"could you make it so that you're the only one who can hypnotize me?" jim asked.

time was absentmindedly fidgeting with the pocket watch on the table. "where's this coming from?"

"i'd rather not have a giant, glaring weakness that villains could exploit."

"oh, that's what it is. i thought you just wanted me to be more possessive. i was prepared to do it."

he briefly considered playing into that, pretending it was the real reason he wanted it, in order to convince them. they would probably see right through it, but they might be willing to go with it, anyway.

it would still be too embarrassing.

"i thought the whole point of these sessions was to help me as a hero?"

"it's to help you with your powers. i don't care about your hero stuff."

"you could at least prevent me from being hypnotized by villains specifically."

"and what if i decide to be a villain again? besides, that's probably more complicated than you think, anyway. i go through all this effort so they can't hypnotize you, and then they do brainwashing or mind control or some other bullshit and it works."

"anything would be better than nothing."

"i'd rather make you weaker to it."

"you can make me weaker to you, specifically, without making me weaker to it overall."

"i can tell you're not into it. this isn't really something you want. it's something you think you're supposed to want."

"you can make me want something."

they shook their head. "jim, this is stupid. what's got you so worried about this, anyway? the only villain you really interact with is victor, right? don't tell me he hypnotized you."

well, he did, technically, but that wasn't worth mentioning, especially not to them. "he has a boss, or a benefactor, or something, adrianus. they're the one who gave him that giant lab, and those machines, and everything. i don't know what they want, but they know i'm easy to hypnotize."

time thought for a moment, staring at him.

the silence made jim aware of all of the ticking clocks around him, which he had been so used to tuning out that he could almost forget how weird the room was. the walls were pure white, covered in clocks and mirrors, the floor and chairs were a shiny, reflective black, and the table was clear glass. this wasn't even some kind of evil lair, or anything, it was just a room in their house, which was pretty normal otherwise, if a little minimalist. they really still had the tastes of a supervillain.

their serious expression was slowly twisting into a smile. "alright, look, tell me everything you know about them so far," they finally said.

"well, i've told you most of it already. i guess they also give victor his outfits. they said something about wanting to temporarily brainwash him into a drone. they clearly like hypnosis. they got some inventor to make the machines, too, who apparently also works in the lab. and they've recorded and watched all of my interactions with victor. i think that's it."

their mouth twitched, a small laugh escaping their nose. "yeah, alright. sounds scary."

"you can't even pretend to take this seriously."

"look, it's already hard enough for me to be scared of any villain. bad guys don't usually call themselves villains. i mean, that would be stupid. you're putting a giant target on your back."

"you called yourself a villain while you were being a conman."

"yeah, and it was stupid. that's why i quit. well, and even then, it was part of the con, so it made some amount of sense."

"i don't think adrianus even calls themself a villain, either."

"whatever. here's the thing: you're usually a pretty reasonable person. you saw through my bullshit. but you've just decided that this guy is some kind of mastermind, for no reason?"

"the issue is that i don't know."

"you could say that about anyone. you can't prove that someone isn't secretly some kind of evil genius."

"it's hard to explain... it's just, being around them... it's just a feeling i get."

"they're victor's sugar daddy. they give him all that expensive stuff, and in return they get an obedient boytoy they can dress up and play with. if you look at it like that, does it all make sense?"

he rolled his eyes.

"i mean," they continued, "if i were them, and i had some lofty goal, i'd be plucking a bunch of easy subjects and sticking them in the lab until i had a whole army. honestly, you don't even need to use hypnosis or anything if you have the kind of money they seem to have. they've already got power. unless something crazy happened, or they won the lottery or something, they've probably had that power for a long time. whatever they're already using that for now is what they want to do. there's no reason for them to fuck around unless they like fucking around."

as annoyed as he was with them, he knew they had a point.

something seemed to change in their face, suddenly. they regained their composure. "well, but, you know," they said, their tone more even, "that's not really what you're afraid of, is it? it's not like they have to be trying to take over the world to be a threat to you, specifically. they sure seem to do weird stuff to the people who catch their eye."

he already had an idea of where they were going with this.

"who knows what they'd do to you? and you know you wouldn't even be able to resist it. they could change your entire life, like it's nothing. i guess that is scary, isn't it?"

he glared at them. "and you would be fine with that? you wouldn't care if our sessions ended? if i couldn't come see you anymore?"

