Fic: Therapy Vampire(1/12)
Title: Therapy Vampire (1/12)
Author: tsaiko
Genre: AU
Rating: PG for chapter, R for series
Warnings: None for this chapter
Chapter Summary: Teddy is a vampire who works with people who are in therapy to overcome their fear of vampires. Billy is a patient who has just started treatment.
Author's Notes: First of 12 parts, and a new part posted each month until it's done. I'm optimistic I'll actually write all 12 parts considering I already have like six of them written.
Teddy immediately recognized the person sitting in the chair in Dr. Kaplan's office. It was the dark haired guy from the meet and greet session; the one who had cracked sarcastic jokes to cover his nervousness. He tried to remember the guy's name. Bill? Billy? Bobby? The name on the guy's nametag had begun with a B, Teddy was sure of it.
"William, this is Teddy. I believe you met him at the group sessions," Dr. Kaplan said as she got up out of her seat. William also rose to his feet. Obviously Teddy hadn't remembered his name as well as he'd thought. "Teddy, this is William. He has decided that he would be more comfortable getting over his fear in a private setting."
"It's nice to meet you," Teddy said. He offered his hand, fully expecting William to flinch back. Most people with a fear of vampires couldn't bear to be touched by them. They knew that that was one of the main ways vampires kept people rolled.
Therefore he was a little surprised when William took his hand without hesitation. His palm was dry, the handshake firm. William refused to meet his eyes though. Instead he very deliberately looked at some point on the floor.
"Call me Billy." Teddy had remembered his name correctly. Sort of. "So you're the vampire that was at the sessions," Billy said. It was a statement, not a question. He dropped his hand as soon as it was polite.
"One of the vampires," Teddy corrected. The therapists never told the participants who was a vampire at the meet and greet sessions. It was the only way they could judge the compatibility between the therapy vampires and the patients as they mingled. Otherwise, the meet and greet was too much like a high school dance with patients on one side of the room and vampires on the other.
"There was more than one?" There was a trace of unease in Billy's voice. Billy was so startled that he met Teddy's graze. Teddy got a brief glimpse of warm brown eyes before he looked away again.
"At least six," Teddy replied.
"Therapists are at all sessions at all times. We carefully monitor the situation. Therapy vampires, like Teddy, have to go through extensive training before they are allowed to help with therapy," Dr. Kaplan said. She gently laid a hand on Billy's shoulder. "You are never alone and we make sure you are never in any sort of danger."
It took everything Teddy had to keep his face neutral. Dr. Rebecca Kaplan was one of the toughest psychotherapists in the practice. All of the vampires and half of the other therapists were terrified of her. Teddy had never seen her use anything more than professional concern with a patient.
Obviously Billy was someone special if he could make Dr. Kaplan go into mother hen mode.
"I can do this." Bill seemed to be trying to convince himself more than anyone else.
"Do not push yourself to hard, William. That's my job." Dr. Kaplan's words made Billy smile.
"Billy," Billy corrected her. Dr. Kaplan had spent his first two weeks calling him Theodore, a name not even his mom had used much. Even now, she'd occasionally slip up. Teddy wished Billy all the luck in the world getting her to break that habit.
"Billy," Dr. Kaplan corrected. "Well. We only have forty-five more minutes in the session. Let's get started."
"Okay," Billy replied. His apprehension spiked and Teddy could sense the beginning of true fear. "What do we do?"
"For the first few sessions? Just sit and talk." Teddy took a seat in one of the leather chairs, the one that Dr. Kaplan had vacated. That earned him another brief meeting of eyes, before Billy looked away again. "Tell me a little about yourself."
"Why do we just talk?" Billy took the same seat he'd had before, which put him only a foot away from Teddy. That was good. At least he didn't mind being near a vampire. Some of the patients sat clear across the room at this stage. It really made establishing trust difficult.
"So we can get to know each other." Teddy gave his best, friendly smile. "Biting someone is kind of an intimate thing. I want to know you first. It makes me more comfortable."
"Oh." Billy seemed genuinely surprised, which was kind of the point. Teddy wanted to get Billy to think about the process of being bitten in a completely different way. "I never thought of it. I just assumed vampires enjoyed biting people."
"It can be very awkward with the wrong person." Teddy leaned forward slightly, trying to see if he could catch Billy's eye. Billy resolutely kept his gaze diverted. "You can even find yourself unable to do it with some people."
"Like sex," Billy said dryly. Teddy blinked once before Billy's words processed and he started laughing.
"I wouldn't know. Never had any complaints." Dr. Kaplan coughed quietly, a sign that Teddy needed to keep it professional. Billy just rolled his eyes.
"Wow. Confident much?" Despite his words, the corner of Billy's mouth twitched upwards. "Let me guess. You were the star quarterback in highschool."
"Actually, I played basketball. Have the letter jacket to prove it," Teddy said. He knew the reaction that was coming. Billy did not let him down.
