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Chapter 8 - Occupational therapist Katya makes a house call.
At exactly eleven o'clock Sunday the doorbell rang and Bastian went to answer it. They were expecting Katya to make her first house call around now and it was indeed the therapist who was standing at the door. She had a few bags with her and Bastian took them as he welcomed her in, grinning as she took a moment to survey the apartment. "Much neater than I expected, to be honest." She winked at Bastian and followed him into the living room, where Lukas was seated in the armchair, his legs up over the side, reading.
He looked up when he heard them come in, a smile on his face as he greeted her. “Well?"
She sat on the couch near him and surveyed the living room. "As I told your nurse," Bastian gave an offended huff at the title, "it's much neater than I thought it would be. Not that I mean any offense by the comment, of course." She winked at him before taking her bags from Bastian.
"Right." Lukas grinned at the comment and swung his legs over to the floor, watching her lay the bags at her feet. "Presents?"
Katya looked at him reproachfully. "I come all this way to see you and that's all you want?"
Bastian nudged Katya with his elbow. "He's a charmer this one, isn't he?"
Lukas ignored the comment. "You bring things."
Katya shook her head and smiled. "Yes, I brought you things, you lucky boy." She nudged Bastian to move over and she sat in the middle of the couch, patting the seat next to her. "Come and sit, it'll be easier if you're over here."
"Yeah right." Bastian winked at Lukas. "She just wants to sit between us." The boys laughed and Lukas stood up, walking the few steps over to the couch cautiously before slumping down beside her and smiling.
Katya was grinning at Bastian's comment. "Hey, what girl wouldn't want to be in the middle of a Schweinski sandwich?"
"A what?" Bastian glanced at Lukas before looking back at Katya, who looked like she was trying not to laugh. "What did you call it?"
"Never mind. Presents it is!" Katya pulled the bag onto her lap, avoiding Bastian’s question and rummaging around in the bag as she looked at Lukas and smiled. She pulled out a box and opened it, withdrawing a set of specialized cutlery. "Alright, first things first, while your hands are all fine and dandy for some things, we do need to get you using cutlery again. You'll notice of course that these are much thicker around the handle area so it'll be easier for you to grip them while your hands are still weak. They're also curved to sit naturally against your fingers, instead of the usual straight ones you probably own." She held out the fork for him to test out. "I hear forks were quite instrumental in your initial recovery." She winked at him and he laughed, taking the fork from her and holding it. He was surprised to find that it fit quite well in his hand and didn't cause that odd sensation he usually felt when trying to grip things because the grip came so naturally from the design.
Bastian watched Lukas with the fork, pleased when he saw the little smile on his face. It would indeed be good for him to get back to doing things the normal way, since there was really only so much you could make a person who had to eat with their hands. Bastian, however, wasn't about to let her earlier comment slip. "So speaking of eating, Schweinski sandwich? That's not some crazy fan term, is it? Wait, do I even want to know the answer to that?"
Katya glanced at him and shook her head. "No." She grinned before turning back to Lukas and plucking the fork out of his hand. "Alright you can play with that later. Let's move on." She looked up at his face, his surprised expression at her sudden removal of the fork making her laugh. "Oh you're so cute Lukas." He smiled at the comment, while Bastian rolled his eyes. "Alright, moving on my dear, I have a few suggestions to make your daily upkeep a little simpler. I don't know if you've thought of any of these on your own by now, but in case you haven't, I would suggest getting yourself some of the following items. Anything electric, toothbrush, razor, those kinds of things. It'll just make it that much easier on yourself. Actually you know you could also invest in a straight razor and get Bastian to shave you."
"What?!" Bastian erupted, sitting up and turning slightly to face Katya. "We're not living out your twisted fantasies, woman."
Katya started laughing at his reaction, while Lukas shook his head and looked slightly scared. "Not near me, with razor."
Bastian huffed. "Yeah, I'll be scarring you for life in a whole new way." The boys looked at each other and laughed, while Katya patted them both on the knees.
