Chapter Text
“Well done.”
Smitty rose, breathing heavily, turning to the glass window that hid the operators and the employees from view. Destruction surrounded him, training dummies littering the floor. An average Tuesday morning, for him, at least. Smitty was pretty sure it was Tuesday. He’d ask John later.
Brushing his hair off his face, Smitty held his hands out so he could be cuffed, clenching them into fists. The cuffs wrapped around his entire hand, basically turning them in to big metal clubs. These were meant to inhibit his telekinetic powers since he could no longer channel them through his hands. Smitty wasn’t actually sure if they did anything to stop him. He’d rather not try and test it.
They brought Smitty into the medical room, where he was to be monitored to make sure he wasn’t going to randomly die in his cell due to his body being too overworked. Though, they only started this after Smitty did, in fact, almost fucking die. The strain had apparently just been too much for his tiny body, his heart literally stopping for about thirty seconds. It always had been an annoyance, since he’d just be stared at by a random person for like hour. Well, it used to be.
”Hey, Smitty,” John chirped when the guards left the room and closed the metal door. A smile cracked across Smitty’s face. John had become the new designated nurse/doctor for Smitty, meaning he got to see the man pretty much every day. Bring monitored became much more of an excitement now that John was there.
”How’re you feeling now?”
”Really fucking tired. I wanna take a nap.”
”They’ve been really overworking you lately, haven’t they…” John frowned as he unlocked Smitty’s cuffs. With his now free hands, Smitty pushed himself onto the medical bed and let his feet dangle.
”…Yeah… I guess I’ve grown more used to it over time, though. I’d probably be passed out already if I was younger,” Smitty hummed.
”Still!” John said. “They should take better care of their own patients.”
”To them, I’m not even a person. I’m a thing to be studied. And probably a tool to be used for something heinous in the future. Or maybe I’ve already been used, and I haven’t even realized it,” Smitty said, flopping onto the white tissue like paper covering the bed. “You of all people should know that.”
”Yeah, I guess.”
A deafening silence filled the room. Smitty bit his lip. They didn’t usually talk about deep stuff like this. The awful things that happened. Why John was here in the first place. It just… wasn’t something you asked. Life was already shitty enough the way it is, and neither of them would like to think about it together.
”Sorry for bringing that all up,” Smitty said quietly.
”It’s okay. And, anyways, you’re right. I wish you weren’t but, you are,” John said. He came to sit on the edge of the bed, Smitty propping himself up to look at the other.
“Honestly, I think I lied a bit. I’m kinda wrong too,” Smitty said. “Because there is one person that cares. And it’s you.”
”…You mean that?”
”Yes, idiot,” Smitty said softly. “You’re the reason that I’m me. I didn’t even see myself as a human being before. You-“ he took a shaky breath. “You gave me my name. I’m a person because of you, John. It’s all you.” His hands trembled slightly, tugging at his sleeves. He wished they were baggy and long, to drown out his pain. Smitty could feel an ache knawing at his chest and a burning in his throat. Something wet fell from his eye. Was… was he crying?
Arms wrapped around his shoulders and Smitty jolted. John was… hugging him. They didn’t really get affection like this, mostly refraining from emotions since the facility was constantly being monitored.
”I’m sorry,” John’s voice cracked. Smitty froze, a chill running down his spine. Something’s not right.
”For what?”
”…For everything.” A needle pierced Smitty’s neck, injecting right into his vein. The room started to spin, vision going blurry, strength deteriorating, hands trembling, mind numbing, thoughts spiraling down, down, down…
He’d drugged him. John drugged him. His favorite person just drugged him. The best thing that ever happened to him became the thing he hated most. He’d been drugged. By John. John. John. He wanted to sob but he couldn’t feel anything. He wanted to scream, but couldn’t form the sounds in his throat.
“I didn’t want to do this,” John whispered, and Smitty could make out his tears. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
But you did anyway.
”If… they did it how they were originally going to. I wouldn’t live with myself. I only wanted to protect you. This is for the best.”
Why didn’t you help me?
Why do you lie?
Why are you even here?
”I… I love you, Smitty.”
Did you ever care about me at all?