Reprogrammed (Hunter Angst)

Sweaty bedsheets, A hospital gown, Needles

TW: for sensory issues, aftermath of accidental suicide attempt, and needles.

Sensations returned slowly, trickling through his brain like the beginnings of a stream. The first big shock was when someone tried to steal his lungs, pulling them out through his throat. Then, after he finished throwing up fluid (blood?)  somebody else strapped something to his face; held his hands down when he tried to claw it off. Eventually his body relented, too tired to sustain consciousness.

The next time he experienced any kind of sensation, it was much more pleasant. Violin reached his ears, and it sounded so kind, so peaceful. He could have sworn that he'd heard the violin a little while earlier, an undetermined time ago. He allowed the music to drag him closer to the surface, until soon it had convinced him fully back into the world of the living. As he attempted to move his body, the music, lovely and soothing, stopped abruptly.

"Hunter!" Eda cried, throwing herself out of her chair. She wrapped the pale teenager in her arms, holding him so tightly . Her hair entirely covered his face, momentarily making everything dark again. Once she finally released him, Hunter was immediately consumed in another deep hug from Camila. He reciprocated neither of these hugs, opting instead to look blankly around the room. The rather plain four walls held five other occupants: Mrs. Noceda, Darius, Eberwolf, Raine, and Eda.

"We were so worried for you, mijo! I'm so glad you're finally awake." Mrs. Noceda cried out as she gently squeezed him.

"Sorry," He said, voice scratchy. He tried his best to suppress the oncoming cough, but it was impossible. Darius clicked a button above his head, and soon a woman dressed in blue came in with water and a few ominous looking tools. She introduced herself, and immediately began to poke and prod at him. She listened to his heart, prodded around in his mouth, looked up his nose, asked him a small number of strange questions.

He answered them, not daring to ask questions of his own. Eventually, she excused herself, promising everyone in the room a bit of time to chat and catch up while she retrieved a doctor.

So many questions of his own swirled around in his head, but he struggled to find the words to ask them.

How did I get here? What's going on? Why is everybody here? Why are there tubes sticking out of my arm? What happened?

"You look like you've got questions," Darius pointed out, skipping the small talk. Hunter tensed at his voice. He must be pissed about last night. Fuck it, he might as well ask about that.

"Are you mad at me?"

Darius grimaced at the question. It had not been the one he'd been expecting. In fact, Darius had been thinking that Hunter would ask anything about the situation, why he was sitting in a random bed... But no. Hunter was more concerned about Darius's own emotional state. He supposed that with everything he'd learned about Hunter in their time of living together, the teenager's first question made sense. Darius steeled himself with a deep sigh.

"We have a lot to talk about... but more than anything, for now, I'm just relieved you're awake."

The other adults in the room fidgeted nervously, averting their eyes. A knock at the door broke the tension, if only a bit.