[COMPLETE] May Dump 2024

with great abandon | depression & autistic burnout | harry/russell

Autism Acceptance Month 2024 prompt : Write a fic in which an Autistic character uses a stim/fidget toy
Wollemi Whump Event 2024 prompt : Help
OTP Year Challenge 2024 prompt : Growth
Whumptober 2023 prompt : "I thought that I was getting better." (Emptiness | Setbacks | "Take it easy.")

Harry was doing better. Much better.

He'd gone to therapy, his depression had become far more manageable, and he was finally happy.

However, as nice as this progress was, it made it all the more frustrating when he burnt himself out again.

He had been masking a lot at work and had neglected to unmask as much as he could when he was at home. This inevitably led to a build-up of exhaustion that culminated in a rather difficult burnout and depressive episode.

He felt empty and embarrassed. He lost the ability to speak and had a hard time even getting out of bed in the mornings.

Thankfully for him, Russell was very understanding. He called into work for him, telling the blonde's boss that he'd contracted a severe stomach bug and would be out of work for a while. Harry had built up a lot of vacation days, so he wasn't at risk of being fired.

Harry felt wrong, not working. Russell reassured him that he could take it easy and encouraged him to rest and recover properly. He assured him that this was only a minor setback and did not diminish all the progress he'd made with his mental health- Sure, he wasn't in the worst of it anymore but he still had depression and burnouts would still happen. It didn't make him any lesser-than.

Russell also encouraged Harry to engage more with fidget toys- The blonde was typically too embarrassed to use them (even though he never thought less of Russell for using them to help with his focus issues), but the depression forced him not to care as much. Several times, Russell would walk in on Harry playing with his infinity cube, slightly dissociated and trying simply to rest his mind.

The brunet knew that the depression wasn't easy- He held Harry through more than one crying session during this episode- And he knew that burnout was an absolute bitch and a half- He helped the man through several meltdowns during this time frame- But he also knew that Harry was strong and that it wouldn't last forever.

Harry was endlessly thankful for his boyfriend's patience.

Russell just wanted to help in any way he could.