Title: 1 Hour, 31 Minutes
Rating: G
Summary: Everyone is scared of something. Except for Nick. Definitely not.
Nikki-Note: Again, no pairing. Just more brotherly love. Like, the boring kind. My bad. :)



2:12 AM

Nick felt like he was suffocating.

The air around him was heavy and hot. He warily stuck his head out from under the blankets and took a deep breath of the cool air. The room buzzed with electricity. Nick gripped the blankets tightly in his hands, waiting.

Light flashed around him. He quickly brought the blankets back over his head and braced himself for the crash that was to follow. The resounding boom made the musty hotel room shake. Nick whimpered involuntarily and wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to make himself feel safer.

2:41 AM

He peeled the blankets back and looked over at Joe, asleep in the bed beside his. Maybe he could…

No.

He shook the thought from his head. He was almost sixteen- he did not need-or want- his big brother to comfort him during a little thunderstorm. Because he wasn’t scared.

Rain pounded against the windows and resonated in Nick’s chest. Lightning lit up the room once more. It had hardly faded from the sky when the thunder sounded angrily. Nick threw the blankets back over his head.

No, he definitely was not scared of the storm.

3:19 AM

He peeked out from under the blankets again and saw Joe begin to stir. Instead of waking up, he just mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over. The next crash of thunder caught Nick off-guard. Nick yelped and burrowed back under his blankets. The storm continued to thrash mightily outside and Nick remained hidden in the soft cave he’d created for himself.

He tossed and turned, trying to ignore the noise outside that caused this completely irrational fear. He put his head under his pillow and attempted to steady his breathing.

3:43 AM

Nick’s heart was racing. He was sure he was about to have some kind of heart attack. He felt the bed dip beside and felt and sense of immediate relief. He lifted his from under his pillow and watched as Joe got into bed beside him.

“You’re too stubborn,” Joe yawned. He wrapped his arms around Nick and kissed the top of his head. “Now will you stop freaking out so both of us can get some sleep?”

“I was not freaking out,” Nick mumbled into Joe’s chest, suddenly feeling very tired.

“Course you weren’t,” Joe replied fondly, gently rubbing Nick’s back until the crashes of thunder faded completely from his ears.