Well, we start on Julian's journey to reovery, as we see the reactions of those curently close to him.

Collab with  qovapryi

Characters and FBA belong to their respective owners

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A few days have passed since the freak scare they had on that Bangor game. Sure it ended in a win, but the whole team was concerned about a certain French dog, who collapsed on the middle of that game. Luckily for them, they got the news of his condition as soon as they could, and was expected he’d make a recovery sooner than expected. Turns out Julian collapsed due to a vagus nerve reaction caused by the stress of the last weeks and the pain that developed over that day. If only he had seen his ways and was conscious of his condition. He had reached his boiling point.

Debatably even worse, he refused to let anyone visit him. He entered in such a depressive, self-depreciating mood; one could say it was counterproductive for his recovery. Since the surgery, his teammate and pal Scoonie Barrett volunteered to check on him and assess his status.

It was a sunny February morning in Honolulu. The otter did his now daily trip to the hospital to check on his friend. The assigned doctor, Louis Kloock, a puma, gave all the facts to the otter.

"His numbers are more stable, and so far he has been improving quite nicely..." the doctor, a middle aged puma, broke down to the otter.” If he goes out and rests as much at home as he did here for the next couple of days, he should get better to the point of light exercise by the end of this break..."

"I'll make sure he will, Dr Kloock. Swear on all the fish in the world - that's not happening again," Scoonie answered. "What kinds of food can he eat yet?"

"As long as he steers clear from alcohol, too much fat and red meat and unwashed vegetables for these couple of weeks, he'll be just fine. Is good to know that canine appendectomies, for those who have it, isn't as traumatic of a procedure, and Julian here is lucky we got it out before it could evolve to worse... Also..." he coughed.

Scoonie sighed of relief. "What also?" the otter said, a webbed paw toying with the edges of his black shirt.

“He's been on quite a... down, mood. Surely the environment here and his own 'no-visitors' request isn't much of a helper; maybe he'll feel more comfortable in his home." The feline smiled, his tone changing to slightly joyful. "Get him happy, get him to accept visits. It may make his recovery time feel lighter and, in some cases I've seen, maybe even shorten it for a day or two." He concluded as he knocked on the saluki's door, permission to enter given. The canine was reading a book, big bags under his eyes, rivaling even raccoons, and face with some small, but noticeable furless patches. Scoonie was the first outsider the canine let in, and the first one to contact for help once he decided to return to the media.

"Hello there, Jay," the otter said upon stepping in the hospital room, a convincing smile on his face despite being brought down by the utter deject he could see in his friend's tired features. "How are you doing man? You got us all worried..."

Julian shrugged; his head tilting in a "more or less" sign, eyes fixated more on the doctor. "Julian, we got some good news: You've been evolving nicely, and we think you're ready to head back home. Now remember, continue to rest, stay on track... You volunteered to take care of him, right?" he said to the otter, who nodded. "...and we'll see you back on court in no time. Mr. Barrett, wait a while outside while we prepare him."

A short while later, the saluki was dressed, belongings packed and the checkout was done. Scoonie drove over his Scion to pick him up, his own bags packed for some nights, the canine sitting on the shotgun seat. After some supply buying (which the saluki just waited on the car), they drove to the saluki’s home.

"Left on the 4th...." Julian spoke. Except for the odd direction, the canine barely spoke during the whole ride.

The otter steered, his FR-S responding smoothly to his driver's command. After Julian had moved into his new apartment, Scoonie had intended to pay him a visit, but for a reason or another he'd never been able to. Despite the odd circumstances, he was kind of curious to see how the dog was treating himself.

What was getting to him, though, was Julian's total lack of enthusiasm. Half an hour after leaving the Kapi'olani Medical Center, the canine's depressed mood was already starting to infect his natural otter-y mirth. Taking a turn a little more aggressively than he wanted, he blurted. "Look it Jay, we can't spend this four days of break being like this. What happened last Wednesday is a matter of the past. Just put that behind and focus on making a full recover - whining along won't change a single thing."

