Archive of Our Own

He felt like he was suffocating when he woke up. Tech drew a sharp breath, almost as if he had never inhaled before and his lungs didn't know what they were for. He flashed his eyes open, finding nothing to face but the dark. The coyote tried to sit up but felt some sort of plastic or vinyl material around him. Not only that, but he felt as if he physically couldn't. He couldn't move any of his limbs for a moment. The only way he could describe the feeling was as stiff. Like his movements were strained and and he couldn't properly work his body. He started to hyperventilate, feeling claustrophobic. Tech tried to lift up his arms but couldn't for a moment. He couldn't even scream or say anything. He eventually was able to fully move his arms, however found that he couldn't really feel them. Tech ran his hands along... whatever he was in, and soon found a zipper. He let out a sigh of relief, prying his fingernails in the lining to rip it open, working through the pins and needles he felt in his body. It ended up working as he sat up with a sudden jolt, being blinded by a bright light. He squinted before fully opening his eyes as he took in his surroundings. Where was he? He felt so cold. And numb. He was on some kind of table and only wore a pair of shorts. He saw something strange on his foot, picking it up to examine it. It was a small cardboard tag with string attached to his big toe that he began to untie. He brought it up to his face to read the writing on it, eyes widening as he did. 

"No, that can't- no..."

He only read the first line but knew what it meant. "Name of deceased" followed by his full name. "Name of deceased"? But he wasn't dead. He felt like he was, but he was very much awake. He got a closer look at the bag he had been in. He was lying in a bodybag. How did he end up in a bodybag? He remembered some fight that resulted in... he began to hyperventilate again. 

He remembered everything going dark after that fight.

He started to whimper, climbing off the high table. He had to find a way out of here. He had put enough pieces together to figure out this was a morgue. Tech took the ripped bodybag with him, wrapping it around his shoulders as a makeshift blanket. As he made his way through the empty room, he had a hard time walking and stumbled over his own two bare feet. He finally found an exit door, which led him down an alleyway. His breath hitched as he felt the cold night breeze hit him, making him shudder and wrap the tarp around him tighter. From what he could see, it looked like he was still in Acmetropolis, which was good to know. When he reached the end of the alley, he stopped dead in his tracks. Where was he gonna go? He got out of the morgue, but it wasn't like he had a place to go back to. His old hideout had been destroyed, and it's not like he could go back to his old colleges' place. They'd probably kill him on the spot if he stepped foot in there. Not that he wanted to go there himself. The streets were empty, at least the area of the city he was in. He felt like a ghost passing through, as if he wasn't really there. Being absolutely clueless (which was a rarity for him), he absentmindedly walked down multiple streets, hoping he'd think of something. 

About a half hour later, Tech found another alley and took a short break in it. He sat down with his knees to his chest, trying to calm himself down. None of this felt real. What had actually happened to him? How did he end up being mistaken for a dead body? As he took a deep breath, he inhaled a stench of death... coming from him. He bit his lip, trying to hold himself together but couldn't anymore. Tech dropped his head, starting to let out quiet sobs, before he heard a sudden noise that made him jump. He blinked his small tears away, looking up. Tech squinted for a moment, recognizing the familiar figure standing there. 

"Rev..."

The roadrunner flinched a bit, taken aback. He leaned closer cocking his head, making sure the coyote infront of him was who he thought it was.

"Tech?" 

The two were quiet for a minute. Tech being mentally not there, and Rev trying to wrap his head around what was happening. 

"But you- I saw-" Rev tried. As he was trying to find any words, Tech began to stand up, stumbling back down. "Wait, I've got you, are you alright?" He caught Tech before he could fall again, placing his arm under Tech's. "What happened? How'd you get here?"

"I-I honestly have no idea." Tech struggled to say. "I woke in- in a morgue."

Rev was silent. 

"There was stuff saying I was dead, but I'm not not dead, I'm just freaking out, and to be completely honest I'm terrified. I don't feel like me at all! I- I feel like I'm not even in my body! I just don't know what to do..." He trailed off, bitting his lip to stop himself from saying more. 

"Hey, hey it's alright." Rev tried. "I'll help you."

"How?"

