Thomas slept soundly in bed. He was at peace in unconsciousness.
However, his alter mindsets were still very much active.
"I wonder if he knows he hasn't set his alarm for the next morning," Anxiety decided to contemplate. "Should probably wake him up and check everything. Just to be sure."
"Now, no need for that," another voice interrupted Anxiety. Prince was standing at the other side of the bed, staring at Anxiety. "He needs beauty sleep, and he very much deserves it."
"But does he?" Anxiety attempted to counter. "He hasn't done the dishes, something he'll have to worry about tomorrow. If he wakes up late, then he'll have to do the dishes later in the day, when he would rather be trying to figure out his plans for next week without making anyone upset and being on time with everything." Prince sighed.
"Why don't you just let him sleep?" he asked Anxiety. "Doesn't he deserve a night's rest without the weight of chores on his shoulders?" Anxiety shook his head.
"He doesn't deserve a night's rest if he has something to worry about."
"You're being very selfish." Anxiety crossed his arms defiantly.
"Am I? All you're caring about right now is how he looks."
"False! I am caring for his mental well being and allowing him full rest without the 'anxiety' of trying to make sure everything is finished and ready for the next day, or the next week, or the next year!" Prince raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.
"What would you know about anxiety?" Anxiety asked curiously, wondering just how Prince would ever remotely understand his way of life.
"Plenty. I spend enough time around you that I just know what happens."
"How could you ever-"
"Please, Anxiety!" Prince threw his arms into the air. "You're on a rollercoaster! A gigantic, flowing, breaking state of mind that requires your utmost attention to constantly take pride in almost torturing Thomas! It's as if you like making him worry about such petty things! How can you simply live a life where everything is a problem that needs immediate fixing?" As Prince said this, his voice had suddenly raised towards Anxiety who was simply standing there, shocked at the words thrown at him.
Was Prince...calling him out? Like this?
Now?
And suddenly, Anxiety wasn't standing anymore. He was on the floor, holding his knees to his chest, unable to help the position he was in. He wasn't quite hyperventilating, no, but he was having enough of an attack to garner protecting himself from the words Prince seemed to believe about him.
Did he...worry too much?
"Anxiety?" Prince asked as soon as Anxiety didn't come back up. He was sure Anxiety hadn't gone back into his mental form, and if not that, then something must've been wrong. Prince rounded the bed, and though he knew that two mindsets usually didn't approach one another to mix fully, he felt far too much of a responsibility to check on the other. "Anxiety, what's happening to you?"
"I..," Anxiety said quietly, but as he was nearly unable to speak, he just shook his head, beginning to rock back and forth on the ground.
"What is this, what...," Prince began to ask again, but soon realised that maybe he had gone too far in trying to tell Anxiety what was supposedly wrong with him. "You're...having an attack..." Anxiety managed a nod, continuing his movements.
Prince was wholly unsure what to do. He specialised in the elegant things, the royal things, and the chivalrous things. He did not know what having an anxiety attack would fall under.
"What- Anxiety, I don't know what I should do," he began to say, watching tears slowly form in Anxiety's eyes. "I don't..." Anxiety shook his head, just curling into himself yet again.
If anyone was clueless, it had to be Prince.
And then it just seemed to click in Prince's mind the only thing he could do. He had to be a gentleman and comfort the other that could not comfort themselves.
That was something he could do.
"Hey," Prince said, quietly, reaching out a hand and rubbing Anxiety's back soothingly. "It'll be alright, you know. Just breathe slowly, everything will be okay." Anxiety, previously unresponsive, started to slow his rocking and his crying. As Prince simply kept Anxiety's attack at bay with directions, words, and comforting movements, Anxiety fell into the arms of Prince, relaxing now that he felt safer away from something he couldn't control.
"I'm sorry," Anxiety said after a short while, calming from his attack, exhausted once again.
"I should be apologising," Prince said simply. "I had been the one to ridicule, and I can assure you it wasn't my place to do so." Anxiety pulled away and stood, Prince following his movements.
"I can't help but have anxiety," Anxiety said as he looked at Thomas, still unaware of his states of mind. "It's who I am."
"It seems I didn't understand that before," Prince said, looking over at Anxiety. "And I apologise." Anxiety shrugged.
"No, it was all me." Prince set a hand on Anxiety's shoulder.
"I assure you, it was not." Anxiety shook his head.
"Alright, well, you can say what you like," he said with a small chuckle, "but it can't change the way I think, or the way I control how Thomas can think."
"Isn't that how we all work?" Anxiety nodded.
"Yeah, that's how we all work."
