SPOILER ALERTS FOR JUST ROLL WITH IT PRIME DEFENDERS EPISODES 2-4!!!!!!!!

After returning home from the Island of the Amalgam, Dakota walks past William's room late one night and heard some strange noises. He walks in and finds Will in a very vulnerable state.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Anxiety/panic attacks, Starting fires, putting people and animal at risk of getting hurt, animal testing/experimentation, mentions of stabbing, feeling like a failure, death, animal death
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Dakota bounced on his heels in front of the punching bag in front of him. He faked right and dodged left, sending out three quick strikes at the bag, knocking it far back. It swung around back up towards him quickly from momentum, and Dakota changed positions and kicked it hard. The bag fell over completely. Dakota moved to pick it up when he heard a knock on the training hall's large door. He turned to see his guardian, Tide, standing there.

Dakota said nothing, stood the punching back back up, and got into position again. He heard Tide sigh and walk inside the training hall.

"It's after one in the morning, you know?" He said, the sudden sound of his deep voice nearly making Dakota jump. "The other boys went to bed a couple hours ago."

"Okay." Dakota said uncaring. He threw a couple more angry punches towards the bag, knocking it over again. He groaned in frustration and stood it back up aggressively. Tide walked over and stood behind the bag, holding it on the sides. Dakota glanced up at him.

"I don't wanna hurt you." He mumbled. Tide chuckled, fueling Dakota's anger. He yelled out and sent a huge kick straight to the center of the bag. Tide held it steady, unwavering at the boy's lash out.

"Good. Your form gets better and better every training session you do. I appreciate you teaching Will and Vyncent too. You three make a good team, Dakota." Tide nodded at him. Dakota couldn't fight off the surge of pride he felt at Tide's praise.

"Thank you." He said quietly.

"You're welcome. Now, go to bed, please? Come on. You've been in here for hours. You've had a long couple of days." Tide said. Dakota didn't reply, avoiding eye contact as well.

"Go on. Go to bed, Dakota. The training hall will be here for you tomorrow." Tide pressed. Dakota could feel his tiredness starting to make itself known at the mention of going to bed. Dakota nodded.

"Thank you, Tide." He said. Tide smiled at him.

"Of course, Dakota. Get some sleep." Dakota gave him another swift nod, and he turned and left the training hall.

Walking through the base, Dakota shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked around. Together, Tide and the boys had gotten the pace cleaned up since Tide's encounter with Fartbo, a villain turned-goo who Dakota had unknowingly released the day of their first unsupervised mission.

It was precisely this mission that had all three of the Prime Defenders in training so glum. Not only were they in monumental trouble for staying beyond their one job given to them by Tide to rescue a doctor in order to try and take down an entire animal experiment lab as well as the villain who was running it, but they'd managed to befriend a few of those animal amalgamations. One of which, a spider monkey with many eyes and eight legs named Bobo, Dakota had gotten to keep and take home.

The other, a wolf-tyrannosaurus Rex hybrid named Beeno, had died in the fight against the soldiers guarding the island. William and Dakota had sat with him as the creature passed, and it had effected all three of the boys much more than either cared to admit. Dakota had been the only one who cried on the scene, but the other two were equally as heartbroken at their new friend's passing.

Still not having processed everything that had happened, all of the teens had been very quiet since returning home. They'd been lectured and lectured and then lectured again by Tide and Miss G. and everyone who ran the Prime Force about how dangerous what they did alone was. They were heroes in training. When they get a job, they are to do that one job only and return to base, no matter the circumstances of where they are.

Now, Dakota approached the hallway where each of the boys' bedrooms were located. His being at the end of the hall, he had to pass Vyncent and William's bedrooms to get to his. Vincent's door was slightly ajar. Dakota peeked inside quietly. Upon seeing his friend fast asleep, Dakota smiled, and closed his door fully. He passed by Will's bedroom, where he paused as well. Not for the same reason, however. William's door was firmly shut. Dakota paused because he heard a sound coming from Will's room.

