timmyteehill

[timmyteehill]

Discord Thread || Antoni&Tee-01

Discord text thread featuring: Tee & @antonirenaldi

When: 2nd April 2021

Mentions: N/A​

Description: Tee and Tony meet up in person for the first time before the other starts working at his therapy clinic. Tony tells him about his divorce.

Trigger Warnings: talk of divorce

Antoni.

The last time Antoni had spoken with Timothy Hill, he'd been a happily married man en route to a bigger city for a bigger life. Now, as he nursed a whiskey and waited for his boss to arrive, he felt like a completely different person, needing to remind himself that he was just as capable of doing his job now as he had been a few weeks before. It wasn't as though he'd been hired for his home-life, he assured himself, swallowing the last of his self-doubt with a sip of his drink. And if this doesn't work out, you'll just go back home - whatever that means. Spotting a familiar face approaching his table, Antoni stood, forcing a smile and extending a hand. "There he is. How are things?" 

Tee

Tee couldn’t be prouder of the way his clinic was going. The number of clients were increasing and they all had great things to say about the service offered. It was going well enough that he needed to hire more people to help him out although maybe that wasn’t that surprising considering the drama and issues everyone living in Kingsboro seemed to have. Antoni was the perfect candidate and he did amazingly in their online interview so it was no hardship for Tee to offer him a job at Wellbeing Therapeutics. Although they chatted during their online interview and over the phone a few times, he was still excited to actually meet him in person. Tee saw the other sitting at one of the tables as soon as he walked in and he made his over. Antoni looked friendly enough but something seemed different than when he interviewed him, although Tee couldn’t put his finger on what. “It’s great to finally meet you in person”, he smiled, shaking his hand before taking a seat. “Things are pretty great, everything’s in full swing to welcome you on board.” 

Antoni.

“Definitely,” he agreed, sitting when Tee did. He liked the man’s demeanor, a refreshing change from the vastly older, borderline stodgy men he’d worked under in the past. He’d been a little surprised at just how young his new boss was, but everything had pointed to it being a positive thing; they’d developed an easy banter, and Antoni didn’t feel a constant need to assert or prove himself. “That’s great. I’ve looked into all the files, and I feel prepped for the new clients.” Everything was perfect, except for the small fact that - A server came by for Tee’s drink order, interrupting Tony’s line of thinking. When she left, he added, “The menu here looks great. You like this place?”

Tee

Tee knew that it wasn’t common to find someone his age already with his own therapy clinic but it was one of the perks of having rich parents who supported his dreams and endeavors. It wasn’t uncommon for others in his sector to look down on him for his age though. Like that guy he interviewed before Antoni who pursed his lips in judgement when he saw Tee was the one interviewing him and tried to pass him off as a joke. That was probably one of the reasons him and Antoni hit it off so well from the get go. If the other was uncomfortable over his age, he never showed it. “That’s great. The clinic keeps growing every day with more people calling for appointments so me and another psychologist aren’t really enough to keep it going on our own. I was thinking of eventually hiring other professionals like speech and occupational therapists but one thing at a time”, he joked, knowing it was best not to get too ahead of himself. Tee ordered himself a drink when the server came by, and was grateful when they didn’t make a big deal in front of Antoni. Most of the people working at Urban Cajun were like a family to him and treated him as such but they also knew when he was at a professional dinner and kept their boundaries. “I love the menu here, I’m a huge seafood lover. I feel like I kind of have to say that I love it, even if I hated it though or my mum would have my head.” It was best to get it out there instead of having the other find out on his own. “My parents kind of own this place.” 

Antoni.

“Oh, hey, that’s great. My son actually sees a speech therapist, and it’s been really beneficial. They were thinking he maybe didn’t have strong enough muscles in his cheeks to form certain words? They had us give him ice water with lemon to get him to learn how to pucker his lips, and now he’s pretty much at his 24-month milestones. It’s great, all the techniques they have.” Antoni took up a menu, although he’d already perused it while he’d waited for Tee, listening as the man spoke. He looked up at the new information, dark brows raised in appreciation. “Really? That must be awesome, how long have they had it? I’m huge on seafood too, there’s this place on the coast we go every summer ...” His voice trailed off and the bright expression on his face fell a bit. “Actually, speaking of families, I should probably give you an update.” 

