Chapter but in ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53768371/chapters/136175158#workskin

Hyperlaser stared at his brother silently. Ever since Subspace had come home after being missing for a day 'n a half, he seemed distraught. "Sub?" Hyper reached out, putting his hand on his brother's shoulders. Subspace jumped, turning back to look at him from his desk. "What Hyper? I'm working." Subspace was jittery, fidgeting with his hands, unable to keep his gaze still.

"Did something happen?" Hyper asked keeping his hand on Subspace's shoulder. "I'm your brother, you can tell me anything, y'know." He offered his support. "I'm fine, Hyper. Just.. I don't know." Subspace mumbled, turning back to his work. He was never this quiet.

Hyperlaser grabbed the pink demon and picked him up. "Yeah, that's not how we do things, bro." "HYPER! Put me down!" Subspace growls, squriming against the stronger demon's grip. Hyper threw Subspace over his shoulder with ease. "C'mon Sub, we're goin' out." He stated, walking towards the exit. Subspace gave up, hanging miserably from Hyperlaser's shoulder. "Where?"

"Just out. You up for visiting Katana?" They left the facility, Subspace having his arms crossed. "Sure, I guess. But put me down, I can walk myself." Hyperlaser nodded, putting his brother down. "Come on then, let's go."

--♡--

After passing through the calm scenery of the Thieves' Den, Subspace felt a bit more at ease. He always liked this region but never had an excuse to visit. Following his brother, they eventually stop at a small house. Hyper happily knocks on the door, waiting patiently. Across the road, Subspace seen three familiar faces. Slingshot, Shuriken and Vinestaff, outside hanging out. He's seen them around at phights and working at Slingshot's Cafe. He was silently filled with jealousy at their carefree nature with each other, completely at ease and enjoying each other's company.

Hearing a door open, Subspace turned back. Katana greeted them both, Hyper instantly embracing his partner in a hug. "Hyperlaser, hello." He smiled, turning to Subspace, "and to you Subspace, hello. Come in, come in." He stepped back, holding the door open for them. Entering the house, they both took their shoes off right at the door, one of Katana's house rules. Subspace was familiar with this, having visited Katana many times with his brother.

"How've you been?" Hyper asked, taking off his helmet. Katana followed with taking off his helmet, shaking out his long silver hair. The two shared a similarity of refusing to show their faces around anyone else. "Good. Slingshot gave me some cookies, I believe they're still warm if you'd like some." He glanced at Subspace. "Feel free to help yourself, Slingshot has given me too many to finish upon my own."

"I'll pass, thanks for the offer Katana." Subspace replies, sitting on the couch. The two older demons joined him on it, the two lovers sitting significantly closer together. "Katana you look way older than you are." Subspace blurts out, causing Hyper to give him a glare. "No offense, you look cool, but your natrual silver hair makes you look ancient! In a good way of course."

Katana smiles slightly, chuckling. "I agree with you, Subspace. Maybe I should dye my hair to my father's natural color." He brainstorms. "What color would that be?" Hyper asks, holding the demon's hand. "Black."

"That would look badass!" Subspace chirps, "and you'd match Hyper." He looks at his brother's jet black messy hair. "But, I don't think it matches your overall colorscheme of your helmet.. So unless you change your whole theme, silver looks best." He gives his input cheerfully. "I agree with Subspace, it would look good with your features, but not so much with your outfit choices." Hyper agrees, pulling the red demon closer. "Perhaphs you speak truth, I don't believe I wish to change my whole appearance for something almost no one sees." Katana replies, leaning against the blue demon.

The two older demons continued to chatter, Subspace falling quiet. He sighs quietly to himself, leaning his head on his hand as he thinks. After a few minutes of pondering, he's snapped back to reality as he realizes the two were looking at him. "Huh?" He looks back, confused. "Subspace, is something troubling you? You seem to have zoned out for a rather lengthy time." Katana asks, his voice soothing with his naturally soft tone. "It was only a few seconds, was it not?" Subspace is even more confused. He had only just zoned out. "No, you were out for a good 15 minutes." Hyperlaser replied, looking concerned. "What's bothering you?" The blue demon reaches over putting his hand on the smaller demon's shoulder.

"Nothing much, just.. thinking. I'm alright." Subspace shoos the hand off his shoulder. "Work has just been stressful, that's all." He lies, avoiding the older two demons' gazes. "It's easy to tell you're lying, Subspace, but if you do not wish to speak about your problems, I feel no reason to push you. However, we're here if you would like." Katana replies, Hyperlaser nodding in agreement with his lover. "Thanks." Subspace replies simply, looking at the floor.

