It had started with another family night. It was a normal one this time, and no one got completely drunk. Unfortunately the weather was proving that it'd be difficult for them to all make it to their respective homes safely, so they were all stuck in Ty's home for the night. Mike had claimed the guest bedroom while everyone else had to fend for themselves with the couches and piles of blankets that Ty had thrown at them. Mike was quiet as he listened to the rumbles of thunder and occasionally saw a flash of lightning. Personally, he was never scared of thunderstorms. He actually found comfort in hearing them and often fell asleep rather quickly when it was storming outside. But he remembered way back when he and his brothers were much younger. His brothers unlike him, had been quite scared of thunderstorms.

Funnily enough, it'd always start with Anders. But then again the shortest Johnson was always weary of things that he couldn't talk his way out of, and storms weren't exactly things you could talk away. Since Anders was able, he would make his way into Mike's room and curl up in his bed without a single word uttered the whole time. But Mike could always feel the flinches and shivers coming from the smaller body curled up next to him whenever thunder crashed. After Ty was born, it became the same thing with him. First Anders would arrive and curl up in Mike's bed, and then Ty would come in and lay down on Mike's other side. It had been strange at first, having a brother clinging onto him from both sides.

Mike had been bracing himself after Axl was born, and sure enough as soon as the boy was able to, he'd come in after Anders and Ty and wriggle in between himself and Anders and fall asleep peacefully, drooling on Mike. It was amusing to Mike, especially because by then Anders and Ty were probably considered too old to be running to their brothers room to hide from the storms, but he thinks that they just got so used to it that they just continued without questioning it.

It was like that until god shit went all up in their business and their family essentially became more torn apart than it had been before. That little comfort that they gave each other suddenly disappeared along with everyone in their family. But the fact that they were all putting in an effort to become friendly with each other again was good, even if they were having a rather rocky beginning. But Mike could easily tell that they were getting better. He heard from Ty that he and Anders were meeting up more often, and the same with Axl.

Mike had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't feel the bed dip slightly until he heard another crash of thunder and a hand clutch his shirt.

"Uh...What are you...?"

"Just don't question it Mike." He heard Anders whisper back as his younger brother curled up stubbornly against Mike. "The storm is pretty loud isn't it?" Another crash. Another flinch.

"You never got over that fear?"

"You can't talk away a storm. I don't like it. Now shut up so I can sleep."

Mike knew he wasn't going to get anywhere from fighting it, so he didn't say anything. He was just falling asleep when he felt another dip in the bed from his other side. He already knew who it was without even having to ask. "You too Ty? And here I thought you guys all grew up."

He got a mumble in reply, and Ty scooted closer, stealing most of the blanket. Mike already knew what was going to happen next, and he wasn't even sure the bed would be able to support all the brothers. And sure enough, he felt someone attempting to make his way between a napping Anders and himself. Mike had to shove Anders out of the way before he was completely crushed by Axl who had finally joined the party sleeping in Mike's bed. Axl grinned bleary eyed at Mike when he noticed that Mike was staring.

"It's been awhile hasn't it?" Axl said quietly.

"Yeah. I almost kinda missed it. Although it was easier back then because you were all smaller."

Axl let out a soft laugh, before drifting off to sleep. Mike was quite warm now, with all his brothers curled up around him like they used to when they were little. The storm was still raging outside, but there was comfort in the room simply from each others presence. With Anders twitching slightly every time there was a crash of thunder, Ty hogging all the sheets, and Axl drooling on Mike. It would have generally been considered an uncomfortable experience, but it was his brothers. Simply saying that made it all right.