Hey everyone, this is the oneshot I've been working on for the past couple months and I'm glad to have finally gotten it out. As some of you know, I was feeling burned out by the time I posted the ninth chapter of Binaural so I branched off and tried my hand at a oneshot in order to stir up the creative juices in my head again. I'm very happy with the result and am also very excited to get to work on the tenth chapter of Binaural really soon.
One thing I must mention is that while there is a lemon in this story, it is in the second chapter posted. If you're here for a lemon, go head over there. If you're here for the story, continue on.
The reason I separated them was because I felt a lemon didn't really work well with the mood/theme I was going for. If I did include it, it would feel rather uncoordinated from the rest of the story.
Anyway, please enjoy the read.
From Tool - Parabol
So familiar and overwhelmingly warm
This one, this form I hold now.
Embracing you, this reality here,
This one, this form I hold now, so
Wide eyed and hopeful.
Wide eyed and hopefully wild.
"Did you have any nightmares this past week, Jamie?"
He pulled himself back into reality and smiled at Doctor Hayes. He had been looking out the window, down to the street below. Although it was only the third floor, he was able to appreciate how things looked from this high up.
The couch he sat on was nothing new to him. He had been on it so many times it could be considered his best friend if he didn't already have one.
Doctor Hayes was a rather tall woman, at least compared to the shorter than most person Jamie was. Regardless, she was probably among the nicest people he had met.
She sat behind a desk which had collected a surprising amount of memorabilia over the years. When he had first started coming to her office, it was sparse with the most exciting things on it being the neon highlighters hidden amongst the paperwork.
"Nope. Absolutely nothing, Doc. Actually, I kind of wish last week was a bit more eventful," he said, stretching his arms.
Doctor Hayes gave her trademark expression of a small grin that was offset by a slightly smaller sigh. She brushed the brown curly hair out of her eyes and leaned over her desk. "I recognize that there may be little excitement occurring in your life currently but I'm sure we can both agree that nightmares may not qualify as 'eventful' in your book."
He nodded quickly, "Oh, yeah, of course. That wasn't my intention, sorry."
She shook her head, now with a full smile, "I know it wasn't."
"It's just that… You know, I wish I could do a bit more. Money is a little tight after I got that pokemon translator, yeah, but I have savings… Do you think I should do something, Doc? Is that okay for me to do?" he asked, running his hands through his short black hair.
She laughed, not in a mean-spirited sense, but in a way that almost made anyone who heard it laugh as well. "Jamie, you've been coming to me for about six years now, correct?
"That's right."
"I'm fairly certain you have a good grasp on what you can or cannot do."
Jamie raised an eyebrow, "You're not… saying that we aren't going to meet anymore… right?"
She shook her head, "Of course not, dear. That's for you to decide."
He exhaled, "Sorry. Sorry. I know that."
"I know you do." She interlaced her fingers, "Please, if you feel that doing something will help you in any way, I highly encourage it."
His expression brightened. "Really? So I was thinking that maybe I could head on up to the carnival in Nimbasa city and… Oh yeah! I could bring Luke there too, he'd love it there!" his excitement peaked.
That's who his true best friend was, and he couldn't be any happier about it. They had been together for quite a while and their bond had never ceased for a second. Some people questioned his reasoning behind his choice and, you know, fair enough. He had always argued that it didn't matter whether his friend was human or pokemon, as long as they got along and had fun, who really cared?
Plus, he didn't really want to share the real reason.
"I've been meaning to ask, how has Luke been doing? I haven't seen him since… Wow, has it been a whole six months?"
Jamie shrugged, "Well he said he really wanted to focus on his aura training." He went into thought, "... And if I remember correctly, you said it was good growth for me to come on my own from now on."
Doctor Hayes raised her finger, "I believe you brought up the point of your growth. I only agreed with you because, again, I feel like you know what is good for you."
"Well, whatever the case, he's doing good." He rubbed up and down his wrist, "Sometimes it's kinda boring when he has to meditate for so long… but I know he needs to. His mentor says he's almost up to regular levels of aura now."
Her eyes lit up, "That's wonderful! Luke must be so happy!"
He chuckled, "Yeah, he really is." It wouldn't matter whether he decided to tell the truth or not, the Doc always seemed to know. She knew better than to tread on anything private, however. The reality was… he had the idea that Luke wasn't that happy. No evidence or anything like that, just... a feeling.
Doctor Hayes gave her trademark, simultaneously acknowledging his lie but not bringing it up. "So you said money was currently shorthand for you, and it appears Luke's aura training is coming to an end. That should give you a bit more finance, right?"
"That's, uhh… Well, that might not be the case."
"I don't understand, Jamie."
He rubbed his wrist again. "I-I mean, would it be that bad to get him a few extra sessions, you know? To get him a little ahead and everything?"
She gave him an odd look. "You shouldn't need my permission for something that concerns you and Luke. I will ask why you think it is so necessary, considering that, as you said, he's almost at regular aura levels."
He dipped his head down, "He saved me, Doc. I wanna give him everything."
He came back up, hesitant to see what expression she would wear. It would be the same as always, of course, that reassuring smile. That didn't change the fact that he consistently felt that overarching feeling of dread whenever he accidentally graced the part he wished to not think of.
There was the smile, he had been right. "And I completely understand, Jamie. Just don't feel too pressured to do absolutely everything for Luke, I feel he may not want that."
He grinned big, "Of course! Definitely!" He relaxed back into the couch, letting the tension leave his body. From his position he could see the clock in the corner of his eye. It's hour hand was at nearly at five with the minute hand a little past eleven. "Hey, Doc? It's almost time."
She turned her head and nodded in agreement. "Well, let's review your meaning of last week's word. You do remember it, correct?"
He bounced back into a proper sitting pose, "Yep, it was glass. I remember that." This had been an exercise for him for the last few years. A random word picked from the dictionary and he had to think about it for their next session. It was interesting how he managed to interpret such words like 'pulse' or 'steel' into meaning some aspects of his life.
"Then tell me what it means for you."
Jamie put his hands together and began. "Glass is clear, you can almost always tell what's on the other side. It also lets the light through, so you can see a little better." He paused, felt his hand slip down to rub his wrist, and continued, "Also… I guess it's what I am."
"Could you please explain?"
"It's… Umm… I guess it's just because of how I am, you know? Just… A little drop and maybe I don't shatter but I do crack. And it takes time to fix those cracks."
