Work Text:
The town was burning by the time they got there. The screams of agony echoed through the air. The smell of blood and death was everywhere. It was suffocating.
Walking into the town revealed piles upon piles of dead bodies. No one was spared. Some of the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. It was hard to tell they had even once been a living thing.
How... How had this happened? How did they fail to stop this? Why did this have to happen? These people didn't deserve it.
That scene kept playing in everyone's minds. The atmosphere was heavy on the ship. No one knew what to do. This was the first time they had so badly failed. They had been too late to stop Jark Matter from obliterating that town and all who used to call it home.
The effects of the scene were laying heavier on some minds than others. The ones who had been chosen to first go and investigate the distress signal felt the worst about everything. It had been their duty to save those people and they had failed.
The other members tried to bring up the mood as best they could, but it didn't do much. Nothing could help. They would just need to slowly get over it and find a new resolve to keep pushing forward. Easier said than done, especially for a certain someone.
It was almost impossible to tell, but there was definitely something even more off with Stinger than the rest of the group. He seemed more resigned and withdrawn from the conversations. Seemed to hate himself more for what happened.
There were only 2 people who actually picked up on it. Unfortunately neither did anything at the time. One was also from the expedition group and was processing their own emotions while the other was trying to help everyone.
Slowly everyone retreated to their rooms. No one had the energy or will to try and act normal. Some didn't go straight to their rooms and hung out in small groups, still trying to offer support.
Stinger was one to retreat. No sooner had he closed the door, he broke down into tears. Why did this happen? He ruined everything. If it hadn't been for him they could've saved everyone...
He blamed himself for their failure. While no one would dare mention it, he had slowed them down. Had recklessly gotten hurt in a fight and had to be treated. That cost them time they could've been using to rush to the town. If he hadn't been an idiot maybe they would've saved everyone...
Stinger was already suffering from mental health issues since he had first joined the team. How couldn't he after everything he had gone through? The guilt of not being good enough always laid heavy on his shoulders. And this was his breaking point.
They'd be better off without a screw up like him on the team. He always seemed to get something wrong. Always made things more complicated for the others. He was just a walking bad luck charm at this point. No one would miss him when he was gone if they could finally do things right.
Stinger walked to his bathroom and stood before the mirror. He looked horrible. His eyes were bloodshot from crying and the wounds on his face just taunted him more.
He reached into a drawer and pulled out something he hadn't used in a while. The blade felt natural in his grip. It had always been there when he felt he deserved punishment. And now it would help him in sending him into an eternal punishment.
Stinger slid to the ground, staring at the blade. There would be no going back once he started. If he stopped before succeeding he would have to deal with everyone knowing about this and just how messed up he was. He had to go completely through with it the moment he began.
And so, red stained his vision as he cut his arms. He kept crying, both from the pain and from before. Blood spilled onto the nice clean floor, staining it brightly.
It hurt a lot to do this. He had never done this many cuts before. His arms were going numb from the pain. But it would soon be over. Just a bit more and-
"Stinger?!"
His vision was too blurry to make out the face that was now in his. Stinger couldn't find the strength to say anything. The intruder yanked the blade from his grip and tossed it across the room. The clatter it made as it hit the floor echoed in his mind. Very gently the intruder began cleaning up his mess, starting with trying to stop the bleeding.
Stinger closed his eyes, ashamed he couldn't even do this properly either. Now everyone would know he was fucked up. No one would ever look at him the same way again. His life was over. Why couldn't he have done it right and ended everything...? Why did this world keep having to make him suffer more and more?
"Stinger..." The voice was very soft, "Can you stand? You can't keep sitting in this mess. Let's get you cleaned up, okay?"
Stinger opened his eyes to find there were ones right in front of his, staring at him in worry. There was a gentleness to their gaze that Stinger found soothing. The softness was enough to get him to oblige with the request and do as told.
