I'll let you win (a falsettos x marvel au)

Chapter 13 : dear lawd what has Whizzer got himself into

"So Marvin," Marvin knitted his eyebrows together at how good of a mood Mendel was in. "You are officially out of the closet! How are you feeling about it?"

"How well do you think I'm doing? I was practically outed, my son is being stalked by paparazzi, my boyfriend found out he has a daughter-"

"-can we backtrack a second?" Mendel interrupted "Whizzer has a daughter?"

"Long story, but yes."
"And he said yes to moving in with you?"
"Yeah, he-" Marvin stopped mid sentence, eyes narrowing "- I never told you that!"

A tight lipped smile came over Mendel's face and he stared down at his paper, "I just assumed, you told me you were starting to be more serious with him. I also saw that you were officially dating on the news." He lied. Truthfully, Trina had called him after Jason and told her the news, complaining to him for almost an hour over the phone. "Alright let's start unpacking that actually." He said quickly to change the subject, "how do you feel in large crowds?"

Marvin, not fully convinced by Mendel's lie, began to talk. "I have a rational amount of fear."

"Of what?"

"I don't mind the people staring but I get terrified that someone's concealing a weapon."

"Okay, that is normal for a veteran with PTSD, is that your only fear?

Marvin sighed "Sometimes if there are too many flashes of light I feel myself slipping back there- that's usually why I end the conferences."

Mendel started to write something down on his note book, "well that's easier to deal with. If you even feel an attack coming on, I want you to focus on your breathing. Create a pattern that feels comfortable to you, maybe in for four, hold for four, out for four. Then I need you to ground yourself. Got it?"

Marvin nodded, "I think so. How would you suggest I ground myself?"

"Ah, now that's a bit more tricky, only you can tell me how you are able to do it. Let's say you're in a press conference and you start to feel signs that you're slipping. Focus on something in the room of in your imagination that you know will make you feel better. for example, Whizzer, or Jason."

" Thanks Doc, I think I can do that."
"Alright Marvin, how is Jason dealing with all of this change?"

Marvin lay back down on the couch In Mendel's office, staring up at the high ceiling. "Jason is handling everything better than I expected, he hasn't had a full meltdown like he usually does, which means there will be one soon."

"I mean, he was obviously distressed about the divorce..."

Marvin made a face, "you've never met my son, you don't know him like I do. He hasn't had a major reaction to meeting Trina and my new partners, or living in separate houses, or Whizzer moving in. It's only a matter of time before he breaks, I can tell you that."

Mendel cringed, changing the subject. "What about his school life, how's that been treating him?"

"First couple of weeks he was hounded by press," Marvin sighed heavily," sometimes I hear him crying in his bedroom, but I don't really know what to do about it."

"Maybe just give him a hug?" Mendel suggested.

"Maybe I'll try it. He's stayed at mine for about two weeks now, he says it's for AJ, whizzers daughter, but Trina texted me, something about her boyfriend moving in? I ignore her texts."

Mendel cringed slightly, knowing Marvin would soon find out about him and Trina's engagement, "are his friends treating him differently?"

"He hasn't been out with them, Philip and AJ come over, he's really taken a liking to her."