There was a gentle pitter-patter of rain on the mansion's roof. A lamp in the far corner was on, emitting a soft glow of light around your room. You contemplated turning it off, but that would mean getting up from your snug nest of covers and it was very, very comfortable in bed. It would be a shame to arise and ruin such a nice moment. Burrowing your head into a fluffy pillow, you decided to leave it as it was.

Sleep would soon claim you to dance in delightful dreams of your subconscious' wonderous imaginings. The rain fell harder and the wind howled in a violent temper in the frigid darkness. More likely than not a few trees would fall down during the night; one might even block the road. However, that would be dealt with in the morning.

You were not worried about the storm raging on Xavier's grounds. The school had survived more terrible incidents in the past. A little water would not damage the manor. Just as your eyes were fluttering close, a streak of jagged lightning flashed across the outside of the window, brilliant enough to be visible through the curtains. Two seconds later, a terrible crack of thunder resounded overhead in the skies. You bolted straight up, startled at the booming noise. The rain pounded against the walls with a new force that felt like it would shatter them.

The gale was so intense that for a while it seemed it would pick up the entire mansion as if in a tornado. You pulled the blankets closer, knowing full well that they offered no real protection. The lights went out, adding to your growing fear. All thought of sleep was driven from your mind as the storm's fury increased. You crawled out of bed, shivering as your bare feet came into contact with the cold floor.

Walking to the ornate dresser, you opened the bottom drawer where your X-Men uniform was stored. You moved it aside to reveal a tattered looking teddy bear. It had once been well stuffed and clean. Now it was quite shabby, an eye was missing and a large amount of stuffing had been lost over a long period of time. That didn't matter though. This gift was a constant comfort through the hardest parts of your life.

The reason you had stowed it away to save it from being further worn down. You hugged it tightly and scurried back to the safety of your warm bed. Lighting slashed the heavens and you prepared yourself for the thunder to follow. It was louder this time if that was possible. You ducked under the covers. You did not count yourself as one to be afraid of thunderstorms but this tempest would scare even Ororo.

Clutching your bear, you reconsidered the chances of your home being destroyed. You attempted to move to the middle of the bed and were surprised when you bumped shoulders with someone. You screamed, leaped off, and threw your hapless toy animal at the trespasser's face. A muffled "ow" came from the person.

"Peter?" You asked, recognizing his voice.

"Yeah, it's me. You didn't have to hit me." In the dark, you could barely see him as he laid back down. Preoccupied with your own panic, you had not been aware of Peter zooming into your room.

"Oh no, are you okay?"

"It'll take more than that to take me out."

"Not you. My bear, he could've gotten hurt by flying into your big head." You collected the stuffie, grabbed a flashlight by the nightstand and clicked it on. Peter squinted in the sudden brightness.

His hair was an utter mess, sticking up at odd points. It would be a total nightmare to comb it tomorrow, that was if he tried to brush it. He wore a rumpled 'The Who' shirt. You settled next to your boyfriend's side.

"Hmp, good to know you care more about an inanimate object," he huffed.

"Don't be such a grumpy pants. You're nice to have around too." You patted his cheek.

He eyed what you were wearing and said, "Isn't that my Led Zeppelin t-shirt?"

You replied, "Oh, I forgot I put it on. And yes, it was yours. It's mine now. I can't believe you just noticed. I took it, like, a month ago."

"I guess it doesn't matter. You look hotter in it anyways." He shrugged and gathered the comforter around himself.

A crash of thunder made you both jump and cuddle closer together. You were reminded of the tempestuous downpour taking place. You turned your head so that the tips of your noses were touching. "Peter, what're you doing here?"

"I... wanted to make sure you were okay?" His tone was hesitant, not wanting to share the truth. More lighting and thunder ensued and Peter squeezed your hand.

You teased, "Are you scared, Maximoff?" You did not know this fact about him. It had never come up and you never thought to ask. One time Peter did confide that when he was younger, he had an irrational phobia of salamanders but had outgrown it.

Peter waited for a few moments then answered, "Not if you're there to protect me."

You smiled at his cheesiness, and ran your fingers through his tangled hair, feeling less frightened. You leaned to whisper in his ear, "Stay here tonight?"

"Thought you'd never ask." He spread out to take over most of the bed. You didn't mind. He snuggled into your tender embrace. His breathing was measured, his chest moved up and down, up and down. You pressed a single kiss to his temple. It took a while for you to doze off to slumberland but that was not a problem.

The lightning and thunder had lost its terrifying quality. The storm still wailed on through the night, begging entrance to the cozy inside, but nothing else mattered except Peter. You could withstand anything, including a thunderstorm, if he was by your side. You mumbled an "I love you" and Peter returned the precious words.