Gift one shot for my friend xdaisy264x / xxxdaisy264xxx who is an amazingly talented writer, you all should definitely check out their work!
TW: Panic Attack
Third Person POV:
Tia was on the verge of a break down. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew she was spiraling.
She had thought she had been doing better, but she supposed that anxiety happened to everyone. Still, she didn't think anyone else in the room would understand how she felt right now. Sometimes she was really hard on herself. She didn't know why, she wished she wasn't, but she was.
She sat down on the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest, and hid her face in her lap in hopes that it would make the panic go away. She didn't like how it felt. But she needed to calm down, at least until she got to the hotel.
Words were swirling around in her head, replaying like a skipping record. She couldn't make it stop. She wanted it to, but she couldn't make it stop. She just wanted the voices to stop. She closed her eyes, but it didn't make her feel any better, quite the opposite, in fact.
"I'm just bored."
"You're not funny. I'm like, you're desperate."
"You've already said this."
"You shouldn't be here."
"I've seen amazing people leave each week, but she's still here? And that's what annoys me."
"If you're gonna get that butt-hurt you should probably finish the sentence."
"Just go home already!"
Tia could feel her breathing speed up. It was getting harder and harder to keep herself steady. The world was spinning way too fast and leaving her in the dust. She was rapidly losing her grip on reality. Nothing was real anymore. She couldn't keep herself calm. Nothing was working.
"No, no, no, no, no..." Tia muttered. Her tears were falling at a worryingly fast pace. It felt like she was drowning. She curled up into a ball and sobbed her eyes out. No one could hear her. No one would bother. It didn't matter anymore. It just didn't matter.
"Why are you still here?!"
"Seriously? I can't believe they picked YOU over Asttina."
"You're pathetic."
"You keep saying, EVERY WEEK that you're gonna do better."
"When are you gonna do better?"
"Are you seriously crying right now? Shut up."
"You're so annoying! God, you're setting me off right now!"
"Someone help! Get a medic or something! She can't hear me!" That was Ellie. Tia hadn't even heard Ellie come over. While she appreciated Ellie, she wanted someone else. She wanted Veronica. But fortunately, she wasn't going to have to wait much longer for Veronica to come and comfort her.
"Tia? Oh my god. I'll handle it from here, Ellie. Get a water bottle and bring it here. And tell Lozza to go get a blanket, okay?" That was Veronica's voice, Tia could recognize that voice from a mile away. She opened her eyes to confirm her suspicions, and sure enough, Veronica was next to her.
"Tell me what you need." Veronica's voice was calm and steady. Tia tried to speak, she really really tried, but only sobs came out. She opted to just hold out her arms in Veronica's direction and just hope that she would get the hint.
"Do you want me to hold you, lovely?" Veronica whispered, just loud enough for Tia to hear. She suspected Tia had a headache from all the crying she had been doing and it turns out that Veronica was right. Tia nodded and kept her arms held out, reaching for Veronica.
"Okay, my love. No need to cry. I've got you, you're safe." Veronica muttered. She didn't want to scare Tia. That was the last thing Tia needed. Ellie came back soon after, Lozza following close behind. Ellie placed the water bottle next to Veronica and Lozza handed her the blanket.
"I got the water. Lozza got the blanket." Ellie spoke, slightly out of breath, given that she was running in order to get everything to Veronica as quickly as she could. Veronica smiled up at her and Lozza. Lozza's head was tilted. They simply hadn't heard Tia crying at all.
"Thank you, Ellie. I'll take care of Tia. You both go get ready to head back to the hotel, we have to leave soon." Veronica instructed. Tia tuned out the last part. She snuggled up to Veronica, who smiled at her sudden cuddliness. Tia continued to try and steady herself.
Veronica pulled the blanket over Tia and handed her the water bottle, which Tia took tiny sips from. She felt exhausted. She was struggling to keep her eyes open. She turned to Veronica, who was smiling warmly at her. Tia laid her head against her chest. Veronica started rocking her back and forth.
"Ronnie.. I can feel your heart beating." Tia placed her hand on Veronica's heart, trying to steady her breathing. Veronica smoothed Tia's hair out of her face and held her close. Tia cuddled up to Veronica for warmth. She didn't know why she felt so cold suddenly.
"R-Ronnie... You're warm." Tia let her eyes close as Veronica hummed for her. She felt Veronica lay her on the couch and grab her jacket. She handed the jacket to Tia as Veronica pulled on her own jacket. Tia mirrored Veronica's movements, and made grabby hands for Veronica again.
"Lovey, we have to go back to the hotel now." Veronica tilted her head. Tia whined softly. She still wanted to be held. Veronica smiled at this and lifted her up, Tia wrapping her legs around her waist and wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Veronica smiled warmly at Tia.
"Okay, you ready to go back now?" Veronica spoke. Tia nodded. Veronica carried Tia to the bus and the two sat down, leaning against each other. Tia let her eyes close as the bus started to move. Veronica wrapped an arm around Tia and held her close.
Everything was okay.
