Work Text:
It’s about five in the afternoon when I hear Darry's truck roll into the driveway. He kicks off his work boots at the shoe rack, heading straight for the bathroom. I close my notebook, opening my door and heading into the hallway.
“Hey, Darry!”
I chime in from just outside my doorway.
“Hey, Pony, how was school?”
Darry responds.
“Good.”
“That’s good. Y’need to use the bathroom ‘fore I start showering?”
“No, you’re fine. I’ll be on the couch.”
“Alright…”
He always sounds tired when he gets off from work, but today he just sounds dead tired. There’s a weariness to his words, as if the mundane routine he’s got is slowly breaking him. I can’t blame him, though. It would probably break me, too.
While Darry’s in the shower, I think back to what Momma used to do when I was little. She would sit me on her lap and tell me to look into her eyes. She would start lulling me into a trance. It was like a waking lullaby. I wouldn’t go to sleep, but I would curl up in her arms and just rest there for a while. It was real peaceful.
Then it hits me. Maybe I could do the same thing for Darry. He’s got a lot on his plate, certainly a lot more than five-year-old me did. He always seems stressed out. Anxious. Wondering about how he’s going to pay for this, or that, or feed us all for the week. Maybe I could get him to relax for a while.
It’s been a while since I’ve practiced my hypnotism. After our parents died, Darry said it wasn’t safe to use it. He didn’t want us using it on someone and them blabbing, and then the state getting involved and all. Mesmers – that’s what we are – are treated worse than greasers here. Worse than the trash, really. They think we’re all just selfish fiends trying to hypnotize people to get our way. But really, it’s not like that. We’re not that bad.
My thoughts cut out when I hear the water stop running. I sit up, waiting for Darry to come out of the bathroom. Soon enough he does, dressed in a black t-shirt and some jeans. His hair’s still a little wet, but I don’t mind. Now’s my time.
“Hey, Darry, can I ask you somethin’?”
“Sure, Pony. Fire away.”
“Do you – do you mind if I… help you… relax?”
“What d’you mean by that?”
“Like – you know how momma always used to put you into a trance when you were sick and lull you to sleep?”
“Yeah?”
“I know you got a lot goin’ on, and I just wanna… lighten things up for a second.”
He sighs. Did I screw it up? I probably did. I probably came off as so weird for wanting to hypnotize him.
“Y’know what, fine. I’ll let you try. As long as you’re not using your powers on anyone outside the family, it should be alright.”
I’m taken aback for a second. He must be in a real good mood if he’s agreeing to this.
“Oh… alright. Just take a seat, I guess.”
He obliges, sitting comfortably in his chair. I stand in front of him, breathing in and out to relax myself first.
“Ok, I’m gonna need you to look into my eyes.”
He does it. I can feel a rush of excitement through my chest.
“Alright… I’m gonna count down from ten.”
I can feel the fire flicker in my eye, the telltale sign of hypnosis.
“And every number I count, you’re gonna feel a little sleepier. A little heavier in your chair.”
He nods softly.
“10… 9… You work too hard, Dar...”
I can see the fire flicker in his cool eyes. His gaze is focusing.
“8… 7… I see it all the time. You’re always complaining about how you don’t get enough sleep.”
He grunts softly in agreement, his jaw going slack a little. I grin and feel myself grow more confident.
“6… 5… I just wanna help, Darry. You do so much for all of us. Too much, really. We can handle doing a little more around the house.”
He mumbles something incoherent, probably about how Soda and I are still kids and we shouldn’t have to worry ourselves about all this.
“4… 3… You’re relaxing now… You’re relaxing…”
He leans back in the chair, still keeping his icy blue eyes locked on mine.
“2… 1… You’re real sleepy… you’re fallin’ asleep…”
His eyes flutter.
“0… You’re alright. You’re safe. You’re asleep now.”
And then he conks out. I can hear his soft snoring a few seconds later. I smile pridefully, knowing that I led Darry to sleep with my hypnotist skills.
“Night, Dar. Soda an’ me will make dinner tonight.”
I take a cover from the couch, throwing it over him and tucking him in like Momma used to. I chuckle to myself as he wiggles into it like a kid. Darry’s got a lot of things to deal with in life. But right now he only has to worry about being comfortable.