varigo drabbles

【7】trauma + heights = panic attacks

TW for panic attacks, though I think it's a bit obvious

"Wake up, guys! It's time to get a move on!"

Minutes later, the rest of the group gathered after Nuru's call.

"I hope you guys don't mind heights, because our next landmark is a sight to behold!

Varian blinked. "...How high are we talking?"

"You'll just have to wait and see!" Nuru replied. "Now come on, we don't have all day!"

The group trekked for a while before finally stumbling upon their worst fear: a slightly unstable bridge stretching hundreds of feet long over a ravine they couldn't see the bottom of.

"Well, don't just sit and stare! Let's walk this thing!" Nuru exclaimed, stepping onto the bridge. The planks creaked underneath her, but it didn't seem to deter her as she continued walking, holding onto the ropes on the sides for balance. Yong followed close behind, leaving just Hugo and Varian.

The tall blond was about to take a step onto the bridge, when he noticed Varian frozen in his steps. The boy's expression was hard to read, but his eyes shone with one emotion. Fear.

"Heh. Never took you to be someone afraid of heights, in all honestly," Hugo joked. Varian averted his gaze to look up at him, slightly moving his head along with his eyes as he forced a smile.

"Well, I wouldn't say afraid, moreso traumatized from being locked in a very open cage and suspended on a thin spike thousands of feet above ground, but, what can you do!" he said with an over-the-top and very nervous laugh. Within the couple seconds he was talking, his hands slowly found their way into his hair, getting tangled in it.

Hugo raised an eyebrow, blinking. "...Oh."

"Heheh, it's- it's noth-thing, really! I'm fine, I'm fine, this is fine, everything's fine, heh! I'll get over it in n-n-n-n-no time!" Varian said, beginning to tremble as he gripped his arms, curling in on himself. Within seconds, silent tears began rolling down his face, the same shaky smile still evident.

"Oh- shit," Hugo mumbled, rushing to his side. He was about to place his hand on the younger boy's should, but he drew it back. Rule 1. Don't touch someone without their permission when they're having a panic attack.

"Varian? Can I touch you? If you're in a state where you can't reply verbally, just nod yes or no," Hugo asked, voice taking on an unusually soft tone. Varian hesitated, but gave a small nod eventually. Hugo took a deep breath, placing his hand on Varian's back. The younger boy slightly flinched before accepting it after a couple seconds. Hugo gently began to rub circles on Varian's back, whispering encouraging words into his ear as he used his free hand to intertwine his fingers with Varian. The two sat there for a couple minutes before Varian eventually calmed down enough to talk.

"Th-a-ank yo-o-u..." he stuttered out, wiping the tears from his eyes. "But we s...s-still have to..."

"Shh, shh... it's okay. You know..." Hugo reached into his own backpack, pulling out a pair of shoes. "You see these? These shoes are like jetpacks for your feet. Stomp em hard, or tap on them, and flames'll start shooting out of em. It'll keep you afloat for about 20 minutes." He handed the shoes to Varian, who stared at them in awe.

"Woah... th...ank you, Hugo..." The younger boy hesitated before leaning up, pressing a small kiss onto Hugo's cheek before slipping on the shoes and putting his old ones in his backpack. He grabbed Hugo's hand, looking up at him with a newfound determination.

"Let's do this."