AU in which 10K has meltdowns, and not like bratty stuff. Full-on meltdowns where 10K feels overwhelmed. More commonly, Sensory Overloads.

So, I just want to mention that 10K's 'Moments,' as the group calls them, are Sensory Overloads. I commonly have them, and they are somewhat based off my own Sensory Overloads. I become antsy, Aggressive, and cannot think straight. Things get way too bright and too loud and I get so angry that I can even punch people. I've punched my father several times as he tried to calm me down. And he's a Retired Marine.

In no way does 10K have Autism. He has problems with Sensory Overload, but not Autism.

The reason that Vasquez holds and squeezes 10K to provide pressure is that once you go into Sensory Overload, you can stimulate your nervous system by holding and providing some sort of soothing sensory input. I don't know the science behind it, but it works. At least for me. For some people, they just need to sit down on their own and be alone. For 10K, that doesn't work. He works himself up even more.

10K was curled up in the back of the truck one day, his head pressed against Addy's side. The gentle rocking of the truck was settling him down, but he still hadn't said a single word since falling silent from his angry screaming fit. Addy didn't mind the silence, however, and hand one arm wrapped around 10K's upper body, gently bracing him and giving him a gentle squeeze every so often. Even though he'd never admit it, 10K enjoyed the sensory input that came from the squeezes.

10K had… Moments. The team had decided to call it that after 10K's second 'Moment,' which had occurred only a few days after 10K had joined up. Murphy had been talking and talking and talking and 10K had become more and more agitated as time went on. Finally, about ten minutes into Murphy's tirade, 10K had reared up and punched Murphy in the face. As amazing as it was, the team had been surprised and, honestly, majorly confused. Their confusion had been forced to wait, however, as 10K had shut down immediately. It was two full days before they could get even a single word or grunt out of the teenager.

The first time Vasquez had experienced a 'Moment' was one of epic proportions, though. It had absolutely nothing on this one. But Vasquez had quickly found the cause, and wrapped the boy in a huge hug. He squeezed hard for a few minutes as the boy kicked, fought, punched, and even tried to bite. But with his face pressed into Vasquez's Kevlar vest, it had been for naught. Within five minutes, the boy had calmed down enough to stop fighting and simply wrapped his arms around Vasquez, holding on for dear life.

They had no idea why or how, but Vasquez had a pretty good handle on what could cause some of 10K's 'Moments' and how to deal with them. While 10K slept or calmed down from a 'Moment,' he would explain that they were essentially Sensory Overloads, and could be calmed sometimes with deep, constant pressure and soft sensory inputs that were welcomed. For 10K, that included deep pressure like hugs, and people touching or playing with his hair. Sometimes even a light touch or soft singing could bring 10K back. But at the same time, the things that could help could make 10K's 'Moment' worse than when it had started.

This time, they had no idea what had triggered 10K. Addy and Warren were normally the ones who could first pick up the signs of one of 10K's moments. It could have been the noise of the Army Base at RoZwell or the strange elevator down to the base, as Addy had first noticed possible signs at that moment. It was the tremor of 10K's hands, though the boy always shot perfectly no matter what was occurring, and the troubled expression on 10K's face. There was always a deep-seated look of agitation in 10K's eyes whenever something began to bug him.

Or it was Murphy again, who thought 10K's 'Moments' were a big game.

Addy wrapped her arm a little tighter around her surrogate brother before using her other hand to gently stroke through his hair. They got a shower in before they left from RoZwell, though it had been Doc and Vasquez practically shoving the teen in and showering him themselves as he stood, semi-catatonic.

Addy continued her soothing motions and occasionally would scratch his scalp to add a little bit more sensory input. He gently shifted and pushed himself up on his hands before he laid his head in her lap, face turned toward her abdomen. Addy grinned and looked up at Warren, who nodded slowly.

She gently scratched at his scalp and readjusted her grip on him, moving so that his head was cushioned by her forearm. That hand took over the gentle scratching and smoothing of 10K's hair, and the other moved so that it was wrapped around 10K's torso and abdomen. She couldn't give him gentle squeezes as often now, or as tightly, but 10K was slowly coming back now.

"How's he doing?" Vasquez asked, tipping his head back to the pair.

"He's coming back," Addy said and punctuated her comment with a gentle, yet slightly painful scratch to 10K's scalp. It was in just the right spot and the boy let out a small, grateful groan.

Vasquez nodded and bit back his grin.

There was more silence for almost an hour. Then, 10K let out a tiny sigh and turned his head up to look at Addy.

"We heard the same noise right before Pa was bit. The plane. I had to give him Mercy, Addy," he whispered, though it would only reach her ears. 10K tipped his head further into her lap, sounding like he were about to cry. Then he shivered and it passed through his whole body.

