Work Text:
"Shouta!"
The call reverberated through the halls and rattled class 1-A. The silence surrounding the diligently working students was broken and all heads in the room shot up, including the moppy head of black hair that seemed to be barely conscious at the front of the classroom.
Dry, tired eyes were forced open as Aizawa sat up in his chair looking towards the door as loud, hurried footsteps approached. The door was flung open and Hizashi was there looking out-of-sorts, his face contorted with worry; not a usual look for the normally overly exuberant hero. That alone began to worry the 1-A teacher.
"Mic, what-"
"It's Toshi!" Hizashi blurted out before Aizawa could get anymore words out.
His blood ran cold and he didn't hesitate as he shot up out of his chair and stormed out of the classroom, telling Mic to watch the kids as he disappeared down the hall. "Teacher's lounge!" Hizashi directed with a shout.
Heavy boot falls were the accompaniment to his anxious jogging, that and his blood running loudly in his ears. His mind raced, beginning to list off what could be wrong with Toshinori. To be honest, it was a long list. His biggest concern was that he was sick, or otherwise needed help with a physical affliction; the most pressing problem would be if he was having breathing problems and didn't have his inhaler. That was probably the worst case scenario, Shouta had to remind himself as the thought began to make him panic.
It could be something far less urgent; like if he got feint or dizzy and fell or had to very quickly sit down. Aizawa bit his lip, Hizashi was used to the small health issues that plagued Toshinori, something commonplace wouldn't have warranted the panicked reaction; even by Hizashi standards. It must be something worrying enough that Hizashi couldn't handle it alone, and felt the need to sprint all the way to his classroom to get him.
Aizawa skipped every other step as he climbed to the next floor, rushing past a few seniors who were working on a mural in the hallway, much to their confusion. The teacher's lounge was around the next corner in the back hallway, he let his jog turn into a run as he turned the corner and saw Nemuri standing outside the door anxiously wringing her hands together. She spotted Shouta and waved him in, her face drawn into a similar kind of worry that lay on Hizashi's just a minute prior.
Once in the doorway, he caught sight of Cementos crouching on the floor, seemingly trying to comfort Toshinori. The lanky man was crumpled on the floor, his hands gripping his sunflower hair as he rocked back and forth, gravely breaths rocked his body as he gasped for air between sobs.
Yeah, this wasn't something anyone other than Aizawa was equipped to handle.
He took the few remaining paces he had to reach his ailing partner, skidding onto his knees and wrapping his arms around Toshinori's trembling shoulders, "Shhh Yagi, it's okay, it's okay." He comforted, beginning to pull them into a rocking motion that was much less frantic than before, which kept Yagi from worsening his state but still allowing him the comfort of the repetitive motion.
His lithe body felt so tense, his shoulders were drawn together so tight it felt painful as Aizawa smoothed his hand over them. His baby pink button-up was damp with sweat and it clung to him uncomfortably. Aizawa reached down and undid Toshinori's tie in one smooth motion, flinging it off to the side, focusing on undoing the top two buttons of his shirt so he might feel a little more comfortable. Ideally, if this happened at home, Shouta would be quick to get him into clothes that were texturally comforting, but being at work: he was left with what he already had on. The ravenette made a note to start bringing at least one of his shirts to work just in case this happened again.
Yagi took a shaky breath in, holding it for a moment before he let out a mixed sob and cough, drool and a few flecks of blood spattered his chin, he wailed and kept rocking, and Aizawa continued to hold him. "It's alright, it's alright. You're safe." He cooed, holding his hands over where Yagi was gripping his hair with an alarming amount of pressure, likely causing a lot of pain that was adding to his meltdown; he traced each finger and rubbed at his bony wrists, asking him in a gentle whisper to let go until the hands pulling at the golden waves relaxed and Shouta was able to hold them. He brought their joined hands down and kissed Toshi's knuckles, not minding that Yagi's quaking grip was all but crushing his hands- it was better than him ripping his hair out. "Good job, you're okay." Aizawa mumbled, continuing to rock with the far-gone man, occasionally adding on more praises and promises which seemed to be slowly allowing the hysterics to pass.
Toshinori's cries got quieter and his breathing was just a bit less erratic when Aizawa pulled back, guiding those trembling, lanky arms to rest around his neck, "Hey, can you look at me?" He kept his voice kind and soft, waiting patiently as over a minute passed with no response. Yagi coughed again, sniffling wetly and hesitantly lifted his face for the first time, his pretty blue eyes were bloodshot and watery, thick streams of wet tears rolled over his angular cheeks, dripping off his chin. He looked miserable.
