Fennekin Lv100: nah, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you like this.

That being said, this is a very short chapter, so I'm gonna upload a second one today.


Cassidy remembered how much better she had felt when she spoke to Mike last time. She figured that, maybe, he'd be able to help her again. She'd been waiting a couple hours to ask him- today was one of his and Jeremy's scheduled 'practice sessions'. None of the others ever wanted to interrupt that time. They knew how much it meant to Jeremy.

She knocked on his door and waited, patiently this time, for him to open it. She was much less angry now than she was last time. She was more… well, she didn't know what it was exactly. She'd tried keeping his words in mind, the idea of 'letting go'.

She'd never let go. She would never let Him leave.

She'd never let Him rest.

But… she didn't want to be angry forever. She hated being angry at her friends, and whenever she felt herself starting to get mad at her friends, she just got mad at herself, which made her more mad because-

Well… needless to say, she didn't want to be mad at her friends anymore. She was caught in an endless loop that was threatening to pull her under the surface.

"Come in," he called. She opened his door and peeked her head inside, frowning slightly at the sight. Mike was sitting up on his bed, his legs pulled up beside him. His arm was being lowered, as if he'd been rubbing at something on his face. He smiled at her, but she could see how tired it was. "Hey, Cass. What's up?"

She shook it off, slowly making her way to his bed. She sat on it, trying not to stare at his tired, slightly red eyes. His pupils were the dullest shade of purple she'd ever seen.

She'd probably have to bring that up with Evan, later, when she had the mental capacity to fully comprehend that she'd caught him at a bad time. For now, they just sat there, staring at each other.

"...help."

Mike scooted closer to her, taking her hands in his. They were just as warm as last time.

"What do you need?" he asked her. She shook her head. She still wasn't sure what was wrong with her… but whatever it was, she hoped Mike could recognize it and help. She didn't like it.

"I… I don't know," she admitted. "Something is wrong, but I don't know what it is… I feel like I'm… drowning…"

Mike nodded and squeezed her hands.

"Close your eyes," Mike said, voice soft. Cassidy did as he said, waiting for something to happen. "Now breathe."

She felt her brows furrow, but she wasn't about to question him now. She continued breathing, but the more she thought about her breathing, the more difficult it became.

"I don't think it's working," she told him. She felt him squeeze her hands again.

"Keep your eyes closed," he told her. "In your head, start counting."

"...why?"

"Just… trust me."

The two sat there for a while. Cassidy debated about whether this was a good idea or not. Maybe she'd overestimated him.

Trust me.

…she started counting to ten.

She reached twenty.

She reached fifty.

She felt her breathing even out, felt the weight lessen from her chest. She didn't pay any attention to this, she just continued counting- if she focused on the pressure leaving her, would it come back? She forced the thought away from her mind.

121… 122… 123… 124… 125…

After a while of counting, she felt Mike squeeze her hands and slowly opened her eyes. She tried to stop herself from staring- his eyes were still purple.

"Did that help?"

She nodded.

"A little bit."

Mike's eyes narrowed slightly in thought. After having an internal debate about something, he took a deep breath and slowly released her hands.

"...do you… want a hug?"

Cassidy blinked at him. She took in his awkward look, thought about the way he'd asked the question.

She managed to stop the laughter, but she couldn't fight down her smile.

"...yeah, I'd like a hug."

She scooted closer to him, wrapping her arms around him. When he hugged her back, it felt so warm…

She finally let some giggles escape.

"Your face when you asked was priceless…"

She felt him struggle a little bit to keep laughter in.

"Shut up."

The two started laughing, clearing away the rest of her drowning feeling. She felt lighter than she had in a while.

Well, she knew one thing, now. If breathing deeply while counting didn't help her breathe better, all she had to do was find someone to make her laugh.

And Mike was pretty good at that.

When they pulled out of the hug, Cassidy stood up, taking a deep, clear breath.

"Thanks, Mike," she said. He nodded at her.

"No problem, Cass," he said. "You give surprisingly nice hugs."

"Don't tell anybody," Cassidy told him. "I have a reputation."

He raised a playful eyebrow at her.

"Uh-huh, sure," he said. As Cassidy turned to leave, she couldn't help but notice something.

His eyes… they were still purple. Well, more of an indigo, really…

Yeah… she would definitely talk to Evan about that.