Chapter Text
“Theo!” a loud voice behind him rips Theo out of his current chat, “what the hell are you doing? You can't talk to our customers like that!”
He sighs. Here we go again...
It's always the same when a new guy comes in and they haven't seen him work.
Patiently he smiles, taking a deep breath to get ready for the lengthy and by now well rehearsed monologue in which he explains his method but just when he started with his usual opener “let me show you their answer", Isaac, one of the supervisors peaks his head into Theo's cubicle.
“Hey, uhm... new guy, can I talk to you for a second?”
Theo knows that there is a reason he likes Isaac. And it's not that he also can't remember the new people's names. They never last long anyway.
Turning back to his screen he sees that he has a new message and quickly starts typing again.
If someone had told Theo two years ago that he would end up working for ‘TalkSpace' he would have laughed. Loudly.
But here he is, sitting on his desk and chatting with people, talking about their problems and offering not always practical help but mostly an open ear for listening.
As one of the most requested coaches of the firm, new co-workers often ask him for advice – a conversation that ends with one of the managers talking to Theo in 99 percent of the cases. Isaac is the 1 percent that actually listened and understood his method, one of the reasons why he became a supervisor.
Most people, who have never been in a self help chat, expect the counsellors to be kind and sympathetic, offering advice and support. Theo's method is... slightly different.
He believes into the ability that everyone can only get better or solve their problems if they really want to, so there is no sweet talking, no fake pity with him.
A ping signals another message from his current favourite dialogue partner, a guy roughly his age who calls himself Eugene. The name alone is a real problem here and Theo didn't hesitate to tell the guy in their first conversation.
The answer was a string of laughing emojis and that's when Theo knew it was going to work.
He types in answer to the question if he is there yet.
Hey Eugene, how's today?
The boy types for a long time and that is never a good sign in any situation.
Not good. Feels like I'm drowning again
Theo presses his lips together while he thinks about an answer. The first time Eugene has written to him was over three months ago which is a very long time by the standards of this business. Most people message ‘TalkSpace' once or twice a week, on particularly bad days and sadly some they never hear from again, so long conversations like this are rare.
But Eugene is a special case. Having mental illnesses alone is never easy but the IED induced anger outbursts had left the boy lonely and full of self hate. The last months Theo had worked on slowly guiding him back to normalcy as the new medication finally seemed to work.
What did I tell you about the floaties last time?
He sends, adding a picture to it.
Eugene answers quicker this time.
😍 I wish I was that cute while struggling...
This is probably the point where his colleagues would have sent and encouraging message like “honey, you are! You are beautiful inside and out!”
But Theo simply shoots back:
Nobody is as cute as Mr. Teddy!
Which earns a laughing emoji and then Eugene starts to talk about his day.
He just graduated high school and is working a summer job before college starts in fall. Never mentioned where he is from or where he will be for school but that's the beauty of chatting and one of the reasons ‘TalkSpace' is so popular with troubled humans – you can be whoever you want, nobody will judge you.
Eugene sends another message.
I talked to Mason again btw
One of the guy's problems, and boy, he really has his load full in Theo's eyes, is that he doesn't have friends. Like, he once told Theo his best friend was his mum.
A little teasing encouraging from Theo helped him to start an online friendship with a freshman from the university they both are about to start at. Eugene still talking to the guy is a good sign. And maybe the reason he messaged Theo fewer those last two weeks...
A weird feeling spreads in his guts at the thought of not talking to Eugene anymore.
Theo is very good at his job. He understands people's concerns and he connects with them which is necessary to help, help themselves but he never crossed that line between professional interest and personal concern. Because he knows that friends are not objective, they can't offer an unbiased opinion because they care.
Theo was also very good at not caring. Not about his customers, not about himself, not about his family.
Somehow, in the last months, Eugene changed that. Slowly, with his talk about a loving mum and stepfather, his wish to just be normal and have friends.
And this is where it starts to get dangerous.
Because Eugene isn't just a faceless person writing him anymore, all the little details they shared helped to form the person Theo actually looks forward talking to every night.
He knows the struggles and challenges of starting a new college, moving to a new town and generally starting over because that had been him, last year. And he didn’t have someone to talk to either.
So Theo took a different route, applying for the counsellor job killed two birds with one stone – he could make money, even during the semester and he had people to talk to.
Theo? You still there?
Oh right, no daydreaming at work. Quickly he starts typing again.
Yeah, sorry. Rough week. Had to plan my semester again because stuff didn’t work out.
This is another thing they aren’t supposed to do. Two things actually.
One, he told Eugene his real name. ‘TalkSpace' guidelines recommend using an alias, for simple safety reasons, but really, how many Theos are out there?
Two, the talk about himself. He can almost hear his boss in his head - don't make this about you, Theo! but really, who likes to chat with a person they know nothing about? Part of his own method is showing the customers that they are not the only ones with problems and that everything can be solved if they just try to.
Ah, yeah, you are in college as well right?
How is the Biology thing working out for you?
Theo smiles and types an answer.
~♤~
When he comes to work the next afternoon, the ungood feeling he's had all morning reaches new highs because next to his desk are waiting the big boss and an actually sad looking Isaac.
Turns out ‘TalkSpace' is not the safe space they advertise with because apparently all of the chats are run through a program and can be read by the higher up managers.
“So that we can check for misuse and inappropriate texts.”
Which they apparently found a lot of in Theo's history. Not even his success rate or Isaac could stop him from getting fired.
But what disturbs Theo the most is that his first thought was what is Eugene gonna think? while cleaning his cubicle out.
The other boy really had become his friend and knowing this, Theo can't even be angry at his boss for crossing lines.
Having no way to reach Eugene Theo spends the last week till his courses are about to start obsessively preparing the new semester.
He can't stop himself from thinking about the other guy though.
~♤~
Theo sighs deeply as he slumps down on one of the hard seats in the great hall. Back for another semester full of early mornings.
Thankfully the headmaster seems to be tired as well because he hasn't even started to turn on the beamer for his welcome presentation and so Theo pulls out his phone to mindlessly scroll through social media.
He needs a new job after all.
A voice to his right pulls him back out of ads for barista positions and retail assistant offerings.
He lifts his head to see two guys, roughly his age, but probably freshmen, standing next to his row.
The blond guy smiles, obviously waiting for an answer.
“Sorry?”
“I said: are these seats taken?” he repeats and Theo shakes his head.
“Great!”, the same guy says and his blue eyes sparkle with smiles as he sits down next to Theo and his friend takes the other seat.
“I am Liam, by the way, and this is Mason. Nice to meet you.”