"That's the spirit. Now another thing I'd suggest for you would be a lathering glove, you can buy ones that you just slip over your hand and put the soap in a pocket in the glove, makes it easier than trying to hold the soap yourself. And because I'd like to keep my job, I'll keep all comments relating to this idea to myself." She winked at Bastian, who told her that that was a good idea. Lukas, however, looked at Bastian and laughed.
Bastian looked at him and frowned. "What?"
Lukas shook his head and pressed his lips together, trying to keep from laughing. Katya looked at him and grinned, no doubt trying to keep from adding anything herself. Lukas looked at Bastian again. "What w-would, guys say."
Bastian rolled his eyes and huffed again, telling Katya to get on with her ideas. Inwardly though, he was very happy to see Lukas laughing so much today. He'd seemed to be in good spirits when he'd woken this morning, no doubt from the talk he'd had with Daniela. After Lukas had gone to bed, Daniela and Bastian had sat together in the living room for a while, talking about Lukas and how he was doing. She'd told him everything Lukas had told her and it had made him worry a little. Did Lukas really think that he'd ever regret this decision? Perhaps he'd have to have a chat with him about it himself at some point, but for now he'd put it off, since Lukas was in a good mood.
The next thing she pulled out of her bag was a small electronic device that flipped open. "Now this thing you have to go and buy on your own, as you have more money than I do and frankly, even though I love you and think you're great, rent's expensive and I need to eat." She winked at him and leaned a little closer while turning it on. "This, my dear, will help you keep your head in check over the next while. Electronic organizer, I want you to get one that's specifically for organization, nothing else. I know you have a lot to do, work-wise and therapy-wise over the next month, so I want you to actually put everything in here so you can see it. A lot of the time when you have things to do but you don't have a written list, it's really easy to feel overwhelmed. But if you actually have a schedule of things, preferably a list of things that you can tick off when you do them, it'll help you feel more organized and aware of everything and in control. It's also something you can do completely on your own, since you're just hitting buttons and you don't have to write." She showed him how she wanted him to set things up, including making to-do lists for his days and specifying times that he would spend working on things on his own.
It seemed like a good idea to Lukas, since feeling overwhelmed with everything he had left to do was one of his biggest problems at the moment. He'd never really been one to keep lists before, so maybe it would end up helping him in the long run if he got himself better organized now. After finishing with the organizer she went on to discuss other ideas with him, things he could do to keep himself from getting bored. To his pleasure she had actually told him that she thought it would be a good idea if he actually tried getting back into playing games on the Playstation, as it would help him work on his hands and once again help him concentrate. Another thing she'd mentioned that would be a good way to pass the time for him was puzzles. It would be something that wouldn't require a great deal of energy and would help his hand-eye coordination, which was still a little off.
"The main thing, Lukas, is that you have to keep yourself entertained. If you start feeling bored then you'll probably start feeling depressed and we don't want that. Right now while you're still working on improving your physical movement, doing activities that focus more on your mental state will be like killing two birds with one stone, you know? The activities will be more enjoyable than the stuff we've all given you to work on, and you need to have things to do that you enjoy. Try to do as many things as possible on your own, but don't try and tackle everything at once. You still need help and you don't appear to be having a huge problem doing that, given this one's reactions." She jerked her thumb in Bastian's direction. "But if you think you can try something on your own, don't be afraid to mention it."
She turned to look at Bastian now. "And you should try and keep an eye on everything he's doing, and if you think he can handle trying to do things without as much help, then give him a little prod, but be there in case things don't pan out." Bastian nodded, intent on following her advice. "But above all else, just keep supporting him, and keep him laughing." She looked back at Lukas and smiled. "He's much cuter when he's got a smile on his face. Although that pouty lip of yours is a killer, I have to admit."