Rev thought for a moment. "Well, we can start with you coming back to the tower with me. You can shower, get some real clothes, and eat something if you're up to it."

Tech was frozen before he slowly nodded. "Okay... thanks."

"Of course." Rev replied. "You look-"

"Awful?"

"No, I was going to say kind of sick."

"I feel kind of sick." 

Rev helped Tech stay standing up, with him propping the coyote on his shoulder to make walking easier as the two began to make their way to the Loonatic's tower. 

"If you want, we could fly if that's more helpful?" suggested Rev. 

"I'd rather not." Tech quickly shook his head. "What were you doing out here anyway?"

"Night patrol." Rev answered. "We all split up and I just so happened to stumble upon you." He joked. 

"I'm glad you did." Tech replied. "The other's won't be mad at you for bringing me back there, will they?"

Rev hesitated for a moment. "Eh, I'll take care of it." 

"I don't wanna get you in trouble-"

"You won't-" 

"Then what does-?"

"I don't know how they'll react honestly." Rev admitted. "But what was I gonna do, leave you there?!" 

"You could've..." pointed out Tech.

Rev scoffed, as if he were offended Tech would even suggest that. "I wouldn't do that to you, Tech." 

"...why?" 

"Huh?"

"Why not?"

"Because-" started Rev. "I don't know, because we have too much history together and I still care about your well-being, it's just the right thing to do."

Tech just gave a slight nod to that thinking it was an odd response, then went silent for the remainder of their walk.

They reached the tower soon enough, getting into the living room as Rev guided Tech to the couch. 

"Here, just lay down for a couple of minutes." Rev said. "So anyway, can you tell me anything else that happened?" He asked as he left the room. 

Tech shook his head. "All I know is that the last thing I remember was that huge battle that happened with my team and yours and I forgot how but there was a building that exploded and the rubble fell on me... then I woke up in a bodybag."

Rev came back with a cup of water and a real blanket, giving them to Tech. "Drink the whole glass." He sat down next to him. "Huh..." He hummed thinking about what Tech said. He took a deep breath. "Tech?"

"Yes?" 

Rev opened his mouth, then closed it. "Oh, how do I say this?" He muttered. He exhaled, looking at Tech. "You did actually... pass."

"What?! No, Rev-" Tech argued with a hint of a smile, thinking what Rev just told him was ridiculous. "I'm here now! I'm alive!" 

"I know that, but Tech..." Rev was thinking of the best way to put this to get his point across. "After you got crushed, I was there."

"Uh huh..."

"Like I was with you, as you died." Rev explained. "I felt your heart stop. You didn't have a pulse, Tech." 

The coyotes face fell and his heart skipped a beat. "Wh-what?" 

"The reason you woke up in a morgue is because you really did die, and that's where they brought you."

Tech was silent. 

"Now, I have a theory for why I think you're alive now-" 

"Did you do anything?" Tech blurted out.

"What?"

"What happened after I died, did you try to bring me back?" Tech questioned. 

A guilty expression crossed Rev's face. "Of course I did... I really did try... I tried keeping you awake... I tried covering up your wounds, I tried giving you CPR after you stopped breathing..." He scooted closer to Tech. "I'm sorry, Tech..." He finished. 

Tech let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "So that's it? I'm dead? What am I? A ghost-?" 

"Well if anything I'd say you're more like a zombie-"

"A zombie?!" Tech's eyes widened. 

"Wait, no." Rev shook his head. "Sorry, I phrased that wrong."

"Okay, wait." Tech started, still in disbelief. "If I died, how am I alive right now?! That's not possible!"

"I think that you have some kind of regeneration ability. Like a healing power." explained Rev.

"How do we find out?" 

Rev picked up a piece of paper from the coffee table nearby. "Here, hold this."

Tech took it. "Why? What is-?" 

Before Tech could finish his sentence, Rev aggressively ripped the paper out of his hand leaving a paper cut on the coyote's finger. 

"Ow! Rev, what the hell?!" 

"Sorry!" Rev apologized. "But I needed you to get hurt but not in an overly violent way and I figured that'd do the least damage, but look!"

Tech rubbed away at the small droplet of blood that was drawn, seeing that the cut lit up with a small green glow for a moment. 

