Gently, he places his hand over his little brother’s. Techie wants so badly to press their foreheads together, just like when they were smaller; wearing those little overalls and running barefooted through a muddy puddle during a typical overcast Arkanis day.

“You d-did good,” Techie whispers to Hux, voice fierce. That man ruined them. It was only fitting to ruin him back.

He leans back and tries to tame his wild ginger hair down. A braid maybe. Or a ponytail. “Sh-should I dye my hair? Hide away?”

techiehux:

During the first few hours of sleep he’d gotten in stars knows how long, Techie had a dreamless, comforting rest. He kept perfectly still and practically fell into a coma… but then slipped in the memories.

MaMa’s face hovering over him, the split second of ice cold terror between her fingers darting towards his eyes and feeling them carving his eyes out of their sockets, screaming,  so much screaming, he can’t-  HE CAN’T–

Techie awakes with an inhuman shriek and throws off the covers, scrambling to his feet before he can realize where he is.

Sensing the shift in Armitage, the ghost of their past seems to flicker over Techie’s face: for a moment, his shoulders straighten up and there’s a confidence to him he’d held before. A split second later it’s gone.

“I’m… lost, r-really. But calmer, too. You killed her! Thank you so m-much! That woman was the source of all m-my nightmares.” Techie looks like he wants to pull Hux into a hug but decides against it last minute.

“You’ve done w-well for, um, yourself. Really good.” Now he does manage the smile from before, weak but sincere.

techiehux:

During the first few hours of sleep he’d gotten in stars knows how long, Techie had a dreamless, comforting rest. He kept perfectly still and practically fell into a coma… but then slipped in the memories.

MaMa’s face hovering over him, the split second of ice cold terror between her fingers darting towards his eyes and feeling them carving his eyes out of their sockets, screaming,  so much screaming, he can’t-  HE CAN’T–

Techie awakes with an inhuman shriek and throws off the covers, scrambling to his feet before he can realize where he is.

His jaw fell, and water almost spilled over his clothes. “A commander?” Techie repeated, surprised. “You’ve b-been busy while I was gone.” Aiming for a smile, it falls flat and ends up more of a lopsided grimace.

techiehux:

During the first few hours of sleep he’d gotten in stars knows how long, Techie had a dreamless, comforting rest. He kept perfectly still and practically fell into a coma… but then slipped in the memories.

MaMa’s face hovering over him, the split second of ice cold terror between her fingers darting towards his eyes and feeling them carving his eyes out of their sockets, screaming,  so much screaming, he can’t-  HE CAN’T–

Techie awakes with an inhuman shriek and throws off the covers, scrambling to his feet before he can realize where he is.

He nodded, still in shock. “Water,” Techie croaked. As always, his eyes trailed after Hux. Once he had a cool glass in his hands to soothe his parched throat, Techie asked, “Wh-where am I? What is this p-place?” His thick brows were furrowed with mistrust. Family, he’d quickly learned, didn’t always want to help you.

techiehux:

During the first few hours of sleep he’d gotten in stars knows how long, Techie had a dreamless, comforting rest. He kept perfectly still and practically fell into a coma… but then slipped in the memories.

MaMa’s face hovering over him, the split second of ice cold terror between her fingers darting towards his eyes and feeling them carving his eyes out of their sockets, screaming,  so much screaming, he can’t-  HE CAN’T–

Techie awakes with an inhuman shriek and throws off the covers, scrambling to his feet before he can realize where he is.

Techie gasps and falls back onto the bed, mech eyes wild. His gaze snaps to Hux’s face, and he pulls back instinctively from his brother’s touch. The horrified sobs slowly subside into breathless hiccups. “H-Hux, I’m sorry…”

During the first few hours of sleep he’d gotten in stars knows how long, Techie had a dreamless, comforting rest. He kept perfectly still and practically fell into a coma… but then slipped in the memories.

MaMa’s face hovering over him, the split second of ice cold terror between her fingers darting towards his eyes and feeling them carving his eyes out of their sockets, screaming,  so much screaming, he can’t-  HE CAN’T–

Techie awakes with an inhuman shriek and throws off the covers, scrambling to his feet before he can realize where he is.

askarmitagehux:

Hux was shocked. Why was Bill being like this? Why was he afraid? Did he not recognize him?

He shuddered at the thought that his brother might have been treated so harshly as to influence his memories. He quickly got to his knees and wrapped his arms around him.

“Bill, it’s okay, it’s fine, you’re safe. It’s me. It’s Armitage. Do you remember?… I… I’ve come to get you. You’ll be fine now.”

It was… strange, but not unpleasant to have someone be kind to him. More surprising, like getting a package with a ton of credits and freaking out over what to do with them. Finally, he nodded, exhaustion winning out over his mistrust.

“Okay…” Techie at last answered, hesitation clear in his voice even as he slumped onto Armitage’s shoulder.

askarmitagehux:

Hux was shocked. Why was Bill being like this? Why was he afraid? Did he not recognize him?

He shuddered at the thought that his brother might have been treated so harshly as to influence his memories. He quickly got to his knees and wrapped his arms around him.

“Bill, it’s okay, it’s fine, you’re safe. It’s me. It’s Armitage. Do you remember?… I… I’ve come to get you. You’ll be fine now.”

Techie lets out a shaky laugh. “S’just a lot to t-take in all at once… Maybe if I sleep I’ll m-make more sense of all this.” He thought of how many cycles ago he’d slept, and, upon coming up blank, shuddered.

“A bed and four years of sleep w-would hit the spot right about now,” Techie said, absolutely serious. His head pounded and he’d lost all control over his trembling limbs.

askarmitagehux:

Hux was shocked. Why was Bill being like this? Why was he afraid? Did he not recognize him?

He shuddered at the thought that his brother might have been treated so harshly as to influence his memories. He quickly got to his knees and wrapped his arms around him.

“Bill, it’s okay, it’s fine, you’re safe. It’s me. It’s Armitage. Do you remember?… I… I’ve come to get you. You’ll be fine now.”

It was too much to live through in just a few hours. Techie’s head felt sluggish, slow. The sooner he could get himself into a bed, the faster he’d be able to process the day’s events. “S-Sure,” Techie answered, numb. He shivered though it was not particularly cold.

There’s a long silence where Techie keeps his gaze trained on his own lap. Then, he locks eyes with Hux and says, quietly, “Armitage… I m-missed you.”