They laughed at the comment and Bastian told Katya not to worry, that he’d make sure Lukas’ lips were occupied so he wouldn’t pout. Katya looked at him and nodded, looking like she had a comment she was dying to make. Lukas nudged her arm and told her to remember her job, which was what finally made Bastian realize what she was reacting to.
“Would you stop that? I didn’t mean it that way.” He could feel his cheeks flush, which made the other two laugh even more.
“Okay, man you guys are just killing me. Stop making me act so unprofessional.” She smacked Bastian in the arm, who muttered that he was definitely going to file a complaint against her with the hospital. She just grinned and handed Lukas a sheet of paper. “I wrote you a list of things you should go out and pick up, all the stuff we talked about before. If you manage to go and get yourself an organizer before your clinic visit on Wednesday, I’d like you to start filling it in and bring it in with you. We can look it over then and if you have any other questions or concerns, whatever, make a list actually, if you think of anything else that needs covering or that you just want to talk about.”
She reached into her bag again, this time pausing with a grin on her face. “I have one more thing for you. I think it’s important that you really start doing everything you need to do in order to become fully independent again, and of course one of those things would be cooking.” She pulled out a book and handed it to Lukas. “So I figured, what better way to get a footballer to cook than a footballer cookbook?”
Lukas thought it was a bit of an odd thing for her to give him until he really looked at the cover. His mouth dropped open in shock and he looked over at Bastian. “How don't we know?”
Bastian was just as confused as Lukas but the moment he looked down at the cover and saw their national team mate Arne Friedrich on the cover, he burst into laughter. “Arne has a cookbook? How did we not know? Lukas, why didn’t anyone tell us? Why didn’t Arne tell us? Oh my god this is awesome.” Katya stood up from the couch, letting the two boys sit next to each other and flip through the book, clearly amused beyond belief that this had been printed without their knowledge.
While they poured over the book Katya mentioned that she was going to take a quick look around the apartment to see if there was anything else she had overlooked in her quest to make his life simpler. The boys barely acknowledged her, still laughing over the cookbook. So she took a quick look around, checking the layout and arrangement of his apartment, satisfied that there was nothing impeding his progress. She was happy to note that he seemed to keep his apartment neat, which was good. If it had been messy and disorganized, then that definitely would have made things harder on him.
She returned to the living to see them still laughing over the book. “Alright boys, it looks like it’s time for me to go.” Lukas closed the book and laid it to the side as he looked up at Katya. Bastian had stood up.
“Well we appreciated your little house call; it was entertaining, if nothing else.” He helped Lukas walk Katya to the door, where she offered one last bit of advice.
“I would suggest wearing a lot of button up shirts. Jeans too, get yourself some jeans with buttons instead of a zipper. You’re going to need to work on manipulating small objects like that, so if you can practice with your clothing, that’s good.”
“I have jeans with buttons. Can he dress me?” Bastian grinned devilishly as Lukas glared at him and shook his head.
“Could I make fist, I w-would punch you.” Lukas couldn’t help but laugh as he threatened his best friend.
“Yeah but it would be a pretty sissy punch.” He then took to lightly hitting Lukas in the arm, drawing laughter from Katya while Lukas was left helpless, whining for Bastian to stop abusing him. After a moment he did just that, moving behind Lukas and wrapping his arms around him and laying his head on the other’s shoulder. “Those were love taps.” He grinned as Lukas groaned and Katya took the opportunity to hug the both of them.
“Alright guys, you have a nice few days, and I’ll see you on Wednesday. Be good to each other, I don’t want to see any bruises when you come in.” She winked at them before leaving and they watched her walk down and get on the elevator, waving to her one last time.
Now that she was gone they went back into the apartment, closing the door and returning to the living room. Lukas sat down on the couch and Bastian sat next to him, an arm snaking its way around his shoulders. “So, feel like going shopping?” Bastian thought he’d try to capitalize on Lukas’ good mood and prompt him into going out for a while. He knew Lukas preferred to stay in right now and he couldn’t really blame him, but Bastian knew he needed to get out.