The strange noises sounded like quick and shallow breathing. Dakota checked his watch. Tide was correct, it was 1:23 in the morning. Maybe William was having a nightmare? Dakota hesitated with his ear to William's door, conflicted. Should he go in and make sure his friend was okay, or let him sleep if he really was having a nightmare?

He hesitated for just the right moment, and that moment came when the quick and labored breathing was accompanied by the sound of quiet sobs. Dakota's heart flipped in his chest. He knocked on the door lightly.

"Will? Are you up?" He asked, glancing around to make sure Tide wasn't coming. He got no response from his friend.

"Hey, Will? Can I come in? I'm gonna come in, okay?" He said through the door. Again, he was met with the same sounds, so he pushed open William's door quietly. Immediately, he was met with the sight of his friend's room being a complete mess. Papers were strewn across the floor, stuff from his dresser was knocked over, the sheets were torn off his bed.

And there sat William Wisp, against the side of his bed. His knees were curled up tight to his chest, he was shaking violently, hyperventilating, pressing his hands over his ears.

That explained why he hadn't heard Dakota knocking.

Dakota's eyes widened at the sight of everything, but he hyperfocused on the state of William. He walked over and bent down in front of him.

"Hey, Will? Hey, are you okay?" He asked. William didn't seem to hear him. He had his eyes pinched shut, and tears were slipping out from under his tightly shut eyelids. The tear tracks on his face indicated that he must have been crying for a while. Dakota racked his brain for what to do. He wanted Will to know that he was here for him, but he didn't wanna scare him.

"Will? Can you hear me? Are you hurt?" He asked, lightly reaching out and touching his friend's arm. Will jumped hard, and his eyes shot open. They were puffy and very red, confirming that he had been crying for a long time.

"I'm sorry! It's okay, it's just me. It's Dakota. Hey, you're breathing really fast, Will. Can you try to take a deep breath for me?" Dakota asked. Will didn't reply. His panicked eyes darted around the room, and then he shut them again as pained sobs spilled out from him. Dakota felt his heart beginning to race. He glanced at the door.

Should he go get Tide? What if William was hurt and needed medical attention? Part of Dakota recognized this as a bad panic attack, but concern was rising in him fast as Will cried in front of him. Dakota stood up, making his decision. He walked towards the door, and shut it quickly. He then rushed back over and sat down next to William instead of in front of him.

"Will? I'm gonna put my arm around you, okay? You're completely safe. No one is gonna hurt you here. Don't go intangible on me, okay?" Dakota tried for a joke. Again, William gave no response. Dakota sighed, and slowly reached over and wrapped his arm around William's vibrating form. Upon feeling how hard he was shaking, Dakota's concern spiked higher. He really needed to calm Will down.

"Okay. Okay, Will? I need you to take your hands away from your ears now. I'm gonna talk to you, and you need to be able to hear me, okay? Can I move your hands?" Dakota asked. William opened his eyes again for a moment. Slowly and shakily, he took his hands away from his ears.

"Good, that's really good, man. Okay. Are you hurt at all?" Dakota asked first and foremost. William shook his head. "Okay, good. I'm gonna take some deep breaths now. When you're ready, I want you to try and follow along with me, okay? You're completely safe here, Will. I'm not gonna hurt you, no one here is gonna hurt you. In fact, we're all here to protect you, right? We protect each other." Dakota said. William slowly wrapped his arms around his middle, hugging himself tightly in what Dakota recognized was a desperate attempt to self soothe.

"Okay. Okay, I'm gonna move back around in front of you so you can see me better." He said. He removed his arm and scooted along the floor until he sat in front of the shaking teen.

"Hi. I need you to look at me, okay? I'm right here. I'm gonna get you through this. You're having a panic attack, William. It will end and you will be okay. I know you're scared right now, but you'll get through this. I'm right here with you. Watch me breathe, Will." Dakota said as seriously as he could. He inhaled deeply, held his breath for a moment, and then exhaled slowly. He repeated this a few times.

"I need you to try that with me, Will. Come on. You can do it." He paused to say before returning to his deep breathing. William's eyes were locked onto the floor, but as Dakota spoke, he shifted them up slightly to look at Dakota's chest.