"Murphy, give up that blanket," Warren commanded as soon as she'd seen the shiver. They always kept a close eye on 10K after he shut down, especially this deeply.

Murphy, remembering how 10K had really suckerpunched him and knocked his ass out a year ago, passed over the blanket without a single peep. Warren took it and wrapped it around 10K as best she could before resettling herself in the passenger seat. Vasquez gave her a nod from the driver's seat.

"Your Pa is settled now, 10K," Addy said soothingly. She was talking just low enough that the conversation could be kept between them. "Can I ask you something?"

10K glanced up at her and gave her a half-shrug, letting her know that he really didn't care either way.

"Did your 'Moments' start when your Pa needed Mercy?"

10K shook his head and tugged the blanket over his head and face, blocking out any light but allowing a small amount of sound, though it would be muffled.

"When I was young," he mumbled. "Car accident. Things got too loud, too bright. Gets too much. Pa used to hold me while I screamed and fought."

Addy nodded and gently stroked down his back now that she couldn't reach his hair. She waited to see if he would continue and was a little surprised when he continued.

"Can't handle things. Get too loud, too annoying, too grating. That's why I punched Murphy. Kept talking and talking and talking and it got so loud."

Warren reached back, having heard just the last part, and gently placed her hand on his ankle. It all made sense to her. She understood it. Maybe they would be able to adjust and help 10K through these. She gave his ankle a gentle squeeze, and 10K turned his head towards her, eyes a bit wide as he pulled the blanket from his face. She smiled and nodded. In return, he caught her eyes before he turned back and wrapped the blanket around his head, but didn't cover his face. That was a start.

-.-.-

As things began to get crazier, Warren found herself comforting 10K more and more as his 'Moments' increased. One time in particular was perhaps the worst 'Moment' 10K would ever had.

No one in the group had enjoyed the corporate retreat people in the hotel. But for 10K, the man had gotten too close, too loud while too close to 10K. Warren had only been able to watch as 10K's back stiffened and his hand closed into a fist. Then he reared back and punched the man on reflex, then dropped to his knees. 10K had then sat down and curled into a ball with his head pushed into his knees and arms covering everything, trying to calm himself as the members of the aborted retreat had started yelling.

The man, Gideon Gould, jerked back and touched his face, but remained calm. He turned to Warren and Addy as Vasquez himself pulled 10K out of his ball and to lean against the elder's chest. 10K threw his arm out to try and swat Vasquez away, but the man gently caught 10K's arm and held it in place. He gave it a squeeze and, while he knew that 10K would fight even more, it was required by the man in order to get 10K out of his little ball.

10K kicked his feet and swing his other arm out wildly as the people in the room watched. Vasquez wrapped his arms around 10K's middle before he used his legs to catch 10K in a hold, securing his legs so that the boy couldn't kick out anymore. The boy let out an angry, anguished scream before he threw his head back in a last resort. With his arms pinned against his chest and his legs pinned to the ground, he could only scream and try and hit Vasquez with the back of his head.

But as soon as the warmth of the hold began to seep in and the tightness of it began to affect his nervous system, 10K simply let out a whine and tried to wiggle and get away from the hold.

"10K, calm down," Vasquez said. He glanced up to Warren as he pressed his cheek against the side of 10K's head, effectively pinning the boy's head with the promise of more pressure.

Warren nodded, knowing that they needed to do a bit of damage control. She turned to Gideon as Doc knelt next to Vasquez and 10K, helping to take over the securing, so that 10K wouldn't kick.

"You got in his face. Were you expecting something other than a punch?" she asked, giving the an 'Are you an idiot' expression that she was well-known for. Gideon held his cheek, however, and tried to find a good response. Eventually, he simply nodded and bit his lip.

"I apologize. Will he be alright?"

"He needs quiet. Quiet, and no one to bother him. Please, let us be to take care of our guy."

Within minutes, Gideon had cleared the room and gotten every single one of his men into the kitchen, where they wouldn't bother Operation Bitemark.

Warren knelt next to the boy and shooed the others away. Two people were the most that they could have around 10K during a 'Moment' before he became overwhelmed. While Addy was great with dealing with one of 10K's 'Moments' after they'd passed and he was coming back to himself, it was Vasquez and Warren who were able to provide the most comfort and bring him into himself enough to calm down.

"10K, I need you to look at me," Warren said, taking his hands as Vasquez re-secured the boy's legs. He hadn't kicked, but 10K was known for kicking out and fighting again when things began to get too much. It was possible, with the way that they had to calm to boy.

