Eddward barely registered the lightening flashing through the skylights above the pool. He was too focused on his strokes and his breathing. It was the week before Thanksgiving break and he had to prepare for the State Championship. And he felt woefully out of shape. Between stress eating because he was grieving his father's death, his adoption fight, fighting for May and missing practice for all the court dates and saying goodbye to his father, he just wasn't in top form. So he throws himself into the pool and swims for his life.

But it's still monsoon season in Peach Creek.

Ed had been walking him home after his after practice practices as Marie usually had to go to work right after school, but today he wasn't so sure if the big lug would make it. He had a history paper due at the end of the semester and May had promised to help him because her job at the library gave her access to all the information he'd need, but their schedules didn't mesh.

Until today.

Eddward wasn't sure if Ed would walk him home and then go see May or go after football practice. He got his answer when he pulled himself out of the water after his last lap.

"Hey, there."

Eddward saw his lips move, but his voice was fuzzy because he still had his earplugs in. He failed at keeping the shocked look off his face, though.

"Kevin? What are you doing here?," he asked as he fully came out of the pool and Kevin threw his towel over his head and started to dry his hair.

"Ed said to tell you that he can't walk with you today. He's gotta meet up with May or he isn't getting that paper done."

Eddward nodded and then pulled his head away from Kevin's surprisingly gentle hands so he could dry off his face.

"You know you don't have to do this, Kevin."

"Well, I want to. That and Ed made me promise to make sure you got home alright."

Eddward rolled his eyes but groaned as a roll of thunder rumbled overhead.

"Let's go."

"Let's go," for Eddward meant another 45 minutes in the locker room so he could shower and change clothes. There was no way he was going home covered in pool water. The noise in the pipes because he was using the shower managed to cover up the rain and Kevin decided to break out his portable Bluetooth speakers and pull up one of his louder playlists of rock and rap music to cover up the thunder. He got caught up on a reading for his English class and Eddward washed the day away, put on fresh clothes and walked them to the back door of the school that gave them a short cut home.

The new walkway was a godsend for anyone who lived on the Peach Creek Estates side of town. But it was prone to being flooded out by the creek that gave the town its name.

"Ready?," Kevin asked as the rain finally let up from cats and dogs to spring shower.

"Let's move."

The walk home was quick. They both had their hoodies up, leather jackets and nylon running pants keeping them from getting soaked. But the storm picked up again when they got to the cul-de-sac. Seeing his door was all the incentive Eddward needed to get out of this mess and he ran for the door, but dropped his keys when he was half way up the drive because another roll of thunder shook him. Kevin had planned on letting him get inside on his own as they hadn't had any thunder up until just now. But the thunder and the key drop changed his plans.

He ran to Eddward's house, grabbed his keys off the ground as Eddward looked on in a bit of horror as the thunder and wind had just gotten worst, if that was at all possible. Once he got to the door, he wrapped an arm around Eddward's waist and unlocked the door with his free hand. Eddward yelped more from the crack of lighting that just ran across the sky than the shove Kevin gave him to get in the house.

When Kevin got the door closed and the keys on the table next to it, he took a look at Eddward and his heart nearly stopped.

The raven was pale and just barely breathing. He also still had all of his outerwear on.

"Edd?"

Eddward just blinked and then whimpered as tears filled his eyes because another roll of thunder sounded overhead.

Kevin sighed and toed of his shoes as he took off his coat, hoodie and cap.

"C'mere," he said gently as he reached out for Eddward, but the frightened genius wouldn't move.

He couldn't.

Kevin carefully stepped to him, gently took off his beanie and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's ok. I'm right here. You're inside and you're safe."

Eddward took a shallow breath and closed his eyes and Kevin took that as a sign that it was ok to help him out of his coat and hoodie. Gently taking his messenger bag off his shoulder, he unsnapped the jacket and pulled it off before pulling his hoodie over his head. And all the while, he told him to just breathe but Eddward barely complied.

"Is it ok if we sit on the stairs so we can get your shoes off?," Kevin asked as he hung his beanie, jacket, and hoodie on the coat rack next to the door.

"Uh, no. I've got it," Eddward said quietly as he sat down and took off his shoes.

But then he just sat there. Kevin took his shoes and put them next to his on the shoe rack and then came to sit next to Eddward on the floor.

"Want some tea?"

Eddward shook his head no. Kevin nodded and leaned his head on Eddward's shoulder to get a better look out the front window. The rain was coming down in sheets and the wind was whipping anything not tied down or heavier than a rock around.

And then the weather alerts came.

They both jumped when their phones started to buzz and loudly sound the emergency alarm, but Eddward nearly screamed.

"It's ok, it's ok," Kevin repeated as he threw an arm around Eddward's slim shoulders.

