For a build-a-fic on Twitter. This is a superpowers AU and also platonic soulmates where soulmates share pain. There'll be four chapters!

The infirmary was quiet while Technoblade got everything ready.

Bandages, disinfectant wipes, surgical gloves. He felt a sharp stab to his lower abdomen and hissed, fingers gripping the table so hard his knuckles turned white. The pain was sudden but short-lived, enough to take Techno's breath away. He closed his eyes and waited. Then it was gone, leaving nothing but a faint ache where the pain was a moment before. Techno pressed down on that spot.

So that was Tommy getting stabbed. Lovely. He opened a drawer and pulled out the equipment he needed for sutures.

On another table, Techno had laid out snacks and several bottles of water. They'd need to have something to eat and drink when they got back, especially Phil. Using his powers would tire the old man out.

When he was done getting everything ready, he sat down and waited.

This was the worst part. Techno exhaled through his nose and rested his head back against the wall, nails catching on the sleeves of his hoodie because he couldn't help but fidget at the fabric. Sometimes he would wince when he could feel his family getting hurt. But none of the injuries were fatal, or too serious really.

They were fine. Ranboo was with them just in case, they'd be fine.

Techno kept telling himself that, but it'd be much better if he could just make sure of it himself by being there. It was his own fault he wasn't. After an incident last week, he was banned from going out into the field.

Sitting in the headquarters' infirmary wasn't what Techno signed up for when he became a pro hero. But he'd broken the rules and they put him on probation until he could learn to behave himself or whatever. Techno hated it.

The door finally opened and he quickly stood up from his chair.

"So, how bad it is?" Techno asked, watching Ranboo drag Tommy inside. The younger boy had Tommy's arm slung over his shoulder. Since he was so much taller though, it was kind of a ridiculous sight.

"No vital organs were hit, so I don't think it's too bad? I did what I could," Ranboo said as he helped Tommy onto the cot. Wilbur and Phil were right behind them, looking a bit beat up but the fact they could still walk was a good sign.

"It fucking hurts," Tommy complained through clenched teeth. He was pale.

"Yeah, getting stabbed will do that." Techno pulled Tommy's shirt up to inspect the wound. The cut was deeper than he expected. The fact that Tommy hadn't bled out in a matter of minutes was a miracle. "Your powers saved you."

Tommy grinned at him. "'Course they did."

Putting his hand over the gash, Techno pulled on his own powers. Tommy flinched slightly when the deeper layers of tissue started knitting themselves together and Techno could feel that hurt mirrored in his own body. Since it was the only thing he could feel, he knew there were no more urgent injuries he had to worry about.

He stopped when he started to get so dizzy that his vision swayed. Techno's powers were pretty advanced for his sort, but he wasn't an unending source of healing. If he tapped into them too much, he'd be out of commission for the rest of the day. That's why Techno - and every other healer at the hero association - had to get their medical license too. Whatever their powers couldn't fix needed to be dealt with the traditional way.

"Shit," Tommy huffed and laid his head back, closing his eyes. Techno's healing wasn't only exhausting for himself but also for the person he used it on since it really just sped up their own body's natural process. Techno grabbed a granola bar from the side table and tossed it at his brother.

"Eat something," he said. "I'll check up on the other two and then I'm stitching you up, so don't go anywhere."

"You don't need to tell me that," Tommy said with a slight roll of the eyes. Blood-coated fingers struggled to open the wrapper and Techno looked away. He'd have time to wallow in self-reproach later. "Thanks, Techno," Tommy tacked on, which did make Techno smile a bit.

"Can't have you bleeding out on my watch," he said before going over to check on Phil and Wilbur.

Ranboo had done a good job looking them over and helping them patch up any small cuts or abrasions the fight had left on them. Wilbur had a bruise on the side of his face that definitely could do with being iced and Phil's wrist was burned.

"Explosives?" Techno asked, taking it into his hand. When his fingertips pressed on the burn, he could feel the pain reflected on his own skin. He started to heal it.

"Combustion powers," Phil said. "Nothing we couldn't handle."

Techno hummed. He definitely didn't do a good job concealing his disgruntled expression though. Wilbur leaned forward, tugging on the collar of his turtleneck. "Are you still pissed about being put in time-out?"

