This is for the whumptober prompts: Medicine, experimentation, "this is going to hurt", magical exhaustion, non-consensual touching, headaches, seizures


Techno wishes they'd bring him something else to eat once in a while.

The oatmeal he has today is bland and flavorless. One of the doctors insists it's the only thing he didn't spit out when he was a child, but Techno isn't a little kid anymore - he's ten! He's practically a grown-up! - and he wants something that doesn't taste like milk and sawdust.

"Can't I have something else?" he asks, because it's Miss Kristin who brought him his food today. And she's the nicest adult Techno knows. Even if she tells him no, she won't punish him for asking.

"What would you like instead?" she asks with a smile, sorting through his medication.

"Anything." Techno moves his spoon in slow circles through his food.

"Anything is a lot," Kristin muses. "But I'll see what I can do."

Techno nods. "Mashed potatoes might be nice." He doesn't like the weird meat goop and steamed vegetables reduced to mush he gets with them, but the potatoes are about the most tolerable meal this place has aside from soup. The facility only gives him stuff that's blended. Easier for his stomach to handle when the meds make him sick again.

Sometimes Techno wants to stop taking them. They make him feel worse, not better. Isn't that the opposite of what medication is supposed to do?

"Here." Kristin hands him a little paper cup with four different pills inside it and also a glass of water. "Take them now, before you finish your food. Then they won't upset your tummy as much."

Techno scowls a bit. Sometimes, she talks to him like he's a baby, like all the doctors do.

Maybe it's because they raised him.

Kristin rummages with some supplies over at the table while Techno swallows the pills one by one, taking small sips of his water between each pill. When she turns back, she scoots up a chair with wheels so she can sit right next to his bed. "Let me see your mouth."

Dutifully, Techno lets his jaw go slack. Kristin holds his chin gently, turning his face up a little. Techno lifts his tongue without her needing to ask, to show her his mouth is empty.

"Good." She gestures for him to turn around and take off his shirt.

Techno breathes deeply and evenly as she listens to his lungs and heart. It's all routine to him, he has to do this twice a day and sometimes more when they're running tests on him. It's fine when Kristin does it though. She's gentle and patient and doesn't seem to be in a rush to get back to her other work.

"Your least favorite part is up next," she says softly. "I know you hate this bit, but you can be brave for me, right?"

"It's not scary," Techno scoffs. He holds out his arm for her, so she can tie it off above the elbow.

"It's not?" Kristin asks, her tone playful. She's getting the syringe and several plastic tubes. There's a lot today. "Most kids hate needles, you know. My son… he cursed up a storm when we needed to get him his shots." She laughs at the memory.

Techno freezes uneasily. This is yet another way Kristin is different from the other doctors at the facility. Most of them never talk about themselves, least of all their lives outside of the hero association. Yet Kristin speaks often and fondly about her family. She shares stories about her husband, her two sons, the little house near the woods where they live and she has a garden. Techno feels weird. He feels like he's not supposed to know.

But at the same time, part of him kind of likes knowing. It's like being trusted with a special secret.

"Maybe I'm just used to it," he says, not looking away as she slides the needle into his arm after disinfecting the skin.

"Maybe you are," Kristin says, sounding thoughtful.

She draws enough blood to fill all her tubes, carefully sealing them away to be tested by the other scientists. Then she gets out a little light, leaning forward to shine it into Techno's eyes.

"How have your headaches been?"

"A little better," Techno says, trying not to flinch at the brightness. "I think it's just the last performance review that messed me up."

When Kristin sits back she is still smiling, but it feels more empty and forced. Her lips are drawn into a thin line, the corners of them barely pulled upward. "You'll have to do another one tomorrow."

"Oh," Techno says, not able to help how his face falls. He hates the performance reviews. All the rest he can stand. The constant medical exams and the disgusting food and the medicine that makes him feel weak and sick. Techno doesn't mind all of that as much.

The performance reviews tend to make his life unbearable.

Kristin reaches out to ruffle his hair, grin back to normal as she tries to take his mind off it. "Let's not think about that right now. It's still a few hours before lights out, do you want to do anything in the meantime?"