But the raven was shaking, so Kevin pulled him into his lap and quickly pulled their phones out of their pockets to silence the damn alarm.

"Why do we live in this climate?!," Eddward sniffled as he hid his face in his knees.

Then a tree branch hit the door.

"I'm going to the basement," Eddward said firmly as he jumped up and practically ran down the stairs.

Kevin quickly followed after him, kind of hoping the wind would blow the school or at least his homework away.

Eddward's basement wasn't unlike Kevin's own. It ran the full length and width of the house. There was a sitting area with a TV and surround sound system, bar and half bathroom, but there was also a sizable storage room, one corner of the room held Eddward's old lab he'd occasionally tinker in for old time's sake, and the family's fallout shelter. That Eddward was opening right now.

"Edd, wait!," Kevin called to him but the swimmer didn't stop unlocking the heavy door.

He placed a brick in front of it so Kevin could come inside the room and when Kevin made it inside, he saw that Eddward's OCD and Eagle Scout levels of preparedness was hereditary.

The room wasn't too small. There was room for four people as the cots leaning on the wall indicated, and shelves on both sides of the room were loaded with food, bottled water, water purification kits, first aid kits, and God knows what other kinds of supplies. Kevin knew there hadn't been a tornado in Peach Creek in a good 35 years, but storms did get bad and if they lost power, he now knew who he could come to for help.

Eddward carefully lit a kerosene lamp, and turned to Kevin and asked him to close the door. Kevin complied and was surprised to hear a roll of thunder over the house. He grabbed his phone out and whined when he saw that he had zero bars.

"We're underground, Kevin," Eddward said as he went to a shelf and took down a weather radio.

"But that thing can work in here?"

Eddward grinned and turned it on.

"...storms will continue out of Pear City at 30 miles per hour reaching Peach City, Peach Creek, Lemon Brook, Cherry Hill, and Strawberry Pines at 630PM. High winds with debris and heavy rain fall is expected. Please take shelter immediately," the monotone robotic voice coming from the radio said as Eddward adjusted the antenna and the volume.

Kevin checked his phone again and saw that it was 615. They had 15 minutes before things got rowdy outside again, but looking around, he could see they'd be fine and Eddward had calmed down considerably.

He sat the lamp down on a table in the back of the room and it gave the whole area a soft, eerie glow. Then he went to a shelf and pulled down a brown vacuumed sealed bag with the letters MRE stamped on it. Kevin had an uncle who was serving in the Air Force and he'd let Kevin try a few of the MRE's he had. So he knew that what Eddward had to offer wouldn't be too bad considering their predicament.

"Got any chicken noodle?"

Eddward cocked a brow at him before turning back to the shelf and pulling the requested item down.

"What do you know about MRE's, Barr?," Eddward asked curiously as they sat down on a cot and tore into their dinner.

"My uncle is in the Air Force. He always brings a few when he's stateside. And you can't mess up chicken noodles," Kevin shrugged as he took another bite of his soup.

"That's commendable," Eddward said as he took a napkin and wiped a few bits of chicken off of Kevin's face.

Kevin just shrugged.

"Dad was in the Army Reserves, but got out before I was born, so Uncle Dave thinks giving me stuff like that will give me a part of the experience."

"And?"

"I think I'll pass."

Eddward nodded.

"It's a shame that we're expected to know what to do for the rest of our lives at 18 and people toss out such life changing career choices at us like we're mature enough to handle it."

"So what does the great Eddward Rockwell want to be when he grows up?," Kevin grinned.

Eddward rolled his eyes and sighed.

"No clue."

"What?!"

Eddward shrugged.

"Like I said, it's a shame that I have two years before I have to be ready for the rest of my life."

Kevin looked at his friend and had to agree with him. All Kevin had known up to this point in his life was that he wanted to play football and baseball and get a motorcycle. Anything beyond that was beyond him. And Eddward had been dealt blow after blow over the past few months. If anyone could use a break, it was Eddward, but they both knew it wasn't coming.

They ate in a comfortable silence but Eddward grew shaky again as more and more reports poured in on the storm headed straight for them. It was going to hit Peach Creek hard.

"Could blow the school away," Kevin lightly mused.

"Only you, Kevin," Eddward said as he shook his head, but Kevin saw the tiniest smile cross his face. "But it's rather late in the season for a tornado. And I don't think it's heavy enough to knock out the power grid."

Kevin groaned in aggravation before calling Eddward a nerd.

"Says the jock in my fallout shelter," Eddward snipped at him.

"Only for you, Edd," Kevin said with a shit ass eating grin on his face as he leaned his head on Eddward's shoulder.

Eddward knocked him away but jumped grabbed his arm when a roll of thunder shook the house. Maybe it was because the room was solidly built, but without sound softeners like carpet or wall coverings, all outside sounds just echoed in the small space. Kevin wiggled his arm away on a sigh, but then threw it around his shoulder.

