you’d already been holding it together by a thread— long days, short nights, too much pressure stacked on top of each other like it was nothing. you were barely keeping up, barely holding yourself upright by the time the meeting ended.

dean didn’t know that, not really. he only saw the mistake, the detail you missed, the shot you should’ve taken faster. so when the doors closed behind you both, he turned with a huff, voice low but sharp as a blade as he started in on it.

“you weren’t focused,” he said, pacing, “you missed the shot and almost cost us having to wait another year for the damn thing to come back around. you’re better than that.”

you nodded once, silent, jaw clenched as you stared at the floor. you tried to take it, tried to breathe past it like usual, but it hit different tonight. something about the tone, the timing, the way it stacked on top of everything else— your throat closed. your vision blurred, and before you could stop it, the tears broke free.

you didn’t sob, didn’t make a sound, but they fell anyway, your head dropping slightly as you tried to turn away, tried to hide it— but he saw anyways. everything about him shifted in an instant, the lecture stopped, and the frustration died.

“stop,” he said, but he wasn’t mad anymore, just quieter. he stepped toward you, slow like approaching something fragile. “look at me.”

when you didn’t look at him, his hand lifted gently under your chin, tilting your face just enough for him to see the tears that hadn’t stopped. his expression didn’t soften— dean didn’t do soft— but his thumb brushed a tear from your cheek like it didn’t belong there.

“you’ve had a rough week,” he said quietly, like he’d only just realized it. “i didn’t know.”

you shook your head, trying to look away again, but he didn’t let you. he held your gaze. “come here,” he muttered, voice low, pulling you into him without waiting for permission. he held you for awhile. he didn’t say anything else, just stayed there, his hand at the back of your head, just wanting your tears to stop.