passive possessive (part 2)

Chapter 190

Koushi flipped through a crinkled cooking magazine to pass the time. He found a recipe for a spicy hot pot that sounded appetizing.

In an adjacent chair, Daichi restlessly sat. Koushi offered him a magazine, but he refused and looked around the office, arms crossed and leg bouncing.

They're in the waiting room at the therapist's office, Sayumi in the middle of a session. The room is silent except for the receptionist's keyboard and the clock ticking on the wall. There's a couple more people waiting on their children, too, but none as on edge as Daichi. Koushi is content, but he's puzzled by his mate's jumpiness.

The omega reached out and set a hand on his arm, offering a smile. The alpha's face stayed passive and he looked around the room again.

Sayumi sees her therapist, Misaki Hana, every other week for an hour. They don't know details of what the two talk about, unless Misaki finds and issue. Though, each week they know Sayumi talks about how she's been and what her time at school is like.

After every appointment she gives her a small goal to accomplish before next time. Last week it was do something nice for her parents, so she drew them a picture. The time before that, meet three new kids in her class. It gives them something to talk about, something for her therapist to gauge how well she's handling her trauma.

"She should be almost done," Koushi mumbled as he checked the time. He's pretty tired from their day in the city. They left early to grab breakfast at a nearby cafe before stopping by a school supplies store— Koushi needed a few end of the year things for his classroom. Then, they headed to the office to make the appointment time.

Sitting for the past hour almost lulled him into a nap. Maybe he would have used his mate's shoulder as a pillow if not for his edgy fidgeting.

"Sawamuras?"

They looked up to see Misaki waving them back. She sometimes debriefs them after talking with Sayumi to say whether or not she sees progress.

"So how is she?" Koushi concernedly asked once in the office.

"She's doing significantly better than last time." Misaki smiled, "I think school is really helping her and it seems she likes to learn."

Koushi chuckled, "She is very eager to learn new things." He would run out of fingers if he counted all the times she's asked him to teach her something. New recipes, new words, new ideas. She likes discovering the world and what is has to offer.

Misaki cleared her throat, "I appreciate the list you gave me so I could ask her about the pack. She had some nice things to say about everyone, but she's still shying away from most of the alphas." She frowned. "When I bring them up, she goes quiet and is jumpy, so she's harboring fear that will take a while to control."

It's not something either of them expected to clear up over night. Sayumi's fear of alphas is one of the only problems lingering other than food insecurity. She's caught up in school, healthy as her doctor reported, making new friends, and maintaining her friendships. All good things she's overcome, but her fear of alphas improves slowly.

"What about the constant apologizing?" Daichi asked rather roughly.

Sayumi apologizes an excessive amount when she hasn't done anything worthy of apology. A lot of the time she thinks something she's done is wrong or bad and her first reaction is 'Im sorry'. It's concerned the couple for a while and they've tried telling her she's done nothing wrong, so they brought it up with Misaki before the session.

Misaki nodded, "I'm glad you mentioned your concern. She does apologize a lot which is an anxious response. It means she's unsure of herself, so positively reinforcing her good behaviors could give her more confidence." She remembered how the pup knocked over a canister of markers while they colored and profusely apologized. It was nothing to be flustered over, but Sayumi truly thought she badly messed up. "I suggest finding her a hobby outside of school and home. Something to give her structure but she can also have fun with." She handed him a pamphlet. "There's quite a few programs out there for her age group."