Chapter Text
The sound of soft breathing awoke Subspace from his dazed trance, gaze flickering towards the almost foreign body that laid still against the bed. He’d blink, eyes quickly shifting up and down as if inspecting.
..Nothing new has changed. He’s still asleep.
A sigh escaped his lips. From disappointment? Not quite.
Slowly trailing a hand against the latter’s bandaged chest; skin against skin contact. Palm pressed down firmly against one breast, as if desperate to find any sources of life.
..Heart beat was slow. Slow; but still working.
“Good. Good. ” Came a whisper, sinister smile creeping on his lips.
Subspace kept his hand on the other’s chest, a soft hum escaping from his throat.
“I won’t let you die. Only I can decide that.”
“I’m not letting potential go to waste.”
—--------------------------------------
“Yes, little one, I’m coming.”
Katana hurriedly chased his way after Princess, the fat little blob practically screeching at the top of her tiny lungs. She raced her way towards the small kitchen, paws eagerly kneading in place as she stationed herself right in front of her empty food bowl.
She just got fed no less than a couple hours ago, but to Princess, that was a long enough wait.
An amused sigh came from behind Katana’s mask, shoulders slack. Turning on his heels, he made his way towards the cupboards and quickly opened them up.
Staring at the gradually decreasing value in the small metal wet food tins, his gaze softened beneath. Reaching up and grasping a can of salmon flavoured food, his gaze couldn’t help but to wander towards his wrist.
..Hyperlaser’s lanyard.
The way the soft blue collided with the vibrant red of Katana’s sleeve, tightened fabric laying snug around his wrist.
Almost as if he were still here.
He didn’t care if the fabric dug into his skin or caused a rash from how tight it was. He didn’t care if you had to chop off his arm to get it off; if you could get it off.
It still smelled like him; trying desperately not to forget.
Turning his way back towards the now ‘starving’ Princess, the samurai crouched down behind. Hooking a claw against the metal tab, he cracked the tin open and let the fishy smell waft through his nostrils; though he didn’t mind the stench. Princess mewled, her tiny little mouth strung wide open as she circled her empty food bowl, tail standing straight in the air and twitching.
Clanking the side of the can inside of the food bowl, the wet food fell with an audible plop. Princess wasted zero time on getting her chubby little mouth all over the food, her head nudging its way past Katana’s hand and causing him to reel back.
Katana let out a soft chuckle, watching as Princess gobbled down the food within mere seconds. Princess, who now had food stuck to her face, turned back to face Katana, tongue messily swiping against her jaws. A squeaky meow came from her, seeming satiated with her little feast.
Princess would nudge her head closer towards Katana, her forehead finding its way to one of his palms. Her fat head rested comfortably against it, purrs erupting from her throat as Katana stroked her forehead with the pad of his thumb.
“What a messy lady.” Katana breathed affectionately before taking his hand back, pushing himself back up on his feet.
“Come along, little one.” He’d beckon his hand before turning, making his way back towards the living room with Princess bounding right behind him.
Katana planted himself right back on the couch, snuggled up in his little nest of blankets that he had formed. Princess jumped right up, making herself home in the samurai’s lap once more, stubby legs folded beneath her body. He listened to her rough purring, hand now placing itself against her soft back and beginning to stroke at her fur, listening to her purrs increase in volume.
His eyes trailed towards the empty coffee table, except for two cups of tea sitting against it. One half empty, the other completely full. The steam had died down, now leaving a cooled down liquid inside of the cup. Katana would sigh, feeling sorrow rip through his heart.
Y’know, in case Hyperlaser ever came back. He never stopped putting out cups of tea to welcome him home.
Tilting his head down to look at Princess once more, his hand continued to slowly stroke her back. Feeling her soft skin ripple beneath his fingers eased some of that sorrow.
“..Do you miss him, little one?”
A trill could be heard from Princess, though she didn’t understand the words.
“..I do,”
“I really do.” Katana affirmed, gaze clouding over once more.
Everything that reminded Katana of Hyperlaser flashed right through his brain. His smile, those gorgeous scars, the way his eyes would glitter in the sunlight..
..He missed him so damn much.
His throat would close at the mere thought. Fighting back tears, he’d lift a claw beneath his mask and wipe at his eyes.
“..Not a damn day goes by where I do not think of him.” He’d breathe out, hand now running down the front of his mask.
Princess simply chirped in response, tail twitching happily in the air.
“I envy you,” Katana sighed, hand finding its place back against Princess.
“Not a single clue in the world. I wonder if you would still recognize him.”