Aizawa lifted his hands to Yagi's face, pausing when the blonde flinched away, his eyes screwed shut in fear- Shouta didn't take it personally, he knew his partner wasn't all there and that the reaction was just blind self preservation by someone in a vulnerable state. He just had to be patient and go at Toshi's pace. After a moment, Yagi's posture relaxed just enough to prompt Shouta to continue, cupping his cheeks and wiping away the tears as they came. They didn't make eye contact, and Toshinori could barely keep his eyes open, so Aizawa held him there, gently pressing their foreheads together and whispering sweet promises to him to soothe his anxiety. He was happy when he felt Yagi's arms tighten around his neck- telling Shouta that he had grown comfortable with the physical contact enough to seek it out.
As the minutes drew on, Toshinori's sobs and wails began to subside, replaced with soft whines and the occasional cough, his body was still shaking violently, and he stimmed every so often by knocking his hands together, which Aizawa was minding carefully to make sure he wasn't hurting himself. He buried his face into Aizawa's neck: his forehead felt hot. Shouta made a displeased face, entertaining the thought that Yagi may be running too hot while combing his fingers comfortingly through the messy golden waves. He looked up to Ishiyama who was standing nearby looking worried, "Go wet a washcloth for me. Cold water." He asked quietly, and Ken dutifully nodded and hurried over to the sink.
While waiting, Aizawa let his hand stay petting Yagi's hair while the other dropped down his back. He could feel the dips between each vertebrae in his spine strained and likely sore from being hunched over for so long. He stroked long, soothing motions over Toshinori's back and trembling shoulders, "It's okay Yagi, you're okay, you're safe, just breathe." He hummed, pressing a gentle kiss to his flushed cheek. He felt the ailing man take a rattling, but purposeful deep breath in and out, which further quelled his panicked state of mind.
Ishiyama returned and handed the cold washcloth to Aizawa, who nodded in thanks, "Can you sit up for me?" He asked Toshinori, who briefly tensed in his arms, not wanting to move, "Come on. Sit up." Aizawa ordered, still speaking softly but stern enough that his partner would listen and do what he asked. After a moment, and another shuddering breath, Yagi pulled himself upright, letting his arms fall away from Aizawa's shoulders and flop limply in his lap. "There you go, good job." The ravenette cooed, holding the teary man's face with one hand and bringing the washcloth up with the other.
Pressing it to Yagi's forehead had him whining and trying to pull away from it until Shouta petted his hair a few times and he quieted, letting the younger man run the cool cloth over his burning skin, leaving damp spots on his forehead and cheeks. Shouta pulled Yagi's shirt out of the way and glided the cloth over his equally hot and flush neck and collar; Toshinori hummed quietly, his eyes fluttering closed as he leaned into the cool touch, his breathing having calmed to shallow huffs as he finally started to come down. Shouta smiled distantly, glad to see his partner coming back to him, he whispered, "There we go." And pressed the washcloth to Yagi's forehead one more time before folding it over the back of his neck to rest there and hopefully continue to cool him off.
He rested his hands on Yagi's arms, trying to keep him grounded as the sunny man took a few more deep, shuddering breaths; his hands tugged nervously at his bangs until Shouta stopped him by intertwining their fingers. "That's it, love." Aizawa whispered, pressing a dry-lipped kiss to the taller man's damp forehead, "Come back to me." He smiled when Toshinori finally looked up, locking gazes. His eyes were noticeably less glassy and unfocused now, and they crinkled a bit as he let a weak, tired smile pull the corners of his mouth up.
"There he is." Shouta murmured, pulling the gangly man into a tight embrace, happy to feel his partner returning the hug and starting his timed breathing Shouta had taught him: 5 seconds in, holding for 5 second, and breathing out for 8 seconds. He repeated this many times, breathing hotly against Aizawa's neck and occasionally shivering or whining as a late wave of anxiety rolled over his gradually calming mind. Aizawa continued to rub his back and pet his hair like he had been doing almost the entire time, holding on tightly to let Toshinori know he was safe and protected. After a while, he finally felt the sunny man's body relax, the tension falling from his frame with a trembling sigh, his hug got lax and he fell weakly against his partner. Aizawa was happy to hold him up, laughing quietly at the limpness of his gangly limbs as he tried to maneuver them into a more comfortable position.
They ended up with Aizawa's back pressed against the closest surface, which seemed to be the side of Ectoplasm's desk, with Yagi pulled up and resting against his chest. Their height difference made it a little awkward, but Yagi let himself slide down far enough for Aizawa to wrap his arms around his shoulders and rest his chin atop the mess of gold waves. It was oddly comfortable, and Aizawa felt his partner quickly relaxing into his embrace, curling his knees up and sighing as the last few waves of anxiety passed and he felt himself going numb.
They remained like that, Aizawa holding him tight, occasionally stroking his hair, whispering to him as his breathing evened out and he began to stir back to full consciousness. After a while, Toshinori pulled himself up, sitting cross legged in front of his partner, rubbing his eyes and sniffling. Aizawa helped by pushing his bangs out of his face, smoothing back a few stray golden flyaways as he did so.