"I don't know," Techno mumbles, pulling his knees up to his chest. He doesn't want to act petulant, but his mood has been spoiled now that he knows what's happening tomorrow. At the same time, he supposes it's better to have a heads-up. This way, it won't be sprung on him at the last minute.

Kristin notices his foul expression and sighs, packing up the medical supplies. She looks over the small table in the middle of the room, where Techno's stuff is. Whatever they gave him to keep himself busy. It's mostly books, a set of markers, and some empty white pieces of paper he can draw or write on.

"I could read to you," Kristin suggests as she gets up to pick one of the storybooks. It's Techno's favorite. "Just for a little while, so you don't spend the rest of the night brooding it over."

"I'm not brooding," Techno says. He crosses his arms over his chest and that makes her laugh again. Before she sits next to him on the bed, she pulls the blanket up over his shoulders and then her own, so she can lean up close to him. Techno burrows into that warmth, his head finding its place against her shoulder.

Her lab coat is kind of scratchy and unpleasant for his cheek to rest against. But Kristin smells nice, sweet and fragrant. She told Techno once that the perfume she wears has the smell of peonies. They're a type of flower. Techno has only ever seen flowers in the picture books. They're pretty though.

Kristin's voice lulls him along on the journey of a boy who sets out of his father's kingdom to find a well that could grant any wish. Techno imagines what he would wish for if he could get a chance to have any of his desires granted. Maybe he'd wish for his parents to be alive. Techno never knew them but he has been told a lot about them and they sound like they were nice people. Techno is sure that they would take him home, away from the facility. To a place where he can have toys and go to school and there are no medical exams.

Or maybe he'd wish for all the villains to die. Not only would Techno not need to be at the facility anymore, the entire hero association would be gone. And his parents would never have died in the first place. And everything would be better.

"What's wrong?" Kristin asks, concerned. Her hand reaches out to cup his cheek as she uses her thumb to brush away his tears. Techno stubbornly rubs at his eyes with balled-up fists and looks away.

"Nothing," he says.

He's being selfish again.

Wanting to leave the facility is selfish. Wanting the tests to stop is selfish.

Techno is here because he's helping people. The scientists are using him to figure out new ways to protect and save civilians. Wanting that to stop is the same as wanting innocents to die. Techno is a terrible person.

"Maybe you're just tired," Kristin says softly. "You'll have a long day ahead of you tomorrow." There's something there, hidden beneath the surface. Techno doesn't really get why her voice wavers.

But he doesn't ask about it, letting her tuck him in and turn off the lights.

Unlike any of the other scientists, she lingers by his bed before she leaves. When she bends down to press a kiss to the top of his head, Techno pretends he's already asleep.

The fragrance of peonies stays in the room long after she is gone.


"Vital signs seem to be within the expected range." Dante has a horrible habit of clicking his pen a lot, over and over again. The sound annoys Techno.

"There's been no notable changes in his sleeping patterns lately," the assistant mentions, looking at the readout of the electroencephalograph. "Brainwaves are normal." The machine is connected with a dozen wires, that run across the table to the little patches stuck on Techno's forehead. The adhesive is itchy, but he keeps his hands on the desk in front of him.

More patches are stuck on his chest, his arms, his neck. They're supposed to give the doctors all the information they need. Unlike the small metal cable that is attached to Techno's spine through long pins burrowing into his skin. That one has a very different purpose.

"How are you holding up, Techno?" Kristin asks. Compared to Dante and his assistant, Kristin is standing a lot closer next to him. Her hand carefully touches one of his shoulders without disrupting any of the medical devices, offering the slightest bit of comfort.

"I'm fine," Techno lies. The pins sticking into him hurt a lot. He can feel his heart beating so fast it kind of scares him. He's uncomfortable, but he always is during the performance reviews. His fingers are sweaty against the metal desk, gliding on the even surface with little twitches of his nervousness.

"We'll start with something simple enough," Dante calls out from his cushy chair behind his computer. "Set up the first test we did last time again."

The assistant scurries over, hurriedly putting two petry dishes on the desk in front of Techno. Both of the glass dishes are filled with a small amount of blood.

