#overworked hero

(may or may not be inspired by my current death by college essay + way too much else)

Hi there friend! I can absolutely write this for you! I adore this scenario so much. I’m so sorry you’re going through it yourself though, it’s awful irl. I hope this snippet helps, here you go!

Break or Burn-Out

“Hero…”

Hero ignored Villain. They zipped to and fro in their workroom, pulling blue string across different photographs. They had ran out of red string, and they hadn’t had time to buy more yet. So blue string it was.

“Hero.”

Hero pulled the cap off of a marker with their teeth, circling important newspaper clippings. They went to put the marker down, but wait, where was the cap? Hero searched and searched the mess of papers on their workbench.

SESSION NOTES:

[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT]

Dr. Misaki Eto enters the room with a cup of tea, placing it in front of Richard Grayson, who is sitting with a bright—albeit tired—smile.

Dr. Eto: "Alright, Richard. Before we begin, I should let you know that this is a safe space. You can talk about anything, no judgment. Also, I brought tea. Because, frankly, you look like you need it."

Grayson: chuckles "Oh, you have no idea." takes the tea gratefully "And you can call me Dick."

Dr. Eto: "Dick, then. So, tell me, what brings you here today? And if you say ‘Bruce made me,’ I will absolutely call him and tell him he needs therapy first."

Grayson: laughs, but it sounds a little too practiced "Well… technically, it wasn’t Bruce. It was a friend. They said I needed to ‘get my head checked out’ because I don’t know how to take a break. Which is ridiculous, by the way. I love breaks. Breaks are great."

Dr. Eto: raises an eyebrow "Uh-huh. And when was your last break?"

Grayson: sips his tea, eyes darting to the ceiling as if the answer is written there "...Does sleep count?"

Dr. Eto: "If you have to ask, then no. So, when was it?"

Grayson: "Define ‘break.’"

Dr. Eto: "Time where you are not working, fighting, solving other people’s problems, or emotionally carrying an entire group of people who do not understand the concept of processing their emotions properly."

Grayson: silence blinks sips tea

Dr. Eto: "Yeah, that’s what I thought."

Grayson: sighs, rubbing his face "Okay, okay. So maybe I don’t take breaks. But I like helping people. I can’t just… stop. What if someone needs me?"

Dr. Eto: "What if you need you?"

Grayson: pauses, clearly thrown off "...Well, damn."

Dr. Eto: "Yeah. Damn. That’s what I thought." leans forward "Dick, I’ve seen a lot of people like you. People who think that if they just keep moving, they won’t have to deal with all the weight they’re carrying. But let me ask you this: what happens when you finally stop?"

Grayson: "...I don’t know."

Dr. Eto: nods knowingly "That’s the problem, isn’t it? You don’t know because you never stop. You’re a high-functioning burnout case waiting to happen."

Grayson: huffs "Okay, that’s dramatic."

Dr. Eto: "Is it? You flinch when I bring up rest. You deflect with humor. You refuse to admit you’re exhausted because then you’d have to acknowledge that you need help. And if you do that, then what? You think everyone around you is going to fall apart?"

Grayson: "...Maybe."

Dr. Eto: "Alright, let’s do something fun. On a scale from ‘I’m doing great’ to ‘I cried in my car last week and pretended it was just allergies,’ how are you?"

Grayson: sips tea aggressively

Dr. Eto: nods "Got it. Not great."

Grayson: laughs softly "You’re good at this."

Dr. Eto: "You’re not the first person I’ve met who wears a smile like armor." leans back in chair "But here’s the thing, Dick. I don’t care how many people you help if you’re running yourself into the ground while doing it. If you burn out, if you collapse, who takes care of you?"

Grayson: quietly "...I don’t know."

Dr. Eto: softens "That’s what we need to fix. You deserve rest, Dick. You deserve to stop without feeling guilty about it."

Grayson: nods slowly "...That’s really hard for me."

Dr. Eto: "I know. Which is why I already made the decision for you."

Grayson: blinks "...What?"

Dr. Eto: "You’re taking a mandatory two-week break. Effective immediately. No work, no fighting crime, no carrying the emotional baggage of your entire family. Just rest."

Grayson: laughs, but in the way someone does when they’re hoping you’re joking "You can’t be serious."

Dr. Eto: "Dead serious. And to make sure you actually take this break, I’ve already written letters."

Grayson: "...Letters?"

Dr. Eto: "Letters. One to your work—because I know you have a job outside of whatever it is you actually do—one to your family, and one to whoever signs off on your daily self-sacrificial tendencies."

Grayson: stares "You did not."

Dr. Eto: smugly "Oh, I did. And if I hear that you are not taking this break, I will personally show up at your home and read them all aloud."

Grayson: mutters "This is an abuse of power."

Dr. Eto: "This is therapy."

Grayson: sighs, rubbing his temples "Okay, okay. You win. Two weeks."

Dr. Eto: smiles warmly "Good. Now, finish your tea. It’s supposed to help with stress."

Grayson: "Do you have one that helps with existential crises?"

Dr. Eto: grins "I’ll see what I can do."

[END TRANSCRIPT]

THERAPIST NOTES: Diagnosis: Overworked. Severely emotionally exhausted. Too good at pretending he’s fine.

Treatment Plan: Mandatory two-week break. Monitor stress levels. Introduce actual rest as a concept. Maybe trick him into hobbies that don’t involve saving people.

