Achronum
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Late November to Early December, 2038 - Therapy Sessions
Percy Novikov
Dr. Maeve Whitehall took off her glasses and cleaned them as the file lay in front of her. She put them on and resumed reading. She had a full caseload and another one tomorrow before the sweet release of one day of nothing where she could lean back on her new sofa with a good book and a glass of rosé.
Today, though, she had to be on.
Percy Novikov. By the accounts listed, he was egotistical and thought rather highly of himself. Powers include being able to read and understand multiple languages and temporal teleportation.
In her dissertation, she highlighted the connection between a super’s powers and their mental health struggles. This was, of course, outside of the routine trauma they experienced on an almost daily basis. Someone with super strength, say, often struggled with things they could not “hold” as an example. Strong enough to lift a building but not strong enough to process a death in the family.
Maeve closed the file and shut her eyes for a moment. When she got the call from Coulson, after hearing the scuttlebutt around the school regarding the recent events of Arcade, she expected to be rather busy.
These kids would not make it easy.
_____________________________________________________
When Percy walked into the office he would see it was set up with a couch and two armchairs, both in a dark green color with white accented pillows. The table in front of the seating area was dark wood with a few books on it. Some spoke in therapy terms and others included classical literature. There were two cups, empty, and a carafe of coffee.
Some pictures depicting various Greek mythological scenes were on the walls. Maeve’s degrees were also hung on the walls. A window showed the weather outside as calm, with the sun shining.
Maeve sat in one of the armchairs. ”Hello Percy. My name is Dr. Maeve Whitehall but you can call me Maeve or Dr. Whitehall if you prefer. Please, have a seat where you feel comfortable.”
Percy hesitated on the threshold for a moment, taking in the room. He had not been to therapy before. His expectations for what a therapist’s office should look like came almost solely from books - and perhaps the occasional movie, although he did not watch as many as his boyfriend, Dorian, did. For the most part, the office was as he had assumed it would be, with the exception of the decor on the walls.
“Narcissus,” he noted, cracking a dry smile. He saw Theseus and the Minotaur as well depicted, alongside Pandora. His eyes lingered on the art, before he - somewhat stiffly - took a seat in the second armchair, his posture straight. He didn’t say anything else, uncertain as to how to proceed.
Maeve waited patiently as Percy explored the art in the room. ”Let me know if I need to change anything in here to make you more comfortable. I went in with a basic understanding of some of the things you like, but a piece of paper doesn’t tell me who the real person in front of me is.”
Maeve gestured towards the coffee. ”Also please, help yourself. I know I, personally, am on my third cup of the day. Helps keep me sane. Don’t tell my boss!” She hoped the joke eased things a little.
”Let me first state that, while Coulson may have made it clear that this is mandatory, I am not obligated to hold you here. You can leave whenever you wish. What we talk about here stays in this room, that’s called confidentiality. I will not share anything with Coulson or whoever unless you give me permission. There are some stipulations to confidentiality though that, if they were to occur, I may have to break it - those being if you want to seriously hurt yourself or someone else, if there is any child or vulnerable adult abuse, or if the authorities reuqest my records, though that is a grey area and I would fight them on it. Apart from that, this is your space, your time, and we can go at whatever pace you wish.”
“So, do you have any initial questions for me before we get started?”
His eyes narrowed slightly as Maeve mentioned that she had picked the decor just for him, that there were details about him on a piece of paper. He should have expected that, he supposed, but it didn’t make him any the more comfortable about it. Percy prided himself on his privacy. Had Coulson provided a list of facts about him to Maeve? Had he mentioned how Percy had attacked Ser Nemo with an axe during the audition? Or maybe his mothers had written to her, telling her to entice him with mythological scenes?
No, it couldn’t have been his mothers - none of the scenes on the walls were his favorites. So Coulson was the culprit then.
Percy didn’t reach for the coffee, instead crossing his arms. “I do. What else did they tell you about me?”
Maeve felt the shift. She expected it. Honestly was best. ”Honestly? Not much. I only have a basic understanding of what powers you have as well as other notes on observed interests, but even then I only get a generalization so I have to make do with what’s offered to me. As I said, I can change anything in here, even the entire room if that will help. Even a tiny bit.”