"That's it. You can do it, come on. Breathe with me. You're okay." Dakota encouraged him. "Deep breaths, Will. As deep as you can."

He opened his mouth to continue talking to him when William's bedroom door opened. Dakota looked to the doorway quickly, and breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw Vyncent standing there and not Tide. Vyncent's eyes widened.

"He's having a panic attack." Dakota told him quickly. Vyncent turned to look down the hall.

"Don't get Tide! I've got him." Dakota hissed. Vyncent nodded and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. He quickly walked over and sat next to Dakota in front of Will.

"What's happening?" He asked.

"I found him like this a minute ago. I think he's having a panic attack. We need to slow his breathing down. I've been trying to take deep breaths to show him. Will? Can you hear me? Look, Vyn is here too." Dakota said, his attention shifting from Vyncent back to William.

"Hey, Will? Hey, it's-everything's okay now. We're back home at the base. We're safe here." Vyncent said a bit unsure. Dakota glanced at him.

"Why don't you go back to bed? I'll help him." Dakota suggested.

"What? No, I wanna help." Vyncent said.

"I think we're sorta crowding him. Just go back to sleep, okay? I've got it. You can take the next crisis one of us has." Dakota said, smiling. Vyncent nodded. He looked at Will, and then stood up and left the room.

"Alright Will. It's just you and me. Watch me, keep watching my breathing okay?" Dakota said quickly. He went back to his slowed breathing pattern. William's attention returned to Dakota's chest. He tried to follow along at Dakota's speed, but he couldn't slow his breathing down enough. He shook his head slightly.

"It's okay. You can do this. Nice and easy, you'll get there." Dakota told him. "Try again." He said.

Will did try again. And again, and again, and again. The longer he tried, the easier it was getting.

As William was barely beginning to calm down, his bedroom door opened again. Vyncent had returned holding something. He saw down next to Dakota again and held the object out to William.

It was a Rubik's Cube.

"Here. You don't need to solve it. Just move the sides around. I know when I'm anxious it helps me, gives me something tangible to focus on." Vyncent said. Dakota smiled at him.

"That's a great idea." He said. William slowly reached out with one hand and tried to grasp the cube. Unfortunately, it seemed like Vyncent saying the word "tangible" had tricked his brain, and his hand went intangible and the cube fell through. William's face screwed up in frustration.

"No no no, it's okay! It's okay. Try again. Take a deep breath and try again." Dakota said, grabbing the puzzle toy and holding it out again. William closed his eyes and focused hard, taking another deep breath. He reached out and grabbed the toy firmly in his hand.

"See? There you go! You can do this. Come on, watch me again okay? Keep breathing." Dakota encouraged him. Will's shaking hands moved the different sides and pieces of the Rubik's Cube around, spinning and twisting them without him having to look at it. He kept his eyes focused on Dakota, watching him breathe slowly and deeply.

After a while, William's breathing began to slow down. Gradually, he came down from the panic attack and began to calm down. Exhausted from having his entire body tense for so long, his knees collapsed to the sides as he crossed his legs. He stared hard at the Rubik's Cube in his hands, now feeling embarrassment surge through him.

"Th-Thanks." He said barely above a whisper.

"Of course, Will." Vyncent said.

"How are you feeling?" Dakota asked. William swallowed with difficulty.

"A little nauseous and dizzy, but I'm alright." William said quietly.

"Can I get you anything?" Dakota asked him. William hesitated. He shook his head. "If there's something that'll help, I can do it." Dakota added. William glanced up at him quick.

"Maybe a water? My throat kind of hurts a little." He asked sheepishly.

"Yeah! Dude of course! I'll be right back!" Dakota said. He stood up and quickly left the room.

Dakota nearly jumped out of his skin when he walked quickly into the hall. Standing there in front of him was Tide, holding a cold bottle of water in his hand and smiling at him. Dakota caught his breath and looked at him confused.

"I heard." He whispered. Dakota nodded. He accepted the water bottle.