He hesitantly attempted to move. It was a struggle, but with help he got to his feet. Stinger finally took in who had found him. Lucky. How did he get in here...? Oh. Right. He had access to his room. Stinger had given him that right a while ago. Didn't exactly explain why he came in but...
"Sit here." Lucky guided him to shower.
Stinger just let him lead. He didn't have the energy to fight it. He was a bit dazed from the blood he had lost. His body felt heavy and his eyes were constantly fighting against him to close again.
Lucky very cautiously undressed Stinger from his bloodstained clothes. Stinger wasn't much help. He tried to, but his movements were far too heavy. Lucky had to do most of the work, though he said nothing at all, just looked worried.
Once free of his ruined clothes, Lucky gently stared cleaning off the lingering blood with some water. He was very cautious around the cuts. For the time being he had wrapped his arms in towels. It was working well enough.
"I'm sorry..." Stinger whispered. He felt like he should say something.
"It's okay. I'm sorry we didn't realize you were suffering so much until it was almost too late." Lucky gave him a sympathetic look.
Soon enough, he was cleaned off of all the blood on his body. His cuts had mostly stopped bleeding at well. The towels were removed and tossed into a pile alongside his bloodstained clothes.
"I'll be right back. I'm gonna go get some supplies to cover your cuts and I'll bring some new clothes in too." Lucky said quietly, leaning over and pressing a small kiss to Stinger's head.
Stinger just nodded. Lucky left the room. Stinger stared at the mess he had made. Lucky had so selflessly began cleaning it up for him. He didn't deserve that. He deserved to have to clean up his own mess. It was his failure. He should have to face the consequences of his actions.
It wasn't a long wait for Lucky to return, though there was now another person with him. Naga. Stinger couldn't bear to meet his gaze as Lucky began cleaning his cuts with some disinfecting solution. It stung a lot. Stinger didn't like the feeling at all.
Stinger wanted to cry. The pain and his emotions were getting too much to keep holding in. A hand found one of his and held it tightly. Stinger didn't want to acknowledge it, but finally turned to look at Naga. Naga was looking at him, almost studying him.
"Why did you do this?"
It was a blunt question. Stinger saw Lucky wince at it as well.
"I deserve it..." Stinger replied.
"How could you deserve this? No one deserves pain." Naga didn't like his reply. The grip on his hand tightened.
Stinger didn't want to reply. He would just dig a further grave for himself. He opted to just stay silent and look down at the ground.
"Alright. Try not to move your arms too much for a bit." Lucky finished taking care of him.
Stinger nodded, showing he heard.
"Let's get you dressed and in bed then. Cuddles sound good for tonight?" Lucky was already helping him into some clothes as he started talking.
Stinger just nodded again. He didn't have it in him to oppose what they did. He had a bad headache now too. The light was far too bright in this room. He also still was a bit lucid from the amount of blood he lost. He wasn't entirely there as they helped him.
Lucky seemed to understand that, seeing as he opted to simply carry Stinger to the bed without any questions. Naga trailed behind them.
Stinger buried himself into the sheets once he was released. He felt someone moving onto his left side and starting to cuddle up against him. The light to the room was turned off. That helped a bit with his headache.
Whoever wasn't on the bed joined on his right side. The two of them pressed up against him and held him close, both offering some gentle kisses on his face. Stinger didn't find the position intolerable. He closed his eyes and let himself pass out.
...
When he woke, it was to complete darkness. Stinger slowly shifted around to sit up. At a glance of the clock, it was barely 3am. He had woken up quite early. Lucky and Naga were both still asleep on either side of him.
Stinger couldn't help but crack a smile despite everything. These two really did care a lot about him. Sure, they were all dating and everything but this was quite an extreme thing to have to handle. Neither of them complained at all and just did what needed to be done.
His smile faultered as he gazed upon one of his arms. It was hard to see in the dark, but the bandages were hard to miss. Stinger hated that he failed. Now he just made everything worse. He would have to be closely monitored, wouldn't he? He would have no privacy for himself.