“But honestly, this is your space. Talk to me, don’t talk to me, I can’t make you do anything you do not want to do. But there’s something to be said about having a space of your own to decide what goes on. I don’t think many people realize therapy offers choice and power, to an extent. I may be the therapist, but this isn’t supposed to be a one-sided fight and I can understand if it feels like it. So, please, inform me if I stumble or mess up along the way.”
He considered her for a moment, before loosening some of the tension in his shoulders - his arms still crossed, his back stiff, but ever so slightly relaxed. “No. The room is fine,” he said. Percy then paused for a moment. The lack of guidance in this conversation was… not what he expected. He didn’t know what to speak about, because he didn’t believe that he needed to be here. However, it was one of the conditions of remaining at the academy, so he was fulfilling it.
If anything, he was more tempted to use the quiet to read - but that would likely be seen as a slight against the doctor, someone who had invested time and energy into her education in order to help others. So instead, Percy sat there, uncertain what to do - what to say. “You can ask your questions.”
Maeve nodded, ”All right, let me start with a simple question. How are you feeling today?” Maeve noted the shift in posture again. Good. He still maintained the cross-armed gesture, as if to block out anyone coming inside without his say so. A defiant “I dare you to try” motion. She had seen it before. She also did not blame him. He was, at least, trying. Whether for fear of getting booted (of which she would chew Coulson out later) or genuine interest in what she was here for, she did not know, but could guess.
“Fine,” he answered curtly. It had been a nice day, so far. He had spent time in the library reading, and was looking forward to seeing Dorian later. He had finished a deep clean of his dorm room as well, and freshly reorganized his belongings. There were no classes for him to attend, but he continued to do so for the ones that interested him - such as Nemo’s time travel course and his classics studies.
”That’s good. I heard that your classes have been given passes for all the work you and your classmates did with Arcade. That must take some pressure off and gives you some more freetime. What sorts of thing do you like to do in your freetime?”
It was strange, talking to Maeve - Percy couldn’t quite decide if he enjoyed it or not. There were moments where it almost felt like one of those quizzes Dorian showed him from time to time, where selecting one answer would tell him which Avenger he was - but in others, it was more like being under a microscope, aware that the scientist was searching for something, but not knowing what. Of course, he knew the point of this was to assess his mental health - but he was fine. He would know if he was mentally ill.
”I enjoy reading - primarily ancient texts. The Odyssey reads differently in the original ancient Greek. It doesn’t really compare to any modern translation, I’ve found,” Percy mused. ”I also spend time with Dorian, my boyfriend. He confuses me.”
Maeve smiled warmly. ”Ah yes, the Odyssey. A fantastic read, though I have not read the original Greek. You’ll have to share with me how that differs from the translations. I am glad you have someone like Dorian with you. How does he confuse you?”
Percy nodded. He had been meaning to try to create his own translation of it, as a practice to translate into a way another would understand. He made a mental note to show it to Maeve, if and when he finished.
As to how Dorian confused him… it was probably more accurate if Percy had said that most people confused him, with Dorian being the most confusing of them all. ”He says things sometimes that don’t quite make sense - like he thought I was Irish for a moment, when I offered him his choice of coffee or alcohol. He also carries himself oddly - most people do, I think, but I notice it more with him. It’s like he operates on a different wavelength.”
Maeve smiled knowingly. ”Yes, people can often astound me too in what they do. I think that makes the human experience a tough more colorful though. Everyone has different experiences that show up in those moments. How a person carries themselves, sure. How they react to different situations. Who they include in their life and why. It’s fascinating.”
“So through all of what happened with Arcade, was Dorian someone you looked to? To check in on or to see how he was handling everything? In situations like that people tend to seek out those closest to them, if for no other reason than comfort, but it is a defense mechanism too. Sometimes we seek out how other people react so we know we are reacting accordingly.”
