Hallo...I'm a little dead right now. I'm sorry for not posting anything but hopefully this can make up for it?

Disclaimer: If I owned Hetalia, trust me, I wouldn't be writing right now ^^'' I only own my writing and my OCs.

Currently" Un-BETAed. Please excuse any errors.

Writing Styles:

Normal

Emphasize/ Thoughts

Flashback

Ages:

Liam & Grant: 15, 6 (Flashback)

Zeke (Sweden & Finland's Son) : 15

Axel: 3 (In flashback)


"Never fear shadows. They simply mean there's a light shining somewhere nearby. "

- Ruth E. Renkel


Liam and Grant weren't that different. They were twins, after all. Back to the time that they were babies, even their Mama had trouble telling them apart. But sure enough, the twins found ways to stand out. Liam, the typical first-born was more rowdy than his dear little brother and was always the one better at sports. Not that Grant was too far behind. But one big difference set the cast onto which twin was which. Grant was scared of thunderstorms. Really scared.


Grant's POV

"Liam, are you sure we have everything? I don't want to come back and make more than one trip. Besides, it looks likes there's definitely going to be a nasty storm." I'm good. I know I am. I didn't let my voice falter once even though deep inside, I wanted to curl up in a corner. I've always hated those damn thunderstorms but I wasn't going to let anyone know about it. Liam would just laugh at me and I didn't need to worry my parents when they're stressed as is. 'I'll look after myself just like I always do... I got through it many times before.'

"Hello~? Earth to Grant! Come on, bro! We're going to be late!" I blinked my eyes and glared at the tanned hand waving around frantically in front of my face. My twin really is way too impatient. Always have been, always will be.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I shooed him away gently and waved goodbye to Mr. Sweden and Mr. Finland. We had stayed over for a sleepover with Zeke and now, he was coming to spend the night at our house. You'd think this would be more exciting but we live right down the street so it wasn't that much fun. Besides, Zeke pretty much lives at our house anyway. Still, I always loved having Zeke over. He was nice and was always smiling. And that part is that he always brought me a new book to read.. N-Not that ours weren't good or anything...it's just, I liked his better.

"You guys, we should probably go before it starts pouring. I wanted to make a stop at the mall before we went home, is that OK?" Every time he asked a question, he always directed it at both of us, probably because even he had trouble telling us apart. Not that that's anything new...

"That sounds OK. But we should at least drop our bags off in case it starts raining on us, right Grant?" I could only take a deep gulp. I knew my brother's deep blue eyes were staring right at me yet I couldn't force my mouth to open or my head to move. I really just wanted to go home but I didn't want to spoil our trip...But the sky was getting darker by every passing minute. And yet, my stupid head just nodded.

"Y-Yeah, that sounds fine. If you'd like, I could take the bags and meet up with you guys at the mall." Anything to get me inside a safe house. But it seems that today is my brother's day to ruin my plans.

"Nah, it's fine. I'll do it since I'm faster." He gave his signature grin and ran off with the 3 bags slapping down on his back as he ran. Dammit...I swear, I hate him sometimes...

I looked over at Zeke and almost jumped. He was already looking at me and the bastard didn't even bother turning away when I caught him in the act. "U-Um, Zeke...?"

He just raised a single blonde eyebrow before grinning. "Sorry, you had something on your face. Here, let me get it." He leaned forward and gently wiped away the stray crumbs from the cookies we had eaten earlier. It normally wouldn't bother me but...after his fingers left my cheek, it felt cold. And wet...like a raindrop. I looked up at the sky and sure enough, the clouds were finally dropping their heavy burden onto us. The drops were big and fat and the dark clouds were sure evidence that this storm was going to be a bad one.

Zeke took one look at the sky and then at me before taking a hold of my hand and beckoning me to follow. At first, it was a steady walk but as the drops started coming faster and faster, we had picked up the pace to a jog and finally an all out run. When we had stopped to take a breath, I finally took the time to look at my surroundings and saw that this was not the mall. Not at all. We were completely surrounded by thick bushes and high trees. They shielded us from the rain but casted an even darker atmosphere than those clouds. I could barely see more than 3 feet in front of me and the air was getting wet and cold.

