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When his eyes shoot open, Tech half expects to see a needle coming down towards them. His breath comes in gasps, his heart pounds so hard that he can feel its beats all the way down to his feet. But there’s no needle. And his vision is blurred.
He hates it, but he finds a little comfort in it- in being unable to see properly.
His twisted reality shouldn’t be a comfort.
But it is, because there’s no needle coming for his eyes.
Letting out a shaky breath, he curls in on himself where he lays on his bunk. He can’t bring himself to reach over and snatch up his goggles, for a childish fear of a needle appearing before his eyes the moment he puts them on. But he can’t close his eyes either.
He hears Hunter rise from his own bunk- Nala Se had allowed them to move into their own, bigger room after they had discovered one another’s connection to her and the lab- and make his way towards him, quiet but not silent in his steps.
“Tech?” His older brother’s voice is soft, and the younger clone jumps when a hand settles on one of his shoulders. “You alright?”
“It was only a nightmare.” Tech manages to keep his voice almost-neutral. “I did not mean to wake you.”
“Only a nightmare, huh? I could’ve heard your heart racing from Nala Se’s lab.”
“...I’m sure.” He mumbles, unable to muster himself enough to roll his eyes.
“You want me to turn on the lights?” Hunter asks, his voice refusing to drop the gentle tone.
“Keep them dim.”
“Alright. Hold tight for a second.”
His brother vanishes from his side, and a moment later the room’s a smidgen brighter. He can see the outline of Hunter’s form across the room, moving back towards him.
“Do you want to...talk about it?” Hunter asks as he sits down beside him once more.
Tech shrugs uncertainly as he slowly sits up. “I never liked the operations and tests that Nala Se put me through.”
His brother pulls him closer, wraps an arm around his shoulders. “You’re remembering what happened with your eyes?”
He nods, doesn’t know what to say.
The other clone reaches for something and presses it into one of his quivering hands. “Here.”
He recognizes the shape of his goggles, and he huffs sadly as he absently twirls them in his fingers instead of putting them on.
“Look, Tech...I know it bothers you- that you might never be able to think about it as something that’s long past- but, I know how you feel. The chaos that my senses throw at me sometimes, it’s agony. Sometimes, I just want my head to explode, so that I don’t have to deal with it. I often wonder if I’ll even get through one battle out there before I give up.” Hunter says, and Tech remembers the first time he saw his brother collapse under the weight of his enhancements. “But...the point is, I’m here for you, when you need it. I promise.”
“I know.” Tech murmurs, leaning into him. “And, ah...thank you, Hunter.”
Part of him is surprised that Hunter doesn’t tease him about it later on- he really is a brother.