Skyline Gang

Chapter 20

Small A/N: again I'm doing a little self projection on Bud from a similar experience that I had as a kid. This was also inspired by a scene from Puss In Boots: The Last Wish.

"What's that, Sproutie?" Candi asked. She and the others were sat down at a table by time Dude and Bud left the living area. Rainbow had perched himself next to them. Sprout had something in his hands. It was colourful and small. It was shaped like a cylinder. Sprout was inspected it quite carelessly, even nearly dropping it at one point.

"Not sure. Just found it in a cupboard." He muttered, shaking the cylinder a little. He suddenly spotted a small white tab. He missed it the first time he was looking due to how colourful it was. "Hold on."

Sprout pulled on the tab. Before anyone knew it, there was a thunderous bang. Whoever was at the table, immediately ducked down low on the ground. Rainbow let out a shrill yelp before he ran away. Dude and Bud covered their ears in shock and a little pain. There was this high pitched ring that took a short while to fade. It was like a confetti cannon but had so much compacted into it. Streamers, confetti and glitter was scattered all around the table and the floor. Even Candi, Mimi, Pip and Sprout were covered in it.

"Sprout!" Mimi shouted, lifting her head up.

"Sorry, my bad!" Sprout responded, hands in the air as his head popped up from behind the table.

"Is anybody hurt?" Dude called over, taking a few steps forward. Everyone gave a quiet, collective response of no. Temporarily deaf maybe, but nothing too serious. Honestly, it was wonder how Dawn hasn't shown up to see the commotion.

"Bud? What's wrong?" Candi suddenly asked. Dude spun on his heels. Bud was hunched over, hands slapped over his ears. His body was trembling like an earthquake. His breathing was erratic, seeming like he was struggling to take a breath. His eyes were clamped shut so tight, they might as well be glued shut. Dude took a step forward, but stopped the others from approaching. He wasn't fully aware as to how Bud would react.

"It's wrong! This is all wrong! Since the start!" Bud muttered, his hands starting to grip his hair.

"Bud, calm down. No one got hurt." Mimi said calmly.

"Loud noises surprise me!" Bud wailed in response.

"Really?" Sprout whispered, glancing back at the device on the table. He hung his head in shame as Bud's words repeated in his head.

"And the structure has been all wrong too." Bud muttered, seeming to ignore everything around him.

"Structure? You mean this Skyline building?" Candi asked.

"You don't understand! None of you understand!" Bud rambled on, his knees threatening to buckle under him. "My life has always been about routine. Every day I've been going through structures that are in accordance to what I'm happy with. I've been fine for the first couple of days but now I'm going into a state of overwhelming anxiety because I can't do that routine here."

"Bud...are you-" Dude started

"-on the autism spectrum? Yes!" Bud finished, stumbling a little. Forgetting his previous worry, Dude stepped forward. He carefully placed his hand on Bud's back, and thankfully wasn't pushed away. Pip stepped forward and started to help guide him to sit.

"Bud, sit down. Slowly. Try to take deep breathes." She spoke calmly, rubbing Bud's back in slow soothing circles. The others stepped forward a little more, but still maintained a safe distance. It was never was good idea to stress anyone more in a state like this. Dude looked around. He had an idea, but he needed someone right here, right now. His eyes scanned the surrounding area. He finally spotted Rainbow. The poor dog was shaking a little himself, tail tucked between his legs. He didn't look like he wanted to approach, but he still watched from a safe distance. No one could blame him, his hearing was just as sensitive as everyone else's, including Bud's.

"Rainbow! Here, boy!" Dude commanded calmly. He wasn't sure if Rainbow would come near the group, but he had to try this now. Bud might not be able to clam down safely otherwise. Rainbow whined a little, but upon seeing the stressed out Bud, he immediately understood. He padded over. He sniffed Bud a little, then laid down slowly. He gently placed his head on Bud's lap. He moved slow enough to not surprise Bud. It worked for the most part. Bud sharply inhaled, but then his eyes drifted to the canine. A hand trembled as he made contact with the soft, fluffy fur. Rainbow remained still, letting his body relax as he felt the limb make contact with him. The others backed away a little, waiting for the right time to approach again. Bud started at a snail's pace with moving his hand. After his heartbeat and breathing started to slow down, stroking Rainbow started to becoming more efficient. It was becoming more efficient as well. Bud's posture started to become more relaxed and his face sagged a little from exhaustion. No one said anything. There was still the risk of accidentally cause another meltdown. It was better to be safe than sorry in this case.

It felt like years had passed at that moment. The air finally started to feel lax. Bud continued to stroke Rainbow for a full minute. After taking a deep breath he briefly looked up at the others. However, he avoided all eye contact. He couldn't bear to look at anybody. His eyes refocused on Rainbow, the texture of the fur being his salvation. He wanted to get up and go to his room, but aside from his hand, his body wouldn't move. He was just stuck.

"Sorry..." he muttered, voice weak from the overstimulation.

"Bud, this isn't your fault." Dude spoke softly, cautiously kneeling down next to Bud. "I'm sorry that this hasn't been easy for you, but you've been doing great so far."

"Thank you. But I feel like I'm not being much help here." Bud muttered, his voice becoming more quiet. He remembered the research that he tried to conduct, but never accomplished much. "I can't even do any puzzles on my watch to help calm me down."

Everyone has their breaking points. Bud had just reached his. It was almost admirable with how long he had kept it in for. However, it wasn't healthy to do that, for anybody. And everyone knew that. It would explain why Bud would be so quick to hide in his room after a challenge and how absorbed he was in his work. It was his own coping mechanism. However, the stress relief had started to become stressful. Bud had no way to relax or stimulate himself in a healthy way at this point. There had to be another way to help him calm down without it being too much.

"How about the arcade games?" Sprout offered, pointing to the area in question.

"Too noisy...and the lights can confuse me sometimes." Bud muttered, shaking his head furiously.

"Is that when other people are playing around you?" Mimi asked. Bud stopped his movements and started to think a little.

"I think so...?" He said after a minute.

"Why not give the arcade a try? If it's too much then stop." Candi offered kindly. Bud thought about it a little more. Then he finally nodded his head. He started to move, prompting Rainbow to get off of him. Dude offered a hand, which was greatly accepted. Bud wobbled a little, legs feeling like jelly. Dude helped to steady him, and slowly started to assist with walking. He remained slow, allowing Bud to go at his own place. Rainbow walked alongside them, ready to offer a paw if Bud needed it. Sprout whispered something to Candi and took off quickly. Judging by his direction, he was going to get something to clean up the mess that he had made.

"I think I've got some noise cancelling headphones in my room." Pip mentioned, standing on the other side of Rainbow. "They're more effective when listening to music, but they might help a little. If you think you'll need them, don't hesitate to ask."

"I appreciate that, Pip. Thank you." Bud smiled shakily. Everyone else had a collective smile. It looked like things were slowly getting better. However, it all depended on Bud will do at the arcade. If things don't go well, they'll have to think of something else. For now, they'll just take things as they come.