(18+ only) Ollie and Leora's Whirlwinded Romance

8

(Ollie's POV)

Leora and I had gotten used to living together over the next several months. At one point, I had a life-changing conversation with her.
My nightmares were becoming more frequent, but I didn't want to worry Leora and I tried to stay strong...but she knew something was going on.
"Ollie, I've been meaning to talk to you about something," Leora said to me one evening after getting home from work.
"I know we haven't been cooking much, but I promise I'll cook over this weekend," I said, "We've both been very busy—"
"No," she said, shaking her head, "That's not what I meant."
I waited for her to continue.
"I've been worried about you recently, Ollie."
"Why?"
"You've been getting a lot of flashbacks and nightmares," she continued, "I think you should talk to someone about them."
"Aren't you enough to talk to?"
"Well, I don't mind," she said, "Of course I want to help you. But I think if you talk to a professional—"
"They may leak the information to the media. What if—"
"What about my therapist? He's a great guy. I've been going to him for years since leaving Shadow Creed."
I blinked.
"Well, I had no idea."
"Therapy works," she nodded, smiling a little bit, "It isn't easy. But the relief you feel when you put the work in does wonders."
"And you are certain he is trustworthy?"
"Yes. Or I wouldn't go to see him."
"I see," I nodded, "Fine. Make the appointment, and I will come with you."

---
A week later, I found myself going with my girlfriend to see her therapist, Dr. Sarge.
"Hello, Ollie. It's a pleasure to meet you," he greeted me as all three of us sat down. I responded with a nod, feeling Leora's reassuring squeeze on my hand.
"I'm Dr. Sarge, Leora's therapist. I understand you wanted to talk about your own concerns?"
"It was actually Leora's idea, but I think it's a good one," I admitted.
"How long have you known Leora?" Dr. Sarge inquired.
"Almost a year," I replied.
"Excellent," he nodded, taking notes. "So, tell me a bit about yourself."
I began, "I am the sole heir of the Ramses household, one of the few remaining family members. My older sister, Laura, is the second."
Dr. Sarge listened attentively and then asked, "What do you hope to achieve in our therapy sessions?"
"I'm looking to stop the nightmares that disrupt my sleep," I confessed.
"Could you tell me more about these nightmares?" he inquired.
I nodded and continued, "I believe many of them are haunting memories from my past that I'd rather forget. Sometimes I dream of being shot, sometimes of an ex, and sometimes of the miramon who nearly killed me in the desert. Sometimes, I don't even recall the dreams."
"How do these dreams affect you emotionally?" Dr. Sarge probed.
I shrugged, "They are disruptive and jolt me out of a peaceful slumber."
"Tell me more about how they make you feel," he encouraged.
Taking a deep breath, I opened up, "Sometimes, they terrify me, I'll admit. But why are you asking this?"
"Ollie, some individuals tend to rationalize what they've been through, trying to understand the 'why' rather than addressing how these flashbacks affect their emotions," Dr. Sarge explained.
I crossed my arms and released Leora's hand, feeling defensive. "What's wrong with trying to make sense of things?"
Dr. Sarge clarified, "There's nothing wrong with it. But if you focus solely on the 'why' of the flashbacks and not on how they make you feel, you might get stuck. Ollie, you could be experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder due to your past experiences."
I replied in frustration, "I don't have time for that."
He nodded thoughtfully, "Ollie, truth be told, not many people have the time for it. However, with the Miracles and all that's happened over the years, there's hardly a person who hasn't been affected by some form of trauma or PTSD."
Leora offered her support by placing her hand on my shoulder and rubbing my arm.
Dr. Sarge continued, "We can conclude our session for now if you prefer. Take some time to reflect on how these recurring nightmares make you feel. When we meet next, we can delve further into that."
I nodded as I rose to leave the office.
I was left with plenty to contemplate...
---

Leora invited me to go to therapy with her for her next session, which I welcomed the idea of. It was the least I could do since she did the same for me.
"Welcome both of you," Dr. Sarge smile as we all sat down together.
"Thanks for having us," Leora smiled back.
"Of course," he said, "Would you like to start us off Leora or would you like me to start us off?"
"I should start," she said, facing directly to me, holding my hands.
She paused a moment, looking uncertain. I squeezed her hands, waiting for her to continue.
"It's time I told you about my estranged family member," she started, "I have an adopted sister named Elaine. I abandoned her to join the Shadow Decree, and it caused a deep division between us. The last time I saw her, we still were on bad terms."
She looked into my eyes.
"I was scared to tell you before, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"I knew you would tell me when you were ready about your estranged family. Thank you for telling me."
She proceeded to tell me all about Elaine and their childhood. Elaine was a sickly girl, but Leora did all she could to make her happy and to make sure she stayed healthy. Leora left the orphanage suddenly to join Shadow Decree because she thought she was becoming part of something important, and she had been recruited by Anesidora. I knew that name from when I had helped Ollie and Brynn several months ago.
"Years later," she continued, "I met Elaine after she had transformed into an Esper. We got into a big fight on the rooftop, and I nearly died. Discboom found me and revived me."
She sighed, before tearing up.
"I asked Discboom why didn't she just let me die?"
I pulled her into my arms, allowed her to lean into my chest and she started to cry harder.
"When I turned into an Esper as a child, I was so upset. I know that exact feeling all too well."
Leora pulled back.
"You were just a baby," she said, fighting back her tears, "What in the world made you sad like that?"
"I'm sorry to take away from your story, I just wanted to let you know you weren't alone in feeling that way."
"What made you feel like that as a child?" she repeated.
"Well, I remember getting really sick and waking up with green skin over most of my body," I explained. "I had changed overnight, and I wasn't very pleased with the change."
I paused.
"It was probably the first time I felt helpless," I continued, "I felt so disgusted with how I looked that I would have rather died."
"You were just a little child," Leora cried, "I'm so sorry you went through that."
"It's okay. It's over now. I'm sorry I took up so much of your time in therapy."
"It's okay, Ollie. Thank you for telling me I wasn't alone with how I felt back then."

---

It was a cold day in October when I decided to talk to the therapist about what had happened between me and Nicole. I e-mailed the therapist to give him an advance notice and I asked Leora if she would be comfortable being in the room discussing Nicole. I had opened myself up to discussing my nightmares about my past and about being shot. I still didn't want to go to therapy alone, so that was my one weakness I still had.
She was very supportive, which helped me feel greatly relieved.

Now, it was time to discuss Nicole. I would break free of her grasp...
The session started with us all having small talk. We were keeping things simple.
"So Ollie, as long as you are still comfortable, why don't you tell me more about what you wanted to talk about today?"
"Yeah," I said, squeezing Leora's hand, "I want to tell you about someone who...took advantage of me when I was a teenager. I want to explain everything that happened, in my own words."
I turned to Leora.
"If you ever get uncomfortable, just let me know you have to go and take a break or something."
"This is part of your past, Ollie," Leora reassured me, "I'll stay and listen."
She looked over to the corner.
"I'll just make sure I have these handy just in case."
Dr. Sarge made sure to move over the trash bin which made us chuckle.
"Just in case," Dr. Sarge smiled, "So, Ollie, you can start your story whenever you're ready."