Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Say, Meddy?” The pink-horned scientist swiveled around in his chair, almost knocking over a beaker or two with his tail as he stopped working momentarily. Medkit looked up from his book wordlessly, quirking a brow as a go-ahead for the other demon to speak. 

“Do you believe in destiny?” He began, a sort of dreamy look in his eyes. Medkit furrowed his brows, what is he on about now? He thought, but it was written all over his face. 

Even though his expression said it all, Subspace patiently waited for the other scientist's answer.

“Well…Not necessarily. I think that the idea that something was meant to happen is a bit…Childish.” Medkit hummed, looking back down at his anatomy book. Subspace let out a noise of annoyance and scooted his chair closer to Medkit until he was close enough to look over the book at the pages. 

“Why don’t you try to live a little, isn’t the idea of fate exciting!?”

“Eh…Not really, does it excite you?” Medkit met Subspace’s eyes, the other man seemed glad Medkit asked. 

“You could say the sentiment excites me…After all, I was able to meet you?! Isn't that something to be excited about??” When Subspace said that Medkit’s gaze softened.

“What prompted you to bring this up? Did you just want to flatter me?” The scientist’s tail flicked, delight filling Subspace's eyes as he continued. 

“It makes me more eager for what the universe has in store for us…” Subspace said. 

"Well in that case I'll humor the idea a bit." Medkit replied, looking up into Subspace’s eyes.

Silence filled the lab as they both sat unmoving with the occasional flicks of their tails, the moment was almost serene… That was until Subspace’s stomach growled. The scientist’s face slightly flushed with embarrassment.

“Whoopsies!” 

Medkit couldn't help but chuckle at the other scientist's antics, setting his book aside on the counter. The other scientist spun idly in his chair as Medkit spoke.

"Do you want me to order take-out at our usual spot?" He pulled out his phone, ready to place the order. That was until Subspace snatched his phone.

"NO, not there today. I heard a new Thai place opened up not too far from here and I want to try it!!" He said, seeming to be very preoccupied with figuring out the name of the place he just mentioned. Medkit let out a puff of air in amusement, he was going to ask why Subspace decided to grab his phone instead of letting Medkit type it in himself but he just watched the other grumble to himself.

He observed Subspace trying his best to remember for a solid 6 or so minutes, a bit infatuated with his dedication.

"That's not it...Uhh.....aahA THAT'S THE PLACE!!!" He seemed proud of himself, eyes lighting up, his tail wagging excitedly. He handed Medkit his phone back looking very proud of himself.

"Place the order please!!" He chirped, turning back to his experiment. The purple substance that was in a beaker on the hotplate was now bubbling, his eyes narrowed with focus while he watched the mixture change hue a bit.

"If you snatched my phone why not place the order yourself?" Medkit asked while looking through the website, Subspace hm'd before replying. 

“I want you to use your card.”

Not bothering to think too hard about it since he was hungry too he went over their orders, triple checking with the indecisive demon about what he wanted before placing it.

"Are you satisfied?" Medkit asked looking over at Subspace who seemed to be pleased with himself. Having since moved the liquid to two separate small glass vials, he turned his attention back to Medkit.

"Very!" he nodded enthusiastically, the other scientist sat back down and picked his book up again. As he flipped through the contents he noticed in his peripheral vision Subspace was still staring, he looked up and tilted his head. 

"Not going to go back to your experimenting?"

"I am...I was just thinking about how pretty your eyes are!!" He said his eyes forming crescents as he smiled, Medkit was caught off guard but a small smile crept onto his lips.

"I'm unsure if you're saying this to get something out of me later or being genuine."

"What?? I'd never!! I truly mean it!" He said, turning back around.

Medkit's eye cracked open, sunlight intruding on his bleary vision.

"Another one of those dreams..." Medkit mumbled groggily, already a rough start to the day with a splitting headache. Medkit thought the recurring dreams that would plague his nights where nothing  would happen would’ve stopped by now, it’d always be a mundane moment between him and Subspace. 

Although they were annoying he’d rather it’d be that than the nightmares he’d have years back of that day. Anything over that is fine really, Medkit just wished it wasn’t about Subspace period. He rubbed at his eye, hoping to shoo away the headache before sitting up.

 Turning to check the time, he was surprised that it was only 8:45 am, usually Sword comes and shakes him out of his sleep by now. He sat up, stretching as he slipped out of bed. His senses returning to him made Medkit realize that everything was oddly too quiet, at least too quiet when it came to crashing at Sword’s place. Sword had been generous enough to give Medkit his own room due to how often he spends the night there, mostly due to wanting company.

Leaving his room he called out.

 "Sword...?" 

Now that's odd.

Sword always woke up early, often talking about how good it is to get an early start to the day. The silence was off-putting, anxiety-inducing even. When did quiet actually start to bother Medkit instead of being something he looked forward to? Instead of dwelling on it for too long, he went back inside his room searching for wherever he put his phone, texting Sword.

(Hey, I just woke up and noticed you aren't in the house.)✓

(Did you stay out somewhere overnight?)✓

Medkit didn't expect an immediate response, he was about to put his phone down when it buzzed in his hand, looking back at his messages Sword replied in an instant.

Sword⚔️:

(Oh)

(Good morning!)

(Rocket and I were just at a Phight actually, it ended a bit ago.)

(Rocket was hungry though so we ordered smthin at that breakfast place he likes, we'll be back home in a sec once we get our food (dw I ordered you some👍))

(Did you need something though?)

