Arrow flinched slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. However, the gesture wasn't at all hostile, and Arrow didn't feel threatened by it. It struck him that that was the first time someone from that awful place had touched him without the intent to prick him with a needle or something else along those lines. He looked back up, a slightly puzzled expression on his tear-streaked face. The man still had a stony expression, but the fire seemed to have settled down a little in those icy-blue eyes. Arrow took a brief moment to admire this person, who, in a place that stripped them of their human rights and treated them instead like some science experiment, could still carry himself with such confidence. Meanwhile, Arrow sat on the floor sniveling like a baby.
”He'll hurt you.” It was barely audible through the hodgepodge of mumbling inside his head, but one single voice broke through and hissed the threat. It sounded far more real then the others and sent a chill down the boy's spine. His eyes darted around quickly, checking that he and the man were still alone in the hallway.
When the man offered his hand, Arrow took a few seconds to process the meaning of the gesture. He hesitated, wiping his face in his elbow. The voices argued in his head as he reached out and took the man's hand, debating whether or not it was a good idea.