Work Text:
The Valkyrie pair currently occupied Mika's shabby little apartment with Shu seated on the sofa with Mika sat on the floor between his legs. Shu had made the executive decision to simply... relax for the day, much to Mika's excitement.
Shu absentmindedly ran his fingers through Mika's hair, relishing in the way the other boy relaxed and leaned into his hand much like a cat would. Aww.
The TV was playing some kind of cooking show...? With a very angry head chef no less.
Mika seemed very into it... somehow. It didn't really matter to Shu.
The older of the two shifted his gaze to the window, furrowing his eyebrows as he watched the sky turn dark and gray with storm clouds.
He never did like storms much. He was often left alone quivering under his blankets when a storm had passed by during his childhood, that silly fear of them never exactly... leaving once he reached his teenage years.
It felt... strange. To have such a childish fear even now. Though there wasn't anyone who would ridicule him for such a thing... his gaze returned back to Mika, who was now leaning back and staring up at him. Their gazes met and Mika smiled.
"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout Oshi-san?" He hummed, ever the sweetheart.
Shu shook his head, gently caressing his lovers cheek.
"Nothing. It just seems a storm is passing by soon. Hopefully it'll be gone soon." He sighed. He hoped Mika wouldn't be able to hear the fright in his voice.
Unfortunately for him, Mika knew him far better than he thought.
"Aren't ya scared of 'em, Oshi-san?" Mika asked, blinking a few times.
Curse him. Really.
"Non. Don't say such ridiculous things, Kagehira. A childhood fear like that wouldn't follow me into adulthood. Go back to watching your show." He huffed, turning away.
Mika only raised an eyebrow and chuckled, returning his gaze to the TV.
"Whatever ya say! It's alright even if ya are scared, though."
"Non! What did I just say!"
Mika laughed, nuzzling his nose into Shu's thigh before relaxing again.
Shu continued to scratch Mika's hair to distract himself from the darkening sky, silently praying to any and all God's it wouldn't be an aggressive thunder storm.
A bit of time passed, the TV long turned off as Mika had somehow fallen asleep against Shu's thigh. Shu dared not move in fear of waking the sleeping boy but he was far too paranoid about the storm to fall asleep himself.
Ahhh... unfortunately, it seems God wouldn't be on his side tonight.
Shu squeaked as a crack of thunder boomed outside, panic immediately settling inside him.
He bit his lip, unsure what to do now.
Should he wake Mika up? Should he just get up himself and cower under some blankets? Does he stay put and pray? Too many options and not enough time to decide.
Rain began to pour as another boom of thunder made Shu jump. His hands instinctively went to his ears as he screwed his eyes shut.
God. How pathetic must he look?
He is Shu Itsuki. An artist, an idol, a dignified man who nobody would guess is afraid of something like thunder.
Yet here he was. Covering his ears and on the verge of tears due to some loud noises outside.
Shu must've been shaking a lot as Mika had begun to stir, slowly peeling his eyes open.
"Nnah...? Did I fall asleep?" Mika mumbled, still unaware of Shu's condition behind him. He rubbed his eyes before looking back, immediately gasping and scrambling to his feet.
"O-oshi-san! Are ya alright? Oh, I knew it was the thunder! Gahh... wait one minute, okay!?" Shu's panic had made Mika begun to panic as well, they really came in a pair didn't they?
Shu only whimpered in response, bringing his legs up to his chest as another crackle of thunder reached his ears.
Mika wasted no time in running to their room, almost tripping a few times, to retrieve a blanket and Mademoiselle from where they sat.
He was more careful on the walk back as to not harm Mademoiselle.
The younger of the pair tapped Shu on the shoulder before sinking into the couch next to him, careful not to startle him too much.
He placed Mademoiselle on the other side of Shu before wrapping the blanket around him.
Shu sniffled and immediately leaned into Mika's embrace, the warmth and familiarity of the blanket comforting him slightly.
Mika hugged him close, cradling Shu's head against his chest.
"There, there, Oshi-san. 'M right here, kay?" He softly hummed, sighing in relief as he felt Shu nod into his chest.
