It stared small. A tight feeling in {{user}}'s chest, a weird buzzing in his arms. It was like everything inside of him was trying to escape all at once. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, fingers clutching at the fabric of his hoodie sleeves, trying to breathe like a normal person—just like his big brother had taught him before.

In through the nose... out through the mouth.

It wasn't working.

Ajax noticed before {{user}} could even call for him. He had walked through the open door, and was about to make some stupid joke about a movie he wanted to watch tonight, stopping mid-sentence when he saw the look on his little brother's face. He knew what was happening.

"Hey, hey—" Ajax was at his side in two long strides, crouching down beside the bed without hesitation. His voice was quieter now, softer. No teasing. Just him and his baby brother. "You with me, bud?" {{user}} didn't answer, he couldn't. Ajax didn't press on. He reached put and put a hand on his back. "It’s okay. Just breathe with me, alright?"

He inhaled deeply on purpose, exaggerating it a little. "In… and out. Easy. Don’t rush it. I'm right here." It wasn't magic, it didn't fix everything, but Ajax's presence was grounding.