Medkit blinked slowly at the messages. He had attended Phights on occasion, but he never made it a habit to stay for long after or go consistently. It was usually rocket begging Medkit to be the team's healer due to a bad match prior, plus he was more so worried for their wellbeing when attending Phights this early.

He’d rather not make it a habit to run into Subspace frequently either, especially since his Biografts would target him as soon as he came into sight. Medkit would like to forget the scientist exists entirely, but Sword and Rocket don’t know that, only that they used to be coworkers.

(No, I'm fine. I was just thinking the house was really quiet, plus you usually wake me up around this time.)✓

Sword⚔️:

(You've gotten used to the chaos and you miss it lol)

(We'll be back soon, don't die before we get home.)

Medkit scoffed.

 "Gotten used to the chaos my ass..." Although he said that he did appreciate the notion. Sword has shown nothing but hospitality, he was overall just a great friend, it made Medkit wonder if he really deserved to have someone like him around. Ever since the day he found Medkit at his worst, practically bleeding out in the sand and accepting his fate, his world was flipped upside down. 

Thinking back on the day when it happened made Medkit feel slightly sick, too many emotions flooded his head when he recounted each detail of it as if it was permanently etched in his mind; down from what Sword was wearing, down to the way his brows were knitted in worry, even to what Sword said to him when they made it back to his residence as he panicked to stop the bleeding. 

Medkit put down his phone quietly, deciding to freshen up for the day so he at least had a start. Taking a towel from his closet he went to the bathroom across the hall, flipping on the lights and letting out a gentle sigh.

As he turned on the shower, he ran his hand under the water waiting for it to become warm. Medkit stood up once it was warm enough, stripping before stepping into the shower. Tense shoulders relaxed as the water hit his scarred body, a sigh of relief escaped him. His eye fluttered shut momentarily just so he could let the warm sensation settle in, it was nice. 

Showers were oddly one of the most comforting moments Medkit could have, to himself that is. Nothing but the sound of water hitting the insides of the tub and going down the drain, the steam clearing his mind. 

The thought brought a rare moment of mental clarity to the scientist.

Leaning against the wall of the shower, he felt calm.

That was until the tension returned, he jolted up from his position. Something was off, weird even. It was a tingling sensation in the tips of his fingers, mind too hazy to realize what was happening.

"Meddy..." 

Medkit's jaw locked up, this had happened before. Although it wasn't too often, sometimes he'd just hear things. He tried to reason with himself in his mind, there were a couple of reasons why he could be hearing things. Whether it be a lack of sleep or stress, he continued to cycle through these things in his mind, anything to distract himself from the voices. Attempting to focus on the sounds of the water, water was comforting...But that didn't work. His voice still rang in his ears like an alarm making Medkit feel ill. Why now? Why was it when things were going fine???

The world seemed to grow fuzzy as if everything around him wasn't real, everything felt so distant even his voice that was muttering pleas felt as if it was being played through a recording back to him. As Subspace's voice continued to echo like a broken record, the world's sensations seemed to melt together.

His fight or flight kicked in, eye dilating from fear. No matter how hard he tried to bury the lingering feelings of that day, they'd always bubble up to the surface and ruin his days, nights, weeks, months, years-

"Go away..." 

The demon squeezed his eye shut, balling his hands into tight fists. He didn't want to open his eye, the fear that it wouldn't be the bathroom that was supposed to be there sent his nerves into overdrive. Trying to regulate his breathing wasn't working, so he sunk onto the ground, lowering his head to his knees. He could still hear him, it was getting so loud now...

"Just go away-"

"Medkit?" 

Sword's voice cut through the madness, how long had he been sitting in the shower disassociating to hell and back? Medkit's mouth pressed into a thin line, his throat was tight. Although, he did open his eye now. It was just the bathroom, the anxiety that was just reaching a boiling point came to a halt.

He was safe.

He wasn't there.

"Medkit, you alright in there? I thought I heard you say something...." Sword started, brows furrowed as he stood outside the door. He turned his gaze to Rocket who was by the stairs, Rocket shrugging, being just as clueless as him. When they heard no reply Rocket piped up. 

"We just wanted to let you know we were home!"

Medkit felt relief from their voices. 

He was safe...

He took a deep breath before responding.

 "I'm fine, sorry I was just a bit lost in thought..."

"All right, we brought you back some of what we ordered so help yourself. Rocket and I will be in the living room if you need anything..." Sword said. Although he knew Medkit wasn't the type to open up anyways, putting his pride above most as all Blackrock faction members tended to do. Sword and Rocket both went back downstairs, making eye contact before awkwardly laughing.

"Typical Medkit am I right?" Rocket said trying to lift the mood, Sword although still having an expression of worry covering his face, gave a small smile and nod in response. 

"Yeah... I just...I don't know." He let out an exasperated sigh, Rocket placed a hand on his back trying to comfort him, gently rubbing his wings..

"You're trying, but you can't force him to open up, you know? The best we can do is offer our moral support, I’m sure he’ll persevere,” Rocket hummed. His words of encouragement seemed to make Sword feel at least a bit better, his face was less littered with concern.

"Yeah...I'll try to not worry so much but it's a bit hard."

"I understand, don't worry." Rocket nodded, tilting his head a bit to let Sword know he can continue. Sword exhaled looking back towards the stairs,

“I know he’s not a child, everyone has gone through their fair share of hardships and it’s not like he can’t function on his own…It’s just…I guess the mental imagery of the day I found him is just always in the forefront of my mind whenever I worry about him, you know?” Sword tried to put his feelings into words but it still felt insufficient, Rocket thought for a moment before nodding in understanding. 

