To be given a chance - (BxB)

Chapter five - Night shift

Gently, I close the door and move further into the room. Shoulders bobbing, dark hair covering his face, violent whimpers escaping his lips. He has his knees tucked up and against his chest, arms securely wrapped around his legs with his forehead resting on top of his knees.

I get a little closer, slowly making sure not to startle him. The small tremors of his body make me want to hug him and tell him that everything is alright. He looks so small, so tiny in the corner. He is sobbing now, it seems to sound louder as I approach. His shoulders are shuddering faster than they were five minutes ago. He looks so vulnerable, so scared.

I crouch down in front of him, back a few inches and tap him leniently on the arm, he flinches back violently, hitting his head against the wall behind him. Letting out a pained whimper, he lurches forward from fright and falls into my arms, causing me to fall back and onto my butt. His tiny body unravels from its previous position, shuffling closer as he wraps his weary arms around my shoulders. Taken aback by this, I don't know whether to hug him back or not. A moment ago, I would have scooped him up into my arms and held him for dear life, but since he is literally hanging off of me like a baby chimp... it's almost as if my brain can't process what is happening and I freeze.

Harry's breathing is fast, too fast; hitching as small pained, gasping noises escape his lips. The heart beating against mine is pounding quicker with each pump, as he huddles into my chest. His head is rested on my shoulder, shaking, I can feel his teardrops landing on my back.

"Mm-b-back..." It's a quiet and muffled, sounding like a shuddering bleat of relief. A sudden whoosh of guilt and anxiety washes over me, if I had known this was going to happen, then I wouldn't have left.

Harry is literally trembling in my arms, and I carefully place a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back slightly. His red rimmed bleary eyes glance up at me. They are almost swollen from crying, flushed and hot faced, causing his curls to stick to his forehead.

"I said I'd come back..." I say, despite the quiver in my voice, I try my best to speak clearly. He nods, gripping onto my shirt tighter and his breathing is nothing but short gasped hiccups. I think he's having some sort of panic attack. It's strange being the one to witness, rather being the one having it. Taking a shaky breath, I place my arms around the smaller man.

"Breathe, you're okay..." I say, calmly trying to help him get some sort of composure back. "My therapist said, that if you're with someone you... you trust it sometimes makes it easier..." What the hell am I saying? My therapist doesn't know anything. At least this is some sort of progress, though. I mean, physical touch; He's hugging me, but I don't really know how to feel about that. He's crying in my arms looking for some kind of comfort and apparently I'm something he finds... comfortable.

"Am... I someone you trust?" I bite my lip, not expecting an answer. But when I feel the small nod of his head against my neck, I get a strange, yet satisfying shiver through my body. The fact that he hasn't known me all that long and the thought of him putting his utter trust in me... that's big.

"Okay... we can always -" I shift slightly and he flinches, letting out a squeak. "Okay, okay... we... we won't do that." I ease back down and he melts back into my chest; comfy. "We can sit here for a while, as long as you want... until you've calmed down, alright?" I say softly, his curls tickle the edge of my jaw as he gives another gentle nod.

We sit in silence for another fifteen minutes. Harry's shivers and whimpers have settled down now. My feet have got pins and needles and the inhaler in my pocket is digging into my leg... at least I hope that's what it is. To say the least, we haven't really moved from the position that we were in fifteen minutes ago. I had to refrain a few times from running my hands through this curls... that would be slightly inappropriate, even in this situation.