A few more minutes pass before Subspace zones out again, reliving the memories he had with Medkit. Why couldn't he stop thinking about him? It's pathetic how one meeting made his entire defense system drop. He quietly growled at himself, not feeling the tears well up in his eyes as he grips the couch's arm with his claws. He's snapped out of his second trance by being yanked against his brother into a tight embrace. "Okay Sub, something is seriously wrong with you and you're going to tell us. At first it was fine with you not wanting to talk about it, but if you're getting this worked up over something, we should know. I should know." Hyper looks into his brother's eye, wiping away the tears that Subspace hadn't realized were falling.

Subspace is silent for a moment, looking away from Hyperlaser, not knowing what to say. "I will leave you two with privacy. I will visit my neighbors for a few minutes, you are welcome to join me if you wish, after your conversation is done." Katana says, standing up and putting his helmet back on. He leaves the house, giving the two privacy.

"Sub, please. What's bothering you? It's not like you to be like this. You haven't been this worked up over something since the 'incident.'" Hyperlaser grips his brother tightly in a hug. "I'm here for you, you know you can always come to me."

Sighing, Subspace returned the hug, resting his head on his brother's shoulder. "Well, when I went out.. something happened. I got really drunk, which I expected, but when I woke up the next morning.. I was.. in 'his' house." Subspace admitted, refusing to meet Hyperlaser's questioning gaze. "Nothing really happened, he actually helped me, I guess. He took care of me when I was too drunk to even stand and put some weird sludge on my rot. It actually helped." Subspace sat up, pulling his mask down. The changes weren't extreme, but the rot around his mouth did look better.

"Why did he help you? You two are sworn enemies after what happened, aren't you?" Hyper questioned, taking Subspace's mask and tossing it on the table. He liked seeing his brother's full face, despite how nasty people might describe it.

"I.. don't know. I asked, he wouldn't tell me. We were going back and forth about something, and then he said something along the lines of him only staying in Blackrock because of me. That.. really confused me." Subspace continued telling what happened. "I always thought he hated me, he always hated everything I did with my inventions and ideas. He always seemed to have a superior complex against me." Recalling memories of the past, his eye teared up. Medkit had always been his dearest friend, despite their constant bickering with each other. At some point, he wanted to be more than friends.

"Did you ask him what he meant?" Hyperlaser was just as confused as Subspace was. Medkit had always seemed annoyed and cold towards his brother before the incident, or at least from what he saw. But then again, Medkit seemed annoyed and cold to everyone.

"He said he'd tell me another time, I don't know why. I told him he knows where to find me, but looking back, that was kind of a bad idea considering he's wanted in Blackrock." Subspace sighs, rubbing the tears threatening to overflow from his eye. "I don't know what to do, Hyper." He hugged his brother.

Hyperlaser returned the hug, comforting his brother. "All you can do is wait for him to explain himself, Sub. Don't work yourself up too much. Katana has his number, I can get him to send Medkit your number, if you'd like." Hyper suggests, running his fingers through his brother's hair.

"Yeah, please." Subspace's voice is hardly louder than a whisper, confused by the emotions he's feeling. "I just want this whole ongoing situation to be over."

"I know, bud. Hopefully it will be soon." Hyper releases Subspace from his grip. "Do you want to stay here or go visit the others? They're closer to your age and personality y'know, you might could befriend them, hang out with others instead of staying cooped up in that lab and drinking once a week." Hyperlaser suggests. Subspace is quiet for a moment before replying, "fine."

--♡--

Subspace had actually enjoyed his time spent with the Thieves' Den members, finding it soothing. He hadn't been his normal loud and obnoxious self due to his current mental state, but he didn't hate the time he spend there. Subspace didn't think he'd ever consider the siblings friends, but he didn't dislike their company. A neutral ground is where he stood with them. Hyperlaser had also asked Katana to give Medkit Sub's number, which he happily obliged. Obviously the siblings had never knew Katana even had a phone, considering their shocked faces when he took it out.

Now, Subspace lays in his bed, hardly larger than a walk-in closet. He only had enough room for his bed and a small dresser-closet hybrid. However small it was, it was free and in the lab. It just meant he could work whenever he wanted and was never late. Sitting up, Subspace sighs to himself. Taking out his phone, he scrolls through his contacts. Only Hyperlaser and Katana were listed.

"God, I really am lonely, aren't I?" Subspace speaks to no one in particular. "Maybe I should go work on Biograft some more." He stands up from his bed, ready to put his labcoat on before hearing his phone ding. "Odd." He notes to himself, picking up his phone and checking it. A new message from an unknown number. He clicked on it, curious.