10K let out a bit of a keening whine, his eyes snapping open and looking towards Warren. She squeezed both hands, which made his eyes slam shut and his nails to try to dig into her hands. But she quickly made a noise of complete disapproval, which brought 10K to look at her again.

"No, 10K. Don't try to scratch me. We have to calm you down. Take a breath," she said. 10K hadn't been breathing evenly, often taking in a deep breath and holding it, or letting one out and waiting a while to take another.

10K tossed his head back and tried to throw his way out of Vasquez's hold, no longer enjoying the comfort of any pressure. But Vasquez just held the boy tightly, not willing to let him go.

"10K, calm down, kid," Vasquez said. He kept his voice low, trying to keep the boy from thoroughly freaking out if it got too loud. "You need to stay still. Just relax. I'm not going to let you go until you've calmed down."

10K threw his feet up against Vasquez's hold before he threw them back down in frustration. Warren knew that that had to hurt, but the boy had his boots on. It would have only been jarring at this point.

Warren squeezed his hands and felt him try and scratch her again, but the simple movement suddenly stopped and he fell against Vasquez's chest, his own heaving heavily.

"It's alright, 10K. Just breathe now."

They sat with 10K for close to an hour, Vasquez slowly relaxing his grip on the boy. Eventually, he turned 10K around in his arms and the boy buried his head in his neck, breathing shakily.

Vasquez just held the teen, remembering when he'd do this for the family down the street. They had a kid who had severe autism and would often kick and bite and have severe sensory overloads. Instead of calling the police, like many Autism families were forced to, they would call Vasquez. He would happily come down and hold the boy, as both his mothers weren't strong enough to do it properly. Sometimes it would take hours. Sometimes he would sit there with the boy for ten or twenty minutes before he was calmed again, and then he would sit and play with the young man, even though he didn't understand the world the young man was in.

The boy and his mothers had been one of the first to go after the apocalypse struck.

Warren left the two alone a while later, even though the young man began to fight and fall into another overload just minutes later. Everything was just too loud, too bright, and too close for 10K here.

And then the gunshots had began and things had really fallen to shit.

-.-.-

They had refused to let 10K go with the CDC members, not after the surgeon stitched him up and gave him the CDC seal of approval. They were just resting after the fight with the Zeros when 10K began to have one of his Moments. He threw out one hand, intending on hitting someone, only to have it caught by Warren. She clasped it tight and knelt next to his head. She looked at Vasquez, who took the other hand and held it. They couldn't let the boy throw himself around too much, not with him stitched up and finally resting after the Surgeon gave them a large stock of pain medication.

"10K. Hey, 10K. Calm down, 10K," she commanded. "You're safe. I know you hurt, we're trying to hook up an IV that we found and get you some pain meds. Stay still."

He let out a whine and his legs kicked out. The pain was beginning to take over 10K's brain and they hadn't seen a pained 10K like this before. Doc looked up at Vasquez, looked back at Doc.

"Help me lift him. He can lay against me. We can secure him that way," Vasquez commanded. Doc put the IV down before he grabbed Hector, who still hung by the door. With Warren and Addy's help, the sat 10K up and Vasquez slid under him. Carefully, Vasquez wrapped his arms around 10K's chest, pinning his arms high against his chest. He held the boy's wrists tightly, having learned the hard way that lately, 10K would do anything to claw at people if he had the chance while having a 'Moment.' Addy still had a couple of bad scratches on her arm.

10K let out a cry, though it wasn't one of pain. It was one of frustration. Doc carefully inserted the IV into a vein in the back of 10K's hand and set the fluids wide open. He draws up a dose of pain medication before he inserts it into the port, giving the dosage that the surgeon had said. 10K could have it up to 3 times every 4-6 hours, but no more than that. And the extra doses had to be a quarter of the dose 10K had originally had.

10K's eyes fluttered hard, and he fought the sleep that he was being drug to. Eventually, he went slack against Vasquez, the top of his head resting against the elder's chin. Vasquez let his arms go and wrapped his arms around 10K's chest, but kept far from the wound itself. Eventually, he would get up and lay the boy down. But for now, he was perfectly content holding 10K.

Now he just needed to break the news that he wasn't staying with everyone with whatever they wanted to do now that Murphy was gone with the CDC. That itself would frustrate 10K beyond relief. A big part of him didn't want to do it. But another smaller part told him it was the right thing to do.

As Vasquez held the boy who turned out to be one of the most grounding features of his life, he realized that it wasn't just 10K who needed him. The group needed him, and Vasquez needed 10K. He needed the group. He couldn't leave. He'd turn into a simple scrap of himself, without any humanity left.

He wouldn't leave. He couldn't leave with the group being his people. They were his family, and Vasquez wouldn't lose another family.