Lukas frowned, looking up at him. “Right now?” He’d been expecting Bastian to prod him into going out shopping for his things at some point, but he hadn’t expected it to be right at this moment. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to a shopping trip.
“Yeah right now. You don’t wanna go?” Bastian kept his eyes on Lukas’, trying to judge just how much he didn’t want to go. He was planning on making him go out today, but if the idea freaked Lukas out too much, then he’d back off. He didn’t want to rush him too quickly, after all.
Lukas shrugged and looked away. “Not really. Not now.” If he didn’t still have to rely on Bastian so heavily he’d be more inclined to go. The prospect of going out in public and having a repeat performance of the hospital was not on his list of things to do.
Bastian wasn’t about to give up so easily. “Well that’s unfortunate, because we’re going. We need to get your things, plus you need to get out for a bit.” He tightened his arm around Lukas and leaned closer to him. “I know you don’t want to go, and I don’t blame you. But if I keep letting you off the hook all the time, then things will never get easier. If things get too hectic while we’re out, then we’ll come back, whether we’re finished or not. Deal?”
Lukas really didn’t want to go, but he knew Bastian was right. If he kept putting everything off then he’d never get anything done. And just as Katya had said, it was Bastian’s job to keep pushing him to do things, so he couldn’t get upset with him for it. He was just nervous and extremely self conscious and he hated feeling that way, but there was nothing he could do.
“Lukas? Are you going to come peacefully or will I have to carry you around everywhere?” Bastian nudged his face right next to Lukas’, looking him in the eyes.
Lukas smiled ever so slightly at the question. “Carry me?”
Bastian laughed. “Are you kidding? I’d break my back carrying you everywhere.”
“Because you weak.” Lukas grinned and couldn’t help but make the reference to just before. “I weak now because injury. You, weak all time, no excuse.”
Bastian pinched him, right on the stomach. “What was that?” Lukas tried to squirm out of his grip but Bastian kept his arm tightly around him and pinched him again. “Who’s weak?”
Lukas was laughing, even though the pinches did sting just a little. “I say you’re -OW!”
“I’m what?” Bastian was laughing too, continuing to pinch Lukas every time he started to speak.
“Ow, ow okay! Not weak.” Lukas caved finally, and Bastian celebrated in his typical fashion.
“Then who's the weakling?” He kept his hold on Lukas, one hand coming up to hold Lukas by the jaw so he couldn’t look away. “Come on, say it.”
Lukas was trying to pout in between the laughter but was having a hard time of it. When he realized Bastian wasn’t going to let him go without an answer, he was finally able to jut his lower lip out for a moment before replying. “Me.”
Bastian nodded and looked smug. “That’s right, and don’t you forget it.” He then pushed Lukas’ lip into his mouth with a finger. “And put that thing away, would you.” He untangled himself from Lukas and stood up, holding his hands out. “Come on sissy, let’s go.”
Lukas smiled and offered his hands, letting Bastian pull him up. Once standing he slid his arms around Bastian and hugged him. Bastian was a little shocked at the gesture and looked down at him, a curious smile on his face. “And what was that for?”
Lukas smiled, looking just slightly embarrassed by his offered gesture of affection. He looked up, his eyes locking on Bastian’s because he wanted the other to know just how deeply he meant this. “Being good job.”
Bastian couldn’t help but break into a slightly goofy looking grin, buoyed by Lukas’ words. He ruffled a hand through Lukas’ hair and pulled his head forward, his other arm sliding around Lukas’ back so he could reciprocate the earlier hug. He pulled back slightly after a moment and met Lukas’ gaze again. “Well, what can I say? The payment makes it all worthwhile.” They stood there for a moment, just smiling at one another, before finally heading for the door. Lukas still wasn’t looking forward to being out in public, but he knew that Bastian would take care of him, so he was willing to take the chance and go. It would make Bastian happy at least, and he wanted to make him happy any way he could.
