Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"And that's why your cooking is always shit!"

Aloha ranted, attempting to deal with the show that Army had put on again. Recently, the man had been acting like a toddler who couldn't get his way, and it sickened him. It had been getting so much worse than it usually got.

"No, no, no, shut up! Did I give you the privilege to speak? No? Then shut your mouth, party animal!"

"All this over me dropping a plate? Overreaction don't 'cha think?"

Aloha snickered, the other not standing for this at all.

"How could you be so CLUMSY? You must do this on purpose; this isn't quirky; it's a waste of money!"

"You take shit far too serious. I'm skipping dinner tonight, I honestly don't care what you say, dude. Your temper issues are just so exhausting after a day of practice..  Cod."

"You're such a pest that I dont want you eating my dishes anyway!"

His voice firm and his jaw tensing up, Army felt his hand curl into a tight fist, his veins now pertruding out of his skin. How could he get so upset about something so small?

Attempting to find an outlet for his wrath, he picked up his own plate and before he had the chance to think, tossed it onto the floor as he watched it shatter into pieces with a deafening crack. The surfer instinctively flinched, yelling in confusion. Army could only stare at his damage, feeling a small weight had been lifted off his shoulder. Key word small, his partner was furious now, and he really didn't want to focus on this anymore.

"Well, you're a fucking hypocrite, arn't you!?

"Wa- Wait! We can talk about this, right?"

And before he could negotiate, his fiancée had slammed the bedroom door.

He felt distraught. He felt like a rabid animal, that would only destroy things in its path. Times like this reminded him of the outbursts he'd lash out to his team; how on earth did they still tolerate his madness? His anger was flooding him, and he couldn't find the tap to turn it off. There was no solution - just an endless peril of vexation.

Being a man who was obsessed to keep his home in a good state, he grabbed a dustpan and started to clean up the shards of porcelain.  It was a shame, they both looked so delicate and ornate. He frowned, feeling his heart thud in almost sorrow.

Laying on the couch, he felt himself choking on his own spit before a tear escaped his eye. He just felt like a dog that needed a muzzle. With no way to control this, he craved a way to return to normality. Without anger, his mind would be clear and pristine, free from hatred towards his peers, but was that really him? Gazing off into the fireplace, he accidentally drifted off.

Aloha had woken up with a whirring headache, as per usual. The cogs of his brain worked overtime in the mornings - as he was more of a night person. It appeared to be a warm and bright day outside, yet he surely didn't feel that way. The screaming from last night lingered in his head like a putrid smell, his ear still ringing from the shatter. In his bed alone, it felt as if  nothing had happened. But by memory, there sure was.

His partner had been growing more livid by day. He knew deep down that they were still in love, but the temper issues were getting far too out of hand. Their relationship needed saving desperately, and Aloha couldn't help but brainstorm ideas on how to help the couple recover.

He knew that their main issue was when Army was provoked. It seemed selfish for him to think, but Aloha never recalled any flaws in his own nature. Army mainly caused their arguments, usually over the most mundane issues conceivable. Before their relationship, he could've never imagined getting into a seriously heated argument over a thunderstorm cancelling a meeting with the S4, but he tried to get over it.

No one was born like that. Life creates monsters in its own unique ways. Even though he was dumb, he still prophesied the possibility of Army once being at ease. Despite never meeting him, he wanted that Army back.

He began to brainstorm ideas to aid in his partner's temper. With all of their newly found battle cash from being in a such a successful team, he knew that he could afford therapy. His lover finding the root of his problems and fixing them felt like the best bet, and perhaps offering to pay for him would make him sway. 

Making his way downstairs, he found his boyfriend still knocked out. He found that peculiar; usually, he would've gotten up, cleaned the house, and made breakfast by now. Worries aside, from the slightest tap, Army sat up with good posture as if he were never sleeping. Arguments aside, he could be quite adorable.

"Ah-! What do you need me for?"

"Well, just wondering stuff about last night.."

Aloha twirled his tentacles,

"You've been gettin' more angry lately, and I'd say it's kinda worrying. What if we break up over something so small?"

"Wait are you actually-"

"I'm not callin' it quits arms, I'm just saying something needs to change. And uh... yeah. It's that temper of yours."

"I'm fine, truly."

Army rubbed his eyes and covered his mouth to yawn. Having just woken up, he freshened himself up with some wipes on the table.

