1.0: safe and sound (tw)

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TW: PANIC ATTACK.

taylor had been pacing the living room, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. her chest felt like it was closing in on itself, and her fingers trembled as she tried to dial travis's number for the third time in a row. voicemail. again.

she bit her lip, trying to stay calm, but the panic was rising faster than she could control. she needed to hear his voice, needed someone to ground her before everything spiraled completely out of control. she tried selena next, but the call went unanswered. blake, too. nothing. her brain was swirling, her breath quickening, and she couldn't think clearly enough to remember any more numbers. the world felt like it was closing in.

taylor sank onto the couch, pressing her phone against her forehead, her heart racing wildly. the edges of her vision started to blur, her breaths coming in shallow, fast bursts that she couldn't control. she hadn't had a panic attack this bad in a while, and the isolation of it, the feeling that no one was there, made it worse.

then she thought of kylie. travis's sister-in-law had become one of her closest friends over the past year. they'd met through jason and travis, and in that time, kylie had been a steady, reassuring presence in her life. taylor fumbled to pull up kylie's contact, her shaking fingers barely managing to hit the call button.

the ringing seemed to stretch on forever, and taylor's breathing became more ragged with each passing second. just as she was about to hang up, kylie answered.

"hello?" kylie's voice came through, calm and familiar.

taylor couldn't speak. she couldn't even form a word. all that came out were gasps, her breathing frantic and uneven, the phone trembling in her hand.

"taylor?" kylie said immediately, the concern clear in her voice. "tay? what's going on?"

another sharp intake of breath from taylor, but no words. she couldn't speak couldn't get anything out. everything felt like it was slipping away from her control, and she hated it. she hated feeling like this.

"tay, babe, can you hear me?" kylie's voice was calm, but there was an edge of urgency now. "is travis with you? where are you?"

taylor tried to respond, but all that came out was a whimper, her chest tightening further. her body was shaking uncontrollably now.

"okay, okay. it's alright," kylie said softly, trying to reassure her. "i'm going to help you, but i need you to try and answer me, okay? can you facetime me?"

taylor managed to hit the facetime button, her fingers still trembling as she accepted the incoming call. when kylie's face appeared on the screen, her expression softened, though worry clouded her eyes.

"oh, tay," kylie murmured when she saw the state taylor was in. her face was flushed, eyes wide with fear, her breath coming in short, sharp bursts. "you're having a panic attack, aren't you?"

taylor could only nod slightly, tears pooling in her eyes. she hated this, hated feeling this out of control. she wanted to scream, but all she could do was gasp for air.

"okay, i want you to listen to me. you're going to be okay, but i need you to breathe with me. can you do that?" kylie asked gently. taylor blinked, trying to focus on her voice, but her body was trembling too hard, her lungs too tight.

"tay, focus on my voice, alright? just focus on me," kylie said, her voice soft but firm. "take a deep breath in through your nose. slowly. you can do it."

taylor tried, but her breath caught, her chest heaving. the panic was still too overwhelming, the feeling of not being able to breathe terrifying.

"it's okay if it's hard right now, just keep trying with me," kylie encouraged, her tone gentle. "in through your nose. slowly. there you go."

taylor managed to pull in a shaky breath, her hands clutching the phone tighter as she followed kylie's instructions. "that's good. now let it out through your mouth, nice and slow," kylie continued. "you're doing great, tay. just keep going."

the panic was still there, gripping her tightly, but taylor focused on kylie's voice, trying to push through it. another shaky breath, and another. her chest still felt tight, but she could feel the air filling her lungs, even if just barely.

"good, tay. you're doing so good," kylie reassured, her voice soft and gentle. "keep breathing with me, okay? you're safe. i've got you."

taylor nodded slightly, her body still trembling, but the sharpness of the panic was starting to dull, little by little. she could hear kylie's words more clearly now, the world around her coming back into focus, even if just a little.

"is travis with you?" kylie asked gently, keeping her eyes on taylor through the screen.

taylor shook her head, her voice still caught in her throat. she didn't know where he was, and that only made the fear linger.

"okay, that's alright. you've got me, tay. you're not alone, i promise," kylie said softly. "just keep breathing with me. we'll get through this together."

taylor took another shaky breath, the panic still sitting heavy in her chest but slowly loosening its grip. kylie kept talking to her, guiding her through the breathing, her voice a lifeline in the storm of anxiety that had overtaken her.

after a few minutes, taylor's breathing began to slow, the tightness in her chest finally starting to ease. she blinked, tears streaming down her cheeks as she finally managed to speak, her voice barely above a whisper. "thank you," she said, her lips trembling.

"you don't have to thank me," kylie replied gently, her voice filled with warmth. "i'm always here for you, tay. always."

just as taylor was starting to calm down, her breaths more even but still shaky, the front door opened and travis walked in, his eyes immediately locking onto her. he froze for a second, taking in her tear-streaked face and the way her hands still trembled slightly.

"tay?" he said softly, quickly closing the door behind him and rushing over. he knelt in front of her, his hand gently resting on her knee. "what happened? are you okay?"

taylor's eyes filled with fresh tears, but she managed a small nod. she couldn't quite speak yet, but the sight of him was enough to make her feel a little safer, like the last piece she needed to finally come down from the panic.

kylie, still on facetime, spoke up. "hey, travis. she had a pretty bad panic attack. i think everything just overwhelmed her, so she called me."

travis's eyes softened, his heart breaking at the thought of her struggling alone. "oh, babe, i'm so sorry," he whispered, brushing a tear from her cheek. "i'm here now, okay? i've got you."

taylor leaned into his touch, her body still exhausted from the intensity of the panic, but slowly, she was feeling more grounded. travis wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest, holding her tight as her breathing finally returned to normal.

"thank you, kylie," travis said softly, still holding taylor close.

"of course," kylie replied, her voice warm. "you guys just take care of her. i'll check in later."

taylor whispered a soft "thank you" into the phone, her voice still weak but filled with gratitude. kylie gave her a reassuring smile before hanging up, leaving travis and taylor in the quiet of the room.

travis pulled back slightly, just enough to look at her. "you're okay now," he said gently, stroking her hair. "i'm so sorry i didn't answer. i didn't know."

"it's okay," taylor whispered, her voice small but steady. "you're here now."

and with him there, she finally felt safe again.

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