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This wasn't any place for Damien's anxiety to be acting up.
He was sat on Shayne's couch, controller in hand, the two deep in a round of Smash Bros Ultimate. Unleashing a side-special, he sent Shayne's character flying off the side of the stage, the announcer calling "GAME"! Shayne chuckled, pretending to be upset at his loss, slamming his controller down on the table in a joking manner.
Damien jumped at the noise, startled back into reality. He hadn't even realized he'd zoned out, quick to reapply his plastered-on smile.
Shayne, of course, noticed. He recognized the way Damien blinked when he was particularly stressed, the motion of his hands grabbing the nearest textured object, in this case, the controller, and turning it around in his hands. He wasn't sure what Damien was thinking about, whether the flashing lights and upbeat Nintendo music had been too much in the moment.
"Dude, are you ok? You're stimming like crazy.." Shayne started, his eyes meeting a streak of red running down Damien's finger.
"Oh- dude! You're bleeding!" Damien cocked his head, looking down at his knuckle, matted in frayed skin. He hadn't even noticed he'd been picking at it again. It was a nasty habit he'd picked up when overwhelmed. It wouldn't be so bad if every knuckle got the same treatment, but this one on his right hand received the brunt of the abuse.
Shayne reached out, gently brushing his finger against the wound. When Damien flinched, inhaling through his teeth, Shayne quickly retreated.
"I'm sorry.." Shayne had lowered his tone, cringing internally at his friend's pain.
Damien murmured some sort of an "It's fine", pulling himself inward. A wave of embarrassment washed over him, the instinct to apologize profusely winning his mind.
"I'm sorry, I probably look like a kid right now. I- I don't mean to be acting like this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.."
Shayne's expression softened, hovering a hand by Damien's shoulder, not quite touching it.
"No, you don't look like a kid at all, Dames. Full adults get anxious all the time. I promise, coping doesn't make you any less of an adult." Shayne finally sets his hand onto Damien's shoulder, patting it. A miniscule shiver runs down Damien's back as the two make contact.
"C'mon, bud. Let's get that hand cleaned up."
Flicking on the bathroom lights, Shayne cringed again at the wound, looking even worse in the light. He sighed, turning the knob on the faucet, directing Damien to wash the sticky blood from his finger.
"Where do you keep your band-aids?" Shayne inquired, walking across the tile floor to the cabinet. Damien could only muster an unsure "I'on 'member," as he ran his hand beneath the faucet, the sensation just too cold, the lights just too bright.
"You have to stop picking at that hand, it could get infected. You have fidget rings, why aren't you using one of those instead?" Shayne asked, with an undertone of worry that Damien failed to pick up on. His frustration grew as he rifled through each drawer of the cabinet, the screech and bang! of their opening and closing causing Damien to flinch with each noise. His black nails scratched and dug into his wrist, fearful of picking at his knuckles again.
When Shayne finally found the small cardboard box, he sighed, returning to Damien at the sink. A small gasp left Shayne as he saw the new scratches along his friend's arm, the way he blinked as he stood frozen.
"Damien.." Shayne's voice dared to shudder as he reached out to touch Damien's arm, pulling away as he felt a flinch beneath his touch. He studied Damien's face for a moment, the overstimulation clear in the way he shut his eyes tight, opening them to survey his environment before tightening them again. Even a safe space could feel dangerous to someone going through what Damien was.
Shayne was silent as he unwrapped the band-aid, Damien's labored breathing sinking Shayne's heart down to his feet. Gently, he brushed his fingers against Damien's, easing him into the oncoming touch as he lifted the wounded hand. His fingers pressed reassuringly into Damien's palm, thumb stroking the back of his hand as Shayne wrapped the band-aid around his knuckle. When he finished, Shayne held on for a few more seconds before lowering Damien's hand.
Once Shayne let go of his hand, Damien tensed, drawing it to his chest where it met his other hand, fingers playing with nothing. The dread of being perceived thumped in his heart, gazing into the distance.
Shayne frowned, unsure of how to help the anxious Damien, hesitant to speak or touch him lest he cause his friend to jolt. But standing there, observing his best friend in the world in this state was too much to handle, a tear welling up in Shayne's eye that he forced back down.
In the most gentle tone he could muster, Shayne suggested, "Do you want to lay down somewhere dark for a while?"
It took a moment to register with Damien, but Shayne could be patient. Eventually Damien nodded, blinking as he continued to avoid eye contact.
Shayne offered up his hand, Damien clutching it like a lifeline. The sudden squeeze sent a pang through Shayne's heart.
Making sure to shut off the bathroom light behind him, Shayne led Damien to his room. He only let go of Damien's hand to draw the curtains, allowing only a glint of sunlight to filter in. Shayne laid on his bed, leaving enough room for Damien, letting his friend make the next move without overcrowding him.
Seeing Damien slide himself under the covers for the weight they provided, he followed suit. The room was silent save the hum of the ac and only light enough for the two to see, yet Damien looked no closer to relaxing out of this state, his whole body tense.
He thought for a moment before hesitantly raising an arm, giving Damien enough room to slide into a hug.
As soon as Damien noticed the invitation, he took the opportunity to bring himself to Shayne's side, resting his racing head over Shayne's heart.
Chest fluttering, Shayne wrapped his arm around Damien, splaying his hand out over his upper back, providing a grounding weight. Feeling the rapid thump of Damien's heart beneath his palm, he frowned, before vaguely remembering a grounding technique he had learned in college.
Taking thinner breaths, Shayne brought his own breathing pace up to match Damien's. Once the two had synced, Shayne began to take deeper, more drawn breaths. Subconsciously, the boy beside him followed. A relieved smile met Shayne's face as the tension held in Damien's shoulders released, easing into the calm.
An arm reached over Shayne's torso, pulling the two of them closer together.
Shayne had only intended to stay here long enough for Damien to calm down, but seeing his best friend's half lidded eyes.. he couldn't resist.
He raised his hand from Damien's back up to his hair, threading his fingers deep in the dark brown strands. When his fingers curled into a slow scratching motion, a rosy blush came to his face at the contented sigh that left Damien.
Shayne kept playing with Damien's hair, alternating between curling long strands around his fingers and scratching. He watched carefully and with adoration as Damien fought to keep his eyes open, and eventually they slid shut.
Shayne hummed absentmindedly, the lullaby that was his vibrating chest and gentle fingers working its magic in Damien, coaxing every ounce of stress from him.
"There we go... that's it." Shayne mumbled, and it was as if Damien had been given permission to rest, his chest rising and falling in deep, sleep-laden breaths.
"You're safe."