Bury Me Face Down BNHAxReader

21. Just Like Old Times

"I'm sure Phil will be over the moon to see you again Shota, you know that hairy little man absolutely adores you!" You reassured your friend, he seemed to almost be nervous. Or maybe he had the jitters from all the coffee you pumped into him this morning. Last night had been hellacious, but waking up in his arms had brightened your day in an extraordinary way. The two of you wore sweaters and dark jeans, it was fall now, his usual drab dark coat layered nicely with his black crewneck knit sweater. Your red and yellow thick striped knit sweater was a bright contrast to his dark hues. You wore a red beanie over your thick curls, they kept trying to escape, so you had to constantly pull the hat back onto your head.

The two of you had grabbed coffee at your usual spot, and ordered your usual highly caffeinated drink for the two of you. Elation filled you as the two of you chatted as you walked to your therapist's office. It had been two weeks since you'd seen Dr. Philoctetes, or Dr. Phil, but this had been a scheduled appointment. At least now there would be something dramatic to talk about... dramatic and fresh. Even though the trauma was two decades old, last night's inception-esque nightmarescape was indeed fresh.

"Hello Meg, I'm here for my 11:15 appointment with the good Satyr." You smiled at his young, beautiful receptionist. It was so typical of Phil, he always collected beautiful women, usually they'd leave after a year or two, but Meg was on year seven with the kooky man, and she appeared to have not aged one bit.

"Oh! Ms. Furasshu, so good to see you again. I don't believe you've ever brought this dark figure along with you, will he be joining you today?" Her cherubic smile made you chuckle, you introduced Shota to her, and stated that he was going to be sitting in on the session.

In a matter of minutes, you were sitting on the very familiar silver grey couch, your short and fat therapist was hugging your escort with great fervor. His office hasn't changed too much, fewer toys and more vinyl records and pictures of nature. He finally released Aizawa, who sat beside you on the couch.

"This brings me back, doesn't it, Y/N? It's just like when the two of you were still at Yuuei. You were a year ahead of Y/N, but you stuck around. It was crucial to her development over the years, and I'm just so tickled that you are together now!" Your spine shot straight up, Shouta went rigid as well. "Oh, I see. This isn't couples therapy... real shame." He readjusted in his round chair, you and your suddenly calm friend couldn't relax. Something in his words warmed you to your core, but it also frightened you beyond belief, Shota would never think of you in a romantic sense. He'd always maintained a protector role in your life, nothing more, always held you at arms length... well sometimes.

"Ahem, well, Y/N, had an episode last night. And she asked me to come with her today. I think it's best she explains the experience." Shota interrupted the weird silence and opened the floor to you, again protecting you from your fears and subconscious. You began to recall the nightmare.

You opened your eyes, the world was much bigger than you. Dr. Phil looked much younger and a little less round, but he wore a pastel dress shirt and a yellow teddy bear sat beside him on his round chair. Your hand was warm, you turned to Shota, he was just a year older than you, but he was a whole head taller than you, and the both of you wore matching yellow onesies. It had been determined that these fun colors and matching outfits soothed you just enough that you could talk about your trauma.

The Green Man had brutally murdered your parents, you'd been left for almost four hours alone or hidden in horrific bloodbath, due to the protocols that had to be followed. The subsequent survivors guilt, hallucinations, and general PTSD that had rendered you invisible for three years after the incident. Here you were though, your final year of middle school, Shota was already attending Yuuei, and he was your hero.

"Tell us, Y/N, what happened when you attended the sentencing yesterday?" Dr. Phil prompted softly. It had been a rough day. Your father and you had attended the sentencing of the man who murdered your siblings and mother, he'd escaped custody many times, but this time, he'd been caught and was standing trial. He had laughed maniacally on the stand, and it had sent you reeling into a very dark place. But you'd kept your brave face on, you retold the events to Shota and your therapist. You looked him in the eye and thought how this man would never know another moment of peace because child murderers like him never fared well in prison. You sighed in relief.

"Well, Y/N, that dream sounds very similar to the night terrors you experienced when the Green Man had escaped custody the first several times. But, this time, the hallucinations ended and you were found rather quickly. You controlled the hallucinations this time. And even though having an event like this after years of sleeping soundly, that is amazing progress. You controlled them, reeled them in, and your subconscious also realized that they were hallucinations. I'm so proud of you Y/N." Dr. Phil smiles at you, you were out of the memory. Aizawa and you were holding hands again, but you were an adult. You felt powerful. You had power over the terrors, this wasn't a slip up, this had been an uncomfortable test of strength.

"Thank you Dr. Phil, I appreciate that perspective on the event. I think a lot of my panic came from my fear that I was relapsing into that stage in my life, and I don't want to be held captive anymore. And I've done so well... I think I was scared that I was losing that battle. But this has helped a lot. Thank you both." You smiled and hugged him tightly, he'd been such an integral part of your life for so long, that you knew what he said was the realest truth you could ever get. Aizawa was suckered into another hairy hug, and then the two of you depart, as your day together didn't end there.

Hearts and minds nourished, your bellies were now full. You'd gone to a hole in the wall ramen shop, ordered giant bowls of udon and slurped it down. Arm in arm, the two of you basked in the lamplight as Aizawa walked you home. You felt like you had when you were younger with Shota. Free and happy.

Releasing his arm you twirled like a ballerina ahead of him, stopping gracefully on a dime hands and feet in fifth position. You heard Shota chuckle softly at your silliness, you were about to respond when you heard a familiar voice call out to you.

"Y/N!" And there he was. The man you'd been hoping to hear from, to spend time with. The man who had now stolen many kisses from you, the Symbol of Peace, was back.

"Y/N, and Shota, how have you both been? Sorry for being MIA, I've been on assignment in the U.S. let me walk you back to Y/N's place." Despite you feeling elated, the giddiness from your childhood was gone, the magic that had been in the air had disappeared. To both you and Shota's credit though, neither missed a beat. It wasn't every day that your mutual friend Toshinori Yagi had the spare time to do anything this mundane. So, despite the childhood memories and magic disappearing, the evening ended on a high note, because running into long time friends is magic in its own way.