"Mado-nee is right next to ya, too. We're both here for ya! 'Nd we won't let a thing happen to ya." Mika hoped his words helped calm his trembling lover. It always pained him to see Shu this way, immediately remembering how he had been after their defeat against Tenshouin...
Mika shook his head, now wasn't the time to think about such a thing. He would much rather focus on his lover.
He quietly hummed one of their songs while rubbing Shu's arm.
"Why dont i tell ya a story? It's a lil silly but it's what helped me not be scared of storms, if ya don't mind."
Shu seemed to hesitate but nodded into Mika's chest once more.
"Alright! I was scared of storms too when I was a kid, yanno? I'd hide in a blanket nd wait till it went away... a lotta the other kids were scared too! Our caretakers didn't know what ta do..." He sighed a little before chuckling. Shu clutched the front of Mika's shirt, making the younger smile and kiss his head.
"Eventually they had ta start doin things to distract us... we'd all sing that one song! Yanno the one that goes rain rain go away, come again another day!" Mika giggled another time as he remembered the silly memory. Shu couldn't help but smile too. He remembered his sister singing that one for him when they were little.
"But what really helped me was bein' told the rain is takin' reaaaallll good care of all the plants in the world! The trees nd the flowers are all real happy for the rain, so we should be happy too! Rain ain't a scary thing!" Shu shuffled a little, changing their position so his head was now resting on Mika's shoulder. He still had a grip on the others shirt, another boom of thunder making him hold on even tighter.
Mika smiled at him, wrapping his arm around the other man.
"'Nd the thunder is just how the rain shows it's love! Like the rain is sayin yer welcome to aaaalllll the plants in the world. So even know I just think of it that way! The plants are happy nd the clouds are sayin yer welcome, ain't that cute?"
Shu couldn't help but smile. It was so in character for Mika to want to share joy with unconscious beings. Really, he was far too good for this world.
Admittedly, the story seemed to ease his fear a bit. Maybe because it was Mika telling it...? Who knows. But Shu relaxed, letting his eyes shut calmly now as he rested against Mika.
It would take a bit of time for Shu to completely be over his fear but... it would be bearable with Mika at his side telling him silly stories. He couldn't be more grateful for the existence of another human being.
"...thank you, Kagehira. That was a lovely story. Awfully cute." He murmured, letting a smile pinch the corners of his lips as Mika pressed another kiss to his head.
"Really? 'M so glad! Great timin' too, huh? The storm looks like it's clearin up!"
Shu opened his eyes and picked his head up to look out the window. Mika was right! The rain had slowed down and the clouds began to clear up, revealing the soft sunset underneath.
Shu sighed, relieved. He let himself relax against Mika once more.
"...that was silly of me, wasn't it? How pathetic..." he mumbled, scowling.
"Aww, don't say that, Oshi-san! Fear is a normal thing, ain't it? Um... somethin about fear makin us human?" Mika questioned.
"Yes... I suppose you're correct about that... fear indeed makes us human, hm?" Shu agreed, cuddling up properly against Mika's body.
"Maybe next time we can go out nd play in the rain! Won't that be fun, Oshi-san?"
"Non! Absolutely not. That's begging for a cold!" Shu huffed, dismissing the idea. Exposure therapy was not his thing. And rainwater was gross. And colds were gross. Ew.
Mika laughed and gave in, nodding.
"Aw, thas alright. I'll convince ya one day!"
"Hmpf. Go ahead and try."
Mika let another laugh bubble out as he hugged Shu close, pressing another kiss to his face. Shu scrunched up his nose but returned the gesture, pressing his lips against the corner of his lovers lips, eliciting another beautiful laugh from him. Shu thought he would gladly sit through another thunderstorm if that meant hearing Mika's laughter. Silence fell between them as Shu wrapped the blanket around the both of them, comfortably nestling against Mika as the sound of the last bit of rain pattered against the windows.
Fears were a difficult thing to overcome but anything felt possible while they were together. Perhaps... Shu would allow them to go play in the rain some the next time a few clouds pass over. Just perhaps.