Whole Again : A Grinch X Lorax adventure

3: insomnia? what?

The Lorax refused to leave.

It wasn't for his own greedy intentions, the storm outside had picked up. The Lorax was worried that he would get picked up. Picked up and frozen out in that snow.

The Grinch agreed (totally) to let him stay on the couch until morning, then he'd leave when the blizzard dispersed.

"shut up," the Grinch groaned, rubbing his temples with his long, hairy fingers, slouching back into  the pillows that lay against the sofa. "Go to sleep or something."

The Lorax oblidged.

Not only did he have new found feelings that he didn't want to confront at the moment, but he didn't have the heart to piss off the Grinch. Especially not in his own home.

He closed his eyes, pulling the carpet the Grinch  had offered as he didn't have anymore blankets up over his shoulders as he rolled over to his side, resting his oval-shaped head against the arm of the couch.

he counted.

1.

2.

3.

Oh, a black sheep...

5.

...

His eyes snapped open, his breathing becoming erratic as his heart beat increased.

The Grinch raised a bushy, green eyebrow, a small smirk paying against his lips. "What?" He scoffed, "Little Lorax got night terrors?" He teased with a laugh, but the Lorax didn't calm down any.

He cursed, gripping onto the carpet until his knuckles went white, sweat trinkled down the back of his neck. "I can't," He breathed, beginning to shake frantically; looking for a way out.

The Grinch seen right through it.

A panic attack.

"Hey," He said, suddenly and strangely, even to himself, concerned for this random obnoxion. "Five things you can see? Give me five things you can see," The green man said, placing a gentle hand against the Lorax's shoulder, sending shivers down his spine.

The Lorax took a shaky breath, all his senses intensified to that of a dog, his  ears ringing, his eyes blurring out of focus. "Carpet," The Lorax managed. "Lamps, rock, Piano." He continued, holding his head, "you."

"Good," The Grinch congratulated, rubbing gentle circles along the Lorax's back. "Four things you can feel."

"Your hand." The Lorax listed, "the carpet in my hand, the cold of the snow." He hesitated. "The burning pain on my ass."

The Grinch nodded. "Three things you can hear, now."

"Rex's snores, Your voice... The wind."

"Uh huh," The Grinch agreed. "Two things you can smell?"

"Cinnamon," The Lorax answered. He didn't know how, or where the nice scent was coming from, but since he entered the cave it had a soft scent of Cinnamon, reminding him of all the animals in hibernation over winter, everything so peaceful, the nice colours, Christmas. It helped calming him.

He thought for a moment. "Gasoline, off your hands."

"Something you can taste?" The Grinch asked, removing his hand from the Lorax's back.

"... Saliva?"

Once the Grinch saw that the Lorax had calmed down, he backed off, returning to his grouchy, 'I don't give a fuck unless it's about me' attitude, bringing a small smile across the Lorax's face.

"So, what was that about?" the Grinch asked, absent-mindedly running his hand across Rex's scruffy fur coat.

"I can hardly sleep at the moment without getting intense visions about the world falling apart, the ecosystem decaying and breaking away, bit by bit," The Lorax explained, tightly closing his eyes. "It's scary, man."

The Grinch thought for a moment. Did he give a shit about whatever blud was yapping about? no. But it obviously upset him a great amount if it caused him to have a full blown intense panic attack.

"Insomnia?" He guessed, raising an eyebrow.

"Insomnia?" The Lorax repeated. "What?"

"Yeah," The Grinch agreed, "You can't sleep because of a fear of nightmares or whatever."

"That... How do you know that?" The Lorax asked, his strange sense of lust and desire toward the Grinch starting to bloom, a strange sensation pitting in his stomach.

"None of your buisness," The Grinch grumbled. "I'll stay up. I don't want a rando awake in my home while i sleep," He reasoned, convincing himself that's why more than the Lorax.

"Cool."