>>Hey, it's Medkit. I agree, you do deserve an explanation and I would like to clear up this ongoing hatred between us, as I feel it has formed from a misunderstanding. Are you free this Sunday at 9:00pm?

Subspace stared at the message, rereading it over and over. He quickly checked his schedule which he saved in his phone, having no plans on Saturday other than a phight at 6pm. He quickly messaged back,

>Yeah, I'll be free. Where do you wanna meet up, Meddy~ <3

>>Quit. But, how about my house? I'd rather be somewhere private instead of public. I don't wish for out conversation to be overheard.

>That works Meddy! I'll be there 9pm sharp!~ ;) don't miss me too much <3

>>Keep texting like that and I'll send Hyperlaser these pictures of you.
-- Attatchments: 4 --

Medkit had sent the pictures of Subspace being a total drunk mess. Subspace rolled his eyes like Medkit could see.

>I'm sorryyy pls dont ;< you promised not to!!

>>Be there on time. I won't let you in if you're even a minute late.

>Will do!! <3

Subspace read their conversation over before opening his messages with Hyperlaser.

>I'm meeting up with him at his house Sunday, 9pm

Hyper's reply was almost instant.

>>That's good, let me know how it goes. If you want someone to go with you, I can. I can wait outside for you or something, just so you aren't walking into your "greatest enemy's" house alone at night

>I can take care of myself, I'll bring a crystal or 2 just in case!! No need to worry about me Hyp

>>Everyone and their mother knows you can barely defend yourself, but if you're sure..

>I'm not that weak! And I'm sure, if he wanted to hurt me, he would have done it whenever I was blackout drunk. He had me passed out in his house for 12 hours afterall

>>Alright, I trust your judgement, Subspace. Let me know if you change your mind

>Will do!!

With the conversation coming to an end, Subspace no longer felt like working on his Biografts. Updating its code could wait, there were no imperfections after all, he just wanted to add some more basic commands.

Checking the date, he read it over and over. It's Thursday right now, his meeting with Medkit just two days away. For some reason, he felt happy to be seeing the doctor, a spark lighting within his chest. Smiling to himself, he happily layed back in bed, holding his phone. He couldn't wait!

--♡--

The next day came with a blur, Subspace happily prancing along while doing his duties. His mood was obviously noticed by others, Hyperlaser especially. Hyper was happy his brother's mood had increased, he hated seeing him so upset.

Subspace was currently updating Biograft's code, sitting in his chair with his knees to his chest. He had been so focused on work, he didn't realize the demon standing behind him. Turning around in his chair to see if his code worked, he yelled, almost falling out the chair. "WHY..?" Is all Subspace could ask, staring in complete confusion.

"Hi." Shuriken waved slightly. "I was on cookie duty today, I was giving Katana some 'n he said I should come give you some 'cause you were like.. sad or something and you liked cookies, so here." Shuriken shoves a bag of cookies into Subspace's hands.

"How did you get in here? You're completely unregistered in the system, did someone let you in?" Subspace asks, still confused. "I'm one of the best ninjas there is! Some stupid alarm system in Blackrock isn't gonna change that." Shuriken puts a hand on his hip proudly. "Anyways, why are you considered so evil, yet you're so giddy over a robot?" The green demon asks, taking out one of his throwing stars and throwing it in the air to catch it in his hand idly, repeating the action.

"I'm considered evil because I AM evil. Have you forgotten the Biograft that almost killed you outside of a phight?" Subspace crosses his arms after putting the cookies on his desk. "My entire goal here is to cause and spread chaos and death." Speaking of death, he silently thanked himself for making a habit of keep his mask on 24/7, even if he was the only one in the room.

"Uhm, I think you're just emo." Shuriken states flatly. "Try making friends! It's like, way better than being cooped up in this ick." He runs a finger along one of the idle desks, a layer of dust coming up. "Do you even have friends?"

"I-I do!" Subspace yells defensively. He's lying of course, but he wouldn't let some low life theif think hes better than Blackrock's Greatest!

Shuriken looked at him with a look. "Riiight... Anyways, I'll be going. You seem pretty cool though, If you wanna hang out ever, I'm usually at Sling's Cafe or hangin around Crossroads!" Shuriken offers his friendship subtly, silently leaving the room. He was a good ninja, Subspace couldn't hear any noice he made other than his voice.

Standing there in idle confusion for a few moments, Subspace shrugs. "Theives' Den demons have always been weird." He mumbles to himself, glancing at the cookies. Maybe he'd try one, it had been a few days since he had last eaten after all. Looking around to make sure no one else was in the room uninvited, he took his mask off and slowly tasted a cookie. They were good.