Two days after Dr. Aeleus had dropped by the library, Zexion found himself seriously needing that back adjustment more than anything else. Some new books had arrived in packages, and not only did he and Demyx have to carry them inside, each box required two people to carry, and the weight of just one was heavy enough to where it needed at least five people to carry it at once. This didn't help the fact that he owned a very uncomfortable mattress. Needless to say, his spine felt like it took a trip to a pretzel factory. Yanking the business card out from the magnet on his fridge, he got directions to the address and drove their in an instant.
The waiting room probably wasn't designed by the doctor. All around the walls had a pale yellow coloring to them, while the carpet, while plush, was a dark teal color, not matching the walls at all. Then again, maybe he did have the place modeled like this. No accounting for taste, obviously. The office clerk wasn't in at the moment, so Zexion took a seat in one of the cushioned chairs nearby. No sooner had he taken a seat, the office clerk came back to talk to someone he had on hold.
Is this guy for real?! Zexion wondered as he took a rather startled look at the clerk. For one thing, he had bright PINK hair. For another thing, although he wore scrubs like in any regular doctor's office, he was wearing ones with an obnoxiously bright floral print. He could've easily passed for a woman, were it not for his ridiculously deep voice. He didn't seem to have noticed Zexion on the chair, so the silvery head of hair sank further into the chair. He was used to being ignored a lot, but still he kept on his face an annoyed expression. He always seemed a little annoyed with life, true, so even when he wasn't in a bad mood, it was hard to tell.
"Did you sign yourself in?" the office clerk called from behind the desk, not even looking up from some paperwork he had before him. Zexion lifted his head in confusion.
"Were you talking to me?" he asked, feeling stupid in doing so.
"Well, there's nobody else in here, is there?" the clerk answered very matter-of-factly, "So yes, I mean you. There's no appointments currently, so Dr. Aeleus should be able to see you right away." Shaking his head, Zexion quietly strolled over and scrawled out his name on the clipboard, taking a moment to catch a glimpse of the pink haired man's name tag. On it read the name "Marluxia". The younger man bit his lip and furrowed his eyebrows, trying not to laugh. As if the appearance wasn't enough, he even had a feminine sounding name.
I'd hate to be this guy, he thought to himself. Slender fingers grasped at the clipboard, and Marluxia read the details upon it, then looked up at the writer.
"The doctor will see you in the second room," he informed him, "Just make sure you take all loose items in your pocket and put them in the little bin inside. It's on a little shelf by the door." While on his way toward the room, Zexion caught sight of some of the framed posters around the walls. They mostly showed the different areas of the spine and skeleton views of the human frame, but some also had cutesy, cartoon images with slogans like "An aligned spine is a happy spine!" Obviously, either the doctor was a little weak in the head, or he also worked on children. The second assumption was correct, for he took a small glace at a tiny little table in the middle of the room. Close by it were bins of toys and coloring materials, and even a little bookcase with picture books. He couldn't help but smirk at the sight of it.
Next time I'll be sure to bring Demyx, he joked to himself. Turning the knob on the door, he stepped inside and placed his wallet, car keys and cell phone in the plastic bin on the shelf. No sooner had he placed them all in, did he hear the little jingle the phone made whenever Demyx was calling him. Rolling his eyes, he plucked the phone out and flipped it open.
"What do want, Demyx?" he growled into the receiver.
"Hey, um…what do I do with the books we just brought in?" the blond's voice sounded meekly on the other line, "'cause Dad's getting all annoyed and such."
I don't blame him, Zexion sneered to himself.
"Just bring 'em to the back room so they can be scanned into the system later," he informed him, not the slightest bit of patience in his voice.
"'kay but, how much do I bring in?" he pressed further, "all of them, or just about half?"
"Look Demyx, my job is not babysitting you on my days off!" the silver haired young man practically snapped into the receiver, "Quit being a dumbass and just take the whole thing in! And for God's sake, don't carry so much at a time that you knock over all the bookshelves again!" Slapping the folder of the phone shut, Zexion put it back in the bin, only to turn around and find that Dr. Aeleus had come in while he was still ordering around Demyx.
"Still lack patience with your co-workers I see," he commented, carrying a clipboard in his hand. Maybe it was because of his coat, but he looked somewhat bigger than how Zexion remembered him. Sure, it was two days ago, and only for a short period of time, but regardless.
"And you still fail to realize how annoying of a co-worker he is," Zexion scoffed right back at him. What right did he have to tell him he was impatient?! Even if he was a doctor! "I've never really done this before. Do I need to take off my shirt?" The doctor smirked and shook his head.
"Lay on your front upon the table is all," he instructed him. Once he had done so, he asked Zexion if it was just an adjustment he needed, or if he was in for some other treatments.
"Just the adjustment, if you don't mind," he said quietly. He didn't want to spend too long here. Once he was laid out, he let the doctor do his work, eyes closed by pure instinct. He expected hard, painful digging into his back, but Dr. Aeleus' hands were…soft. In a way, they seemed to have an uncanny ability to soothe rather than cause more hurt. He felt him feeling around for any particular spots that needed adjusting, and when he did touch there, Zexion couldn't help but stifle a soft moan, not wanting him to think he was hurting him in any way. Or rather, not let him know he was getting a rise out of being touched in such a way. Even when he felt him press down and crack his spine ever so slightly back in shape, he felt like he had floated to heaven.
Why do I feel like this? he wondered to himself silently. It's just a back adjustment. What's so admirable about that? The answer came when the doctor flipped him onto his side gently, making him bend his free leg upward, and then Zexion felt himself being brought down gently onto his hand, further adjusting him. All through the procedure, even when he felt his neck being cracked, he lay there in an almost dream-like state, letting himself be moved around and massaged in a way that helped him feel like he'd been cured of an age-old pain.
"Well, that's all," he heard Dr. Aeleus awaken him from his trance. Frustrated, he arose from the table and stretched himself out, enjoying the satisfying pop sounds his back made as they became adjusted a little more. Before he could leave, he was asked to stay behind for a short while.
"As I was adjusting you, I noticed something peculiar," he spoke to him in an almost concerned tone. "While you did indeed need that adjustment more than anything, I felt that most of the strain was caused not by physical means…rather, this is a more psychological pain." Zexion look at him in confusion, not knowing what to make of what he was trying to tell him.
"You see, most pains in the human structure are caused by such things as heavy lifting and some more difficult household chores," he seemed to have told people this many times before, because he sounded like he knew exactly what he was talking about, "but often at times, some injuries are also caused by daily stress from various things; troubles at work and school are the most common." Zexion raised an eyebrow at this comment.
"You're basically telling me that I'm in pain because I stress out too much?" he questioned, disbelief lining his voice thickly.
"Exactly," he answered with almost the same matter-of-factly voice Marluxia used. "Now, this isn't exactly a prescription, but I would recommend that you come in at least twice a week for a regular adjustment. If you want, you're also welcome to other treatments we provide here. But just remember that it's absolutely necessary that you come in regularly, whether it's weekly or not." After writing something down upon a piece of paper, he presented to Zexion a list of times the office was open and closed. Politely thanking him for his services, he gathered his belongings out of the bin and walked out of the office coolly.
What was it about that man that made Zexion so attracted to him?!