"Zeke, where are we...?" D-Damn, I didn't mean for my voice shake like that but I could already feel myself shaking. Whether from fear or chills, I don't know.

The blonde boy just took my hand again and quietly led me through a path that only he seemed to know of. After a while, we came to a stop in front of an old, abandoned house. Well, maybe not abandoned but it sure looked like it. The shillings were barely there and the windows were shattered but it seemed to be clean. That creepy clean that obviously means that someone came to clean the home long after the owners left.

"And this is? Is it safe? When did you find it?" I had a million questions racing through my head but the main one was one that I could not voice. 'Why is he still holding my hand? We're here and I don't need help seeing anymore...W-Wait! Why was he holding it, period!' I tried to pull my hand back but that only caused him to tighten his grip. I didn't have to look at him to know that his dark blue eyes were fixed on me.

"Grant, for such a quiet boy, you sure do ask a lot of questions."

That was a perfectly innocent answer. The way he said it was not. I don't even know he had gotten so close to me but he was and when he spoke, his hot breath tickled the very tips of my ears. W-Which were sensitive! That's the only reason they were red...it's not like I enjoyed it or anything...

A loud boom of thunder broke through our silence and illuminated the dark sky into a blazing light.

And that's when it all went downhill. I had jumped up from the sheer fright and I could feel my whole body start to tremble in that way that I knew very very soon I would start crying. Zeke had caught me just before I could hit my face on a big vine and was currently holding me like a...like a girl. One arm cupped under my knees and the other wrapped around my chest. Again, this wouldn't have ever bothered me because he was kind enough to catch me...but my heart was doing somersaults right now. I could hear the rapid pounding in my ears so loudly that there's no way that Zeke couldn't hear it. And if he truly couldn't, the red blush on my face didn't really help.

"Are you OK, Grant? Are you hurt?" His voice was so soft and sincere but just as another boom erupted, I knew I couldn't stay. Against myself, I pushed him away and ran straight for the abandoned house, not stopping to see the hurt expression I knew was on his face.

After putting enough space between me and him, I quietly set out for somewhere to hide. If I can hear as least as possible of the booms...then I won't be too scared. I had wandered upstairs to what seemed like the Master bedroom. It had a huge dresser and an even bigger desk. I looked at both before deciding on the desk. I wiggled myself into the dark space and closed my eyes. 'If I don't pay attention to it, it won't affect me. It's all just in my head...'

This was easier said than done.

The booms kept coming, louder and louder until I swore that the very house shook. I had buried myself as deep into my little corner as possible and yet, it did nothing to help. I clapped my hands over my ears and willed my mind to think of anything besides the deep cracks of thunder. I tried to think of sleep since we didn't really get any last night, seeing as Zeke is a damn insomniac and kept us up all night long. 'Maybe I can count bears...one bear, two bears, three bears...' And slowly, my lids got heavy and closed. The last thing I remembered was a slight shuffling of feet and a shadow cast over me...


~ 9 Years Ago ~

"Now, boys. Please remember not to open the door to anyone. Both your Vati and I have keys, as does Uncle Roddy. There's no need for you to open to anyone. I'll try to be back as soon as possible, OK?"

Maybe I was too young to realize what it truly meant to be home alone but in my mind, my Mama was always nearby. Whenever you need him, he'd be there. So, with that in mind, the fact that Mama and Vati had to go to the hospital because Axel had a high fever didn't bother me. I just figured that they would be down the hall or something...How wrong I was.

After Liam and I locked the door, we decided we'd be good little boys and go to sleep on time like we're supposed to. Or in my case, try. I always had trouble sleeping and tonight was no exception. Only, tonight it was raining. Hard. The drops sounded like bullets against our roof and in the quiet house, the sound resounded through the thin walls. I had decided to go read a book in the living room with a small lamp by my side. It was all going fine until a loud boom ripped through the sky and cut the power off my lamp. Up until then, I've never really realized how loud and...scary thunder was.

