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Mike didn't like that he couldn't see this time. Not that this experiment left him blind, but it was the angle, you know? No matter how hard he craned his neck, the most he could see were the hands moving around near his chest.
Ty's hands.
And though he was very desperately trying to ignore the reality, Ty's hands weren't just near his chest. No no, they were firmly in his chest.
As always, Mike wasn't sure why he was left awake for these things. He knew he had a habit of making a mess. Perhaps knew was too strong a word. Ty liked telling him whenever he apparently triggered a reset.
And the longer Mike had been in the compound, the more those occasions had filled him with a strange mix of shame and fear. As he wasn't just disappointed in himself for earning further punishment, but rather he started to grow ashamed at the idea of disappointing Ty.
These feelings were always strongest when he was drugged to the gills for these mindlessly cruel procedures.
Oh, that was an odd sensation he just felt.
He giggled a little. Even his thoughts were starting to turn British in this place. Stupid Ty Betteridge. How dare he make Mike more like him?
And how dare Mike Walters like him!
His stupid brain had obviously turned on him. Gone was the voice of just don't die, instead all he got was a back and forth of you aren't here and much to his un-drugged shame, keep Ty happy.
Ouch. That one was sharp.
But he refused to complain right now. Keep Ty happy.
Ty was not above lowering the pain meds.
He was also fond of never shutting up. And as Mike had found himself giving in more and more ground to the man who was both friend and captor, he found less of the ability to care about it.
It still bothered him of course. But days turned into nights, the corridors were grey, and Ty would talk. None of these were facts that Mike could change.
Huh. He was starting feel oddly cold. He entertained the idea of asking for a blanket for a second.
He wondered what Ty was doing in there. He suddenly tried to stop wondering.
Not being able to see what exactly was happening just made thinking about it worse. His imagination would start churning out ever increasing nightmarish sequences that would plague him long after the torture was corrected.
He felt sudden pressure on the sides of his chest, which increased to unbearable levels so quickly, followed by a series of the loudest snaps he had ever heard. Then the pressure was gone.
But breathing was very difficult.
Fuck. fuck.
"Ty. Can't- I can't-." He managed to rasp out a desperate plea.
Ty finally moved his face and entered Mike's proper field of vision.
"Drat, I had rather hoped to avoid this so soon. Really, is it even worth intubation at this point? I'll prop you up a little, buy you a few more minutes. We were about to get to the good bit! You're going to either love this or hate it, Mike, just you see."
Ty rambled on as Mike came to the slow, addled realization that Ty was going to let him suffocate. All he did was lie there, nice and quiet, and he was going to die anyway.
Anger. Burning anger... Was not appearing. Mike desperately tried to summon it again, focusing on the utter unfairness of it all.
Nothing. Nor a flicker or a spark of the anger that in truth had kept him going through some of the most painful moments here.
"Ah, are you ready, Mike? This is really quite something to see. This will revolutionise cardiothoracic surgery as you, well maybe not you, but the world! Yes, as the world knows it! You haven't got long, so look-"
Mike could feel Ty's hands the highest up in his chest they had been yet. He could now better hear the wet, squidgy noises. Ty gave a small yank downward, and Mike's world started to grow quite small, quite fast.
Ty moved quickly. Mike felt streaks of wetness trail up his body. Then Ty's hands were in his face, Ty's face hovering just above, fully grinning. It took a second for Mike's eyes to focus. For him to see.
Oh, that was his heart. That explained a lot.
Blood leaked from several of the valves and soaked him. Then his eyes closed, and the world went dark.
Ty was wrong about Mike loving it or hating it. Because at the moment, he really didn't know if he wanted to forget, or if he wanted to remember.