Julian was caught off-guard by the otter's burst, just plain staring at him. "It's not just that..." he replied softly, the otter feeling his strong depression behind the words and backing off a bit. After a tense while, he resorted to looking out of the window as they arrived to the small, but modern looking one-story house, the facade a sleek white and the flooring in black slate. The saluki got out of the car and immediately as his body let him went to the front door with the keys; it seemed he almost tried to get away from the otter.

"Hey! Wait a sec!" Scoonie said, opening the car's trunk and getting out a huge black duffel bag, a wheeled suitcase and a couple shopping bags full to the brim with supplies. "You should take it easy, you know..." The otter slung the gym bag upon his right shoulder and picked up the two heavy bags with his left paw, almost effortlessly, before making his way towards the entrance path.

As the otter caught up with the saluki, the latter managed to open the door, finally revealing his crib to his friend. Even with its small size, Scoonie was impressed with the distribution of the space. A complete kitchen on a corner, with some seats arranged as a bar style, a nice table with several chairs, all next to a small living room with a nice black leather sofa that he was told could become a futon just by folding it down, facing the big plasma TV the otter got him. Out on the back, he could see the doors of the other rooms and various pieces of art hanging on the walls or on the different tables, various different methods. Taking his shoes off at the entrance, the saluki just got in and sat down on the couch, sighing.

"Wow..." Scoonie said, putting his shoes next to the saluki’s, turning around as to admire the whole house. "You got yourself one nice den, Jay..." Just as he looked at him, he noticed something strange was going on. "Dude, c'mon. What's up?" he said, sitting next to the dog on the leather couch. "Why you acting so distant? It's all good. You're back to your house and I'm here to help." Wrapping his strong arm around Julian's shoulder, he felt him shudder slightly as in to get away, but he insisted. "I've roomed together with you for two months, pup. You're acting different than usual, I can tell. What's got you down now?"

His guard was still up and strong, even with one of his best friends. (("I know I fucked it up. Like always...")) he said in French, a sad tone that was barely caught by the otter.

Scoonie's understanding of French was just enough for him to grasp the meaning of the dog's sad words. "You fucked up, yeah. That's what we all do, sooner or later." He patted Julian's shoulder, his voice a little more assertive than before. "You certainly went through a lot during these few months. And yeah, you might have had your ups and downs, but you're certainly not letting anyone down. Fighting with the best of the best your rookie class, that's what you're doing. I bet by this point some guys who were selected in that damned Top 24 would kill to get the minutes Coach Berk is giving you. Mr Grehr's giving you a great chance, Jay - it's up to you not to let it waste."

"Don't... bullcrap Scoonie..." he responded assertive in English, teeth baring finally letting out. "I know I'm as good as out once I recover! Is always like that." He listed with his fingers. "I know I'm not good enough, I know I'm a nightmare, I know I'm a damn headache! I know that I'm pretty much unmarketable and that there are people MUCH better than me out there! I know I'm-" he cut over as he cringed, bowling over a bit.

"Stop. It." Scoonie said, categorically as he helped him with the pain. "Just stop it now. You're not good enough only if you allow yourself to think that you are. Your persecution complex has led you to this point, and it's on you to show that you've learned from your mistake. That you actually put in your teammates the same trust all of us have put in you from day one"

He was still bowled over, waiting for the pain to subside. "I know I'm a disaster. Been told that by many... All my life... every moment every occasion"

"Yet all of them were devastated after you collapsed the other day. Even Alfie. Even Chuck, though he doesn't want to let us see that."

"Yeah right..."

"I swear. They all wanted to come and visit you, but you didn't let us..." the otter said.

"...Sure. Call them. Make them come here. Make them tell the truth to my face. Or be all 'I'm so sorry' and that act... I know how they feel. Let the circus be fucking over" he rested his elbows on his knees.

"If you allow me to take them to visit you, I will," Scoonie retorted, putting a paw on his heart. "You gotta stop thinking the whole world's gunning for you, Jay - especially your teammates and the people who ACTUALLY give a shit about you. Otherwise you'll just ruin the shot you have at a great career, other than, you know, having that eating away at you from the inside all the fucking time."

