Work Text:
“UGH I FUCKING HATE MY LIFE”
Bailey practically threw himself into his office chair, immediately getting spun around. Despite the fact he was 19, he liked spinny chairs so he laughed. A little. He pulled himself in the chair and stopped it from spinning, staring at himself in the desk mirror he always kept on his, well, desk. His eyes were flaring like he was gonna hypnotize someone. That’s probably because he had. Or tried, at least. He failed. (He wanted chick fil a for free. The one time he doesn’t eat humans and he forgets cash.)
He was always fascinated with his mutation when it came down to the core of it. An eye mutation that occurs in 0.0001% of humans. He just so happened to be born with it. And it always confused him, because how did it work??? Somebody just looks into your eyes and they become a motionless Pinocchio doll waiting for strings to be pulled?? Don’t get him wrong, he loved his mutation, it made him feel powerful (and gave him a power complex, which he didn’t need), and got him what he wanted, but he just never understood it. Especially the fact that this mutation could pawn off effects into other senses. He loved singing, and sometimes when he was bored he’d just sing in the circus tent after hours, and lo and behold, three minutes later, some kid that got separated from their parents would walk in, bumbling around like a drunk 23 year old. They had the whole package—half lidded eyes, slight pink tint to said eyes, everything. Apparently this mutation would filter its effects through whatever filter it did have until it could work through hearing. It was a huge advantage on his part. Not to mention he could make people forget shit with the mutation too. Anyways, back to the subject. He’d always wondered how it worked, and he never truly figured out how because he couldn’t experiment.
Bailey was a scientist at heart (or he likes to think he is. He’s really not he just wants to do dangerous experiments), so he’d tried the unthinkable multiple times: hypnotizing himself. The funny thing was, it never worked. He never truly figured out why, but he always dumbed it down to the fact that if he used a mirror, he was the sender AND the receiver of the effect, and it cancelled out. It really sucked, if he was honest. He was curious and really wanted to know what it was like, and he never truly figured out. It was a burden on his part. To want to do some crazy ass experiment AND have this cool ass mutation, and not be able to do either on yourself? Disappointing. But..something was different. The more he stared at this desk mirror, the more he noticed how bright his eyes were. (He kept the mirror on his desk in case he needed to touch up his makeup—he’s a clown and a twink, alright) Like, extremely bright. So bright to the point it hurt. But they were also dull and comforting?? He pulled himself up in his chair and got closer to the mirror in an attempt to get a closer look.
Bad idea.
The moment he did, it was like the two light intensity points in his eyes just got stronger and stronger. It hurt to look but he couldn’t not look. Does that make sense?? It wasn’t until he started getting tired that he noticed the strong spirals clearly imprinted in his eyes and the fact they were spinning. Wildly.
He instantly jolted back from the mirror and pulled the skin under his eyes down.
His eyes were in full effect, as if he was hypnotizing someone.
Holy shit.
He had almost hypnotized himself.
He was fucking ecstatic. He jolted out of his chair and paced around his room.
”H-how?! It’s never worked before?!”
He was racked with questions but stopped to glance back at the mirror. He truly wanted to know what it was like, but what if he couldn’t free himself? He finally came up with a plan after a long time of thinking (a quick look on YouTube) to have himself ram against the desk corner when he felt stuck. It would trigger something in his body to free himself (that’s what the video said at least. He didn’t have a fucking clue in the world). Bailey eventually sighed and picked up the mirror, snapping. Something about him snapping was like a light switch for his mutation.
It put it into full effect.
”Here we go..”
He stared intently at himself in the mirror. It was the same thing, but so. much. stronger. A bright and dull light on either side, pulsating, while the spirals implanted in his eyes spun and twisted like they were fucking ballerinas. Again it hurt his eyes to look at but he couldn’t. look. away. It was like someone had grabbed his chin and forced him to look. It numbed his mind, but in a good way.
”Damn,” he thought. “This is how people feel when I hypnotize them?? Why do they whine so much?? This feels..great..”
His grasp on the mirror was loosening, but he still kept staring. At this point, it was a need, like breathing. His mind was hurting, but also relaxing. It felt like someone had tucked his mind into a warm bed with hot chocolate, but only because it’d broken its leg and they felt bad. He was getting so. fucking. sleepy, but he wouldn’t let himself rest. Something in him wanted to keep staring, and staring, and staring, and staring, and-
Wait. He hypnotized himself. Which means even though he’s the hypnotized, he’s also the hypnotist. All he had to do was what he normally does to put his “victims” to rest..
he slowly lifted his right hand wavy from the mirror, forming it into a lazy snapping position. It didn’t have to be a good snap, right? Just something that lets his mind know it’s ok to stop staring. Something to let his mind know he can sleep..
He put his fingers together and did the worst snap known to man, but it was enough. It was like he was transported to a beach and a wave washed over him, taking all his thoughts with the tide as it receded. He passed out, dead asleep, on the middle of his circus-tent-office floor. He couldn’t bring himself to get up, and he didn’t want to. He just wanted to sleep, and thankfully, that’s all he had the intention of doing.
Like aforementioned, not only was he the hypnotized, but he was also the hypnotist. And the hypnotized and hypnotist alike wanted a nap.