“Is it like you worry that the progress he’s made is going to halt if you’re not around to help him through a bad day?” Rocket inquired, peering up at the stairs as Sword did to make sure Medkit is still preoccupied.

“I…I don’t know, but that still doesn’t feel right…I don’t know how to explain it but it’s a lot of complex emotions honestly, and I guess I feel a bit guilty for thinking this way.” 

“But it’s okay to think that way, you’re just worried about him Sword, there’s no harm in that. Plus I’m sure Medkit appreciates all you’ve done for him, you’re a great friend. If I was in his position I'd definitely think that way, at least for me.” Rocket said, making Sword look over at him. He appreciated the rocketeer more than he’d ever know, 

“You think so?” 

“Not I think so, I know so.” Rocket put a hand on the other’s shoulder, smiling at Sword.

Sword smiled back, he mouthed a quick thanks before pulling Rocket into a hug. The man squeaked as his face flushed a blue hue from the sudden contact, nervously chuckling and patting Sword's back.

Chapter Text

Sword never bothered asking what exactly happened to Medkit. The night when he found him replayed in his mind, the sight alone was traumatizing enough so it's not that he necessarily wanted to know what put him in such a state in the first place. The process of getting the man back to some semblance of normalcy was a grueling task, even now he isn't fully out of his shell. 

Back then Medkit was a lot quieter, if he even ever talked at all. After years of silence, he finally began to talk a bit more. It wasn't by a lot but it was still progress, which made Sword happy. Once he found out about Medkit coming from Blackrock, Rocket was more on edge than now, due to the wars between both respective factions it led to a couple of arguments between them both. But Sword still wanted to give the man a chance, he had medical knowledge and he wasn't a danger to anyone, he kept to himself, and he was compassionate…sometimes.

People from the Blackrock faction were never really well received at Lost Temple due to their statuses, but because of Sword being so insistent on the matter people gave him a chance, begrudgingly but still a chance. 

Although Medkit didn't necessarily fit in around other Lost Temple citizens, he didn't seem to care which came as a relief to Sword. 

As Medkit was watching Sword train years back he proposed a question.

"You've never seemed to care about the dirty looks you sometimes receive here... I don't know if I'd last in your position" Sword chuckled, trying to make conversation.

"It's better than Blackrock..." Medkit mumbled. When Sword turned to meet his eye they were distant, far away. Sword hummed in acknowledgment, lodging his sword between the training dummy's neck.

"What is Blackrock...Like? I mean I've heard things but they're all pretty bad..." Sword inquired, when he turned to look at Medkit his face was twisted into a look of disdain.

"If they're bad what you've heard is probably true...I don't want to talk about it."  The last part was said with such vitriol that Sword swallowed thickly,

"I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"You're fine, I was the one who mentioned the faction in the first place." Medkit's focus on the world around him seemed to return as he shrugged, Sword nodded. He was admittedly very happy the other was even holding a conversation with him for this long.

 "Well moving on, what are your thoughts on Lost Temple thus far."

"..." Medkit thought for a moment, resting a hand on his chin before answering.

"Other than the blatant classism it's a lot better than the things I've heard. I haven’t been here in years, I only visited due to family when I was younger." The response made Sword chuckle, continuing the conversation.

“What's your family like?” Sword asked, walking over to Medkit for a small break.

“I barely remember but it was alright, my sister is a handful.” Sword nodded, allowing him to talk.

“Do you still keep in touch with her?” Sword asked, moving away from the dummy to sit by Medkit.

“It’s…difficult…I'd rather leave that topic there.” Sword didn’t pry, but before he could say anything else Medkit spoke again.

"Before I forget, I'd like to formally thank you, Sword. you brought a bit more meaning back into my life."

"Really?" Sword paused, when he turned to Medkit he had a small smile on his face, nodding.

Ever since then, Medkit came out of his shell more and more every day, he was honored to be the first person the doctor opened himself up to. Once he started to loosen up just a little bit the tension between him and Rocket lessened, making being around them both at once more bearable. Even making more effective prosthetics for the rocketeer, strengthening their bond enough for respect to be given to him. It was a lot better than the first weeks they'd even remotely set eyes on each other, being a one-sided war of flinging insults at the ex-scientist until the man just up and left the room. The hostility was understandable but he'd always have to remind Rocket that people are more than just stereotypes, only to receive a raised eyebrow with his arms crossed as he was clearly unamused.

Since Medkit managed to prove himself to be not as much of a threat anymore, the people of Lost Temple kind of laid off of him. Especially Venomshank who was highly skeptical of Medkit being anything more than a potential hazard to people around him but he eventually saw that he was more than that, adopting a friendlier attitude towards him.

Of course, there were issues, especially because aggression and caution were in Blackrock faction members' nature, but Medkit rarely had moments where he'd get bad, if at all. Mostly arguments to save face during his less prideful moments, it taught Sword what not to mention at least.

But there was one thing of interest that Sword was itching to ask, what did he have to do with Subspace?

His name had been muttered in dreams or during particularly bad manic episodes a couple of times, but Medkit never shared specifics. The flashbacks were common, no matter how welcome Sword tried to make Medkit feel the name always popped up. He did wonder what Medkit was like back in Blackrock, or what his relationship with Subspace was.

"Are you both done?" Medkit asked, a towel lazily placed over his head as he turned on the coffee machine. Both Rocket and Sword turned, faces flushed from embarrassment.

"How long have you been here??" Rocket said with slight panic in his voice.

"Ever since mid your hugging session, feel free to continue, don't let me stop you." He said in jest, eye still glued to the coffee machine. Rocket frowned slightly, holding back a quip that was probably prone to upset Medkit. Sword interrupted before that happened, clearing his throat and turning fully on the couch to look at the other.

