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cinnamonest · 2 years ago

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your xiao x teacher!darling post got the absolute degenerate part of me thinking and now my fav dynamic is xiao x therapist!darling. poor boy cant control himself when literally anyone shows a sliver of kindness at all. darlings naivety has lead her to brush off any signs of a crush as a coincidence until he eventually cant take it anymore and noncons her because he has no other way to communicate what he wants. <3

Yesssss he would fall in love with someone who shows him the slightest semblance of caring, this is accurate

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He didn't want to go, but either someone (an employer noticing a lack of output or the like) essentially forced him into it. Therapy... he doesn't need something like that. He's perfectly fine. Is he the most social or upbeat person in the world? No, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with him. He's very begrudging about it at first, thinks that maybe after a session or two you'll realize he doesn't have anything wrong with him, and that there's no reason for him to keep coming.

Likewise, he doesn't really... open up very easily. At first, he gives a lot of one-word answers. Yes, no, maybe, etc. Occasionally "I don't know," which is an improvement, since it's three words. You have to work with him for a while to get him to open up about himself and his feelings. You do insist he should keep coming, this being at first much to his dismay, but after a while... he doesn't mind it as much. He keeps finding that he does feel better overall after each session for the rest of the day. Maybe it's not so bad after all, he thinks. It's probably just catharsis.

When he finally does really open up, though, it all sort of comes pouring out at once, like a bursting dam. He has a particularly bad day or something, and he just kind of breaks. It all comes spilling out -- how he has no motivation in life, no direction, his life feels devoid of anything that brings him pride or happiness, so on and so on. How he has no partner... no friends... no ambitions... he's just... very empty. He doesn't use the word lonely, but he does mention more than once that he has no real source of interaction.

Well, of course, you see that as a very fixable issue. Of course someone with no social support or resources would feel isolated and consequently depressive. He just needs, you know, a social network. Friends.

...Except therein lies the problem.

Do you ever go out to social venues?

No.

Do you ever try talking to your peers?

No.

Do you have any special interests that there might be events for?

No.

You go down the line, but get the same answers. You find he work from home, never goes out for lunches or groceries, preferring to get it all delivered. The most social interaction he gets is you and the occasional email back and forth to his employer. No hobbies, except for games and collecting some niche things. Terrible eating and sleeping habits, he gets no nutrition, is addicted to caffeine, never gets any sunlight or fresh air, and his internal clock is completely in disarray from an irregular sleep schedule, no doubt contributing to his depressive issues.

And when you suggest he try to get out more and make acquaintances, he gets an uncomfortable look on his face. He mutters something about how he'll try, but he's not even really trying to hide that it's insincere.

On the bright side, he does seem to make some effort to fix his other habits, but you realize very quickly he has no intentions of actually trying to form relationships with others. You keep stressing that social interaction is essential to one's mood and mental health, but it's like talking to a brick wall. Eventually you lay off trying to get through to him on that end.

But he also gets much better about being very transparent, will openly talk about things that upset him or bother him. He ends up starting to take up the whole allotted half-hour as well, whereas he used to be so closed-off that after fifteen minutes or so you'd run out of anything to say and end things early.

In fact, after a while, he ends up switching his weekly session to a different day of the week so that he can come in for a full hour. He's still somewhat awkward about it all -- he never looks you in the eye, tends to do these sort of nervous habits like wringing his hands and bouncing his leg a lot, but the fact that he keeps coming back is a testament to the fact that he's obviously getting something beneficial out of your sessions.

...In truth, though, it's not really your advice or anything. Actually, he hasn't been following said advice at all -- he's still staying up late at night, hasn't changed any consumption habits, he just lied about having fixed both of those because he didn't want you to be disappointed.

But he is happier. He looks forward to coming to see you, it's the highlight of his week. He just enjoys your presence. You're so nice, your voice is so soothing, you smile when you see him and it makes him feel all warm and weird, but in a good way, an addictive way. No one has ever asked him about how he feels before. No one has ever given him empathy for his problems. And sure, he feels bad not fixing his habits and lying and all that, but the concern you show for his well-being makes him feel cared about, like he has significance to you. He's not lying when he says he feels a lot better these days.

He knows, of course, that you're doing all of this because you're getting paid. If he didn't have the money, he wouldn't be here. It's your job to care... or at least pretend to. Maybe there's a slight empathy there that's just part of human nature, but if he were to stop coming tomorrow, he would never cross your mind again, he's sure of that. Sometimes he lays there at night (well, morning, since he goes to bed around 3 a.m. or so), reflecting on the matter, sulking in bitterness about it. Yeah... it's just feigned concern. It's just your job.

...No, you're not pretending. Sure, you are getting paid, but you're a sweet person, you're so nice, surely you do care. Plenty of doctors and similar professions do genuinely care about their patients, and often get personally emotionally invested in their well-being, right? That's why they go into the profession in the first place! The same is true for you. You wouldn't be doing this if you didn't care.

