A/N: There's what could be described as a panic/anxiety attack in this one. Just in case someone didn't want to read it. ^^

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Learning to speak; it was something most children get taught, their vocabulary expanding as they become older. Some people had confidence in their speech and did well with the likes of public speaking, the others... Well, you were in that boat.

Although you learned how to speak as did every other child, it didn't come to you as easily as everyone else. You didn't know why, all you knew was that hearing you own voice always made you wince. You couldn't stand it, and because of that you made an effort to keep yourself quiet. 

Why was it that other people could talk so clearly and easily? Admittedly you used to hold jealousy towards those people, until you met your boyfriend, Karamatsu. 

He picked up on your dislike of speaking, but even still he conversed with you all the same. Eventually you opened up, but you couldn't help but still hold that fear that he'd laugh at your voice and speech pattern, but even tot his day you still remember the absolute joy on his face when you finally responded to him. 

Since that day he continued to subtly encourage you to speak more, and that you did. If it was in his company, you didn't mind talking, even if your voice sounded somewhat strange. 

He asked you out one day, his red face still noticeable even with his sunglasses obscuring his face. Hands were clenched tightly by his blue jeans, but he still looked straight at you for an answer, just like all those times before. In that nerve-wracking moment, you had confidence to honestly tell him how you felt,  and the two of you had been inseparable ever since.

So where did the problems arise if it wasn't your relationship. Well, communication is needed in daily life, whether it be in one form or another. That being said, you eventually had to use your voice. At first you were fine with that, after all you had grown a lot more confident than previously when you forced yourself to be quiet, and Karamatsu never made fun of your voice. 

Walking into one of the shops, you peered around. You weren't looking for anything specific, just some snacks.

It looked to be a bargain shop, but it was hard for to find anything of value. Everything was strewn about like someone tried cleaning up whilst drunk, and there weren't any labels indicating what was where. You sighed a bit at the mess. It was busy... 

A person in uniform was at a counter, eyebrows furrowed. You eyed then for a while, shuffling your feet. They wouldn't mind if you talked to them right? 

'Talk... Ugh.'  You folded your arms defensively, as if it'd protect you. 

... It would be fine, wouldn't it? You had gotten so used to speaking freely, but now it was as if you had zipped your own mouth shut. Now that you had stopped and thought about what ifs, your stomach was twisted up in knots. 

Your feet felt as if they had firmly planted themselves in the ground, and part of you wished they really were rooted to the ground. You were still standing by the door though, you had to move... 

As if feeling your stare, the person turned their head. Snapping out of it, you quickly stopped forward as to avoid any awkward misunderstandings. They saw you walking towards them, a lingering expression of stress on their face that they tried to cover up. 

"Hi, can I help you?"

People brushed past you, inevitable as the store was packed. You swallowed what felt like a stone in your throat, but it didn't budge. 

"Um... Uh... I..." You stammered out, suddenly feeling a hot flush. Was it because of how many people were in here? How many people are seeing you embarrass yourself right now? That weird feeling on your throat felt as if it was going upwards... 

"Miss?" The salesperson asked, more confused than anything. However in your less-than-calm state, it didn't help much.

"The s-s-snacks!" You blurted out, hearing the strange tone in your voice. "Do you know where th-those are..?" 

Just as you were all too aware of the sound of your voice, the same was true for the sounds around, including the sound of giggling. Whether or not it was due to your panicked outburst was unknown to you, as static had begun to ring out in your ears before you could hear anything else.

The person in front of you had started talking, pointing in between aisles, but it was lost on you. Your feet had rooted to the ground again, but your thudding heart told you to escape as soon as possible. After what seemed like an eternity, you managed to force yourself to move, and soon you were running away out the door. 

You continued to run, already breathless from earlier, but you couldn't find it in yourself to stop. You just had to get away.

Of course running without paying attention to your direction would lead to bumping into somebody.

Karamatsu was caught off guard as you basically launched yourself into his arms, quickly regaining his balance as he didn't fall over like usually. His hands resting comfortably on your shoulder, he peered down at you to see your face.

"Y/n-chan, what is it?" He asked softly. When you didn't move your head, he took to stroking your hair. 

"Let's go sit down somewhere, okay?" He suggested, leading you over to a bench out of the way of people. You were still in range of people's view, but it didn't pose as much as problems as your face was buried in Karamatsu's chest.

The second eldest frowned at the sight, brows drawn together in worry. "What happened, my dear?" 

Hearing his calm heartbeat opposed to your own erratic pace brought you to down from your previous panic, and you released yourself from his gentle grip.  Tears still visible on your face, he wiped them away with his warm hands. 

You wanted to tell him everything, but a part of you that you thought was gone told you not to. Karamatsu smiled a bit, ducking his head to meet your anxious gaze. 

"You can tell me." 

Nodding, you got out one last hiccup and sniffled. "It was j-just... I heard someone laughing, so..."

Karamatsu combed through your hair with his fingers, the action calming you greatly. "What makes you think they were laughing at you?" 

You leaned into his shoulder, feeling the soft cotton against your cheek. "It was right about I t-talked though. Why wouldn't they, anyway?"

You boyfriend halted in his combing, turning his head to meet your eyes. Once you saw the look that they held, you wanted to look away. 

"Honey, what do you mean?" He questioned, hurt apparent in his expression.

"... I'm fine if I'm talking to you, but it's obvious I talk weird. I sound stupid. Listen to me!" You responded with frustration, sharply exhaling. 

Karamatsu's face softened, and he instead put his arm around your shoulder. "That's not true at all."

You tried to ignore how nice the warmth he had felt and instead huffed in annoyance. "You would say that though... I sound dumb to everyone else."

He shook his head with a smile. "I mean it though. How can you sound silly when your voice has me feeling like jelly?"

In surprise you turned to look at him, not able to reply right away. "Wh-what?"

"How can it sound dumb when it's one of the reasons I fell in love with you?" He continued, looking serious but kind as he spoke.

You face flushed again, but it was welcoming unlike before. "Wait a second-"

"Whether it's in real life or over the phone, it always makes me smile when I hear your voice." Karamatsu said, still holding eye contact with you. 

"H-Hold on!" You tried to say, but was silenced when you felt your boyfriends hand on your cheek, wiping one last stray tear.

His smile was just as warm as his touch. "And how could it be weird if it brought me such happiness when I heard it for the first time?" 

Face red as an apple, you ducked your head down and pushed his shoulder lightly. "O-Okay! I get it..."

"Now all of that was true.  Do you believe me?" He asked. 

With how genuine his tone was, you couldn't deny how honest it sounded. You nodded bashfully. Due to his words you felt similar to before, but it was much sweeter feeling. 

"Good." He beamed, patting your head with a grin. The corners of your lips turned up at the sight of it. 

Karamatsu then interlocked his hands with your own, pulling you up off the bench. "So! Shall we go?"

Patiently waiting for an answer, he swung your hand cheerfully. It seemed that your presence alone was enough to make him smile.

The same went for you. "Yeah. L-Let's go." You replied, voice awkward, but comfortable.  

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A/N: Here it is! I was actually going to use Todomatsu for this one since he's quite the smooth talker, but Karamatsu seemed like a better fit. :)

I hope it was alright! I kept it kinda vague on the details of the reader's voice so more people could relate to it, if that makes sense.