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Techno struggled limply against the chains holding him as a person came closer in his blurry vision. He couldn’t see but every other time there had been a syringe in their hands and then they would stab it into his shoulder and he’d be gone again. They rested their hand on the side of his head and muttered something that his mind wasn’t clear enough to understand before shoving it to the side. Techno felt the sharp prick in his shoulder and the spread of warmth out from it and then nothing.
~~~
When Techno started to come back to himself again, he noticed he wasn’t sitting anymore, instead he was being held upright with his arms above his head. His vision and thoughts were actually starting to clear by the time someone came into the room he was in. Techno shied away from their hands.
“No please. Don’t. No more. Please. I’ll- I’ll stay. Just… no more. Please,” Techno slurred as they moved his hair away from his face.
“Don’t worry,” they muttered close to his ear, “I want you to be awake for this.”
Techno felt a shiver run down his spine at the words. That couldn’t mean anything good.
His fears were confirmed when the person snapped their fingers and more people entered the room. Techno tried to twist his body around to see what they had but the first person grabbed his chin.
“Do try to hold still, it makes a much cleaner job of it,” they said brightly.
Techno’s breath caught as he saw one of the people walk forward with a hot piece of metal, glowing red. Surely they weren’t going to-
“Always have to make sure the goods are marked ahead of time. Theft is such a problem at these things,” they explained simply.
They gestured for one of the others to lift up his shirt and then another to brace against him as he began to struggle.
They sighed.
“If you want to do this the more painful way then be my guest.”
They flicked their hand and the brand was pressed into his skin on his back right above his hip and Techno screamed in pain.
Their hand landed on his face again, smearing the tears.
“It didn’t have to be so hard, but this was the choice you made.”
In a pain filled haze, Techno jerked his head to the side and snapped at their hand. Unfortunately they moved faster and the hand was safely out of reach.
“That was not a smart choice,” they said lowly, their eyes narrowed into a glare.
They turned to leave the room as the familiar pain in his shoulder broke through for a moment and then everything started to fade away.
~~~
Techno shifted slightly as he blinked awake and gasped as his side lit up with pain. Only his mouth wouldn’t open all the way. Panic flooded him as he realized that there was metal pressing into his face, holding it shut.
The door to the room he was in opened and the person in charge walked in.
“Oh, you’re awake. I suppose that’ll do.”
They came over and lifted the edge of his shirt to show look at his back and side.
“Hmm, I would’ve liked the brand to be fully healed before taking you to the auction but I don’t think it’ll be worth the investment to keep you until the next one.”
Techno shivered at their words.
They went back over to the door and then grabbed something and held it up. Techno shrunk back as he realized that it was a collar, only to gasp in pain as the movement lit his side and back up with white hot pain again.
As Techno blinked away the tears filling his eyes, he saw them coming closer with the collar held out in front of them. Shame heated his face as a small whimper left his lips at the knowledge that, if he struggled against it at all, he’d most likely pass out from the pain.
“There we go,” they said condescendingly as they fastened the collar around his neck, “that wasn’t so hard now was it? I’ll be back for you in a moment.”
Techno had a sinking feeling that whatever would happen next wouldn’t be any improvement.
~~~
Techno stumbled out onto the stage, led by a cord attached to the collar around his neck. Bright lights in the back of the room blinded him, only allowing him to see shadows of people sitting before the stage. Whatever the person behind him was saying into a microphone was lost in the rushing in his ears as he realized what was happening. This was an auction. He was being sold.
He pinched his eyes shut and took a shuddering breath through the muzzle. When he opened them again there was a silhouette standing up with an uproar and a pounding sound behind him. Then Techno was being led back off the stage.
His heart raced faster as they passed the holding area he’d been kept in before and continued further down the hall. They stopped next to a set of double doors and a person checking a bag clinking with coins.
“It’s all here, he’s good to take his purchase,” they said.
The person guiding Techno nodded and gave him a shove from behind through the doors, making Techno’s knees buckle from the pain. He fell to the ground with a cry, gasping as tears cling to the corners of his eyes.
He felt the cord holding his collar go slack as it was tossed to the other person in the room.
“It’s all yours, to do with as you wish.”
The doors slammed shut as they left.
“Hey, mate,” the person who’d bought him said as they stepped closer.
Techno poorly suppressed a whimper as he tried to inch away from their hands.
“Shh… It’s ok, Techno. I’ve got you now, you’re ok.”
At the sound of his name, Techno looked up and took in the familiar sight of blonde hair and black wings.
“Phil?”
“Yeah, mate. Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
Phil carefully reached to remove the muzzle and collar, shushing gently when Techno flinched.
“There we go. Much better, yeah? C’mon on, I’m going to take you home.”
His hands were careful as he helped Techno stand and, if Techno held onto Phil tighter than was strictly necessary to stay standing, that was his business.