So, then... you do genuinely care. You have to. Even if money is a transactional part of the matter, you do really care, even if it's just that you simply wish good for his well-being out of general empathy and benevolence. It is real in its own way. It's a blissful thought.

You've already noticed that these sessions are more conversations these days than anything. He keeps derailing the sessions by asking you about your life, what you do in your spare time, the kind of questions you might ask a client (even the more invasive questions). You entertain the questions briefly, since it's good for him to get some interaction, but you always follow up your answers with a 'well, let's get back to talking about you, okay?' And he's compliant... until asking another question about you a few minutes later. And back and forth it goes.

Until one day, he sort of crosses a line.

In his defense, you asked him first. You figured that he would probably be happier with a partner, most people are, but for someone like him, you know getting one might... present a challenge. Can't meet people if he never goes out, and you're pretty certain he'd be the type to avoid dating apps like the plague, so you don't even bring that option up. But you did figure it would be worth asking if he's ever had one. He went to school and college, right? Maybe had a high school sweetheart or a college relationship or something?

No. He just shakes his head. You can tell he's about to say something, you see his lips part just the slightest, so you stay quiet. But he takes a few moments to speak.

...What about you?

The question catches you a bit off-guard. You hesitate for a moment, and just sort of mumble. Oh, well, that's... that's not really relevant, haha. Anyway...

He just nods in response, but you can see the displeasure on his face. Maybe he's irked he didn't get an answer, or maybe he's formed his own conclusion based on the lack of an answer, and doesn't like that conclusion. Still, it doesn't feel quite as awkward as that time you got around to the standard 'are you sexually active' question and just got a blank stare and quick shaking of the head as a response, so at least it wasn't that bad.

Regardless, he doesn't stop trying. As time goes by, he keeps prying more and more, trying to get information out of you, always seemingly displeased when you abruptly cut him off. He might be a bit socially inept, and isn't always particularly perceptive, but he gets the message when you are clearly shutting him down from asking anything further. And he wouldn't want to upset you, so he obliges. Always walking a thin line.

But if he can't get answers out of you, he'll have to resort to other measures. It's compulsive, he has to do it, he's been losing sleep over the thoughts.

It's not too hard to find you online. Aside from a brief listing of you on the psychiatric group's website, he eventually tracks you down on social media, your family, your friends. You did say he needs to learn how to do social networking, right? This is sort of like that, minus any of him actually interacting with anyone. In fact, it's incredibly easy to find all sorts of things about you. He's able to find even more, the deeper he digs. Where you got your certification. Where you went to high school. Old pictures of you, thankfully some of your acquaintances have public social media profiles and an image with you in it here or there. He ends up spending hours and hours scrolling through page after page, only realizes how long he's been looking at it when he sees the sunrise through the window.

It almost makes him feel guilty and embarrassed the next time he sees you. How is he supposed to look you in the eye knowing he spent several days scouring the web for crumbs of your existence? What would you think if you knew about that? You'd be freaked out for sure.

You notice he's acting a bit off, but, well, he's a bit of a unique individual, slightly eccentric or unusual behaviors and mannerisms aren't uncommon for him. He fidgets and mumbles a lot and leaves a bit earlier than usual, kicking at the leaves on the sidewalk in frustration as he walks, all the way until he's home.

He's fully aware it's all unhealthy. He realizes it's a sign there's something wrong with him. But obviously there is something wrong, or he wouldn't be coming to you to begin with.

But that leads to a new train of thought. If he were to fix his problems, there wouldn't be a need to see you anymore. Or even if you saw him sometimes, you'd probably tell him he doesn't need to come in as often or for as long. That thought is unpleasant, as soon as it crosses his mind, he begins to worry. What if he runs out of problems to talk about? Or, more likely, what happens when you realize he's not making the changes you told him to? You'll reach an impasse, where there's nothing you can do and give up on him.

So if he fixes his problems and gets better, you'll be out of his life. But if he refuses, the same will be true. No matter what he does, he's at risk of losing you. There's no route he can take that works out in his favor! He ends up pacing around his room, running through his thoughts on the matter for hours. He was hoping to think of another way at first, but after a while he's forced to acknowledge there's really only one way to ensure he can continue to see you indefinitely: having to go out of his way to ask you to meet him outside of the sessions.

And, well, he quite simply cannot do that. Absolutely no way. The mere thought makes him feel sick. There's no way he can summon the gall to ask you that. You would surely say no, probably get creeped out if not worse. He probably wouldn't be able to see you at all after that.

But if he doesn't do something, one way or another, this can't last, and the knowledge that it can't last is going to eat him alive every waking second. It already keeps him awake at night.

He knows he's reaching the so-called point of no return when he finally gives into an urge he's been having for a while: waiting until your day ends and following you home, on a day that's not the day he comes to see you (if he planned it on that day, he'd surely act strange enough beforehand that you'd be wary). He knows that that is definitely something normal people do not do. Normal people occasionally internet-stalk, sure, but this? It's the kind of thing people get involuntarily committed for. Would you do that? Would you get him in actual trouble if you knew about it? He would like to think you would be okay with it, but the rational part of his brain says otherwise. He tries to prevent himself from doing it again, but once the impulse is given into once, it's harder to fight off in the future, and he ends up doing it again, and again.

