The Doctor is in...

[teenagerenegade]

It's probably not totally professional of him. In fact, it's not. Professional. Still. What Charlie's got is tonnes and tonnes of experience of being sent to psychiatrists and what he knows is this: that, sometimes, you can talk and talk and still, people just aren't listening. And, when you're a kid, there's nothing worse. Charlie might be

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[dancin_maxxie]

Maxxie's not sure what to make of the sign. He stares at it for a few minutes, wondering if there's a joke there that he's missing and, if so, what it is. He would think doctor is a euphemism for dealer, but this isn't home and dealers never listen.

Finally he decides to take the chance and enters the restroom. It appears empty and he thinks maybe the sign got left up from an earlier game or it's a prank of some kind. Maxxie shrugs it off and turns to check himself out in the mirror, and that's when he sees the pair of feet poking out from under a stall. He stops adjusting his shirt and tilts his head curiously. "What sort of doctor are you then?" he asks, hoping that this isn't some random bloke innocently trying to use the loo.

[teenagerenegade]

"I qualified with the Psych office," says Charlie, looking up from his notebook and reaching out to pull the stall door open. "But, you know, some people find the office totally intimidating. I used to do this back home and it always worked out pretty well."

[dancin_maxxie]

He’s in a public restroom looking for a doctor. That the doctor in question is barely older than Maxxie is, if that, shouldn’t be as surprising as it is. But Maxxie stares at the other young man’s reflection in the mirror and decides that getting cozy in a stall with him wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.

“I get that,” he says. “About the office. But a restroom? That’s the best choice?” His mouth quirked in a faint smile, Maxxie turns and leans back against the sink counter. “Do I get in there with you?”

[teenagerenegade]

It says a lot about Charlie Bartlett that the implications of his location haven't even occurred to him. He idly chews on the lid of his pen.

"Habit from back home - there wasn't really anywhere else at school to do it." He huffs a laugh through his nose. "Don't think my boyfriend'd be that keen on that. Next door's better anyway; it's easier to talk if you don't have to look at the person who's listening."

[teenagerenegade]

"I'm waiting for someone to listen to," he says, flashing Shuya a little grin. "Sometimes, you just need someone to listen to you, you know? You don't even need them to fix it - you just need them to hear you."

[teenagerenegade]

"It's quiet," says Charlie, idly adding a swirl to the doodle in his notebook. "And it's not the office, so people are more relaxed. Plus, I used to do iit in the bathroom back home - nowhere else in school to do it."

[provincialbelle]

Belle walked past the door twice, noting the sign each time. She also noted the strangeness of it. Finally, she gave in to her curiosity and opened the door slightly, peering in with her head and little else. "Hello?" she called out, wondering what on earth she was walking into. "Anyone home?"

[teenagerenegade]

"Only me," he says, leaning forward enough to wave, notebook cradled in his lap as he gives her a sunny smile. "Hey, Belle."

[provincialbelle]

Belle's brow furrowed in confusion, but she stepped closer inside, eyeing the second stall curiously before leaning her hip against the divider between the two. "Do I dare even ask, Charlie?" she wondered. "Is this your new office? Didn't they give you a real one?"

[teenagerenegade]

"I've got an office," he says, rolling his eyes fondly. "But some people, they find the office a bit much? I used to talk to people in the bathroom back home. It's weird, but it works."