#sorry this is so long i had to fit every headcanon i have abt brandon in here lol

[missr3n3]

Augusnippets Day 11

escape/breaking the conditioning/safe and sound

fandom: cabin tales TW: restrains, implied apocalypse, past child abuse, isolation word count: 600 @augusnippets

What did Brandon have to do to convince Dr. North he was better? At least, better enough to no longer stay at the estate full-time, to no longer be confined to the Room.

No matter how much better they said Brandon was doing, he was always sent back again. Back to his tomb of a bed, to the nightmares, to leather restraints biting into his wrists and ankles. It was surely some form of punishment, just like last time. If only Brandon could figure out what he was doing wrong.

But there was nothing to learn, nothing to witness. Only all-consuming terror. Decaying walls closed in around Brandon's under-stimulated mind. The rodents had returned, skittering in the wall behind his head. For a moment that could've been a few minutes or a few hours, only the pests and Brandon's own whimpering kept him company.

He thought he'd jump out of his skin when a new noise joined the anxiety-inducing cacophony. A sound an awful lot like screaming.

Brandon had enough wiggle room to face the small window above him. Normally, he saw either darkness during his sleepless nights, or pale morning sunlight. He wasn't sure how to process the fiery orange glow creeping into the Room.

Tremors shook through Brandon as the screams grew louder, as an all too familiar, dull heat followed the orange light. His body tried to instinctively curl up, his efforts resulting in rattling chains which only further sent him spiraling.

I tried to be good. I really tried!

Then, a new sound. Somehow even more terrifying than the slew of grim reminders.

Footsteps, heavy footsteps. So heavy Brandon couldn't tell his shaking from that of the Room.

“Please,” Brandon whimpered, as if begging himself to wake up. “Please, please. Someone, help me…”

Much smaller footsteps rapidly approached – not from the window, but from the hall in front of the Room's door. Another victim being dragged down to their demise. Brandon flinched; his eyes squeezed shut with a whimper as the door was thrown open.

“Holy shit,” a voice that definitely wasn't either of his parents gasped.

Brandon's teary eyes snapped open. The familiar owner of the voice flinched as well, their bespectacled, golden eyes darting towards him.

“Dr. North?” Brandon rasped around the lump in his throat. She twitched at his words, as if she were scared too.

But… They're never scared… What’s happening?

Even more unusual, Dr. North was the one backing away from him, as if he were a threat.

But if Dr. North came back, then…

“Please,” Brandon weakly begged. “Save me.”

Dr. North's expression softened. Brandon must've said the right thing, as after another look towards the door, Dr. North slowly approached him.

“B-Brandon…” Dr. North softly spoke as she reached the head of Brandon’s bed. “Do… do you know what's going on out there?”

“N-no?” Brandon muttered, biting back a sigh of relief as Dr. North undid the first leather cuff around his wrist.

“Okay.” Once again, Brandon assumed he gave the correct answer as he watched Dr. North's shoulders relax. “That… Well, it's not completely good. But I can work with this.”

With the last of his limbs freed, Brandon scrambled to sit upright.

“B-but, um… I-I thought… uh, I think I heard something outside,” Brandon tried to explain, tried to warn.

“Yeah, you did…” Brandon's eyes widened at Dr. North's words.

They… believe me?

“But we're gonna find a way out.” Though Dr. North smiled at him, Brandon could sense uncertainty in their misting eyes. “We'll get through this.”

We'll get through this… We will survive this.