At exactly eleven o'clock Sunday the doorbell rang and Bastian went to answer it. They were expecting Katya to make her first house call around now and it was indeed the therapist who was standing at the door. She had a few bags with her and Bastian took them as he welcomed her in, grinning as she took a moment to survey the apartment. "Much neater than I expected, to be honest." She winked at Bastian and followed him into the living room, where Lukas was seated in the armchair, his legs up over the side, reading.
He looked up when he heard them come in, a smile on his face as he greeted her. “Well?"
She sat on the couch near him and surveyed the living room. "As I told your nurse," Bastian gave an offended huff at the title, "it's much neater than I thought it would be. Not that I mean any offense by the comment, of course." She winked at him before taking her bags from Bastian.
"Right." Lukas grinned at the comment and swung his legs over to the floor, watching her lay the bags at her feet. "Presents?"
Katya looked at him reproachfully. "I come all this way to see you and that's all you want?"
Bastian nudged Katya with his elbow. "He's a charmer this one, isn't he?"
Lukas ignored the comment. "You bring things."
Katya shook her head and smiled. "Yes, I brought you things, you lucky boy." She nudged Bastian to move over and she sat in the middle of the couch, patting the seat next to her. "Come and sit, it'll be easier if you're over here."
"Yeah right." Bastian winked at Lukas. "She just wants to sit between us." The boys laughed and Lukas stood up, walking the few steps over to the couch cautiously before slumping down beside her and smiling.
Katya was grinning at Bastian's comment. "Hey, what girl wouldn't want to be in the middle of a Schweinski sandwich?"
"A what?" Bastian glanced at Lukas before looking back at Katya, who looked like she was trying not to laugh. "What did you call it?"
"Never mind. Presents it is!" Katya pulled the bag onto her lap, avoiding Bastian’s question and rummaging around in the bag as she looked at Lukas and smiled. She pulled out a box and opened it, withdrawing a set of specialized cutlery. "Alright, first things first, while your hands are all fine and dandy for some things, we do need to get you using cutlery again. You'll notice of course that these are much thicker around the handle area so it'll be easier for you to grip them while your hands are still weak. They're also curved to sit naturally against your fingers, instead of the usual straight ones you probably own." She held out the fork for him to test out. "I hear forks were quite instrumental in your initial recovery." She winked at him and he laughed, taking the fork from her and holding it. He was surprised to find that it fit quite well in his hand and didn't cause that odd sensation he usually felt when trying to grip things because the grip came so naturally from the design.
Bastian watched Lukas with the fork, pleased when he saw the little smile on his face. It would indeed be good for him to get back to doing things the normal way, since there was really only so much you could make a person who had to eat with their hands. Bastian, however, wasn't about to let her earlier comment slip. "So speaking of eating, Schweinski sandwich? That's not some crazy fan term, is it? Wait, do I even want to know the answer to that?"
Katya glanced at him and shook her head. "No." She grinned before turning back to Lukas and plucking the fork out of his hand. "Alright you can play with that later. Let's move on." She looked up at his face, his surprised expression at her sudden removal of the fork making her laugh. "Oh you're so cute Lukas." He smiled at the comment, while Bastian rolled his eyes. "Alright, moving on my dear, I have a few suggestions to make your daily upkeep a little simpler. I don't know if you've thought of any of these on your own by now, but in case you haven't, I would suggest getting yourself some of the following items. Anything electric, toothbrush, razor, those kinds of things. It'll just make it that much easier on yourself. Actually you know you could also invest in a straight razor and get Bastian to shave you."
"What?!" Bastian erupted, sitting up and turning slightly to face Katya. "We're not living out your twisted fantasies, woman."
Katya started laughing at his reaction, while Lukas shook his head and looked slightly scared. "Not near me, with razor."
Bastian huffed. "Yeah, I'll be scarring you for life in a whole new way." The boys looked at each other and laughed, while Katya patted them both on the knees.