Julian's focus veered away. After some silence, the otter's paw on his chest, feeling his heartbeat, he finally ceded. "...Bien..." The lutrine nodding, sending the tweet right away. There was barely minutes passed when a couple of Kahunas agreed to visit him the following day or two. But for today, it was just the otter and the saluki.

The night soon to fall, the pair not speaking as much. Remembering what the doctor said, he tied to keep the canine diverted even for a little while. He showed Scoonie the ex-bedroom, now art studio, as well as having him divagate about the various pieces of art on his house. Right now, Julian sat on a bar stool facing the kitchen, alternating looking down at the kitchen top and up at the busy otter. He said he really wanted to make him a "seafood chili", something quite jarring on the canine's mind if he was honest. But he was on doctor's orders, so c'est la vie, he had to eat it. Scoonie was running up and down in some occasions. "I can help, you know..." he spoke up.

"Don't even think about it, Jay" the otter said, putting on a black apron over his home clothes and tying it behind his back. "Doctor said you need to rest and make minimal efforts until the wound is fully healed. Besides, you got me taking care of this beautiful kitchen - what more do you want?" he grinned, as he gathered all the necessary ingredients.

Staring at the tabletop it was. The phone messages expressing support and confirmation of some meetings have taken some morosity from his shoulders, but it was still a long way to go. The feeling of the otter becoming upset if he continued with it was also a convincing force to keep his tongues bit and muzzle shut. After a while of watching the otter chop, mix and cook, he served for the two, his plate substantially larger than Julian's. He prodded the dish with a fork in occasion, staring at some octopus pieces in his plate. The otter ate quite nonchalantly.

"Something wrong dude?" the otter said, between mouthfuls.

"Where do you come with this stuff?" he asked.

"Back in college, that was one of my signature dishes...my roomie Chase loved it, not counting all the chicks I happened to take home..." he concluded, giving his canine friend a mischievous wink.

He smirked in response. "I thought Chili had like... meat? I've never seen that before..." but after some mouthfuls, he gave a mod of approval. "They would kill you in France if you show this there, though" he chuckled. Scoonie relieved there was some joy gestures after the longest time. His tail still fixated between his legs and his tired features still present, but the otter thought it was just a matter of days until he'd see the saluki he always knew back again.

"C’mon, be open! No wonder your culinary contributions are in the form of frogs, snails and stinky cheese..." Scoonie rebutted, shaking his head but smiling all the same. "Seriously though, I prefer the seafood version over the meat one. Is Healthier and tastier.”

Julian shook his head as well. "All things should have meat and beef and poultry on this earth..." after a while, the dog eating slower than usual, he asked. “You know... never asked you about how you grew up and how is living in America..."

Scoonie smiled, reminiscing. "Well, you met most of my brothers when they came over to visit me for Christmas. My mother emigrated here from Vietnam in the late seventies, so all eight of us were born in America and grew up bi-lingual. Growing up we were the classic rowdy bunch, living in a house which was just big enough to fit ten burly otters in. Most of them have left and started a family elsewhere before I even went to college - guess that's a benefit, since I became taller and bigger than each and every one of my older brothers," he added with a grin.

The canine nodded. Even a bit impressed when he spoke Vietnamese to him. "You know my deal. Me against my family, trying to be who I wanted to be while they tried to fit me in a 'perfect' box. I turned to be five inches taller than my dad, the next tallest one. I loved all things American, helping my English, and when I moved to Canada it was a place I could flourish... All shit notwithstanding..." a small burp managing to awaken a bit of pain that subsided quickly.
"I gotcha, man. Strange to think how many things we have in common...I too had some major disagreement with my folks while growing up - my dad being a conservative, straight-forward Nebraskan Army veteran, and me being, well...me," the otter suppressed a cold laugh. "I love him to death, but c'mon...lock the two of us in the same room for an hour, and an argument is bound to burst sooner or later."