"Aren't you supposed to be tall to play basketball?" Billy asked. Teddy just shrugged. There was no way to explain that he could shift himself taller. It wasn't a vampire trait. He wasn't sure why he could do it.
Instead, Teddy pointed out, "You're shorter than I am."
"By like an inch. And I never claimed to play basketball." Billy shifted in his chair, lacing his fingers together and staring at them. It was obvious he was having a hard time remembering not to meet Teddy's eyes. "So… tell me something about you. What do you like?"
"Me?" Teddy had never been asked about himself.
"No, the other vampire I'm supposed to let bite me," Billy replied. Then he winced. "Sorry. I'm nervous."
"I can tell." Teddy paused as he tried to think of what he should say. "What do I like? I like helping people. I like movies. I like hanging out with my friends. I'm a social person." He was floundering a bit.
"Long walks in the park…" Billy muttered under his breath, quietly enough that Dr. Kaplan couldn't hear him. Teddy hid a smile. He really did sound like one of those bad dating videos.
"I read a lot of comics."
Billy's whole posture changed. Instead of a nervous, defiant slouch he leaned forward. Something had caught his attention. "Comics? Like comic books?"
"Comic books," Teddy agreed. "You act surprised."
"Yeah, I'm surprised. Most jocks don't read comic books." Teddy rolled his eyes. He guessed that Billy was about his age - early twenties - yet it was obvious he still had the whole highschool mentality going on.
"I've read comic books since middle school. I am more of a dork than a jock." That at least earned him a smile.
"You're only a dork if you read something like Captain Bravo." Billy's voice was dismissive.
"Hey! I like Captain Bravo," Teddy said. "It's a good comic."
"It's a terrible comic," Billy replied.
They spent the next thirty-five minutes debating the merits of Captain Bravo, whether the Mythos 4 comic would succeed, and had moved onto which comic book publisher made the worse movies. When Dr. Kaplan called an end to the session, both Billy and Teddy were surprised. Billy still wouldn't meet his eyes, but Teddy could tell he was slowly forgetting that Teddy was a vampire.
"I think we have made real progress today, Billy," Dr. Kaplan said. She rose to her feet, and both Billy and Teddy got to theirs as well. "We'll meet again next week." It wasn't quite a question, but Billy answered it as if it was.
"Next week." Billy offered Teddy his hand again. Teddy took it, once again surprised at how warm it was. "I'll see you then?"
"I look forward to it," Teddy said.
Author: tsaiko
Genre: AU
Rating: PG for chapter, R for series
Warnings: None for this chapter
Chapter Summary: Teddy is a vampire who works with people who are in therapy to overcome their fear of vampires. Billy is a patient who has just started treatment.
Author's Notes: First of 12 parts, and a new part posted each month until it's done. I'm optimistic I'll actually write all 12 parts considering I already have like six of them written.
Teddy immediately recognized the person sitting in the chair in Dr. Kaplan's office. It was the dark haired guy from the meet and greet session; the one who had cracked sarcastic jokes to cover his nervousness. He tried to remember the guy's name. Bill? Billy? Bobby? The name on the guy's nametag had begun with a B, Teddy was sure of it.
"William, this is Teddy. I believe you met him at the group sessions," Dr. Kaplan said as she got up out of her seat. William also rose to his feet. Obviously Teddy hadn't remembered his name as well as he'd thought. "Teddy, this is William. He has decided that he would be more comfortable getting over his fear in a private setting."
"It's nice to meet you," Teddy said. He offered his hand, fully expecting William to flinch back. Most people with a fear of vampires couldn't bear to be touched by them. They knew that that was one of the main ways vampires kept people rolled.
Therefore he was a little surprised when William took his hand without hesitation. His palm was dry, the handshake firm. William refused to meet his eyes though. Instead he very deliberately looked at some point on the floor.
"Call me Billy." Teddy had remembered his name correctly. Sort of. "So you're the vampire that was at the sessions," Billy said. It was a statement, not a question. He dropped his hand as soon as it was polite.
"One of the vampires," Teddy corrected. The therapists never told the participants who was a vampire at the meet and greet sessions. It was the only way they could judge the compatibility between the therapy vampires and the patients as they mingled. Otherwise, the meet and greet was too much like a high school dance with patients on one side of the room and vampires on the other.
"There was more than one?" There was a trace of unease in Billy's voice. Billy was so startled that he met Teddy's graze. Teddy got a brief glimpse of warm brown eyes before he looked away again.
"At least six," Teddy replied.
"Therapists are at all sessions at all times. We carefully monitor the situation. Therapy vampires, like Teddy, have to go through extensive training before they are allowed to help with therapy," Dr. Kaplan said. She gently laid a hand on Billy's shoulder. "You are never alone and we make sure you are never in any sort of danger."