Doctor Hayes was silent and composed. She knew he wasn't quite finished talking yet and Jamie was thankful for that. He didn't think he'd be able to get through it all had he been paused halfway through.
"I've been dropped a lot of times. I haven't been for a while, obviously, but back then… before I started coming here… It was bad. Real bad. And… yeah, you know about the rest."
She grinned, "That was very introspective of you, Jamie. I'm very impressed with how much thought you put into that. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"
"No, I think that's it for me, Doc." He gave his head a shake and put happiness back on his face. "What's the next week's word?"
"I'll get the dictionary out."
She turned around in her chair and moved over to the large bookshelf she had behind her. She took out a very thick book and set it on her desk, breathing a little heavy from its weight. It was nearly three inches thick.
Very slowly, she used her fingernail began brushing against the side of the dictionary from top to bottom.
"Stop," said Jamie, barely letting the fingernail go far enough to make noticeable progress into the dictionary.
"Not going too deep this time?" she asked, sticking her fingernail into the book and using the leverage to find the particular page.
"I guess so."
She placed her finger on one page and let it go all the way down. Seeing as this didn't illicit a response, she started doing the other page and halfway down, Jamie spoke again.
"Stop."
"Okay, your word for next week is… 'Acclimate', alright?" She shut the dictionary and laid her hands on top of it. "I hope you impress me again."
"I'll try, Doc." He stood up from the couch, "Same time next week?"
"Of course." She also stood up and extended her hand. Jamie took it and shook firmly, effectively ending their session for today. There was always that slight quality of dejection whenever he left; he always wanted to stay there a little more. Not necessarily talk or listen, just revel in the fact that he knew he was in a good, safe place.
He broke the handshake and turned to leave the room. "See you later," he said, giving a little wave. Doctor Hayes replied in kind. As he closed the door behind him, that unpleasant feeling kicked in. But it thankfully didn't last long. Because he was going to go home to Luke, and that was a much better, safer place than this to him.
Luke's eyes were closed. Yet they were open all the same.
That was the thing about aura. Everything was always there. Hidden yet in the open, it was only a matter of tapping into that extra piece that was aura. The world transformed into a spectrum if one even just brushed against it
Every single time he let himself be lost in the gentle barrage of spectacle and wonder, it occurred to him that he had missed out on this for most of his life.
He had been a meek, homeless Riolu, barely struggling on the unforgiving streets of Striaton City. It had been that way since his mother died on the very same streets. He had wandered from place to place, begging for even the tiniest of scraps. Most were nice, and handed them a larger than needed share, which he took with overwhelming thankfulness. Others were not as kind. He avoided them as best he could but they seemed to get at least a few kicks in before he was able to hide.
Then he met Jamie.
At first, he imagined Jamie to be one of the unkind humans. He had not been able to read aura, being as weak as he was, but he always had a general vibe. Nothing strong, but usually correct.
With Jamie it was most certainly wrong.
The human had sat down next to him, back against the brick building. He had sighed, and asked, "Can I talk to you?"
Luke had said yes and even though the human couldn't understand his speech, he got the message.
As Jamie spoke he realized the vibe he got was not only a little wrong, it was titanically wrong. Almost instantly, he felt empathy well up within him.
They had continued for what must have been a few hours. And when Jamie had left, an unseen smile finally coming out, he promised he would come back the next day. He held true. For the next two weeks they had met together and just talked as the day drifted on. But then the fateful day came when he, Luke, wanted to come home with him. He had come to terms and decided it was time for him to get off the streets. Jamie had hesitated but agreed.
Neither of them were prepared for what events would transpire that night.
He exhaled, his mind was getting too cluttered, too scattered. It needed to be concentrated for the task at hand. His mentor instructed him to do at least one hour of meditation per day. It was nearly over, but he had to keep going, especially if he wanted to follow the schedule and prepare for Jamie's return.
Then he saw the aura that he had initially been wrong about. It slowly began going upward, towards where he was. As though Arceus were smiling upon him, the quiet but alerting alarm he had set went off, signalling the end of his meditation.
He opened his eyes and brought himself back into the world. The colours were not nearly as exciting they could be through aura, but he didn't mind too much on that. Jamie was coming back, after all, and Luke imagined he was one of the best humans to ever walk on visible plane.
He walked up the stairs to the second floor of his apartment complex. The halls were painted beige that reflected dimly off the fluorescent bulbs lining it. Truth be told, it wasn't the most clean place in the world, but considering the affordability, it held up pretty damn well to Jamie.
His body, as though it were on autopilot, turned a sharp left, walked forward for a decent bit and extended his arm, key in hand, to the door labelled above as '216'.
The key twisted, jammed, then gave way and unlocked the door.
His apartment was, to give it a word, homey. It was big enough for him and Luke at least. There was a den that merged with a small kitchen, the only tell that they were separated being the change from the den's carpet to the kitchen's hardwood. There were also two doors on the far wall that led off to the bathroom and bedroom respectively. He closed the door behind him and should he follow the routine of another regular individual, he would begin to plan out what he wanted for dinner.
But that wasn't what Jamie had in his mind at the moment. He needed to play Luke's game first.
His automatic first response was looking behind the door. Luke had caught him from that vantage point more than once and he wasn't about to let that happen again.
Nothing. He wasn't here this time. But there were plenty of more options for him to look into. And that made the game all the more fun.
Carefully, he took a few steps into the apartment, overly vigilant about every little sound. It was almost always silent whenever Luke was hiding but any minor noise could give him a lead. He had caught him before, albeit extremely rarely, but it happened.
He went into the kitchen, looking in every crevice the small room offered. It wasn't uncommon for Luke to be hiding in the large cupboard under the sink and sneak up on him as he lost suspicion for the room. However this time, there was nothing to be seen.
A noise.
Jamie heard it. Small and unsuspecting but there. It was from his bedroom.
There you are, he thought. Deception was not usually one of Luke's tools. Chances were, if Jamie had heard a sound come from behind the small television, Luke would almost always be right around that area.
He narrowed his sight to the bedroom door. His feet trailed quietly on the floor, barely making any noise that could distract him from his target. He still had a large smile on his face, this was always a fun part of the day for them.
Ever so carefully, he opened the door. A twin bed was in the center and had a side table on its right. While Luke couldn't fit under the bed, he had never been able to, Jamie still felt it was safe to check every time. And if he wasn't there, the wardrobe was a definite possibility.
He took a step into the bedroom and began to look at his bed suspiciously.
It was at that moment he realized he forgot to check behind the bedroom door. Panic barely had time to register in his head before everything happened.