"I'll be right over here, okay?" Kristin steps away from him, giving him some room to do his thing. Techno has been told that when he uses his powers, the people around him can get hurt if they stand too close. It's like Techno will automatically affect them too, whether he wants to or not.

"Subject zero-nine-nine, I want you to show me which bends easier under your influence," Dante requests.

Techno nods, hissing when the slightest movement makes the wires pull on the patches. He has to sit very, very still. Techno closes his eyes for a moment, doing his best to concentrate. When he opens them again, he's looking at the two petry dishes. He starts to use his powers.

Within seconds, Techno's head starts pounding. The blood shakes almost imperceptibly at first, then harder as if there's an earthquake. A few drops bubble to the surface as the fluid slowly starts to rise. The blood in the left dish moves a lot smoother and with less effort. Techno knows that means it's his own. He has a much easier time bending his own blood compared to a stranger's.

"Good. A little higher." Dante's voice sounds distant, though that might be caused by the rushing in Techno's ears. He clenches his teeth and tries harder. The headache blossoms with sharp stabs of pain that dig into his frontal lobe. But he does manage to twist the blood into a vague spiral, shaking unsteadily.

Techno's fingers twitch. The pain gets worse.

"Enough."

Dante's command brings instant relief as Techno lets go, the blood falling back into the dishes. Techno sits back in the chair while panting, glad to feel the headache fade into a vague throb.

"No metrics show significant changes," the assistant says, pulling off a readout to show Dante. "There were some heightened gamma oscillations but none that show a concerning benchmark."

Humming as he looks at the paper, Dante puts it down again. "And none that show promise either."

Kristin squeezes his shoulder and it makes Techno jump. She holds a glass up to his lips. "Drink some."

Obediently, Techno has some of the water she offers. He's sweating buckets, so it's probably a good thing to combat dehydration.

"I want to run the new protocol," Dante sighs. "We can't welcome investors until he can manage that."

"How bad is the headache? On a scale from one to ten?" Kristin asks. Techno doesn't answer at first, hanging his head to take deep, aching breaths. His ribcage feels too small for his lungs. Like his ribs keep poking into the sides.

Kristin quickly swipes a cold cloth against his forehead even though it doesn't do much to help wipe away the overexertion. The assistant is already replacing his petry dishes.

"Techno?" Kristin prods.

"Seven," Techno mutters, struggling to raise his chin.

Kristin nods, tight-lipped and stern. She doesn't look very happy. Techno wonders if he did something wrong.

"Subject zero-nine-nine," Dante cuts into Techno's distracted thoughts. "I want you to use the fresh blood in front of you to form a shape. A hexagonal prism will do."

"Can we give him a moment?" Kristin asks, louder. She definitely sounds angry.

Dante clicks his tongue. "Vitals?"

"Within normal parameters," the assistant confirms.

"Carry on with the test."

Techno looks at Kristin, eyes wide. He doesn't want her to leave his side, he doesn't-

"Doctor Craft, do we have an issue?" Dante clicks his pen again. "Because I would really regret having to ask you to leave the room."

Kristin looks back at him. Maybe Techno is deluding himself into thinking there's regret on her face. Then she swallows. "No sir."

"Carry on with the test," Dante repeats firmly.

She steps back, and Techno is left staring at that damn petry dish. After a few halting inhales, he concentrates on using his powers again. The blood starts to rise, hanging together in big, disgusting globs and growing gradually into a round shape with small protrusions. It's more of a disjointed mass than anything else.

"Gamma waves are spiking," the assistant warns. Techno's headache has returned with a vengeance, trying to rip his skull open.

"We need a more cohesive shape, subject." Dante types on his keyboard insistently. Techno can hear every stroke like a thunderbolt through his brain. It hurts so much. "This is not what we asked."

"I'm trying," Techno bites out. The blood shifts and shrinks and grows. But it's not a prism.

"Shock him," Dante says.

Techno gets no time to brace himself before the cable attached to his spine flares alive with electricity. It's a short burst but he screams, his entire body jolting in the chair.

"Sir…" Kristin tries, but Dante speaks over her.

