Disclaimer: Don't own this.

Chapter 14: In which Harry panics

The Prince was reading through files when it happened. Kiki bolted into the room hissing and jumped on the desk. He frowned at the cat getting to his feet and releasing the gun he'd grabbed at the intrusion. Something was off. Kiki was puffed and upset about something. He was moving towards the door before the memory even registered consciously. Kiki is trained for panic attacks.

He bolted into the blue room where his wizardling should be sleeping, but couldn't find the boy. He could feel the anxiety building in himself and tried to push it away. As Harry's anchor he needed to be calm right now. He didn't need to add to the empath's panic. Kiki appeared as he turned to leave the room and darted under the bed. Releasing a breath he knelt down to look.

Sure enough, under the bed was Harry. The boy seemed to be holding his breath, something that concerned him greatly. He pushed the edges of the blankets up out of the way and lay on the ground so he could see.

"Hey, wizardling" his voice steady and low as he could make it. "You alright there?"

Harry didn't respond but he did start breathing, short fast bursts of air. Bright green eyes gleamed at him seeming more vulnerable without the glasses he usually wore. Prince looked away skimming the room before finding the pair on the bedside table.

"I'll be right back little one, I'm going to grab your glasses, okay?" he moved away slowly grabbed the glasses and brought them back. Once again laying on the floor he pushed them out, setting the pair close to Harry. His wizardling flinched back from the hand, and he backed off. "You're alright now. You know me, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm sorry I feel so anxious right now Ree, I'm just worried about you. Okay? There is no danger. Can you hear me?"

Harry watched him, breathing fast and uneven. He made no move to grab the glasses but did seem to be listening.

"You have to tell me what's wrong, little one. I can't help you if I don't know. Kiki came and got me. You know Kiki? That is some cat you have there." As if on cue, the damned cat started purring.

Harry jumped as if startled and looked around wildly. Kiki crawled up beside the boy and settled. After a moment Harry reached out to pet the cat. Pleased at the progress, he waited to see if Harry would collect himself. Instead Harry's breathing remained uneven and green eyes continued to dart around, no longer remaining in eye contact with his own.

"Okay, that's a start. You're okay just relax." He smiled when that caught Ree's attention again. "Just focus on your breathing, can you match mine?" He matched the rapid breaths and began to slow his own breathing, exaggerating the noise of each breath. After a moment it began to work and he found his boy breathing easier. "That's it little one. Just breathe for a moment."

He focused on his own sense of pride and satisfaction in accomplishing this much, hoping those feelings were projecting towards the wizardling. He wasn't sure how well it was working, but Harry did seem to settle a bit.

"Now little one, do you see your glasses? I think you would feel better if you could see. Why don't you try" he suggested. "Just pick them up."

He gently coxed his wizardling into picking up the glasses and in inching his way out from under the bed. It was difficult to resist the urge to just grab and pull Harry out, but he managed. Prince had to back away from the bed before Harry would come the last few inches. He sat with his back against the bookcase facing Harry who was out and pressed firmly against the bed. There was maybe two, three feet between them, and the younger boy was taking every centimeter he could by scrunching himself into a ball. Kiki purred softly in Harry's arms.

"I'm out of things to talk about you know. You want to try talking to me now?" he waited for a response. "I guess not. I'm not angry at you, you know that right? I just want to help." He rolled his shoulders, hating the flinch that simple motion caused and trying to suppress the negative emotions. "Alright, let's try this, how about I read you one of these stories?" He pulled the first book under his fingers, unwilling to turn around and browse the collection. It was one of the romance novels and that made him smile. Taking a slow breath he began to read, his eyes flicking up every now and then to check on Harry who seemed transfixed.

XXXxxx

His voice was hoarse. He ached in a million places and still Harry wasn't talking. He paused between chapters as he noticed the boy's breathing change. Looking up he couldn't stop the smile. Harry had been scotching towards him by millimeters for a while now. His wizardling was curled up asleep a breath away from his foot. One small finger was actually hooked in the leg of his pajama bottoms.

"Oh, little one." He gently laid a hand on the multi colored hair, his smile widening as harry leaned into the touch. "Let's tuck you in." A look at the clock showed he'd been in the room for three hours at least. He was turning into quite the sap. Any other client and you would have spelled them to sleep and left them on the floor. Big bad Malfoy just spent hours cramping on the floor, and for what? He brushed calico hair gently and did not answer that question.

XXXxxx

Dudley pushed the cereal around in his bowl. He was worried about his cousin. Prince had been awake and at the table when Dudley had pulled himself out of bed, and the blond was broody. He'd been asked to find his own breakfast and not wake Harry up. Dudley didn't mind finding his own meal, that was easy enough, but something was wrong with Harry and that worried him. He'd thought things were getting better, Harry had seemed better, but something was off.

He frowned at the soggy mess in his bowl and pushed it away. Benny J needed to wake up so he could talk about this. Dudley was sick of being confined to this flat. He was tired of acting like his cousin was about to break. Harry wasn't well, but he didn't understand why that would make him want to stay inside. That was why they'd gotten Prince in the first place. They were fine. Oh. Now I sound like Harry. The thought aggravated him. It wasn't fine, but this being locked in wasn't fine either.

It had taken him weeks to convince the Prince that the weight room in the complex was a safe place to visit and only then with some compromises. Somehow the blond had rigged surveillance in the room and only allowed them to visit if it wasn't in use. The pool was still being debated. It was obnoxious but it beat the alternative. He had to keep his cousin safe. I owe him that much… With an exaggerated sigh he cleaned out his breakfast dishes and turned to the blond.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong with Harry?"

"No." the answer was simple and matter of fact.

Dudley paused put off by the answer. "You sure?"

"…He had a panic attack, don't know why yet. Leave him be."

"Can I go to the pool then?" Dudley met the assessing gaze and held his ground.

"How about I give you a tattoo instead?" the Prince smirked.

"Really? Cool!" Dudley perked up instantly.

"Let's wait till Benny J get's up. You boys can find a design and I'll see what I can do."

Dudley grinned and bounced. This was going to be awesome.