In an instant, Jamie felt a weight appear on his back and send him to the floor. His entire body spread out onto the floor and he ended up getting a good look under the bed. Nope, definitely nothing under there, he thought. He let out a small groan that melded swiftly into steady laughter. He wrenched his head to the left so his eyes were met with a veil of fuzzy blue. And just beyond that was his best friend.
"I got you, Jamie!" said the Lucario, wearing that toothy smile Jamie was all too fond of. "You're home early today!"
Luke was on his back, as he almost always seemed to be whenever Jamie returned from anywhere that Luke didn't come with. Jamie wasn't complaining, it was a feature in his life that he could only be thankful for. "I know, I wanted to see you again, buddy." With a bit of strain, he reached his arm up and pet Luke's head. "You mind letting me up?"
Luke gave a contented sigh and leaned into the hand. Slowly, Jamie could feel the weight on his back shifting. Once the balance was in his favour, he twisted his body over and let Luke tumble off him, still being pet.
"I was going to get off, Jamie," he said, sitting up, but not with the downed tone one would expect, his ability to drift into negative emotions was hindered greatly by the petting.
"Oh, really?" said Jamie, increasing the vigor of his movements, "Not just going to hitch a piggy-back ride like you did yesterday?"
Luke pushed off the hand, gaining a slightly straighter face, "Would that be so bad?"
He shook his head, still grinning away, "Nah, I would just ask you let me stretch first." Jamie brought Luke in and locked him in a hug, cautious of his protruding chest spike.
It was times like these he almost forgot all about he had to go to Doctor Hayes' every Saturday. What was the point? He had everything he needed right here. Luke was great, simple as that. Always there, always playful, always willing to help… If he had all this, then what indeed was the point of it all?
After a moment, he let go. "So you already did your meditation?"
Luke nodded fervently, "Yep! I'm all good for today! So… can we play now?"
Jamie stood up, pulling Luke with him. "Absolutely, bud. Just gotta use the bathroom first."
"Okay, Jamie." The Lucario hugged him briefly, which was more of a catalyst for more petting, which he got regardless, and both of them walked from the bedroom.
As soon as they left, Jamie took a sharp right and went into the bathroom. Luke stayed outside and just before the door effectively cut them off from one another, Jamie saw that one thing he didn't want to talk to Doctor Hayes about. That smile of Luke's, perfect as it was, deviated. Maybe only a degree or two down but noticeable to him all the same. Then the door was closed, and he did his business.
He had just turned the sink's water on to wash his hands when he got the feeling, the urge. He looked at himself in the mirror, the same person as always, and sighed. No surprise that it was coming to him now, he had been waiting for it to make itself known for nearly the whole day. Jamie supposed it had just been waiting until he was in the right place, where it would be much easier to alleviate.
Then, with fluidity that would make even the most graceful dancers clouded with envy, he yanked open the drawer beneath the sink, pulled out his razor, removed the cap and pushed it towards his wrist.
It stopped only an inch away.
And it was times like these that he was bitterly reminded of exactly why he needed to go to Doctor Hayes. He was glass, and he was fragile. Any little thing that affected him caused something to happen. It didn't always crack but when it did, this was what happened.
He hadn't done it in a very long time, however. On his wrist were faint pink lines, the newest of them was about four years old. How had he been able to resist it for so long? He knew why, and if the timing was the same for any other day, it would come right about…
There was a knock on the door, "Jamie, are you alright in there?"
Luke. Luke always seemed to know when the urge came. Whether that was by aura or some kind of telepathic ability, Jamie didn't know. But Luke would never have knocked if he was just using the bathroom. And that mere knock and little message worked every time. The urge faded, and he was left with the guilty feeling.
He put the blade guard back on and placed the razor on the sink counter. "Y-yeah! I'm fine Luke! Just finishing up now!" he said, trying to hide the regret in his voice.
He cupped his hands under the water and splashed it on his face. His hand went to the razor and placed it back into the drawer.
Jamie put on a smile and opened the door. Luke was right there, reciprocating the expression, this time without the deviation. He almost doubted if it was even there in the first place.
"Ready?" asked Luke. That was their silent agreement. They both knew not to mention whatever may or may not have happened in the bathroom.
"Yep, but you're not getting the jump on me this time." He cautiously pivoted around his friend, preparing for their other game. "I'm not about to let you win three days in a row."
A mischievous glint appeared in Luke's eyes and he began approaching him. "Really now?"
Jamie wasn't completely focussed on what Luke was saying, he kept a solid eye on his legs. They drifted gently from pace to pace and either one always gave a lead where Luke would go next. "Maybe. Maybe not. But I-" His left leg took a longer stride, and all of a sudden the Lucario was almost over him and Jamie was ready.
He grabbed the paw that would have brought him down to the ground, not unlike how it occurred when he first walked in, and swung it around to his back. Jamie twisted and Luke ended up below him.
They landed and Jamie held his weight down, keeping Luke from getting back up.
"Lemme go, Jamie!" he said, thrashing beneath him.
"I told you, I'm not letting you win!" replied Jamie. In a brief instant, a bit of his weight came off of Luke's left side, and that was all that was needed for him to take over.
A split second later, Jamie found himself in a very similar position he had been in only a minute ago.
"Not letting me win, huh?" said Luke, holding his arms in place.
Oh, you smug Lucario. He tried to move his hand into a more comfortable position but furry grip Luke had on him was next to impossible for him to move. He did have another trick up his sleeve, however.
Tucking his legs closer to his chest, he got one knee on the ground and used the leverage to stand up, Luke still clinging to him.
He may not have been able to move his arms, but Luke was a decent bit lighter than him. Out of all the advantages Jamie had, as few as they were, this was the one he exploited the most.
"That's right! I am winning this, Luke!" He swung around, managing to pry an arm from him.
"No! Not yet!"
Jamie began feeling a sensation, on his sides and a few inches up the waist. He didn't have any time to prevent it before he burst out laughing, almost uncontrollably.
Luke was tickling him.
"Stop, Luke! Hahaha- Stop!" he yelled, almost losing balance. This was not good. He would fall, and then he would lose. Committed to failure by means of tickling.
"Never!" said Luke, beginning to snicker as well. He started going faster, causing Jamie to cry out in further laughter.
And as he predicted, Jamie felt his footing weaken and he had to go down on a knee. Although Luke's weight didn't impact Jamie much, his tickles certainly did. Before long, he was in that same position again.
"Alright! I give!"