Tee

Tee had some basic knowledge when it came to speech impediments but definitely not enough to be able to offer solutions and techniques so he always ended up referring his clients to a speech therapist friend of his. It would be so much better to have one working at the clinic so that all of the services could be offered under one roof but this sort of thing took time and planning. He wanted to see for himself that Antoni was settling in nicely before he would even consider recruiting anyone else. "You're right, and you know what they say. This sort of sector is multidisciplinary and we all have to work together in order to reach the final goal." Tee nodded, smiling a little shyly. Not everyone took the news that his parents were successful business owners very well, especially when they figured out that was the reason why he could afford to open his own clinic at such a young age. "I think they've had this place for close to twenty-one years at this point. They started off with this one in Kingsboro then gradually started opening up in more places." Tee noticed the way Antoni's expression shut down and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Okay...what's up?"

Antoni.

“Well, it’s - nothing that will affect my job performance, I can assure you,” except for the lack of sleep and the noticeable increase in my drinking habits a darker part of his mind amended, but Antoni pushed on. “My wi- uh, Gabrielle ... didn’t make the move with me. We’re separated, and we’ve begun divorce proceedings.” The words sounded foreign in his mouth, and he washed down the taste of them with another swig of whiskey. “She’s in Boston, with Luca. I’ll need to leave on Friday afternoons to either spend the weekends there or bring him back with me, and then returning on Sundays. I’m fine with front loading my appointments towards the beginning of the week to make up for the later half of Friday, if that’s alright with you.” He hated the way his circumstances painted him. He felt like a failure, and realized he hadn’t been meeting the man’s eyes. 

Tee

Tee could tell that their conversation had taken on a serious note but he wasn't sure what he was expecting. Especially when Antoni said it wasn't something that was going to affect the way he carried out his job. Whatever it was, he definitely wasn't expecting the other to tell him that he and his wife were getting divorced. It's not like Tee knew much about his private life; their interview was meant to discuss work-related issues and Tee was never really the kind of person to pry but Antonu had mentioned being happily married and having a son. He even mentioned how the whole family was excited to make the move to Kingsboro after Tee contacted him to let him know he got the job. So to be told that from the last time they talked to now things had gotten so bad that the couple had already begun divorce proceedings...it shocked him. "Shit." It was the first thing that came to mind and he couldn't hold back the curse. This wasn't something that Tee could relate to. While he's had his fair share of relationships ending badly, he was never married but he could imagine that if he was going through something like that, he wouldn't appreciate others making a big deal out of it. "Don't worry about appointments. If you want to take on less clients to give you more liberty to come and go...we'll figure something out." 

Antoni.

"Oh, no," Antoni countered, waving a hand in the air as if to brush away the smoke from the bomb he'd just dropped into Tee's lap. "Less clients doesn't seem necessary. Work will probably be a welcome distraction." He tried to smile, but it was thin and tight. "I'd like to do what I came here to do, if that's still alright with you." Thankfully, a waitress appeared tableside to see if they'd decided on dinner, and Tony felt the tension in his shoulders lessen a bit. "I'll have whatever he's having," he quipped, handing over his menu. "I have a feeling he knows what's good here."  

Tee

Tee wasn't sure if the other was actually being honest or if this was his way of trying to make a good impression on his new employer. Giving him fewer clients wouldn't be a problem. Tee might never have been married but he knew first hand how much a breakup could hurt, especially if it came out of the blue. Pushing Antoni wouldn't be a good idea, especially about something which was probably a very sensitive subject so he just nodded and dropped it. "Whatever you want." Handing over the menu which he hadn't even opened, Tee smiled at their server. "I'll have the soup of the day to start with and the spaghetti seafood." 

[timmyteehill]

skyking91​:

Beer? Interesting. Tee and sky were clearly very two different people. Except they had one person in common. It almost pained sky to know that Tee knew her own biological father better than she did, and it made her think about where she would be in life if she knew him. They both ended up here, didn’t they? She could imagine that Tee may have had a much easier life than herself, but truly didn’t know much about him. Was their father even a good man? “D’ya have wine or anything else? I’m watching my figure.” She took her phone back then sat down on the couch as he went into the kitchen.