"See that spike in his powers? That's what we're looking for." He stands up, walking over to the assistant. "I want intermittent shocks every five seconds, low voltage."

Techno's muscles spasm. His head feels like it's bursting, his veins are on fire. The blood bends and twists once more. It grows, the edges elongating and forming corners.

Dante claps his hands, pleased. "The results are immediate. Turn up the power."

"There's the risk of developing a fast spike-wave rhythm if we continue," the assistant says. But their hand is already hovering over the dial. "In my expert opinion-"

"The facility does not pay you to have opinions, it pays you to do your job." Dante slaps their hand aside and turns the dial for them. Techno feels his skin erupt, feels it wash over him until he's drowning. There are tears in his eyes and he's trying, he's trying so hard that he forces lose some of the pins along his back, feeling the blood run down it. The fluid in front of him bends into a perfect hexagonal prism.

Some odd sensation lifts through his stomach and Techno gasps, black overtakes his vision.

When he blinks again, it's to see the ceiling above him. He can't feel his body anymore and he's on the floor. Somebody has torn the medical equipment from him so they could put him on his side. Kristin hovers over him, not wearing her lab coat. Because the garment is bunched up under Techno's head.

"Wha-"

"Don't move, dear." She has never called him that before. "Don't move. You're okay. You'll be okay."

Small spasms make Techno's leg jerk, reminding his nerves of how sore he is. His head hurts too bad to think, as if somebody tried to make his brain grow and it found the confines of his skull too tight to fit. He thinks he might have puked at some point because his mouth tastes like acid.

"I want these results brought to the council immediately," Dante says. Techno blinks and looks up, surprised to find the man standing nearby. Techno can't see much of him aside from the cleanly pressed pants and the angle of his jaw. He wants to shrink back, yet finds his muscles too tired to obey.

"We're not calling off the investor's meeting?" the assistant asks, hopeful.

"Quite the contrary," Dante answers with a smirk. "Let them know we might have the breakthrough they've been looking for."

"Are you fucking serious right now?" Kristin says. Techno flinches and curls up at the harshness of her raised voice. "He had a seizure and vomited all over himself, and you're calling this a breakthrough?"

"It got the results we wanted." Dante walks past her, towards the door. "Some of our investors are flying in from the other side of the planet, postponing is not an option. Clean up this mess and bring him to his room. He needs to be presentable tomorrow." His assistant follows him out.

Techno stays there in a pathetic heap, unable to move. It's Kristin who picks him up, who holds him close. Who uses the wet cloth to wipe the corners of his mouth and the front of his shirt that Techno now notices is stained with his own puke. It's Kristin who takes care of the wounds the pins left in his back.

"There we go," she says softly in his ear when she finally tucks him into his bed. "All better, yeah? You'll be okay."

Techno has stayed silent throughout it, finding his tongue too clumsy to form words. But he holds her hand as she kneels next to the bed.

"What's going to happen tomorrow?" Techno manages to ask. He's scared, yet he hopes she doesn't notice. Because the hero association needs him to be brave.

"Nothing bad," Kristin promises. "Nothing bad will happen to you."

He doesn't want to tell her that he thinks she's lying.


There are three people to get him ready the next morning.

Techno usually gets woken up by the bright lights flickering in his room, meaning he's up long before his breakfast is brought by. Today, the door opens at the same time the lights turn on. And the noises are a lot to cope with on top of the strange feeling in his head.

One of the scientists uses his arm to pull him upright and starts taking off his shirt.

Techno gasps a breath at the cold stethoscope pushed against his chest. They take his vitals in a hurry, while somebody else basically shoves a granola bar down his throat. Then he's put into new clothes, clean and proper. The sweater actually reaches his wrists and doesn't end at his elbows. They give him socks.

"Sit still," the woman manhandling him says. She's positioning him half in her lap so she can brush and braid her hair. Techno shudders but tries to obey.

When Kristin does his hair, it feels nice. She's careful, working from the lowest end of the strands up so she doesn't pull on any knots painfully. And she hums while her fingers gently make the plait. This woman tugs on his hair harshly and doesn't care when he isn't entirely able to keep in a little hiss of pain.