His gaze trailed back to Princess, eyes darting around her chubby little body. He parted his lips to speak, though hesitating to do so.
“..Hyperlaser?”
Princess immediately snapped her head towards Katana, ears perked straight up and eyes wide. At least she still recognized his name.
A relieved sigh left Katana, hand trailing up to gently stroke one of her ears between his fingers. His back sank against the couch, finding comfort in the softness of it all. His eyes were slowly fluttering closed, body relaxing.
“Please, let us stay like this for a while.” The samurai mumbled, though in half of his consciousness. He felt himself begin to drift off into a peaceful slumber, the only thing in his ears was the sound of Princess’ comforting purring.
An abrupt knock jolted Katana out of his daze, his body lurching up into a sitting position. His head snapped towards the door, his eyes squinting.
“..Someone is here? At this late hour?” Katana would mumble, feeling Princess lift herself off of his lap and jump off of the couch.
Pushing himself up onto his feet, he would shuffle his way towards the door. Still mildly confused and in a sleepy trance, his hand would slowly bring itself towards the doorknob, twisting it right after.
A familiar voice would fill his ears, immediately snapping Katana out of his daze.
“..Hey,”
..Is that…?
Snapping his head to look up towards the figure that had stood in his doorway, his gaze locked with the others’. Standing still; frozen in time as if nothing else mattered, neck fur bristling.
Oh my god. It is.
A helmet in hand laying limp against his hip, a soft smile cracked against his scarred lips. Gaze was steadily harboring the others’ as if it were the only thing in the world to look at.
“Did you miss me?”
In response, Katana immediately snapped his arms around Hyperlaser’s shoulders, clinging to dear life as if anything threatened to take him away again. The cool mask nuzzled towards Hyperlaser’s neck, breathing in the familiar cologne he always yearned for once more. The mercenary quickly wrapped his arm around Katana’s waist, closing the distance between the two men.
Breathing in Katana’s earthy musk, his cheek would be buried against the latter’s neck feathers. He didn’t care how it burned his nose, tickling his cheeks in the process; he missed it.
They both stayed in each other’s embrace, not one of them wanting to move away.
“..I have never stopped waiting for you, my love.” Came a shaky voice from Katana.
“I never stopped looking for you.” Hyperlaser replied, trying desperately to hide his own trembling voice.
Neither wanted to let go.
“Where..? Where have you been? I have never received any updates..”
“I thought you were gone. ”
Hyperlaser sighed, though feeling slightly guilty about leaving Katana in the dark for so long.
“Phone broke. Had zero chance to contact you; no reception where I was deployed. I’m sorry.”
“Please, don’t be.” Katana leaned his body away, though now trailing his hands up against the mercenaries cheeks and cupping them. His thumbs ran along the grooves of his skin on instinct, trying desperately to remember the feeling.
“You are here again. That is all that matters to me.”
He could see Hyperlaser smile softly, his eyes softening up towards Katana’s touch. He leaned in, eyes fluttering shut to the familiar comfort.
Emotions dying down, Katana had failed to notice one thing. Only one arm was wrapped around him.
Prying his eyes away from Hyperlaser, he came face to face with the now missing appendage. His left arm was completely gone, leaving nothing but a small lump of cloth tying off the end of the sleeve.
“Your arm…”
“I know. Nothin’ I can do about it.”
Katana shifted into a frown, though Hyperlaser couldn’t see. He quickly shook his head as if to clear his mind before hesitantly stepping away, letting his arms fall back to his sides.
“Please, come inside. The little one is waiting for you.” The samurai stepped to the side, allowing Hyperlaser to enter first with Katana trailing behind him.
A fat black circle immediately charged towards the two, circling itself around Hyperlaser’s feet and letting out happy squeals. Princess’ paws would stamp against the ground, claws kneading against the soft carpet beneath.
“Woah, hey. Aren’t you happy to see me, huh?” Hyperlaser leaned down, placing his helmet against the floor and trailing his hand against Princess’ head. She immediately nuzzled against his palm, loud purrs erupting from her throat with her tail held high in the air.
“I was afraid she would not remember you, but it seems she does.” Katana would let out a soft chuckle, watching Hyperlaser tilt his head at Princess.
“..She’s gotten fatter. ‘Tana, how much have you been feeding her?” Hyperlaser spoke with a grin on his face, looking up at the samurai. To which, Katana just shrugged.
“Perhaps a little bit more than she is used to.”