"I-It's OK...I'm not scared...I'll just go find Mommy..." And so I did. I left my book neatly set with the page folded so I wouldn't forget it and dragged my little feet down the hall and peeked into my parents' room. The bed was all un done and piled up so that meant that they were definitely here! Eagerly, I ran to my Mama's side of the bed only to stop dead in my tracks. The bed was empty. They weren't here. I then searched the whole house twice.

They were gone.

Just then, the sky decided to torture me more as even louder booms exploded throughout the house. It was finally starting to set in what being alone truly feels like. When they said that we'd be alone, they weren't joking. I can't even consider Liam as company because he could sleep through a hurricane.

As the booms started coming faster and faster, I sniffled softly to find myself crying. Two long steams of tears were rolling down my cheeks in thick drops. Everytime the house shook, my body went along with it. My bones would shake, my heart would stop and slowly, a deep fear started to set in. I grabbed a blanket from the closet and curled myself under the kitchen table, where it was the least noisy. That night I didn't get much sleep. And the last thing I remember was calling for my Mama...

The next day, they found me still under the table, shaking and scared.


"-Ant..."

I don't want to wake up yet...

"Grant..."

No,...let the music keep playing.

…...

Music?

I slowly opened my blue eyes and was met with a darker pair. A pair full of...concern? I opened my mouth to speak but before I could, a loud yawn escaped me.

"Sleepy, eh?"

What the hell is it with his voice that causes my stupid heart to start speeding? And that's when I heard it. A loud piano. I went to touch my ears and felt a pair of headphones. 'What the...?'

"Oh, yeah. Those are mine. When I came to look for you, I found you crying and shaking in your sleep. So I woke you up and that's when you told me that you were scared of thunder. So, I got my headphones, put them on you and...r-rocked you to sleep." W-Was...that a blush on his cheeks? Or maybe I'm just feeling mine? I've never had anyone do something like that for me...and maybe that's why I did what I did next.

I kissed him.

A gentle, innocent kiss. He didn't pry to go further and just sat there, rubbing my cheek. I really didn't want to let him go but I was going to pass out from air loss if I didn't. As I slowly backed away, I heard another loud clap of thunder and did like a cat. I pounced on him. And he happily caught me. Way too happily. The damn bastard was staring down at me like I was a scared kitten. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his hands slip into his pocket and pull out a blue iPod Touch. I think I started staring too hard because he looked over at me and grinned. "Sorry, I should've turned the music up louder. Is that better?"

And it was. I stared outside and saw the flashes of light but heard nothing other than a techno song. A smooth melody and for some damn reason, I could feel a hand petting me. 'I'm not going to complain though...it feels nice.'

It was all quiet for a while before I felt one of the headphones being lifted gently and a whisper entered my ear.

"Are you scared?"

I took me a moment to realize that no. I wasn't. It was raining balls outside yet I was perfectly at ease here with him. So, I turned towards him and smiled. My first smile today, I think.

"Nien. Danke, Zeke. (No. Thank you, Zeke)"

...

'Should I tell him that was my first kiss...?'


Astraphobia- Fear of thunder and lightening

Gah, "Love me, kill me? "(If you know who's song that is, I'll write you a oneshot! 3 )

So, I really hope you like it! It took me a while but I finally made it.

Zeke. Thoughts? Do you like him? Cuz Grant does xD He's just way to stubborn to admit it...

Oh, also! Another little game. If you can figure out whether this story was pre-written (as in I wrote in my notebook before I typed it) or free-lanced (typed on the spot) and why you think that, I'll write a little drabble in this story with whatever you'd like.

Please tell me what you think. Reviews make me happy, happy makes me write, stories make YOU happy. Everyone wins :3

More updates coming soon!

Adios~

-Mia