Newt's book of oneshots

Silence Can Be Good - Takashi Mitsuya

Word Count: 1375

Paring: Takashi Mitsuya x Gn! Reader

Summary: Having a speech impediment as an adult is difficult and sometimes you just need to go quiet.

Warnings: Reader has a speech impediment, mentions of criticizing someone for a disability

A/n: Hello, I want to start off by saying sorry for my absence. My ADHD is once again kicking my ass. Secondly, I want to make it clear I, THE AUTHOR, of this imagine have a speech impediment and so this is written from experience. Any double s's that should be only one s or when you see '...' it is supposed to represent pausing to find the right word. Even if I myself have a speech impediment, it was difficult for me to find a way to turn it into something you can read, so please be kind. Also I am aware that toge form jjk technically won the poll for this fic, but I'm sorry i couldn't figure out how to make this story work with him. Anyways, please enjoy, remember my requests are open and as always remember to hydrate or diedrate.

It was normal for Takashi to come home from a long day at his studio and be greeted with music and the sounds of his partner playing video games in the living room. So when he opened the door to their shared apartment and was greeted by a deafening silence. "Y/n, I'm home." He called out as he made his way through the apartment, taking note of Y/n's keys and shoes thrown haphazardly by the door like always. When there was no response he suspected that Y/n had decided to take a nap after their long day at work and so he quietly made his way to their shared bedroom.

Opening the door, Takashi took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the space. When he was able to make out shapes in the dark room he could see the outline of his partner curled up on the bed, and had it not been for the slight shudder in their shoulders he would have assumed they were in fact asleep; but Takashi knew better and so he quietly approached the bed sitting down behind them and turning on the bedside lamp. He gently nudged their shoulder to let them know he was there and when they rolled over and just buried their face in his side he made no move to stop them.

The two of them sat like that for a few minutes before Takashi broke the silence. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked gently while running his fingers through their hair. Y/n just shook their head clinging to Takashi just a little tighter. It took him a moment but he slowly started to piece it together. In all their years together Y/n had only gone silent a handful of times. The main cause was normally when one of them had to go to the doctor, as Y/n has a fear of hospitals and being in them typically caused panic attacks. Seeing as the two of them were in the safety of their home, there was only one thing Takashi could think of that would cause Y/n to go nonverbal. Someone made fun of the way they talk.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Takashi began forming a plan to get Y/n to open up again. "Do you want to pick out a movie while I order dinner?" He asked looking down at where they had their face pressed to his chest. After a moment Y/n slowly pulled back, nodding as they grabbed the remote from Takashi's outstretched hand. Takashi placed a gentle kiss on their check before grabbing his phone and ordering pizza from the little shop down the street that they always got.

When the pizza got there, the two continued to sit in relative silence while eating and watching the movie Y/n had picked for the night. Occasionally Takashi would ask if Y/n needed anything, sticking to questions that could be answered with only a nod of the head. He'd been through this before and while the first time it scared him, he was now accustomed to allowing Y/n to speak when they felt ready.

After the credits rolled and the leftover pizza was put away, Takashi retook his spot next to Y/n, ready to go to sleep and see if Y/n felt better in the morning. But before he could pull them close and fall asleep, he was stopped by Y/n's quiet voice. "Do I talk like an ... idiot?" They asked shyly, not looking at the lavender eyed male.

Taken aback by the sudden question, Takashi froze for a second. He knew their silence was because of something someone said to them about their speech, but it still shook him everytime he heard about it. "Not at all. You talk like everyone else, and if anyone says otherwise I'll gladly have a chat of my own with them." He said sitting up and pulling Y/n to lean into his side. "What brings this on?" He hoped to understand, not to confront the person who hurt his love, but so Y/n could just get the problem of their chest.

Sighing, Y/n took a moment to collect their thoughts, clearly trying to plan out each word before speaking. "While I was at work... s-a lady got up... got mad at me for ssomething that I didn't do, a-and when becausse I had dealt with a bunch of angry cusstomers, I got overwhelmed and..." They paused as they realized they'd started slipping again. "You probably already can figure out what happened next." Y/n finished, trying to end the story quickly before they started slipping and stuttering again.

Takashi nodded along, he knew that their speech impediment is a source of a lot of insecurity and anxiety for them so he wouldn't push them to talk about it. "It's okay you don't have to talk if it's too much for you right now." He reassured, rubbing their back as they leaned further into him. "Just know that you just had an off day and that changes nothing about how strong you are. I can't sit here and say I know what it's like because I don't, but I can tell you that you are incredibly brave. I don't think I could handle having every word I say criticized for something I have no control over." He spoke only the truth. He had heard first hand what people have called Y/n after even only a single mistake in a long winded sentence and he couldn;t imagine dealing with that nearly everyday.

Y/n nodded, before pulling away again, facing Takashi. "I just wish I could talk like everyone else." They said, clearly concentrating on getting the words to work right. "I wish I didn't have to think ... so hard to not ... sound like a two year old just learning to form a ... sentence." Their frustration was clear as they paused every few words to make sure the right sound came out.

They were so focused on getting their words out that they failed to notice the tears that had started to slowly roll down their face, only noticing when Takashi reached up and wiped one away. "I know it's frustrating, but all you can do is let the bad days pass and keep moving forward." He began, hoping they understood. "I know it upsets you when you have slip ups and I know it's even more upsetting when people point it out and use it against you but you have to just let it pass. And if you can't let it pass, let me know and I will gladly be your voice while you gather the energy to speak again." He finished with a gentle smile. Y/n managed a matching smile and a small nod. This wasn't the first time they had a conversation like this, and they both knew it wouldn't be the last, but they relaxed at knowing that for now everything would be ok.

"Now, let's go to sleep and in the morning you'll text your boss that you won't be going in and you can have a 'talking optional' day. If you don't want to talk you don't have to, you can text or write down whatever you need from me and if you want to talk that's up to you. How does that sound?" He asked slowly, positioning them both to begin laying down facing each other. Y/n thought on the offer, it was always nice after a rough speech day to take some time and reset their brain, so being offered an entire day where they could be nonverbal without problems was a dream. Deciding it was a great idea, they nodded quickly before cuddling closer to Takashi.

Feeling Y/n nod against his chest, he couldn't help but laugh at their enthusiasm. "I'll take that as a yes." He said rhetorically as he placed a kiss to the crown of their head, already planning a day that would require little to no talking on Y/n's part to truly give them a break from talking.