"How was your shower?" Sword inquired, trying to shift the topic to something else.

"Fine...Just fine." He shrugged, attention flickering to them for a moment. The two younger demons stared at each other before Sword spoke,

"We should get out of the house and do something, you've been cooped up in here for a while Med." As he said that rocket nodded in agreement, Medkit had his brows knit from his distaste for the idea.

"Get out and do what? Plus you’re saying it like I don’t go out and do stuff on my own time." He wasn’t really interested in any ideas they had to offer but asked nonetheless.

“You’re mysterious about the stuff you do in your own time, is it even anything fun?”

“Not really, no. It’s just work, I don’t have free time like you.” Medkit quipped back. This made Rocket’s tail lash behind him in irritation at the taunting remark, a low growl rising in his throat.

"How about we all browse Lost Temple? Sometimes walking around aimlessly is fun, you discover new things every day." Sword proposed to change the topic, just to have Medkit's frown deepen.

"This isn't Playground, walking around aimlessly isn't like going through a theme park at every turn, plus I stand out, I'd rather not go out around here unless I have to for work," Medkit said, turning to the two while he began to dry his fur.

"Then let's go to Playground, there's a lot of stuff to do there-" 

"I'd like to ask you to imagine how it'd go having me, and an ex-Blackrock faction member, step into that epileptic seizure-inducing place," Medkit said, voice flat. Rocket opened his mouth to say something back but he did have a point so he slumped back onto the couch.

"I'm so used to going with Sword I'd practically forgotten, my bad...How about just going to Crossroads then? That's simple enough."

Medkit didn't see the point of all of this but he sighed and nodded.

"I'd rather do that than anything else you suggested." It was far from something Medkit wanted to do, but it was a compromise...He supposed. He was certain that both demons were just concerned for his well being, it left a sour taste in his mouth but he knew they had his best interests at heart. They both looked satisfied at least, which was enough for Medkit.

"So...Go to crossroads and do what exactly?" Sword quirked a brow, Rocket seemed to be deep in thought at the question. There was a lot to do in Crossroads, from diverse establishments and attractions, coming together and culminating in a wonderful area if you want to spend your time without dealing with blatant faction feuds out in the open. 

At least for the most part.

Of course, if you're going to put all the factions in an area together, harmony isn't exactly the word. But Crossroads was the closest you could get to peace in one shared space, Medkit turned back to the coffee machine. He'd gone to Crossroads for outings with them before, but it was mostly for shopping or to go to Sword's favorite burger spot. Despite living in Crossroads, he didn’t go out just to be out much unless he had a reason to.

"How about we go to that cat cafe Slingshot works at?" Rocket asked, but Medkit just scowled.

"Absolutely not." He shook his head, taking the creamer from the fridge to the coffee machine. Sword couldn't help but chuckle at the immediate answer.

"Don't you like cats though? Plus the food is good and not too pricey."  

Medkit turned back to the two, eye narrowed.

"Fine, It's not like I have any other ideas. We're leaving after we eat though..." He said, turning back to the coffee machine, sighing as he heard the two say 'yes!' quietly from behind him. The last time he had a proper outing in Crossroads to just have fun before Sword and Rocket was when he and Subspace-

He paused, eye staring unfocused into the mug he had on the counter.

Why was he thinking about that...There's no need to think about him and dampen the mood.  Reaching for the coffee pot he hissed in pain as he missed the mark, hand skimming across the side of it instead to the handle. Retracting his hand quickly his eye regained focus as he held his hand protectively,

"Woah, you alright?" Rocket asked, craning his neck to get a look at Medkit's face. Medkit nodded quickly.

"Yeah just zoned out again...I'm fine I barely touched it." He hummed, recovering and grabbing the pot's handle properly now. Pouring the coffee into the mug,

'I'm gonna go shower right quick before we head out, Rocket, you can go after me if you want." Sword said, patting the rocketeer on the back before getting up and hurrying upstairs. Rocket watched him go, staring for a moment before looking back to Medkit.

"If you don't want to go you know you can just say the word."

"I want to."

"No, you don't. You said it just to comfort him." Rocket sighed, flopping back onto the couch. Medkit paused, gritting his teeth. But he didn't respond, he didn't want to say anything back because he knew the other demon was right. He knew that he said it just to see the tension in Sword's shoulders dissipate, after all he did for him saying yes to going to a cat cafe for a bit is the least Medkit could do. 

"Sometimes I have to step out of my comfort zone, that's how I started changing for the better anyways...What's one cafe going to do." He said, Rocket hummed in thought but didn't say any more on the topic. Medkit admittedly didn't know how to talk to Rocket, it's not as if he didn't know what to talk to the man about per se but more so he was worried he couldn't say the right thing. 

Due to growing up in Blackrock dealing with the pure unbridled hatred for the Playground faction being spewed at him every day, it etched stereotypes into his head. Demons were especially more hyper-critical in the Blacrock faction, so when Playground came up it was all just looks of disdain. 

So when he looks at Rocket, all he sees are the insults drilled into his head.

He still held respect in his heart for him over everything but Medkit was still trying to mend that part of himself. Rocket was different after all, he was a lot more bearable than some of his peers. 

"Did you have trouble acclimating to the environment of Lost Temple when you first began to hang out with Sword...Like the social and emotional environment?" Medkit asked, wanting to be the one to initiate a new subject of conversation.