"well, who knows? if they let you do all that stuff with victor, maybe they'd be willing to share with me. i could even tell them all about your powers. i bet they'd appreciate that."

they were probably bluffing. "what, you think you'd be immune to them, too?"

"they wouldn't have to hypnotize me. it wouldn't really matter even if they did. as long as it isn't boring, i don't really care. they can play with me like a doll, too. dress me like a clown, for all i care."

"it would suit you."

"well, more like a jester. i guess i'd hate the clown wig. that doesn't really sound like their aesthetic, anyway. you said they have a drone thing? yeah, sure, i'll be a drone. a jester styled drone. the visor can look like a jester mask and everything. and the latex suit can be black and white, instead of just the black. could be a vibe."

they weren't really thinking about it. they wouldn't have this kind of attitude if they thought there was any chance of it actually happening. he sort of wanted to see how they would really react to something like that.

"well, now i'm definitely not going to try to give you any kind of immunity," they said. "you shouldn't have told me about this. i'm gonna make it worse."

"i don't think you can make it worse."

"i can try."

"so you're not even going to focus on my powers this time? we're not going to practice that?"

"eh, well." they tapped their fingers. "no, i can still fit that in here. i can make that work."

that was good enough, then. if he could work on that, he'd have more options. it was easier to use his abilities in trance, especially since these sessions were the main context where he used them, so it wasn't necessarily such a bad thing if he was still so susceptible, as long as he could act before he went so deep that he didn't care anymore.

they picked up the pocket watch, which they still insisted on using, mostly for their own amusement. at least they knew how to swing it the way he liked - they let it just barely sway, slowly, subtly, stopping their hand every now and then to just let the momentum carry it.

at this point, just watching it was enough to get his full attention, but it helped that they peppered in certain phrases, like, "just keep looking," "just like that," "that's right."

really, they probably only kept it so simple because it was easier, which meant it both took less effort, and they could tease him about how little it takes. but he appreciated it, anyway. there was this feeling of elegance to it, an appreciation and enjoyment of these very basic, small things. watching a relaxing movement, being guided and encouraged to focus on it... it was like pure hypnosis, isolated from anything else - or it seemed that way, even if he knew there was no such thing. and it was nice, to fall for that, to be brought down by the idea of hypnosis itself. as if it was tangible. as if it was an actual force that existed.

"there you go," they murmured. "you'll be easier to talk to, now, won't you? you're a lot more reasonable when you're hypnotized."

it was a joke, but there was some truth to it.

they were looking closely at him, now.

"relax your shoulders a little more... that's right. just go limp. deep breaths."

he followed along the way he always did, releasing all of his tension. it was completely effortless.

"i guess it probably is a little easier for you to be hypnotized by me," they admitted, "just because you're so used to it." the pocket watch clicked against the table as they gently set it down. "but it'd just be wrong to limit you. you're pretty much made to get hypnotized by villains. you know what i mean?"

he considered it for a moment.

it wasn't really that he was "made" to be anything - but he was being pedantic. he understood what they meant.

"it's the main part of the hero role i identify with," he replied. "having something done to me."

"yeah, exactly. you were like catnip to villains even before you became a hero, too. there's really something about you that makes people want to put you in a situation. and i mean, you keep letting it happen. it's really just your role in the ecosystem, at this point."

"right."

"but it's even better with hypnosis, isn't it? that's when it really gets exciting. being hypnotized in a situation where you really shouldn't be. trying so hard to resist, but being pulled down anyway. until you completely give in. until you know you've lost. until that loss is all you can focus on. you can be hypnotized by that. by the feeling of losing."

the feeling of losing...

jim did get chills just hearing it.

"yeah, that's right." he could tell from their tone that they knew they were onto something and wanted to keep pushing it. "just imagine how deep you'd go, when you realized it was too late. when you had no resistance left. just imagine how vulnerable you'd be. you'd love it, wouldn't you? it'd feel so good. you couldn't do anything about it."

he could almost feel it. his breathing was heavier, his heart beating a bit harder.