"Stinger...?"
Stinger jumped at the sudden voice. Naga had woken up. Possibly from his sudden movement.
"H-hey..." Stinger greeted him.
Naga sat up and looked him over, "Why are you awake?"
"Just woke up... I don't know if I'll be able to fall back to sleep."
"How are your arms? Do they hurt much?" Naga gently traced a finger around the bandages as he spoke.
"Just itchy." Stinger replied, "Sorry you... have to see me like this..."
"You don't need to apologize."
"Do you hate me...? Do you think I'm beyond repair...?"
"No?" Naga seemed confused by his question, "Why would I hate you? And why don't you think we can help you get better?"
"I've been this way for so long... is it even worth it to try at this point?" Stinger mumbled.
"We won't stop trying." Naga stated, "Come lay down."
Stinger made no moves to do so, but Naga placed a hand firmly on his chest and pushed him down. They both laid there in silence for a while. Naga had moved to cuddle back up against him, careful to not touch his arm too much.
"Please don't tell anyone else about this..." Stinger pleaded.
"I'll talk with Lucky about that in the morning and we'll see."
Stinger frowned. His fate was sealed, wasn't it? They'd inform everyone about his failure and then he'd never get away. Everyone would treat him differently. He didn't want that. He never wanted them to find out just how messed up he was.
Naga seemed to have sensed his discomfort, "Why don't you want anyone else to know?"
"I don't want everyone to treat me differently..."
"Why would they?"
"They'll never trust me again. You'll never trust me again. You'll always worry every time something stressful happens and never let me be alone." Stinger's voice cracked.
He didn't want to be seen this way. He hated being weak. He hated having to rely on others so heavily. A little bit of leaning on someone for support didn't bother him anymore but something like this definitely did.
"Then what do you want us to do?" Naga questioned, "You do need to be checked up on until we can resolve this issue entirely."
"I don't know..."
He did know but he wouldn't say it. Just leave me alone didn't seem like a response that would be taken well. Lucky and Naga were going to be all over him for the foreseeable future no matter what he said or did. He just had to hope that they wouldn't mention this to any of the others right now.
Stinger rolled onto his side, facing away from Naga. He didn't want to keep continuing this conversation right now. He needed time to think. Maybe he could find a compromise that would work for them all? Unlikely, but it was worth a shot he supposed.
Naga shifted to wrap his arms around Stinger, nuzzling into his back. Stinger closed his eyes and tried to calm his mind from the conversation they had just had.
"Stinger... you don't have to do this on your own, you know. You can tell us when things are hurting you. You don't need to act so tough around us." Naga said quietly.
"Force of habit..." Stinger mumbled in reply, not knowing what else to say that wouldn't risk him just losing it completely. He was barely managing to keep himself from crying again. He didn't want them to see him cry.
"Then we need to change that."
"Goodnight." Stinger wanted this conversation to end.
Naga acknowledged his request and simply settled down closer to him. Stinger opened his eyes to take in Lucky for a moment. He was asleep still despite the conversation. He was mostly turned facing Stinger, but part of him was also hanging off the bed.
Stinger cautiously wrapped his tail around Lucky's waist and pulled him further onto the bed, wrapping his arms around him as well. Stinger didn't let go of him even after he was safely back on the bed. It made him feel secure having a grip on someone like that. And as Lucky subconsciously returned the hug, he even more didn't want to let go.
...
"Stinger, time to get up."
Stinger grumbled at the disturbance and shoved his face deeper into a pillow.
"If you're not gonna get up, can you at least let go of me so I can?"
Stinger glanced over at the source of the noise. Then he remembered. Right. He still had his tail wrapped around Lucky's waist. Stinger looked away in embarrassment and let go of him.
He was thanked by a pat on the head, which just annoyed him. Stinger went back to shoving his face in the pillow and going back to sleep. He was still tired.
