round and unclipped Kari's bar, which was also sodden. Kari looked at him with amazement, as he was able to ignore his fear and help her get rid of her wet clothes.

TK started to notice Kari's shivering body and chucked her wet shirt and bra in the washing basket before walking over to their chest of drawers and chucking her one of his shirts.

"Put this on whilst I get you a towel." He then disappeared into the bathroom.

Kari knew he wasn't over his fear, but knowing that she didn't see him any differently was making him feel more comfortable and feeling more able to conquer his fear.

Kari slipped on his shirt as she undid her jeans and slid them off, along with her wet socks. She started to feel much better now that she was in dry clothes. TK reappeared from the bathroom with a towel in his hands. Kari expected him to throw it to her but instead he walked over to her and lifted it to her hair and began to dry it for her.

Kari closed her eyes as she felt TK dry her hair. His ministrations relaxed her and she sighed in contentment.

Both of them suddenly jumped as thunder shook the house. Kari felt TK tense up and felt his hands tightened on the towel on her head. TK placed his head on Kari's and clenched his eyes, trying to block out the sounds that frightened him so.

Kari saw TK grinding his teeth, trying to keep his whimpering at bay. He was still trying to be strong despite Kari reassuring him. Kari smiled softly, he would always try to be strong in front of her, and she still loved him deeply.

Kari wrapped her arms around TK's waist and pulled him closer to her, reaching up on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek.

"Come have a lay down with me." Kari removed the towel from her head before grabbing his hand and pulling him towards their bed. She climbed up on the bed and patted the space next to her, an invitation for TK to join her. He stared at her like a frightened child before climbing in after her. As Kari propped the pillows up behind her, she guided TK over to her. The blonde laid his head down on Kari's chest and wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling his girlfriend massage his scalp to keep him calm.

Kari placed a soft kiss on the top of his head and continued to play with his hair. "I love you so much, that will never change." She whispered as she felt his arms tighten around her. She felt him shake a little bit before replying, "I love you too."

The storm continued to rage outside but TK was lulled into a peaceful sleep as he listened to Kari's heartbeat. She continued to play with his hair as she felt his breathing even out and his body relax.

She didn't care that he was afraid of thunder, he was still the TK she grew up with and the TK she fell in love with.

A simple phobia would never change that.

It's actually been storming for days on end where I'm living currently so that provided a bit of inspiration for this piece. I was originally gonna make Kari afraid of thunder, but then thought it would be more interesting to explore it as TK.

Not one of my best pieces I think but I still hope you enjoy it.