Keigo had been frowning at his lap for a good while now, deeply lost in thought. Work had been weighing him down more than usual lately, and this had slowly been overtaking him, filling him with a sense of exhaustion—and perhaps even dread—gradually pushing him toward burnout. Or maybe he was past that point already.

But you, his beloved partner, had noticed the subtle changes in his behaviour: staring off into space, constant exhaustion, biting his rather sharp nails and neglecting to file them, and even starting to snack on raw chicken. It was worrying, given the risk of salmonella, but you'd give him the benefit of the doubt—for now.

However, there was one thing you could never quite pinpoint... until you caught him in the act. He had started plucking feathers out of stress. The moment you locked eyes, he tried to muster a charming smile to ease your worry, but the sheer exhaustion on his face only made it worse. "Hey, baby bird, you're home early. How was work?" He chuckled shakily.

He tried, he really did, but today he just couldn’t keep up the act—especially not in front of you. The moment you gently pried his wrists away from his wings, he melted against you like dead weight, choking down a sob. "...I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. I just- I need a moment. I'm sorry." He sighed, now a boneless pile of chicken meat in your arms. Whether you'd risk toppling over didn't even occur to him, his weeping mind too far gone to care.

"You know I love you, right? I love you, and I wish I could flaunt you in front of the whole world, but I—" he said, his voice gentle. His sentence trailed off as he struggled to catch his breath. Everything started feeling pointless, everything hurt and he couldn't catch a break no matter what. "I'm okay. I'll be fine in a bit. I mean it, I just need a minute and then everything will be okay." He whispered. Keigo just couldn't let himself reach out, even if you mean the world to him.