"Why'd you even have your tail around me?"
Unfortunately it seemed at least one of the inhabitants of his room didn't get that. Stinger sent an annoyed glare at Lucky before deciding he should at least answer the question.
"You were falling off the bed."
"In my defense your bed doesn't fit three people very easily. Especially when you were not exactly in a very small space on the bed." Lucky replied.
"Can I please go back to bed? I'm tired..." Stinger complained.
"We need to look at your cuts first." Naga stated, approaching him with a small med kit.
Stinger sighed and sat up. He was grumbling the entire time as Naga unwrapped his bandages. His complaints turned to whines as the alcohol stung on his cuts. He tried to pull away.
"We need to clean them, Stinger. Stop moving." Naga had to fight to place more alcohol on his wounds.
Stinger didn't like this at all. Lucky sat beside him and practically forced him to stay still. Eventually Naga did finish and he was released. They opted to wait to possibly put new bandages over his arms until they aired out from the cleaning.
"There. All done." Lucky patted him on the back, "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
"Stop treating me like a kid." Stinger grumbled.
"Someone's grumpy today, huh?"
"Well, he did wake up early and we had quite a long talk. It's not that surprising he's still tired." Naga came to his defense.
"Oh. Well, can you stay awake a bit longer and eat something for breakfast?" Lucky asked.
"In here?"
"No. With everyone."
Stinger shook his head. He wasn't going to risk anyone finding out.
"Just say I'm sick and bring me something. I can't face them." Stinger stated after Lucky and Naga both didn't reply.
"You can't hide forever, Stinger." Lucky said, "I know you asked Naga for us to not tell anyone, but even if we don't tell them ourselves, they're going to realize something is wrong if you start acting so withdrawn."
"Just for today, please. I'll eat lunch with everyone. Just let me have one moment of peace." Stinger hated that he was practically begging them at this point.
Lucky and Naga looked at each other and whispered amongst themselves. Stinger couldn't make out anything they were saying to each other no matter how hard he tried to listen in on them.
"Fine. But this is the only time." They finally agreed to his request.
And so the two of them left to go get food. It didn't take long for the three of them to be eating in private. Stinger would've preferred being alone for this but he would just bear with it. They already barely let him eat in here as it was. Pushing them out probably wouldn't help much.
Once they had eaten, he was allowed to go back to bed. Naga left to go return their dishes to the kitchen. Lucky remained, opting to sit on the bed next to where Stinger was laying. Stinger glanced over at him.
"Can I... lay on your lap?" It was a request he was hesitant to make, but eventually did.
"Sure." Lucky was quick to agree.
Stinger moved over to comfortably rest his head on Lucky's lap and part of his body over Lucky's legs. Lucky pulled the covers around him and gently ruffled his hair. Stinger closed his eyes and focused on the quiet sound of Lucky's breathing.
"Sleep well, Stinger."
Stinger let out a small hum of acknowledgement and shifted closer into Lucky's body. Lucky was warm. Lucky felt nice to lay on. It was easy to relax when he was like this.
...
Stinger stirred to a knock on the door. He blinked open his eyes. Who was knocking? Why was someone other than Lucky or Naga here? What did they want?
"Stinger. Can I come in?"
Stinger had to do a double take of who he heard. Why out of all the people on this ship was Tsurugi at his door? Stinger got out of the bed, noting that neither of his boyfriends were in the room now. He opened the door and stared at Tsurugi in confusion.
"What do you want?" Stinger questioned.
"To talk. May I?"
"What's there to talk about?"
"You tell me." Tsurugi made a subtle nod to his arms.
Stinger froze. Fuck. He hadn't covered his arms before answering the door. No... no... This was horrible. Now everyone was going to know. He was done for.
Tsurugi invited himself in at Stinger's silence and closed the door. Stinger watched him as he took a seat on the bed.
"Why did you come here?" Stinger demanded.
