Illogicshipping (Ishizu Ishtar/Kaiba Seto/Kawai Shizuka)
. . .
Shizuka wasn't sure what made her look up from her laptop, but she had a sudden niggling sense that something was wrong.
She glanced up into the small coffee shop, squinting before she realized that she needed to take her glasses off if she was going to see everything in full. The light was just starting to fade into the soft oranges of an approaching sunset, caramelizing the inside of the shop to warm browns and beiges. There weren't too many people here at this time of day, only herself with her books and notes spread out around her (she had been studying for her upcoming exams for the past few hours and hadn't checked the time) a few couples, a group of teens giggling to each other over something on their phone as they all squished into a corner booth, and the barista, wiping down the counter with a faraway, daydreaming look in their eye that hinted of their shift being almost over.
Shizuka glanced around once more. She was missing something, she thought. Something had made her look up, but...
Her eyes flickered over to one couple in the corner and she sucked in a breath. She didn't know the young man in the hoodie with his head bent over the table and his head in his hands, but she did recognize the dark skin and sweep of raven hair of Ishizu Ishtar as she leaned over the table to him, gripping his shoulders and mumbling something with her eyes scrunched up with worry. Was he okay? What was wrong?
Shizuka pushed out of her table and left her things as they were, hurrying over. Ishizu started at the sound of her sneakers coming up to the table and looked up, nerves straining her face.
"Shizuka-chan?" Ishizu said.
"What's wrong?" Shizuka said. "Is he okay?"
She was fascinated, in a distant sort of way, how calm her voice sounded, how professional and steady she felt. Ishizu bit her lip, shaking her head.
"I...I think he's having a panic attack, and I'm not sure what to do..."
"Okay, just give him a little space, all right?"
Ishizu looked so scared, like she was going to have a panic attack too, but she nodded, and released his shoulders, slipping back against her own seat. Shizuka carefully eased herself into the seat beside him. She tilted her head down so that she could try to look under the young man's hood. She was only half surprised to find that it was none other than Kaiba Seto that was leaning over the table and looking like he was going to puke.
"Kaiba-san?" she whispered. "Hello, Kaiba-san. Can you tell me what's wrong? What are you feeling?"
Kaiba's eyes flickered over to her and his strained, pale face twisted into almost a scowl.
"Oh, fuck," he muttered, but he then he squeezed his eyes shut and one of his hands fumbled down to clutch at his abdomen.
"Kaiba-san, I'm only here to help. Have you had panic attacks before, or do you want me to call the hospital?"
Kaiba groaned, his eyes still screwed shut.
"It's just a fucking panic," he muttered. "All the fucking time...don't call the fucking hospital. I can't—not in public."
Shizuka nodded, realizing that Kaiba Seto having a panic attack in public probably wasn't going to look good for his company, and that was probably complicating the attack further. She glanced across at Ishizu, who was wringing her hands over the table and biting her lip. She shook her head.
"I've had attacks before, but I'm not sure...how to help," she muttered.
Shizuka nodded. She reached across the table to put a hand on top of Ishizu's, and then put her other hand very tentatively on Seto's shoulder, gently so that if he wanted to move away she could release him immediately. He did not move from the touch, however, and just groaned again. Shizuka counted her own breaths in her head, drawing in soft, measured inhales and exhales. If both of them were prone to panic attacks then she was going to have to be extra careful not to trigger Ishizu into one as well; she had to try and calm them both down.
"Kaiba-san, can you please breathe with me? Just in and out, slowly."
"And what the fuck do you think you know, goddamn..."
Shizuka didn't react to the jibe.
"I'm a pre-med student, Kaiba-san, and I'd like to help if you want it. Do you want us to take you someplace else?"
Something in Kaiba's demeanor changed, as though something were crumpling up inside. His scowl disappeared and instead, he just looked like what he was—a young man who was scared, not knowing what his body was doing or why. It was like the stubbornness finally gave up and crumpled.
"No," he mumbled. "Just...I need to calm down now."
"Okay," Shizuka said. "Then can you breathe with me, please? I'll count, okay. Ishizu-san, would you breathe with me, too? It sounds as though you might be hyperventilating."
Ishizu nodded faintly, and her hand curled into Shizuka's. Shizuka gripped her hand back, hoping that it would be enough to help her calm down as well. She started to count softly, a whisper of in, one, two, three, out, one, two, three, four, in, one, two...
Shizuka wasn't sure how long she was counting, but finally she could feel Kaiba's shoulders rising and falling more steadily, and she could hear Ishizu's breaths relaxing.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, the question directed at both of them.
Kaiba only grunted softly, but there was some more color to his face, and he wasn't shaking as badly. Ishizu blew out.
"Thank you," she said to Shizuka, her voice barely over a whisper. "Thank you."
Shizuka nodded. Her own heart rate was suddenly faster, but she felt somehow relaxed, as though she had just completed a very satisfying marathon. She did not yet release Kaiba's shoulder or Ishizu's hand. She would stay right here for as long as she was needed.
. . .
A/N: I just like the idea of Shizuka being a good doctor okay. Next is Identityshipping (Ryo x Rishid).
