things will change | avery

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

It was the first day of the new school year and Joshua, confident as he could be, was nervous. A new year, a new job, and a lot of people he would have to impress. His mind was already reeling from the briefing they'd all gotten during the first day of medical school classes and so by the time he came to the Academy he had to work to put those thoughts out of his mind. It's gonna be an interesting year. Had he finally bit off more than he could chew? He'd always been an over achiever and he liked to believe that he could handle the tasks that he tackled but had taking on a job during his first year of medical school been a mistake? I'll be fine, he coached himself. It's only part time and a lot of them know me already. That was one up side to all of this. Having been a frequent volunteer in the wing since he started college and wanted to learn elemental healing, he was a familiar face.

The waiting room was empty as he strolled through the door, save for the receptionist who sat behind her desk and typed away on her computer. The sound of the door clicking shut made her look up and she gave him a kind smile. "Oh, hello Joshua." He'd always liked her. She kept the medical wing organized. Though it was the various doctors and assistants that patched up the patients, he knew it would run a lot less smoothly if she were not around. "Hey," he returned, heading to his supervisor's office. Here goes nothing. The man was one that he recognised, though not in his current job title. He'd been a regular old doctor from what Josh remembered. Guess he got an upgrade. He was a Thunder, that much the Fire grad knew, and something told him that this might be a little less relaxed than he'd hoped. His predictions were not disappointed, though he certainly was.

The man was stiffly polite, though Joshua did not need to be incredibly perceptive to catch the snide undertone to his words. They were not going to get along. Don't take the bait. He couldn't go flying off the handle on his first day. That would sure leave an impression, though not the kind that he wanted. "Did you get all of that? Anything you'd like to go over again?" Josh wanted to narrow his eyes, but resisted. Wouldn't you love that? "I got it. So, what can I do?" He was both eager to get started and eager to get the hell away from this guy. His temper could only take so much. The older man frowned, shuffled through some papers, clicked through a file or two on his laptop. "It seems Dr. Kael's former assistant no longer works here. Find him in his office, see what you can help him with." Dr. Kael? It wasn't a name Josh was used to hearing, though it was familiar. He was Nurse Avery to most, just Avery to Joshua. Best of all, he was a friend. Trying not to look too pleased, Josh nodded and left the room.

He knew where Avery's office was from the times he'd went to find his friend when volunteering and so he located it without much trouble. Finding the door closed, he knocked twice to make sure Avery was not inside and busy before trying the knob. Finding it unlocked, he stepped inside and glanced around. It was much as he'd last seen it, though some things had been moved around and adjusted. He sat down in the vacant chair that he assumed had belonged to the other man that had once occupied the office and waited patiently before the door opened to reveal his friend. Josh grinned. "He-ey, look who it is," he said in a friendly tone. "Looks like we're stuck together. What a shame, eh?" His relaxed smile contradicted his words. He liked the older man and had always looked up to him. He wasn't intimidated by Avery as he was by some of his other idols, seeing the man as more of a friend than an authority figure. "How have you been?" He was technically supposed to be 'seeing what he could do to help' but hey, he hadn't talked to the guy in a while. Cut him some slack!

[AVERY JUNNOSUKE KAEL]

Busy, busy, busy. That’s what described Avery’s life right now. Don’t get him wrong, he loved the feeling of being busy. It prevented him from being alone with his thoughts, from him being bored, and from him feeling like he was passing the day unproductively. So busy was good. But it’s gotten to a point where Avery felt physically exhausted and with it being the start of the new school year, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to hold out on sleep any longer. The past year in itself had been hectic—one reason being that he was a father now. Maybe not a biological father, but he was still a father, something he thought he’d never be in ten years, let alone now. But Avery was proud to be one; happy, even. The apartment became a little less lonely and he was greeted with a voice and hug every time he came home from work. It was refreshing. Heartwarming. He… liked being a dad. Liked being called one, too, because he knew he was going to prove to everybody that he was not going to be like his own—Avery was going to stay in Aren’s life. Watch him grow up. Help him through all the good and the bad, because that’s what a dad did. At least, he thinks. Avery wasn’t exactly a trained parent or an expert on parenting, but he was doing his best. So far, it was smooth sailing.

Another source of stress—his mother trying to push into his life as if she deserved to. After she found out Avery adopted Aren (in which he tried to hide as much as possible in fear of his mother doing exactly what she was doing right now), she’d been trying to play the role of a mother and grandmother that she could never be. He wasn’t sure if she had any other motives other than to push herself into the life she abandoned, but Avery sure as hell wasn’t going to cave into that act. He did once before, and she ran off when she got what she wanted. He needed to protect Aren from his own past; he was already stressed enough in a new environment. They were still trying to get used to each other living together and they were slowly but surely getting there. He wasn’t going to allow his mother to tear down all that he’s built up until then.