"I'm pissed about not being allowed to do my job," Techno told him.

"You're literally doing your job right now," Wilbur said, nodding at Phil's wrist. Techno had gone a bit overboard in getting rid of the injury, feeling his empty stomach swoop with a sudden bout of nausea at the overexertion. Phil pulled him down into a chair by his elbow. He was too observant for Techno's tastes sometimes.

"They have plenty of civilian medics, they just don't want me to go out with you guys," he said.

"Last time you went out with us, you ran into an ambush," Phil said mildly. Techno felt bad only because he knew how much that incident had scared their father. It was a nasty situation all around - a villain that took pleasure in murdering heroes and had laid out a whole trap for that purpose.

Techno frowned at the memory. "Wilbur got shot."

He remembered the burst of it hitting his shoulder, erupting with pain akin to a supernova. Pain felt through the soulmate bond was weird in that it didn't exactly hurt the same as it would if it was actually happening to your own body. It was more like an echo, a ripple. Depending on how bad the thing that caused the pain was though, it could still be overwhelming in its intensity. It also came with an intrinsic awareness of which soulmate was the source of the pain, which was especially handy for Techno considering he had ended up with three of them.

Heroes of the support type weren't allowed to run into the heat of battle. They were supposed to hold their position until ordered otherwise by their team leader. And no matter how much weapons training Techno did, or how many self-defense classes he took, his type was set in stone by his powers. He was a healer - there was no changing that.

When he felt Wilbur getting shot, his first instinct was to run toward his brother.

"I know it's hard," Phil said. Techno kind of wanted to yell at him. He knew Phil meant well, but it was rich of him to lecture Techno. None of them had any idea what it was like.

They didn't get it. They'd never understand how it felt for him to be able to feel them getting hurt and having to stand by and not do anything.

"If you get hurt, we're all in much deeper shit," Phil said. "Keeping your healer safe is just kinda common sense, mate." His tone was light enough to make any residual anger seep out of Techno.

He shrugged. "I guess."

"Hey, look on the bright side." Wilbur elbowed him playfully. "You don't have to listen to Tommy cursing up a storm over every single small scrape anymore. And Ranboo did a pretty good job keeping us all alive."

"It was harder than I expected," Ranboo added with a nervous little laugh. He was still in the rookie phase of hero training, but his healing powers were enough in a pinch.

"I know," Techno said. "They're idiots."

"Hey!" Phil's hand was warm on the back of his neck, affectionate. Techno didn't know if he should be ashamed that these people who he'd only known for a little over a decade had managed to become so important to him.

He grasped his knees and stood, trying not to show how unsteady his legs were. "I need to go stitch Tommy up."

Grabbing the stuff he'd laid out before, Techno pulled a stool up next to the cot. Tommy was chewing on the granola bar with renewed vigor, probably to hide how much pain he was in. Techo could feel it too.

"Take these," Techno said, handing him two fast-working painkillers. "I can't have my hands shaking and messing up my sutures."

With the sedatives, Tommy only grimaced when the needle went through his skin. And Techno didn't feel any pain through the bond, the sensation effectively muffled enough not to filter through.

"Was it bad?" Techno asked. Messed up as it was, Tommy was the only one he trusted not to lie. Phil would just downplay the severity of their missions to keep Techno from being worried and Wilbur would turn it into a big joke.

Tommy shrugged. "Pretty gnarly, but we've had worse. We can look after ourselves."

(Looking after them was supposed to be his job)

Techno said nothing as he continued to sew up his brother's stab wound.

"Are you still studying?" Wilbur asked. Techno could hear him move across the room behind him, socked feet dragging over carpet. It was dark outside, so the only light left on was Techno's desk lamp.

He didn't answer but gave his brother an absentminded hum, tapping his pen against the papers he was reading. He had to keep up with his medical training. Behind him, Wilbur draped himself over Techno. His chin nestled on the crown of Techno's head, his arms wound around his shoulders in a half-embrace.

"Tommy missed you during the movie," Wilbur said. His body was warm from how long he spent on the couch lying underneath a blanket, probably with Tommy snuggled up against him. Techno smiled.