"i bet adrianus would be really into it, too, wouldn't they? you'd be such a good subject for them. they could do whatever they wanted. and you'd just let it happen. you'd be so nice and docile for them. so obedient. so compliant. wouldn't you? you'd just give in. you can't help it. because you'd know they've won. they've earned it. they were stronger than you."

it wasn't usually an idea he gravitated toward, the idea of submitting to someone who was stronger. but in this context, in this moment, it pulsed through him, going right through his brain as a powerful and simple truth.

"isn't that right?" they asked. "you're weak to it. you're weak to being hypnotized. it makes you weak. any good hypnotist who knows that is always going to win. there's nothing you can do about that. you'll try to struggle and resist, and you'll lose. you'll realize you really can't do it. you'll realize you don't have any power at all. and once you accept that, you'll be all theirs. that's their reward. you won't have a problem with it. with being their prize."

his mind felt dull now, his thoughts slow and vague, even as his body responded. he liked what they were saying, and that was all he could really think, at the moment.

"i'll still help you practice using your powers. because it'll make you a better prize. i mean, those powers would basically become theirs. and they can be used for lots of things... here, why don't you try and lift up the pocket watch?"

he focused his attention on the end of the chain. his telekinesis was still too weak and took too much energy to be useful in most situations, but he did like how precise it could be - he could pick it up by the very end of it, without having to get it between his fingers and maintain a physical grip on it.

still, the feeling of abstraction made it difficult for him to fully wrap his head around it. he didn't know how the power actually functioned. was it like some kind of invisible force he was directing to move the object, or was the object just moving the way he imagined it would?

either way, it was slow, the chain gradually being pulled up by the end of it, until it finally reached the watch, which he could only barely get off of the table.

"very good. now can you swing it?"

he already knew that's what they were going to tell him. still, it was easier said than done. he very carefully willed it back and forth, but it wasn't a smooth motion, and didn't create the right momentum.

it still took too much effort to get used to it and adapt the way he could with his hands, and he was already getting tired. he carefully set it down, dropping the chain as soon as the watch was flat on the surface.

"good. if we keep practicing that, it'll get more natural. even automatic. i might be able to get you to do it involuntarily."

he was aware of the actual utility of this, beyond the novelty of providing his own eye fixation induction at someone else's command - it was a complicated movement. if he could master something like that, he would have much greater control over his telekinesis in general. this was a good way of letting him get a feel for it.

"and how about mind reading? are you up for practicing that, today, too?"

he nodded. he was willing to try, and it took less energy in these practice sessions, because time thought very deliberately whenever they directed him to do it. he had only tried it a few times outside of this, since he didn't feel very good about it ethically, but generally, people's thoughts were too noisy if they weren't focused on anything in particular, and some people didn't even think in words to begin with. the hypnotic context made it easier not only because he was using his full attention, but because the hypnotist was also using theirs.

"look at me, and tell me what i'm thinking."

he looked into their eyes, and listened. that's really more what it felt like, just listening more closely and more intensely.

he repeated the thoughts as he heard them, only switching the pronouns when appropriate. "if i can read someone's mind, i can obey them without having to be commanded."

"very good." the words echoed, coming from their mouth and their mind.

"they can visualize exactly what they want me to do, and i can see it. they wouldn't have to describe it. there wouldn't be any miscommunication or ambiguity."

"that's right. that's enough, now. very good."

he was vaguely aware of the flaws in those thoughts, but it was still a compelling idea. he melted, the exhaustion of using his powers combining with the satisfaction from their praise, and the pleasure of trance.

"you can just relax now. you're so tired, aren't you? too tired to think. all you can do is feel it. this idea you've been focusing on this whole time. the idea of that helplessness. even your powers could be used against you. are you getting stronger, or are you just getting easier to exploit? putting an even bigger target on your back? becoming a more valuable prize? but of course you'll keep coming back. you'll keep getting better at it. one of these days i'll have you tying yourself up. doesn't that sound nice?"

it was compelling. he knew he would have to chew more on these ideas when he woke up, but even when he couldn't think much about it, it felt good to hear. it was interesting. it was a new way of looking at everything.

he was faintly aware of what he had originally wanted out of this session. he knew this had been the exact opposite of that. he had let them make it worse. in a way, this session itself was an example of the loss they had been talking about. that idea was so satisfying. it was so perfect.

he was being trained to give in.