Shattered Relations | Aru Shah AU |

XXX

a/n: trigger warning for the description of a panic attack. the second "————" will denote the end of that scene. 

and, there's some mature language in this chapter, so trigger warning for that too. 

————

RUDY
His room was dark, the long slivers of light shining through the cracks in the blinds. 

His breathing was heavy, as the trill of the phone line echoed in the silence, sweat and tears mingling on his face. 

"Hello?" Mini's cool voice broke through the tangled mess of his mind. 

"Rudy?" 

"M-Mini?" he asked, his voice breaking. 

He heard her take in a sharp breath at the other end of the line. 

"Are you okay?" 

"I—" he swallowed hard, and said, in a trembling voice, "N-no." 

"What happened?" She sounded exceedingly gentle. 

He hugged his knees, his gaze darting to the dark walls, which seemed tall and foreboding, rather like a prison. 

They were closing in. 

"I can't breathe," he cried, hugging his knees tighter. 

"The walls—they're closing in, and I don't know what to do," he whispered, fearing that if he raised his voice, somebody would hear. 

Like his grandfather. 

"You're having a panic attack," Mini said, and he could practically hear the faintly suppressed worry in her tone. 

"Describe three things you can see." 

"There's the walls. Our picture. My Rudy Rocks poster." 

"Great. You're doing great, okay? Now, name two things you can hear." 

"You. Your voice, and— and a car outside." 

"Breathe. Just... just breathe, okay? Do you want me to come over?" 

"N—no." He took a deep breath, and steeled his resolve, Mini's voice filling his head. 

If she comes over, she'll be in more danger.

"I'm fine." 

"Are you—" 

"Yeah. I'm— I'm okay... I think." 

"If— if you can, tell me what happened. Please." 

He glanced back, toward his bedroom door, and, he didn't know if it was his imagination, but he saw a shadow slide against his door. 

He lowered his voice. 

"Not now. Please, not now. Can— can you meet me tomorrow, at the park?" 

————

"Your eyes are red," she noted. 

Her dark gaze was steady on his face, filled with worry.