The sensation stopped, and Luke got off of his back, leaving a rather warm empty space. He turned himself over and looked at the contented smile of victory the pokemon wore.
"I won," said Luke, sitting down beside him.
"Yeah, only cause you cheated."
"What? When?"
"Tickling is against the rules! We agreed on that when you decided to keep doing it for another five minutes!"
He shrugged it off and gave him a look that Jamie knew well. His hand made his way over to the Pokemon's head and gave him the pets he desired. A light voice came from him among the pleasured sigh he released. "F-fine. You win," said Luke.
"That's what I thought." Jamie stood back up and pulled Luke with him. There was the steady rhythm of quiet laughing between them. While they had many other ways of having fun with one another, this was always the personal favourite for both of them. Jamie always had the sneaking suspicion that Luke was going a little easy on him. He supposed he couldn't fault him. After all, it was one of the only factors that allowed him to win… some of the time.
Jamie slowed his hysteria but kept his smile glowing. "Alright… alright…" he whispered to himself. For a moment he broke the eye contact, trying to the devious look on his face.
"Jamie?" asked Luke.
As soon as he felt the brush of a paw, Jamie whipped around and tackled Luke to the floor. "Round two!" he briefly yelled before getting into the mindset once again. Yep, we're gonna be at this for a while. Luke's gonna kick my ass, just like any other day, but it's too fun to care.
They were sitting on the couch, watching the news on the television. Not for any reason for learning of current events, but for the white noise it provided to their casual banter and conversation.
"So you really want to go to the Nimbasa Carnival? I'm not trying to push you into anything," said Jamie.
"Yeah! It sounds super fun! Of course I'll go with you," Luke replied, leaning his head into to get more pets.
Jamie obliged, "Well, uhh… I think that's everything that went on… except…" He bit his lip, then spoke again. "Luke?"
Noticing the change of tone, his satisfied look disappeared and he turned his head over to Jamie. "What's up?"
"I was wondering… would you be against taking a few extra aura training sessions?"
"I mean, I don't see why not. But I thought you said last week I was nearly up to regular levels of aura."
"Yeah, I know that but… it wouldn't hurt… right?" He cringed, no doubt Luke would realize what was wrong real quick after that.
"No, it wouldn't. But why do you want me to?"
There it was. He felt a hand instinctively go to his wrist but stopped it just before it made contact. If Luke had saw that… he didn't want to think about it. "It's just that… I want you to be your best. You've done so much for me and I want to repay you as well as I can."
"Jamie." Luke put a paw on his shoulder. "I get where you're coming from. I've felt that need to repay you before," he smiled, "But I've realized that no matter what has happened or will happen, we're always going to be even at the end of the line. You helped me, I helped you, simple enough."
"I wish it was that simple, Luke."
"Why isn't it?"
For this, Jamie had no answer. He didn't expect himself to. Usually whenever they had gone down this route of back and forth, he would run into a corner. He always knew what but never how and why.
"I don't know, Luke. It just is." He quickly moved to pet him and turn away from this conversation. "But… give it some thought, that's all I ask."
"Alright, Jamie," he said, admitting the conversation's end and allowing Jamie's petting to bring him back into pleasure.
"Okay," whispered Jamie, "I think I'm going to bed now. Feel free to watch a bit more if you want."
Luke nodded, hugged him, and said, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
He pushed himself off the couch and walked over to his bedroom. He gave a small wave to Luke and closed the door behind him. The half-moon's light gave the room a nice bath of light blue glow.
He pulled off his clothes and slipped beneath the covers, the wash of warmth and plush wrapped around him and in an instant he felt drowsy. His eyes half-lidded, he allowed himself to be thrown from this world and into the dream world. Before he realized it, he was asleep.
As soon as he sensed Jamie's aura slow and remain steady for a few moments in succession, Luke knew he was now sleeping.
His paw grabbed the remote and turned the television off, turning on the silence in the apartment simultaneously. He went over to the light switch and dropped darkness among the flat as well.
Then, he followed the same path Jamie took and was met by the bedroom door. He cautiously opened the door, trying his best to not make noise.
Jamie looked so calm under the blankets and for that, he was thankful. There had been a time where this was rare, where he would lie restless for most of the night, twisting and turning without rhyme or reason. To see him now, barely moving a muscle and a small smile ever present, it was hard to believe he had come to this point. For both Luke and Jamie.
But it's not all gone, is it? he thought, brushing a part of the blanket off of Jamie. It revealed his wrist, and the faint pink lines that brought back some bad memories. He moved closer, just brushing Jamie's wrist with his paw and let out a sigh. You're still doing it. Well, almost doing it. And you won't tell anyone about it.
He took his paw off the wrist, paused, and gently placed it on Jamie's head, slowly petting it much like Jamie did him. And you know I don't want to bring it up either.
Jamie shifted, and Luke jerked his hand away like it was on a stovetop. He wouldn't wake up, Jamie tended to be a rather deep sleeper nowadays.
Luke placed the blanket back and tiptoed away. You've always looked out for me, Jamie. But let me help you, please? The message was silent, and he imagined that it would remain that way for a while. The day he lets himself tell that to Jamie was one he couldn't see himself reaching.
He stepped out of the bedroom and shut the door to a crack. Jamie shifted again, less due to touch and more to acquire a greater warmth from the blankets.
Luke smiled, sighed, and closed the door.
"Is that all for you ma'am?" asked Jamie, his static cashier smile that he had perfected over time prominent.
"I think I'm okay, thanks," the customer said. She gathered her bags from the counter and made her way down the aisle of cash registers and fellow cashiers.
It was shaping up to be a rather mundane day at Ridgewear Clothing, the retail store where he worked. Average traffic, average clientele, nothing out of the ordinary so far. He hoped that would change, it was admittedly hard to keep all of his focus when there was nothing to catch his attention.
It was only half past three, leaving an hour and a half left in his shift. And he was just about ready to clock out and come home to Luke. But a job was a job and for how much it paid starting off, in addition to some raises over time, he thought he was pretty lucky to have it.
His boss, Seth, or as some of his colleagues called him, "The Hammer" was, to put it bluntly, a hardass. Not necessarily malevolent or even bad in any way but he was really fucking strict, and followed through with every single decision without a second thought. Overall, he was tolerable and not so bad once you knew him for a while, but he was the reason Jamie was still staying so vigilant considering the bland environment.
Seth was always prepared to get on an employee's case whenever they started slightly slacking off. There would be a talking-to, a little berating maybe, and possibly a grungy task thrown in for good measure. Nothing too bad, but enough incentive for anyone to remain in good working order. He was a hardass but he made it work.