"Thanks." He whispered back. Tide nodded at him. Dakota returned to William's room and closed the door. He walked back over and sat down in front of William, holding out the bottle.

"That was fast." William said. Dakota shrugged.

"I ran." He said. Will nodded as he opened the bottle and took a few small sips. Despite him not having any need for the drink being dead, the cool liquid always felt good on his raw throat after a panic attack.

"Thanks." He said when he finished drinking, replacing the cap and putting the bottle down next to him.

"Of course." Dakota said.

William kept his eyes averted away from his friends. Every now and again, he would swipe at them to clear the tears away.

"Are you okay?" Vyncent asked.

"Mhm." William nodded, but his voice pitch went up as emotion choked him. Though it was obvious, he prayed his friends hadn't noticed.

Of course, he wasn't so lucky. Rather than saying anything, Dakota just silent pushed himself across the floor and moved next to William again. He put his arm back around William's shoulders as he had done an hour ago now. William continued to stare at the Rubik's Cube in his lap as he twisted the sides.

"Is it alright if I ask what happened?" Dakota asked quietly. William sniffled. He hesitated, not sure if he trusted himself to speak without crying.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Dakota said.

"Yeah. We don't have to talk. We can all just sit together until you feel better." Vyncent said. Dakota nodded.

"No it's okay. I um...I was just, thinking about the mission." William said.

"Yeah. I can't stop thinking about it either." Vyncent said.

"Me either." Dakota added.

"Yeah. It's nothing." William said.

"I mean it's clearly not nothing. What you just went through was not nothing. If you don't wanna talk about it, that's okay. But it's also okay if you do. Maybe we can help you." Dakota said gently. Vyncent nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Or at least try to make you feel better or distract you from it." He added. William glanced at the two of them before looking down again.

"It's just that...Tide put me in charge of this mission and...So many things went wrong. We put Dr. Lutz in real danger, we tried to take down Wavelength on our own with no backup. We ignored Tide telling us to retreat, and...Beeno..." William's voice caught in his throat. Dakota and Vyncent both looked down at the name of their lost companion.

"And all those animals. I don't, know if you guys could see them but...I could see the spirits of some of those things down there." William admitted. Here, Dakota and Vyncent looked back up at him.

"You could?" Dakota asked. "What did they look like?" He asked another question before he could think better of it. William let out a choked sob, and Dakota immediately regretted asking.

"Horrible!" William said thickly. "They...I could sense that they were still in pain, even after death."

"Oh my gosh." Vyncent said.

"I couldn't help them! I didn't know how! And then I put all those animals and the scientists and everyone in the facility in danger by starting a fire! They were stuck in some sort of trance and the fire snapped them out of it and the immediately collapsed. They were exhausted and couldn't move. I...If I hadn't been there to try and get them out they would've died. We don't even know if everyone made it out of there in time. I could've..." William stopped himself as sobs overwhelmed him.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay." Dakota said, rubbing his shoulder and hugging him tightly.

"It's not okay! Tide trusted me to make sure everything would go okay and it couldn't have gone worse! I failed. I failed Tide, I failed you guys...I failed Beeno. I failed everything. You guys took down Wavelength easily. I just stood there. I couldn't even help you fight him. I'm worthless!" William sobbed.

"Will, Will, stop. Don't say that. Don't ever call yourself worthless, man! You did a lot! You helped me get all the animals out, and you got those two scientists out. Like you said, they would've died if you hadn't been there to help! You saved them! And you saved Dr. Lutz! And you helped us take down Wavelength, and you made sure that none of those animals will be tested or experimented on anymore. And that no new animals are tested on either. You did a lot, William! You're the reason we actually succeeded!" Dakota told him.

"Yeah, you helped keep us in check too! Without you there, Dakota and I could've just rushed in with no plan. We would've gotten ourselves killed without your logical thinking." Vyncent said.

"Yeah, totally! So don't say that about yourself. You're vital to this team, Will. We all are. And I'd say we make a pretty good team, too." Dakota said.

"Yeah, we make a really good team. But we aren't a team unless you're in it." Vyncent said.