"Ya' sure? I was thinkin' of paying for some anger management therapy for you-"

"Therapy is for people with actual issues. I won't steal services from people that actually need them."

He scoffed.

"Buttercup, I think you do need it, no offence. I'll pay every penny and like, it'll help you understand the root of your anger, dude. You know it causes us problems"

Army only growled. He didn't need this, therapy was for the less fortunate. He was high enough in class that feelings shouldn't matter to him.

"I know it does. I can work on that myself. I dont need some kind of Harlequin to flirt with me either."

"Ooo~ You're loyal ♪"

Aloha brushed his face against Army's camo like a purring cat and hugged him tightly. He couldn't help but often develop cuteness aggression to his own boyfriend at times. After many disagreements, Army embarked to his room to think about things. He wanted to stay with his partner for life, yet his own temper often held him back. He couldn't lose the only guy who gifted him comfort. Could he?

Did he actually need this? He didn't want to be a sedated rabid animal, but that case was becoming more true. He could try it once. See if it worked. See if it fixed them.

Reluctantly, with his less than savvy tech skills, he made his way towards a few websites, and scheduled a session that very evening. With that much availability, he worried that this booking would be unprofessional, or that he was the only man in Inkopolis feeling this way.

Getting into a vest suit and tie, he sighed. Sure, he could discuss his problems with Aloha, but he was terrible with advice. The surfer couldn't even tie his shoes or button up his shirt properly - Army certainly needed to seek out external help for his problems. The harsh truth was; a professional in psychology would know more than he ever would.

That afternoon, he arrived at the office - his hearts beating out of his chest. Would this even work? Sitting down at the chair, he sighed. This could potentially be the room where his life changes or where his money is wasted.

"Good afternoon!"

Metry beamed, Army's face nearly heading into repulsion.

"Metry!? What are you doing here?"

"I've always had a passion in psychology, and I've been wanting to help people for years. The workings of cephalopod brains are really fun to analyse, after all."

It was certainly where his money would be wasted. Metry always seemed like a high school mean girl who would either take up nursing or childcare - but a therapist wasn't his first choice. Still, she must've thought she could find love here or something; why couldn't he just get a professional?

They spoke for a while, setting some common ground and filling out forms. Metry filled out her notebook with various information before asking,

"You came here due to your temper, yes?"

"I suppose you could say that. You're very blunt - "

"I know you can't control your outbursts, and that's okay."

She gave a warm and welcoming smile as she watched his eyes dart around the room. He was clearly nervous, like most clients were. After offering him a sweet, to which he refused, she asked,

"What do you think ticks you off the most, Army?"

"I can't name them all -

"I believe in you."

She beamed, fluttering her eyes in an inviting way. The other sweated profusely; anticipating leaving this place already. Telling your problems felt extremely personal - Well it was, but he hated it.

"Well- I suppose I hate it when people tell me the obvious, talk down to me, hate my cooking, call me ginger, say I'm short- but I'm talking too much, arn't I?"

"No, no, never."

She handed him a stress ball, him feeling quite infantisised.

"I feel as if no one takes me seriously and... Just... I don't know - The thought of most people just irritates me."

"Do you know why you're so angry all the time, Army?"

He paused. He had been feeling like a savage animal for along as he could remember. Since his military interest began when he was a young child, he has been obsessed with the concept of yelling and commanding his underlings. When Team Orange formed, he enjoyed the feeling of being so powerful for a while, yet he could often find himself getting carried away.

"Not really, I suppose."

He attempted to calm his mind, now gazing out of the office window in a way of avoiding eye contact. He feared she would study his every move; but wasn't that what he came here for?

"I know you're a good man, deep at heart. We all are."

She encouraged,

"Don't fret if you can't remember, I know it can be difficult."

"I..."

He pondered, 

"I suppose my father was an angry man, looking back. He had shown signs of being a bit.. How do I say this? Odd. A man who struggled with morals. Cared more about fashion than anything else. Strange man, I tell you."

He continued to explain his fathers impact; perhaps it was genetic. The man had often shown traits familiar to him, anyways. He growled,

"Cod- I can't remember anything!"

"That's alright, Army. It's often hard to remember things in the moment. How about we end our session here then? Our time is nearly up, I do apologise."

"Hmpth. So be it."

