Chapter 28: Therapy
They were at the doctors, finally getting the brunette’s arm cast off, he’d still have to wear a sleeve for the healing skin, but he’d finally be able to use his arm freely.
“I know you want to get back to using it like normal, but you still need to take it easy. Your arm is going to be a little weak for a few days.” The doctor says as he removes the cast and checks the arm over.
“What about my leg cast?” Jay asks, lifting his leg slightly.
“I would say in about 2 more weeks you should be able to get it removed and then it will be in a brace for a couple of weeks after.” The doctor says, setting the cut cast aside, standing. “You’ll have to stop at the front desk to make an appointment to get the other cast off. I’ll have the nurse come in with your discharge papers and a list of easy exercises you can do to help build your strength back up. Have a nice day boys.” He nodded before leaving.
“I’m guessing you’re not going to take it easy.” Danial says from behind the contemplating brunette, breaking him from his thoughts.
“What? Oh, sure, ya, well, if there’s stuff I need to do, then…” Jay starts, staring down at his scarred arm, eyebrows pulled into a deep frown, something haunting in his emerald eyes.
“You know, it’s okay if you’re not 100% okay, right?” A concerned voice says softly as a warm hand settles over the brunette’s newly healed one.
Eyes not wavering, Jay hums in response, wrapped up in his thoughts. His heart crunches as the nurse comes in with the release papers and a new workout routine. Danial speaks up and takes the papers, intertwining their fingers to lead his partner out of the room.
The rest of the day passes slowly around the brunette. Who feels like he’s in a dream-like state, like everything is all hazy around him. Danial drives him home, calling the store and telling Laura to bring his work load over to the house, that he’s not going to be coming in today. When he hangs up and turns to look at Jay sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the wall, fingers still tracing his new scars.
“Jay, nerd, you in there?” He asks, crouching down beside the brunette, stormy blue eyes filled with worry.
Jay hums, shrugging.
The blonde’s face knits in distress as he looks around the room for something to help his nerd snap out of it, quickly coming up empty. That’s until he spots a movie case and grins. Maybe he does have an idea on how to help.
Standing, Danial walks over to the TV after picking up the movie, putting in the disk. When the screen comes to life, the very first All Might cartoon flashes across the screen, the iconic theme song filling the silent space. And just like magic, life slowly starts to come back to the spiralling giant.
The blonde smiles happily, sighing in relief when he sees the change.
“Thank you, Danny. I love you.” Jay says gently, just above a whisper, emerald eyes glassy with unshed tears.
Blue eyes can’t help to tear up and he lets out a soft sob as he drops down on the couch and hugs his love, the brunette wraps his arms around Danial’s waist and lifts him up onto his lap, holding him close.
They stay like that, watching the movie in peaceful silence.
~1 Week Later~
“So, how have you been feeling lately, Jay?” Jay’s therapist, Linda, asks, sitting across from the fidgeting brunette.
“It’s been… ok.” Jay says hesitantly.
“Are you still having nightmares?”
“Not as often. Danny has been amazing and is doing so much to help me, but…”
“But?”
“But now I just feel more of an annoyance than when I was just some broke bartender.”
“Do you think he sees you like that?” She asks, jotting down a few things quickly.
“Honestly, I have no idea, but… I can’t help but feel like that. All I’ve done is be a weakness for him. He’s been so amazing… Not pushing me past my limits, but making sure to get me out and about.” He says, looking off into the distance. “I really don’t deserve him.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
Her statement takes the brunette by surprise and he looks back at her.
“Why?”
“From what I read from your police report, Danial was inconsolable. He was the major driving force to get you back. And from what Mrs. Bennett told me he wouldn’t leave the apartment. Just mope around and drink.” She says freely, her clinical gaze never leaving her patient, gaging his reaction.
Jay knew it was true, he could feel it through their bond, but somehow hearing it from an actual reliable source made it that much more real. Emerald eyes started to tear up as he lifted his hands to rub the palms of his hands over his eyes in rough circles.
“You shouldn’t doubt his love for you. Or what you mean to him.” She says again, closing her book.
“It’s not that I doubt his love for me, I just don’t want to take away what he could accomplish if he didn’t have me to babysit.” The brunette sighs, meeting her eyes.
“Hmm, that’s reasonable, but without you, he has nothing to fight for. He was just as lost before meeting you as you were.” Her words hit home easily. She can see the gears spilling behind his green eyes. There was something she couldn’t tell him, but he needed to hear that.
Jay listens to his therapist carefully and soon their session is over and he is leaving. As he walks out of the office, he nearly bumps into someone walking that way. The brunette only gets a quick glance, but something about the man feels familiar, but before he can say anything the stranger is gone.