Work Text:
You lie awake in your tent, your body thrumming with unease as you scrolled through your social media feed in a futile attempt to distract your mind from shaking limbs and sweaty palms. It was no use, and your arms dropped to your sides with a huff of defeat, your eyes becoming occupied with the void of darkness that was the polyester ceiling of your tent. You took a long inhale, consciously aware of the slow rising of your chest as you did so, holding the breath in for a few seconds before exhaling sharply. A few more calculated breaths later and it was apparent that your body still resisted your anxiety-soothing techniques.
“Fuck” you muttered harshly into the darkness, frustration prickling in the forefront of your mind, mingling with the muddled thoughts that currently resided there. At this moment, you couldn’t think clearly but you could certainly feel everything that was going on inside of your unnerved body.
The unpleasant static that crawled from your toes up towards your thighs, the heaviness that sat at the bottom of your stomach like a two-ton brick, and the blood that now pumped through your heart at a furious pace. All of these physiological cues were enough to send you into sensory overload, and the only reason they didn’t was due to the fact that you've been in this same predicament many times before. But like every time you experienced an anxiety attack, it felt as though you would remain locked in a state of hysteria for eternity. Your brain was worms, and the only coherent thought you could muster up was to text Prompto. Once again you brought your phone to your face, opening up your text messaging application with purpose, scrolling through your contacts to locate the string of messages that you shared with Prompto. You were met with a fleeting sense of calm when you saw his familiar profile picture and the nickname ‘Prom<3’, hastily tapping a brief “I need you” in the text box, and hitting send. Not a moment later, you heard the tent door unzip, a sleepy-eyed and disheveled Prompto on the other side, cautiously poking his head through the tent's opening.
“Y/N what’s wrong?” he whispered hoarsely, taking a moment to lazily rub his eyes so that he could better assess the situation.
“Anxious. It’s bad. Please help” you answered back in a fragmented jumble that you knew would get the point across to the man that was nearly nodding back to sleep in front of you. Prompto’s eyes widened at the realization that you were in distress and any indication of lethargy had disappeared from his face. His brain raced to find the best way to comfort you through this most uncomfortable situation, and almost immediately, he knew what you needed.
“Is there enough room in there for two?” he motioned to your sleeping bag and you gave him a quick nod in response, scooting to the side to give him ample room to climb in next to you. The moment his body was situated in the comfortably cramped sleeping bag, Prompto latched an arm around you as if by muscle memory, hugging you to him. For the first time since this whole episode began, you were able to take a genuinely satisfying deep breath while being cradled face-first against Prompto’s tank-top clad chest. Your nostrils filled with the rich scent of Prompto’s musk, a mix of the pine trees that surrounded the campsite, and a hint of smoke from the fire that was now reduced to embers outside. Each breath was bringing you back down to earth, and the weight of his body secured around your own was a pleasant heaviness that tied you to the ground. Prompto knowingly remained silent while you regained your grip on reality, allowing you to fixate on the steady beating of his heart amidst the newfound quiet. Your eyes slowly trailed up Prompto’s gently rising chest to meet his sapphire gaze, tasking yourself with accounting for every minute detail of his intricately designed irises.
“Thank you for this Prom” you uttered softly, releasing a hand from around Prompto’s waist to tenderly cup his cheek.
“It’s nothing (Y/N). I’d do anything for my best girl” he reassured, placing a tender kiss to your forehead.