"It's obvious what happened is hitting you quite hard. And seeing as you've avoided everyone while those two were fauning over you, it wasn't hard to put two and two together." Tsurugi replied, "Ah, that doesn't explain why I'm here though, does it? I'm very familiar with the feeling of failure like that and thought perhaps I might be able to provide some help. Some of the others found it useful to talk to me already."
"Where are Lucky and Naga? How did you get them to leave me alone?" Stinger questioned with a glare. He wasn't very pleased with Tsurugi invading his privacy and was going to make sure he knew it.
"I didn't do anything." Tsurugi almost seemed offended at the suggestion, "They were sent to do clean up of... you know what."
Stinger tossed himself onto his bed with a sigh, "And so you took that opportunity to come interrogate me?"
"I wouldn't say interrogate."
"I don't want your help. You don't understand!"
Tsurugi kept his voice level as he responded, "How do you know that? I've seen so many people die at the hands of Don Armage and you think I don't understand feeling that way?"
Stinger was knocked off his rhythm by the fact Tsurugi wasn't arguing back at him. He was expecting a fight and yet wasn't being given one.
"Have you ever tried to kill yourself then? Cause if not you-"
Before Stinger could finished, Tsurugi simply rolled up a sleeve and held out his own arm. Stinger stopped in his tracks and stared in disbelief at what he saw. He slowly sat up.
"Why did you...?"
"I led so many people to their deaths. It really got to me, you know. Even when I had thought we defeated Don Armage it didn't change the fact that so many people wouldn't get to go home to their families." Tsurugi said, "Even after all these years I still have this to remind me of those days..."
"I... I'm sorry I... shouldn't have accused you of... that." Stinger felt bad now. He didn't mean for that much of a reaction to happen.
"I was going to mention it whether you asked or not. It's fine." Tsurugi pulled his arm back and rolled his sleeve down once more.
"So... you understand somewhat my problem..."
"Somewhat?"
"I... just feel like a walking bad luck charm. Everything I do... everyone I get involved with... something always goes wrong... I hate myself... why can't I do anything right?"
"You feel like everything you do just ends in failure?" Tsurugi questioned.
"I guess so..." Stinger sighed.
"Then you need to change it. Look at the positives of what has happened because of you. I'm sure there's a lot." Tsurugi stated, "I struggle to remind myself of that sometimes too. That even if they all died, what they did didn't mean nothing. I have to remind myself what we accomplished instead of the failures of our fight."
"I see..." Stinger nodded, "Um... you won't, tell anyone about this right?"
"If you promise not to tell anyone about me then yes."
"Of course." Stinger agreed, "Does anyone know about that besides me?"
"The commander does. That's it."
"Okay. Uh, you can... talk to Lucky and Naga about me if you want... since you know and have experience they might want to hear what you have to say too... I've not been the easiest to work with." Stinger mumbled.
"Certainly." Tsurugi placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sure we can find something to help you get better."
"Thanks... I... really thought if you guys found out I'd be left in the dust..." Stinger admitted, "Stupid thing to think but my self-doubt really got to me."
"You're not used to relying on others." Tsurugi stated.
"I don't want them to think I'm weak."
"Why would they? You've proven your worth more times than enough by now I'm sure. Everyone will probably just want to help you through this." Tsurugi replied, then he paused and added, "Though I guess that is a bit hypocritical coming from me when I don't ever plan to tell anyone."
"The few times I did tell people I thought I could trust never ended well..." Stinger mumbled, "They always laughed at me and called me pathetic for not being able to handle my problems."
Tsurugi sighed, "Did you have anyone on your side?"
"Aniki... but then he... you know..." Stinger trailed off.
"He was the only one who supported you through your struggles until now?" Tsurugi said with another sigh, "I really can't begin to blame you for feeling like you need to hide now."
"I... I've never had much luck being open about my feelings..." Stinger confirmed.
