Work Text:
Hours had passed since the chaotic blueberry incident. Night had fallen over the city, and most of the Loonatics were preparing for bed. Tech, however, couldn’t sleep. He returned to his lab, where the De-Juicer sat safely on its charger. He was relieved it had worked on Rev… but the guilt still gnawed at him.
What if it hadn’t? What if Rev had stayed a fifty-foot blueberry forever? What if he had kept growing… or worse? Those fears bled into darker thoughts about the Kinetic Amplification Ray. What if the same thing happened to him? What if he ended up helpless, swelling bigger and bigger, feeling like he was about to burst?
Tech shook his head, trying to push the thoughts away as he reviewed the data-pads. The lab doors hissed open behind him. Rev, Ace, and Danger Duck stepped inside.
Ace Bunny: “Hey, Tech. We were heading to bed, but Rev wanted to check on you.”
Tech E. Coyote: “I’m alright. How are you two feeling after… everything?”
Danger Duck: “Still a little sore. But Rev got it way worse. Fifty feet is no joke.”
Rev stretched his arms and back with a groan. He was moving slowly, clearly still feeling the strain from his massive size earlier.
Rev Runner: “Mmm… Don’t remind me. I’ll be fine, Tech. Really.”
Tech E. Coyote: “You sure?”
Rev Runner: “Yeah. I’m sure.”
Tech stood up and reached under his workbench, pulling out a colorfully wrapped box.
Tech E. Coyote: “I still feel bad about what happened. I got you something.”
Rev opened the box and pulled out a long, oversized sleep shirt. He turned it around and read the faded text on the front: ‘World’s Fastest Boyfriend’. His expression softened instantly, a wide smile spreading across his face.
Rev Runner: “Tech… thank you. This is really sweet.”
Ace Bunny: “That’s nice, Tech.”
Danger Duck: (yawning) “Yeah, yeah. Very cute. I’m going to bed before it gets even mushier in here. Night.”
After Duck left, Ace glanced at the tarp-covered Kinetic Amplification Ray in the corner.
Ace Bunny: “So… what are you planning to do with that thing?”
Tech E. Coyote: “I’m going to scrap it. Start over from scratch.”
Rev Runner: “Before you do that, maybe we should check it tomorrow? There has to be a reason it turned us into blimps instead of making us stronger.”
Ace Bunny: “Good idea. First thing in the morning, we’ll open it up and look for any faulty parts.”
Tech looked uneasy.
Tech E. Coyote: “Just… make sure it stays unplugged. I don’t want it turning on while you’re working on it.”
Both Rev and Ace noticed his tension.
Rev Runner: (softly) “My situation really got to you, didn’t it?”
Tech E. Coyote: “I kept thinking… what if the De-Juicer hadn’t worked? What if you stayed that big? Or got even bigger? You said you felt like you were going to burst…”
Rev Runner: “Hey, it’s okay. We all know the serum was non-lethal. And even if something went wrong, I know you guys would’ve done everything to help me.”
Ace gave Tech a reassuring nod.
Ace Bunny: “Get some rest, Tech. We’ll tackle the ray together tomorrow. Don’t stay up too late.”
Rev Runner: “And if you have any nightmares… I’ll be there. Just like you were for me. Goodnight, Tech.”
Tech E. Coyote: “Goodnight, Rev. Thank you.”
Once they left, Tech tried to finish his work, but as time passed, exhaustion eventually won. He laid his head down on his arms at the desk, just for a moment…
… but then brought himself back up, trying to stay awake.
Tech E. Coyote: “Ah, hah. Come on, Tech. What time is it? You know the desk isn’t something to sleep on… it’s not good for your…”
He spun the chair around and once again faced the machine that was covered in a tarp. He got up from his chair and approached the machine that was intended to make him stronger, but ended up becoming a thirteen-foot-wide floating orb, and made three of his teammates the same.
Tech: “Rev is right about one thing. There's always a reasonable explanation. We'll figure out what caused the problem, but after that, it's the scrap yard for you.”
After making his promise to scrap the machine after checking the problem, he instantly looked at the sockets, making sure it was, in fact, unplugged. He nodded and opened the door to his lab to leave. He picked up his data-pads and headed out to bed, but halfway to his room, he checked the pads he picked up… and realized he missed one that was still in his lab.
Tech: “Oh, shoot, I forgot one.”
He placed the pads on a nearby desk in the hall and went back to his lab in frustration.
Tech: “How could I be such a pee-brian? If I hadn't dozed off, I wouldn't have forgotten it. What time is it? (Looked at a clock that said 2:03 am, and sighed.) Come on, Tech. Focus. Okay, go in, get the data-pad, and get out.”