[For once his expression doesn’t soften at all for John, looking much closer to the Soldier now than he has since he arrived here. Nevertheless, he does as he’s told and dumps both Mycroft and the bird down.]
He came to my house and asked me to teach him how to sever a Heart. When I told him what it entailed he said it was a disappointment; he spoke like them, like being a machine over man is preferable.
[His expression darkens.]
He came because he heard I was John Watson’s patient and his brother said I’d know how it was done.
[John casts an irritated glance down at Mycroft. Of course he'd want to sever his heart. The Holmes brothers are entirely predictable sometimes. Although, John's not sure why Mycroft would have wished for the damn thing in the first place if he didn't want it. Egged on by Sherlock? That's the most likely scenario.
But the second part...]
He said what? [John's hackles rise.] I never told Sherlock that. I never told him that. He... he deduced you'd had your Heart severed after we got into a row about Sherlock severing his. He wanted to question you about it. I told him to piss off. [And so he had. Apparently he hadn't related the 'piss off' message to Mycroft.]
[He had thought at the time that something seemed off, but he’s still not happy with the whole situation. He looks down at Mycroft with cold dislike.]
Even his Heart said he might sever other people in the right conditions; he’s a monster, he’s like them, and if he comes near me again then I’ll make sure he understands what it takes to become something like me.
[A small frown appears at his brow, troubled.]
I had my hands on his head ready to snap his neck, I nearly did it and I’m not too sure I made the right decision not to. Men like him, they’re what HYDRA are made of.
[John's not a fan of Mycroft by a long chalk, but he wouldn't put him in the same category as men like Pierce.]
He is unimaginably cruel and calculating, but he's... he has a heart. [John's jaw tightens, thinking about the scars on Sherlock's back.] It's just selective. He doesn't care about people, just Sherlock and his job. I'll keep him away from you, though. We'll have a chat.
[After a moment he adds.] If it helps, I thought he was a supervillain when I first met him. He kidnapped me off the street, didn't tell me who he was, and had me driven to meet him at an abandoned warehouse so he could ask me to spy on Sherlock for him.
Unless John stops him then I’ll leave this for you and Indy to thread in?
[He would definitely put them in the same ballpark. Pierce has a heart too, just for things he truly believed in and not the pawns used to carry out that task.]
Doesn’t sound like someone you should be defending, but fine he’s all yours.
[He just turns and unless John stops him, he’ll leave.]
[John doesn't particularly want to defend Mycroft, but he knows the man means quite a lot to Sherlock. So, John won't be encouraging his murder. He lets Bucky go without comment and goes to fetch a cup of water along with a couple of aspirin. They're placed on a table near where Mycroft's been dumped on the sofa. John sighs before rearranging the larger man so that he's lying on his back, his Heart atop his chest in a position where she'll be able to rise up fairly easily.
That done, doctor goes to sit and work on Sudoku puzzles while he waits for the elder Holmes to awaken.]
[It's some time before Mycroft stirs, and his eyes slowly blink open in surprise, one of which is under a nice swollen bruise. The small cuts on his brow and face have long since stopped bleeding, but he's greeted with a terribly painful headache. Bacall stirs too, but she doesn't get up, instead warbling softly and lying her head down on Mycroft's chest.]
Wh...where am I?
[Disoriented, too. Mycroft winces as he looks around.]
Bucky, yeah. [John sets down his Sudoku and looks over at Mycroft, expression flat and tone dead serious.] Sounds like you deserved what you got. Don't go near him or talk to him again, please. He will kill you.
Well, now I do, after he told me, but I should hardly think that deserves killing someone! I was asking about the severing for myself! He seemed overly concerned I'd do it to other people--
[Bacall pipes up.]
Which we might in extenuating circumstances, in order to protect Sherlock.
Yeah, well, you're an arsehole who only cares about one person. And you remind him of the Nazi's that tortured him. Congratulations.
[John rises and moves over to where Mycroft is, looming far more than a man who's all of 5'6" should be capable of.]
If you try to talk to him about anything like that again, I will stop you, Mycroft. And I will hurt you. Which you're gonna prefer over him snapping your neck like a pencil.
[Mycroft's eyes widen, as he looks up at John and his looming. After being punched completely out, he's not going to push his luck further with either of these men. He swallows.]