They fell into silence for a while. Stinger didn't want to talk about anything more than what he already had. It did feel nice to actually get to vent about his problems to someone who would listen and understood him.
"Um... so why don't you want to tell them about your past problem?" Stinger didn't know why he decided to ask that suddenly but he did.
Tsurugi didn't respond for a few minutes. He seemed to be thinking over what to say.
"I guess it boils down to I just don't see the importance in it when it's such a long time ago thing. No need to work them up over something I've long since gotten better with." Tsurugi eventually answered with.
"That's fair."
Before Tsurugi could say anything else, the door to the room opened and Naga entered. He looked surprised and a bit annoyed to find Tsurugi in the room.
"You're back. Did it go well?" Tsurugi asked.
"It's fine. What are you doing here?" Naga glanced at Stinger, seeming to ask if he was confortable with this from the look in his eyes. Stinger just shrugged in reply.
"We were having a very productive talk if you ask me. Don't you agree, Stinger?" Tsurugi elbowed him in the side lightly.
"It was a good conversation." Stinger replied.
"Well, I suppose I have overstayed my welcome here." Tsurugi stood up, "See you later."
Naga followed him with his eyes as he left before turning to Stinger, "What the hell happened while we were gone?"
Stinger briefly recapped the whole run-in with Tsurugi. He didn't necessarily hate what had happened. It really did make him see things in a bit of a different light. Maybe he was part of the problem himself with how negatively he kept thinking about his life?
"Anyway, I came to say Spada is almost done making an early dinner for everyone. You coming to eat?" Naga said after the explanation was over. He seemed quite overwhelmed by what he had been told.
"I guess so." Stinger stood up and threw on his jacket. He wasn't making that mistake again.
The two of them exited the room and joined everyone. The mood was a bit lighter than it had been yesterday, but there was still a bit of a heaviness in the air. The conversation was mostly just a report of what they had accomplished during their clean-up. Stinger listened in with mild interest as he sat at a table and rested his head on it.
Naga took a seat beside him and placed a hand on his back. Once Lucky noticed their presence he also came over and joined them. The conversation was winding down now, mostly everything that needed to be said had been. And not long after Spada announced everything was ready and they all began preparing to eat.
...
After dinner ended, Stinger opted to retreat back to his room. He insisted that Lucky and Naga didn't need to join him right away and could hang out with the others, but neither listened. The three of them ended up back in his room together.
As it currently stood, Naga was explaining the whole debacle with Tsurugi earlier to Lucky. Lucky was listening and offering some comments along with the story. Stinger awkwardly sat on his bed and listened, sometimes jumping in to correct or elaborate on something.
"So, are you going to change anything now that he's said all those things to you?" Lucky asked Stinger once the story concluded.
Stinger shrugged, "Maybe. I need some time to think over what he said."
"Alright. Well, let us know if we can help you with anything."
Stinger nodded. It was still a struggle to convince himself he was allowed to ask for help with this. That no one was going to laugh at him this time. He didn't need to keep hiding his feelings because he was afraid of how anyone else might react. And even if there was a bad reaction, he had enough people who cared that could defend him from them.
"What do you want to do now?" Naga asked.
Stinger pondered the question for a while, "What's everyone else doing? Did they say?"
"I think there was talk of possibly a movie night." Lucky replied.
"Then let's just stay in here and do something... they'll get too loud."
"But what can we do?" Naga asked.
"We can probably find some games to play to pass the time if you want." Lucky suggested.
Naga and Lucky both looked expectantly at Stinger for his approval.
"Sure..." Stinger agreed.
"I'll go steal some games from the lounge then." Lucky exited the room.
Naga and Stinger sat in silence for a while. There seemed to be something both of them wanted to say, but weren't willing to.
"So... how are your arms feeling?" Naga eventually asked, "We should probably wrap them for bed just to be safe."
"They're fine."
"You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. I just... never really envisioned being able to open up about my problems like this before. It's hard to do..."
