Can you do a part 2 of this with Aventurine and Sunday? :)
Feel free to decline!
Between the Panic and the Pulse
Tags: Sunday x Reader, Aventurine x Reader, Comfort/Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Late-Night Episode, Sleep Apnea (Mild Medical Themes), Anxiety Response, Protective Partner, Emotional Vulnerability, Panic Attack Symptoms, Shaking/Trembling, Character Comforts Reader, Soft Moments, Trauma Bonding, Post-Episode Intimacy (VERY Emotional‼️‼️).
Warnings: Sleep Apnea/Disordered Breathing (Nighttime Medical Symptoms), Descriptions of Physical Distress (Rapid Heartbeat, Shaking, Nausea, Cold Sweats), Anxiety/Panic Symptoms, Mild Medical Emergency Descriptions, Mentions of Trauma (Implied Past Trauma, Survivor’s Guilt), Emotional Distress, Touch-Based Comfort.
The night aboard the Astral Express is quiet, save for the hum of distant energy lines and the soft rhythm of Sunday’s breathing beside you.
That is, until your body betrays you again.
You jolt upright, heart hammering against your ribcage like it’s trying to escape. Breath shallow, fingers trembling uncontrollably, a sickly wave of nausea crashing through you. The sheets feel damp. Your skin, cold and clammy. The world spins in jagged half-turns.
You brace yourself on the mattress, vision swimming.
And then you feel it—
a soft rustle of feathers.
Sunday shifts beside you. He doesn’t speak at first. His golden eyes open slowly, catching the dim glow of the cabin lights like twin suns behind clouds.
"...You're awake," he murmurs, voice quiet and smooth, but the tension behind it betrays his calm.
You nod, barely. Your teeth are chattering too hard to form a proper sentence. It’s hard to even breathe, let alone explain the panic rising in your chest.
In seconds, he’s upright, a hand reaching out to steady your shaking shoulder. His touch is cool, grounding—not demanding or overwhelming, just there. Present. A gentle anchor.
“Shh... I’m here. Stay with me,” he says softly, his halo flickering with subtle pulses. “Try not to push it away. Just... breathe. As slowly as you can manage.”
You attempt to mimic his breathing. Inhale. Exhale. But it catches, and tears sting your eyes as your throat closes again.
“I know,” Sunday whispers, his wings gently unfurling as he slides behind you on the bed, wrapping one around your back like a soft, living blanket. “It feels like you’re drowning. Like your body’s forgetting how to be your own. But you are here. You are safe.”
You lean back against his chest, his heartbeat a steady rhythm behind your shoulder blades. He begins to hum—low, melodic, like a lullaby sung through centuries. It doesn't erase the panic, but it cuts through it. Anchors you, again.
His hand slips into yours, thumb stroking across your knuckles. “You don’t have to hide this from me,” he says, quieter now. “Even if it breaks the peace of night, even if it shatters the illusion of serenity I’ve clung to—I would rather see you like this than never see you at all.”
Eventually, the trembling subsides. The nausea fades. The heartbeat in your chest slows to something more manageable. Sunday’s wing remains around you, steady and soft.
“I used to think dreams were the only place safe from pain,” he murmurs into your hair. “But even nightmares can be shared. And that... makes them gentler.”
You drift back to sleep like that, wrapped in warmth and quiet understanding.
You don’t know what wakes you first—the nausea, the clammy cold, or the sense that your own body is turning against you.
Your eyes fly open and you gasp, sitting upright too fast. The room tilts violently. Your hands won’t stop shaking. A buzzing fills your ears. Like panic and vertigo had a baby and cranked the volume to max.
You barely register the sound of the door opening until a low voice breaks through the chaos.
“Well, well. You’re either trying to win an Oscar for Most Dramatic Midnight Wake-Up, or something’s wrong.”
Aventurine steps into the room, shirt only half-buttoned, rose-tinted glasses pushed up on his head. The usual smirk fades the moment he sees your state—your hunched posture, your wide eyes, the way you're clutching the blanket like a lifeline.
He moves faster than you expect.
“Okay. Hey. Hey—look at me,” he says, dropping to one knee in front of you. He cups your face with a gentleness that borders on reverence, despite his casual tone. His hands are warm, gold rings cool against your fevered skin.
“You’re shaking like a bad investment, sweetheart. Talk to me. Panic attack? Apnea? You gotta give me a clue here.”
“I—I can’t—breathe,” you stammer, chest rising in shallow bursts. “Everything’s... spinning. Heart’s... too fast—”
“Okay. Noted. Not ideal, but fixable,” he says, already kicking into action. He shrugs off his overcoat and wraps it around your shoulders like armor. “Lean into me. Focus on the sound of my voice. Count if you have to. Or pretend I’m saying something charming—it’s not hard, really.”
You try to smile, but the tremor won’t leave your lips. Aventurine notices. His expression softens.
He slides up beside you on the bed, looping an arm around your back and pressing your forehead to his shoulder.
“Let me guess—you woke up like this, no warning? Body’s staging a coup?”
You nod faintly. He exhales, eyes narrowing. Not with annoyance—never at you. But at whatever did this to you.