"I'll catch the next one."

"Okay." Wilbur stepped back. Slender fingers started to tug slightly on Techno's hair, pulling the strands into a braid. "Phil also wants to head down to the farmer's market on Sunday and then off to dinner for Tommy's anniversary, so make sure you're free."

Techno tilted his head back, ignoring how it made Wilbur scowl because it messed up his braiding process. "Anniversary?"

"For his adoption?" Wilbur said. He slapped Techno's shoulder lightly. "Dude, you're terrible with dates. Good thing Tommy isn't here to hear you'd forgotten."

Techno honestly didn't think it was such a big deal. All three of them were adopted and Techno never cared much for his anniversary. But he also knew how important it was to Tommy, who didn't even celebrate his own birthday because of his biological parents. And if Tommy cared, Techno had to care too. That's how it worked when you were family.

Then again, being a family also meant looking after each other and being there for them when they got hurt and Techno had kinda screwed that up, hadn't he?

He nodded and bend over his papers again, shrugging Wilbur off a bit. "Yeah, I'll be there."

He could feel Wilbur's eyes burn into his back for a moment longer, then there was a sigh. "Don't stay up too late, Techno," his brother said before he started to walk out of the room.

"I won't. Close the door when you leave."

He waited until he heard Wilbur's footsteps descend the stairs again. When Techno was sure he wouldn't come back, he got off his chair and started to change. He'd folded his vigilante clothes and put them under his bed so his family wouldn't find them. It was really just a pair of black cargo pants, a simple t-shirt, and an old hoodie he wouldn't mind getting blood on. He reached up and brushed his fingers through his hair to undo the half-braid Wilbur had made, then put it up in a bun instead.

Lastly, he picked up the bottle of painkillers.

Techno swallowed two pills down using the water bottle on his bedside table and popped another handful in his pocket for later in the night. The last thing he wanted was for his family to find out he was engaging in vigilantism because Techno got hurt and the soulmate bond tipped them off. The solution he had found was to take painkillers ahead of time so he could numb himself up, since only very intense sensations were transferred.

Getting the dose just right had been trial and error. He wanted them to work their painkilling effect enough so he could get hurt without the others knowing. But he couldn't afford to be woozy on the job.

He locked his bedroom door and then snuck out the window, disappearing into the night.

Walking beneath the harsh fluorescent light of lampposts, Techno didn't feel guilty despite knowing he should.

If his family found out, they would freak out. And rightfully so, going off being a vigilante wasn't just incredibly dangerous, it was also quite literally illegal. If the hero association caught wind, he would lose his job and get arrested. Techno was taking serious risks each evening he went out.

But it wasn't Techno's fault that it was the only way he'd ever found to get rid of the nervous tension in his ribcage.

When sitting around made Techno's skin feel too tight for his bones, and made his veins feel like they had static electricity running through them, going out and doing what he was best at made him feel less like he was combusting on the inside. The adrenaline of it made him feel alive, and he was helping people so it couldn't be all bad. It wasn't like he'd turned to a life of crime as he could have.

No, Techno started with vigilantism after his parents died.

(The memory stuck to him unpleasantly and the feeling of blood on his knuckles wiped it away like nothing else ever would)

Back then everything was terrible, none of his foster homes could tolerate him for more than a month and vigilantism was the only thing stopping Techno from doing something truly stupid.

He had to stop after Phil adopted him and he found out he was developing new soulmate bonds. Apparently, it wasn't uncommon for that to happen - it had happened to Phil and Wilbur before. It happened to the three of them when Techno had been part of their family long enough. It happened with Tommy afterward too. Who your soulmates were wasn't some kind of inherent connection solidified before you'd even met them.

Becoming soulmates was the universe telling you that you'd found the right people again. That you had chosen them and loved them on a level so deeply it connected you forever.

Phil was already a pro hero when he adopted Techno. Wilbur was in the midst of preparing for his exams. It was only natural for Techno to follow suit, and with the added danger of them finding out through the soulmate bond, he didn't think twice about putting the mask away. He never planned to go back to that life either, he was happy.

He was happy until they put him on probation.