About then, Vlad crouched down next to them, offering a pink mug decorated with a painted sunflower- Yagi's favorite cup- that was steaming with hot tea. Yagi looked at him silently, his expression still a bit distant, but surprised and grateful as he carefully took it from Vlad's large hands. He even gave the other man a gentle smile. Vlad nodded and stood, giving him plenty of personal space.
Aizawa sat up as well, keeping a hand on Yagi's knee and rubbing little circles with his thumb as he watched him drink quietly, happy to see more and more apprehension, fear, and anxiety chipping away with every sip. By the time the tea was halfway gone, Toshinori looked like a completely different person than when Aizawa had first came in, he kept a tired smile on his face and looked much more at peace; granted he was still a bit disheveled with his dress shirt all crumpled and his usually wild hair in even more of a disarray. It was cute.
"I'm sorry." Were the first broken, strained words that came out of the previously nonverbal man, his voice so quiet and scratchy from the physical strain he had just endured.
Aizawa scooched forward and put an arm around his waist, "You have nothing to apologize for, Yagi." He admitted, brushing his bangs out of his face again, not missing the embarrassed look overwhelming his features.
Nemuri leaned down to rub Yagi's back, "Yes, don't you worry that pretty little head of yours," She began, smiling brightly, "Sorry is for when you've done something wrong, and you've done nothing of the sort!" She explained.
Snipe stepped up on his other side and knelt on one knee, pulling off his cloak and draping it over Yagi's shoulders, "Yeah, don't sweat it." He said, giving a thumbs up.
"We're just glad you're okay." Ishiyama added while smiling and clasping his hands together.
They were all in agreement, voicing their support and love for their fellow teacher and promising that he was in no way a burden, nor was his meltdown anything worthy of apologizing for. They all understood, probably more so than anyone else.
Yagi trembled as all the good feelings spun in his chest, tears prickling on his eyes as he stared at his tea, struggling to say something else, anything else to show his appreciation. He used one hand to tug Snipe's cloak around him tighter, finding that the weight of it coupled with the feel and smell was actually very comforting to him in that moment.
Aizawa watched him, seeing the gears turning as he was most definitely trying to push himself beyond what he could handle. He smiled, reaching out to cup the face of his people-pleasing partner when he started to stim as he got frustrated with himself. "You don't need to say anything. Everyone just wanted to let you know they care. And that it's okay." He said quietly. Yagi looked at him, and then around the room, meeting the compassionate, smiling faces of his friends and coworkers, none of which gave way to any indication of judgment or disdain.
The care and concern each of them showed flooded Toshinori's chest with warmth, because there he was; washed up, weak, broken, making a fool of himself in the middle of their shared space, breaking down from no one obvious source. A shadow of his former self, an anxious, fragile husk left behind after a life of being a shining star. Is this what happens to all overachievers? He thought with a wry smile. But seeing the compassion around him, the people who had every opportunity to disregard him and his problems, openly accepting and comforting him in his lowest of times made everything feel better. It made it all feel tolerable.
"I don't know what set me off." Yagi croaked, trying to distract himself so he wouldn't start crying again.
Aizawa patted his back, leaning in to kiss his cheek again, pressing their heads together, "Not every meltdown has a definitive source. You don't have to explain yourself." He explained, keeping his voice light and leaving his hands on his partner to ground him as he knew Yagi was just getting anxious under all the attention he was getting.
Toshinori opened his mouth to protest, anxious instinct telling him to keep apologizing, but he stopped, closing his mouth and nuzzling against the ravenette, breathing in, comforted by the familiar scent of his boyfriend. Arguing wouldn't work, Shouta was way too good at quelling his anxiety for that. And how could he really argue when everyone in the room seemed solely dedicated to helping him, to showing him love?
That amount of compassion couldn't be argued with.
Yagi felt himself beginning to rock back and forth gently, the motion comforted him and he continued to sip at his tea. At some point, Aizawa told everyone that they were okay now, sending Vlad to tell Mic that things were under control, and the rest of the teachers started slowly getting back to what they were doing, still worriedly glancing at Toshi from time to time just to check on him.
Shouta didn't move, staying there on the floor with him, holding him, rubbing his back and shoulders, and giving him gentle kisses every so often. They didn't need anymore words, Aizawa knew that at this point all Yagi needed was the time to recover, and someone to be close for comfort; so there he stayed, occasionally making a comment about the day or something stupid one of the kids did that week. Yagi didn't reply, still nonverbal, but he was listening, and offered small nods or smiles as his replies instead. Silently, he thanked his partner, and his coworkers for being there for him, counting himself as the luckiest man in the world.
Downstairs, Mic was pacing, likely freaking out class 1A, as his worry for Toshinori ate away at him, until Vlad showed up and told him everything was okay. The voice hero dramatically braced himself against the wall, breathing out a heavy sigh of relief.