"Hmm...No not really... I knew people didn't necessarily like me, that was a given but at least Sword liked me. I guess that was the most important thing, you know?" Rocket sat up, looking back towards the doctor.

"Besides, if Playground has taught me anything it's to not let others get you down especially when you're trying to have a good time! Plus, I spend more time here than In Playground anyways." He said, Medkit nodded as he blew on his coffee.

"That's one thing I'll give Playground in terms of good takeaways."

"Heyyy...That felt backhanded." Rocket said squinting, but Medkit shrugged.  Meeting Rocket's gaze he chuckled lightly, 

"Maybe it is... As if you care for Playground demons anyways," he hummed. Rocket touched his chest in dramatized shock, batting his eyelashes at Medkit,

"How dare you!! Show some compassion!" He gasped, making Medkit cover the lower half of his face with his cup as he snickered. The tension eased off his mind, the moment reminded him of a shared moment between him and Subspace. The dramatics were practically on par with the scientist's antics,

"Don't let others get you down especially when you're trying to have a good time, hm?" he mumbled to himself. Rocket tilted his head, not catching what he said, "What was that?"

"Nothing...It's nothing."

For the first time in a while, the thought of Subspace brought him other than fear, although his heart ached there was still a bit of warmth in his chest at the thought of the man's antics. Even with the recurring dreams, it's only been some of Subspace's best moments.

He felt guilty for thinking of the man that way after so long despite the fear he used to feel for the thought of the man's face, but he just sighed. Sipping from his coffee he flinched, pulling back from the mug his tongue slightly stuck out.

"Hot..."

Today was going to be a long day.

Chapter Text

Crossroads was bustling with life as usual. It felt completely disconnected from each faction as if the continuous wars and bad blood between them didn’t exist. Each time Medkit would visit it felt new, like a breath of fresh air. 

Sword and Rocket were engaged in a somewhat amusing conversation, talking about whether ice cream was a soup or a salad. The question was bizarre but Rocket was relentless. Medkit offered his input here and there whenever necessary whenever the pair would turn to him for his idea on the topic.

He was only half paying attention though, taking in all of Crossroads and looking around at everything the area had in store. 

“Rocket, how did you even come to learn of the ‘salad theory’?” Sword inquired, feeling a bit silly to have even asked such a question. Medkit tuned back into the conversation, equally as curious as to how the blue demon came up with this. Rocket shrugged, thinking for a moment.

“Being on the same team as Shuriken has it’s… Perks I guess!”

“Is that even considered a perk?” Medkit questioned, making Sword chuckle a bit. 

“Who knows,” Rocket hummed. They all continued to stroll around Crossroads until they reached the cafe, making small talk as they went. 

When arriving they already noticed a ginger cat napping near the entrance. The feline seemed to be so deep in sleep that when they walked by it didn’t open its eyes, just flicking its tail. As they entered it seemed a bit busy, people were either eating or playing with the cats. Medkit was pleasantly surprised with the atmosphere, it was less chaotic than he had expected. 

They all sat down. Rocket took three menus and passed them out to the others. Medkit skimmed it, looking at the contents where mostly everything on it was cat-themed. Because he had eaten what Rocket and Sword brought back he wasn't hungry but settled on just ordering a lemonade, despite just eating not too long ago though Rocket eyed the menu hungrily.

"Are you sure you want a whole omelet?? You literally just ate a bit ago..." Sword quirked a brow as Rocket looked up from his menu, narrowing his eyes.

"Mind your business, that was like…Three hours ago?! Plus I'm still growing, I need my nutrients." Rocket hummed, looking back into his menu. Sword flicked his tail in amusement at the other, looking back at Medkit with a roll of his eyes. The doctor chuckled, shrugging. Playground faction members are known for their bigger appetites but it was still interesting to see in person.

"He's a growing 22-year-old, cut him some slack." Medkit mused, making Rocket look up at him with annoyance. He didn't say anything more, instead opting to just ignore him. Sword chuckled, leaning back into the chair comfortably.

"So Medkit...?" Sword began, Medkit's attention turned to the red demon. 

“I was just curious if you wanted to attend Phights again.” Sword started, The question made Rocket look up too. Medkit shrank back into his chair at the thought, Phights weren't bad…But they were definitely something. The last time Medkit went, Rocket got too amped up and blew his prosthetic leg off, making both Medkit and Sword stop in their tracks despite being on the other team. Overall it was chaotic, way too chaotic than what Medkit’s comfortable with. Although, it wasn’t terrible it still wasn’t Medkit’s speed.

Medkit shrugged, still unsure. 

“Eh…It’s a bit more of an aggressive environment than I’d like.”

“But you literally came from Blackrock? Aren't aggressive environments in your blood? ” Rocket retorted, making Medkit furrow his eyebrow.

"Just because I was born there doesn't mean I enjoy the environment, Rocket. It’s like if I said you’re from Playground aren't you a fucking drug-addicted superficial-" Medkit cut himself off when he felt a foot nudge his own from under the table. Looking over at Sword who was shaking his head he decided to not finish his sentence, Rocket looked like he was about ready to say something back in retaliation but Sword nudged him too. 

The blue demon was visibly disgruntled but kept his mouth shut for the sake of not causing a scene, still casting a glare in Medkit’s direction. Their relationship was rocky at best but not as bad as most Playground and Blackrock faction members, which was an achievement in and of itself. Medkit sighed, mumbling out an apology and turning towards the window, still feeling Rocket’s gaze burn into the side of his face.

Before anything else could be said a familiar cyan demon walked over to their table.

“I knew you all looked familiar!” He said tail swishing side to side excitedly. Medkit turned his attention to the demon who spoke, catching a glimpse of Rocket’s expression lighting up.