But no matter how long Jamie had been around with him, he still felt chills whenever Seth clapped his hand on his shoulder.
Much like he did today.
"If you can, come to my office, Jamie," he said, emphasizing that there was no 'if' about it. Seth walked off and Jamie followed close, keeping the pace and his distance away.
They walked out of the cashier aisle and opened the door to the back of the store. Tall walls towered above them with supplies and extraneous clothes always appearing to threaten a collapse. The corridor was extremely cramped, occasionally forcing Jamie to shift sideways and shimmy a few feet.
There was an open doorway that Seth entered, his office, and Jamie followed closely. The room was a nice relief, plenty of open space with a desk in the back that Seth was getting behind. There were two laptops behind him, each with different things on their monitors. On the walls were a calendar, several framed pictures of his family and Ridgewear products as well as a clock that never seemed to run behind.
"Take a seat, Jamie," he said, gesturing to one of the standard fold-out chairs skewed to the side as he sat in his swiveling cushioned office chair.
Nervous, his hand was shaking as he pulled the chair over. Whatever the case, he had to get it over with. Maybe he forgot to do a task or something, maybe a colleague had complained about something he did. He didn't think he did anything wrong, but you never knew, it could just be something little.
"W-what's the problem, b-boss?" he asked, giving a grin that he hoped would hide the stutter.
Seth put his elbows up on his desk and interlaced his fingers. "Jamie, you're not in trouble."
He let himself sigh, "W-why did you want to see me?"
"Jamie, let me start off by saying you're a great employee. You're on time, you do your job and you're efficient at it. I'm glad to have you on board here."
This tone, barely a hint of hardness to it, was new to Jamie. He had never heard it before, what could it be?
"Umm.. thanks," he replied, still wary of what might come.
Seth continued, barely giving a pause for Jamie's reply, "You've made yourself a valuable portion of this team. You meet your personal quotas and exceeded every single time. Honestly, I envy you a considerable amount in that regard."
Wait. Could it be possible? Was he getting a promotion? Raises were one thing but an entire promotion? Maybe it was just a title change but he was growing! He was growing in this company finally! This was what got the ball rolling for him to grow and improve in the company. With only a GED under his belt, it had been hard, but now it was his time!
"Jamie, you're fired."
Hammer, meet glass.
"It wasn't my decision. But some other employees are complaining that you're making them look bad by your overachieving. You consistently do better at everything than them," Seth sighed, "You're a good person, and I'm certain you didn't intend on the produced result. I'd be happy to provide you with a reference for whatever job you choose to get."
Jamie remained sitting in the chair, head hanging down like it was in a noose. He had heard it wrong, surely. Getting fired for being too good at your job? What kind of bullshit was that?
"Heh," Jamie said quietly, "G-good joke, Seth. Funny, real funny. C-can I get back to the register?" He looked up, Seth's face held grim.
"It wasn't a joke, Jamie. I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to leave as soon as possible. Again, I'll be happy to provide a reference if you require one."
"Yeah it is, I give you a good forty five hours per week for a good four years of my life and you fire me for being too good at my job. That's a fucking joke and a half," Jamie said, realizing he had begun rubbing his wrist frantically.
"Jamie," Seth began, using a condescending tone you might hear from a parent when their child was having a tantrum, "once again, it's not-"
"I know it's not a fucking joke!" he snapped, standing up suddenly and knocking the chair over. "I also know you don't care! You don't fucking care what happens to me after this!"
Seth stood up as well, reaching out a hand as though attempting to tame a savage. "Calm down! We are in a professional environment here!"
Jamie felt his whole body trembling. His wrist rubbing had gotten so intense that the friction was steadily eating away at the bits of dead skin. "Well apparently I'm not anymore, thanks to you! Don't you ever think what I have to go through in order to keep a stable existence for me and the ones I love!?"
Seth had no response to that.
"Of course you fucking don't because this job doesn't mean jack shit to you. But it does for me. I fucking need this!" He kicked the chair behind him sending it skating along the floor until it crashed into the wall. Jamie's head was hazy, incessantly throbbing along with his heartbeat. The intensity of each throb was so much so that it caused his vision to blur momentarily. In that moment, Jamie knew that if he stayed in that office any longer, there was going to be blood on the floor. And he had no idea if it would be Seth's or his own.
"Jamie, if you don't leave right this instant, I am going to call security!" Seth shouted.
That somehow managed to break his fury, if only briefly. But that was enough for a smidge of reason and clarity to break through. Jamie stopped, stared darkly at Seth for hopefully the last time, and turned around to walk out. He gave the toppled chair one last kick for good measure and walked out of the room.
He didn't care that he slammed the door intentionally hard behind himself, he didn't care that he knocked over some clothes on his way out of the back, nor did he care that he shoved a customer out of the way as he was exiting the store.
All he could feel was the urge, and how it vibrantly thrived in his mind.
Luke felt his heart stop as he saw Jamie's aura. He had sensed it come into his range and had become curious as to why he was home so early. When he looked into it, however, that wonder turned to fear. Never before had he ever seen Jamie's aura this dark. It fluctuated unexpectedly and caused deep shivers to run along his back. What had happened?
As Jamie drew closer, he realized something else. Oh no, he thought, he has it again. He has 'the urge' again.
He saw Jamie's aura strut into the apartment complex and promptly turned left. And if he followed the same schedule as any other day, he was supposedly now going up the stairs.
Luke's eyes shot open and he jumped up. He looked at the door. It was still, but he knew that was about to change. He wasn't sure of how Jamie would act, but he was certain of what would occur if he didn't try to stop him.
He used his aura sense briefly and saw he was just outside the door. The knob twisted. Luke tried to swallow his fear. Maybe he read his aura wrong. Maybe Jamie was right in saying he needed a few more sessions.
The door swung open and Luke realized he was more wrong than he had ever been before. Jamie's face was in shadow but Luke could make out its redness and a few streaks that most likely were tears. Jamie trudged on, barely aware the door existed. Luke put himself in front of him.
"H-hey Jamie, why're y-you home s-so early?" he said, putting on a small smile in the hopes to ease Jamie, if only the slightest bit.
He continued walking straight and pushed Luke aside as he passed by him, almost like he didn't exist.
Luke's shock from the sudden push caused him to momentarily not realize the beeline Jamie was on toward the bathroom. And that moment he began running again, the bathroom door was shut tight.
