Breathe Darlin' - Rocket Raccoon
There were days when you were okay, and there were days when you weren’t okay. Sometimes it was hard to tell which day would be which when you woke, and sometimes it was hard to tell which day it would turn out to be until it grew later in the evening.
Today was one of the days you were not okay.
You were working on a project in the Milano when Rocket came in to check on you. And unbeknownst to you, your face was wet with tears. You didn’t even know where they’d come from until Rocket pointed it out to you.
“Humie. You’re crying.” He said gruffly.
You frowned and touched your cheek, your fingers coming away wet. You hadn’t even noticed because you were so absorbed with your work.
“I-I didn’t…” you began but Rocket cut you off.
“Your breathing is weird.” He added.
And once he pointed it out, you noticed. You were breathing hard, like it was difficult to breathe. Your face was wet with tears. And everything felt tense. Your jaw was clenched, your shoulders were hunched, and your fingers kept flexing. All told, you were having a panic attack.
“Hey. You’re okay.” Rocket said gently. “Just breathe.”
That was easier said than done. But you tried to focus and even out your breathing. It just wasn’t working.
“Try this.” Rocket dug in his little waistpack and pulled out a sour piece of candy from Atraxia. He opened the wrapper and held it out for you to take.
You didn’t know what a piece of candy was going to do for you but you’d try anything. You took the piece of candy and popped it in your mouth. It was much more sour than anything on Terra you were used to, including warheads. You spit it out and gave Rocket a dirty look.
“What the hell, man?” You asked in annoyance.
“Well it worked, didn’t it?” He snapped back.
You frowned but… he was right. The sour had pulled you out of whatever panic attack you’d been in the middle of. The candy had shocked your brain into a reset and you didn’t seem quite so tense anymore, though you were still on the verge of it.
“Now try to breathe, humie.” Rocket told you.
You gave him a nod and started to breathe slowly. In, 1, 2, 3. And out, 1, 2, 3. You repeated this mantra a few times until you felt your jaw unclench, your shoulders loosen, and your fingers stopped flexing.
Sometimes all you needed was a half-feral raccoon barking orders at you.