written for @alittledizzy as part of @fandomtrumpshate
triggers/warnings: implied panic attack/anxiety, canonical character death mentions
Baz and Simon meet in a community center art class and become fast enemies; much to the chagrin of their matchmaking therapist. Over the next few months tensions escalate, paint is thrown, coffee is had, and the two of them learn that thereās more to life than just doing whatās expected of you
a/n: bless @cherryonsimon for being the most patient beta and best friend and for staying up until 5am reading this over!! and a huge thank you to all of my friends who listened to me talk about this fic for ages and who offered their support throughout the entire processĀ š (this fic will crash the mobile app so if youāre on your phone i recommend reading on ao3 ^__^)
āHowāve you been, Simon?ā
I shrug, and Ebb writes something down in her notebook. I crane my neck to see what it is, and she pulls it back. Frowning, I lean back on the couch and cross my arms. Itās not like sheās said something bad, itās just a habit Iād picked up over the years. Being in and out of therapy since you were a child tends to make you curious about what theyāre saying about you, especially if their evaluation could determine whether you get shuffled around yet again.
Not like that would actually happen with Ebb, especially since I aged out of the system a while ago, but itās still a knee-jerk reaction to seeing someone taking down notes about me. Never mind that Iāve been seeing the same therapist for six months; some habits are hard to break.
Ebb is the best person I know, which is probably a weird thing to say about someone you pay to listen to your problems; but when you donāt have a lot of people in your corner, you learn to appreciate the ones who are.
Her office looks nothing like the small cramped rooms of the therapists Iād been sent to when I was a kid. Itās large and airy, with a red couch covered in pillows and crocheted afghans. The walls are completely covered in pictures of people, of places, of things. The first time Iād visited, Iād asked Ebb about her walls, and sheād just laughed and told me it reminded her of her life.
āWhat about it?ā Iād asked.
āThat Iāve lived it,ā sheād replied and laughed again.
I love Ebbās laugh. She laughs like everything matters, and itās nice to hear. Encouraging. Itās one of the many reasons I keep coming back.
Sheās still waiting for my answer, but I donāt feel pressured. Thatās another thing I like about Ebb: she gets it. She knows that sometimes words are hard for me and that sometimes you just get sad for no real reason.
Ebb lost her brother when she was young. I know this because she accidentally let it slip during a session one day. I felt like a jerk for not comforting her, only watching as sheād wiped her eyes on the cuff of her jumper, but I know she understood.
Other peopleās emotions are hard for me to handle, but Iām getting better at it, I think. I should probably ask Penny, considering sheās basically the only person I talk to regularly, now that Agathaās broken up with me and moved away to the States. To California. To āfind herselfā, whatever the hell that means.
āIāve beenā¦okay,ā I finally say, and Ebb nods.
āWellā,ā I pause, āI did have an incident at workā¦ā
Ebb nods, and I take it as encouragement to continue.
āUh oh,ā she says, but not in a way that makes me feel bad.
āI messed up a customerās drink and got so anxious as I was trying to fix it that I broke the machine.ā
She tuts and writes something in her notebook again. My curiosity is too much this time. āWhat are you writing?ā
āJust a reminder,ā she replies, āIāll tell you at the end of the session.ā
That doesnāt completely satisfy my curiosity, but I drop the subject anyway.
We spend the rest of the hour discussing my weekāwhat Iāve done, what I havenāt done, what I should be doing,āuntil the timer on Ebbās side table beeps and she uncrosses her legs. Her head is bent, and I want to ask what she was going to say before, but she beats me to it.
āHave you thought about taking up a hobby?ā she asks, pen still scratching across the paper as she looks up at me.
Thatās not what I was expecting. āI meanā¦ā I trail off, trying to remember the last time Iād done anything that could be considered a āhobbyā. I play football with friends sometimes, exceptā¦except itās been years since Iāve actually done anything like that. Christ, has it been that long? āIt hasnāt exactly been a priority to me.ā I say, avoiding Ebbās inquiring gaze.
āWell, maybe it should be,ā she says in a way that makes me think I donāt have a choice in the matter. Maybe thatās a good thing, because I know if I were on my own Iād never push myself to find something.
āI was thinking something therapeutic. Like⦠relaxing. Have you ever taken a painting class before?ā
āYou mean outside school?ā
āWould you be interested in trying one?ā
She sets her pen down and tears a page out of her notebook, folds it, and hands it to me. āHereās the information about the class. You donāt have to attend, but I think Itād be good for you.ā
I take the paper, and look at the class name. āWhy painting and drawing?ā
āWell, Simon, I could list all of the reasons itās beneficial to your mental health, but thatās boring and you donāt want to hear it. Long story short: it might make you happy and thatās a damn good reason, in my opinion.ā
I nod, because I feel like Iām supposed to agree.
We make my next appointment, and as Iām leaving she says, āI really do think this will be good for you, Simon.ā Itās like she can tell that Iām considering tossing the number, and I make a firm decision not to.
I wave goodbye and duck out the door, shoving the paper roughly into my jacket pocket. It feels heavier than it should, and I know itās because Iām overthinking this. (As usual.) Iāll probably feel better once I have more information, but the thought of me enjoying an art class makes me want to laugh. Iām not artistic in any way, and I really donāt have any interest in spending time looking at stupid bowls of fruit, or drawing naked people, or whatever people do in classes like this.
But Iāll do it. For Ebb. (And because maybe sheās right about this. Maybe it will make me happy.)