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Rain and thunder had always been a source of trauma for Meredith, largely due to how her family often used her previously mild fear of thunderstorms as a way of scaring her, sometimes locking her out of the house during storms just to get her to be afraid. This had a pretty negative effect on her, but she was usually good at hiding it now.
Tonight, however, was not a night where she was having much luck hiding it. It had been storming for almost an hour now, and Meredith was having a lot of trouble staying calm as she held onto Mettaton, who she had warned about this kind of situation when they officially started dating almost 4 months prior to that day, but that didn’t mean it was not concerning for him.
“Darling, are you sure you don’t need me to get you anything? You look like you’re going to throw up…” Mettaton asked worriedly, noticing how she looked like she was going to be sick due to how freaked out she was.
“I-I-I-I’m okay, i-i’ll be okay, don't worry about me…” Meredith stammered out anxiously as tears threatened to pour down her face, only for her to jump and hide her face in Mettaton's chest at the sound of thunder, her tears pouring down her face as she started to hyperventilate a bit.
“Hey, hey, look at me,” Mettaton said, as he had helped her through panic attacks before and knew both the warning signs and how to help her. Once Meredith looked at him he said, “list five things you see for me okay? Can you do that for me?”
“Mhmm” Meredith whimpered quietly before shakily saying, “i-i see you, i see the photo of us on the dresser, i see my sketchbook, i see the tv, and i see the mirror”
“Good, now can you list four things you can touch?” Mettaton said, making sure to keep his voice gentle and calm so as to not cause more anxiety or panic for her.
Meredith nodded before saying, “I can touch your hands, the blanket, my hair, and the pillow…” she was a little bit calmer, but was still really anxious and panicky.
“Good, now try to list three things you can hear.” Mettaton said gently as he held her hands gently to let her know she wasn’t alone.
“I can hear you, the tv, and the radio” Meredith said as she slowly began to calm down as she held onto his hands with hers, which were still trembling a tiny bit.
“Good, you’re doing good, now list two things you can smell,” Mettaton said as he held her close to him and rubbed her back gently.
“I can smell the peppermint lattes we had from earlier and the scent from the candle on our dresser” Meredith said as she leaned into him gently, almost completely calm by that point in time.
“That’s good, and finally list one thing you can taste,” Mettaton said as he kept rubbing her back and stroking her hair to keep her calm.
“I can still taste the peppermint latte a little bit” Meredith said as she slowly came to a point where she was calm. This brought a bit of relief to Mettaton since he hated seeing her upset.
“Are you alright now? Do you need me to get you some water?” Mettaton said, to which Meredith shook her head gently
“No, I should be good to go, but can we cuddle for a little bit?” Meredith said and gently curled into him a bit, to which Mettaton gently smiled and nodded as he held her close.
“Of course darling, anything to make you feel better and make sure you know you’re loved” Mettaton said as he gently stroked her hair. He knew this wouldn't be the last time this happened, but he also knew that he loved Meredith and would stay with her no matter what.