"That's the spirit. Now another thing I'd suggest for you would be a lathering glove, you can buy ones that you just slip over your hand and put the soap in a pocket in the glove, makes it easier than trying to hold the soap yourself. And because I'd like to keep my job, I'll keep all comments relating to this idea to myself." She winked at Bastian, who told her that that was a good idea. Lukas, however, looked at Bastian and laughed.
Bastian looked at him and frowned. "What?"
Lukas shook his head and pressed his lips together, trying to keep from laughing. Katya looked at him and grinned, no doubt trying to keep from adding anything herself. Lukas looked at Bastian again. "What w-would, guys say."
Bastian rolled his eyes and huffed again, telling Katya to get on with her ideas. Inwardly though, he was very happy to see Lukas laughing so much today. He'd seemed to be in good spirits when he'd woken this morning, no doubt from the talk he'd had with Daniela. After Lukas had gone to bed, Daniela and Bastian had sat together in the living room for a while, talking about Lukas and how he was doing. She'd told him everything Lukas had told her and it had made him worry a little. Did Lukas really think that he'd ever regret this decision? Perhaps he'd have to have a chat with him about it himself at some point, but for now he'd put it off, since Lukas was in a good mood.
The next thing she pulled out of her bag was a small electronic device that flipped open. "Now this thing you have to go and buy on your own, as you have more money than I do and frankly, even though I love you and think you're great, rent's expensive and I need to eat." She winked at him and leaned a little closer while turning it on. "This, my dear, will help you keep your head in check over the next while. Electronic organizer, I want you to get one that's specifically for organization, nothing else. I know you have a lot to do, work-wise and therapy-wise over the next month, so I want you to actually put everything in here so you can see it. A lot of the time when you have things to do but you don't have a written list, it's really easy to feel overwhelmed. But if you actually have a schedule of things, preferably a list of things that you can tick off when you do them, it'll help you feel more organized and aware of everything and in control. It's also something you can do completely on your own, since you're just hitting buttons and you don't have to write." She showed him how she wanted him to set things up, including making to-do lists for his days and specifying times that he would spend working on things on his own.
It seemed like a good idea to Lukas, since feeling overwhelmed with everything he had left to do was one of his biggest problems at the moment. He'd never really been one to keep lists before, so maybe it would end up helping him in the long run if he got himself better organized now. After finishing with the organizer she went on to discuss other ideas with him, things he could do to keep himself from getting bored. To his pleasure she had actually told him that she thought it would be a good idea if he actually tried getting back into playing games on the Playstation, as it would help him work on his hands and once again help him concentrate. Another thing she'd mentioned that would be a good way to pass the time for him was puzzles. It would be something that wouldn't require a great deal of energy and would help his hand-eye coordination, which was still a little off.
"The main thing, Lukas, is that you have to keep yourself entertained. If you start feeling bored then you'll probably start feeling depressed and we don't want that. Right now while you're still working on improving your physical movement, doing activities that focus more on your mental state will be like killing two birds with one stone, you know? The activities will be more enjoyable than the stuff we've all given you to work on, and you need to have things to do that you enjoy. Try to do as many things as possible on your own, but don't try and tackle everything at once. You still need help and you don't appear to be having a huge problem doing that, given this one's reactions." She jerked her thumb in Bastian's direction. "But if you think you can try something on your own, don't be afraid to mention it."
She turned to look at Bastian now. "And you should try and keep an eye on everything he's doing, and if you think he can handle trying to do things without as much help, then give him a little prod, but be there in case things don't pan out." Bastian nodded, intent on following her advice. "But above all else, just keep supporting him, and keep him laughing." She looked back at Lukas and smiled. "He's much cuter when he's got a smile on his face. Although that pouty lip of yours is a killer, I have to admit."
