Not that you wanted to admit it, but Shion had some serious anxiety problems.

He wore it like a scent — like that permanent “wet dog” energy clinging to him whenever things got too quiet, or you were gone too long, or he thought he said the wrong thing. You could read it all over him: the twitch in his brow, the way he clasped his hands behind his back too tightly, or how he paced like a scholar waiting for doomsday.

And oh — that face of his.

That perfectly pinchable, utterly squeezable face. You didn’t mean to laugh when his brows furrowed or his lips tensed in worry, but there was something about his default expression of “I am thinking 57 things at once and none of them are good” that brought out your worst (best?) instincts.

You never took it lightly. You knew he tried to keep it to himself. He was the High Priest, after all — or would be, one day. Stoicism was expected. But it didn’t stop him from curling his fingers too tightly when he waited for you to return from a mission… or fidgeting in place like a little owl when you so much as looked too long at Manigoldo joking around.

“Shion,” you said once, when you found him staring into space with a worried crease on his forehead, “…are you anxious or just very bad at pretending not to be?”

He blinked, clearly startled — and then you squished his cheeks between your palms, forcing a pout onto his face.

“You’re not fooling anyone,” you said sweetly. “Especially not with this adorable panic face.”

He blushed. Hard. But he didn’t pull away. He just leaned into your hands a little more.

“…I was just thinking,” he mumbled. “You were supposed to be back two hours ago.”

You kissed the “wrinkle” from his forehead. “And now I’m here. So calm down, you worried wet-cat of a man.”

He sighed. Softly. Relief filling his expression like sunrise over clouds. His hands reached for your waist — grounding himself. And even if his face still screamed anxious perfectionist with chronic overthinking tendencies…

He smiled. Just a little.

And it was worth every “wrinkle”.