Okay, so I have decided to enter the Feb Whump Challenge for 2022 even though I haven't finished the older ones but if I finish this one within the month, it'll encourage me to actually finish that one! Good idea, ne? This one is for the prompt 'no anaesthesia' for Day 8. I found this a little late so I am starting with this so I can keep up daily.


It didn't matter how old Hajime got – needles and hospitals would always make him uncomfortable. He was 18 now but whenever he had to witness a surgery even on TV, it sent him years back to the sharp syringes digging into his skin, as he felt every stab like it was happening then and there. The movie he and Rei had rented only had flashes of the surgery, but still, he curled in closer to his brother.

"Hajime?" Rei asked him gently. "You ok?"

"I…" Hajime wanted to hide from his brother what his mind was revisiting because Rei already had to deal with his nightmares which happened quite frequently even with the constant counselling sessions. After all, healing happened slow. But somehow, lying made him feel like he was burdening his brother even more, so he exhaled. "Biomon…he didn't do anything to numb the pain when he did…I mean, the experiment, it's…he never used any kind of anaesthetic."

Rei wrapped his arms around his little brother. "I know. You're safe now. I won't let anything harmful touch you ever again."

His brother's words held a firmness, a promise and it grounded him more than Hajime thought possible. They couldn't change what happened – what Biomon did to him, but they could move forward from it. He leaned in close to his brother's embrace as his grip tightened around him. If Rei was here, even if not today, maybe one day he would be able to live without the haunting memories.