A melancholy town where we never smile
And all I wanna hear is the message beep
My dreams, they've got to kiss
because I don't get to sleep, no...
- Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz
Loki's sitting in the beige waiting room, reading a magazine when the silver-haired, potbellied man pokes his head through the door.
"Loki, I'm all ready for you now, come on in."
He puts down the magazine and shuffles into the familiar room, closing the door behind him. "Hello, Dr. Selvic."
"Hi, Loki. How are you?"
"I'd be better if I weren't here."
The older man sighs. "Oh, come on now, Loki. Don't start that again." He motions with his arm. "Sit on the couch."
The raven-haired boy sits reluctantly.
"I haven't seen you in a few weeks. Your father tells me you're back in school."
"Unfortunately." He fingers his sleeve absentmindedly. "It's just as hateful as I remember."
"What kinds of classes are you taking? Do you enjoy your teachers?"
"I wouldn't say that, no." There's a biting edge to his voice.
Dr. Selvic ignores it. "Are you making new friends?"
Tawny eyes and a wide smile flicker through Loki's mind and it takes him a second before he says, "One."
"Good, I'm glad to hear it. What are they like?"
"He's…" He searches for the right word. Kind. Intelligent. Funny. Perfect.
"He's different," Loki says finally. Like me.
"Are you taking your medications?"
Loki scowls. "My medications? The ones that make me duller and stupider and not myself just so I'm easier to live with for everyone else?" He scoffs. "Yes, I'm taking them."
"Are you still smoking?"
"Sometimes," Loki replies. There's no use lying, the old man would find out eventually.
Dr. Selvic gives him a disapproving glance. "Those are very harmful."
"Would you rather I be smoking cigarettes or back where I was a month ago? Because I need something to keep me going, Doctor."
"Loki, you'll find that if you just change your attitude-"
"Oh, my attitude? If I remember correctly, it wasn't my attitude that made my father force me to go see a shrink."
Selvic purses his lips, making a few notes on his legal pad.
Loki suffers through another forty-five minutes of therapy hell before shrugging his coat on violently and striding back to the door. He's got his hand on the knob when he hears Selvic say,"Oh, Loki?"
Loki turns on his heel to face the old man, an expectant look on his face. "What."
"I'm glad you've made a friend."
The black-haired boy blows a strand of inky hair out of his face. "Yeah," he says quietly, shutting the door behind him. "Me too."
Teeny-tiny baby chapter this time. I'm in the midst of a very busy week, but hopefully there'll be another update within the next few days. Just think of this as a bonus chapter, a gift from me to you!
I still love reviews, even on baby chapters. Should I stick some more of these tiny ones between the bigger ones? Tell me!
Thanks to my beta and all you readers!
All my love,
RagAndBones
P.S. When I was in middle school, these guys were my favorite band ever. Seriously. They were pretty much my first obsession.