An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Part C: Brace the Walls - Chapter 54: Cloud Nine has been posted!! We're finally getting into the boys dating!!! Gaaaah, I'm so excited!!! Beginning of the chapter below the cut!
“So you weren’t sick,” Jo stated as she sat in her usual chair, across from Bradley, who sat on the couch.
Bradley nodded his head stiffly. “Correct.”
It was Friday morning, the last weekday of spring break and Bradley had made it to therapy. The moment the door closed behind him to the room, Bradley recounted everything to Jo, pacing across her office like a caged tiger. From his father’s call, to making out with Max in the skatepark, to telling Max they couldn’t be together, to painting almost nonstop, and finally to Max confronting him and convincing him to try. He only sat down at the end of his tale.
She was quiet through the whole thing, remaining patient as she saved all thoughts and comments for the very end. A sigh left her and he felt himself tense up.
Bradley would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about how Jo would react. Whether he wanted to or not, anxiety grew in him, along with a familiar fear of disappointing someone he had grown close to. In a way, Jo felt like a mother to him, even with the restrictions between doctor and patient, he couldn’t help but feel attached to her. Was it healthy? He wasn’t sure at this point, but it was definitely something he had to consider for the future
Sympathetic green eyes looked at him through her glasses, but he could see a small hint of disappointment. “That is a lot to go through alone; I wish you reached out to me.”
Guilt cemented in his stomach as he swallowed dryly. He looked away from her, his head hanging a little in shame. “I was afraid of what you would say,” he admitted.
He could hear her standing, setting her notebook and pencil down on the table next to her, followed by her soft steps on the carpet floor. Soft hands took hold of his own and gave them a gentle squeeze as she sat next to him on the couch.
“What did you think I would say?”
Bradley sighed as he looked up at her. “...That my sibling wasn’t my responsibility and I needed to just leave my life behind for my happiness and just be with Max.”
She shook her head. “I would never tell you to drop everything without a plan.” Squeezing his hands, she looked into his eyes and held his gaze. “You have lived your whole life depending on your father and family’s money; if you left it all behind without a plan, or without resources to take care of yourself, you would likely crash from the weight of the unknown. I want you safe and secure before you take that step. I’ll help you in any way I can.”
His eyes began to sting and he blinked to relieve them, only for his eyes to water anyway, but he held them back. “And my sibling?”
A kind smile lit her face as she looked at him with sympathy. “You’re already an amazing big brother for wanting to keep them safe and make sure they don’t have the life you had. While not your responsibility, you wanting to protect them instead of just leaving them to your father shows you’re a good person.”
Bradley huffed as his tears started to escape his eyes. “Maybe I’m just jealous of the baby,” he said, though he knew it wasn’t true, at least partially. He didn’t want his father’s attention anymore and didn’t want to take care of the family business, though, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed about the idea of not running the Uppercrust hotel line. It had been stated since he was a child that he would take over. It was expected and his ‘birthright’ as his father said many times in the past.
He had sat in on meetings with his father numerous times, listening and taking notes. Only a couple of times did he voice his opinions or ideas on how to improve the business, only to be shot down by his father for interrupting and speaking out of turn. All of his ideas were written down for him to look back on after he took over the business.
Bradley had been ready to burn the ideas, however, ready to give it all up for freedom and happiness. He had been ready to break the chains holding him to his father and leave it all behind. Now there was a new chain attached and, while fragile, he couldn’t bring himself to break it; not with the child on the other end being the next one to have impossible expectations on him.
“Maybe some, but that’s normal,” Jo said, regaining his attention. “From everything you have told me over these last few months, I would be surprised if you didn’t feel jealousy, but you also know and realize how much hurt you have endured over the years.”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
Jo smiled at him and gave his hands one last squeeze before letting them go. “Now, let’s go over your plans.” She grabbed the tissue box from the table and offered it to him. “We’re hoping for the best, but it’s still a good idea to have things set in place.”
He took the box and pulled a tissue out. “Right,” he said as he wiped his eyes before sniffing a little. “I have started looking into scholarships that I meet the criteria of...”