They laughed at the comment and Bastian told Katya not to worry, that he’d make sure Lukas’ lips were occupied so he wouldn’t pout. Katya looked at him and nodded, looking like she had a comment she was dying to make. Lukas nudged her arm and told her to remember her job, which was what finally made Bastian realize what she was reacting to.
“Would you stop that? I didn’t mean it that way.” He could feel his cheeks flush, which made the other two laugh even more.
“Okay, man you guys are just killing me. Stop making me act so unprofessional.” She smacked Bastian in the arm, who muttered that he was definitely going to file a complaint against her with the hospital. She just grinned and handed Lukas a sheet of paper. “I wrote you a list of things you should go out and pick up, all the stuff we talked about before. If you manage to go and get yourself an organizer before your clinic visit on Wednesday, I’d like you to start filling it in and bring it in with you. We can look it over then and if you have any other questions or concerns, whatever, make a list actually, if you think of anything else that needs covering or that you just want to talk about.”
She reached into her bag again, this time pausing with a grin on her face. “I have one more thing for you. I think it’s important that you really start doing everything you need to do in order to become fully independent again, and of course one of those things would be cooking.” She pulled out a book and handed it to Lukas. “So I figured, what better way to get a footballer to cook than a footballer cookbook?”
Lukas thought it was a bit of an odd thing for her to give him until he really looked at the cover. His mouth dropped open in shock and he looked over at Bastian. “How don't we know?”
Bastian was just as confused as Lukas but the moment he looked down at the cover and saw their national team mate Arne Friedrich on the cover, he burst into laughter. “Arne has a cookbook? How did we not know? Lukas, why didn’t anyone tell us? Why didn’t Arne tell us? Oh my god this is awesome.” Katya stood up from the couch, letting the two boys sit next to each other and flip through the book, clearly amused beyond belief that this had been printed without their knowledge.
While they poured over the book Katya mentioned that she was going to take a quick look around the apartment to see if there was anything else she had overlooked in her quest to make his life simpler. The boys barely acknowledged her, still laughing over the cookbook. So she took a quick look around, checking the layout and arrangement of his apartment, satisfied that there was nothing impeding his progress. She was happy to note that he seemed to keep his apartment neat, which was good. If it had been messy and disorganized, then that definitely would have made things harder on him.
She returned to the living to see them still laughing over the book. “Alright boys, it looks like it’s time for me to go.” Lukas closed the book and laid it to the side as he looked up at Katya. Bastian had stood up.
“Well we appreciated your little house call; it was entertaining, if nothing else.” He helped Lukas walk Katya to the door, where she offered one last bit of advice.
“I would suggest wearing a lot of button up shirts. Jeans too, get yourself some jeans with buttons instead of a zipper. You’re going to need to work on manipulating small objects like that, so if you can practice with your clothing, that’s good.”
“I have jeans with buttons. Can he dress me?” Bastian grinned devilishly as Lukas glared at him and shook his head.
“Could I make fist, I w-would punch you.” Lukas couldn’t help but laugh as he threatened his best friend.
“Yeah but it would be a pretty sissy punch.” He then took to lightly hitting Lukas in the arm, drawing laughter from Katya while Lukas was left helpless, whining for Bastian to stop abusing him. After a moment he did just that, moving behind Lukas and wrapping his arms around him and laying his head on the other’s shoulder. “Those were love taps.” He grinned as Lukas groaned and Katya took the opportunity to hug the both of them.
“Alright guys, you have a nice few days, and I’ll see you on Wednesday. Be good to each other, I don’t want to see any bruises when you come in.” She winked at them before leaving and they watched her walk down and get on the elevator, waving to her one last time.
Now that she was gone they went back into the apartment, closing the door and returning to the living room. Lukas sat down on the couch and Bastian sat next to him, an arm snaking its way around his shoulders. “So, feel like going shopping?” Bastian thought he’d try to capitalize on Lukas’ good mood and prompt him into going out for a while. He knew Lukas preferred to stay in right now and he couldn’t really blame him, but Bastian knew he needed to get out.
