inception [charlie && míngzé]

Over the span of five minutes, Míngzé had changed his mind from leaving to staying at least six times. Two times he actually stood up and walked to the door, only to sit down once more. How bad could it be? If he did not like it, he could simply decide to leave and never come back.

Qiān’s pokéball was tucked away in the pocket of his jacket. Like a lot of people Míngzé thought it was bad for a pokémon to be locked up, which was the only reason he was here. Ever since he’d returned Qiān in there after he came back from the beach, he had not let him out again.

While Míngzé waited, he was fidgeting with his cane, constantly opening and folding it again. It only made him more nervous and yet he kept doing it until the door opened and someone tried to say his name. Míngzé shot to his feet. The sooner they started, the sooner he could leave again.

“Just Ming is fine,” he told the other as he raised his shoulders. Using his cursed cane, he followed them inside and looked around. As far as he could see there were a lot of colors but to him it looked more like a rainbow than anything else. Now that he was inside this office, he really wished he’d left earlier.

“So— how do we do this,” Míngzé asked, clearly having no experience with any of this.

When he was looking for professional help, he’d come across a lot of people. Most were too expensive, although they had good reviews. If he asked his parents, they would help, but also ask questions and he could— no he would not involve them. Then he found this person. They only just opened their business so it was still on the cheaper side. The only reason Míngzé sat here.

As Míngzé sat down, he folded his cane and placed it on his lap before crossing his arms over his chest. The other started talking and he tried to keep his eyes on them, but it was difficult. Some bright colored thing behind them kept catching his attention.

Just start from the beginning.

Míngzé looked towards the other, repeating the question a few times in his head. The beginning. That was relatively easy. “I guess it started with Qiān disobeying me, which for the record is not what he’s supposed to be doing. He should help me, that's what he’s trained for. He’s my eyes, basically. But he simply wouldn’t listen to me.” Míngzé explained calmly. While that did bother him, he could live with it and thought it only a phase. It was after— a deep sigh left his nose. No, he was told to start at the beginning so that is what he would do.

“It started, I think, a month ago?”

No matter that this was his own decision, Míngzé really wanted to leave already. What had he been thinking coming here with these problems. People like this Charlie had to know the whole story in order to help, but he did not even know the whole story himself.

Like he’d done so many times already, he decided to ignore that ray of thought and focussed on the person before him. “Yes and he has. I think he has been with me for almost seven years, and until now there have been no problems.” Qiān had been anything but cheap, which is why he had been a birthday present from the whole family. He was trained to perfection, and then all of the sudden he started not listening anymore.

Míngzé had his arms crossed and was tapping his own arm with his finger. “For that problem, not that I know,” he sighed. “The real problem now is— he won’t leave me alone, is too clingy.” This is where he should stop, but he knew the other would need more. “We got separated on the beach for a while, after which the clinginess started.” That’s right. It was just a stupid accident and they lost each other for an hour or two. That was the only logical explanation.

The other promised him that the situation was not hopeless, although difficult. Míngzé fidgeted with the cane in his hands. It was onlymild separation anxiety. Softly he hummed. “Alright.” For a moment, the thought crossed his mind to say more, explain the situation better. But he couldn’t. Míngzé kept his lips closed, unable to explain the whole situation to some stranger. They might be a professional, it changed nothing.    

Míngzé was not sure how he felt when the other suggested a demonstration. “I don’t think that’s a smart idea.” Silently he cursed himself for even bringing Qiān here. If he’d left the pokémon at home, he would have a good excuse not to do this. Now, his only excuse was that he did not want to let the pokémon out of his ball. Míngzé hated the fact that Qiān had been locked up all this time as he was against the use of pokéballs, but he couldn’t bring himself to release him.

“Don’t you have like— tips or something? That I could try at home? Then maybe next time I can let him out.” It was a long shot, but he could try. Not that he would try those things even if they gave him some assignments.

Míngzé knew that he was contradicting himself here. While he wanted help with Qiān, he was not willing to let the pokémon out of his ball. Clearly the other did not expect him to not go through with it. At their stammering, Míngzé raised an eyebrow, waiting for them to continue. Soon they found their voice again and spoke about the dangers his idea might hold.

The question came if Qiān might act aggressively if he was let out of his ball. “I don’t know,” Míngzé answered honestly, followed by a sigh. The pokémon had been so on edge that day, almost as he himself had lost its mind during his search. It would not surprise him if he would behave unlike himself.  

For some reason Míngzé had expected all of this to be easy, but it was anything but easy. When he was asked about a scenario, he stayed quiet for a while. “Like I said, ever since he found me again, he’s been extremely clingy. Does not leave my side for even a second, I could do nothing without him looming over me. He barely let go of me as if he expected me to disappear at any given moment.” Sadly enough there was not much more that he could tell them.

“To be honest, I put him in his ball maybe an hour after we got home and haven’t taken him out ever since.” Which has been more than a week.

Míngzé narrowed his eyes when the other had to repeat the fact that he had not let the pokémon out of his ball. Like most people he hated the idea of locking pokémon up in a ball. This situation however was different. “I have not,” he said reluctantly.

Apparently that would only cause more problems. Bigger problems. “They say pokémon go in some sort of stasis, he might not even realize how long it has been,” Míngzé explained, or more like used it as an excuse. It was what most people said who kept their pokémon in their balls all day and Míngzé must admit that it was very reassuring.

Their next words made him draw in a breath and he let his eyes wander off towards the window. While there had been a threat or— something, that was now gone. “But I can't have him threatening me like everything around me is going to— hurt me. He was sticking to me like we were glued together.” Míngzé needed his space too.

Over the years he'd countless conversations with doctors, all to discuss his his health but more importantly his eyesight. Some had been positive, others had been about some negative aspects. By now he would think it would be easy to talk about himself to a medical professional, but it was not. He came here to talk about Qian, not about himself. Although it seemed like it was intertwined.

Mingze stared at the person in front of him, his lips pressed into a thin line. He really thought it would not hurt Qian in any way if he locked him up in the ball. His thumb started tapping on the armrest. "I thought it would be better. That he would worry less and have more peace of mind that way." That was what he had told him to make himself feel less guilty at least.

So far the other had not managed to convince him that he would in fact be able to help, even when they told him he could. The biggest obstical right now was Mingze himself. "And all I have to do in order for you to help is let him out of his pokéball?" he asked as of that was the only thing he had to do.