Jamie twisted the lock on the door and went to the sink. His hand whipped toward the drawer and pulled it out with expert precision. From the outside, rapid knocks filled his ears.
"Jamie? Jamie, is everything alright?" Luke said concerningly, continuing to pound on the door.
He could barely hear Luke, the pounding on the door and the throbbing in his head meshed together perfectly. The urge was practically torching his entire body now. So close to release, only a few seconds away.
His hand dipped in and retrieved the razor. The cap was taken off with so much ease it filled him with a chilling excitement. It was true, he wasn't thinking right. He wasn't thinking at all, actually. The urge was guiding him to what it wanted. He placed the blade on his wrist and quivered in anticipation.
The pounding took a sudden increase in volume. "Jamie! Please come out! I don't want to break down the door but I will!"
Luke knew what was happening. He knew how close the urge was to getting what it wanted. But unlike all the other times, there was no way to stop him now.
He pushed the razor down onto his wrist and saw little beads of red beginning to leak out.
"Jamie!" Luke yelled, his tone sharper than ever before.
For some reason, part of that message finally got to him. He looked at the bathroom door and heard a desolate thought drift by. I'm sorry, Luke.
He muscles tensed and he pulled the blade across. The pink lines of his scars flooded with blood. It streamed across a part of his forearm before dripping onto the sink and floor. From his mouth came a sigh that had been four years in the making. It was so profound he became aware of the corners of his mouth tightening into a smile so unbelievably melancholy it would rather be fitted more to a funeral. And from there, he found the immense gravity that regret provided. But that didn't matter to the urge, and currently, that was all his mind was processing.
The door splintered, causing Jamie to stop the cutting motion. Then, the wood burst open and a paw came through the newly formed hole. It fumbled around before gripping the door knob and unlocking the door.
The door swung open and Luke stood there, a mosaic of fear grafted on his face. He took one hesitant step forward. Jamie stepped back, holding the razor close to his wrist, threatening to make another cut.
"D-don't," he said shakily, holding his hand out, "Don't do it, Jamie. Please don't."
Jamie pushed down on the razor, but not quite enough to make a cut. He sucked in air between his clenched teeth as cool air began to hit the open wound which was still consistently oozing blood.
"I u-understand that something h-h-happened and you're feeling… the urge… but this isn't the way to deal with it!" he said, taking another cautious step.
Jamie recoiled again and pressed down harder onto the razor. Just a bit more force and the skin would rupture once again. And the urge would feast further.
"P-p-please, Jamie… Let me help you. Put down the razor and we can just t-talk." There was no step this time, only him extending his arm further. That action, coupled with his already terrified expression was near enough for Jamie to let the razor drop limply from his fingers.
But in all, it still wasn't enough. For the urge, as powerful as it was now, it would never be enough. He drew the razor across his wrist a second time. Less but still a considerable volume of blood began flowing out of the newly formed cut. He gasped in pain and the urge gasped in pleasure.
Luke bolted across the room and tackled Jamie to the floor, razor still firmly in hand. He pinned his arms down and desperately grasped at the tool.
"Get off of me, Luke!" Jamie screamed, flailing under the Lucario. "Get the fuck off me and leave me alone!"
"Give me the razor, Jamie! I don't want to hurt you, please!"
"No!" he cried, attempting to draw the blade closer to his chest, out of reach from Luke. However, under the weight, it was near impossible.
Luke thought for a moment in the chaos and briefly removed his arm from holding Jamie's arm that was holding the razor. The split second after it began retracting inward, he lunged and grasped the razor by its head. He ignored the new cuts on his fingers and tore it away from Jamie.
"No! No!" Jamie continued to squirm under him.
Luke threw it away, smacking against the wall and falling into the bathtub.
From the sight of this, Jamie screamed. "Stop it! Stop it, Dad!"
All at once, everything stopped.
And then, for the first time in a long time, Jamie started crying. Not the deep weeping you would expect to hear from a man, but a simpler, lighter sob that was of a child.
Seeing that Jamie had stopped moving, Luke immediately got off of him and looked at his wrist. While the cuts weren't terribly deep, they still had a lot of blood flowing out.
But neither of them could avoid what had just happened. In that bathroom of room 216, they both were shattered glass.
A human picked up a slightly thin Riolu and placed him on his bed.
"Okay, Luke. I need you to understand. No matter what you hear down there, don't come down, alright? It'll be all good after a couple minutes and I'll come back and give you more pets, sound good?" said Jamie, one hand petting Luke and the other combing his then mid-length black hair.
Luke did understand but he was a little lost in the pets he was being given. Jamie was always good at petting, probably the best out of everyone he had received them from. Granted, it was a short list, but he didn't consider that.
As he peered up to look at Jamie he noticed a few bright red parallel lines on his wrist. He had been meaning to ask what they were for the longest time but due to the language barrier, his abilities for communication were rather limited.
In addition, something told him that it wasn't the wisest thing to bring up at the time.
"You understand, right, Luke?" Jamie repeated.
Luke nodded and gave a smile.
"Promise?"
Luke nodded again.
"Alright," he said, halting his pets and standing up straight, "I'll be back soon, I swear."
That little bit of gloom in his voice was enough to cause suspicion for Luke. But he hardly had enough time to think it through before Jamie turned around and left the room.
Luke sat idly on the bed, appreciating the softness of the fabric. It was so much better than the concrete in the city, it was something you could feel yourself sinking into but didn't care if it swallowed you all because it was so soft.
At that point, he heard a sudden bang, and a small yelp of pain that unmistakably came from Jamie. He shot off the bed and jumped up to the door, attempting to twist the knob. But he wasn't quite tall enough.
With that brief break in his adrenaline he gained a bit of clear thinking. Jamie said to not come down despite whatever he might hear. Would it be such a good idea to break a promise to Jamie right when he first allowed him into his home? Jamie may have just stubbed his toe or banged his funny bone on a wall or something, it might not be that serious.
Another bang, followed by an even louder yelp. That decided it for him. No matter what, he needed to know what happened. He cared about Jamie and if it turned out that nothing had happened, then he could rest easy.
He breathed slowly and jumped again, this time catching the knob and pulling down. The door swung open and he ran out of the room.
While he didn't have time to memorize the layout of halls in Jamie's home, the staircase was the first thing that stood out to him. He had been certain there had been a thin constant thumping right before the first yelp. Jamie had to be on the first floor.
Luke went over and started stepping down the stairs. Due to his size, he nearly stumbled from the height of each stair, but his sense of worry kept him on track.