Lukas frowned, looking up at him. “Right now?” He’d been expecting Bastian to prod him into going out shopping for his things at some point, but he hadn’t expected it to be right at this moment. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to a shopping trip.
“Yeah right now. You don’t wanna go?” Bastian kept his eyes on Lukas’, trying to judge just how much he didn’t want to go. He was planning on making him go out today, but if the idea freaked Lukas out too much, then he’d back off. He didn’t want to rush him too quickly, after all.
Lukas shrugged and looked away. “Not really. Not now.” If he didn’t still have to rely on Bastian so heavily he’d be more inclined to go. The prospect of going out in public and having a repeat performance of the hospital was not on his list of things to do.
Bastian wasn’t about to give up so easily. “Well that’s unfortunate, because we’re going. We need to get your things, plus you need to get out for a bit.” He tightened his arm around Lukas and leaned closer to him. “I know you don’t want to go, and I don’t blame you. But if I keep letting you off the hook all the time, then things will never get easier. If things get too hectic while we’re out, then we’ll come back, whether we’re finished or not. Deal?”
Lukas really didn’t want to go, but he knew Bastian was right. If he kept putting everything off then he’d never get anything done. And just as Katya had said, it was Bastian’s job to keep pushing him to do things, so he couldn’t get upset with him for it. He was just nervous and extremely self conscious and he hated feeling that way, but there was nothing he could do.
“Lukas? Are you going to come peacefully or will I have to carry you around everywhere?” Bastian nudged his face right next to Lukas’, looking him in the eyes.
Lukas smiled ever so slightly at the question. “Carry me?”
Bastian laughed. “Are you kidding? I’d break my back carrying you everywhere.”
“Because you weak.” Lukas grinned and couldn’t help but make the reference to just before. “I weak now because injury. You, weak all time, no excuse.”
Bastian pinched him, right on the stomach. “What was that?” Lukas tried to squirm out of his grip but Bastian kept his arm tightly around him and pinched him again. “Who’s weak?”
Lukas was laughing, even though the pinches did sting just a little. “I say you’re -OW!”
“I’m what?” Bastian was laughing too, continuing to pinch Lukas every time he started to speak.
“Ow, ow okay! Not weak.” Lukas caved finally, and Bastian celebrated in his typical fashion.
“Then who's the weakling?” He kept his hold on Lukas, one hand coming up to hold Lukas by the jaw so he couldn’t look away. “Come on, say it.”
Lukas was trying to pout in between the laughter but was having a hard time of it. When he realized Bastian wasn’t going to let him go without an answer, he was finally able to jut his lower lip out for a moment before replying. “Me.”
Bastian nodded and looked smug. “That’s right, and don’t you forget it.” He then pushed Lukas’ lip into his mouth with a finger. “And put that thing away, would you.” He untangled himself from Lukas and stood up, holding his hands out. “Come on sissy, let’s go.”
Lukas smiled and offered his hands, letting Bastian pull him up. Once standing he slid his arms around Bastian and hugged him. Bastian was a little shocked at the gesture and looked down at him, a curious smile on his face. “And what was that for?”
Lukas smiled, looking just slightly embarrassed by his offered gesture of affection. He looked up, his eyes locking on Bastian’s because he wanted the other to know just how deeply he meant this. “Being good job.”
Bastian couldn’t help but break into a slightly goofy looking grin, buoyed by Lukas’ words. He ruffled a hand through Lukas’ hair and pulled his head forward, his other arm sliding around Lukas’ back so he could reciprocate the earlier hug. He pulled back slightly after a moment and met Lukas’ gaze again. “Well, what can I say? The payment makes it all worthwhile.” They stood there for a moment, just smiling at one another, before finally heading for the door. Lukas still wasn’t looking forward to being out in public, but he knew that Bastian would take care of him, so he was willing to take the chance and go. It would make Bastian happy at least, and he wanted to make him happy any way he could.