He crossed his arms, marching out of the office with a lack of farewell. To her, he was just another client. A paycheck. Right now, he didn't dare show any compassion. Besides, it was a sign of weakness. He couldn't let himself get too close. If you tell your deepest secrets to someone, who knows what they could do in regards to black mail?

Returning to his home couch, he noticed Aloha wasn't home. Theorising that he had attended a party, he sighed as he lay down. Parties were Aloha's excuse of getting piss drunk in the name of a fun "social life". He knew they both had flaws, but if Aloha was the man begging him for a solution to his outbursts, he couldn't act in an opposite way to his party crutches.

 The lack of his partner felt as if it was catching up to him, resulting in his head feeling heavy. Unlike Aloha, he had struggled with making any connections. With his stern yet timid nature when it came to making new friends, he struggled. Team Orange was paid to be with him in his younger years by his father; he wasn't even able to approach them in any way. Perhaps it was something he could bring up to Metry, but who was she to know that useless stuff?

Chapter Text

A week later, Army had once again delved into his issues once again - Aloha now yelling in the kitchen. After repetitively hitting himself in frustration, he really didn't want to take his temper out on Aloha any longer. He felt as if he was a bomb about to explode at all times, with no sign of any defuser.

Just as Aloha was about to leave for practice, he dashed into his arms and held him tightly. Tears escaped his fragile eyes, ones that could easily destroy his camo, with him shaking uncontrollably. Embracing him to the point of constriction, he cried,

"I am so sorry! I- I- can't control this.. It overwhelms me every single day and this feeling just never leaves! I dont want to lose you, Aloha, I really don't... "

Army's eyes appeared solemn, the other hugging in return. The team pink leader attempted not to let their previous scuff affect him too much, resulting in him calming the storm, and letting Army rest.

Later in the office, the soldier had once again found himself in that dreaded office, one he had only been attending to make his lover happy. The session dragged on longer than he'd like it to; the obligation to be here reminded him of school. Still, questions kept flooding at him. Sure, it was the first few sessions, so Metry would've needed to know what he was like as a person, but it was still monotonous to him.

"You know - this has done nothing. Me and my partner have had an incident this morning, one of which I'd hate to get into."

"Oh, I apologise, but since I'm getting to know you and your habits, I need more details."

Her eyebrows furrowed into a worried expression, her now handing him the healthiest snacks. She had taken his preference for this sort of food into account when buying things for clients, after all. With the questions appearing in and out, her notebook appeared far more full.

"Do you think your upbringing had any effect on your temper?"

He sighed.

"I thought about it, I suppose."

Groaning, he regretted attempting to even get into this.

"I always loved the military. Wanted to become a commander. I did, allowing me to get my anger out by yelling. It's fine, yet it's not sufficient. Everyone made fun of me as a child. It made me want to become louder, better, stronger. One day, I screamed at them, resulting in me getting into quite a bit of trouble. My father treated me like a criminal. Wouldn't stop yelling. I suppose it was one of my first signs."

He realised he had spoken too much, him sighing as he knew he would have to deal with every detail now.It was very simple, why did she always need him to go so far deep into his past? After much comforting and analysis, she attempted to find triggers into Army's anger and wanted to aid him in trying to prevent it.

"My school forced me into counselling after that, but it was really just me talking to a woman about tanks and different models of guns. Cod. She must have hated me."

He had been seeing parallels to that situation, yet he was now actually bringing up his own issues instead of ignoring everything. There was a bright light overhead, a window to his left, and a person who wanted to pry deep into his personal life.

After their session, he marched home to make some curry for his dinner. He'd make two servings, one for his partner once he came home, and would enjoy how the customisation felt. He was able to make his recipes personal; with all of his usual ingredients being unique. Right as he sat down at the dinner table, the surfer returned from practice, eager to taste his cooking.

"So? How was it?"

He beamed, taking a mouthful of the dish mixed with pineapple as he requested.

"Just the usual. Why? Why? Why?! At this point, I should be solving my problems myself."

"I'm sure it'll help, dude! Once you ease in, I might afford a local museum trip. One where I dont skip past all the stuff!"

The other's eyes lit up. Perhaps he could read more about The Great Turf War. As they both ate their curry, Aloha couldn't help but admire the man in front of him. He was so brave for taking on this new experience; hopefully, he could get used to it.