John ignored Mycroft from now on as he systematically triggered all his little brother's bad memories, without actually inflicting any new pain - the doctor in him recognised that there wouldn't be a mark on his lover - and focused on Sherlock.
As Mycroft moved on from knives to whips, riding crops, torture implements which names John didn't wish to learn and back to knives, using his apparent expertise from what must have been truly gruesome field-work to recreate a very believable torture senario, but replacing the actual bite of all implements with just a careful touch, or a rub of his fingers, John murmured reassurances and encouragement, while the tension in Sherlock's body slowly gave way to exhaustion.
There was still no fear, no terror, in Sherlock, though there was plenty of apprehension, visible in his eyes and evident in the tension throughout his body, and John could only conclude - and be grateful for - that Sherlock, when it truly came down to it, really did trust his older brother an awful lot. Enough for him to hold a knife within an inch of his throat without it being a cause for any alarm.
When Mycroft finished, by gently rubbing his little brother's shoulders, John found two of the henchmen loosening his bonds, until it was possible for him to stretch and stand up, after which he naturally went straight over and touched Sherlock in comfort, ignoring how that must have been Mycroft's plan all along. He told himself it didn't matter.
As John removed the fabric Mycroft had - surprisingly gently - placed over his younger sibling's eyes about halfway through, the older man took his henchmen with him and left.
I don't know much about torture or psychology, obviously. Don't try this at home. And I promise the next chapter is longer. And coincidentally, already posted, as I think both together makes for a much more reasonable update length. Sometimes they just happen to end too quickly like that. All recognisable content belongs to its respective owners.
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