"Same... but argument explodes in 5 minutes or less and without the love..." taking a sip of his drink, Scoonie serving himself another round, Julian passing. "My circle is the ones who support me. Uncles in Montreal and guys at Karmic pretty much my people outside the FBA... even if I didn't fit in any circle, not modders, or sport people, or art people... Always a sore thumb to stay away from"

"Appearance does that sometimes...forcing people away from you because they think you're a weirdo, or worse. Got my fair share of that as well, yet most people got over it...though your Twitter posts about overtly scary body mods aren't exactly helping," the otter said, a bit of jest on hisvoice.

The mod pics. It turned into quite a sore topic over the last days. He spoke, a bit dour. "Hey. I'm proud of those things. If I wasn't into the sport... let's just say Customs won't believe the "Species" part in my passport..." he snickered. "Is wishful thinking. I've grown to love those and I won't change tastes or be faking in front of the rest. People will see always who I am, and I feed that's commendable..." the otter got up and put all the dishes in the dishwasher and sorted stuff out, for the two of them to move to the TV area and continue with some lighthearted fun.

The otter sighed “It can be shocking, Jay, but you’re expressing yourself and that’s a good thing! You also seem to know where the line of freaky stuff and fucked up is, Davids hasn’t caught on you” they both sat together on the big sofa. "How do you turn the satellite on?" Scoonie asked Julian. "Kinda hoped to catch the new episode of Furry Ink Master... or did you want to watch something else?" the otter asked as he fumbled with the sofa pillows, looking for the TV remote.

"The inked stooges, as my boss calls it..." he got the remote out of the otter's hands and turned the channel to the one the otter desired. “It can be good comedy, though" he weakly smiled. This was the first time the otter saw a change of mood on the saluki. He's was still distant and guarded, but little by little

“Stop it” he laughed. “Your boss knows his stuff, though.”

“Is what Denis says. Too much flare, barely technique. You and I know you’d like the freakiest individuals to tattoo you. He has his fame, but he’s pretty conservative on it. Expos and shows.”

“Well that is true. I met a lot of talented furs on expositions… Some of the hottest as well” he nudged the saluki with his shoulder softly. He was improving!

The night quickly arrived. The otter trying to divert his friend as much as possible, at least it was a far cry from that morning and afternoon. The canine gave the directions for the sofabed unfolding and the necessary bedding. "Heh. Knew that would happen...", he said as he saw the otter's feet hanging from the edge. The dog tilted his head, looking at Scoonie’s right footpaw. "...Never detailed that star tat..."

"Hm? Oh, remember I told you...got it right after the All-Star Game back in San Jose. The idea's to get one for every All-Star Game I'll play in" the otter replied from under the cover, with a smirk. "Like that idea?"
He lifted his eyebrow. "You missed the rookie game. And where are you planning to fit them?" They shared the laugh. He went inside to his room and got out after a while. "5 sizes less, but at least should help a bit" He gave the otter some thick socks. Even sickly, he should show some hospitality as well. Scoonie tried them on. “Only reach my ankles! But thanks, Jay…”

Julian yawned and passed a hand through his muzzle. "Going to sleep now. I know you can still go on, so the TV is all yours..." said the canine as he walked to his bedroom. He needed the rest. The otter channel surfed for a while until he succumbed to sleep an hour later.

Some time passed, Scoonie woke up, his mouth feeling impossibly dry after the spicy dinner. He couldn't quite figure out what time it was, but the pale lunar light filtering from the drawn curtains gave it away that it was still early in the night. Stumbling out of the makeshift bed, the otter made way through the kitchen to wash the taste away from his mouth with a glass of water.

On his way through the dark house, he suddenly heard. It was very soft and muffled, but noticeably, there was whining, like someone was scared or in pain.

