royally arranged

Storms [chapter 24]

ig TW: panic attack

Lightning struck the ground with a bright light and a loud boom. There were slight vibrations that could be felt inside the room in which you and Shoto resided in. I would say slept, but as of now, Shoto was wide awake. It was past midnight and things were quiet throughout the castle. Well minus the snores from people and the loud sound of thunder.

Shoto was shaking slightly in the bed, silently panicking so he wouldn't wake you. He never was really the best when it came to storms, and right now was no exception.

There were beads of sweat trickling down the side of his forehead. His airways felt like they were closing up, his heart beating way faster than normal. His throat was dry, he felt like he was choking. And there wasn't a single thing he was able to do about it.

Just silently suffer.

Shoto never understood why he was afraid of thunder storms. It wasn't like he didn't like the rain, just specifically thunder. Hell, a tornado could come through and he would be fine, as long as there wasn't any thunder. Which would be highly unlikely considering it's a tornado, but the chances aren't zero.

Another bolt of lightning struck, the sound of thunder being louder than before. This caused him to jerk up in bed. He moved back until his back was propped up against the head board, his breathing heavy and unstable.

He heard you groan, seeing your figure slowly sit up in the bed. Your hair was crazy, the bed head apparent as you blinked to get the sleep out of your eyes. You groggily looked around the room with a yawn, immediately waking up completely when you saw how shaken up Shoto looked.

You slid out from under the soft covers, rubbing away any sleep from your eyes. You cautiously approached him, not wanting to startle him in any way.

"Shoto, hey," you crawled over to him, stopping and sitting directly in front of him, "What's wrong? Are you ok?"

The male tried answer but he simply couldn't. His mouth was opened and he wanted words to come out but they didn't. He panicked even more when he couldn't talk, his breathing getting even more unsteady than it already was.

"Hey, hey," you sat yourself in Shoto's lap, cupping his cheeks with your hands, "It's fine if you can't answer. Just— just breathe."

You imitated the things Shoto did to calm you down when you had the nightmare about your mother. Your breathing slowed, you making it audible so Shoto could try to match his with your own. You closed your eyes and brought your forehead to his, taking in deep breaths and letting out firm exhales.

You could feel Shoto's breathing slowing down, his hands placing over top yours in a gentle manner. And just as things were getting better, another lightning strike came. Thunder shook the ground and Shoto flinched. His breathing went off the charts all over again.

"Shh, shh," you started to panic on your own, running out of ideas. Your eyes opened to see the male with his two different colored eyes staring back into yours with horror. "It's fine. It's alright. Everything is okay."

This didn't calm down Shoto in the slightest. You had an idea, a rather stupid one, but you couldn't come up with anything else. So, in the midst of your panic, with out a second thought, you connected your lips with his. The male was taken aback, but slowly kissed back.

When you pulled away, you saw Shoto had a a blush on his cheeks. His breathing was still a bit shaky, but was definitely starting to slow down. Within minutes, his breathing was mostly under control, a few shaky exhales coming from time to time.

The rain had also died down, everything now a soft pitter patter against the surfaces of roofs, windows and balconies. Shoto and you had eyes locked, ignoring the soft drizzle of rain in the background.

"You kissed me," Shoto breathily stated, his hands snaking their way around your waist and bringing you closer to him.

"I did," you mumbled, breaking eye contact and looking down towards your lap, "I'm sorry. I should've asked first, and then waited for your permission. I'm so sor—"

Before you could even continue, Shoto grabbed your jaw and pulled you into a kiss. Your eyes widened though you were quick to kiss him back. Your lips molded into his, you could practically feel yourself melting at his touch.

I'm not a simp or anything. But the things I would do for Shoto Todoroki—

Shoto hesitantly pulled away from you, panting for air. But you weren't done. You instantly pulled him back, lips harshly crashing against his. And this process continued: one of you pulling away to breathe and the other pulling them back in.

At some point, tongue even got involved. The two muscles clashing against each other and fighting for dominance. But you both eventually had to pull away, actually starting to have trouble breathing.

There was a string of saliva that connected from your lips when the two of you parted. You were both panting, staring into each other's eyes and waiting for the other to do something first.

Shoto was the first to move, pulling your into a tight hug with his eyes gently closing. He rested his head on your shoulder with a genuine smile. There were no words spoken between the two of you, just hugging in silence.

"Thank you," Shoto finally spoke, "For calming me down."

You smiled, rubbing his back in a gentle manner, "I will do that for you any time you need."

"And sorry for waking you up," Shoto hugged you tighter, "I tried to be quiet. I didn't mean to."

You let out a lighthearted laugh, "It's fine. I promise. Plus, I would've rather you woke me up than for you to silently suffer."

Shoto let out a hum, pulling away from the hug and cupping your cheeks in his hands. "But then you wouldn't have gotten to sleep."

You gave him a deadpanned look, "Shoto, you were literally having a panic attack, or at least something along those lines. Don't ever use such stupid reasoning again. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am," he chuckled, bringing your face back up to his and giving you a peck on the forehead, "It's a promise."

"Good," you nodded firmly while climbing off his lap, "Now let's go back to sleep."

Shoto smiled, watching you slip back under the covers and move closer to him. His arms wrapped around your waist, pressing his nose in the crook of your neck.

"Good night," he whispered over the light sound of rain.

"Night Shoto," you whispered back with a fond smile.

I guess my wish did come true...