Work Text:
The afternoon had been uneventful for Tsunagu, who was working on a poster for the youth group he hosted in the afternoons.
He had taken a graphic design course during his three years in vocational school, and it served him well. He had been terrible with computers as a teenager, forcing his future husband to make the posters for their club.
But now he could make his own, and he was enjoying himself before a loud slam made him misspell an entire line of text.
Automatically, he spoke in a tone that resembled a parent’s as he backspaced several times. “Mind your manners—”
His quirk’s extra sense allowed him to identify the visitor, and he clamped his mouth shut the moment he realized it was not one of his many students, nor was it anyone else who may deserve to be scolded.
Tsunagu looked up, and he got a good look at Edgeshot, who was stalking toward him with rage in his eyes. His footsteps were loud, and what could be seen of his face was lightly flushed.
Something had clearly happened, and being scolded probably increased his anger, even if it were an unintentional event.
Edgeshot practically growled, glaring at Tsunagu as his hands gripped his scarf tightly. “Do not start on me right now.”
Tsunagu stood, saving and exiting out of his editing program. He was embarrassed, his own face flushing as he rushed to apologize. “My apologies, Edgeshot. My kids are always romping around, slamming the doors like they live here, and—”
He cut himself off, noticing that Edgeshot was most likely not listening to his apology.
He knew this because he was ripping off his mask, frowning deeply as he allowed it to fall to the floor. He also ripped off his scarf, stripping away Edgeshot and leaving Kamihara Shinya behind to seethe.
He then started to pace up and down the length of the office, his hands rubbing at his shirt and pants. He was breathing heavily, clearly still enraged by some mysterious force in his recent past.
“…what happened?” Tsunagu asked, giving Shinya his full attention as he watched him attempt to calm himself.
Shinya did not stop as he replied, almost growling again in his rage, his nails digging into his shirt. “The media happened. I don’t—who the fuck in their right mind gets that close to a battle?! I could had struck her, and—”
Suddenly, Tsunagu understood exactly why Shinya looked close to screaming, his heart pounding against his senses. Heroes were always considering their environment, and careless civilians and media personnel often caused them unneeded stress.
He slowly started to walk away from his desk, suspecting that Shinya was about to have a meltdown. He must had felt that his own office was too far away, making Tsunagu’s his secondary safe space.
At the same time, he took out his phone and quickly opened the app he used to communicate with his agency. He pinged everyone as he wrote out a short message, one he knew would be easily understood.
Please stay clear of my office until further notice.
He was very rarely asked why he sometimes requested privacy, but he knew his students had their own ideas. Some would believe he was working on a secret mission only top heroes could be involved in, while a few of his more spirited trainees would think he was having an intimate moment with Shinya.
He supposed that he was close to fulfilling the second option, even if the intimacy that was sure to come was not what they were probably imagining.
Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Tsunagu focused fully on Shinya again. He had only looked away for a few seconds, and in that time, his husband had stopped pacing. He was staring out the large windows, his muscles uncomfortably tight.
He finally walked away from his desk, keeping himself a good distance away from Shinya. He could tell he was highly strung, and he knew that physical touch may be too much for him when a meltdown was imminent.
“Some people are just fools,” he replied, hoping that his tone was non-judgmental. “There is nothing you can do about it.”
Shinya spun around to look at him, letting out a sound that resembled both a growl and a cry that had been swallowed down at the last second. His eyes went back to the windows, as if he were imagining someone watching him from outside.
“Nobody can see us from out there,” Tsunagu reminded him, speaking in a tone he knew was non-judgmental. “You’re safe here.”
Shinya sighed loudly, the sound harsh against Tsunagu’s ears. “I—I—”
He cut himself off, but Tsunagu could easily imagine several ways Shinya could had ended his remark.
I can’t do this.
I should had outgrown this years ago.
I don’t mean to bother you.
I’m sorry.
Sadly, those were the kindest remarks Tsunagu could imagine, as Shinya’s self hatred could cut deeper than any blade. He could come up with the most soul-crushing insults, all directed at himself.
That was to be expected, since he used to be tortured and berated when he struggled with overwhelming emotions as a child.
When Shinya made no move to speak again, Tsunagu spoke in a low, soft tone. “You’ll feel better in the end, if you let yourself unravel now.”
Shinya stared at Tsunagu, clenching his fists harshly before he suddenly relaxed his hands. He reached out slowly with the same hands he sometimes yanked and clawed himself with, a silent plead on his lips.
Tsunagu understood immediately.
He rushed forward, grabbing his hands tightly and helped them both to the floor. Their knees collided with the wood hard, and Shinya let out a gutted cry a moment later.