Tee wasn’t sure wine was the greatest go to drink when watching your figure but he wasn’t about to argue with Sky so he got the both of them wine glasses and a bottle of white wine from the fridge. He liked wine, at times more than beer, but he wasn’t used to drinking it so early in the afternoon. Usually it was more his go to drink after a long day at work, when he wanted to wind down. Pouring them both some, he handed one of the glasses to Sky then joined her on the couch. “Thanks for your help today, even though it didn’t quite turn out how we planned.”

[timmyteehill]

wrldwides​:

oh, thank god! byeongsu thinks, as tee lets him know that it wasn’t him that made him not call. “ god, that’s a relief. i was so worried that i was a fucking weirdo or something, you know? ” he shakes off his worries and relaxes his shoulders. “ that’s normal, though, to have more of a connection with someone than the others. isn’t that why they say you have to kiss a ton of frogs to find your prince? bradley’s your prince! ” byeongsu smirks, repeating what his mother had told him for years – except, she had always said he would find his princess. 

“No, no, nothing like that. At the risk of sounding really cheesy, it wasn’t you but it was me. Or whatever they say in the movies”, he joked, rolling his eyes. The reference to frogs confused him, especially since he wouldn’t really compare either Bradley or Byeongsu to a frog but he understood it was just a metaphor for the whole situation they found themselves in. “I wouldn’t say he was my prince, just someone I kind of liked.” Tee didn’t feel like announcing that things with Bradley ended after only a few weeks but he couldn’t pretend to be in a relationship with someone when he wasn’t either.

[timmyteehill]

dammitdorian​:

Dorian noted the blush on Tee’s cheeks when he asked about his love life and chuckled softly, smiling out of endearment. He quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head curiously when Tee mentioned he was seeing someone. “Oh, yeah? That’s dope. I’m glad it seems to be going well so far. Because if they hurt you, I’m gonna have to hurt them.” Dorian had always been very protective of his friends and family. It was just a part of his nature.

Tee definitely wasn’t going to mention that things with Bradley had a bit of a rocky start. The last thing he wanted was for his boyfriend to get on Dorian’s bad side before they even had the chance to meet. It was bad enough that he already wasn’t Jules’ favourite person, no need to add to that list. “Thanks, I knew I could count on you. We’re just taking things one day at a time. See how it goes.” It was all fairly new after all.

[timmyteehill]

It still felt so weird for him to be giving lectures at the place where he used to be a student himself. Just a couple of years ago, he was the one sitting down at those tables, desperately typing away at his laptop in the hopes of getting himself some decent notes. And now here he was, standing at the other side of the room. As soon as the lecture was finished, he packed his things and made his way outside. His next appointment at the practice wasn’t for another two hours so he wasn’t in any rush. Tee was taking a short walk around the area when he was approached by Jamison. They might have talked a little in recent days but it was only through texts and not in person so it was nice to put a face to the name. “How in the world did you end up in the Social Sciences wing?” he asked with an amused laugh. “The Tech Wing is on the other side of here.” 

Success for Jamison was something he’d grown rather accustomed to, he’d worked hard to get to where he was, and he was proud of his businesses and his other accomplishments. However, it was the side effects of success that he was still trying to learn how to deal with. Thankfully today’s big project - a lecture at the local university had gone relatively well but he was still pretty keyed up and anxious as he left the lecture hall and started to wander around the unfamiliar campus, coming down from the adrenaline and nervousness of public speaking before he realized he’d walked himself into disorientation and he hadn’t a clue where he’d left his car. He’d never really been all that great with directions, but he figured a bit of help couldn’t hurt and he sheepishly worked up the courage before stopping a passerby, “I’m sorry, could you tell me how to get back to the Tech Wing?” He looked around the exterior of the buildings around him, hoping he wasn’t embarrassingly right outside of said location.