Yes. Well, you can be rest assured I won't be. He's made his point.
...and you've made yours as well.
[Somehow he doubted Sherlock would come to his rescue in this case. He'd probably film it.
Bacall pecks at him again, angrily.]
Perhaps you should take away more from this? As in you're reminding that poor man of such evil?
[Mycroft tries to push her off of his chest, but she digs her talons in painfully.]
You can't get rid of me so easily, Mycroft Holmes! You cannot ignore me!
It was an agreement in exchange for something. [Bacall wasn't going to let the proverbial cat out of the bag, but she'd say as much as she could.] Berit is wise, she knew how badly Mycroft needed me.
Yes, and you'll be gone in a few days. [Mycroft snaps, irritated. Which showed just how much he wanted rid of her, if he couldn't just wait out the rest of the week.]
Maybe, maybe not. You're not showing any progress at all. In fact, you've gotten worse.
[Bacall turned to John.] We're also meant to have therapy, which was another agreement with Sherlock, even before the wish. Mycroft hasn't done a thing to pursue it.
[Why does this have to be him? He signed up to be Sherlock's best friend, not Mycroft's personal therapist. Fine. Well, fine. John sits on the edge of the table so he isn't standing over the other man, and clears his throat.]
D'you know what your triggers are? For the panic attacks.
[Mycroft gingerly sits up, and Bacall releases her talons and nestles in his lap. He clearly didn't want to talk about this, but...]
Not always.
[This was dreadfully embarrassing.]
It...seems to be mostly enclosed spaces. [That sounded harmless and fairly common enough.]
[Bacall sighs and pipes up.] And people with cloaked hoods, feeling trapped, being restrained, loud sudden noises, prophet eyes, and any sensation that causes us to be afraid or reminds us of the torture we endured in Norfinbury, pretty much. We've been having terrible nightmares about such, waking up with panic attacks.
Royce wears a cloak with a hood. So does Phil sometimes. Not sure if you've run into them yet. It's something to be aware of. Psyching yourself up for something can help when you're having to deal with them. You can also probably ask them to pull the hood down when they're talking to you. Politely. Explain to them it's specifically because you have problems focusing when their hood is up because of things that happened in Norfinbury. You can leave it there. You'll likely get used to seeing them, specifically with repeated exposure and that particular trigger will fade for the most part. I'll let Royce know it's best he doesn't sneak up on you.
No one has Prophet eyes here, so that shouldn't be an issue. Being restrained... well, don't piss people off and that should be a non-issue. When d'you feel trapped? And how small does the enclosed space need to be? Most of the buildings here are fairly open, but the windmills a fairly narrow structure. The Observatory's relatively small, as well, so you might want to avoid those.
[John is about practical solutions too the problems. He's not so good with going over the whys, and he doesn't expect Mycroft wants to right now.]
[Mycroft sits very stiffly, he's clearly very uncomfortable with this. The fact that he'd need to actually...ask...someone to adjust their cloak because it bothered him was...upsetting. Bacall warbled softly and fluffed her feathers.]
I have. [And with Royce it had been near disastrous, he'd assumed he was one of them.]
I'm sure I'll be fine. It probably won't need to come to that.
[That gets a warble of disapproval from the bird in his lap. Mycroft coughs and continues.]
The library is fine, my house is fine. It's really not so bad.
[Bacall pecks at a finger, but gently, and looks over at John.] We always leave the door open to our house.
[John doesn't want to talk about this either and his own posture telegraphs his discomfort in rolling waves. He has his own little tricks to deal with his personal issues and he doesn't particularly want Mycroft to be aware of and start picking those apart. His reluctance to join the Town Guard on a regular basis had been at least partly thanks to the idea that someone would be able to take note of any regular patrol he was on and either stalk him or evade him. Better to make shorter, more sporadic forays that aren't as predictable. He never visits the same hunting grounds twice in a row, either.]
That's gonna be a problem come winter. The seasons here change suddenly. One day to the next, it'll go from fall leaves to three feet of snow. [John's mentally bracing himself for that shift because it's going to be... difficult if he's here to witness it. Just the thought of it now is sending his heart rate ticking up.]
