Warning: This fanfiction deals with anxiety, so if that's a touchy subject for you I suggest you don't read this.
A/N: I had so many ideas for this one, but I decided that I really wanted to see some angst/comforting sheith! I hope you guys enjoy the last fic for sheith week unlimited! :D
Keith was well aware of Shiro's anxiety disorder. It was something that Shiro had told him about in the very start of their relationship, understanding completely if it was a deal breaker. Keith had reassured him that no matter what he would continue to stay by his side and help him through his anxiety attacks, no matter what the cause of them were. Keith had to admit that he didn't know or understand the full extents of what it meant to have an anxiety disorder, but over time he learned more and more about it, whether it was through Shiro's experiences or his own research. No matter what, he just wanted to be there for Shiro to help him through these dark times.
It was on a Saturday morning when Keith was scheduled into work out of the blue. He swore under his breath when he got the text at 7 o'clock in the morning. Trying his best not to wake up his boyfriend, Keith slipped out from under the covers and made his way into the bathroom to wash op. He would normally avoid working mornings, especially on weekends, because he was certainly not a morning person.
When Keith made his way back to the bedroom, he found that Shiro had already woken up. He was sitting up in the bed when Keith walked over to his dresser to grab his work clothes.
"An early shift?" Shiro asked, watching Keith's every move.
"Yup," Keith sighed, annoyance laced in his voice as he started to change into his work clothes. "Lance got sick so he couldn't make it in, so Hunk asked me if I could cover for him. I could use the extra money so I may as well."
Shiro nodded, tucking himself back into bed. He could feel his heart beat starting to increase, but he tried his best to pay no mind to it.
"Do you need me to stay?" Keith asked, taking a seat down onto the bed next to his beloved.
Immediately Shiro sat back up, shaking his head, "No!" He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, "You don't have to, I promise I'll be fine. Thank you for the offer though," He tried his best to smile.
Keith gave him a sympathetic smile, pressing a kiss into his temple, "I promise I'll be home in no time."
Shiro nodded, and Keith stood up from the bed. He gave Shiro one last smile before leaving the room. In a matter of minutes, Shiro could hear the car starting. He quickly got up and made it into the living room just in time to watch the car drive off into the distance.
With a sigh, Shiro walked back into the bedroom. He laid back down in his bed, grabbing his phone to see the time. It was only 7:14 am, meaning he still had plenty of time to sleep before starting his day. However, he didn't think it would be possible to fall back asleep. Shiro tried to think of every possible way to distract himself from the thoughts in his mind, scrolling through social media on his phone, looking up videos that caught his interest, hell even looking through pictures of cute animals.
No matter what he did, he just could not fight the bitter emotions that seemed to soar throughout his body. With a huff, Shiro tossed the covers off of him and made his way into the bathroom. He stared at the reflection in the mirror, noticing the tears that were pricking in the corners of his eyes. He sighed angrily, annoyed at himself for letting such a small thing bother him so much.
It's not like this has never happened before. There have been countless times where Keith was called into work at the worst times to cover for a co worker, and Shiro was perfectly fine with having the mornings to himself. Unfortunately, for whatever reasoning his mind had, this morning had to be different.
With every anxiety attack that approached, Shiro tried to think of ways to calm himself down.
Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.
Shiro sucked in an air of breath, holding it for a total of 7 seconds before slowly releasing the breath. He repeated this process for a few more minutes, and it helped to keep his heart beat steady, but only temporarily as his mind assaulted him with more and more bitter thoughts.
You're so pathetic.
You can't even go one second without your boyfriend by your side.
You can't do anything on your own without freaking out about it, can you?
You can't handle the thought of being alone.
Shiro slammed his hands down on the counter of the bathroom sink, turning the water up the coldest it could go. He collected some of the frigid water in his hands and washed his face, as if washing the anxiety away. He did this a couple of times before coming to a stop, shutting off the water. Shiro let drops of water fall from his face, not caring to wipe them away. He looked back up at his reflection in the mirror, watching the droplets slide down his skin before grabbing a towel to wipe the remaining water away.
He felt his self control beginning to slip away, sobbing into the towel.
"Why do I have to be like this?" He thought to himself as he continued to cry.
"Shiro..."
Immediately, Shiro looked up to see Keith's reflection in the mirror, his face screamed concern and worry. He quickly wiped away the remaining tears with the towel, placing it back down onto the counter.
Shiro took a deep breath before speaking, "What happened to work? I thought you left."
Keith hurried over to his boyfriend's side, pulling him into a warm embrace, "I did leave, but I felt bad about leaving you alone to deal with your anxiety," He took note of when Shiro flinched just mentioning his inner demons, "I called Hunk to tell him I couldn't make it in, and he understood."
"But, Keith... I don't want to hold you back," Shiro responded.
Shaking his head, Keith looked into Shiro's eyes, "I don't care, I want to be here for you when you need me."
Shiro felt overwhelmed with love, but also guilt for making Keith stay behind. His gratitude seemed to outweigh his guilt as he sunk into Keith's warmth, resting his forehead onto Keith's shoulder.
"Thank you," Shiro murmured, and Keith could feel the crook of his neck grow warm.
"It's no problem at all, my love. Let's get back to bed, shall we?"
Keith led Shiro back into their bedroom, allowing Shiro to make himself comfortable in the bed first before following. Keith sat up, his back against the headboard, while Shiro laid down, head in Keith's lap. He scrolled through social media on his phone as Keith ran his fingers through Shiro's hair, helping him to relax. In no time, Shiro had fallen back asleep, and Keith was so thankful that he had turned back around and decided to not go to work.
A/N: As someone who has an anxiety disorder, I understand the struggles of trying to cope and what it's like to be set off by the smallest of things. If anyone needs someone to talk to, don't be afraid to send me a message over on tumblr! Despite the heavy subject, I hope you guys still enjoyed the fanfiction as well as the rest of my contributions to sheith week unlimited!