[timmyteehill]

Tee knew that he should probably call it an early night since he had to wake up early for work the next day and he wasn’t getting much sleep lately but when Ben asked him to hang out, he rarely said no. He was his best friend and one of the people getting him through with being broken up with. Again. He made his way to their meeting spot, sitting down on the bench before turning to him with raised eyebrows. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to stop smoking? You should be keeping me away from the temptation not offering it to me.” He knew Ben would get the joke. Tee might have stopped smoking after college, but he still partook in the odd cigarette every once in a while, especially when around his smoker friends. “How are you doing?” 

ben was a bit of a night owl. most of his nights after closing up shop consisted of aimlessly wandering around kingsboro and making acquaintances with the shadows that passed him in the streets. the city looked different at night. it felt different too. new york was never quiet, and some neighborhoods in kingsboro were livelier at night than they were in the day. but ben always felt a quiet sort of peace on his evening walks. but there was a loneliness too, a loneliness that sometimes was a little more than he could stand, so ben often went out of his way to meet as many new and interesting people as possible or even catch up with old friends. tonight was no different. “cigarette?” ben offered in way of greeting.

[timmyteehill]

sxojun​:

“Well to be fair we both have the handyman capability of a squirrel.” he chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. “How about we read the instructions together and see what we can come up with then?” He wanted to see if he could surprise himself, perhaps make it happen. “I don’t want this entire time to have been a waste.”

That...was not a lie. Tee was pretty sure he couldn’t put anything together if it saved his life and that reading the instructions was not going to help him out at all. But if Seojun was offering, then he wasn’t about to say no. Maybe together they would have better luck than he would on his own. “Fine, but if I get another injury I’m giving up.” The last thing he needed was for his hand to look like he put it through the meat grinder. 

[timmyteehill]

wrldwides​:

“ i would say they were relatively cat-like! ” byeongsu rocks back and forth on his heels as he listens to tee. a part of him wants to say something, ask why he had never called him for a second date, but the other part of him isn’t sure if he wants to actually know why. “ yeah, these things can be killer, right? ” he says, a bit awkwardly, as he looks to his phone. “ i did want to ask, now that i’ve got you here.. ” he starts. “ did i do something wrong? is that why you never called me? because i thought the blind date went well, and i was just wondering if it was something i did, or said.. that way i can not do that next time i go on a date, you know? constructive criticism, i guess. ”

Tee should have known that he wouldn’t be able to get out of this without their blind date being brought up. As much as he wanted to get out of an awkward situation, he also didn’t want Byeongsu to think that him not calling was because of something he did. Their blind date really did go well, especially considering they were complete strangers when it started, and if things with Bradley hadn’t progressed, Tee would have called him. So he owed the other an explanation, instead of letting him think that it was something he did. “No, no, you were great”, he rushed to reassure. “It’s just...this is going to sound strange. The thing is that I was set up on multiple blind dates and one of them went...better than the others? I was sort of seeing someone for a few weeks but I didn’t know how to explain that to you and I just...didn’t call. But you’re right to say it went well, it was completely my fault.” 

[timmyteehill]

skyking91​:

Sky tended to Tee’s wound as he spoke. “Maybe we can just…hire someone to put it up.” Sam would have volunteered to put the shelf up. Even if he didn’t know how. He would have been the one to have figured it out for the both of them. Now it was Tee and Sky and their newfound…friendship or whatever this was. “Drinks. Yes.” She nodded in agreement as she finished wrapping his wound. Maybe some alcohol will loosen her up a little bit, and hopefully she’d be able to get out the words she had been trying to formulate in her head for a bit now. How was she going to explain their relationship to him? “Here.” She gave him her phone and opened the Uber Eats app. “Order whatever you want. Get me a good salad.” She told him as she cleaned up the first aid supplies. 

Hiring someone was probably his best bet to get his shelf up, especially since he was obviously not going to be able to get it done himself. It was moments like these that made him miss Sam even more. While he understood that his best friend needed to get away for a while after everything that happened and they still kept in touch, it was still sad. Sam would have had a laugh over how useless Tee was at this and helped him out without having to hire anyone. And now here they were, him and his best friend’s ex, hanging out and trying to ignore the missing presence of the person they had in common. How things change. Tee took her phone and looked through the options before ordering himself a pepperoni pizza and Sky a salad. Hopefully she would like it as he wasn’t an expert on what a salad...good. After handing her back the phone, he led the way to his kitchen and got out two beers from the fridge. “Beer good for you?” 