Percy frowned for a moment, recalling everything that had happened with Arcade. For the most part, he had been separated from Dorian. Arcade had placed him in simulations with Danni, Diana, Leah, and Mads. And he had hardly been inspired by the actions his fellow students had taken. For instance, a fake Chi Mai had threatened to kill them all - and the others had been shocked when Percy handled it. But why wouldn’t he do that? He didn’t understand why the others had been so surprised.
”No. He wasn’t there. I was with my sister,” Percy explained. ”My group was rather incompetent - but so was Arcade, and he designed the pairings. But if you mean after things had ended, Dorian’s parents took him home to New Orleans that evening, while my mothers collected my sister and I not too long after.” He was still irritated with Diana - not for her actions with Arcade, but for what she did the first day back at school following break.
”That had to be intense. I do not know what all happened inside but considering what happened after I can only imagine what you all went through. How do you feel about how Arcade is being handled, if you do not mind me asking? I believe he is getting treatment but is still facing some consequences.”
Почему он тебе нравится как твой парень после того, как Аркейд пытался нас убить?
Percy paused for a moment, recalling the immediate aftermath - his chest ached a bit as he recalled the memory. He hadn’t thought about this too much - he’d shoved it aside, getting on with his life. That was what heroes do. But for a moment, it was like he was there again - feeling the relief swelling in his body as his moms showed up, hearing Dorian nobly plea for compassion for Arcade, and his sister’s harsh criticism. It was in this moment of reflection that it really clicked for him. Diana didn’t like his boyfriend. The realization stunned him for a moment. He hadn’t expected to actually put anything together in therapy. And yes, it was petty and small and not some groundbreaking discovery, but… There it was.
”I don’t particularly care what Arcade does, as long as he doesn’t come near any of us again,” Percy said succinctly. ”He can rot in prison, they can execute him, he can be reformed via experimental telepathy - as long as he doesn’t come near any of us again.”
He frowned. ”It just occurred to me, when we caught Arcade, Dorian was advocating for someone to get him help, to reform him - and my sister asked me how I could stand to have him as my boyfriend. A few days ago, she teleported into Dorian’s room when we were about to have sex. Afterwards, instead of apologizing, she compared him to the Slimer from Ghostbusters… I think she hates him.”
”How does that make you feel regarding your sister and your boyfriend?” Maeve let the sex comment slide. She was not Percy’s parent or caregiver. What he did in his own time with his own boyfriend was his and his alone. She had recalled parents before hearing that their children told her that they were doing something similar and getting upset with her. When Maeve pointed out that, perhaps if they had been more involved with their children, then their children would have come to them first, they were naturally quiet.
Angry. Frustrated. Betrayed. Confused.
”It doesn’t make sense to me that she would dislike him,” Percy said instead, skirting the question somewhat. ”Yes, he can be infuriating at first - and extremely annoying and insufferable, acting as if he and his friends can do no wrong - but he’s a good person. He’s thoughtful and amusing and charming. He’s beautiful. So why would anyone dislike him, much less my sister?”
He huffed slightly, getting more agitated the more he thought about this. He found people confusing. But he thought he understood Diana.
”Well I cannot speak for others, but people like and dislike people for varying reasons; some easily explained and some less so. I would encourage speaking to your sister about it, without Dorian present. I recognize that conversation can be awkward, unpleasant, or feel silly or pointless, but you are struggling with having two people in your life, two people you care about, and the dynamic between them being terse and tense. That’s something that can be addressed and the only way to do that is with communication.”
Maeve glanced at her watch. ”I believe this is the time to call it. As I said at the beginning this can be a one and done or we can continue. I would very much like to see you again Percy, but even if you do decide you are done after this my door is open to you whenever. Please, take my card and think about it, at least.”
Maeve pulled out one of her cards and handed it to Percy.
Percy took the card, studying the text for a moment, before he slipped it into his pocket. ”I’ll consider it. Thank you, Dr. Whitehall, for your time,” he said politely, before standing from his seat. He had no intention of coming back here. The experience hadn’t been uncomfortable or strange, but he just didn’t feel that he needed it. Maybe one day he would - but for now, the biggest problem in his life was his sister’s feelings about his boyfriend.
