A/N: Prompt for this one was Edd helping Eddy through his first panic attack, though I ended up doing Eddy's first Eds-witnessed panic attack instead.

.

There's this thing that happens sometimes now. Eddy can't explain it and doesn't want it explained to him. He's had his share of unpleasant realizations about his life as it is. He's also had his share of things actually going pretty well pretty often lately; he'd rather have more of that. More good things, more things going well. He doesn't want to hear about something else that's wrong with him.

He's been pretty lucky, as far as that goes. So far, the whatever has only happened while he's alone and he can deal with it himself. That's why he doesn't understand at first why Ed and Double Dee are looking at him with confusion and fear. He doesn't know why it's happening now– later, Double Dee will help him figure it out. Right now, he doesn't really care why it's happening, he just that the others are seeing it happen.

"I'm okay," he gasps, grabbing at his pillow. If this has to happen, he's glad it's in his room. "I just n-need to–"

"Eddy, what are you doing?" Double Dee squeaks like the same thing is happening to him as Eddy presses the pillow over his face.

"It's okay," Eddy mutters around it, between breaths. "This helps, it helps–"

There's extra pressure against his face, suddenly. Ed, trying to help, is pressing the pillow more firmly against him. Eddy can hear Double Dee freaking out and he sort of wants to freak out too. He'd found out before, alone, that the pillow keeps him from breathing in too much without suffocating him. It's not suffocating him now, but it feels like being suffocated with someone else's hands pressing against him. Especially with his eyes hidden, when the person on the other side could be anyone–

"Enough!" Double Dee wrestles the pillow out of both their clutches and throws it away over his shoulder. "Eddy, you can't just– just– You need to breathe."

He is breathing, he's just doing it too hard and too fast. How can Double Dee not understand that? Eddy opens his mouth to explain but his usual defense mechanism lying slumped against the wall, in sight but out of reach, makes him stutter and choke.

"Eddy," Double Dee take him by the shoulders and blocks the view with his own concerned face. Ed hovers at his side, whimpering. "Listen, I'm going to count. You need to breathe in through your nose, then hold, then breathe out through your mouth. Follow my lead. We're here, Eddy. You're going to be okay. I'm going to start counting now, follow me."

Double Dee counts, shaking just a little, and he breathes along with the count like he needs it just as much. That, more than anything, helps Eddy to follow along with the instructions. Ed joins in after a few repeats, too, loud and exaggerated as he clings to Eddy's arm. They all sit there huddled on Eddy's bed, breathing together, and Eddy thinks maybe he could use some explanations after all.