Mech X4 : Whump Within Oneshots {Discontinued}

PTSD Part Five / The Therapy Session

"Come on, Ryan, you've got to open up. Just tell us what's wrong," Harris said, notepad in hand as he looked up at Ryan.

"Fine, but only if you all stop staring at me!" Ryan bartered. Mark and Spyder, who were sitting on either side of Harris, looked away as Ryan rolled his eyes.

Mark shifted from his spot beside Harris to sit next to Ryan, who was looking around the Mech suspiciously.

"Come on, guys, I'm fine. Let's just... Let's just do something else," Ryan argued.

"Okay," Harris said, and the others stared at him in shock as he leaned back, crossing his arms, "What do you want to do?"

"Um," Ryan chuckled, "Anything but this."

"Like...?" Harris prompted, moving his hand in a circular motion twice with the palm up.

Ryan looked around, "Practice?" He squeaked.

"Remember what happened last time we practiced when you were 'fine'?" Spyder brought up.

"Wait, you did what?" Mark shouted, and Ryan flinched. Mark immediately quieted himself.

"Ryan," Harris spoke gently, "Is practice something you want to do?"

"...No," Ryan mumbled.

"Okay, so what do you want to do?" Harris prompted.

"Nothing," Ryan answered.

"What?" Harris asked, hoping to get Ryan to explain more.

"I said, nothing, I want to do nothing. There is nothing I want to do. Nothing. At all," Ryan explained, voice going harsh.

"Ryan...?, Harris said, waiting for Ryan to look up, "How are you feeling, right here, right now?"

"Empty," Ryan put simply.

"Empty?" Harris repeated and Ryan nodded.

"Empty. Blank. Numb," Ryan listed.

"Quiet but loud?" Harris asked.

Ryan nodded, but didn't say anything else.

Mark moved closer to his brother, "Rye..."

Ryan looked up, his eyes void of emotion, "Yeah?"

"You know... you know it's okay not to feel, right?" Mark spoke softly.

"No, it's not okay," Ryan argued, suddenly becoming animated, "Its not okay to feel this way! It can't be!" Ryan slammed his head into his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. He slowly shook his head 'no' over and over again, his shoulders shaking occasionally as he sobbed quietly.

Spyder awkwardly patted Ryan's shoulder in comfort.

Mark rolled his eyes and sighed before pulling his brother to his chest.

"It's okay not to feel. It usually means you feel so much that you shut it out because it becomes too painful. My hope is that we'll be able to help you slowly introduce the good feeling back to you and teach you how to cope with the bad," Harris explained.

Ryan looked at his friend, his eyes red from crying, "You can do that?"

Harris pursed his lips, nodding yes, "It is my hope, yes."

"But you can do it, right?" Mark demanded.

"I'll do my best," Harris said, standing up before turning to the other three.

"Mark, Spyder, a word?" Harris asked.

The two nodded, and once Mark made sure Ryan would be okay, he followed.

Once they were out of range, Harris broke, his shoulders sagging in relief as he sighed, "So good to be out of that character."

"Character? What do you mean?" Spyder asked.

"For therapy to be successful, I have to remain calm. But I'm not calm. Not at all. Not any more. Oh gosh, this is worse than I thought!" Harris began to speak quicker, his speed picking up as he paced back and forth, "I can't do this. He can't do this. We can't do this!"

"Harris, slow down," Mark said, placing his hands on both of Harris' shoulders, "What's wrong with Ryan?"

"Oh, besides massive PTSD? Possible depression, paranoia, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and tendencies, flashbacks? Basically the whole shebang. We're screwed. I can't believe it, how can we help this? How can we help him?"

"Harris, and no, I can't believe I'm saying this," Spyder started, "But calm down. Ryan's tough, he'll get through it. With us by his side, of course."

Harris let out a deep breath, "So what do we do?"

"I don't know," Spyder said, throwing up his hands, "You're the resident genius!"

"Wait... genius..." Harris started, looking away, "Leo!"

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That's right, I'm dragging Leo into this. Okay so this arc will continue on longer than I intended. The last chapter of this arc will be titled PTSD / Suicidal. That is, as of now.

Sorry, I know I said this would be the last, turns out it's not. Oh gosh, wish me luck.

Live long and love PINEAPPLES!!!