The soft jingle of keys preceded the sound of the front door opening. Tetsurou stepped inside, shaking off his coat and toeing off his shoes, his usual cheerful “I’m home!” trailing off when he noticed the dim lighting and the quietness of the space.

He noticed you weren’t greeting him as usual. He looked around before entering the shared bedroom, finding you curled up in the bed with the blankets wrapped tightly around you. Your expression was a mix of discomfort and exhaustion and you barely looked up at his arrival.

His heart sank immediately. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said gently, setting his things aside and walking over to kneel in front of you. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” His face contorts into worry as his larger hand gently rubbed at your hip over the covers.

You sighed, pulling the blanket tighter to your body, weakly expressing it was that time of the month.

His brow furrowed in concern. “Oh, baby. Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve come home earlier.” You simply shrugged, not wanting to have bothered him during the day.

Tetsurou sighed, his hand already moving to brush a strand of hair from your face. “Hold on. I’ll be back.”

He stood, disappearing into the kitchen. You could hear the clinking of mugs and the hum of the microwave, and soon he returned with a steaming cup of tea and a heating pad.

“Tea first,” he said, helping you sit up slightly so you could sip. His touch was gentle, careful, like he was afraid to make you more uncomfortable. Once you’d taken a few sips, he eased you back down, placing the heating pad against your lower stomach.

“Better?” he asked, his hand smoothing over your hair.

Tetsurou grinned softly, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead. “Good.”

He settled beside you, his fingers traced soothing patterns along your back. “And if there’s anything else you need, just tell me. I’m your guy for tea, snacks, or bad jokes. Whatever works.”