When she's done, she takes his wrist in her hand.

"This is important, so behave."

Techno doesn't understand but nods.

The room he's brought to isn't familiar to him. Techno hasn't seen it during any of his checkups or performance reviews. Dante is there, standing in front of a line of strangers. That's enough to put Techno on edge. But Kristin is there too, so that's something at least.

She steps forward and shoos away the scientists who have prepared Techno for the presentation. He's figured out by now that those strangers must be the investors. They're here to see what Techno can do, if the tests have been a success.

His breathing speeds up a bit, slowly building towards hyperventilation. Until Kristin rubs a hand across his back.

"I brought you a special medication today," she says. She hands him the paper cup like a hundred times before, but there's only a single tablet inside. "This is going to hurt, but the meds will help."

Techno's not sure what she means. He trusts Kristin though, so he takes the pill and then some more water to wash away the chalky aftertaste.

Then Kristin kneels down in front of him. She adjusts the hem of his sweater, which wasn't really out of place to begin with. It allows her to whisper close to his ear. "Techno, whatever happens today, I promise you'll be fine. I'll take care of you, okay?"

Before he can really process that - let alone answer - she quickly steps away from him when Dante walks towards them. He puts a hand on Techno's shoulder, squeezing as he leads him towards the line of strangers.

"This is test subject zero-nine-nine. Feel free to inspect him to your own satisfaction, while we get the equipment in working order." Dante steps away from him, his place instantly occupied by one of the strangers.

It's a middle-aged woman with a tight bun and deep wrinkled lines on her face. She wastes no time grabbing hold of Techno's chin and turning it to either side. "How old are you?"

She's not a scientist, but Techno has been taught never to disobey adults regardless. So he swallows the awful feeling in his throat away and answers. "I'm ten."

"They say he's the son of the Blood God." A man steps forward to touch his face, almost reverently. Techno can't flinch away with the woman still holding his chin in place.

"Bullshit, the association has lied before," one of the other strangers says.

Techno wants to tell them it's true. Though his father did die a couple of months before he was born, the Blood God is remembered by many as a formidable hero. He's stopped from speaking when somebody yanks on his arm.

"Well then, at least stand up straight. You're not going to inspire any confidence like that." It's the man who was touching him mere seconds ago.

"Sorry sir," Techno mumbles, and makes a deliberate effort to straighten his spine even though it hurts with the punctures that haven't closed. It's a far-off hurt though, muted.

His head feels kind of woozy too. Techno thinks the medicine Kristin gave him must have been a painkiller. He finds it hard to listen to the voices talking around him. Techno just stands there as he's prodded and poked at, made to lift his arms and bend forward.

Eventually, Dante returns. He has a small device in his hand that almost looks like a wristband, though a bit clunkier.

"We'll start the demonstration now. If you'd be so kind." He gestures to a blue line that's been painted on the floor for the investors to stand behind. That way, Techno won't risk accidentally hurting them with his powers.

As he fastens the wristband, Dante leaves Techno with one last instruction before taking his place behind the computer again.

"Do not screw this up."

Techno watches him sit down, swaying on his feet when he turns around to look at the desk. He's incredibly dizzy already. There's a petry dish on the table like last time, a thin layer of blood waiting for him to use his powers. Techno steps closer and hesitates.

He can see Kristin standing against the wall, watching him. When Techno darts his eyes over she smiles at him.

"Subject zero-nine-nine, start by forming a hexagonal prism again," Dante says.

Techno does his best to concentrate and do as he's told, even with the wristband sending painful little shocks into his arm. They're not as bad as the ones he had to endure yesterday, especially since the medicine Kristin gave him makes him feel comfortably numb. He raises his hand almost as if that will somehow help steer his powers in the right direction. The blood rises and coalesces like yesterday, forming into the desired shape with a bit more ease than before.

In a weird way, Techno is proud of himself.

Dante is clicking his pen again. It gets on Techno's nerves. "Very well. We'll do an octahedron next."

Techno's brows furrow. The pain meds aren't really helping with the headache, pounding away to some unheard rhythm again. He licks his dry lips and tries to do as Dante tells him to.

