[attr="class","thadmain"]Kepler finishes his second braid and reaches up to pull Ash’s hair over to one side of his head, parting it with his fingers. “It’s going to be okay,” he says, but he doesn’t really know who he’s talking to as he begins to work the silver strands into a chain. “They’ll hook me up to some machines and probably do an x-ray and tell me I’m fine.”

He was only half done with Ash’s hair when the nurse called K-Kepler?-- the stutter was there, as though she couldn’t believe some idiot would name their kid that.

Kep sighed, stood, and squeezed Ash’s hand. “You want to come with?”

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[attr="class","thadmain"]Ashley is gripping his like his life depends on it and it makes Kepler feel awful for asking him to come. Ash spent a lot of time in the hospital. It probably left less than stellar impressions on him.

He squeezes back with what he hopes is a comforting grip as they trail the orderly through the waiting room and into the treatment area. He sheds his shoes to step on the scale, then pads in stocking feet into an exam room where the nurse screens him for any recent signs of chest pain or tightness or feeling out of breath. His answers-- not today, yet-- have her frowning when she leaves the room.

They sit in the silence of the exam room. Kepler shivers against the forced cool air pumped down from a vent in the ceiling.

“It’s going to be okay,” he reiterates, looking at Ash. This isn’t his first rodeo at the cardiologist, though he’s sure the doctor is going to rag on him for the amount of time between visits (he’s overdue).

The doctor comes in a few moments later and after a brief run-through of Kepler’s name, age, pronouns, and date of birth, she sits down on a rolly stool and looks at them.

“So do you know what triggered this latest episode? Because according to your chart, you haven’t had any problems in over five years.”

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[attr="class","thadmain"]Ash continues to hold onto him for dear life, gripping in a way that’s going to leave bruises. Kepler doesn’t mind. It’s the only time he’s ever been anything other than bitter about his frail skin that mottles so easily: when Ash leaves his marks on him, a memory that Kepler’s been claimed, is loved. Something he can visit when they’re apart, as a reminder.

When Ash speaks, Kepler flashes him a warning look, and gently puts a hand over the one that’s gripping him so tight. He desperately hopes Ash gets the message; they can’t tell the doctor what actually happened. She’ll have them fucking committed.

“I’m in Hoenn doing research work for Alamaos U-- out of Sinnoh, you know. Weather patterns, the physics of pressure systems. That sort of thing.” His tone is conversational, laying down backstory that’s tied enough into realism and truth to be believable. “I’m a scientist. One of my assignments is to track the effect of… abnormalities on environmental patterns. Obviously, the rift is an abnormality. In more ways than one.”

He let his words hang heavy so the doctor could gather the gist of them.

“I… got too close. The exposure was too much and, you know. Boom. Heart episode.” He finished with a shrug, patting Ash’s hand. His feet, still in stockings, swung off the bed in the empty air.

It had always worked with doctors in his childhood. They always questioned him about his episodes and never seemed to care that they happened because he was being tormented and abused. Just that they were triggered by fear.

The doctor nods and makes a note on her chart.

“I’m going to order a full blood panel and an ECG. Make sure you’re not throwing weird rhythms. I’d like to schedule you for an ultrasound as well to monitor your valve activity.” She tucked the tablet pen into the holder on the iPad case and looked through her glasses at him. “In the meantime, I’m prescribing you Alprazolam and putting you on strict bed rest. No stressful activities for a minimum of 90 days.”

Kepler slouches in his seat as she stands up and excuses herself from the room.

“See?” he says, bringing Ash’s fingers to his lips in the silence that follows. “Not too bad. We’re almost done.”

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[attr="class","thadmain"]“Hey,” Kepler says, ducking so he’s in the full line of Ash’s view. “Don’t sweat it.” He can feel him shaking. “It’s nothing I haven’t done before.”

He strokes the backs of Ash’s knuckles as they sit there and wait for the nurse. “So, the ECG is measuring the electrical signals of my heart. They put little nodes on my chest connected to wires that trace them in waves. The blood panel is just a blood sample, checking my organ function, no biggie. And the ultrasound is, like, um. The thing they use to look at babies? Except they’re looking at my heart.” He lifts his hand and wiggles his fingers. “It’s kind of cool to watch the valves all move and work. You can come with me, if you want.”

He pulls Ash’s hand closer and lays it flat against his chest, over his heart-- his thrice-damned heart-- so his boyfriend can feel it. Beating, normal, healthy.

“It’s like… it’s like when you go off and do dangerous things with Isaac Merlo and Cillian Quinn and. All those people. You’re good at it and you know what you’re doing.” He laughs, then, and it’s a little sardonic, but a lot hopeful. “I’m… well, I can’t say that I’m good at receiving treatment for cardiologic events, but… I’m experienced at it and I know what I’m doing.”

Ash’s next point makes him laugh again, for real, this time, and he loses himself in it, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against Ash’s shoulder. “Yeah, yeah it does. Sorry.”

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[attr="class","thadmain"]Ash still seems like he’s on the fence about all of this. Kepler feels bad for asking him to come.

“Ashley.” He says, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side, his tone measured and firm. Sometimes Ash got so in his head about things, it was hard to get him to come out of it. It was part of why, Kepler surmised, he’d had his whole episode on Mt. Pyre. “I love you. I’m going to be okay. Are you okay?”

He leans into his boyfriend as he promises him the position of house-husband, and his breath catches a little.

“The apron fits you better,” he says, in a rush, face turning pink.

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[attr="class","thadmain"]Kepler leans in to press a kiss to his boyfriend’s jaw. “Good. Good on all accounts.”

It isn’t long before a Joy orderly comes to show him back for his ultrasound. Kepler stands and tugs Ash’s hand.

“C’mon. I’ll show you how to read an ultrasound. You’ll get to see my funky heart valve, too. It’s actually pretty interesting if you ignore how crippling it is, occasionally. See…”

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