I don't care how fine you're gonna pretend you are, by the way. Whatever you say doesn't leave this clinic. Sherlock's worried about you. That's the only reason this is happening. [He gestures between the two of them.] So, the sooner you're actually better and have a handle on things so you're not panicking regularly, the better it is for the both of us.
[There's a long pause before John crosses his arms and looks away.] Sometimes you won't see it coming. Most people are generally pretty sympathetic around here. Had an episode a couple of months back. It was raining and there's a woman who's a psychic here. She put up a barrier so I couldn't feel the rain. Reminded me of something that happened in Norfinbury. I lost it, started yelling at her. She dropped the shield, sat with me for a bit in her house.
The fact that you will be fine doesn't mean that you are fine. Don't make light of it. It's not something to make light of.
[He didn't want to even think about what that was going to be like. Bacall shuddered in his lap.
He looks over at John, discomfort clearly on his face. The fact that Sherlock was worried about him said quite a lot. John's story isn't lost on him, the fact that there were people who were psychic was...worrisome in and of itself.]
These things go away in time. That's all I need, really, time.
[Or was that just another lie he was telling himself?]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
He came to my house and asked me to teach him how to sever a Heart. When I told him what it entailed he said it was a disappointment; he spoke like them, like being a machine over man is preferable.
[His expression darkens.]
He came because he heard I was John Watson’s patient and his brother said I’d know how it was done.
no subject
But the second part...]
He said what? [John's hackles rise.] I never told Sherlock that. I never told him that. He... he deduced you'd had your Heart severed after we got into a row about Sherlock severing his. He wanted to question you about it. I told him to piss off. [And so he had. Apparently he hadn't related the 'piss off' message to Mycroft.]
no subject
Even his Heart said he might sever other people in the right conditions; he’s a monster, he’s like them, and if he comes near me again then I’ll make sure he understands what it takes to become something like me.
[A small frown appears at his brow, troubled.]
I had my hands on his head ready to snap his neck, I nearly did it and I’m not too sure I made the right decision not to. Men like him, they’re what HYDRA are made of.
no subject
He is unimaginably cruel and calculating, but he's... he has a heart. [John's jaw tightens, thinking about the scars on Sherlock's back.] It's just selective. He doesn't care about people, just Sherlock and his job. I'll keep him away from you, though. We'll have a chat.
[After a moment he adds.] If it helps, I thought he was a supervillain when I first met him. He kidnapped me off the street, didn't tell me who he was, and had me driven to meet him at an abandoned warehouse so he could ask me to spy on Sherlock for him.
Unless John stops him then I’ll leave this for you and Indy to thread in?
Doesn’t sound like someone you should be defending, but fine he’s all yours.
[He just turns and unless John stops him, he’ll leave.]
no subject
That done, doctor goes to sit and work on Sudoku puzzles while he waits for the elder Holmes to awaken.]
no subject
Wh...where am I?
[Disoriented, too. Mycroft winces as he looks around.]
What in blazes just happened?
no subject
no subject
[Bacall warbled, without lifting her head, but she sounded amiable enough.]
My name is Bacall.
[Mycroft reaches over and takes the aspirin, downing it with the glass of water. Knocked out? The last thing he remembered was...right.
Ah. Mr. Barnes.]
I'm assuming my attacker has left. [Mycroft tries not to sound embarrassed.]
We're dreadfully lucky. [The bird nestled against him, further.] He delivered us here, after all.
no subject
no subject
Kill me!? Just for having a simple inquiry? Ouch--
[Bacall pecks him angrily in the chest.]
no subject
You told him you wanted to sever your Heart. Do you have any idea what that 'simple inquiry' means?
no subject
[Bacall pipes up.]
Which we might in extenuating circumstances, in order to protect Sherlock.
no subject
[John rises and moves over to where Mycroft is, looming far more than a man who's all of 5'6" should be capable of.]
If you try to talk to him about anything like that again, I will stop you, Mycroft. And I will hurt you. Which you're gonna prefer over him snapping your neck like a pencil.
no subject
Yes. Well, you can be rest assured I won't be. He's made his point.
...and you've made yours as well.
[Somehow he doubted Sherlock would come to his rescue in this case. He'd probably film it.
