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“Matthew!” Thor yelled, announcing his presence on his floor in Avengers tower which he shared with his boyfriend.
“Ugh,” came the reply-a concerning groan- from their bedroom.
“Matthew?” Thor asked, much quieter than he had previously been, stepping into the room.
“Hey Thor,” Matt said barely above a whisper.
“What ails you?” Thor questioned when he saw Matt curled up on their bed, seemingly in the same position he had been in when Thor had left that morning.
“E-everything. It’s t-too loud.” Matt said between quiet sobs.
“Okay,” Thor said, approaching the bed and lying down next to his boyfriend. He did his best to move slowly and quietly as he came to rest next to Matt.
“Th-thor,” Matt said quietly, reaching out for his boyfriend.
“Can I touch you?” Thor asked, waiting for the nod of permission before carefully pulling the younger man into a hug. He gently pressed one of his boyfriend’s ears against his chest with one hand, moving his other to cover Matt’s other ear.
“Thank you,” Matt whispered as he grabbed a fistful of Thor’s shirt and focused on Thor’s heartbeat, letting everything else be ignored. As he paid attention to Thor’s chest, he waited for his breathing to match his boyfriend’s. Then, he slowly let the sounds, smells, tastes, and vibrations of the world back in. After several minutes, or several hours, Matt couldn’t tell, laying like this, Matt processed that he was being held by his boyfriend.
“Thor?” Matt said a little louder.
“Yes,” Thor answered.
“I thought you weren’t coming home until tomorrow.”
“Yes,” Thor chuckled, “that was the original plan, but I wanted to surprise you. It’s a good thing I did because I have a feeling you weren’t going to move from this bed until I got home.”
“You’re right,” Matt said begrudgingly, “it’s just that everything gets so loud sometimes and then I can’t tell what’s around me and then I can’t figure out what’s happening and I’m completely vulnerable and I don’t know-” Thor cut Matt off before he could work himself into a panic again.
“Hey, shhh, shh, it’s alright. Breathe, it’s okay. I’m here now, and whatever comes, whether you can identify it or not, I’ll protect you from it.”
“I know, Thor, I just get overwhelmed sometimes,” Matt said.
“Yeah, but it’s okay and I’ll always come back. Do you need anything? Water, painkillers, food,” Thor offered.
“No, I just need you right now. Please don't leave,” Matt pleaded, tightening his grip on Thor’s shirt.
“Of course, Matthew, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise,” Thor said, pulling Matt tighter against his chest.
Within a few minutes more of listening to Thor’s heartbeat, Matt let his exhaustion pull him into a deep sleep with the knowledge that he would be safe, protected, and loved when he woke up.