“Sling!” Rocket piped up, Sword also giving a small head dip out of respect. Medkit didn’t say anything, instead staring at what Slingshot was wearing, a blue maid outfit…

When Slingshot made eye contact with Medkit his demeanor shifted noticeably, scooting over closer to Rocket and awkwardly offering a quiet greeting before averting eye contact. Slingshot and Rocket engaged in a lively conversation with Sword occasionally adding his input when necessary, however, Medkit stayed silent. He chewed the inside of his lip as they talked, staring out the window again and using their talk as background noise for his thoughts.

As he looked out the window an increasing feeling of anxiety settled in his body. This had happened before, a feeling of someone staring back though there was nobody there. Medkit swallowed thickly before standing up, startling everyone at the table.

“I’m going to the bathroom.” He mumbled out, walking away before Sword could get a word in. Slingshot’s tail flicked as he let out an exasperated sigh, Sword looking over at him.

“Blackrock faction member’s presence is so intense!! Like it’s as if they just radiate negative vibes y’know?” He mumbled, Rocket nodded in agreement but Sword didn’t say much.

“I haven’t seen him since the last Phight he attended, he seems a little more approachable at least… But I’d rather not bother with people from Blackrock-“ After saying that his gaze turned towards Sword, looking a bit sympathetic.

“No offense Sword!” He whispered, but Sword just shook his head. He understood where Slingshot was coming from, Blackrock isn’t the most well-received faction and he can’t get upset at him for being cautious, even in Crossroads it doesn’t change people’s demeanor automatically by stepping foot here. He couldn’t get mad at people for being put off, especially around people from that faction.

“I get it, it’s no big deal,” Sword hummed. Slingshot nodded and took Medkit’s seat while he was away, leaning in slightly.

“Soooo…How have you two been? How’s Zuka n’ stuff??” He asked, Sword pushing Medkit’s absence in the back of his mind for now..

“We’ve been good, nothing new! We did go to a Phight earlier this morning though” Rocket hummed, messing with a napkin on the table absentmindedly.

“Awhh… Woulda’ gone but you know… Work! How’d the Phight go?”  Sling chuckled, Rocket nodded and rested a webbed hand on his chin.

“Our team won, it was a 13x match. The extra cash in my pocket won’t go unappreciated!” The cyan demon chuckled at that, Rocket continuing on. 

“So, how are you and Skate doing? I haven’t been back in Playground as of late.” 

“Good, good! You aren’t really missing much, surprisingly, just the usual.” 

 Slingshot cleared his throat and took their orders; with a promise to be back, he hurried away to actually do his job before anyone questioned why he wasn’t working. Rocket nudged Sword’s foot with his own to get his attention, Looking over Sword saw Rocket with a small smile on his face.

“You good?” He asked, The Red demon sighed and nodded. Rocket nodded back and placed a hand on his shoulder, massaging it. His thoughts were written all over his face, so it wasn't necessary for Rocket to even say anything more on the subject. 

“I’m fine, just…Thinking about stuff, you know?” 

“Yeah you’re good,” Rocket’s hand shifted to pet Sword’s wings. He shuddered at the initial touch but it calmed him down significantly, offering a small smile at the rocketeer.

Splashing water on his face in the bathroom, Medkit looked in the mirror. Examining his appearance he grimaced, staring back at the eyepatch in the palm of his hand, then back at the mirror. The scar around his eye, or lack of one, only surrounds an empty socket. The sight made him sick to his stomach, sighing he wiped any remaining water off his face with his sleeve and pulled the eyepatch back over his face. 

“Meddy, why the long face?” Subspace hummed, back in the bathrooms of the old lab in Blackrock, Medkit turned to face his co-worker. He was putting his hair into a messy bun before looking back over, Medkit stared into the mirror.

“Should I grow out my hair?” He mumbled, making Subspace raise his eyebrow.

“What inspired that idea? Was it me and my beautiful long hair?!” He purred, making Medkit scoff. 

“Sure, whatever you want to believe Subspace… I was just thinking about changing up my appearance a bit.” he hummed, playing with the ends of his hair in the mirror. Subspace tilted his head before, responding.

“I think you’d look nice with long hair!” 

“Really…?” Medkit turned back to subspace who nodded eagerly. Looking back into the mirror once more he shrugged, taking his glasses that were resting on the side of the sink and putting them back on. 

“It was just a thought, I won’t act on it. Plus, it’s a hazard in the lab and I’m not like you…” He said eying Subspace’s unruly hair, making the other scientist roll his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Meddy.” He retorted, looking back into the mirror to make sure he looked presentable enough before readying himself to leave. Medkit stopped in his tracks at the nickname, it was something Subspace had picked up recently. No matter how many times he told him to knock it off, the other scientist insisted it was cute and was befitting of him. However, the pet name only made him grimace, especially when coming out of Subspace’s mouth. 

“Didn’t I tell you to quit it with that?” Medkit hissed, but even with the shift in tone Subspace only chuckled.

“Why? Don’t like it??” He taunted, pulling his lab coat neatly over his shoulders.

“I hate it actually…” his frown deepened when he saw Subspace shrug as if it was no concern to him. Medkit couldn’t be bothered and began leaving the bathroom, halting only to look at Subspace once more.

“Don’t take too long.”

“M’kay!” He chirped, still adjusting his looks in the mirror and not even bothering to look at Medkit briefly. He sighed before stepping out of the bathroom and heading back to their lab, feeling oddly content. Their banter had filled his repetitive routine with something to look forward to, it was comforting in a way he couldn’t place.

