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Language:
English
Series:
Part 146 of Focus on Neurodivergence , Part 8 of [COMPLETE] Autism Acceptance Month 2024 , Part 4 of [COMPLETE] Angstpril 2024 + Alt Prompts , Part 4 of [RETIRED] Whumpril 2024 + Alt Prompts , Part 9 of [COMPLETE] March of Pain 2024 + Alt Prompts , Part 3 of [RETIRED] Wollemi Whump Event 2024 + Alt Prompts , Part 15 of [RETIRED AND UNFINISHED] Febuwhump 2024 + Alt Prompts , Part 16 of [COMPLETE] Hurtcember 2023 + Alt Prompts , Part 20 of [COMPLETE] Comfortember 2022 + Alt Prompts , Part 1 of [RETIRED AND UNFINISHED] April Spring Fling 2024
Collections:
Autism Positivity, Theater Prompts + Fics, March of Pain 2024, Hurtcember 2023, Comfortember 2022, Autism Acceptance Month Prompts 2024
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Published:
2024-05-01
Words:
306
Chapters:
1/1
Comments:
2
Kudos:
10
Hits:
137

Complete Shutdown

Summary:

Dennis has a shutdown backstage

Notes:

Autism Acceptance Month 2024 prompt : Write a fic in which a character has a meltdown or a shutdown
Angstpril 2024 prompt : Drained
Whumpril 2024 prompt : Brain Fog
April Spring Fling 2024 prompt : Bunny
March of Pain 2024 prompt : Shutdown
Wollemi Whump Event 2024 prompt : Out of It
Febuwhump 2024 prompt : Self-Conscious
Hurtcember 2023 prompt : Freeze
Comfortember 2022 prompt : Frozen

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

There was just simply too much going on and Dennis' brain didn't know how to handle it.

Sometimes, when this would happen, he'd wind up having a meltdown, hitting himself in the head repeatedly and making a distressed humming noise as his body and mind seemingly exploded for a little while until he would calm back down, exhausted and embarrassed.

On times like this, however, he didn't have the energy for such things, and so his brain would instead go into shutdown mode, forcing him into a nearly vegetative state, more or less frozen in place both mentally and physically, barely able to communicate with anyone or process anything happening around him.

This is the state Trevor found him in backstage after a particularly bad rehearsal.

"Hey, Den" the tech greeted as he spotted the man curled in a ball on the dressing room counter, a glazed-over expression on his face. "You good?" he asked. No response or even an acknowledgment that he was heard. Trevor frowned and sat next to the man. "Dennis?"

He knew Dennis was Autistic and would sometimes have unorthodox ways of coping with stress due to the disorder, but he hadn't ever seen the man completely shut down like that before.

He remembered that Dennis had a small stuffed rabbit in his bag that he'd sometimes hold to help with stress so he respectfully located it in the man's bag (without snooping around too much) and handed it to him.

Dennis didn't respond to this, but he did move his arms to hug the rabbit to his chest and stroked its fur slowly with his right thumb.

Unsure of what else to do, Trevor just popped in earbuds and turned on music, hoping his presence was comfort enough for the man.

The more present part of Dennis' mind appreciated it endlessly.

Notes:

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