Raccoon-(mxm) (Rever series 6)

Raccoon Eleven

(Suicide crisis hotline for the US: 988)

He couldn't think. 

Every time he tried to focus on one thing, another issue would begin whispering in the back of his mind, but when he switched to consider it, instead, something else would suddenly demand his attention. The more things he tried to focus on, the darker his thoughts grew as they melded together into one mess of a shitty life. 

He continued to try and fight against the negatives that were now relentlessly bombarding him, using the memory of his recent conversation with his daughter to try and fight them back, but for some reason, her voice was just so much quieter than any of his other thoughts. 

And, eventually, it was swallowed up altogether. 

Wincing as his already-aching body tensed further, Baron ground his teeth and lifted one hand to try and pull at his hair, needing something to get his mind back to the present, but when he didn't begin to feel the pain of his hair being pulled out, he blinked his left eye open. 

Unfortunately, his vision was so blurry at that moment that it didn't seem to matter.  

He didn't currently have control over his right one, either. His raccoon had become pretty brave during the time he'd been unconscious, and it was refusing to allow his other eye to close completely, even though he also couldn't see anything out of that one but faint blurs of light. 

I just want to die... why do you want to stay? 

He couldn't understand the stubborn creature. He'd kept it inside of himself for years since his wife had hated it and thought it was disgusting and a bad influence to their daughter. She also thought that it would somehow give them rabies...

A faint, indignant chatter was his raccoon's response to his question, but he could barely hear it over his own stifling insecurities. 

The only thing that actually kept him from hurting himself at that moment was the odd pressure wading around his mind. He'd never felt such a thing before and pretty soon it had the majority of his attention as he tried to pinpoint exactly what it was. 

At first he thought it was just King's thoughts, since he definitely wasn't used to those yet, but when it continued to silently slip just out of his reach, he realized that it might not be King. At least, not entirely. 

What is going on? 

Pushing aside the negative thoughts gnawing at his aching mind, Baron focused solely on figuring out what was running around his mind. 

"...him sweetheart." 

Huh? 

His heart twitched painfully in his chest, exhausted from trying to fight off his demons for so long. 

"...toast for dinner?" 

He blinked both of his eyes several times as he felt his raccoon abruptly retreat, along with the other sensation he'd been chasing, returning control of his other eye and allowing them to blink in tandem as his vision finally cleared. 

King was on his knees in front of him with both of his hands wrapped firmly around  Baron's right one.

No wonder why I wasn't able to pull at my hair... 

There was something else that needed to be verbally said, though. He tugged his hand free from King's, then scowled at him as if he were crazy. 

"Who the heck makes toast for dinner?"