[timmyteehill]

cilliankelly​:

cillian nodded, looking down at his leg at the mention of the cast. “yep, got some physical therapy i still need to do but…” this was so uncomfortable. which was really a shame, because although the two’s friendship began under rather unconventional circumstances, cillian did like the guy. he just didn’t really know how to get passed this.

“That’s good, I’m happy to hear.” Things were awkward between them but he wasn’t sure what he could say to make it better. It was a pity because Tee was tentatively starting to consider Cillian a friend before his comments of him just being someone he fucked in a bathroom making him realise the feeling was not mutual. As sarcastic and cynical as he was about things in his own life, Tee was a good therapist. His practice wouldn’t be so successful if he wasn’t and so he knew that what Cillian said was a defence mechanism after he said something that made him feel vulnerable. Knowing didn’t make him feel any better about it though and Tee wasn’t sure what he could say to help them get over it. “I don’t want to be your unofficial therapist anymore”, he blurted, wishing he could facepalm right after. No shit, Tee.

[timmyteehill]

You’re so cute :( someone needs to snatch you up.

“Thank you? Someone’s welcome to try but I doubt it would work anyways.”

[timmyteehill]

Favorite piece of clothing?

“This is probably going to sound really boring but hoodies. They’re so comfortable, perfect for cosy days.”

[timmyteehill]

do you miss bradley?

“Yeah, but it wasn’t meant to be.” 

[timmyteehill]

what are you looking for in a partner?

“I’m not that difficult to please. Someone honest, that I can trust and who I can be myself around. Oh and ideally someone who doesn’t use my occupation against me if I attempt to help out with something like any decent partner would.”

[timmyteehill]

where do you dream of going?

“I used to wish I’d get the opportunity to live in London for a year or two but after opening my therapy place in Kingsboro, that dream took a backseat. A holiday there would be nice though.” 

[timmyteehill]

natevanderbilt​:

It wasn’t humorous - it wasn’t! - but Nate couldn’t help the laugh he let out at the fact that both of them were not made for this. Nate was good at many things, but home improvement was something he should steer far away from. Hell, he could barely tell tools apart… but he knew Tee had just hit himself with a hammer. Ah, shit. “Here -” he handed Tee a towel so he could wipe the blood, wincing at the damage he’d done to himself, “you know… maybe we should get someone else to work on this instead. You gave it a go and if I try, I’m gonna end up with a messed up finger too.” 

Tee took the towel from him with a grateful nod, trying not to wince as he dabbed it on the wound. What the hell made him think this could ever be a good idea that wouldn’t end in disaster? Add to that the fact that he enlisted the help of someone who was clearly as bad as him at this sort of thing, and the hopes of getting the stupid shelf done got even slimmer. “It’s probably better of you stay away from it, one hurt finger is more than enough”, he sighed, looking at the half assembled shelf with a glare that could kill. “Who am I going to ask to assemble a shelf for me? I’m going to look like a complete and utter idiot.” 

[timmyteehill]

wrldwides​:​

byeongsu was in a good mood; he had just come from a lunch with jinsu at his place of work, and he was feeling rather full and happy, to say the least. the male had a bit of a pep in his step as he typed a message to jinsu, thanking him for the meal, but was soon nearly knocked to the ground by another. he felt the stranger’s hands grab his arm and pull him up before he hit the ground, only to see that it was no stranger, but tee, the guy he had gone on a blind date with weeks back. “ it’s not your fault. i was looking at my phone, too. ” he shrugs it off, fixing his shirt as he regains his balance. it would be a lie to say this wasn’t somewhat awkward – tee had ghosted him after all – but he wasn’t going to hold it against him. “ yeah! i’m all good, thanks to your quick cat-like reflexes. ” byeongsu chuckles. 

Tee was glad that at least Byeongsu didn’t seem to hold the whole ghosting thing against him. He was a great guy and their blind date was enjoyable. It wasn’t the other’s fault if things between him and Bradley just...happened and it would be great if they could at least stay friends. “I wouldn’t really call my reflexes cat-like but I’ll take it”, he laughed, shaking his head in amusement. He really needed to start looking where he was going while walking though. One of these days he was going to end up running over someone who was not as understanding and get himself in trouble. “We both need to look where we’re going then, although phones can be so distracting.”