Just as he reached the last few stairs, another yelp came from beside him. He turned his head and saw Jamie lying on the floor, prominent bruises on his left cheek and a small amount of blood running from his nose. Over him stood a very big man with thinning grey hair and a one-quarter-full bottle of beer.
"Son of a bitch, I told you to finish your chores before I get home," the man said, his words surprisingly coherent.
Jamie coughed twice, pushed his hand to the floor for leverage and looked back up at the man. "I did vacuum, Dad. I just… forgot about the recycling…" he said diffidently, almost sounding as though he knew that was the wrong answer to give.
The man Jamie called 'Dad' became red in the face. "Piece of shit!" he yelled and swung the bottle above his head and sent it careening down into Jamie's leg.
He screamed and pulled his leg towards his body, letting his head go high in agony. His eyes caught sight of Luke and went wide. His screams cut off abruptly and he began mouthing a silent message, 'Please don't, Luke. Don't get hurt, please.'
But that didn't get through to Luke. He jumped down the remainder of the stairs and ran over to Jamie.
"Jamie! Jamie, are you alright?!" he said, kneeling down to check on his injuries.
Luke knew that Jamie didn't quite understand him but that didn't seem to stop him from replying with fair comprehension. In a low whisper, he said, "I'm fine… you should have just stayed in my room…"
"What the fuck is this?!" Jamie's Dad yelled, "You don't do your chores and bring a fucking pokemon into my house?!" He stomped over to them.
Luke lept in front of Jamie and stood in a protective position. He was not going to let Jamie get hurt any more, not after he had done so much for him. There was no way he was going to let anyone close to him now.
Jamie's dad, standing over them, suddenly gained a vehement enraged expression. Veins popping up in his head, the corners of his mouth twitching erratically, and a frantic, unstable breathing. Luke felt himself freeze up at the sight of the behemoth.
"You… You're going to take my son from me?!" he roared, beginning to swing a foot back, "Not on my fucking life!"
He thrusted his leg forward and collided his foot with Luke's torso, instantly pushing all the air from his lungs. Luke flew over and struck the floor a few feet from where he once was.
The Riolu attempted getting up again and felt the lack of air cripple his strength. He collapsed back onto the floor and tried again to get that one paltry bit of oxygen in him.
At the same time, Jamie's Dad had seemingly forgotten about his son on the ground and made his way over to the Riolu. "Piece of shit vermin. That's all you are. Just a fucking thing to keep my son away from me."
Luke felt the breath finally come to him, and he pushed himself up with his hands and knees. But this only caused him to come face to face with another preparing kick. He shut his eyes, waiting for the blistering pain that would follow.
He heard a thud that certainly didn't come from him, and he opened his vision again.
How Jamie had the strength to tackle a man that was most likely more than twice his weight to the ground was beyond Luke's understanding. But Jamie was currently on top of his father, punching him to no end.
"You're not going to fucking hurt him!" he screamed, continuing his barrage.
However, it must have been simply the shock of his own son attacking him that caused Jamie's Dad stopping from fighting back. In a swift motion he pushed Jamie off.
"How dare you, Jamie? Attacking your own father?" He sent a quick kick into his side, eliciting a groan from Jamie. "You're no better than your mother."
And similar to how Jamie had his barrage on his father, the opposite began occurring. Hit after hit, Jamie felt his body twisting in agony, unable to rest for even a second. It wasn't Luke's fault he was in this mess, Jamie knew that this had been a long time coming. Luke, I'm pretty sure you can't hear my thoughts or anything right now but- his thoughts were interrupted by another kick- but please run. Run far away. Don't get hurt too, please.
Luke's aura sense, however weak it was, detected Jamie's worry for him. But rather than drive him away, Luke now knew for certain he would not leave Jamie. If he only had the amount of strength to help then…
No. It didn't matter whether he had the strength or not. Jamie was in trouble. Jamie needed help. And for Luke, if it happened to be hurt, or even killed, that it would be a fair price. His life had been given what it had been needing for so long by Jamie. If anything, he was obligated to try for him.
A bright light filled the room, halting the beating Jamie's father was laying on his son. He turned around, "What the-"
That was as far as he got before he received a punch to the jaw that sent an infernal crack through the silent home. Jamie's father stumbled, barely able to raise a hand up to his mouth, and fell down.
Jamie looked over at his saviour and saw a Lucario breathing heavy. The large pokemon turned to him and he felt terror come over him before he realized who it was.
"L-L-Luke..?" he said.
The Lucario nodded and leaned down to him. He took his arm and pulled him back up to standing, allowing Jamie to lean on him for balance.
Luke looked around, observing the world around him with his new height, and caught sight of a door. He started pulling Jamie along the path towards the door, trying to keep a pace that was fast but slow enough for Jamie to walk with his hurt leg.
"Luke… please stop…" Jamie said.
Luke fiddled with the knob and opened the door to the outside. The dim orange light of dusk filled their vision but Luke paid no attention to it. He continued dragging Jamie along the driveway. And after the driveway ended, he continued walking with him along the sidewalk. He didn't know where he was taking Jamie, all he was certain of was that he needed to get him far away from here.
"Luke! Stop!"
Luke stopped, maybe Jamie's leg hurt. He turned around and checked over him, but nothing seemed to stand out.
"Luke… Ah, jeez man." He sighed slowly, and put a hand to his chest. "I… I told you to stay in my room.."
Luke's expression turned to surprise, "What? Jamie, he was hurting you! I had to help!"
Jamie's slow breathing turned to hyperventilation. "Oh, Arceus, what the hell are we gonna do? What am I gonna do?" He dropped down on the concrete, holding his head in his hands.
Luke went down with him, wrapping his arms around and comforting him. "Jamie, I care for you. I'm never going to let anything happen to you."
Then, he heard something. A high, whooping sound of hollow pain that flooded his ears and made him feel sorrow. He backed away from Jamie just a little bit and saw his face. Tears streaked down, falling on the pavement below. He was crying.
Luke doubled his efforts and gave him the best hug he ever could, but made sure to be wary of his chest spike.
Jamie didn't deserve to be hurt anymore.
"I still think that the carnival's a great idea," Luke said, steadily rolling the bandage over Jamie's wrist. "I've always wanted to try that ring toss game everyone says is rigged, I think I'd be good at it."
Luke smiled weakly at Jamie, who had his head down. His arms were on the edge of becoming limp, barely complying with Luke so he could fix him up.