("You know I don't like doing this." Sam laid a hand on his shoulder and Techno had to put a lot of self-control in not throwing him off. "I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"I can keep myself safe," Techno said. He didn't give a crap about his own safety, really. It wasn't himself he was worried about.

Sam's eyes flicked to the cuts on his palms, shaking with the feeling of Wilbur's blood soaking into them. "I'm sorry, Techno, but I really doubt that.")

He dug his nail into his own skin until it almost hurt, though the painkillers just made it feel distant and blurred.

Picking vigilantism back up after years of fighting crime only within the association's say had been child's play. Small-time criminals never changed, their tactics were transparent and most of them didn't even have powers. Techno had been back on the streets for weeks now and he hadn't faced anything worse than being threatened at gunpoint.

A scream cut through the stillness of the night.

Techno pulled his mask up over his mouth and nose as he ran, exhilaration drowning out all the thoughts bouncing around his skull so annoyingly. He could feel his heart beat faster, making him feel alive. Making him feel less useless - not like he did sitting on the sidelines watching his family put themselves in danger while he could do nothing.

And that was exactly why he did this. It was probably just another idiot trying to nab a purse, but Techno got that rush every single time.

He tracked the sound to an alley down the street. Techno ducked into it without hesitation, thinking he'd be faced with a robbery or maybe an assault. He didn't expect the alley to be completely empty. Slowing his pace, he walked along and looked around.

Two hands landed on his back and pushed him against the wall.

Techno hit the bricks face-first, grunting when his nose cracked against them. The pain was muffled by the painkillers he was on, head swimming dizzily when blood started pouring down and across his lips. Techno could taste iron. The person behind him tried grabbing his shoulders but he lashed out with his elbow.

"Woah there, calm down." They backed off a step or two. "What has gotten you so riled up, Blade."

Techno scowled, the sound of that voice enough to piss him off.

"What the heck do you want, Dante?"

His annoyance was rewarded with a grin that most would call smarmy under the best of circumstances. Dante hadn't changed at all, his cleanly pressed suit and slicked-back blond hair made him stand out in this alley like no other. As if he was an image crudely ripped off the page and pasted where he didn't belong.

Techno reared his fist back but wasn't surprised when it phased harmlessly through the man's image. Techno had forgotten how much he hated Dante's illusion powers.

"Now, now… Is that any way to greet an old friend?" The villain spoke from behind him. Techno spun around. There was nobody there.

"Pretty rich to say we're friends yet you're too cowardly to show me your face." The anger in his voice only made the other man laugh.

"After what happened last time? I'm not taking any chances." To his left, Dante stepped out of the shadows again, arms spread. Even in the darkness, Techno could see the scar on his face. "But I heard you'd gotten back onto the streets and I just had to see it for myself."

Techno didn't take his eyes off him again. "Why?"

"Because I remember we didn't get to finish our business, did we?"

He couldn't flinch away before Dante touched him, just the slightest flick of his fingers against Techno's side. Techno doubled over at the feeling of a knife being driven between his ribs, cold metal parting the flesh and sinking into his organs. A gasp tore from his throat, hands clasped over unbroken skin. Dante barked a short laugh as he stepped away.

The thing about this man's illusions was that they hurt just as much as the actual thing.

"You really tracked me down just to torment me?" Techno hissed, forcing his chin up to stare daggers at the still-grinning villain. "You're that salty about me ruining your day?"

A hand wrapped around his throat and slammed him back against the wall. "You ruined my life!"

Techno reached for the knife on his belt.

"And now," Dante said, "I am going to ruin yours."

He thrust his weapon into Dante's forehead, unsurprised when the illusion wavered and disappeared. Dante clicked his tongue from several feet away from him, looking completely untouched and almost as if he was disappointed Techno would rely on something he knew wouldn't work.

"I heard you have a family now, Blade. Your father is a pro hero, hm? And those two brothers of yours… I suppose you love them?"

"You stay away from them," Techno said.

"If I want to ruin your life, they're as good as any place to start."

Techno snarled and lunged, but Dante was long gone before he could even get close. He sighed and wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve before starting to head home, though not before swallowing down two more pills. His head was pretty hazy, but the pain was bad enough Techno did worry about it filtering through.

