Therapy:
The next week that followed was like living in a time bubble. Nothing seemed to change, nothing was felt, nothing was done. Well, stuff was done. Homework, soccer practice, family meetings, and discussions of therapy were brought up intermittantly.
Reno spent more time with Axel after the meeting between the three sisters. They didn't talk about what had happened, but the friction it caused left its marked. Axel, who had been a good actor for a while, kept up appearances. Reno who was still adjusting to homeand social life struggled at a regular pace. But when the two were alone neither could do any pretending.
"You know we need help," Reno murmurred. Axel bristled visibly but didn't say anything. He still had his pride after all, however damaged it may have been. More silence passed between them. Reno took a deep breath and tried again, "I'm going to ask for therapy, I think it'd be better if we both went." He stood up from the bed and left the room.
The next day Axel woke up to find out his parents signed them both up for sessions. He side-eyed Reno during class, catching him with a non-appoligetic "you know" glare. After third period their parents came and dropped them off. Axel could feel his fists clenching in his jacket pockets. "Let's go", Reno pushed him into the building.
...
"Your parents tell me that you've been through a lot recently. Where would you like to start?" The brothers exchange glances. There really wasn't a reason to lie at this point was there? Both boys sighed deeply.
"I'm-" they both said at the same time.
"A sex addict."
"A runaway"
The therapist looked slightly surprised, he raised an eyebrow. He gestured for them to continue talking. Axel leaned forward and Reno leaned back.
"After Reno ran away everything changed. I went after three girls and fucked them all sometimes all three in the same day."
...
Axel remembered when the three girls arrived on school grounds. He remembered how the three of them arrived in one car, each of them dressed in monochromatic color schemes. Naminê wore shades of cream and white. Kairi wore shades of rose and pink. Xion wore shades of grey and black.
He at first didn't mind them much. But then he noticed he had at least one sister in every class. And before he knew it, Kairi had confessed to him without even letting him speak. Naminè approached him during a school dance and he more or less seduced her in the locker room...or was it the other way around? And Xion? Well, he knew her being a photographer was a good thing. There's a lot of things you can hide in a dark room.
The best thing about it all was that it stayed hidden.
...
"I ran away because of a teacher," Reno admitted without changing his expression, "I didn't know what to do so I ran". Axel, who had his head bowed, suddenly snapped to attention. What had happened?
"What actually happened?" Axel asked. The therapist was silent, studying the interactions between the two young men. Reno was quiet, hunched over with his elbows on his knees. He felt his heart racing. Whatever this something was...
"I was in the locker room and she started touching me..." He began slowly, "It happened over and over again. I...let it happen. I felt so dirty afterwards. and I left." Reno's could barely choke out his story. His eyes were starting to mist up. He didn't sound like his brother.
"The first thing I did was try to pretend it didn't happen. But she found me again. And...I left." Reno's voice sounded cold and empty. "I didn't know who to talk to. I didn't want to admit that happened, I was confused...so I left." Axel was speechless.
…
"So that's how it went, huh?" Larxene blew a cloud of smoke. Axel had messaged to meet her at their usual spot by her fire escape and told her everything. Axel kicked a stone before replying.
"What's worse? Knowing or not knowin'? I was powerless either way. My own brother couldn't trust me with anything..." his voice trailed off and he stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Not to spite you or anything, but this is kind of out of your hands isn't it?" Larxene said the words slowly and carefully, "You might not have known, but you can't really be blamed for it."
"They did blame me though," he countered, "A lot of people did. I guess they forgot I was a kid and my brother was my best friend. Losing him killed me too," he flicked the ash off of his cigarette before taking a drag. They were both silent for a longer time than he was comfortable with.
"That's some heavy shit," Larxene suddenly blurted, "I wish I had something better to say...but damn...that's a lot that happened." She was right. It was one thing to have a runaway brother, it was another to learn a shit-ton of secrets in one blow. And now that the therapist knew what happened between Reno and his teacher the authorities were definitely going to get involved. The last thing he heard before sneaking off was his parents contacting the school.
"I'm sorry Axel," Larxene added with a softer voice. She looked like she wanted to say more but couldn't. Axel thinks that she almost cares about him. With that kind of response he could be forgiven for thinking so.
"It's okay, I've got therapy now," he laughs at the last part but quickly covers it up with a cough. She caught onto him and gave a chuckle of her own.