BTHB - Never Got To say Goodbye

Tw/Cw: Pet whump, multiple whumpees, multiple whumpers, held captive, brainwashing, kind of sad ending. 

Werner first met Nel during the “revard” time. He and other Trainees “earned for behaving”. He already moved out from the ‘useless defiance’ phase to ‘sad and resigned following orders’. Though he did plan on intentionally failing some task, just to make sure, he’s not reallybreaking. 

“Revard” turned out to be some sort of movie night. There were no blankets or snacks like on movie nights he was during his freedom days, but it was a break.

Projector started out and some kid’s show started playing. No, not ‘kid’s show’, it was a damn freaking Pet show. Brightly colored characters, simple dialogue spoken in annoying high-pitched voices and each episode having “a lesson” to it. He almost laughed at himself. What did he expect from the brainwashing facility?

And though he didn’t really want to watch this, there was nothing else to do. And who knows if he won’t be asked about the plot or something? It was still so annoying. He did not need to have the same scene replayed a few times, to follow up on what’s happening, voice acting was stiff and the whole thing was garbage on multiple fronts.

“I’m losing brain cells  just looking at this” he said under the breath

“Yeah, that’s the whole point” the person next to him whispered. He jumped, realizing someone had heard him. But to his relief, it turned out it was just another Trainee. Another Prisoner he corrected himself.

Werner smiled and the boy smiled back. 

“Nel” he said, pointing at himself. Whisper was so quiet that no one else could hear it, and even Werner wasn’t sure if he heard that or did he read from the lips. 

He wanted to answer, but it was just too much of a risk, to chat like that. So he pointed at the floor and traced letters of his name on the ground. 

Nel traced them back, and looked at him with “did i got it right” written all over his face. Werner nodded.

That’s how their friendship started. 

__________

To be honest, he did not expect to see Nel ever again. The facility was big, and they didn’t get any free time to walk around and conspire. 

So when at one meal he felt someone nudging him with elbow, he dismissed it as an accident. But then it happened again and again and he thought someone tried to pick on him. Annoyed, he turned his head and saw Nel smiling at him. He was so surprised he didn’t say anything. 

Approaching footsteps janked him out of confusion, and both boys lowered their heads, until the guard went away. 

“Didn’t expect see you” Nel said

“Neither,” Werner answered. 

Guard was going back now, so they had to stop their chat, and they didn’t say anything to each other until the meal ended. 

__________

“was in med school before” he whispered, a few meals later, when they got spots next to each other again. 

He thought about what to say a lot. They had time to exchange two to four incomplete sentences at a time, so they had to matter. That would be a good choice, right? A little background and all of that? Werner couldn’t think of any hobbies worth mentioning, and he wanted to mention life before. 

“Engineering,” Nel answered. 

That was it. Whole conversation to think about. He was in engineering? That must have meant he was probably good with math and that he had a practical mind. 

Word to word Werner tried to build Nel’s image in mind.

He was funny, smart and more of a social soul. 

That must have been hard on him. Werner was way less needy for human contact and his cell was making him insane. How would that affect someone in greater need of social interactions?

Nel liked music and forest walks. 

He tried woodworking before and had a scar from when he fell from a tree in childhood. 

Werner awaited every time they would meet again. It was mostly during meals, but they had stumbled onto each other during several other occasions too, and every time, Werner’s mood lifted a bit.

Nel was learning engineering before and even though neither one mentioned it, Werner was sure he wasn’t there voluntarily either.

__________

They got exactly one chance to talk freely to each other. 

Werner was in his cell, laying defeated and bruised on the floor, when he saw white light he loathed so much flickering. At first he thought it may be new torture method, forcing him to constantly adjust to changing light, but soon the doors opened and one trainer stormed in. He was wearing a raincoat. It was completely wet, just like his hair and boots. 

And the trainer was agitated. 

Instantly, Werner knew it was not a part of training. 

“Come there” Trainer yelled and he obeyed. 

As he was dragged down the corridor, he noticed it wasn’t just his cell that had trouble with the lights. 

His mind put the puzzles together. Power issues. The Raincoat. Trainer’s messy hair. There must have been a storm outside. A big storm. 

Werner smiled to himself. He almost forgot there was weather outside. How nice it would be to feel the rain and wind on his skin?

He would have to wait for it, though. Right now all he felt on his skin was the concrete floor he was thrown on. 

“That’s the last one” harsh sentence was followed by door slam. 

Werner looked around. There were a lot of other Trainees there. ‘

that’s the last one’

Maybe it meant that all of them were there? It was plausible. 

What’s more, no one was really guarding them. 

Trainees could talk freely.

Werner looked around for a familiar face, and…

‘Nel!’  he whisper-called him and made his way through the crowd.

“Here you are!” Nel beamed “do you know what’s going on?”

“I have a suspicion” 

It was so weird to be able to talk in full sentences. 

There won’t be an opportunity like that second time. They had to make the best of it.

“Nel, listen to me carefully” he grabbed his friend by the shoulders and recited the address “If you ever get out, go there and either meet me or tell my family what happened, okay?”

“Got it”

“Repeat it”

Nel repeated the address 

“Can I ask you for the same?” he added

Werner just nodded.

And they stayed together until crisis was gone and facility workers came to separate them. 

__________

And then one day, they saw each other for the last time.

They usually meet once every few meals, different groups had different schedules, so it was not a surprise they didn’t get to meet everyday. 

dfafhgiprughipuhptuhriphy pain

At first Werner just thought it was a normal break and that they will see each other in a few days.

But then the break was getting longer and longer. 

Every meal, every activity in a bigger group he looked for those wavy blonde hair and didn’t see them. 

Slowly, the realization settled it. 

The realization that it may be the last time.

He saw Nel for the last time, and didn’t even say goodbye, didn’t wish him luck. 

He didn’t even give him a last nod or a smile.

It ended… just like that. 

With no explanation or notice. 

One day they were friends, the other day they were separated forever. 

__________

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