Naga came over and took a seat beside him, "Why is it hard to do?"
"Because I've never been able to open up and be treated kindly. I gave up trying after it kept happening and now it's just engraved in my mind that I shouldn't seek help." Stinger said quietly.
"You've basically trained yourself to fear opening up?" Naga said.
Stinger shrugged, "I guess in a way I have, haven't I...?"
They fell into silence once more. Stinger started thinking. It was obvious that everyone here would support him. He didn't need to worry about any of them mocking him. But the other worry was just about how gentle would they treat him? He didn't want to be treated like a helpless child.
Maybe that was something Lucky and Naga could help with? If they could talk to everyone first and just ask them to not treat him that differently maybe this wouldn't be so bad?
Lucky returned with a few games. He set them down on the floor and then looked over at the other two. Naga tugged Stinger over to Lucky. It didn't take long before they were sat on the floor and playing one of the games.
Stinger didn't know how to bring up what he wanted to ask. It felt a bit awkward to just interrupt the game to say all of those things. Should he just wait till they finished and then ask them?
"Something on your mind, Stinger?"
Stinger wasn't expecting the question. Was it that noticeable that he wanted to say something? Normally he was better at hiding his thoughts than this. Or had these two just learned how to read him better than he thought? Either way, he had to say something now.
"I... well... um..." Stinger didn't know how to even start, "I just was thinking about how to possibly tell the others that something is up at the minimum..."
"And you have an idea?" Lucky questioned.
"I guess. I was... I was thinking maybe if you guys told them and told them how not to act around me it wouldn't hurt as much for them to know." Stinger mumbled, "I just don't want everyone to baby me like I'm helpless. I don't want to be treated differently. I just... need a bit of space and understanding, that's all."
Lucky and Naga exchanged glances, before nodding. It seemed as though his offer was acceptable. Stinger had been a little worried they wouldn't agree with his approach since it meant him not doing anything.
"I'd rather do it this way than risk making you feel worse because of someone being too sympathetic for your liking." Lucky stated.
"I don't care how they find out as long as we tell them you need some help at times. I think this is fine." Naga added on.
"Thanks guys... it means a lot..." Stinger cracked a smile.
"No problem."
"Anything for you."
That put his mind at ease enough for now. He was making progress for the first time. Maybe he could improve? He had doubted it for so long but there were finally people who wanted to help him how he needed it. Life might finally give him a break.
That really was all he could hope for at this point.
...
Over the next few days, there certainly was a slight difference in the way everyone treated him. It wasn't unbearable. It was just some simple things. Just offering him a bit more help every now and again and paying attention to his feelings.
For some, it was them simply spending some more time around him if he ever was seen alone. They'd of course always ask before joining but most of the time Stinger would let them stay. They didn't often talk, just stayed nearby in silence.
Then there were some who took it upon themselves to do other things as well. Spada seemed to make more of the types of food Stinger liked whenever he seemed to sense that Stinger was feeling a bit down. Kotaro would practically smother him with attention whenever he noticed that as well. Champ also seemed to try and start more conversations with him during those times. Shou Ronpo would attempt to try and make sure that at least one of his boyfriends would be able to stay with him if there was ever a mission during those rough days.
It was still so foreign to Stinger to have people care so much. He was slowly getting used to it and letting himself start seeking out support as needed. It was a slow start though. At this point he was just beginning to go see Lucky or Naga if he needed help. The rest of the group would have a long time to wait before he would be brave enough to ask them for help. Except maybe Tsurugi since he understood things more than the others did.
But that was all for the future. Right now he was trying to focus on just getting through each day. There were times Stinger still wished to hide from the others and shut them out. He was a long way from getting better. This wasn't something easy.
Despite that all, Stinger did feel hopeful. Everyone was very encouraging and helpful. It really was making a difference. It was very subtle, but Stinger could see himself improving little by little as the days went by. As long as that kept happening, he did believe there would come a day he could put this all behind him.