It took everything Teddy had to keep his face neutral. Dr. Rebecca Kaplan was one of the toughest psychotherapists in the practice. All of the vampires and half of the other therapists were terrified of her. Teddy had never seen her use anything more than professional concern with a patient.
Obviously Billy was someone special if he could make Dr. Kaplan go into mother hen mode.
"I can do this." Bill seemed to be trying to convince himself more than anyone else.
"Do not push yourself to hard, William. That's my job." Dr. Kaplan's words made Billy smile.
"Billy," Billy corrected her. Dr. Kaplan had spent his first two weeks calling him Theodore, a name not even his mom had used much. Even now, she'd occasionally slip up. Teddy wished Billy all the luck in the world getting her to break that habit.
"Billy," Dr. Kaplan corrected. "Well. We only have forty-five more minutes in the session. Let's get started."
"Okay," Billy replied. His apprehension spiked and Teddy could sense the beginning of true fear. "What do we do?"
"For the first few sessions? Just sit and talk." Teddy took a seat in one of the leather chairs, the one that Dr. Kaplan had vacated. That earned him another brief meeting of eyes, before Billy looked away again. "Tell me a little about yourself."
"Why do we just talk?" Billy took the same seat he'd had before, which put him only a foot away from Teddy. That was good. At least he didn't mind being near a vampire. Some of the patients sat clear across the room at this stage. It really made establishing trust difficult.
"So we can get to know each other." Teddy gave his best, friendly smile. "Biting someone is kind of an intimate thing. I want to know you first. It makes me more comfortable."
"Oh." Billy seemed genuinely surprised, which was kind of the point. Teddy wanted to get Billy to think about the process of being bitten in a completely different way. "I never thought of it. I just assumed vampires enjoyed biting people."
"It can be very awkward with the wrong person." Teddy leaned forward slightly, trying to see if he could catch Billy's eye. Billy resolutely kept his gaze diverted. "You can even find yourself unable to do it with some people."
"Like sex," Billy said dryly. Teddy blinked once before Billy's words processed and he started laughing.
"I wouldn't know. Never had any complaints." Dr. Kaplan coughed quietly, a sign that Teddy needed to keep it professional. Billy just rolled his eyes.
"Wow. Confident much?" Despite his words, the corner of Billy's mouth twitched upwards. "Let me guess. You were the star quarterback in highschool."
"Actually, I played basketball. Have the letter jacket to prove it," Teddy said. He knew the reaction that was coming. Billy did not let him down.
"Aren't you supposed to be tall to play basketball?" Billy asked. Teddy just shrugged. There was no way to explain that he could shift himself taller. It wasn't a vampire trait. He wasn't sure why he could do it.
Instead, Teddy pointed out, "You're shorter than I am."
"By like an inch. And I never claimed to play basketball." Billy shifted in his chair, lacing his fingers together and staring at them. It was obvious he was having a hard time remembering not to meet Teddy's eyes. "So… tell me something about you. What do you like?"
"Me?" Teddy had never been asked about himself.
"No, the other vampire I'm supposed to let bite me," Billy replied. Then he winced. "Sorry. I'm nervous."
"I can tell." Teddy paused as he tried to think of what he should say. "What do I like? I like helping people. I like movies. I like hanging out with my friends. I'm a social person." He was floundering a bit.
"Long walks in the park…" Billy muttered under his breath, quietly enough that Dr. Kaplan couldn't hear him. Teddy hid a smile. He really did sound like one of those bad dating videos.
"I read a lot of comics."
Billy's whole posture changed. Instead of a nervous, defiant slouch he leaned forward. Something had caught his attention. "Comics? Like comic books?"
"Comic books," Teddy agreed. "You act surprised."
"Yeah, I'm surprised. Most jocks don't read comic books." Teddy rolled his eyes. He guessed that Billy was about his age - early twenties - yet it was obvious he still had the whole highschool mentality going on.
"I've read comic books since middle school. I am more of a dork than a jock." That at least earned him a smile.
"You're only a dork if you read something like Captain Bravo." Billy's voice was dismissive.
"Hey! I like Captain Bravo," Teddy said. "It's a good comic."
"It's a terrible comic," Billy replied.
They spent the next thirty-five minutes debating the merits of Captain Bravo, whether the Mythos 4 comic would succeed, and had moved onto which comic book publisher made the worse movies. When Dr. Kaplan called an end to the session, both Billy and Teddy were surprised. Billy still wouldn't meet his eyes, but Teddy could tell he was slowly forgetting that Teddy was a vampire.
"I think we have made real progress today, Billy," Dr. Kaplan said. She rose to her feet, and both Billy and Teddy got to theirs as well. "We'll meet again next week." It wasn't quite a question, but Billy answered it as if it was.
"Next week." Billy offered Teddy his hand again. Teddy took it, once again surprised at how warm it was. "I'll see you then?"
"I look forward to it," Teddy said.