And last (which was probably supposed to be higher up on his list, but Avery always had his priorities a bit mixed up) was his assistant quitting. He wasn’t sure if she had other, bigger plans or herself than just being an assistant, or it was Avery himself that made her quit. He wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case. In fact, it quite amused him. But having no assistant was just going to make Avery more and more stressed and he just really needed the break, despite having a month one that ended just a few days ago. A knock on his door tore him from his thoughts and he jumped, his knee bumping in the side of his desk. Avery hissed, pouting slightly, and limped towards the door as he bent over and rubbed his knee. His hands fiddled with the doorknob before he finally tore it open—mind you, nearly hitting himself in the face—and was greeted by Josh, his good friend. Avery’s eyes lit up instantly, returning the grin, and patted his shoulder. “Josh!” He hugged him briefly in his usual affectionate manner, though he paused briefly as he took in what the Fire was saying. “Huh? What do you—” Wait. No assistant. Josh shows up… “You’re my new assistant?!” he asked eagerly, nearly bouncing up and down from the excitement. “Oh, man, you’re ten times better than my last assistant!” And that was way too true. His last assistant was stiff and quiet. At least he and Josh were friends—they got along well.

At the Fire’s next question, Avery’s face dimmed noticeably and toddled over to his desk, plopping down on the chair and used the stack of papers on his desk as a pillow. “Don’t ask,” he groaned, his tone slightly whiney. He was suddenly tired, rubbing at the dark circles under his eyes, but that didn’t stop him from chirping brightly to his friend, “How’s medical school?” He lifted his head, grinning widely. Work could wait for the moment, this was way more important. And interesting.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

He was greeted at the door by a grin and a hug, something he had come to expect from the overly affectionate doctor. He'd damn near punched Avery the first time it had happened but he'd adapted over time and now took it in stride, hugging him back before cracking a joke. It seemed to baffle the older man and Joshua gave him time to process it rather than explaining, figuring he might catch on. For why else would the medical student be lounging around in his friend's office? He often dropped by to say hello when he was volunteering and still attending school at the Academy but he was on the job right now, work clothes and everything. He certainly wasn't a slacker and so it wouldn't take a genius to put two and two together.

Sure enough, Avery caught on, seeming excited by the prospect. The Water's enthusiasm was a shock to the stoic and calm Fire's system but not an unwelcome one. He should have seen it coming, after all. Laughing, he said, "Woah, I wouldn't say that yet! You haven't seen the damage I can do." He fixed Avery with a lecturing sort of look. "What if I set something on fire? Drop something? Lose a patient's records? You know how much they'd flip if I lost a record." That much was true amidst all his joking. Josh liked to believe that he was more than capable. Confidence was not something in short supply. Curious, and wondering if Avery knew anything about it, he asked, "What did happen to your last assistant, anyway?" Unable to resist, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I'm not going to wind up at the bottom of the lake in a few months, am I? I have to wonder how you deal with incompetence..." He was in a fairly good mood, better now that he had an old friend to talk to, catch up with.

Raising his eyebrows and turning suddenly serious, Joshua frowned. "I'm asking." Avery tended to react to things with more dramatic flair than most but that didn't mean his problems were any less real. As a friend, Josh was very concerned about these potential problems. He looks exhausted. "What happened to you, man? Looks like you haven't slept." Had he? Joshua felt concerned over this, though it wasn't like he could talk. Eating and sleeping were often put aside in favour of more important things in Joshua's book, such as studying. He was lucky he had his wife around to keep him in check.

Though he was aware, somewhere in the back of his mind, that the both of them were meant to be working right now, it had been far too long since they'd spoke. Patients could wait a minute or so while they got the brief pleasantries and stories out of the way, and then they could no doubt continue their conversation as they worked. He guessed he'd be seeing a lot more of Avery now that they would be working together and this wasn't something he took as a bad thing. "It's only the first week so it's been tolerable but they're already giving us work to do and I get the feeling it won't be easy for long." He'd had lots of warnings about how hard medical school could be, how stressful. He believed he could handle it but that didn't mean he wasn't feeling cautious. "It's been good, though. It's... nice to be out of college, I gotta admit. Even if I won't be doing clinical work for another couple years. Outside of the Academy, that is." Rotations were the last two years of school, the most important and exciting in his opinion. But hell, for now he'd take what he could get.

[AVERY JUNNOSUKE KAEL]

Damage? It probably didn’t amount to what Avery did on a daily basis. And so he grinned up at the Fire, nudging his ribs with his elbow and said, “Well, have you forgotten I’m a Water? And how easy it is to clean things up? And—” Avery paused, his lips suddenly forming into a straight line. Losing a patient’s records was a very big thing, so he joking continued, “… okay, you won’t handle the patient’s records.” If his assistant did wrong than Avery would get the brunt of it, considering he was older and the “mentor.” Oh, man. That thought was simply amusing. Mostly because he imagined Josh being the exact carbon copy of himself. “Nooooothing.” He sniffled innocently, pouting a bit at the Fire’s narrowed eyes. Honestly, he didn’t do anything! … except be overbearing with his flirts and affection. It most likely scared her off, considering she was used to such things despite them being partners for a while. Some people couldn’t adjust to him, he admitted that much. “No,” he said simply, a look of horror spreading on his face. Avery didn’t like punishing people, but he’s heard he was a bit intimidating when he was scolding someone—which was rare, and only lasted a few seconds. “You’ll just have to find out yourself~” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at him, his famous smirk on his lips.

