Chapter Text
Subspace woke up warm.
Oddly.. warm.
Arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him close to the comforting heat. His head and horns nuzzled into the other's chest. After a moment of Subspace blinking to clear his weary eyes, Medkit came into focus in front of him. There was a dim glow off of Medkit's horns, their crystal still slightly active, working through his sleep. It made Subspace's chronic pain fuzzier, duller. Helped him sleep. It also cleansed the toxins his body produced, making him safer to be around.Between his body containing more naturally forming toxins, his constant exposure to his own crystals over the years, and the build up of chemicals from his decay he was usually hazardous to breathe around.
But not right now.
Not with Medkit here.
It felt safer like this. Of course to some extent that was just the objective truth. Subspace’s rot was under further control with the healer at his side. But it also calmed him.
He usually was filled to the brim with energy. It boiled and bubbled over the top. He felt like he needed to tear things apart, destroy them. He needed the attention it got him. He needed to prove he was unstoppable. He needed more than the world would give, an insatiable hunger gnawed at his stomach all of the time, eating him from the inside out. He was Icarus flying towards the sun.
And yet, Meddy cooled him. Sometimes, that is. Originally Medkit only made it worse. Gave him someone he needed to be better than. Gave him someone he needed the attention of. And when Medkit left it only got worse. He needed to prove to Medkit that they were a fool to leave him. He needed Medkit to never come back. He needed Medkit regret what had happened. He was filled with conflicting anger and jealously and hatred. Hatred built off of instability. He felt like he was going to tear himself apart clawing at the rage he felt whenever he saw Medkit with that new little group of his.
Then, something changed. They were forced on teams together. Forced to phight together. It was thrilling, and they didn't make a bad team. Subspace grew protective. He at first argued that it was simply his job to make sure no one else got to killing Meddy before him. That only he could bother the traitor and cause them problems. Medkit for a long time never seemed to be the same. On occasion even letting Subspace take hits and fall in the phight just out of distaste for the other.
Subspace expected it to stay like that forever.
Then Medkit found him hacking up blood after a fight. Rot and bile falling from his decayed mouth, his mask forgotten on the floor after he scrambled to get it off as blood dripped from its filters. Subspace was almost too dazed to realize what was happening, but suddenly Medkit had a hand on his back, warmth pooling through his body which was chilled by bad blood flow.
Medkit shrugged it off as feeling disgusted seeing the suffering the damage he had caused did even if they hated the scientist. Subspace couldn't help but be confused that Medkit had helped at all.
And now Subspace was here. Tucked against Medkit with that same warmth pooling over him. If Subspace was Icarus, Medkit was his Apollo. Both melting his wings and sending him crashing to earth, yet filling him with warmth.
Subspace let his eye fall back shut, and pressed his face into Medkit's chest. Subspace couldn't tell what they smelled like, he lost that ability alongside his taste, but he could feel the rise and fall of Medkit's breathing. It was comforting. Subspace was at easy. A strange occurrence for him at this point in his life. It was almost alarming, feeling so safe.
A soft rumble made its way out of Subspace’s chest. A gentle purring that wasn't common to hear outside of intimate situations. Was this intimate? Subspace paused at the thought. He supposed it was. And that realization made him melt further into Medkit's hold. With almost a bit of disgust for himself Subspace realized he had gotten soft. He was weak for the gentle attention he was given. Weak for the fact that he wasn't alone. Weak for the fact that Medkit came back, for if Medkit was willing to put up with him and try to understand him, maybe he wasn't as doomed as he thought.
Subspace felt Medkit shift beside him, a soft groan signifying their wakefulness. The scientist couldn't help but purr louder at the moment, overcome with obsessive affection and adoration for the healer.
He could hear a muffled and confused hum from Medkit, but instead of saying anything, Subspace just pulled the arms he had wrapped around Medkit tighter. They wouldn't be leaving bed anytime soon. There was no reason to. Subspace wanted attention and he was dead set on getting it.
“Mmn.. are you.. purring?” Medkit's voice was deeper with the morning.
Subspace could feel Medkit's hands start to rub circles on his back, and gave an appreciative hum in response, mixed with a soft laugh at Medkit's question.
“Ammm I not allowed to be happy Meddy? Would you rather me suffer?” Subspace spoke against Medkit's chest with a cheery tease to his tone.
“Wh… Shut up,” Medkit's tired brain took a moment to process what Subspace was doing, before they gave a loud sigh.
“I can't believe Meddy hates mee,” he pouted, moving just enough to look at Medkit with a pathetic gaze.
Medkit simply shook his head lightly and took one hand off of Subspace's back to cup his face. They moved gently forward to press a soft kiss against Subspace's forehead. It usually worked to shut the scientist up, him being either too stunned or soft to respond for a while. And as usual, Subspace went quiet, eye closing again to indulge in the soft and sweet morning.
“I suppose you don't want me getting up to make us coffee?” Medkit hummed.
Subspace shook his head against Medkit's chest and stayed pressed where he was. He wanted to stay like this for as long as he could, in the back of his mind a lingering fear that it was too good to be true.
“your fault when I'm irritable later,” Their voice was soft and almost affectionate as Medkit shifted the two's positions. Now laying on their back with Subspace pulled on top of them. He ran one of their hands up and down the other's back.
“Hmmm. You're always grumpy, Meddy. I'll live!” Subspace chimed, followed by a short laugh.
It was a new routine the two had fallen into. It was strange for them to be so soft. But they enjoyed it. No, it wasn’t perfect, and they both had scars to prove it, but they could make it better. They could become Something Better