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"You're just a bunch of little kids playing dress-up"
~ Harumi

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WARNING: Panic attack

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It was Zane who had found Lloyd. Maybe that was a good thing. If it had been Jay or Kai there would have been a lot more panic. The nindroid had heard the distressed breathing as soon as he had entered the kitchen and immediately moved to investigate the origin.

Zane was always calm in these situations. Never displaying his anxiety, simply walking purposely but carefully around the corner. He made sure that he could be heard and kept his form relaxed so it would not be seen as aggressive. His luminescent eyes widened when he saw Lloyd sitting on the ground, the younger boy's skin pale and his body trembling. Cautiously, Zane crouched beside his friend, his worried gaze scanned Lloyd's body, face serious and concerned.

"Lloyd," Zane spoke softly. His eyes trailed over the splintered mug, the pieces scattered across the ground in various sizes. The spilled coffee pooled around the porcelain, red streaks of blood mixing with the dark brown. "You are injured." He said the words like a fact, observing his friend's state with a calm demeanour.

Lloyd blinked a few times as if he just realized Zane was there, the stress didn't leave his body as he shifted. His movements were slow and tired as he grasped his surroundings with wide eyes. Lloyd's eyes fell on his bloody palms, a curse falling from the usually innocent lips as he dropped the shards and pressed his hands into the fabric of his gi. The dark liquid seeped into the emerald cloth, turning the rich green into a muddy red beneath his hands. Zane wrapped the bottom of Lloyd's gi firmly around the laceration, taking his friend's other hand and pressing the fabric against the wound.

"I'm getting the first aid kit," Zane said each word clearly. "I will be back." Lloyd nodded quickly, his words lodged in his throat as he focused his blurring eyes on the bloody clothing.

Zane stood, casting one last look at Lloyd before he turned to the cupboards. Zane was well-equipped when it came to these situations. The key was to stay calm and deal with one thing at a time. Focusing on too many concerns at once would only worsen the situation and provide more stress for Lloyd's panic attack to latch onto. The first thing he needed to tend to was Lloyd's injury.

The nindroid swiftly located the first aid kit and pulled out some gauze and antibacterial cream. Setting the items aside Zane returned to the green ninja's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. Lloyd was a tactile person, though he would never admit it, and physical contact helped ground him more than he let on. Zane hoped the small touches would be able to aid Lloyd as he struggled to pull his mind to the present.

"We need to clean your hand." Zane motioned to the sink. "I need you to stand for me so we can run the cut under water."

Lloyd's breathing was still staggered, fear rolling off his body in waves but he allowed Zane to gently lift him to his feet and bring him to the sink. The pressure from his gi had stopped the bleeding, Zane removed the fabric from the cuts and carefully guided the blonde's hands under the water. The liquid poured soothingly from the tap, breaking the silence as it ran. The clear water turned red when it hit the wound, the blood washing from his fingers as Zane gently cleaned the area around the cuts with soap.

Lloyd remained quiet during this, his eyes staring vacantly at Zane's care. It was odd to see him so still, the listless movements didn't seem to match the race of his pulse and the quick inhale of each breath. Zane pulled Lloyd's hands away from the water and turned off the tap, holding Lloyd's wounded palms in one hand, the android turned to get the antibacterial cream before applying it into the cuts. At last, Zane's first task was done when he secured the gauze onto his friend's injury.

Now that Lloyd's physical state was taken care of it was time to look after his mental state. The silver-skinned young man tilted his head as he cupped his friend's face gently, cradling Lloyd's chin as if it was the most precious thing in the world. His lips turned down in a frown as he stared into the depths of his green eyes.

"Zane," Lloyd spoke for the first time since the ice ninja had entered, his voice small as he continued to take gasping breaths, tears threatening to slip from the corners of his eyes.

"Concentrate on your breathing," Zane said, taking his friend's hand and pressing it against his chest. "Match your breathing to mine. Inhale slowly through your nose and then exhale through your mouth."

Zane took a deep exaggerated breath. The air was unnecessary since Zane was a robot but he knew Lloyd would need something to go off of when he was like this.

Lloyd closed his eyes, trying to force his mind to stay on the task as he took a deep breath with Zane then shakily exhaled. The process was like swimming upstream, unnatural, almost foreign. His body was still fuelled with panic and his mind locked into survival mode. His brain couldn't shake away the fear and all the pent-up emotions were bouncing around inside of him as if someone had rolled them into a bouncy ball and tossed it into a small room.

Zane pulled Lloyd closer to his body, his calm voice cutting through the storm of thoughts like a knife. "What you are feeling is scary, Lloyd but it is not dangerous. You are in a safe place right now, I promise."

Lloyd's eyelids fluttered open and he looked into his friend- his brother's eyes, sure and determined. Lloyd inhaled. He held for a moment, blocking out the noise in his head as he focused on slowly releasing the air from his lungs. Gradually his tense shoulder began to relax and the trembling ceased, leaving him feeling tired and weak.

Zane smiled at him, a small serene expression as he rubbed the younger boy's back. The nindroid lead him to the barstool and sat him down before the green ninja could protest. "I will clean up the coffee," Zane said seriously, leaving no room for argument. "Sit here and consume your fuel."

Lloyd's lips twitched in amusement. "Okay, Mom." His voice was rough and small but the joke was still there. Zane wrinkled his nose at the label and pointedly ignored him as he placed a towel over the mess. Lloyd grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl and sighed as he looked at his hands.

What was he going to do?

NOTE****
Anyone who follows me and read my announcements would know the lengthily process this chapter was. Thanks to my annoying brain I decided to delete this and then ended up bringing the whole chapter back because I couldn't figure out a better thing to do. 😂

Anyways, I did work hard on it and I hope you all enjoyed!

LuckyBugBooks🐞