"But I don't mind if you wanted to go on more rides or anything, it's your money. Maybe they have a really cool roller coaster or something." Luke held the wrap in place while he got a piece of tape from the first aid kit.
Jamie mumbled something Luke couldn't quite understand, but ultimately didn't do much while he taped the bandage tight.
"And… if you just wanted to stay home that's… that's alright too, okay?"
"Luke.." Jamie said, sounding like he barely put any effort into articulation, "Your fingers…"
His fingers had been stinging since he cut them, but he had paid little attention due to Jamie's much bigger problem. A little of his blood didn't matter too much to him but Jamie had bled a lot, thank Arceus and above he hadn't passed out due to shock.
"They're fine, Jamie. I'm sure they'll heal up in no time." He put a hand on his shoulder, "Are you alright though?"
Jamie smiled and snickered, "I'm not worse, heh."
Luke frowned, but couldn't help but be glad that Jamie was smiling again. "Come on," he said. He hooked an arm under Jamie's, careful not to touch his bandage, and supported him as they both got off the bathroom floor.
He led Jamie out of the bathroom and onto the couch where he sat beside him.
"I messed up," said Jamie bluntly. "I messed up big time, Luke. There's no other way of looking at it. Today was just… it just wasn't my day."
"Jamie… you didn't mess up, it's not your fault. You weren't ready for the… 'the urge' to get you so h-"
"I got fired," he said, putting a palm to his forehead, "I got fired for some dumb fucking reason and lost my shit over it. And then… I just felt it take over."
Luke was surprised at this revelation but just shook his head at it. "I know, Jamie but we can fix this. We'll… we'll go to Doctor Hayes tomorrow, I'm sure she'll be okay with taking you in and-"
"I don't care about my fucking wrists!" he yelled, "Those heal, we can get on without it. What we can't get on with is me not having a job. If I can't pay the bills and everything… then we'll be left on the streets." Jamie put his head down again, "I'm not about to let you go through all that again."
"Jamie, don't worry about that, please!" Luke said, raising his voice to match Jamie's. "You can get another job without a problem, you have experience and I'm sure there are plenty of places willing to take you. But if you slip into that cycle again…" he shifted closer to him and wrapped an arm around him, "you're going to have a breakdown, Jamie."
"No… they're not going to fucking take me."
"Why not?"
"I freaked out in front of Seth, that was my only fucking reference I ever had a chance at getting. Now I have none. How the hell am I gonna get a good-paying job without a reference?"
"You could start small, just like you did with that job and work your way up. It'd be slow but-"
"I don't have time for stuff like that, Luke." He looked back up, and Luke saw the pain simmering in his eyes. "What happens… if I do get a job like that, and don't make enough by the end of the month each time. How long are my savings and severance pay going to last me? When am I going to go in the red?"
"I don't know, Jamie," he gave him a hug, "but I do know if you don't let me or anyone else help you, the amount of money you have won't matter in the end."
Jamie sniffled and put a single arm around Luke, pulling him in closer. He wasn't full-on crying yet, but he felt pretty darn close to it. Was Luke right about all this? Was he just wasting his time on financial issues when his own mental health was at stake?
"I don't know either," he said quietly, increasing the strength of his embrace, "but I care about you, bud. And I want us to have a good life together."
"I care about you too, Jamie. I just… want you to be safe. That's all I need." He put a paw on his head and pet his hair, just like how Jamie did to him every day he was with him.
Jamie backed out of the hug but still let Luke's paws rest on his back and head. A slight smile that perfectly encapsulated the happiness and the small amount of remaining sadness he still had, "I-I love you, bud."
Luke had the briefest feeling of surprise before falling into the same mindset as Jamie. "I love you too."
Although Doctor Hayes couldn't see it, Jamie's hand and Luke's paw were firmly together as they sat side by side on the couch in her office.
"So, if I may ask, what caused you to want to come here today, Jamie? You seemed quite urgent over the phone," she asked.
"Yeah, uhh… So, Doc, the thing is…" he paused and sucked in his breath. From below, a reassuring squeeze from Luke gave him the courage to continue. He held up his bandaged wrist, "I relapsed. It was a bad day and it became too much for me. I'm sorry."
The Doctor's eyes went wide with surprise, "Oh, dear… Jamie, are you okay?" she asked, leaning in for his answer.
He gave a small smile, "I'm fine, just… a little shaken…" The hand went over and pet Luke's head, "He's been taking care of me real well, Doc."
The Lucario let his head lean into the petting, emanating soft pleasured whines.
Doctor Hayes sighed but eventually smirked at the sight, "Thank you, Luke, for doing that. I'm sure he greatly appreciated your support throughout all of this."
"Damn right I did," Jamie replied, petting a Luke a few more times before setting his arm down. "So then… I guess I should keep coming here for quite a bit longer then?"
"Jamie, remember what I said before that-"
"I know, I have the comprehension to make my own choices. And this is mine, I want to keep up with this whole thing. Hell, I'd try to get extra sessions if you were available like this all the time."
She interlaced her hands and went into thought, "If you'd like, I believe I have open session around Wednesday."
"That would be perfect, thank you, Doc." He felt a tiny nudge in his side and looked over at his friend, "…And Luke thanks you as well."
Doctor Hayes looked over and smiled soundly at the Lucario before turning back to Jamie. "Seeing as that we're essentially finished for today, would you like to give me your definition of 'acclimate' or do you want to wait until the next time we meet?"
Jamie felt the connection between him and Luke and said, "No, now is fine."
"Then go ahead."
His eyes went over to his wrist, and then Luke. "Acclimating is basically just changing to your environment so you can live better," he paused, "The problem is that you can acclimate to a bad thing. I know that firsthand. And when that happens, things can get worse. But you can help it by acclimating with a good thing, you know," he pulled Luke close, "like Luke."
Doctor Hayes waited, "Is there anything else?"
Jamie chuckled and shook his head, "Hehe, no. I didn't really have time."
"Well, it sounds like you did give it some thought."
Jamie turned his head and kissed Luke on his. "Thanks Doc, I'll see you next time."
They all stood up. Jamie and Doctor Hayes shook hands. Without much hesitation he and Luke went out the door, hands still together, and began walking home.
From Tool - Parabola
Twirling round with this familiar parable
Spinning, weaving round each new experience
Recognize this as a holy gift and celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing
A chance to be alive and breathing
This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality
Embrace this moment, remember, we are eternal
All this pain is an illusion
Thanks for reading.
- Minusbomb