Disclaimer ~ I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Skull felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest. He couldn't breath properly and the world was spinning around him. He tried to ground himself. To tell himself that this was just his brain tricking him. Skull wasn't a nuisance and he didn't have any reason to be thinking like this. But his brain wouldn't listen.

"You're weak," it hissed at him. "A failure. A liability. The only reason the others keep you around is out of pity."

"No! They're my friends!" Skull shouted back at that traitorous voice. He received a mocking laugh in return.

"Friends? You're even dumber than I thought! They aren't your friends. As soon as they get tired of dealing with you, you're gone. If you're lucky, maybe they'll just leave you discarded on the side of the road somewhere. If not…well I imagine the hitman could be persuaded to waste a bullet in order to get rid of you," the voice taunted.

The Skull felt Oodako climb off his lap, leaving him alone. She returned barely a minute later, but the damage had been done. Skull had retreated further into his head. The voice had used Oodako leaving to prove a point. Not even Skull's longest companion wanted to be with him. Why would any of the others be any different? Skull was drowning in his own negativity.

Then a hand was on his shoulder and Skull looked into worried black eyes. Reborn's eyes. Reborn was here. He was here and he was telling Skull that he needed to breathe.

Skull's panic spiked when he was unable to copy Reborn's exaggerated breathing, but Reborn simply reassured Skull that everything was fine and asked him to try again. It took several minutes but eventually Skull had control over his breathing again. It was still slightly shaky at times, but Skull had calmed down enough that he didn't need Reborn to coach him through breathing properly.

Skull expected Reborn to leave him now that Skull was thinking clearly again. To tell the others how pathetic Skull was and that they were better off without him. But Reborn did the opposite. He sat down right beside Skull, uncaring of the filth from the alleyway now on his clothes. It came as a surprise to Skull when Reborn pulled Skull to his side, his arm wrapping around Skull's shoulders. The warmth from the hitman was comforting. Skull hesitantly leaned against Reborn, half expecting the other to pull away, and rested his head on the other's shoulder. Skull's eyes started to slip shut as he basked in the feeling of safety Reborn was giving off.

"You did great Skull," Reborn said, breaking the silence between them. "I won't tell anyone about it unless you want me to, but having a panic attack isn't something to be ashamed of. I used to have them a lot when I was a child," Reborn shared. At first, Skull couldn't believe his ears. Hearing Reborn of all people admit to having panic attacks before, of being weak before, made Skull's view of the man change. Reborn had helped him when he didn't need to. He shared personal information about himself because he thought it would make Skull feel better.

Skull knew that he could depend on Reborn, even when he was at his worst. They may get on each other's nerves constantly, but Reborn wouldn't judge Skull for having problems like every other human. Reborn would simply be there to support Skull until he could support himself again.

Yahoo! I got this posted! I only have this chapter finished for the Seeking Comfort miniseries, but I'll be working more on it soon. Most of the chapters I have finished but still need to type are from the Proof Of An Immortal series. I think I'm like five chapters away from having rewritten all of the chapters from the original. After I finish that, I'll be coming back to this one and working on it more.

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! I'll see you all soon for the next update! Please Follow, Favorite, and Review!