Tsunagu allowed his husband to grip his hands tightly, not even flinching at how harsh he was being. He was also beginning to violently sob, as if he had not cried for many years.
Shinya was unable to hold back, and he sobbed and screamed as if his heart were being torn apart. His control over his quirk was lost, and his long silver hair suddenly flowed down his back as he struggled to breath steadily.
He knew Shinya would not hear him, so Tsunagu stayed quiet. His grip was firm and grounding as he waited, knowing he would eventually be able to take a more active role.
It was difficult to watch as an observer, but he knew Shinya would be alright. Holding it all in would be much worse for him, as the explosive meltdown ultimately helped him regulate himself. Tsunagu wished he felt less shame about them, but he had to accept that he would always feel some shame due to how he was treated in his most vulnerable years.
Time slowly passed, and Shinya’s meltdown finally began to fade away. His face was a reddened mess, covering in tears and snot as he gasped for breath. He sounded as if he had just got done fighting for his life, the event easily tiring him out.
Tsunagu knew this to be the case the moment Shinya’s shoulders slumped. He knew how it felt to be unraveled by his own body, though most of his own meltdowns resulted from sensory overload due to his quirk rather than the appearance of a severe anger.
He sighed in relief, letting go of one of his hands. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a soft handkerchief he had sewn by hand a long time ago. He eyed Shinya carefully, silently waiting for permission to touch him further.
With exhausted eyes, Shinya very slowly nodded his head as he lifted his face toward Tsunagu. He knew this to be permission, and he reached out with the cloth to gently wipe away the mess his meltdown left behind.
“Can I help you to the couch?” he asked, whispering so low that he hardly heard himself.
Shinya sighed deeply, nodded slightly harder as his grip on Tsunagu’s hand loosened. Both of them were sore from how tightly he had been grabbing him, but the discomfort was easy to ignore as he carefully wrapped his arms around his husband.
Pulling him close, he slowly rose from the floor. Shinya was able to support himself somewhat, and he took several deep breaths as they started to move to the couch.
As they were close to it, they just had to sidestep a few times. Tsunagu was then able to ease Shinya onto the middle cushions, watching as he collapsed on his back as soon as he released him.
He glanced at Tsunagu, also speaking low enough that Tsunagu almost did not hear. “Sorry…”
He shook his head, leaning down and resting his hand on Shinya’s forehead. He stroked him gently, noting how Shinya allowed it as he responded. “There’s no need for an apology. I should be thanking you, really, for trusting me enough to seek me out.”
Tsunagu’s mind drifted to the past, as he could remember when he had first learned that Shinya suffered from meltdowns. He could easily remember that day, hours after class had ended, and how Shinya was hiding in a closet. He was screaming into his blazer, terrified of being caught but too overwhelmed to do anything but express his distress.
He had understood even then, as he held his hand and helped him to breath, that Shinya trusted him. He may be naturally hesitant to let go, but Tsunagu was the one person allowed to see him unraveled and exposed willingly.
Shinya merely nodded at him, closing his eyes as his breathing finally settled. This was expected, as meltdowns snapped at his energy, and Tsunagu figured that he would be napping in his office for at least a half hour.
There was a decorative blanket hanging over the back of the couch that he had knitted, and he used his quirk to pull it toward Shinya. He covered him quickly, his eyes landing on his desk that had several items decorating it.
Sitting on the corner of the desk was a wolf plushie, one that he had also sewn himself. It sat and watched over the office, and many of his kids had cuddled it during overwhelming moments.
Wanting Shinya to have that same comfort, he took control of the wolf and made it hop off the desk. He knew he would not have to ask him if he wanted it, as his husband had grown to like plushies due to being influenced by his own love for them.
He made it walk over, and he could feel Shinya’s eyes tracking it as it hopped onto his chest. It caused him to huff out a tiny laugh of sorts, and he immediately started to stroke the fur gently. His motions were no longer distressing, much to Tsunagu’s relief.
“Are you comfortable?” Tsunagu asked, watching as Shinya’s eyes closed again.
Shinya nodded one more time, his muscles relaxing more by the second. It was very likely that he would not be speaking until he had rested, though Tsunagu did not mind the silence or the guest that would be sleeping on his couch.
Before he could fall asleep, he quickly leaned down and kissed Shinya on the head. “Sleep well, my little crane.”
Shinya’s lips twitched slightly at the endearing nickname, and Tsunagu stood up straight as he rubbed his head one more time. It was too bad that they could not cuddle, but they would certainly have more time for that sort of intimacy once their shifts ended.
For now, he had a poster to finish, and his husband had a nap to attend to.