Avery groaned against his desk, sighing as he lifted his head again. He didn’t like talking much about himself to begin with, and even though he and Josh were friends, his personal life was still a touchy subject. The news he was going to share was one that was already bound to spread—so he wasn’t uncomfortable with the thought of sharing it in the first place. “I’m a father now,” he said, a look of seriousness crossing over his face. Avery felt serious, too—something that rarely ever happened when dealing with people other than himself, and he braced for the Fire’s reaction. Maybe he should’ve elaborated that he wasn’t a biological father—he was a nurse after all; he wouldn’t be so stupid to have sex without a condom—but the playful side of him wanted to see Josh’s reaction to the news. Okay, so he wasn’t completely serious. But Avery was putting in a great effort to be.

Suddenly, the nurse began to be nostalgic of his experience during medical school, a smile on his face as Josh talked about his. “It won’t be,” he agreed, an amused grin on his face. Avery remembered the tough transition he had to face when he first entered medical school. It was hell, but it got him where he was now. “Doctor Joshua Dale,” Avery recited to himself, his grin growing wider. “Now that’s attractive sounding~” Even in working conditions, Avery found a way to slip in not-so-professional mannerisms. It was okay. Josh was used to it by now. “Are you planning to work at the Academy after medical school?” he asked casually, spinning around in his chair. “We can be partners in crime!”

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

It was entertaining to consider that the younger and less experienced of the two was likely the more organized and responsible. Joshua was a stickler for keeping things neat and orderly, so it was not likely that he would do any of the things he’d just listed. The idea of Josh losing something entrusted to his care was laughable, especially when this something was a patient’s record. He was determined not to be that guy when he finally started work as a doctor. No scalpels would be left in his patients and their records wouldn’t mysteriously vanish on his watch.

It was obvious he was not convinced as he stared at his friend, expression a mixture of doubt and amusement. Had Avery been the reason for his old assistant’s departure or had she simply moved on to greener pastures? He could see how the Water’s overly-affectionate demeanour could rub someone the wrong way in the long term and wouldn’t blame someone for skipping out as soon as possible. It worked to his advantage either way, as he was now working alongside a friend as opposed to a stranger. Lifting his eyebrows, he backed off a step and lifted his hands as if to caution Avery against coming near him. “Coming from you, that’s a terrifying thought.” Though he played his part well, Joshua felt no real intimidation. Avery was older than him and a Water to boot but it was hard to view the bubbly and flirtatious nurse as much of a threat. Josh was the one who threatened to crush skulls when he was angry, not the other way around.

Staring at his friend with his cheek pressed against the wood of the desk, Joshua wasn’t expecting anything major. It could be as simple as a long weekend or a lack of sleep owing to insomnia or racing thoughts. The Fire knew only too well how easy it could be to miss out on much needed hours of rest and how draining it was the next day. Knowing this, the news that the nurse gave was like a slap to the face. The shock registered in his expression as he drew his head back, speechless, but then he recovered and his lips split into a grin. “Woah, since when? With who? Jesus Christ, I wasn’t gone for that long.” He crossed the room to swat his friend on the arm, shaking his head. “A father, Avery. Jesus. And here’s me thinking I’d beat you to that milestone! I never even knew you were seeing anyone!” Adoption was not in his thoughts at present and that much was obvious by his strong reaction. As Josh was the married man with a strong desire to raise children, he’d always carried the belief that he would become a parent before Avery so much as thought about it. He was not jealous in the least, merely surprised and happy for his friend. “Explains why you look like shit, though. Kids are a nightmare.” It didn’t stop the aspiring doctor from wanting them, of course, but he was well aware how difficult they could be.

Medical school was a dream for Joshua. A difficult one, but a dream nevertheless. This was what he’d always wanted. There was a new energy about the Fire now as he realised how close he was coming to becoming a doctor, a real doctor, not just the stoic-faced eight year old trying to convince his parents that he really wanted to go to medical school. He wasn’t just an aspiring medical student any more, he was a medical student. It was an amazing feeling. It would no doubt wear off near the end of the year thanks to the stress and workload but he would enjoy it while it lasted. Rolling with the words with ease, he agreed, “Isn’t it? Everyone’ll have to call me Dr. Dale.” No more classic ‘Mr. Dale’, no sir. He liked the idea of ‘Dr. Dale, MD’. Some extra letters after his name, a change in title and a job he’d always wanted. “No idea!” he answered honestly. “I’d like to check in on occasion at very least. I suppose it depends on what path I take. They don’t have much need of a neurosurgeon here, y’know?” He chuckled at the thought. Neurosurgery, however, did not appeal to him all that much. It was a long and arduous road and it dealt with a specific area. Was that for him? He supposed he’d need to wait for rotations and find out.

[sorry my posts are taking so long D: been stressed/no internet]