"What?..."

He examined his hand again, seeing the cut was gone, only leaving a very faint mark. 

"See?" Rev pointed out. "It healed itself, that's probably what happened to you after you kicked the bucket-"

Tech gave him a glare.

"Sorry, I thought you might appreciate me saying metaphors more than just saying it, y'know... bluntly." shrugged Rev. 

Tech cocked his head. "But I never had any powers before I... passed. Why'd I get them now?" 

"I heard stories that the radiation from the meteor caused some people to get powers later on even after the impact." brought up Rev. 

"So mine just happened to kick in at a really convenient time?" Tech sarcastically asked. 

"Excatly!" 

"So I have powers now." Tech clarified. 

"It looks that way." 

Tech groaned. "Of all the powers, why do I have to get the one that's injury and death based?" 

"Because the meteor loves to be ironic?" joked Rev. 

"How do I know that me being revived wasn't some kind of miracle?" Tech asked frantically. 

"The paper cut?-"

"How do I know that wasn't a one-time thing?" rebutted Tech. "How do I know my powers won't wear off next time I get hurt?!"

Rev paused for a moment. "I guess you don't, but I think you should just keep an eye on when you get hurt. See if you heal, y'know? But you need to calm down. Seriously, Tech try to relax." 

Tech took a deep breath. "Okay, yeah. Sorry, you're right." 

"How about you take a shower and I find you some clothes, okay?" Rev stood up, reaching out a hand to Tech. 

Tech nodded, taking his hand, standing up next to him. "Yeah, that sounds good. I can't even stand the way I smell right now." 

"Eh, it could be worse." Rev tried. 

"I smell like something died." rebutted Tech. "Literally."

Rev shook his head fondly. "I'll get you a towel. Bathroom's down the hall." 

"Thanks."

Tech made his way down the hall, finding the bathroom. He closed the door behind him before he leaned against the counter. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, moving closer to get a better look at himself. He hadn't really examined himself thoroughly earlier to notice that there were some patches of missing fur along his body. He thought it was strange he at least didn't feel them, but maybe that was because his body was still a bit numb. In addition to that, his torso, arms, and legs were scattered in bruises, varying in different sizes and colors. Some looked more like blood clouts with red clusters, while others were a harsher black and blue tone. His face looked more hollow than it usually did, and his eyes were sunken in with dark circles around them. Tech sighed, hoping that his new appearance would clear up. He looked sickly. It was actually making him feel uncomfortable. He snapped out of it when he heard a knock on the door. 

"It's just me." Rev announced. 

Tech opened it, taking the towel and some clothes from the roadrunner. "Thank you." 

"Of course." Rev smiled. "If you need anything else, just call, okay?" 

Tech nodded as Rev walked away. He got himself into the shower after locking the door. He drenched himself in soap and body wash, attempting to rid himself of that horrid smell. He was pretty sure he had until he finished the shower and realized the scent was still on him. He sighed from disappointment. He started to get himself dressed in an oversized t-shirt that hid his caved in ribs perfectly. He couldn't stand feeling them and looking at them as they protruded against his skin. They looked somewhat crooked, almost as if they were broken. He shook off the feeling as he slipped on a pair of black and red plaid pants for pajamas. He came out of the bathroom, walking down the hall following the noise he heard from the kitchen. Rev was at the counter, pouring something in a mug. Tech awkwardly took a seat at the nearby table, fidgeting as he did so. 

"Oh, this is for you." Rev spoke, motioning to the cup. "It's coffee, I figured you'd want something, and the caffeine would make you feel better." He offered a small smile. "Do you, uh... still take it the same way you did back in grad school?" 

Tech squinted for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess I do." 

Rev gave a quick nod as he added more to the coffee before bringing it over to Tech. "Here you go." He said as he sat across from the coyote. 

"Thanks..." Tech took a small sip, then furrowed his brows. 

"What? What's wrong?" Rev asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah..." Tech winced. "It's great. I just haven't had coffee like this in years." He smiled. "Thank you." 