"That's right." Dakota agreed. William sniffled and wiped at his eyes with his jacket sleeves.

"And also, Will. Don't blame yourself for Beeno. That was my fault. If I hadn't gone crazy and stabbed Wavelength, Dr. Lutz could've saved him. It's my fault." Vyncent said.

"No, Will was right. We don't know how long Beeno would've lived outside of his tube. We don't know how long any of those creatures are gonna live outside of the facility." Dakota said.

"I'm sure Tide is taking care of that, making sure they're taken care of somehow." William said, sniffling again. His sobs were staring to quiet down a little.

"Yeah." Dakota said. The three friends sat in silence for a few minutes as William tried to stop crying. When he was a bit more calm, Dakota continued what he'd been saying.

"Don't blame yourself for what happened, Will. We're all to blame. We all did this. Tide shouldn't have put that much pressure on you." He said. William wiped his eyes again. He shrugged, looking down.

"No, don't shrug it off. He shouldn't have. He sent three of us, not one of us. We all played a part in that mission. He shouldn't have put all that on just you alone. That isn't fair." Dakota said.

"That was really uncool of him to do, Will. We're in this together. We're a team, like we said. We stand by you." Vyncent said.

"Exactly." Dakota echoed. William tried for a shaky smile.

"Thanks you guys." He said. "I really appreciate you guys being so cool and supportive. I'm, really sorry you had to see that though. Panic attacks can look really scary."

"Hey, don't apologize. I'm glad we were here to help you through it." Dakota said.

"Yeah, seriously. It looked really scary, but I bet it felt even scarier. Do you get those often?" Vyncent asked. William nodded slowly.

"Jeez. Well, if you have another one, don't be afraid to come get one of us, or both of us! You shouldn't have to go through that alone." Dakota said, and Vyncent nodded profusely.

"Thanks. Tide's helped me through a couple, but I don't like asking for help with them. I don't wanna be a burden, or worry anyone." Will admitted.

"Nah, that's bullshit. You're not a burden, William! None of us are, even if we feel like it sometimes. If you have one again, please go get someone if you can? If you can't, message us on the watch! We'll come running!" Dakota said. "Okay? Promise?" He added. William nodded slightly.

"Yeah. Thank you." He said again. He took in a shaky breath. "I guess I should probably clean my room up. I kinda went nuts looking for something, and my brain started going crazy." Hs said.

"We'll help you clean it tomorrow. For now, you need to get some rest. Come on. Let's get you into bed." Dakota said.

"Yeah, you should get some rest after that. You look exhausted." Vyncent said. William chucked sadly.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I'm really sorry for keeping you guys up so late." He said.

"Nah, you're good. I got up to get some water when I heard Dakota talking in your room." Vyncent said.

"Don't be! I was awake. I was training and Tide had just sent me to bed." Dakota added as he stood up. He extended a hand towards William, and Will let him help him up. He was shaky on his feet, and he leaned against his bed.

"Whoa, you okay?" Dakota asked, putting one hand on William's shoulder and the other hand on his opposite arm.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just a little dizzy." William said, steadying himself. "I'm okay." He confirmed, nodding at Dakota. Dakota nodded back and removed his hands.

"Okay. Get into bed." He said. William chuckled, but he didn't argue. He crawled into his bed and grabbed the sheets he'd thrown astray and straightened them out again.

"We'll help you clean up the rest of it tomorrow. Get some sleep okay? Keep taking deep breaths. If you need me or Vyn at all for anything please call us okay? You promised." Dakota said. William nodded.

"I know I did. Thank you guys. Thanks a lot. I really appreciate you guys helping me out." He said.

"Of course, you don't need to thank us. We're a team. It's what we do." Vyncent said.

"Oh, here. Thanks again for letting me play with it. It really helped." William held the Rubik's Cube out towards Vyncent. Vyncent shook his head.

"Keep it. You need it more than I do. I'm really glad it helped you. Maybe it can help you again." He said. William looked at the toy.

"Are you sure? You said it helps you when you get anxious too. I wouldn't wanna take that away." William said.

