#tanyasm10

The engineering student jerked forward, startled from his own thoughts. He glanced over his shoulder to Keith, who had shut his book and began climbing off the bed. He wore a black hoodie that Hunk faintly recognized to be his own, and he had most of his hair tied back in a ponytail that did little to keep his hair out of his face.

Hunk leaned back in his chair and Keith loomed over him, casting a shadow across his eyes. “I’m… good. Fine.” He said, just a touch irritated. “Just gotta plan this stupid machine out so that I can actually start working on it before I—” He sighed again. “Fail, or something. I dunno.”

Keith frowned, and Hunk pointedly looked away, back at his work. “I’m fine. Go back to studying.”

Fortunately for Keith, he didn’t really need to study. He mostly did it to spend extra time with his boyfriends. And so, instead of ambling back towards the bed and leaving Hunk to needlessly stress, he pulled the pencil from Hunk’s mouth and tossed it in the trashcan behind him.

“You need a break.”

“Keith.” Hunk pinched the bridge of his nose, and Keith could tell that he was this close to crying by the way his eyes wrinkled in the corners and his fingers trembled. “I really need to get this done today, or else I’ll never pick up my thought process again. And then I’ll have to start all over, and that’s hours of work just gone down the drain.”

Keith crossed his arms, leaning over to look down at the paper that was stressing Hunk out so much. It looked like it started as a basic layout for an engine, with a few notes here and there to adapt it for different vehicles, but most of it had been angrily scribbled out with thick black X’s, and half of it was torn and probably in the trash.

He hooked his hands against the back of the office chair and pulled Hunk out of his desk. “You need a break.” He repeated. “You know how you get when you’re stressed out.”

Before Hunk could protest and try to drag himself back towards his work, Keith whistled sharply, startling Shiro awake.

Shiro jerked up, and Keith offered him an apologetic wince. “Sorry. Can you help me with Hunk?”

Hunk groaned, burying his hands in his palms. “I’m fine, guys. Go back to sleep, Shiro.”

Shiro only needed to take one look at Hunk’s face, though, to figure out what was more important. He rubbed sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand and rolled off the bed in order to pull the covers back. Keith, in the meanwhile, gathered all the trash and stuffed it in the trash and out of sight before he shooed Hunk from his chair and onto the bed.

“What’s going on?” Shiro asked, voice thick with sleep before he cleared his throat. “Did something happen?” He pulled Hunk onto the bed, and the latter reluctantly went, only with a bit of gentle prodding from both of his boyfriends.

“Nothing happened.” He grumbled, and Shiro opened both of his arms to offer a warm hug. Hunk took it, burying his face against Shiro’s shoulder.

Keith climbed in behind Hunk, grabbing the blankets to swathe them completely until they were in a comfy cocoon of duvets and snuggles. He pressed himself snug against Hunk’s back, wrapping his arms around his middle from behind in order to squeeze him in a firm, grounding hug. He didn’t need to look at his face to realize that he was probably crying by now, but Shiro was probably gonna be soaked by the end of it.

Shiro didn’t complain at all. He was probably more asleep than awake, honestly, but he played his role perfectly. He gently shushed Hunk and let his fingers rake through his hair, gently pulling out the tangles Hunk had left there.

“It’s gonna be okay, Hunk.” Shiro promised. “I’ll help you study, after this.”

Hunk mumbled something that Keith couldn’t catch, but Shiro began to laugh.

“You’re not gonna fail, babe. You’re too good at this, and I’m sure your professor knows it too.” He yawned, burying his face against the crown of Hunk’s head to press a kiss against it. “Just take a breather for a second, okay?”

Keith felt Hunk nod, and he silently let out a relieved sigh.

Shiro was much better at comforting Hunk with words than Keith was, even when he was half-asleep, and Keith was ever so grateful for that. He reached over Hunk to find Shiro’s hand, squeezing it tight.

Keith pressed forward to place a kiss against the curve of Hunk’s shoulder, and Hunk relaxed even more. Like this, Keith could freely bury his face against Hunk’s back and listen to his heartbeat from there, and how it began to slow down from its panicked state, to a calmer, steady beat.

Keith and Shiro had full faith in Hunk’s abilities, and they knew that Hunk did, too. He just got too wrapped up in his mind sometimes, was all.