"No problem, I only made it a million times for you." The roadrunner joked. "I hope the clothes are alright." Rev said, trying to keep conversation going. "They're mine, but if you want I can find you something else-"

"No, they're fine. Thank you." Tech nodded. Truth be told, he actually recognized the shirt as one Rev used to wear a lot, mostly because of the band logo on it. Rev must have relegated it as a pajama shirt at some point, for Tech to end up wearing it. "They're... comfy. It just feels great to be wearing real clothes again." 

"Are you cold?" Rev blurted out.

"A little-"

Rev immediately took off, bringing back a blanket with him. "Thought so," He gave it to Tech as he sat back down. "You're shivering." 

Tech wrapped the blanket around him. "Yeah, I guess I always feel kind of cold. Thank you." 

"No problem, I just wanna make sure you're feeling okay and that you're comfortable. " Rev said. "I still gotta figure out where you're gonna sleep, I was thinking you could take my bed, and I'll sleep on the couch or crash with one of the others or something, I'll think of-"

"Whoa, Rev wait." Tech interrupted. "You don't have to do that." He hunched over a bit. "Plus, I didn't think I was spending the night-"

"Where else are you gonna go?" asked Rev. "Everyone thinks you're dead, and if those villians find you, they're gonna -"

"I know, I know!" agreed Tech, not wanting to think about what they'd do to him after he betrayed them. "It's just that..." He sighed, not knowing exactly what to say. "Rev, I just don't think it's a good idea for me to stay here."

Rev stopped, looking genuinely confused. "Huh? Why not?" 

Tech scrunched his eyebrows. "How can you pretend like everything is so normal?!" 

"I'm not pretending anything!" Rev defended. "Tech, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that this whole situation is weird!" Tech exclaimed. "It's weird that you're just acting like nothing ever happened, you're still acting nice to me. It's especially weird that I went behind your back twice, with that second time being recently, and you still invite me over. I mean, I basically used you and you brought me back to your nice fancy tower where you might get in trouble for bringing a known criminal. Not to mention the fact that I've literally died, I'm back now, and you're taking it remarkably well!" Tech's post vent awareness hit him as he sighed and looked down, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I just don't get it. You should be mad at me! Not taking me in!"

"Mad at you?!" Rev repeated, absolutely confused. "For what?"

"For everything." Tech pointed out. "For what I did now and what I did then, just everything!"

In a rare moment for him, Rev was speechless. He hesitated before he said anything. "I was never really mad... just shell-shocked, I guess." He spoke in a slower pace than usual. There was a beat of silence. "I was too upset to be angry at you, Tech..." He never said that to anyone, not even himself, really. 

Tech eyes widened. Somehow, hearing that made him feel even worse. "I-I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't- I didn't mean to... do that... to you." 

"I know." Rev nodded solemnly. "I just regret how things happened back then. I don't blame you, though. I mean, in retrospect, I get it. Why wouldn't you want more and go after it?" Rev paused. "Plus I wasn't the best partner either, I didn't mean to get distant. Made sense to start working with other people. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you more. I should've been-"

"Are you kidding me?!" Tech sat up. "You were always there for me." His face faltered. "I was the one who was never there for you. Especially towards the end. That's not on you. If I hadn't listened to her, this all would've never happened. I was just being selfish. I was-." He shook his head, restating his sentence. "I am selfish."

"No, I don't think that you-" Rev started. 

"Don't say that." Tech cut off. "Come on, Rev! A mad scientist promised me notoriety and respect if I helped her, and I did and almost took out a ton of people and the whole school got destroyed." He sighed. "I mean, you were there. You saw. And I said yes to her just because -" Tech stopped himself before he could say anything he didn't want Rev knowing. Tech took a long, deep breath. "I'm sorry, Rev... I was awful back then..." 

They were both quiet for a moment before Rev broke the silence. 

"You weren't awful, though." Rev tried with a smile. 

"Yes I was-" 

"No, you weren't." said Rev, more defensively. 

"Really?" Tech rolled his eyes. "What makes you say that?"

"Because, even though you might have done some bad things, and I'm not saying that this excuses what you've done, but you've always tried to fix whatever you did." Like the day of "The Incident", you stopped that machine before it could do anything or hurt anyone. And even a couple weeks ago, you literally died for me and my friends so you could do the right thing." Rev gave him a smile. "I think that says something." 