It's not easy. Techno's skin feels itchy all over.

The wristband is turned up a bit, the electric shocks stinging harshly as they shoot up into his shoulder. Techno feels the pull of his powers in his bones, in his own blood. It's like his energy drains out with it.

After what feels like forever but was probably only a handful of minutes, Dante's desired octahedron hovers several inches above the petry dish.

"Right. Next up is the rhombicosidodecahedron."

Somebody in the audience snorts at the name. Techno's hand is shaking, he blinks but finds it hard to keep his eyes open.

He's exhausted. He can't-

"We should let him rest between shapes," Kristin says loudly. "His performance will improve."

"Nonsense," Dante waves her away and laughs. "His performance is exemplary. Raise the voltage, keep going."

Techno yelps when the next shock cuts right through the drug-induced haze and into his cranium. His knees buckle, leaving him on the ground in a miserable heap while he hears Dante's annoyed yelling in the background. He can't understand it though, it all sounds like static.

He wouldn't be able to peel his exhausted body from the floor even if he wanted to.

Dante helps with that, grabbing his arm and trying to haul him upright. Techno hadn't even noticed the scientist came over to him. He's shaken so hard the entire world quivers and he can't keep up. Then there's a scent like smoke.

Wait… That shaking might not have been Dante after all…

Something enters the room, moving so swiftly that Techno's eyes can't quite focus on it. It jumps onto one of the investors and tears its throat out with big talons. Black wings spread wide, feathers reaching the ceiling. Techno feels like he should do something but can't. Dante drags him back with the care you'd usually afford a ragdoll. Techno winces.

"Fucking- Stay back!" Dante is screaming at the Angel of Death.

Because that is who has broken into the facility, whose hands are gripping around the throat of the woman who was examining Techno earlier. Techno has seen this villain's pictures. He has seen the things he is capable of.

"Stay back?" the Angel asks, lips quirking up in some sick amusement at Dante's clear fear. "Mate, do you have any idea how many years we've waited to have all of these people in one room?"

"Shoot him!" Dante yells at one of the guards. But they're on the ground, motionless. Then he looks at Techno. "Do something!"

He tries to use his powers but he can't. Dante is yelling so loudly.

And for some reason, Techno still looks up at his face for guidance. It's stupid, and it makes him feel young and scared and alone. He never had anywhere else to look up to.

Except his eyes catch Kristin's instead, who is smiling like before. She reaches out to press her hand almost tenderly to the crook of Dante's neck. Techno watches as the head scientist's eyes roll back and his grip goes slack. Dante crumbles to the ground. Techno doesn't think he's breathing anymore.

Kristin catches him before Techno falls too.

"Techno? Can you hear me?" She's already ripping the wristband off him. Techno had barely noticed it was continuing to shock him, not until it was removed and he felt his shoulder relax. "You're okay now."

"You're…?" Techno stares up at her, at the dark curls that frame her face and the normally brown eyes that had glowed bright purple a moment ago when she'd used her powers. "You're villains?"

"I suppose that's what the facility calls us, huh?" Kristin says, almost mournful. "Not everybody might agree with that statement." She passes a hand over his face, searching for any injuries. When she finds none, the relief is palpable. And she pulls Techno into a hug.

Despite everything he's been told about villains, he can't help but melt into it.

"I'm sorry it took so long," Kristin says. Techno doesn't really understand what she's apologizing for, but he has a feeling that he will someday.

A shadow makes Techno look up, the wings of the Angel of Death towering over them. Somehow, he looks a lot less intimidating up close. He's reaching out a hand to help them. "That's the lot of them gotten rid of."

"And that wretched man," Kristin adds, glaring at Dante's corpse. "God knows how much I've been looking forward to that."

The Angel laughs. He notices Techno is blinking at him in what might be described as perplexed confusion, and offers a crooked grin. "Hi, mate. I heard a lot about you."

Techno can't find the brain power to respond. But he leans into Kristin's hold when she picks him up and winds his arms around her neck.

He feels safe.

"We'll have time for introductions later," Kristin says. She smiles at Techno again, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "For now I think it's better if we go home."