Hyperlaser simply just shook his head in response, an amused sigh escaping his nostrils before he pushed himself up against his feet once more. He stared at Katana, gaze softening as he didn’t want to look away.
“..I missed you so much, ‘Tana.”
“I have missed you too, my dear.”
“Are you fit to walk?”
“ ‘Course I am.”
“Please, come with me.” A hand reached out to hold Hyperlaser’s, fingers immediately interlocking with one another.
Taking a step back outside, Katana nearly pulled Hyperlaser with him; though he didn’t mind. Princess eagerly bounced alongside them.
The three had headed towards the woods lying behind Katana’s house, making their way towards a familiar pathway. Hyperlaser’s eyes trailed around the scenery he once missed as if it were dared to be taken away again.
The night sky twinkled above them, speckled white stars lining the void. The moon shone brightly beneath dark clouds, peeking its light through them. All had walked in silence for a while, the only sound being audible were the soft chirps of crickets.
Soon enough, Katana stopped. There the three of them stood on top of a hill, exposing the citys’ lights below. Everything was so small to them, as if they were the only demons on the planet.
Not letting go of Katana’s hand, Hyperlaser looked around the scenery in awe, his eyes glued to the view below.
“..It’s been a while since I’ve seen somethin’ like this.” Hyperlaser would breathe out before feeling Katana sit himself down against the grass beneath them, pulling him down with.
Their bodies sat close together, thighs both pressed against. Princess immediately made her way towards both demons, jumping up and sprawling herself out on both of their laps.
A hand found its way against Princess’ back, listening to her sweet purrs fill the night air. After a brief moment of silence shared between the two men, Katana finally spoke up.
“Do you remember anything? What has happened to you?”
Hyperlaser stiffened at the question.
“..Not really. Was drafted somewhere, fell into a coma, lost my arm,” Hyperlaser shrugged, motioning towards what was left of his arm. “Obviously.”
“Woke up back at Blackrock not too long ago. Spent my last few days searching for you.” Hyperlaser would lean against Katana, his eyes flickering down at the grass they both sat in.
“I couldn’t sleep. Not knowing you were alone with Princess.”
Katana stared at the mercenary through his mask, hiding his obvious sorrow stuck within his face. He stifled a soft sigh before slowly reaching up, untangling the strap out of his hair and lifting his mask off of his face. He laid it against the soft grass, turning his head to look the mercenary in the eye.
“You are here. Nothing else matters in the world to me.”
Hyperlaser smiled, though it quickly faded once his gaze fell upon a particular arrangement sitting off to the side. He squinted, struggling to focus his eyesight.
There sat in the corner were a bunch of sticks and pebbles, all lined up in a small circle. Leaves gently blanketed the small stones, scattered carefully around. In the middle of the circle were more pebbles, though seemingly shaped into a small heart.
Katana didn’t even have to look behind him to know what Hyperlaser was looking at.
“..I did not know if you were coming back.”
Hyperlaser’s heart dropped.
This entire time, has Katana… thought he was dead?
Hyperlaser parted his lips to speak, but ultimately decided against it. He fell into silence, averting his gaze.
“..I’m sorry.”
The words lingered in the air for a moment before Katana slowly reached over, taking Hyperlaser’s chin between two fingers. He leaned in, his earthy musk overtaking Hyperlaser’s nostrils before he placed his lips against the latter’s.
Their lips collided, familiar sensations washing over both demons. The kiss was locked in tight, breaths gently mingling together. Holding the kiss for a few more seconds, Katana decided to slowly pull away, feeling Hyperlaser’s breath catch against his lips.
“..Please. Do not blame yourself. Like I said; you’re here now. That is all that matters to me.”
Princess chirped up right after, paws digging firmly against both demon’s thighs.
“..And to the little one.” Katana spoke with a chuckle, which caused Hyperlaser to ease.
A sigh escaped his lips once more, bringing his only hand against Princess’ head.
“How could I ever forget about you? Daddy missed you so much.” Hyperlaser leaned down, now planting a soft kiss between her plush ears.
Leaning back, Hyperlaser focused his gaze back at the night sky, flickering across the multiple stars that shimmered against the black backdrop.
“Can we just.. stay like this for a while?”
“Of course, my love.”
Sinking his fingers into the grass below, Hyperlaser felt another hand gently sprawl against the back of his own. Katana’s warm fingers enveloped his skin, thumb gently grazing.
Another silence filled the air, aside from Princess’ loud purring. Both pairs of eyes stared into the blackened abyss above them, simply relishing the presence of one another.
He was here to stay this time; never to leave again.