(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

Right the Wrongs - Chapter 3 (End)

So my schedule got bumped up for today, which means you guys get an early chapter release, cheers~

Chapter Warnings: Swearing

***

"Got that out of your system?" Rurik questioned as his partner rested the side of their skull on his chest, looking as though they were finally calming down.

A non-committal groan answered him. Lotus sounded tired; not much of a surprise after their meltdown.

"So, about those voices...," the taller probed, trailing off in the hope that he wouldn't have to pull the information out of his partner. Silence answered him.

When the silence dragged on, he shifted Lotus to get a good look at them. The smaller skeleton had managed to cry himself to sleep, the tips of his fingers still hooked loosely to his shirt. Rurik wanted to snarl but tamped down his temper for the sake of his sleeping companion. Their expression still held a pinched appearance, which meant sleep was only a temporary respite.

Wiping the remnant tear tracks from their face, he eased them out of his lap and onto the mattress. The smaller shifted a bit, but remained asleep; Rurik honestly would have been more surprised if Lotus woke up after everything that happened.

Rolling off the bed to find something more comfortable for the smaller to sleep in, Rurik tried to figure out how he was going to fix things. From the look of the situation, a simple pep talk wouldn't cut it this time if the action only resulted in more crying.

With a grey shirt and black pajama pants in-hand, he set to undressing the smaller as he put together what he knew. Lotus was upset. Voices were bothering him... did he mean literal voices or was it a self-esteem subconscious thing? He could ask later. He also knew that trying to talk him out of his funk just made him more upset.

That was the extent of his knowledge, and he hated how powerless he felt as a result. Rurik wanted to do more; he wanted to fix the problem. He wasn't content to merely grit his teeth in silence, holding his partner and watching helplessly as they fell apart.

Finally managing to work off his boyfriend's pants, a moan redirected his attention. Taking in the sight of Lotus' bare body, Rurik's thoughts began trailing off toward lewder ventures... but the train of thought abruptly derailed when his companion rolled onto his side and tucked into a shivering ball.

Taking a deep breath while chastising his dirty mind, he promised himself he would take care of his 'problem' during his shower tomorrow as usual while he refocused on the task at hand. The last thing Lotus needed or wanted was to wake up with a dick inside him.

He was better than that now.

Pulling the covers over his now-clothed boyfriend, the skeleton plucked his phone from the nightstand and paced the room as he started typing. He started out his search listing symptoms, and it didn't take long for words like 'depression' and 'schizophrenia' to pop up.

In the back of his mind, he already knew what needed to be done. They needed to find a shrink... but he absolutely hated the idea. How could he possibly trust someone else with his boyfriend's wellbeing? What if they said the wrong thing? What if they hurt him? What if they made him worse?

But like it or not, the grim search results combined with his failure to snap Lotus out of whatever was bothering him meant he couldn't do this by himself. He had no choice but to find someone else.

"Stars dammit," Rurik huffed, typing the dreaded word into the search bar. He scowled at the lack of results, but he wasn't surprised. Any type of medical treatment, be it physical or mental, was hard to come by given the violent nature of most patients and was price-gouged to death as a result. It was usually easier and cheaper to self-treat, but this really wasn't a situation Rurik could afford to take a chance.

He refused to stand by and watch Lotus sink low enough to try that again.

Scrolling through the sparse list of therapists and eliminating the ones he didn't like, he eventually found one that seemed promising. Celise Doormar, Ph.D. Even though she was a human, she had solid references, allowed sit-ins with patient permission, and wasn't too expensive either; not that money was really a problem for them.

Saving the page and continuing his search, he had to cringe at most of the remaining options. Their practices sounded more like torture methods he would have performed in his gory days than therapy.

Coming to the end of the list with no other appealing prospects, he found himself back on his first choice. The woman really did look to be the best one. Once Lotus woke up, they would need to discuss the idea of seeking professional help and schedule some time off to go meet the lady.

Powering his phone off and tossing it onto the nightstand, Rurik climbed into bed; pulling up the covers and bringing Lotus to his chest. Resting his hand upon their temple and rubbing his thumb slowly across the curvature of their skull, he settled in for the night while hoping he was doing the right thing.

---

The alarm on his phone went off, eliciting grumbles as Rurik reached toward the device. Silencing the alarm, he noticed his companion had uncharacteristically slept through it; curled up in the exact same position they had been in the night before.

Deciding to let Lotus sleep for a bit longer, the taller skeleton attempted to slide his arm out from under his partner. Unfortunately, this managed to jostle them awake with muddled words, "Wha... 'sit time to get up?"

"Yeah, the alarm went off," Rurik answered honestly, taking in the shadows under the smaller's sockets with a grimace. As Lotus clambered out of bed oblivious to the taller's gaze, he took the opportunity to ask, "Hey, there's something I want to talk about after I get out of the shower. Make sure to stick around."

The request seemed to startle the smaller monster before his shoulder sank down marginally. He mumbled while looking away, "Alright, I'll see you downstairs."

Rurik watched his boyfriend shuffle out the door reluctantly, knowing he still needed to figure out how to broach the subject of therapy. Slipping into the bathroom, he shut the door and turned on the shower. As the water warmed up, he shimmied out of his clothes while debating where to start.

Rurik knew Lotus would be reluctant to seek outside help as much as he was... but if it meant taking a step toward a better future, they had to be willing to swallow their pride. Hopefully, the effort would be worth it in the end.

But first, Rurik needed to deal with his early morning 'problem'.

***

A more open-ended conclusion, but an important one nonetheless. Things aren't always so simple, there isn't always a clear solution to your problems, and things won't always get better right away. If you're dealing with feelings that make you unhappy, there's no shame in seeking out help. Everyone deserves to be happy, and if you need help from a friend you trust or a professional to make that happen, then do what you need to do. The first step starts with your choice. Stay safe guys~

Word Count: 1,134