"Yeah, I'm sure. My headphones help me the most. Keep it." Vyncent nodded.

"Thank you, Vyncent." William said, setting the  toy on his nightstand next to his bed.

"Of course. I'm glad it helped you." Vyncent said. "Now go to sleep."

"Yeah. Get some sleep now. Good night, Will." Dakota said. He and Vyncent walked to the door.

"Night guys." William said. Dakota turned off William's bedroom light and closed the door behind them.

"Jeez. That was intense. I feel really bad for him." Vyncent said as they walked to his room.

"I know, me too. All we can do is be there for him though, just like we were. Hey, great thinking with that Rubik's Cube! That was perfect!" Dakota nudged Vyncent gently. Vyncent smiled.

"Thanks. I'm glad it worked". He said.

"Yeah me too. Okay. Let's crash, I'm tired. Night Vyn." Dakota said.

"Night Kota." Vyncent returned. He opened his bedroom door and walked inside as Dakota turned and walked down the hall towards his own room.

He opened his door and shut it behind him. When he turned around, he jumped hard when he saw Tide standing in his room.

"You have got to stop doing that!" Dakota said. Tide laughed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He said.

"It's fine. Hey, thanks for letting us handle Will. I'm sure you wanted to jump in." Dakota said.

"You're welcome. I was actually waiting in here to thank you for helping him. Those panic attacks take a lot out of him. It's easier for him when he has someone else there guiding him through. I'm glad it was you two tonight." Tide said seriously.

"Does he get them a lot? I've never noticed them before." Dakota asked, and Tide could hear the concern in his voice.

"He...He gets them often. I've helped him through a lot by now. But I'm glad he knows he has you two as well. You're a good friend, Dakota." Tide said. Again, Dakota felt pride swirl in his chest at Tide's praise.

"Thanks. I try to be." He said.

"You are. Now, I won't hold you any longer. Get some rest. I know you're tired." Tide said. Dakota nodded, and the two traded places as Tide walked to the doorway and Dakota walked towards his floor bed.

"You're sure you're comfortable with that? We can at least get you a mattress if you want. It's no trouble." Tide asked as he looked at Dakota's blanket and pillow on the floor.

"No, I'm actually pretty comfortable with this. Thank you though." Dakota assured him.

"Alright. Get some sleep, young hero. We'll all talk more in the morning. Goodnight Dakota." Tide said.

"Goodnight Tide". Dakota returned. Tide waited until Dakota was settled in his blanket before he turned out the light and shut his door.

As he walked down the hall, he stopped at Will's door and opened it. The teenager sat up in his bed, and Tide turned the light on.

"I hope I didn't wake you." Tide said. William shook his head. "Good. I just wanted to check on you."

"I'm okay. Dakota and Vyncent helped me down." William told him. What the other two boys didn't know was that just moments before Dakota had entered William's room, William had messaged Tide on his watch that he was panicking.

"I heard. They care a lot about you, Will. As do I. I hope you know that." Tide said to him. William smiled a little and looked down at his bedsheets.

"I do. Sometimes I forget it, but I do know it." He said.

"As long as you know it deep down, we will always be here to remind you." Tide said. William nodded. "Alright. You're feeling alright now? You have enough water?"

"Yeah. Dakota got me some" William said.

"Good. Get some sleep. Good night William." Tide said.

"Goodnight Tide." William lied back down in his bed, and Tide switched the light off. He shut William's door and moved onto Vyncent's room. He opened the door quietly, and smiled when he heard soft snores coming from the teenager's bed. He shut the door as quietly as he could. Sighing heavily, Tide made his way to his own quarters.

Being the guardian assigned to three super powered teenagers was exhausting work. As any parent would be, Tide was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

A/N: So Uh. I signed up to the JRWI Patreon. Lol. If you have the means to, I highly recommend listening to JRWI!! It's amazing!! And if you can afford at least $5 a month, the Patreon campaign is hilarious and awesome too!! Thanks so much for reading, I really hope you guys like his part!! As always, I hope you have a great rest of your day, whatever time it is where you are! Thanks again, and stay safe! 😊✌🏻♥️