Thinking on the spur of the moment, Scoonie dashed in the opposite direction towards Julian's bedroom. He couldn't live with himself if he found that his friend was suffering from his injury, now that he'd been asked to watch over him and ensure he recovered completely. The canine was sound asleep. Other than minor shuffling in his bed, the scenario the otter had in mind was way worse, a bit relieved it wasn't as bad as that first scary thought; a while later, it was confirmed that Julian was the source of the sound; scared, short sharp whines. He was as silent as wallpaper on his sleep, the otter remembered, so something was up. The otter bent over the saluki's body, putting his head near Julian's muzzle to find out whether he was thrashing his body because of a bad dream or worse, pain.

In his sleep, his tail jerked swiftly and collided with the otter's leg, the big bundle of hair startling him, the movement awakening the dog in a sudden jolt. "Quoi?! Quoi!? Pute...” he blurted in a small panic, reaching for his stomach in his body's protest to the scare.

Scoonie jumped back, startled by the dog's sudden reaction. "Jay! How do you feel man?" he said, letting the dog acknowledge his presence. "I heard you groaning in pain and figured I'd check whether you were alright..."

Still on the aftermath of the scare and the grogginess, he was still a bit out of it, "I'm... I'm fine..." he replied instinctively. Scoonie looked closer; his eyes were tired, but looked damp, as well as a small damp spot on his pillow.

"What's up, dude?" he asked, sitting near the dog on the huge bed. Deep in his heart, he could feel something wasn't right. "Is your wound aching? Do you need something?"

He didn't know what it was, but the dog ceded, all the feelings he bottled on the day, pouring out in his sleep. And he wasn’t over. "I... I'm scared, ok? I'm sure... Blake and Wilmer are going to cut me and... I don't know what will happen and... I know you're tired of hearing that over and over..." he grunted (("I better face this alone; I'm a waste of your time..."))

The otter took the dog's left paw, protruding from under the covers, into his, and squeezed it in his clutch. "Julian, listen to me…” It was notable the occasions the otter used the canine’s full name instead of any short form. “You ain't going anywhere. Sooner or later, we all face some roadblocks down the road, but that's part of the learning process. And you might have had your mishaps, but I tell ya - Blake and Wilmer can't afford to lose a player as talented as you. That’d be stupid and suicidal for their careers. The best thing you can do, Jay, is to show them you've learned from your mistakes. That you're ready to step back when it's needed, if it's to the team's benefit - and that you put in your teammates the same amount of trust we all put in ya."

He looked away, after looking towards the otter again. "You don't have to do this..."

"Jay, of course I-"

"No I mean... I'm sure in months time you'll get to a better team, one with... more stable teammates and all that... You deserve better than... unstable fuckup freaks" It was clear he wasn't talking about Hawaii, but himself.

"So I should just give up and hope that these three next month pass quickly? No, dude. Until I'm here, my loyalty is to Hawaii and nowhere else," he tapped his chest, where Jay could see the outline of the hibiscus tattoo the otter had gotten the year before. "And until I'm here, it's my duty to look after my fellow teammates. Especially the ones I think can take the team to next level, and are going through rock bottom way too early.”

The saluki just looked away, few sniffles in between, evidently holding back the already ousted emotions. (("I'm sorry... I guess"))

"And seriously, Jay, you might be a freak...just a little...but that doesn't mean I don't want to be your friend. Hell, you’re the most interesting of the 2014 people. I'm here for a reason, pup," he ruffled the canine's hair, "…and that is to make sure you get back on the court and help us get that playoff spot."

"I'm sorry I ruined your break. I'm such a cockblock, no?" he jested, the otter laughing heartily.
"You know how the saying goes...bros before hoes…"

“The only action I had was when that cute kitty nurse had to pull my pants down when I had to pee...If you slip some money, they can get you the cute nurse…"

Scoonie laughed, getting up the bed. "Can I go to sleep now? Without having to worry about you fainting again or anything?"

"Yeah sure... sorry for the scare..." the otter bent down for a hug, saying it was nothing. "Surgery... surgery..."

“Right! Sorry…," Scoonie let the dog go, making his way back to his makeshift bed. He bid good night to the saluki before closing the door behind himself, a subtle smirk on his lutrine muzzle. The saluki was starting to open up.

Baby steps, but with the wall down, he was sure to recover. Maybe the visits will cheer him up…