Tech gave him a shrug in return. 

"Plus, I knew you better than anyone." Rev said, elbowing Tech playfully. "You're a good person, trust me. I've had my fair share of dealing with jerks." 

"You probably still know me best." Tech sighed. "It's really - I'm - I'm happy we crossed paths again... I missed- hanging out with you."

"I missed you too, Tech." smirked Rev, making Tech smile back. "Can I ask you something though?"

"Uh, sure."

"If you were alive this whole time, y'know after 'the incident', how come you never reached out or came back?" asked Rev. 

"To be honest, I thought you wouldn't want anything to do with me." Tech admitted. "Thought you were better off without me."

"Oh." Rev thought for a second. "Well, that's not true. I would've-"

"Rev if I came back, what would've been your reaction?" Tech nervously asked. 

"I think I would've liked that." Rev said. "I mean, we were best friends. We were basically inseparable ever since we met."

"Huh, I guess we were." Tech nodded. "Until..." He cut himself off. "Well, anyway, how've you been? I haven't seen you in forever. And when I did see you again, we didn't exactly have time to catch up."

"Oh, uh good I guess?" replied Rev. "I've been up to, y'know... superhero-ing." He gave an awkward chuckle.

"Do you like it?" Tech questioned. 

"Well, it's not the career I thought I was gonna have, but it's been great so far. Beats anything I'd be doing back home." added Rev.

"Well that's... good."

"Yeah, how have you been?" Rev reciprocated the question. 

"Dead." Tech answered bluntly. 

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"No, I didn't mean-" Tech refocused himself. "Um but before that I was-" he paused. "Admittedly not great either..." 

The two were silent, not being sure what to say to the other.

"What did you do after the, uh... "incident"?" Tech asked. 

"Oh, um, well-" started Rev as he thought back. "I went back home for a bit, looked into other grad programs, picked up some odd jobs here and there, and worked for the family business while I was there." 

Tech snickered at that, finding Rev's tone and phrasing humorous. The roadrunner had said it as if his family didn't own one of the biggest companies in the world, ACME. When Tech had first met Rev, he thought it was due to an oblivious or snobby rich kid attitude. But he quickly realized later that Rev really was just that humble (or was really just that unimpressed by it). 

"Trust me, I tried to get out of it but-" Rev explained. 

"But your dad guilted you into it." Tech assumed. 

Rev gave a half-hearted shrug. "Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore and moved back here." 

"Bet what's her face didn't like that." half joked Tech. 

Rev furrowed his brows before he gave a small chuckle. "Oh, yeah..." His ex "business partner". "We uh, stopped seeing each other a while ago." 

"Really?" Tech asked. "Sorry about that-"

"No, don't be." Rev waved off. "I'm the one who ended it." 

Tech's eyes widened a bit, and he smiled at the roadrunner. "Well damn, look at you!" 

"Yeah, I needed to sometime." Rev nodded, smiling a bit from Tech's reaction. "I mean, it was hard, but it had to be done." 

"It got that bad?" asked Tech, started to get concerned. 

Rev hesitated. "It just- I knew we'd both be happier, that's all." He shrugged. "We wanted different things, there's nothing I could do about that." 

Tech suppressed an eyeroll and whatever snarky comment he was thinking of. Rev was way too nice, he always knew that. So no wonder he didn't mention all that girl's many, many faults. "Yeah, nothing you could do about her being a total bitch." Is what Tech wanted to say, but he bit his tongue. 

"But anyway," Rev continued. "I pretty much did all the stuff I did home here too, and then the meteor happened, and well you know the rest." He looked over at Tech. "What excatly did you do before the meteor? You never said." 

"Oh, well-" Tech hesitated for a moment, before exhaling. "Well I kind of took up-" No, he could say this better. "I somehow got into-" Eh, that didn't sound right either. "It's a little weird but I started to-" He sighed. Any way he said this, wasn't gonna sound good. 

Rev was quiet for a moment, watching the gears turn in the coyote's head. "Tech-?" Tech cut him off before he could finish. 

"I was a freelance bounty hunter." Tech got himself to spit out. 

Rev went quiet again. "Intresting. "

"I never killed anyone though!" Tech quickly clarified.

