Fandom: R5
Person: Ross Lynch
Warnings: N/A
Words: 1,568
Requested by: @kylarv, based on prompts!
The air around you was dark, a distant streetlight the only indication of where you were in your journey. Cars passed by you, the swooshing making you even more anxious. Every second longer that your car sat there and wouldn’t start made you feel like this was it, this was the end, especially once your chest started feeling tight and you were having trouble breathing.
You were on your way home from Ross’s house at midnight after hanging out all day. On the rare occasions you got to see him, you tried to stay as long as possible. But, like most things, the day had come to an end and you couldn’t stay forever. The ride home would take about an hour and Ross always expected you to text him when you pulled into your driveway. He loved you and always worried about your safety, especially since it was so late.
Given your current situation, that text wouldn’t come on time. You were stranded, how could it? You’d heard a weird noise, you pulled off to the side of the road, and even though you knew nothing about cars, you knew it was a very bad sign that it wouldn’t start back up a few minutes later. You wanted to let your boyfriend know that something was wrong, truthfully, because you were panicking. But because you were panicking, you were finding it hard to text him, and you damn sure couldn’t call him without being a sobbing mess.
So you sat a few minutes and tried to calm yourself, an almost impossible task. The middle of nowhere was a scary place to be trapped. The middle of nowhere being a stretch of freeway between towns. Not completely out of the way, but not anywhere you could walk some place safe for a bit, and you weren’t about to hitch-hike. Thoughts of what you should – could – do swirled rapidly through your mind, so quickly that you couldn’t settle on one, a new thought forming before another one could finish. It seemed like forever far away that your phone started ringing, after sitting forever in one spot.
This broke through your thoughts slowly before you realized that you needed to answer it. With the screen already lit up, you swiped to answer and brought the phone to your ear.
“(Y/N)? Are you okay? Why haven’t you texted me yet?” Ross’s voice emitted from the speaker, calming you subtly, at least enough to focus and speak, albeit shakily.
“I- I’m stuck, Ross. My car- It made- and I pulled off- and it won’t- I’m stuck!” you spoke into your phone, starting at a whisper, but your voice gaining speed and intensity as you went along until you were in a near-panic once again.
“Where are you? Are you okay?” he asked, not quite gathering everything that you said, just knowing that you definitely needed him to come help you.
You told him where you were, swallowing breaths and sobs as you looked around. Nothing had happened like this to you before, but then again, even if it had, you weren’t sure it would help you. Your reaction would be the same.
It took a few moments for Ross to respond, but you could hear his breath on the line, so you knew he was still there.
“Stay there. I’m coming to get you,” he murmured as soothingly as he could into the phone before telling you he loves you and hanging up. All that was left for you to do was wait. You knew he’d be there to you as soon as he could, but a mix of traffic and distance made you unsure of how long that would be.
With hands gripping the steering wheel, knuckles white and burning, you sat, waiting for your boyfriend’s car. You couldn’t even pay attention to the time, so you had no clue how long you were seated like that before noticing headlights behind you and somebody walking up and knocking on your door.
A glance to the window showed you Ross, and you broke the tiniest sob as you reached to open the door. This was terrifying, no doubt, but it was going to get a lot better with Ross there with you.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, I’m here,” he murmured, helping pull the door open and then grabbing your hand to help you out of the car. He could see how shaken you were and began to pull you into a hug until another car came speeding dangerously by. After grabbing your stuff for you, he made sure the door was locked and walked you to his car, opening the door and letting you in. As soon as the door was closed behind you, another shaky sob left your lips.
Ross frowned as he climbed into the driver’s seat. He knew you had an anxiety disorder and he hated seeing you this shaken up, but he knew one thing that always seemed to help you at least a little bit. With a reassuring smile, he reached for something in the console between you, a to-go coffee cup. He’d obviously stopped at Starbucks on his way to you.
“Here, drink this. You’ll feel better,” Ross murmured as he held the cup out for you, waiting for you to take it. Your hand grasped at the cup, warmth immediately upon your skin, and you raised it to take a sip. Hot green tea, lightly sweetened, just the way you always drank it when your anxiety was doing some weird, funky thing, which happened fairly frequently, to be honest.
You’d originally tried green tea to help with your anxiety after reading that the warmth of holding and consuming hot tea mimicked the feeling of a hug, allowing your body to relax. It was amazing how true that was, and how it calmed you down bit by bit. No, it didn’t make you feel completely back to normal, but at least there was something right in front of you to focus on, which was nice when you couldn’t get a hug, like when you were alone or were in a car with somebody else.
Without waiting for a response, allowing you some time to collect your thoughts and drink your tea, Ross pulled back onto the road, looking for a place to turn around. He hadn’t even asked you if you were still wanting to go home, he just assumed that you’d want to go back to his place so you wouldn’t be alone, and his assumption was correct.
A few more sips, some silence, and you were starting to feel better. The first noticeable sign was that your breathing returned to normal, and you felt your lips begin to tug into a smile as you looked over at Ross, your hero, focused on driving but still worried about you. That much was etched onto his face.
Gently, as if you were still afraid you’d shatter, but mostly out of weakness, you began to speak. “Hey, Ross, thanks. For the tea and for coming to get me.”
You could see Ross’s eyes turn to you as his lips lifted into the beginnings of a smile, too, before he said, “No problem, I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”
“Just a bit, thanks to my loving and amazing boyfriend,” you responded, lifting up the cup of hot tea as if to showcase the amazing things that Ross does for you. Truthfully, it was so much more than that. You knew it and Ross knew it, but nothing more needed to be said, not until you both arrived back at Ross’s place.
The car parked now, Ross helped you out of your seat and into the house. He was always sweet, but even more so when you were feeling bad. The effects of this panic attack would last for a while, it was draining and exhausting, and he knew that. The two of you walked, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, up to his room, separating only to safely lay down on his bed.
As soon as you were both sat down, you pulled yourself to Ross’s body, he wrapped his arms around you to hold you tight, and you laid your head against his chest. Nobody had even bothered to turn the light on. However, in a moment of thinking, Ross reached for your phone, placed on the bedside table on your way to lay down, and sent a quick text to your mom, telling her not to worry about you because you’d be staying the night. He didn’t give any more specifics, that could happen later, but he felt that it was important to let her know.
Not much more needed to be said, aside from Ross whispering soft, sweet things to you every so often. Not much more could be said, either, for you were exhausted and being in Ross’s arms was the comfort you needed to be able to drift off to sleep. You knew that he’d be there when you woke up, you knew that he’d be there for a long time, and you loved it. Just like you loved him.
The night had proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the feeling was mutual. You’d do anything for Ross, and he’d do anything for you. Despite the way the night turned out, you fell asleep with a smile on your face.
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