Word Count: 607

Pairings: 10th Doctor x reader

Warnings: angst, possible trigger

A/N: Request from someone on Tumblr

Summary: You tended to cope with everyday life pretty well, but everyone had bad days. You couldn’t help the times that sinking feeling of being overwhelmed settled in your chest. You would panic, find a quiet room to yourself and internalize your fear. It wasn’t healthy you knew that but you couldn’t help it. You were never alone though.

……………………………………………………

As soon as you were back in TARDIS you excused yourself from the room. You lied, making up a vague excuse of being tired. You were far from tired, you felt so overwhelmed you wanted to scream but you didn’t. You pushed that need to strain your vocal cords aside and hurried from the room.

“Where are you off to?” The Doctor called after you.

You didn’t respond, didn’t think you could even if you wanted to. Your body seemed to be on autopilot as you headed in the direction of the library. It was your go to place, the one room in the TARDIS that made you feel so relaxed and at ease. You didn’t register that the Doctor had been calling your name. He watched you hurry from the room.

Your body was tense, and you resisted the urge to wring your hands, an unfortunate habit you had when you felt like this. Once you entered the library you hurried towards the back, nestling yourself down between a shelf and the wall. You pulled your knees to your chest and started to hum. It helped to calm you down, helped to center you.

“Y/N?”

The Doctor had been searching the library for you, knowing it was where you liked to calm yourself. He finally found you, tucked away at the back of the library, eyes staring vacantly at the ground as you hummed to yourself. He knelt down in front of you but you didn’t respond. He watched you wring your hands, turning the skin red from the irritation it caused. He gently grabbed your hands to keep you from wringing them anymore.

“Can you look at me Y/N? Just for a second?”

You shook your head and the Doctor released your hands. You felt too overwhelmed to meet his eyes.

“That’s ok, you don’t have to.” He assured you.

He took off his trench coat wrapping it around you. It gave you a small sense of comfort, the familiarity of it, the smell, but it did nothing to stop the panic you felt. The Doctor must have noticed and frowned.

“Can I do anything? Do you need anything?”

You just continued to hum to yourself, pulling your knees closer to your chest.

“No…I just… I can’t…”

Although you had trouble trying to get the words out the Doctor still understood.

“Come here Y/N.”

You were vaguely aware of the fact the Doctor was positioning himself behind you. He wrapped his arm around you, holding you tightly with your arms crossed over your chest. To you that was the equivalent of being wrapped in a security blanket, provided you the same comfort. He made sure you weren’t wringing your hands anymore, so you didn’t unintentionally hurt yourself. He kissed the top of your head. Your humming became less noticeable and you leaned back against the Doctor’s chest.

“We’ll go to Midnight, see the sapphire waterfalls. Maybe you could-”

You listened to his voice, distracting you, pulling you back into reality and out of your thoughts. The sinking feeling in your chest slowly faded away, but you continued to hum, a little quieter than before. He was always there to keep you safe to patiently wait for you to let him know what you needed.

“You’ll have to tell me what song you’re humming one of these days, I’m always curious as to what it is.”

You smiled slowly, nodding a bit. His hold on you loosened a bit once he saw you calming down.

“Someday…” You whispered.

You resumed your humming, more peaceful, and more aware. The overwhelming feeling no longer crushing your chest.