Sungyeol wakes up with a jolt. He stares up at the ceiling in confusion for a moment, wondering what could have woken him up. He jerks up as a clap of thunder sounds, echoing slightly through the almost silent room. His eyes shoot towards the window, the curtains left open. He can't see anything but darkness until a flash of lightning momentarily lights up the outside world. It's a storm outside. He can hear the raindrops pounding against the window. He can't help but huddle into his blankets further. He has never liked thunderstorms and that was not about to change any time soon.

He squeezes his eyes shut and tries to block out the roaring thunder and go back to sleep. He tries to focus on the music that Hoya has playing, but it's difficult. It's in English and one of those rap songs that Sungyeol doesn't understand nor like.

Thunderstorms scare Sungyeol for some unexplainable reason. It makes him feel small and powerless, which he hasn't felt since he was a little kid. There is just something about the clap of thunder and flash of lightning that strikes fear into his heart. It's stupid, he knows, but he can't help it.

He buries his head under the covers and covers his ears, curling up into a small ball. Maybe if he imagined the storm was gone, he could fall asleep. He fails miserably, of course, and ends up tossing and turning in bed.

He peeks out from his blankets and over the railing of his bunk, wondering if his roommates could possibly be having the same problem he is having. He studies the maknae's bunk. Maybe Sungjongie is having a nightmare and needs his hyung to comfort him?

No such luck. Sungjong buries his head further into his teddy bear, muttering unintelligibly. Sungyeol thinks he might have heard Sunggyu's name somewhere, but he can't be sure. He'll definitely keep that in mind though.

Deciding that the maknae doesn't need any comfort (and can offer no comfort to Sungyeol), he looks over at Hoya's bunk. The elder is fast asleep, not even twitching when there is another loud clap of thunder. Sungyeol, on the other hand, almost falls out of his bunk due to his violent flinch. Thunderstorms are stupid, he thinks, shakily getting down from his bunk before he falls to his death (or at least gets seriously injured). He decides that getting a cup of  warm milk won't hurt. Maybe it'll help him get to sleep.

He almost shivers when his feet touch the cold floorboards – it's been a stupidly cold autumn, he complains to himself – and decides to drag his blanket along with him. It's cold out and his long sleeved shirt and pyjama pants aren't providing much relief from the chilly air. Wrapping the blanket around his lanky frame, he grumbles a little bit as it barely brushes his knees. He wiggles his freezing toes and trudges out of the room to get his warm drink.

He manages to make it to the kitchen in one piece with the added bonus of not waking anyone (which is a feat in itself considering the fact that he had tripped over one of Myungsoo's accursed bamboo pillows and cursed up a storm). His gaze lands on the door of Sunggyu's and Woohyun's room and for a brief moment, he's so tempted to wake Woohyun up and bully him into making him something. Then again, he values his life (Woohyun has this habit of throwing things – hard and painful things like books and lamps – at people who wake him up) so he decides against it. He might not even be in his room, Sungyeol thinks, remembering that Myungsoo has another drama shooting and isn't even at the dorm. Knowing Woohyun, he's probably curled up against Dongwoo, stealing all of the rapper's blankets.

Grabbing a pot, he splashes some milk into it and heats it up on the stove. Sungyeol's eyes are inexplicably drawn to the thunderstorm outside. Its carnage is beautiful in its own way, he supposes. However, to seven-year-old Sungyeol, seeing the big oak tree outside your house being toppled over by a thunder storm isn't beautiful. It's scary. Very scary.

His desire to do the dishes diminishes once he finishes his milk (not that he has ever had a desire to do dishes) as his mouth splits into a big yawn. The thunder isn't bothering him so much anymore and he might actually get to sleep before Sunggyu wakes them all up again. Sungyeol swears that Sunggyu actually delights in torturing them in the morning under the guise of waking them up. He's just vindictive that way. Knowing Sunggyu, it's probably payback for whatever evil the members do to the leader on broadcast.

Sungyeol sneaks back into the room. Well, he tries. He would have succeeded if he hadn't tripped over a stray piece of clothing (he blames Sungjong) and falls to the ground in a noisy heap. He hears shifting on the two occupied bunks and freezes, eyes wide and staring. He's hoping that neither of them wakes up. No, he's mainly hoping that Hoya doesn't see him like this. He makes enough of a fool of himself on a daily basis in front of the elder.

Their relationship has changed since Hoya apologised to him. It's almost like the old days. However, there's this air about Hoya, as if he's waiting for something. Sungyeol doesn't know what the rapper is waiting for, but it's the only reason he can come up with that explains Hoya's hesitance whenever there's skinship or the lingering gaze that Sungyeol can feel whenever he breaks away from Hoya to spend some time with Myungsoo. Admittedly it makes Sungyeol feel nice that he has Hoya's attention sometimes, but it makes him a little uncomfortable. He doesn't know what the elder's looking for, because he's definitely looking for something.

"Sungyeol-ah, what are you doing on the floor?" Hoya's sleepy, gruff voice permeates the choding's thoughts and he feels like braining himself on the wooden floors. Speak of the devil… its official. Life hates me.

"Oh, you know, just hanging out," Sungyeol replies, bundling himself under his thin blanket. He probably looks ridiculous, his dinosaur blanket barely brushing his shin with his feet sticking out.

