Axel / Lea x Reader One Shots (Requests Open)

Count to Five

Warnings: Mentions of panic attacks, possible triggers

It happened in a blink of an eye: the sweaty palms, your head feeling woozy, heart rate skyrocketing inside your chest, the overwhelming panicked sensation all throughout your body. It was an all-too familiar feeling that you've experienced before, but it had been a while since your last anxiety attack. Today alone you've had three, and they were physically and mentally draining all of your energy.

What annoyed you the most about having panic attacks was the fact that absolutely nothing brought them on. You weren't in a high-stressed environment nor were you in any sort of danger. In fact, you've been in the happiest place of your life, so what gives?

Clutching your chest with one hand and the other on the bathroom counter, your thoughts raced a thousand miles a minute trying to come up with a reason for the sudden attack. A sudden soft knock on the door made you jump out of your skin, which didn't help how you were feeling at all.

"[Y/N]? You okay in there?"

Lea's muffled voice from the other side of the door sounded worried. It was only then you realized you were gasping in the bathroom, as if your anxieties were literally drowning you. The scent of blood filled your nostrils, making breathing all the more difficult. Your knees suddenly buckled beneath you and with all your strength, you were able to raise your arm to crack the door open just enough for Lea to peek inside. When he saw you on the floor, he immediately opened the door as wide as he could to get inside and knelt down beside you.

"Breathe, [Y/N], deep slow breaths," he kept repeating. "Try counting to five for me."

Your eyes locked with his as you obeyed his instructions, taking as deep of a breath as you possibly could before counting to five in a weakened whisper. Lea told you to keep doing that five more times, which seemed to work for the most part. When your eyes started nervously bouncing around again, Lea knew the deep-breathing exercises weren't going to be enough.

"Tell me five red things you see," he said.

"I-I see... red towels."

"Good, four more."

"Your hair...toothbrush... shampoo bottle..."

"Just one more, babe."

Your eyes scanned around the bathroom, looking for anything else that was red to name. "Lea, there isn't anything else red here."

"Oh...whoops. Guess I shoulda picked an easier color," Lea laughed.

You let out an airy laugh, still feeling weak from your anxiety attack but much better overall. The heat from Lea's arms wrapped around you helped fight off the chill of the cold floor beneath your legs, forcing you further into his embrace.

"Thank you," you whispered. "How did you know...?"

"I've had my fair share of anxiety attacks. Mainly before my Organization days," Lea reminisced. "Isa actually helped coach me through them, that's where I learned that trick from."

"Got that memorized, huh?" You brought your finger to your temple, mimicking your boyfriend's signature move.

"Smart aleck," he huffed. "C'mon, let's rest some place comfier than the grimy bathroom floor." Lea carefully picked you up from the floor bridal style before bringing you to the bedroom, placing you gently on your shared bed. He tucked you under a set of blankets before joining you on his side and allowed you to wrap yourself around him.

Before you knew it, your breathing was leveled out again and your heart rate was back to it's normal pace. Lea's hand kept stroking the back of your head gently, the sound of his heart beat echoing in your ear. Moments later, you were sound asleep in his arms, overcome by exhaustion and your lover's warmth.