If you really wanted to point a finger of blame to what pushes him over the edge, though, it would unfortunately be the internet. He has no one better to ask how to solve his problems, so why not a bunch of strangers behind screens?

He's frustrated with the answers he gets. Granted, it is the internet populace, but when he posts to an anonymous board about his problem, he's still irked that the answers are far from helpful. Sure, after posting it, he realizes that the way he worded the whole thing is really really creepy, and that he probably should not have included the details of having followed you home and stalked you online ("collecting data" was the term he used, though), but these replies are unnecessary. Mostly poking fun at him, replying with implications that he's a stalker and memes. One guy mockingly replies with "here try this" and a staged stock photo of someone tied up in the trunk of a car. Ugh. Should have known better than to trust these assholes to be of any help. He's not like that.

...Is he?

You know, a mentally sound person wouldn't even consider such a thing, or so he thinks to himself. Guess you were right to say he needed frequent sessions.

Admittedly, the thought does stick with him. Couldn't say exactly when it goes from a laughable, far-fetched idea to something that starts to seem feasible and practical. It's a gradual thing, perhaps. The thought just pops up in his head every now and then for a few minutes, and the more it occurs, the more desensitized to the concept he gets, the less it triggers that socially instilled sense of immediate avoidance and nervousness most people get at the thought of committing a serious crime.

Likewise, the more he thinks about it, the more justified it feels. Technically, you are there to help him get better. You were supposed to fix him. So, from a logical point of view, if he does something... abnormal, perhaps criminal, to you, that's technically your fault for not curing him, right? If you had done your job a bit better, he wouldn't be having these thoughts to begin with. Besides, when you chose this career path, you're knowingly acknowledging risks like this. Which means you were okay with taking the risk of this happening to you, which is basically a form of consent in and of itself, is it not? The more he repeats it to himself -- and he does, over and over, whenever he's sitting slouched over in his desk chair or laying in bed or taking a (rare) shower -- the more he gets used to the idea, envisions it in his head.

He cancels one week. Calls the front desk of the psychiatric facility (a big step for him, as much as he hates having to talk to strangers on the phone, so you're proud of that much), tells them he has to cancel over a schedule conflict. Which does strike you as odd -- since when does he have anything else going on in his life? Maybe he's finally listened to you and decided to go be social or something, or maybe it's just another type of appointment... you hope maybe it's the former.

In truth, he's worried things will go badly if you see him right now. He's not in a very good state of mind, it's all becoming too consuming, he's neglected sleep and work. He has to take that week to work himself back down, get rid of the jitteriness and bloodshot eyes that you would undoubtedly notice if you saw him in person. Just enough to see you again without you immediately getting freaked out.

You know something is a little off, still, when he does come in the following week. But that's normal, people often behave strangely when going through periods of change in their lives, so this is actually probably a good sign!

...Although it is rather unsettling. It's different from his usual brand of weird. Instead of the frustrated tone and grumbling and looking at the ground, his voice is very... flat. Empty. No trace of the usual demeanor, not even the coldness he can get when he's particularly irked.

But even more unnerving is that, rather than looking at the ground, at the wall, back and forth the way he always does, he looks right at you. Fixated on your face, eyes staring directly into yours, you haven't even seen him blink. His own expression is also completely blank, transfixed. It's incredibly unnerving, you find that you end up looking down at the ground for once. You did tell him once that he doesn't make eye contact enough for social appropriateness, so maybe he's trying a little too hard to rectify that or...?

You feel like somehow he's getting worse, and yet for some reason, when you ask him the standard opening question -- how have you been? -- he seems to perk up.

He nods, finally shows some emotion in the form of what appears to be a sort of resolution on his face. He says he's thought a lot about some of the things you've said. That you were right, that he can't keep living with no goals or direction, can't keep up the unhealthy lack of socialization. So, he's put a lot of consideration into it, and he's decided that very soon, he's going to be making some major changes to his life, for the better.

Well, if that's truly the case, you're very happy for him, you say. Granted, based on his history, you're not inclined to believe he's actually going to make any changes, but part of the job is always believing in your patients and all that. He seems more determined than usual, so, maybe he really is serious about it. You hope so. He seems like such a sweet boy at heart, you really do want to see him change for the better and be happy.

He knows that too. Says he's very serious about it this time. He's going to go through with what he's decided is the best course of action, and in the end, he will be perfectly content and happy. He'll probably be more productive, more energetic, more motivated, everything. It'll all get better.

And technically, you will be the cause. You'll see. He'll be sure to thank you for all your help, too, he's very grateful.

#.x #lena's asks #this is another one that I want to eventually expand upon bc hhhhhh #also he would 100000000% be one of those incels thats like #'im only sad bc no girl will sleep with me i dont need therapy just need gf'#posts sad wojaks to chan boards to whine about tfw no puss

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