Raccoon-(mxm) (Rever series 6)

Raccoon Ten

"M-my name is King and this is my place. You're more than welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like," he quickly but quietly said as he did his best not to stare directly at the mostly-naked man.

Well, he was completely naked, but there was at least a blanket still covering his lap.

By the time those warm chocolate eyes finally returned to him King was internally fidgeting. The nervousness was partially their situation, but a bigger chunk of his unease was the man's growing anxiety that had morphed from a few simple waves all the way up to a moderate tsunami.

I need to try and calm him down before something bad happens.

Of course, thinking that and actually managing it were two very different things. He didn't know how Baron acted when he was extremely stressed... besides trying to jump off a bridge, and he also didn't know how to really calm him. He was used to Prince, not Baron.

He was just about to go grab some of the leftovers he'd made, hoping that maybe the man liked food just as much as his shift and could calm down over a warm bowl of pasta when he nearly jumped out of his skin from the sound of his phone ringing in his back pocket.

Oh shit, that's mom's ringtone.

The moment he began reaching for it he noticed an immediate shift in Baron's demeanor.

He's going to try and run.

The man's eyes widened as he watched him, seemingly surprised.

Without much time to think, King slowly nudged his chair a few feet backwards, then stood up and put himself in front of the door as he pulled his phone from his back pocket and answered it.

"Hey mom, what's up?" he asked, doing his best to keep his voice even but also adding just enough inflection to his tone to hint that something was a little bit off.

His mom paused for a moment, but then said something he definitely wasn't anticipating.

"Please put the phone on speaker and bring it close to Prince. I have something he'd probably like to hear."

Huh?

Not willing to argue, he took a step forward, but didn't dare get too close as he switched the call to speaker.

"Hello Baron, I'm King's mother and I have been working to try and help you while you've been resting. I have someone waiting on the other end who'd like to speak with you, if that would be alright?"

King winced as he felt Baron's anxiety skyrocket, but he knew that his mom wouldn't just let any random person talk to someone who was suicidal.

"I think it's okay, mom. He's here and he can listen," King replied calmly even though it felt like a thousand fire ants were marching beneath his skin.

His mom went silent for another moment, then they heard a faint beep sound. Almost immediately there was a muffled rustling, like someone wasn't holding a phone quite right.

"Daddy?"

The army of ants retreated immediately.

The tsunami subsided within seconds.

And Baron was on his feet, hugging King's phone to his chest as tears fell from his eyes.

"Daddy? This nice lady said that you were really sick and that's why you haven't been able to call or come home. Are you feeling better now? Do you want to talk to me?" his daughter asked, her voice full of unsure excitement.

She also sounded really mature for a little girl.

To King's surprise, however, Baron wasn't able to utter a single word as tears continued to stain his face.