“I hate this. I hate seeing you like this. Not because it’s messy. Not because it’s ugly. But because I can’t gamble my way out of it. No dice roll, no strategy, just... waiting it out.”
You shiver violently, and he tightens his hold, murmuring into your hair.
“But here’s the thing. I’ll wait. As long as it takes. You can shake, you can cry, you can throw up on my fancy blazer if you need to—I’ve got more. I’ve got you.”
Minutes pass.
The storm in your chest begins to subside, slowly replaced by exhaustion and the heavy lull of safety. You slump against him, drained.
Aventurine kisses your temple, lingering. “There we go. That’s my favorite sound—when your breathing finally slows.”
You mumble a weak apology. He snorts.
“Apologize again and I’ll fake a heart attack just to make it even,” he teases. “Next time this happens, wake me. I don’t care if it’s 3am or if I’m giving a speech to the IPC Board.”
He tilts your chin gently.
“You’re not a burden. You’re the only bet I’d stake everything on.”
If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack you will understand the impact they can have your day-to-day life. We already discussed the causes of panic attacks, but how can you deal with panic attacks when you’re having one and what can you expect from treatment? A panic attack can be really scary, especially if you […]
The post How to deal with panic attacks? appeared first on Harriet Sugarcookie.
I found a post on tumblr that said that there were different types of panic attacks, like crying. I think i had one tonight but when i have panic attacks its not like bad to where i know im having one. But i have a new bf but saw a pic of my ex and idk, when i saw it, i felt my stomach sink, but i dont like him anymore and i love my boyfriend so i started panicking out of guilt and crying and my chest hurt. Maybe you can describe different types of panic attacks too cuz im also kinda interested.
Hey there lovebug,
I’m sorry that you had a panic attack, dear, they’re scary and not at all pleasant. I’m so proud of you for reaching out to us, though, and for looking to learn more about them!
It is definitely possible to have a panic attack without actually realizing what it is, especially if you didn’t know much about them at the time that you were experiencing it. For the first three years that I experienced panic attacks I had no clue that that’s what they were: I thought they were always hyperventilating, crying, sweating, and just generally looking extremely distressed, because those are the ones you hear about and/or see.
In reality, though, panic, like any emotion, is experienced differently by each person. Some people get ones like I described above, some people feel their heart racing and their extremities go numb, others start doing a repetitive behaviour to try and calm themselves down or feel like they’re going to die, some just burst into tears. What remains constant is the emotions behind it: intense fear that peaks after a few minutes and usually lasts somewhere between 20 minutes and an hour.
The symptoms of a panic attack are any combination of the following symptoms (plus many other possible ones):
Fear of dying.
Palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate.
Sweating.
Trembling or shaking.
Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering.
Feelings of choking.
Chest pain or discomfort.
Nausea or abdominal distress.
Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded or faint.
Chills or hot flushes.
Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations).
Derealisation (feelings of unreality) or depersonalisation (being detached from oneself).
Fear of losing control or going crazy.
To me, what you felt sounds exactly like a panic attack. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have anxiety, most people experience at least a couple panic attacks in their lifetime. While I know they’re uncomfortable, love, I promise that they do pass and that, no matter how scary they are, they can’t hurt you. One of the best things to do when you’re having a panic attack is breathing exercises. There’s plenty of them, so you just have to pick which one suits you best, but my personal favourite is to breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, then exhale for four seconds. This helps slow your heart down and thereby essentially reset your nervous system, helping to calm you down. You can also try various grounding techniques, such as gradual relaxation (starting from the top of your head, try to relax every part of your body one at a time, moving down to your toes). We have a whole page of calming techniques here that I really think you might benefit from looking at.
I promise that you have no reason to feel guilty for feeling your stomach sink when you saw the picture of your ex. Whether or not things ended well, there were still some extremely intense emotions during and after any relationship, and there are a lot of personal moments shared in them. It’s perfectly normal for reminders of exes to bring up complex emotions despite you being happy in your current relationship: we’re only human, and we all grieve things that made us happy in the past, even if they’ve been replaced by something better. You don’t need to feel bad about simply feeling, I promise.
While, as I said before, almost everyone experiences some type of panic attack at some point, they are still extremely unpleasant and difficult to deal with. If you have someone you can talk to about them or who might be able to help you if you ever have one again, such as your boyfriend, a friend, a parent, a school counselor, etc. then it can definitely make a big difference. You have many people who love and care for you, and you don’t have to deal with this experience alone. All of us here at MHA are, of course, always here for you, but it’s nice to have someone close to you who you can go to and can help you in the moment. We have a page on getting help here that you can take a look at if you like, as well as a list of web counselors that may be helpful.
I hope that cleared things up a bit, sweetheart. If there’s anything more we can do for you, please never hesitate to send us an ask, hop on live chat, or join a venting group. We all care about you so much, and we are here for whatever you need.
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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects an estimated eight million adults annually in the United States. It's a serious condition that can cause intense fear and strong emotional responses to specific triggers. PTSD typically affects people after they experience a terrifying or dangerous event.
For example, many combat veterans develop PTSD after coming home from duty. People can also get PTSD after going through traumatic events like car accidents, shootings, etc. Even those who know someone close who's experienced something traumatic can exhibit PTSD symptoms.
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