Hoya's chuckle is expected, but has Sungyeol's neck heating up either way. It sounds nice, especially since Hoya just woke up, and makes him feel all warm and bubbly inside.

"Is it the thunderstorm?"

Hoya always seems to find the crux of every problem the choding is facing. He doesn't know if he should consider it a good thing or a bad thing.

"I'm not scared," Sungyeol answers immediately. He doesn't want to seem like a coward in front of Hoya. It's a childish fear and he should have gotten over it years ago. However, he has to clutch his blanket to stop his hands from trembling as thunder rumbles through the room once more.

Hoya doesn't say anything and when Sungyeol looks up at the elder through his bangs, he can make out Hoya's outline hovering over him. He can practically feel Hoya's stare on his face and doesn't doubt that the elder has his eyebrow raised.

"Are you planning on staying on the floor, then?"

He doesn't want to, but going back to his bunk would mean having to climb up to his bunk and what would happen if there's a clap of thunder while he's climbing the ladder and he flinches? He'd probably fall, considering his clumsiness (with Hoya watching, as if the situation wouldn't have been bad enough). There's also the feeling of loneliness that he wants to erase from his mind. Going back to his bunk means feeling alone and isolated. If there's one thing he fears almost much as thunderstorms is being alone.

"I'm fine," the choding finally says, fully aware that he's not answering Hoya's question. "Just go to bed." Lightning flashes, followed by thunder and Sungyeol could not have stopped the whimper from escaping his lips no matter how much he wanted to.

Hoya's soft sigh is the first thing he registers once he pulls himself out of his head (it's just thunder, it can't hurt me, it's just thunder, it can't hurt me). A gentle hand wraps around his wrist and tugs lightly. He shoots Hoya a quizzical look and the elder jerks his head slightly in a wordless invitation. It barely takes the choding a second to consider the decision before he's scrambling onto the bed next to Hoya. He tells himself it's because another flash of lightning had lit up the night sky (it doesn't have anything to do with his infatuation with the elder, really).

He's warm, which is a relief to Sungyeol's cold limbs. It's almost ridiculous how crowded Hoya's bed suddenly is, but it's a welcome relief to his equally crowded but somehow lonely bed. He would have kept a distance between them, but Hoya's arm curls around his waist and tugs him closer, allowing the younger to bury his face in his chest.

It should be awkward – Sungyeol is at least half a head taller than Hoya, after all – but they fit each other like puzzle pieces. Hesitantly, the taller male wraps an arm around Hoya's waist and pulls the other closer while his other hand rests on Hoya's chest. Hoya takes this as his cue to tangle their legs together. It should feel suffocating and weird, but all Sungyeol feels is safe and warm. It reminds him of the times when he was younger and would crawl into his parents' bed whenever there was a storm.

Another roar of thunder causes yet another whimper to escape the choding's lips. He burrows further into Hoya's firm chest, his fingers clutching a fistful of Hoya's shirt. The elder's grip tightens around him as he murmurs soothing words into Sungyeol's ears. Hoya's chin is resting on the top of Sungyeol's head and the younger almost laughs, if they were standing, the roles would be reversed.

But they're not standing and right now, Sungyeol is scared and Hoya is so warm and safe.

"Just go to sleep," Hoya murmurs into his hair, the back of his neck in an undeniably soothing manner. Electricity shoots through Sungyeol's body pleasantly. If Sungyeol was a cat, he'd purr. Instead, the action makes him press himself closer to Hoya. "It won't hurt you. I'll protect you."

Somehow, Sungyeol believes him. He allows himself to relax into Hoya's embrace. Suddenly his eyelids feel like lead and he finds it easy to slip into slumber. Hoya's presence is comforting.

Even as he is falling asleep, Sungyeol can't help but muse about him and Hoya. He doesn't think he's ever known of two people who could be any more different. Hoya is confident, cool and… well, basically everything he wasn't. He, who is clumsy, weird and awkward. He, who doesn't know why Hoya is taking such interest in him lately.

Then again, he figures he shouldn't shoot the gift horse in the mouth. In a way, Hoya complements him very well. The rapper makes up for what he lacks (which, if Sungyeol was honest with himself (and he is), is a lot).

They're a lot like thunder and lightning, he realises sleepily, his mind beginning to drift. Hoya is like lightning; quiet, but eye catching and bright. So very bright. Hoya shines brightly like the star he is. He's so bright that Sungyeol feels like he's forever living in the elder's shadow (Sungyeol finds it ironic since he's the tall one – if anything, everyone else stands in his shadow, literally). Hoya is so bright that sometimes it hurts to look at him, especially since the choding knows that he won't ever shine as bright.

Sungyeol, on the other hand, is like thunder; loud, shocking in its predictability and unseen. Sometimes, he feels like he's invisible. Even though he's the first person most people will see due to his height, he can never seem to stand out when they stand as Infinite. Maybe that's why he loves acting. It gives him a chance to actually be somebody. He isn't just Sungyeol, Infinite's resident choding anymore. He can be Lee Sungyeol. He can be whoever the script says he needs to be. He can finally stand in his own spotlight.

When it comes to Hoya, he doesn't mind not being in the spotlight. All that matters is that Hoya looks at him sometimes, because Sungyeol is always looking at him. All he hopes is that Hoya will choose to stay by his side, because wherever Hoya is, Sungyeol will undoubtedly be there.

After all, lightning will always be followed by thunder.