Before Medkit had even realized it, his small world inside of Blackrock molded around Subspace.

“Why do you always use Blackrock as an excuse to do this shit-”

“It’s not just Blackrock, for our future too if we just…” He trailed off when he saw Medkit’s face, it was pure disappointment.

“You know my answer.”

“But-”

“No, I’m not going over this again.” Medkit sighed.

Recently it’s all been arguments, before the crystals they’d spent so much more time on more productive shit. Now it’s ‘Blackrock’ this, and ‘crystals’ that. He was sick of it…

“I need you, please… The work you do is-” He grabbed Medkit’s shoulders. With months worth of pent-up anger he raised his hand and smacked him, hard. The sound echoed through the lab, and Subspace's eyes widened. 

“You…”

Medkit’s eyes widened, but what’s done is done. But before he even processed what happened he’d been slapped back, his eyes dilated;  in retaliation, he punched Subspace. The violence felt good, as if he’d been needing this. 

They began to scuffle, Subspace slammed Medkit’s back against a cabinet. Beakers and flasks crashed to the ground, shattering. Broken glass cracked under their feet as Medkit had Subspace by the throat, he clawed at Medkit’s hands drawing blood. Before he reached around, he grabbed hold of a flask before smashing it on Medkit’s head. He grunted and staggered back, “You-” He started before Subspace lunged at him, pushing him to the ground.

He hissed as the back of his head hit the side of one of the counters. Subspace took the opportunity to grab at him, making Medkit grab whatever was closest to him and stab the other scientist with it.

A bloodcurdling scream rang out through the lab as Subspace clutched his face. Medkit paused immediately, staring towards Subspace with confusion.

What happened?

Subspace released his face staring at Medkit with pure rage, one of his eyes had a crystal lodged in it. The flesh around the eye was already starting to decay, rotting and peeling as what remained of his eye seeped out like a broken egg yolk. Blood bubbled and sizzled as he gasped for air after the primal scream he let out. He whined from the pain, mumbling illegible things while Medkit just watched in horror.

“I…I didn’t mean-”

Something Medkit couldn’t place was in Subspace's eye, too much was happening at once for him to be able to properly analyze what was going on. 

Growling Subspace pushed through the pain and reached for Medkit, he yelped and began scooting away. He kicked at the other feebly until he grabbed his ankle and yanked Medkit forward, causing him to slide towards Subspace.

Subspace took the opportunity to grab Medkit by his arm and slam him against the ground underneath him.  He kicked his feet feebly, but before anything could happen Subspsace’s boot caught on a piece of glass, and with an uncomfortable screech, his foot slipped and he fell to his side with a grunt. Medkit kicked him in the side, trying to stop the room from spinning as he tried to stand. How hard did he hit his head? Subspace grabbed Medkit’s sleeve, pulling him closer. He stared into Subspace’s eye, dilated and filled with tears. Subspace pushed Medkit back to the floor, straddling his waist while the other flailed weakly to no avail. 

“W…Wait.. Subspace, we can talk about this…I didn’t mean to” His voice was getting frantic as he held one of Subspace’s wrists. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, from the pain and the emotional turmoil he was going through. His voice cracked as he tried to reason with Subspace, it wasn’t working. 

The other’s face was littered with stress, eye staring glossy and unfocused on Medkit. Before his hand went straight for his left eye, Medkit tried to shut his eyes and move away.

“Wait, wait. Please, don’t Sub, we can…Subspace please- don’t do anything rash” his voice trembling as he felt skin make contact with his eye. He wouldn't, right? ….No it was going to happen…No…Nononono…

“Don’t…Do anything… Rash?? Look at me” Subspace growled. Medkit whimpered, shaking his head.

“Look at me…Look what you did to me.”

Medkit was shrieking pleas, as he weakly flailed under him, The room was spinning, and his head hurt…His heart hurt.

“Subspace please, I…love you…Please, Subspace don’t-” Before he could even finish he felt Subspace dig into his eye socket.

“If this is what love feels like... Then allow me to return the favor, Meddy” With that he ripped his eye out. Searing pain coursed through his skull as he screamed, he couldn’t even hear himself. It all felt so distant…

He wanted to escape, he wanted to turn back time. He wished they’d never even found out about those damned crystals…

He screamed, he couldn’t stop. He wanted to pass out, anything to distract from the pain. He began to hit his head against the floor, something, anything. Red clouded his vision as his eye settled on Subspace, his stare was blank, He looked at his hands, Medkit’s eye along with clumps of his flesh sitting neatly in his palm. 

Medkit felt sick, he felt like he was going to throw up. The adrenaline was too much he gagged as he felt every muscle in his body scream, he didn’t want to throw up, he didn’t-

He writhed in pain, clutching his face. Subspace had long since moved away from him, panic settling in, but too stunned to even utter a word or move a muscle. 

It hurt so much.

Medkit saw a hand reach out with blurry vision, and with panic coursing through his veins he shot up, grabbing a piece of broken glass he stabbed Subspace in his arm before darting out, a scream echoing through the halls after he crashed through the doors of their lab. 

Stumbling through the halls he ran and didn’t look back, leaving his whole world behind. After bursting out of the laboratory he continued to run, bumping into blurry shapes who shouted profanities or staggered back from being startled but that didn’t stop him. He ran as far as his legs could take him, till he didn’t know where he was anymore.