Letters Sent:

One to his very concerned workplace

One to his probably dysfunctional family

One to the man who may or may not be Batman

Conclusion: Richard Grayson is a chronic overachiever with a hero complex the size of Gotham. He is a genuinely good person who struggles to believe he deserves rest. For now, I will force him into taking a break. If he does not take it, I will personally track down the person who raised him and tell them to intervene.

…Though, something tells me that person is also in desperate need of therapy.

"Helloooo!"

Hero blinked slowly, only just registering the blur of a hand waving in front of their face.

Villain frowned. "What's up with you?" they demanded. "First you don't show up to our fight, then you ignore me and walk right past me when I show up at your door. You didn't even have the decency to leave a coded message!"

Hero stared blankly at their nemesis. "...Sorry?" They really must be out of it if they didn't notice all that.

The villain pressed forward. Hero didn't seem to notice how close they were. "Are you sick? Hurt?"

It took a moment for Hero to register the questions and then another to realize that they were supposed to answer. "Just...tired."

Villain finally leaned out of their space, eyes narrowed. "Well that won't do. I need you at your best if I'm going to beat you!"

Hero watched Supervillain warily as they crossed the room to lounge against the desk in front of them. "What do you want from me?"

Supervillain leaned slightly forwards to look Hero up and down. "You're gorgeous, love, so don't take this the wrong way, but you look like you haven't slept in days."

Only days? Hero had barely slept in months. "It's training." they snapped. "And it's none of your business."

"Training?" They thought they detected a slight tremor in Supervillain's voice.

"It's normal." Hero said. "It's fine. I'm not here so you can save me again."

Hero sat on the rooftop, their legs swinging over the edge. It had been what felt like the longest few weeks of Hero’s life, with one problem after the other just hurtling at them. First, there had been the crime family they had to take down, then there was the power struggle between other criminals that had followed, then the mayor had gotten involved, and to top it off, there had been a bank bombing. Hero was beyond exhausted, but it wasn’t like they could take a break- they were Hero for goodness’ sake.

“Hero,” Villain called, “you didn’t forget about me, did you?”

Hero sighed, stood up, and turned around. There was Villain, standing on the other side of rooftop in a fighting stance. Hero didn’t want to do this now, but they couldn’t just let evil run rampant. So, with a groan, Hero dropped into their own fighting stance. Villain grinned and charged. Hero just barely managed to dodge their punch. They weakly threw a punch of their own. Villain easily caught their wrist.

“You’re off today, Hero,” Villain drawled, “have you been getting enough sleep?”

Hero wrenched their hand out of Villain’s grip and tackled them to the ground. Villain struggled for a moment but easily overpowered Hero. Villain pinned Hero in place on their back and straddled them.

“What’s got you off your game, little Hero?” Villain asked, “you’re normally much more fun to fight with.”

“Buzz off,” Hero bit out.

Hero tried to wriggle free, but Villain pinned their hands above their head and cupped their face with their free hand.

“Seriously,” Villain said, “I’m worried about you.”

“Why?” Hero asked, eyes narrowed, “I’ve got everything under control.”

“Hm,” Villain mused, “when was the last time you got eight hours of sleep?”

Hero laughed. That was easy! They always got eight hours of sleep! Well, except for yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, and… well, maybe their sleep schedule had been off for a little while. Villain noticed Hero’s hesitation and tutted. They got off of Hero and helped them to their feet. Hero swayed at first, but Villain quickly steadied them.

“Go home, Hero,” Villain said, “you need to rest.”

“What!?” Hero asked, “no, I can’t! There’s still a bunch of other crime families out there trying to take control. I can’t stop until they’re all behind bars!”

“I see,” Villain said, “is there anything I can do to get you to take a break?”

“You'd have to kidnap me,” Hero joked.

As soon as they had said it, Hero regretted it. They saw a familiar glint in Villain’s eyes.

“Alright,” Villain said with a shrug, “you asked for it.”

Villain quickly pulled out a syringe from their pocket. Hero’s eyes widened. They backed away from Villain.

“Villain, I was joking,” Hero said.

Villain ignored them and stepped forward; Hero mirrored their movements until their back hit a wall.

“Villain, wait!”

“Tilt your head for me,” Villain said, gently moving Hero’s head, exposing their neck.

“Villain, please! I was kidding! I-”

Villain plunged the needle into Hero’s skin and emptied the contents into their system.

“Villain!” Hero yelled in exasperation.

“Shh.” Villain put a finger to Hero’s lips and pocketed the empty syringe, “if this is what it takes to get you to rest, so be it.”

“This isn’t funny, this is… th-this… woah…”

Hero’s vision began to grow blurry, and they lost the strength to hold themselves up. Villain caught them before they could hit the ground and swept them up into a bridal carry.

“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Close your eyes.”

“N-no,” Hero said stubbornly.

“Don't be difficult, Hero, just close your eyes. There we go, that's it."

Hero's eyes fluttered shut despite their efforts to keep them open. They were distantly aware of Villain carrying them away to who knew where. Hero drifted off to the sound of Villain's voice.

"I do take care of myself!" Hero protested.

"Oh, yes, your growing fever and utter exhaustion are testaments to your exemplary self-care," Villain retorted.

"It's been a busy week, alright?" Hero said, "between school and dealing with you and everything else that's been going on, I just..."

Hero coughed a few times before continuing.

"Look, as soon as the weekend gets here, I'll take a break, okay?" Hero promised.

"Not good enough, little Hero."

Villain closed the distance between them and scooped Hero up into their arms.

"Gah! What are you doing?" Hero cried.

"Getting you to bed for a start," Villain answered, "then some medicine for the fever. Honestly, I shouldn't have to do this for you."