[ She'll get about two seconds of panic before he tugs his hand away. Fast and loose as he's been with the empathy bond in the past, it's because he usually has everything on lock. Easy as fucking breathing, calm, able to rationalize away anything that doesn't serve him in the moment.

That is not the case now, and it's not the kind of thing he shares with someone.

He tries to downplay it, take his hand and use it to card his hair back. Not acknowledge anything about it. ]

Right, right, right--

[ He breathes, a little relief fading in to quell the fire. She probably would've been okay regardless, right? They say your powers kick in when you need them most, she can phase through stuff, odds are anything would've gone straight through her.

He didn't have to be here for her for her to be alright. He doesn't have to be there, he doesn't have to own this, this is not a requirement. She'll be fine, he'll be fine once they make it out.

It's fine.

It's fine. ]

Okay, yeah, that's good. God knows there's bound to be someone out there who can... I don't know, move shit with their fucking minds or something, so.

[ So level out, Fowler. Calm the fuck down. Go steady, there's nothing to get worked up about. Breathe in, breathe out.

The anxiety lowers, bit by tiny, minuscule bit. ]