Medkit’s legs finally gave out as soon as he felt a sliver of safety, he lay on the floor like a wounded animal, labored breathing as it felt like his heart was threatening to burst out of his chest, his lungs feeling like they were filled with sand. He gagged, his body starting to lose the adrenaline rush and the searing pain coming back. Bile rose in his throat as he retched, coughing up whatever he had eaten within the past hours. 

Heaving he slumped against a wall pathetically, whimpering from the pain and struggling to keep his eye open.

Was this really it? 

Was he going to die from blood loss in god knows where? 

…

…..

“Holy shit are you okay?” 

His once closed eye drearily blinked open, he could barely make out the blurry shape in front of him but he was on high alert. Claws ready he pressed himself against the wall pathetically, eye dilated from fear.

“Woah woah, it’s okay…It’s okay I’m not going to hurt-”

“Wh…Where am I?” He hissed, voice hoarse and barely audible.

“Uhm, you’re in Lost Temple right now…Are you alright?? Clearly not- Sorry… We need to get you to a doctor or something-” The blurry shape reached out causing Medkit to tense up again.

“Don’t fucking touch me.” He growled making the shape flinch, it retracted its hand and instead knelt down. 

“You’re going to die here if I don’t get you help man? Your like…Whole eye is gone and there’s a lot of blood-”

“What if…I want to die here?” He heaved, missing eye, still sending shockwaves of pain through his skull once he thought about it.

“I don’t know what happened to get you like this, but you still have a chance to live and show whatever or whoever did this to you what for… So come on?”

Medkit’s mouth pressed into a thin line, not responding. The shape sighed, staying unmoving for a moment.

“It hurts doesn’t it?”

Medkit nodded slowly.

“Then come, let’s get you checked out okay? We can figure out the rest later.” The shape reached out again, this time holding its hand in place to ensure he felt comfortable. Mulling over his options, Medkit reached out slowly, only for his world to go dark before he could take the stranger's hand.

“-And somehow you thought this was a good idea, Sword? God, I appreciate how righteous you are but god you’re stupid!”

“He was going to DIE if I didn’t do somethin' Rocket, That’s not a very nice alternative to literally just bringing him back and making sure he’s good. His eye is literally-

“He’s from Blackrock, Sword…” the voice sounded agitated.

“Since when did you stereotype people based on factions? Since when was it okay to leave people to die?”

“He’s from Blackrock?! That changes a lot-”

“Zuka’s from Blackrock? What about him?”

The room went quiet for a moment, Medkit stared unblinking at the ceiling, fluorescent light flooding his vision. Sitting up his head throbbed and he groaned from the pain, squeezing his eye shut.

After opening it again he adjusted to the world around him, blurry shapes finally taking the form of a Blue and Red demon; features making it obvious what faction they resided in. The blue demon stared with hostility, preparing for the worst while the red one just stared with worry. 

“Are you okay?” The red one spoke first, but Medkit just stared. He didn’t want to talk, it felt like something was squeezing his throat shut. He just looked down at his hands, trying to process everything. So many questions buzzed around in his head like how long he was out for, who are these people, where is he anyway, and where is Subspace?

“You’re in a Lost Temple hospital right now… I found you close to the bridge that leads to Crossroads before you passed out.” The red demon mumbled out, Medkit looked back up to them. Examining their features he blinked at them, they both looked pretty young.

When he still didn’t respond Rocket looked towards Sword with a quirked brow.

“You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to… But my name is Sword, this is Rocket. Ignore his sour attitude.” As soon as he said that, Rocket nudged his shoulder, glaring at him.

“Dad’s gonna kill me…” Rocket sighed.

“He won’t dude, quit overreacting.” Sword retorted before turning his attention back to Medkit, wording a small apology.

Medkit slowly nodded in understanding, looking out the window and processing it all.

He’d probably be a wanted criminal in Blackrock by now, and he had no clue if Subspace was even alive.

The person he molded his life around disappeared in one night…

Snapping back to reality, Medkit heard the noise of someone entering the bathroom, blinking away his blurry vision, his reflection staring back.

How long had he been standing there?

Medkit backed away from the mirror and straightened his clothes before walking out, as he had intended to. making his way back to their table he sat down wordlessly, startling both Rocket and Sword at his sudden arrival. By the time he’d gotten back, Rocket was already halfway through his omelet with another bite in his mouth when his attention turned to Medkit.

“Welcome back!” Sword hummed, offering a small smile. Medkit dipped his head but didn’t say anything more, making Sword’s wings droop a bit. Rocket watched this exchange while thoughtfully eating his omelet, nudging Sword’s foot with his own and smiling when he caught the red demon’s attention. 

“Hun, you have something in your teeth…” he chuckled and handed him a toothpick from off the tableside, making Rocket roll his eyes.

“I literally just wanted to make you feel better but whatever man.”

 Medkit watched their playful back and forth quietly sipping on his lemonade, he preferred it this way anyway. 

Especially in public.

Though it used to bother him more years back, he’s grown accustomed to the stares from everyone in Crossroads. Not many people from Blackrock visited the place, let alone being accompanied by two relatively well-known people from factions not on the best terms with his own. No matter how much he wanted to separate himself from Blackrock, he had the features, temperament, and energy of one. Just by staring at a person you could tell what faction they were raised in, Medkit being no exception even though he’d been staying in and out Lost Temple and crossroads for quite some time. 

He hummed, looking back out the window.

“Thanks for the offer with the Phights… I’ll consider it.”

They both turned their attention back to Medkit.

“Really? Are you just saying that because we want you there or because you wanna??” Rocket tilted his head. 

“I want to… Think of it as returning the favor.” He hummed, making Sword furrow his brows.

“What favor?”

“Nothing… Just when’s the next phight?”