Synopsis: AU where the scientists that experimented on Homelander, gave him a friend from the outside, a supe of course nothing too fragile, to prevent him from getting too lonely and emotionally stunted.
Chapter 1: Early Days
08/7/1992
The room was cold, stark in contrast to what would’ve been a warm July afternoon, the unnatural lighting harsh and bright. John shifted in his seat, fingers brushing experimentally over the slightly itchy dark blue fabric of his shirt.
The ears the boy across from him was currently sporting, a bat’s if he knew his animals as well as he thought he did, swiveled to the scratchy noise then tipped up to him blue eyes meeting a warm greyish hue. John startled at the sudden eye contact, a faint wick of red flashing through his gaze as he stiffened in his chair.
They sat there staring at one another for a long while, circling and sniffing like skittish puppies of different litters before one of them finally made the first move. The freckled boy slowly extended his left hand across the table, lightly brushing their fingers together, John immediately flinched from the touch like he’d been struck, nervously examining where they made contact.
Of course the one set of eyes quickly became two as they both examined the entirety undamaged skin with all the calm and efficiency of a spooked pup, through yes but sloppy by all means. “Are you okay I’m sorry!” Were the first words spoken in that bare little room, soft with a slight panicked roughness, nothing like the usual professional almost fearful tones John was used to. It gave him slight pause and allowed him to calm himself and process what had just happened rationally. It was a long moment before he spoke lightly rubbing his fingers over the skin. “No, I’m- I’m okay.”
The both of them relaxed after that though John remained noticeably more tense than the boy across from him. “..What’s your name?” He already knew, the doctors told him, read him a file from behind the glass their heart rates jumping like they always did when they talked to him but he felt it was right to ask, as a test of sorts. “Warren Webber.”
A simple enough response, there was no jump in his heart rate... he wasn’t afraid, John was stuck on that thought for a long moment before Warren spoke again. “Yours?” “Uh, John Gillman.” Warren’s head tipped to the side slightly. “Would it be alright if I call you Johnny? John sounds too grown up.” The silence after that quick was drawing on and John was feeling more and more compelled to answer by the minute. “Yeah thats fine..” He was near entirely focused on a single looping thought. *He’s not afraid of me.* John wasn’t used to that, it would have almost been unnerving if he didn’t like it so much.
Warren’s heart beat remained calm and unwavering as their conversation continued, only spiking once when the door opened and they were informed it was time for him to be going. He looked back at John over his shoulder as he was escorted out, waving at him with a smile soft enough for something in his chest to wobble.
14/6/1995
It had been almost three years since that first visit, John overheard various conversations through the walls about ‘improvements in subject behavior’. None of that mattered to him all he cared about was he got to see Warren twice a month every month from now on. He’d never had a friend before, it was odd feeling a mix of elation and dread at the same time whenever he caught sight of that freckled face.
He supposed the fact he couldn’t really hurt him was nice, he could hug him as tightly as he wanted and Warren would make it out fine if a bit bruised. They were doing it right now matter of fact, their backs were against the wall as they sat on his bed just, holding each other and talking. “Can you do the thing?” Warren’s head turned towards his. “That is an incredibly nonspecific question.”
John pouted, squeezing his arms tighter around his friend’s ribs, almost to the point of crushing them. “Please?” After a moment he hears Warren wheeze out a sigh and watches him lift an arm, the flesh tone swiftly giving way to baby blue scales that shimmered softly in the tinted light and bright honey yellow claw tipped fingers.
“Eastern Collared Lizard, also sometimes called a Mountain Boomer, they’re the state reptile of Oklahoma.” John *loved* hearing Warren talk about the outside he only had a few more years till they were going to let him out to. he shifted an arm up from around Warrens ribs to place his palm flat against his heart. “When do you think I’ll get to go outside?” He felt Warren shift on the bed. “At a guess? Probably when you’re fifteen or sixteen, Vought sometimes recruits younger than that but to my understanding it’s usually around sixteen so thats what about two years for us?” Warren turned his head to look up at the ceiling with a soft sigh. “You’ll see the sun soon enough Johnny, then I’ll get to show you everything you’ve been missing out on yeah?”
John’s heart swelled at that and he snuggled closer to his friend, pressing his face into the side of his neck. “..Yeah.”