"I didn't think you did." Rev furrowed his brows with a wince. 

"What?" 

"Nothing, it just..." Rev shrugged. "It just doesn't sound like something you'd do Tech, you gotta admit that."

"Trust me, I'm suprised I did it too." Tech agreed. 

"How-?" Rev laughed from the absurdity of the idea of it. "How'd you even get into that?"

"Hmm." Tech tried to recall. "I guess I just needed the money and the main reason for even getting hired by people was that they saw my inventions and asked if I could build traps- which of course I can- and I used those for hunting. It's kind of what I was known for. That was my trademark, you could say." 

"Are you trying to tell me that you were famous among bounty hunters?" Rev smirked.

"More notorious, I'd say." Tech joked back. "I mean, I am very good at what I do... well, did." He added. 

"So different people would hire you for jobs?" Rev asked. 

"Pretty much." nodded Tech. "And not all of the jobs were malicious, like sometimes I'd get paid to go after scumbags too." 

"Like a vigilante?" 

"Like a vigilante," started Tech. "Except I wasn't doing it for free."

Rev chuckled, as he rested his chin on his hand. "And then you-" 

"Fell in with a bad crowd?" Tech finished, as a joke.

"I wasn't gonna say that, but I know what you mean." shrugged Rev. 

They both fell silent again for a minute, unsure of what to say next. Before either  one could speak, Tech let out a loud groan as he held his head. 

"Are you okay?" Rev asked, getting a little nervous.

"Not really..." admitted Tech. Everything hurts, my head feels awful."

"I'm sorry," offered Rev. "Is there anything you want, or anything I can do?-"

"No, it's... it's fine." the coyote breathed roughly. "I'll live... so to speak." He awkwardly smiled.

Rev gave a sigh of relief. It's was oddly comforting to see that Tech had his same sense of dry humor he remembered him having. "What do you plan on doing after you're feeling better and get outta here?" Rev asked. 

Tech paused, thinking about it. "I don't know guess I'll go hide out somewhere, I don't want any enemies to find me and I don't want my family to know what happened..." He sighed as he scratched his ear. "Guess I'm back on my own." 

Rev just hummed before looking over to his old lab partner. "You don't have to leave, if you don't want to." 

Tech's eyes widened very subtlety at the offer. 

"I know you thought staying here wasn't a good idea but-" Rev stopped himself. "I just thought maybe you'd feel comfortable around other people like you, that's all." 

"If I stay here, would I join your team?" Tech inquiried. 

"I guess." Rev replied. "Why? Is that too much-?"

"No, wait..."

The roadrunner stopped talking, watching the gears in Tech's head turn. He looked as if he was actually considering it. 

"I think..." started Tech. "That maybe I'd like that." 

"Really?" 

Tech nodded slowly. "Yeah I mean, maybe I can actually put my skills to good use instead of... well, y'know." He chuckled, making Rev smile back. "You think the others would let me?" 

"I'd be surprised I'd they didn't." Rev assured. "Plus, six is a nice even number." He joked. 

For the first time in a while, Tech wore a large, genuine grin on his face. "Well then, consider me your newest member!" 

"That's great!" laughed Rev. "Tomorrow we'll get you fully settled in, and start on... well everything!" 

Tech nodded, before a huge yawn escaped his mouth, as he rubbed his eyes. 

"You should probably get some sleep before then though." Rev added, helping Tech up to his feet. 

"Yeah, dying takes a lot out of you." 

Rev showed him down the hall, until they got to a bedroom. Tech examined the area for a moment before realizing who's bedroom this was. 

"I'm assuming this isn't your guest room?" Tech remarked. 

Rev shook his head, playfully. "Nope, we don't get many guests around here."

In a weird way, it was kind of nice to see that Rev hadn't really changed that much from when Tech knew him. He still had all those metal band posters covering his walls with artwork that you just couldn't look away from (no matter how much you wanted to). His bookshelves were lined with his massive book collection, with the centerpiece of it being his horror books he adored and had read cover to cover a million times (the same books that always made Tech cringe). The room was a strange energy of "messily organized", giving off the idea that only Rev could navigate his way through here. A red and black racing jacket caught Tech's eye. It was hanging near the closet and distinctly remembered Rev wearing that thing everyday. Come to think of it, almost everything in the room was red and black, with splashes of blue. Even his favorite colors had stayed the same. They were the same as his supersuit- Huh. He wondered if they all picked out their suit colors or if that was just a coincidence. Tech snapped back as he heard Rev rambling on about beds or bedding? Something like that. 

