Hiiii guys! This chapter is kinda sad, and for that I apologize. :'( But it's also a little fluffy, like most of my drabbles! Still, it has very brief mentions of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and if thunderstorms are a trigger for you, do try to steer away! Otherwise, read on! This one's called Thunder. Enjoy!

Thunderstorms were one of Kiku's greatest fears. It started as a child; he'd shake and small crocodile tears would form in his eyes, and somehow his feet would often carry him to Yao's bedroom. After the war, however, the fear intensified greatly. The sound of thunder was far too familiar to him, and the brightness of the lightning brought back terrible memories. Bombs. The booms were nearly identical to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Kiku's ears and eyes. The storms plagued him during every rainy season; he'd stay up all night, curled up in bed stuck in the fetal position, and just cry.

However, this time he had someone there. It had been since he was much younger that Yao was there to hold him, console him. Now that they were in a relationship, Kiku had warm, open arms for comfort. One night, a storm roared outside of their bedroom window more fierce than normal.

Yao, in his old age, had nearly forgotten how terrified Kiku was of storms. Once it had started raining, the Japanese man's face went pale, but Yao ignored it. They went on with their evening as they normally would... until bedtime. A crack of thunder was heard, and Kiku sprinted to the bedroom wardrobe as fast as he could.

"Kiku?" Yao called, dashing over to the closed bureau. "What are you doing in there? It's time for bed!"

"Hiding," he replied as calmly as he could. However, his voice shook, and Yao could definitely tell.

"Don't lie, Kiku... please come out."

"No!" he shouted back. "G-go away!" After a few beats of silence, another boom was heard outside, followed by a whimper coming from the wardrobe.

Yao blinked, looking out the window at the rain pounding against the house. Yet another instance of thunder occured, louder than the previous two, directly after a streak of lightning that was too close for Yao's liking, and Yao swore that he heard Kiku screech.

"You're afraid of thunder," he whispered. "Kiku, love, please come-"

Without warning, the doors to the wardrobe swung open and Kiku threw himself into Yao's arms, knocking them both down to the ground. He was crying, that was for sure. Within seconds, Yao's shirt was stained with tears. The poor thing was shaking all over, muttering something close to "make it stop, kami, make it stop..."

Carefully heaving both of them up, Yao carried Kiku onto the bed and laid him down. "It's alright, love, it's alright... I'm right here..." In an attempt to block out the noise outside, he talked as loud as he could. Then, an idea hit... he began to sing Kiku's favorite lullaby, one that he always used to sing when the man was just a child. He sang it loud and proud, and somehow, it seemed to calm Kiku down a bit. His shaking slowed slightly, and his breathing regulated a little.

Yao continued to sing as thunder rolled like drums and lightning struck like whip cracks. Every once and a while, he'd pause very briefly to lean back and give Kiku a small, sweet kiss. These seemed to calm the other down even more, because eventually, he even let a miniscule smile grace his features.

Blinking tired, puffy eyes, Kiku spoke up for the first time since he exited the wardrobe, saying "thank you" in a hushed tone. Suddenly, the thunder stopped. Only small pitter-patters of raindrops remained. The aftermath was Kiku's favorite part; nothing but sprinkles. It was slightly calming to him.

"You're welcome," Yao replied, giving him another kiss. Shortly after, he watched Kiku's eyes close and his body go completely limp. Clearly, he was exhausted after that ordeal, and Yao could not blame him. Watching him sleep for a few minutes, the Chinese man eventually fell into sleep as well, but not before giving his love one final kiss and whispering "I love you" against his chapped lips.

Yeah, that's about it. No notes, really. You all know about Hiroshima/Nagasaki and kami, I assume. If not... well, look them up.

Bye!