Red, White, & Royal Pain

2

TRIGGER WARNING: PANIC ATTACK

Alex sighed as he turned the corner of the upstairs hallway after having dispersed from Ella—the ever so rambunctious before bed—toddler's room. He and Henry switched off which of their kids they tucked in each night, but Alex had been in charge of both tonight as Henry said he needed to rest. Alex didn't mind this, however; he loved his children and felt it a blessing, having to tuck the two of them in.

    Smiling to himself about the fact that he could soon be claimed by the sleep he was craving, Alex stepped through his bedroom door, quietly so as not to wake up Henry. But apparently that would not be necessary, because the moment Alex emerged in the door, his heart clenched at the sight before him. His breath caught in his throat as he saw Henry, his Henry, curled up in a ball on the massive bed, his body racking with sobs. He would fight a war for this man, would kill for this man, his Henry. He could not handle seeing his Henry in pain.

"Hen!" Alex called, striding towards the bed. Upon closer inspection, Henry was curled up, one hand covering his face, the other clawing at his arm, drawing blood for an unknown amount of time. How long had Henry been like this?

"Hen, baby," Alex spoke, removing Henry's hands from their respective spots on his body. He scooped Henry into his arms and shushed him. "Hen, Hen look at me. It's Alex, look at me," he whispered. Henry only continued shaking, no sign of stopping.

"Henry," Alex spoke, a little louder this time. He wanted—needed Henry to hear him. Sitting him down on the bed, Alex grabbed Henry's wrist with one hand and grabbed his chin with the other. Panic filled Henry's eyes. A deep blue sea of pure panic, hurt, and confusion, were visible for miles behind his beautiful irises. A wave of sudden realization flooded through Alex and he finally understood what was happening.

"Hen, you're having a panic attack, I need you to listen to me." Henry only squeezed Alex's hand in return.

"Breathe," Alex demanded, taking a breath for Henry to mirror.

"Breathe,"

"Again,"

"Breathe," were the only words spoken for some minutes as Henry tried to calm down. And eventually, his breathing slowed, and the color came back to his skin. Upon his return to his usual state, he threw his arms around Alex and nuzzled his face into the crook of his neck.

"Oh baby," Alex cracked, rubbing Henry's bare back slowly. And they stayed like this for seconds, or minutes, or hours, Alex wasn't too sure by the end of it.

"Tell me what's wrong Hen, what triggered this?" Alex asked, holding Henry's hands.

"I-" Henry began but had to clear his throat from the misuse. "I don't know. I started to think about my dad and how I, how I never told him about me. There was so much he didn't know, and my thoughts just spiraled from there."

"Hen," Alex began. "Your father would have been so proud of you, so proud."

"How can you know?"

"I just know it. You're amazing in every sense of the word. I love you, the kids love you, and he loved you." Henry gave a sad smile at this and spoke, "Thank you," his voice still strained.

"Thank you," Alex returned, embracing his husband again.

"For what?"

"For being the most truly wonderful man I could ever ask to spend my life with. I don't know how I got so lucky." Henry smiled wide this time and pulled Alex in for a kiss. And with that, Alex was complete.

Ok, so we're not 100% positive that the description of a panic attack is fully accurate, or that it encloses the overall feeling of one. Please do not take any indiscrepancies too harshly, seeing as it is all said for the sake of the story. <3