"Seriously though Rev," Tech interjected. "You don't have to kick yourself out of your own room. I'll sleep on the couch-" 

"No way," Rev turned Tech around, pushing him to his bed. "You just slept for days on a slab in the morgue, Tech! Just take the real bed, you deserve it." 

"If you insist-"

"I do-"

"Alright, alright." snickered Tech. He was about to get into bed, but looked back at Rev walking away. "Rev?" 

"Yeah?" Rev turned, as he stood in the doorway. 

"Thanks... for everything." Tech smiled. "Really, I mean it." He looked up to face him. "Thanks for giving me another chance." 

"Well, third times the charm I guess." Rev joked. 

"I'd say it's been more than three." Tech smirked. 

"Yeah, okay, maybe in your head." Rev playfully rolled his eyes.

Loud noises from outside made Tech's head snap towards the window amd started to make him spiral. Wait- what if this was all another bad idea? Who was he kidding? Those bad guys were gonna find him again, he couldn't imagine how many villains had tried to break in here before. If they found him, he's a dead man walking. He started grinding his teeth, a bad habit he really needed to quit.

"Hey," Rev called, as if he could read Tech's mind. "It's gonna be okay, alright? Plus, nothing can get in and out of this tower without me knowing. Trust me, you've got nothing to worry about. Try to relax, you need some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." 

Tech nodded at that, finding a bit of comfort in what Rev said. He was probably overreacting again. "Alright, yeah." 

"Goodnight, Tech." Rev said as he closed the door. 

"Night..." Tech returned as he tried to settle down. He exhaled. This was weird for sure, but he'd adjust. He hoped.

About an hour and a half later, Rev heard the noise of the elevator opening. Some of the others must have made it back, finally. He was able to make out only Ace and Duck's voices, and he assumed the rest of his team was still out. The two of them were going back and forth about something, until they saw Rev. 

"Hey, Rev." Ace greeted, as he made his way to the couch and flopped down on it. "I'm assuming everything was alright? Didn't hear back from ya..." 

"Yeah, for the most part." Rev nodded. 

"What does that mean?" Duck interjected. "For the most part?" 

"Well, I kind of ran into someone." continued Rev, anxiously. He wasn't sure how he was gonna explain this. 

"Anyone we know?" asked Ace. 

"Yeah..." Rev bit his lip, then took a deep breath. The easiest way to say this, was to just rip the band-aid off. "On my patrol tonight I ran into Tech? Remember the coyote who worked for the bad guys, and made all their weapons, but ended up helping us in the end? Well, he-"

"Wait, wait, wait." cut off Ace. "I thought he was dead?!" 

"He is." muttered Duck. 

"What? Was he up to something?" Ace cocked his head. 

"No, nothing like that!" assured Rev. "He was feeling kind of sick and he really didn't look too good, still doesn't, so I sort of brought him back here to recover-"

"He's in the tower?!" Duck exclaimed. 

Rev awkwardly smiled. "Yes?" 

"What were you thinking?!" Ace jolted up from the couch, leaning over the back of it. "You gotta get him out."

"But!-"

"But nothing!" a sigh and a slight eyeroll came from Ace. "Rev, let me jog your memory: he's the guy that tried to kill us!" 

"Technically, yes but he also was just following orders, he didn't really wanna kill us." Rev explained. "It wasn't personal. Plus, he saved us right before he died, he basically died to help us." 

"How much sleep did you get last night?" Duck questioned snarkily. 

Rev scowled at him. "What are you trying to say?" 

"I think you've finally gone off your rocker and started to hallucinate dead people." replied Duck. "I mean we saw that guy die, are you sure it's him?" 

"Positive!" Rev insisted. "Trust me, I'd recognize him. He can-" 

Ace interrupted the two of them. "Well either way, he needs to leave. We can't house a known criminal, Rev." 

