Work Text:
“Jonas. I know you’re upset-”
He’s glaring. No shit he’s upset. But here’s this asshole saying it all condescendingly calm and oh look at me I’m a professional and I know how teens think and this is all caused by blah blah Freud blah blah. If he wanted to figure out he was sad, he could look in the fucking mirror.
“-but talking is really beneficial.”
No thanks.
The man sits back in his chair. He’s watching Jonas carefully, and looking way too relaxed.
Jonas, meanwhile, is still constantly on edge. He has been for what feels like ages but has only been days. He’s paranoid and anxious and irritable and his mind goes a thousand miles a minute whenever he’s interacting with anyone at the intake center. Trying to figure out their motives, if there’s some power play going on, if he needs to worry about defending himself. His jaw aches from the constant clenching, and he’s not sure what a migraine feels like but his head is throbbing from too much tension.
“I have to admit; we don’t really understand why you aren’t speaking.”
Can’t do it, just can’t. Whatever he says will be wrong, or angry, will give someone an opening, will let out the utter mess that’s frothing inside him.
“You talked to your lawyer fine, right?”
It’s not pointed or sarcastic, but genuinely questioning, like he thinks Jonas may have stayed silent for that whole process, too. And he’s not too far off.
“Look, I know it’s hard to start, but this is important. I don’t think you understand.”
Fuck him, Jonas understands. This is what tells them where he belongs. What he needs. But Jonas knows what he needs; he needs to be out. He needs to be with his family and he needs to not be locked up and he needs his mother to be okay again. They can’t help with that.
There’s an audible breath from the guy - whatever he is, whatever assessment he’s running - and it feels just on the edge of a sigh. Like a sigh for when people are too polite to seem exasperated. “We know your case, Jonas. This is an isolated incident for you, there were extenuating circumstances — you’re being given the benefit of the doubt. For now.”
Jonas’s hackles raise. That sounds like a threat.
“But how you behave during intake matters. Work with us. Things are just easier that way. Don’t let some punk kids convince you you have to be cool here by being resistant or macho or aggro or any of that crap.”
‘Some punk kids.’ Macho. Who the fuck is this guy, who thinks he knows so much?
He’s patient as fuck, though. Jonas keeps expecting the staff here to snap, to finally get sick of his strong silent routine and do something about it but they haven’t. And it kinda pisses him off, to be honest. But he’s been pissed off a lot lately.
“...I don’t need to tell you this, you’re a smart guy, but I just want to reiterate: they can’t see you here. Not here, not with your case manager, not in any individual meetings. No one will know if you break your vow of silence.”
Jonas’s eyes narrow.
“You can wait to talk to the rest of them. You don’t have to do it now. Keep giving your peers the silent treatment, that’s fine. But talk to us. Work with us. We could have a chance to make this a lot simpler and a lot better for you.”
He doesn’t talk.