Bacall pecks at him again, angrily.]
Perhaps you should take away more from this? As in you're reminding that poor man of such evil?
[Mycroft tries to push her off of his chest, but she digs her talons in painfully.]
You can't get rid of me so easily, Mycroft Holmes! You cannot ignore me!
no subject
Why did he wish for you if he was gonna be like this, then? Did Sherlock and Berit bait him to see what you'd be like?
no subject
Yes, and you'll be gone in a few days. [Mycroft snaps, irritated. Which showed just how much he wanted rid of her, if he couldn't just wait out the rest of the week.]
Maybe, maybe not. You're not showing any progress at all. In fact, you've gotten worse.
[Bacall turned to John.] We're also meant to have therapy, which was another agreement with Sherlock, even before the wish. Mycroft hasn't done a thing to pursue it.
no subject
no subject
[That gets another pecking. Bacall tilts her head and looks at John, fixing her intense gaze on him.]
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health
D'you know what your triggers are? For the panic attacks.
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
Not always.
[This was dreadfully embarrassing.]
It...seems to be mostly enclosed spaces. [That sounded harmless and fairly common enough.]
[Bacall sighs and pipes up.] And people with cloaked hoods, feeling trapped, being restrained, loud sudden noises, prophet eyes, and any sensation that causes us to be afraid or reminds us of the torture we endured in Norfinbury, pretty much. We've been having terrible nightmares about such, waking up with panic attacks.
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
Royce wears a cloak with a hood. So does Phil sometimes. Not sure if you've run into them yet. It's something to be aware of. Psyching yourself up for something can help when you're having to deal with them. You can also probably ask them to pull the hood down when they're talking to you. Politely. Explain to them it's specifically because you have problems focusing when their hood is up because of things that happened in Norfinbury. You can leave it there. You'll likely get used to seeing them, specifically with repeated exposure and that particular trigger will fade for the most part. I'll let Royce know it's best he doesn't sneak up on you.
No one has Prophet eyes here, so that shouldn't be an issue. Being restrained... well, don't piss people off and that should be a non-issue. When d'you feel trapped? And how small does the enclosed space need to be? Most of the buildings here are fairly open, but the windmills a fairly narrow structure. The Observatory's relatively small, as well, so you might want to avoid those.
[John is about practical solutions too the problems. He's not so good with going over the whys, and he doesn't expect Mycroft wants to right now.]
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
I have. [And with Royce it had been near disastrous, he'd assumed he was one of them.]
I'm sure I'll be fine. It probably won't need to come to that.
[That gets a warble of disapproval from the bird in his lap. Mycroft coughs and continues.]
The library is fine, my house is fine. It's really not so bad.
[Bacall pecks at a finger, but gently, and looks over at John.] We always leave the door open to our house.
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
That's gonna be a problem come winter. The seasons here change suddenly. One day to the next, it'll go from fall leaves to three feet of snow. [John's mentally bracing himself for that shift because it's going to be... difficult if he's here to witness it. Just the thought of it now is sending his heart rate ticking up.]
I don't care how fine you're gonna pretend you are, by the way. Whatever you say doesn't leave this clinic. Sherlock's worried about you. That's the only reason this is happening. [He gestures between the two of them.] So, the sooner you're actually better and have a handle on things so you're not panicking regularly, the better it is for the both of us.
[There's a long pause before John crosses his arms and looks away.] Sometimes you won't see it coming. Most people are generally pretty sympathetic around here. Had an episode a couple of months back. It was raining and there's a woman who's a psychic here. She put up a barrier so I couldn't feel the rain. Reminded me of something that happened in Norfinbury. I lost it, started yelling at her. She dropped the shield, sat with me for a bit in her house.
The fact that you will be fine doesn't mean that you are fine. Don't make light of it. It's not something to make light of.
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
[He didn't want to even think about what that was going to be like. Bacall shuddered in his lap.
He looks over at John, discomfort clearly on his face. The fact that Sherlock was worried about him said quite a lot. John's story isn't lost on him, the fact that there were people who were psychic was...worrisome in and of itself.]
These things go away in time. That's all I need, really, time.
[Or was that just another lie he was telling himself?]
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture
cw: discussion of PTSD/mental health, torture