Damn, he hated how Tech had called this. 

"But he wants to help us!" Rev tried. "He wants to join the team!" 

"Are you crazy?!" Duck shouted. "No way! Where'd he get an idea like that?!" 

"Little of his idea, little of mine." blurted Rev. Ugh, he wished he could keep some thoughts to himself. 

"You told him he could?" Ace questioned. 

"Not exactly, but he could really help us!" Rev defended. "We could use him on our side!" 

"Oh yeah?" Duck laughed. "How?" 

"He can't die!" Rev exclaimed.

The bunny and duck were silent for a moment. 

"You were right," Rev went on. "He did die, but the meteor gave him regeneration or something, so anything that hurts him, he'll bounce right back from and be fine." The roadrunner continued to ramble on. "Look, I know it's a lot, and he was technically working against us before, but he really wants to have a fresh start, and I think that him staying here would benefit him and us, in any case he's in no condition to be on the streets on his own right now, he should get some rest until he's feeling better, so can you guys all just re-meet him tomorrow?"

Ace and Duck looked at each other, processing what Rev had just said. Duck opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Both their attitudes seemed to have shifted though. 

"What's wrong with him?" Ace asked, breaking the silence. 

"Well I mean he died," explained Rev. "He looks like a walking corpse, he can't even really walk or move right, his breathing is off, he's in a lot of pain, just... it's more like what's right with him." 

Ace closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath before opening them. "Alright. That's fine." 

"You're not serious, are you?" Duck asked. "You said so yourself that he tried to kill us!"

"Yeah but let's be real," started Ace. "He wasn't really much of a threat before... I seriously doubt he's one now. Especially because..." Ace hesitated, unsure what to call Tech's situation. "Well, what Rev just said. The guy couldn't even walk on his own, I don't think he's up for planning an attack on us." Their leader glanced back at Rev. "We'll have a team meeting tomorrow for your "new friend", okay? I'm sure we can figure something out." He gave the roadrunner half a smile. 

"Oh, thanks Ace!" Rev exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You won't regret this!-"

"I better not." mumbled Ace sleepily, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm gonna hit the hay. Night, guys." 

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, goodnight!" Rev replied. 

There's was an awkward silence in the room as Duck looked over at the speedster. Rev sighed knowing he'd have to address him, feeling his teammates eyes on him. 

"I know, you're not happy about this-"

"It's not that, it's just that-" Duck stopped himself, not knowing what to say. "I just don't know if we can trust him yet, that's all." 

"I get that," Rev nodded along. "But you guys didn't get the best first impression of him, him and I go way back, I knew him before the meteor and all of this, so I just think that-"

"Rev," Duck interrupted, while walking closer to him. "Did you ever think that maybe he's not the same guy you used to know?" 

Rev's mind went blank for a minute. He was pretty sure he thought about that-

"It's just that," continued Duck. "You seem like you're kind of too trusting of people to me."

Was he? No, there were definitely people he didn't trust. Like- like...hmmm-

"I mean was he always like this?" Duck asked. "Did he ever do anything this bad before? Has he-" 

Rev stared at Duck's face as he continued to talk. He looked nervous the more he thought about this potential new member which was an odd reaction. Rev expected angry, which yes. Duck was angry at first, but now it seemed to be a mix of anger and... something else. 

"What are you so worried about?" Rev blurted out, not being able to suppress his mouth. 

"What?!" 

"What are you so worried about?" repeated Rev. 

Duck stopped talking, getting a weird look in his eyes and he furrowed his brows. 

"I'm not worried about anything!" He finally said. 

"It's something!" Rev insisted. "So what is it?" 

Giving the roadrunner a dirty look, Duck started to walk away.  

"Wait, Duck! I'm sorry, it's just-" Rev blocked the duck's way out of the living room. "I'm sorry." 

".....I just don't want him messing anything up." uttered Duck. 

Rev's eyes widened, unsure what that was supposed to mean. 

Duck just dropped his head in response. "Just forget it. I'm going to bed, it's been a long day." 

Rev moved, as Duck walked past him and down the hall. 

"Night, Duck." called Rev.

".....night, Rev."