The house was quiet when he got there, the only light still on was the reading lamp in Phil's bedroom and he probably just fell asleep in the middle of turning the pages again. Techno climbed up to his window easily and swung his legs over, ducking beneath the window frame. He changed and washed his face before falling onto his bed, completely exhausted. Between the pills and the adrenaline, he felt wired in a strange way while simultaneously being too tired to think.

Things just got a whole new layer of complicated.

Techno would just have to take Dante out of the picture before the man could even touch his loved ones. If he so much as tried, he had a whole world of hurt coming his way.

With that thought laying heavy on his consciousness, Techno closed his eyes and fell into an uneasy sleep.

He woke up to Tommy trying to open his door and failing because it was still locked. His brother followed it up with a bunch of rapid knocks with increasing loudness that rattled Techno's brain around in his skull. He groaned and rolled over.

"Techno?! Big man?!" Tommy tried the knob again. "Why the fuck is your door locked?!"

Irritated, Techno forced himself upright and shuffled over to open it. Moreso because he knew Tommy would just kick his door in otherwise.

"What do you want, Tommy?" he asked, yawning.

"I just came to wake you up for breakfast. Were you doing something shady in there or what?" Tommy asked. He stood on his tiptoes, trying to peer around Techno and into his room. "Because if you were doing something shady, I want you to cut me in."

Techno rolled his eyes, stepping away from the door. "I was sleeping."

"Then why'd you have the door locked?" Tommy asked suspiciously.

"Because I live in the same house as a terrible menace who walks into other people's rooms unannounced." It was only partly a lie. Techno really should be locking his door more often, since Tommy loved walking around like he owned the whole damn place.

"Maybe don't sleep in so late then," Tommy said simply - really, the most complicated problems could have the easiest solutions in the world for this kid. He turned around to head down and Techno followed him. "You kinda look like shit, by the way? Are you okay?"

Those last words were spoken a little quieter. Tommy often hid his care behind abrasiveness, but it was impossible for him to not be obvious about it. Techno managed to offer him a tired smile. "Yeah, I didn't sleep too well. What about you, you didn't pull out your stitches, did you?"

Tommy pulled up his shirt. He hadn't bled through the bandage yet, which was more than Techno could say for some of Tommy's previous injuries. "Still got them all in me, I think."

"Good. I can postpone checking up on it until after breakfast then."

Wilbur was already sitting at the table, idly scrolling on his phone. Phil was at the stove flipping pancakes. The domesticity of the scene before him clenched tightly around Techno's heart and brought back to the forefront of his mind what had happened last night.

What Dante had threatened to do.

"Hey Techno," Phil said and motioned him over to the stove. Techno glanced at Wilbur and Tommy, bickering about something inane already. They weren't paying attention.

"What's up?" Techno asked, going to stand beside Phil. The pancakes he was making were a little misshapen. Phil never really got the hang of them, but kept making them since Techno had once told him they were his favorite.

"Are you okay?" Phil asked.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." Techno made a deliberate effort to untense his shoulders. "Why?" Had Phil felt something after all? Maybe he hadn't been asleep when Techno got home.

"You seemed upset after the mission yesterday," Phil said. "So, you know… just wanted to check." Phil left a silence there, an open space for Techno to step in and spill his guts out or something.

Phil should probably know him better than that by now.

"It's whatever," Techno said.

(Most of his nightmares concerned one of them getting hurt and him not being in time to help. How could he ever be in time if he wasn't even allowed to join them on their missions?)

"I can talk to Sam," Phil said. "We're friends, he's a hardass but he usually has good intentions. Maybe your probation can be shortened. Or just-" Phil gestured awkwardly with the pan. "Something. We'll see."

"Yeah," Techno said. "We'll see."

Both of them winced at the small burst of pain when Wilbur smacked the back of Tommy's head playfully.

"Wilbur, cut that out!" Phil complained. He walked over to the table with the plate of pancakes. "You're not allowed to hurt your brother if it hurts me too."

"Hey?! How about he's not allowed to hurt me at all?!" Tommy threw up his arms in outrage. Techno laughed, but it still felt too sharp. Too fragile.

He had lost his family once before. Techno wouldn't allow Dante to take them from him a second time.