"It's ok, Edd. We're safe underground," He murmured into the top of Eddward's head.

Eddward nodded as he buried his face in Kevin's shoulder but he was still shaking.

"Hey, look at me," Kevin whispered.

When Eddward lifted his head, he jumped and grabbed Kevin's collar, thus smashing their mouths together when a crack of lighting sounded overhead.

It took a brief second, but in that second, the tiny moan that came out of Eddward as he tried to pull away, did something to Kevin and he pulled Eddward back in for another kiss. And suddenly, Eddward wasn't shaking anymore. He wasn't whining. And sure, he was breathless, but Kevin's kisses were all but sucking the life out of him and he didn't want to stop.

Kevin pulled him into his lap and ran one hand in his hair, the other arm wrapped around his waist to hold Eddward in place. But Eddward had his arms around his neck and he held on tight as the thunder rolled overhead and Kevin's tongue rolled down his throat.

There was no battle for dominance. Just kissing because it felt good. Damn good.

Their pants were tight, their hands roamed, and the storm hit the cul-de-sac like a semi would hit a deer. The house was shaken to her very foundation and Kevin and Eddward fell. This wasn't like the kisses shared in curiosity at sleep away camp. It definitely wasn't like the kisses Eddward shared with Marie or the ones Kevin shared with his flavor of the week. Something in them was burning. A need that one had that only the other could fulfill was being brought to the surface. And it left them breathless, shaking and yearning, reaching for more.

Whines turned into moans as the storm grew louder, but one particular roll of thunder, accompanied by a mighty gust of wind, shook the house again and in an effort to get some oxygen back as Kevin's mouth took his away, the tiny moment Eddward took to break away from kissing Kevin's blessed lips, had him shaking in fright again as Mother Nature threw a tantrum outside.

Kevin just held him close and kissed his ear.

"It's gonna be ok, D."

And a heartbeat later, all was quiet.

"Told ya so," Kevin smirked.

Eddward stuck his tongue out at him as he rolled his eyes and Kevin took the chance to capture it in his mouth again. This kiss was slow, gentle and oh, so simple.

Icy blue met simmering emerald and sparks smoldered.

The weather radio gave the all clear a couple of moments later, and they cleaned up the MRE's and headed upstairs. Their phones immediately started going off with messages from their mother's and their friends. But before they could respond, Sophia walked into the house from the garage and sighed in relief when she saw them but then chastised Eddward for not answering her phone calls and text messages.

"We were in the basement, Mother," Eddward said as he went to hug her and soothe her frustrated mind.

"That was probably a good idea. Did you eat?"

When the boys nodded their affirmative, there was a pounding at the door. Kevin quickly went to the door to check to see who was insisting on being let in to the Rockwell's home.

Seeing nothing but a tuft of blue hair in the peephole, he opened the door with a grin.

"Hey, Mar-"

"OH, THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE!," she screamed before tackling Kevin into a hug.

"Geeze, Kanker!," Kevin groaned as he fell on his ass. "Hello to you, too."

"Ahem."

Looking up, they saw a smirking, but definitely confused Eddward standing over them, arms crossed across his chest and a bit of a jealous glint in his eyes that Marie was getting the brunt of.

"Hey, Babe! I'm just glad Kevin was here with you during all that mess," she grinned as Eddward pulled her off of Kevin and kissed her forehead.

"Yes, Kevin was here to keep me company," Eddward said with a blush as he buried his face in Marie's hair.

But Marie turned around to face the tall redhead.

"You're hired, dude," she said as she pointed a finger at him.

"For what?!"

"Watching Mr Sensitive," she said seriously. "From here on in, Babe," she said as she turned back to a shock Eddward, "Kevin's on storm duty if me or Ed can't be."

Eddward opened his mouth to protest as Sophia shut the door and said, "She's right."

"Oh, come now, Mother! I'm not a baby!"

"But you have a very real fear of thunderstorms," Sophia said gently. "Having company has always helped you deal with it. Kevin's your new company now."

Her voice was firm. Her eyes serious. Her tone final.

Eddward sighed as she directed Marie to the kitchen for a light dinner and Kevin grabbed his shoes.

"I'm sorry," he said with an embarrassed blush.

"Don't be," Kevin snickered as he got ready to go. "Like I said, I'm here if you need me."

"I'll say."

Kevin cocked his head at the snarky raven who just waggled his eyebrows at him.

"I'll see you later, Edd," Kevin huffed as he opened the door.

"Bye, Daddy."

"Later, Baby Boy," Kevin grinned as he kissed his nose and walked away.

And on this night, the thunder overhead couldn't compete with thunder rolling through Eddward's chest.