Devil's Impact

Couples Therapy

Chester sat close to Mike, the two of them on the fluffy red couch in Dr. Dave Grohl's office. He had to admit that Dr. Grohl's set up looked nothing like his own therapist's office. Instead of minimalist artwork on the wall and a diploma from whatever college, Dr. Grohl had watercolor art and paintings that look like they should have died in the 1970s rather than be hanging on the walls of a professional's office. Although I kinda like that one of the long haired cow, Chester thought as he studied the odd painting for only a second, and then his attention was back on their new therapist - his and Mike's first shared therapist.

Dr. Grohl was sitting across from them in a comfortable looking chair, a stack of papers in his hands, which Chester assumed were the information forms he and Mike had just filled out in the waiting room. Dr. Grohl had hair down past his shoulders, and two beaded necklaces on - one red and one yellow. His white shirt looked fluffy and his brown slacks didn't quite match his Birkenstock sandals. Chester had only glanced at Dr. Grohl's bare feet, just long enough to notice he had no polish on his nails and hair on his big toes, and that was enough for him to never look at his therapist's feet again.

But his eyes are soft behind those gold rimmed glasses. And his voice is nice too. He shook our hands and let us sit on this weird-ass couch.Chester ran his hand over the red furry cushion they were sitting on and smiled a little. He knew coming in here for the first time would be nerve wracking, but he was actually feeling okay. He wasn't sure if that was because of the sound of the rainbow fountain running quietly in the corner or because of the lavender smell coming from the incense burner sitting on the windowsill. Or maybe it's just because I'm happy we're finally here. Things need to get better. I hope this is how we make that happen.

Mike wasn't five inches away, and Chester found his nearby hand, giving it a squeeze. It brought his husband's attention around to him, and Chester smiled softly. He could see the nervous shadow in his lover's eyes, and Chester pet his thumb lightly over the back of Mike's hand.

Dr. Grohl looked up from the papers he'd just skimmed. He watched the married couple in front of him. He didn't miss that they were holding hands and seemingly silently encouraging each other. "So," he said, as he sat the papers aside. "Why don't we start with talking about why you're both here." He saw the confused look on his patients' faces. "I know you wrote it all down," he acknowledged as he gestured to the stack of papers before he pulled a pencil out from behind his ear. He picked the stack of papers back up and turned them over. He jotted down the date and Mike Shinoda x Chester Bennington =

He looked up. "But I think it's important to voice your reasons." He held up the papers. "What people write and what comes out of their mouths isn't always the same." He flipped the stack back over, looking down at his clean space as he studied the couple in front of him. Their very different physical appearances hadn't escaped his notice. Chester was well put together, in fashion-friendly jeans and a gray and pink button up shirt. He was wearing black framed glasses and expensive looking boot shoes. Mike looked a little more comfortable in baggier jeans and an open blue and black flannel over a dark undershirt. It wasn't unusual to see opposites together, but years of experience told Dr. Grohl that sometimes those differences could lead to arguments and issues.

"Mike, why don't you go first," he suggested when neither one spoke up. "Tell me why you're here today."

Dr. Grohl's office wasn't the same sort of office as Dr. Digby's, and Mike was still trying to figure out his feelings about the space. Everything at the campus office was clean and utilitarian. This was warmer and far more relaxed, but it wasn't putting Mike at ease. His heart was pounding as he cleared his throat. "Well, Ches and I have been together for a long time, years. More than five," he said, lifting their linked hands. "And I want to get better at communicating what I'm thinking and feeling with him. I'm not good at it, and we have fights that probably wouldn't even be an issue if I knew how to talk in a way that didn't upset him. I always seem to say the wrong thing. So I thought maybe this would help."