Chapter Text
“So you just went ahead and did it…?” Scythe said, staring at Medkit with a mix of disbelief and annoyance.
Medkit barely looked up. His arms were full of blankets and a couple of snacks; he clearly looked irritated about being interrupted like this while he was on his way to his room. He already had enough to deal with after his boss spent the whole morning complaining about his pet… even though he had told her very clearly that he wanted to have one!! But of course, Scythe never took him seriously.
He felt lonely in the church… painfully lonely. Sometimes, when the silence got too heavy, he found himself missing the company he used to have in Blackrock. So, after thinking about it a lot (and also a little impulsively), he adopted a local pet from there. “Why not,” he thought. “Someone has to keep me company around here…”
When he brought him to the church, everyone looked at him weird… way too weird. Some even whispered, others stared at him like he was out of his mind. But honestly, what could they do? He was the only doctor there, for god’s sake!! If any of them got poisoned, broke something, or ended up unconscious, their lives depended entirely on Medkit. They could judge him, they could whisper, but they couldn’t stop him.
And in the end, none of it mattered. Medkit didn’t care what they said or thought. The only thing he cared about was his pet… his little, precious, beloved companion… He adored him so much!! Nothing in the church mattered more to him than that. Nothing.
“Yes, I did… I adopted him… and right now I have to go make sure he feels better. The poor thing still isn’t used to all this…”
muttered the turquoise-horned boy, adjusting the blankets in his arms. His expression was heavy with guilt and exhaustion; every time he thought about his pet trembling or disoriented, his chest tightened a little more. His eye, usually steady, showed a constant worry he couldn’t hide.
Scythe watched him in silence for a few seconds… seconds that felt painfully long. She didn’t know how to react. Her hands were clasped together, her jaw slightly tight, and her gaze kept shifting toward the wall, as if searching for an escape. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about Medkit, but… this topic was complicated. Deeply uncomfortable.
Deep down, it bothered her that he had taken such a drastic decision without properly talking it through… and even worse, that she herself had allowed it without fully understanding the consequences.
If she had known what he was going to do…
If she had imagined even a fraction of what it would entail…
…she probably never would have agreed.
But the damage was already done.
“Just keep in mind that Blackrock is looking for him… Be careful, Kit.”
she finally said, forcing a smile that never reached her eye. There was concern there, yes, but also fear. Fear of what it meant. Fear of what could happen if someone else discovered the truth.
Scythe turned around and left without another word. Her boots echoed through the quiet hallway, leaving the conversation behind as if she wanted to bury it in the deepest corner of her mind. Even so, the tension lingered, clinging to her back like a shadow.
Medkit watched her go, then sighed, hugging the blankets a bit tighter before continuing on his way. He was anxious to return to his pet… to make sure he was calm, that he wasn’t scared. That he understood he was safe now… or at least as safe as one could be under the church’s roof.
Everything was so uncomfortable…
Even those who didn’t know the full story could feel the heaviness in the air the moment Blackrock was mentioned.
Scythe was walking down another corridor when guilt struck her again. She had agreed too quickly, trusting Medkit… but she hadn’t anticipated the cost. And even though Medkit’s pet hadn’t caused any disasters or destroyed anything… the noise he made the first time he came in still echoed in her ears. She didn’t blame him. Not after everything that had been done to him.
If she had been lobotomized too… she would have screamed just the same.
The thought made her frown, a mix of pity and anger rising in her chest.
And then, inevitably, she thought of Subspace.
Poor Subspace…
“I’m here, Subby! Where are you…?”
Medkit said in a slightly brighter tone as he gently pushed the door open.
Subspace was lying on the bed, buried under a pile of blankets, staring at nothing… completely motionless. It was sad to see him like that. Even when he tried to think, his mind produced nothing but static… white noise, emptiness. Sometimes he didn’t respond at all; other times, he muttered vague things… and that was only when he actually heard something, because most of the time he was just dissociating.
“Mmh…” was the only answer Medkit received.
The turquoise-horned demon frowned a little—not in anger, but in sadness. He knew change was awful for animals… and Subspace was extremely sensitive to it. All of this had to be hell for him.
So Medkit set the blankets aside and sat down close to Subspace, moving slowly so he wouldn’t startle him, and wrapped his arms around him in a warm, steady embrace.
“It’s okay, Subspace… I’ve got you. We’re safe… Blackrock won’t hurt you again, I promise. I’ll take care of you… just like the old times…”
he whispered, gently brushing his fingers through Subspace’s white hair.
It was clear the touch soothed him; Subspace’s ears twitched slightly, and the light in his crystal softened, losing that tense flicker. For Medkit, seeing that tiny change meant everything.
A warm kind of happiness filled his chest—something he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He loved having company again… someone to love, someone who loved him back… someone who depended on him.
“Subspace… do you want to eat something? Come on, buddy… you must be hungry…”
the deer demon said, leaning in a bit to look at him, genuinely hoping for a response.
He had brought sweets and snacks Subspace used to enjoy before. Before all this, before Blackrock, before he lost so much. Back in Blackrock, he couldn’t taste anything… not really.
If he were still there, he never would have recovered that ability. But Medkit had used multiple crystals, spent days researching, nights without sleep… and finally managed to heal some of Subspace’s taste buds. It was one of his greatest accomplishments.
Knowing his pet could eat again… could taste again… could enjoy something… made him incredibly happy.
If he had known it felt this good to care for someone…
If he had known how much it filled his heart…
…he would have done it a long time ago.
Maybe… back when he first escaped… when things could still have been different.
Anyway… the doctor, wearing a calm smile far too comfortable with the situation, picked up one of the snacks: a pudding cup. He emptied it carefully into a small dish and grabbed a plastic spoon. Plastic, never metal.
Metal wasn’t good for Subspace… and if Subspace got hurt, he cried.
And Medkit hated hearing him cry.
It reminded him too much of how Subspace had first arrived at the church… confused, shaking, unable to process things properly. Medkit knew Subspace hadn’t liked what he’d had to do back then… but it was necessary. Some things needed to be fixed, even if they hurt.
But that didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was that now everything was orderly… quiet… manageable. And most importantly: Subspace was by his side.
Right where he needed him.
The pudding was soft and sweet, perfect for someone who relied so heavily on him now. Medkit brought the spoon gently to the white-haired boy’s lips with almost ceremonial care. Subspace opened his mouth without resistance, without hesitation… simply obeying. He ate because Medkit fed him. He existed because Medkit guided him.
For the doctor, that dependence was… comforting.
When they finished, a bit of pudding clung to the corner of Subspace’s mouth. He simply flopped back onto the bed again, as if he didn’t understand they were done, or that he was messy.
Medkit frowned slightly.
“Subspace…”
He scolded him softly, like speaking to something delicate.
He leaned in and wiped the remaining pudding with his thumb, lingering just long enough to caress his cheek. It was hard not to remember the chaotic energy Subspace once had… that wild, unpredictable spark that made him unique. Medkit missed it sometimes. Just a little.
But if he wanted to keep him… if he wanted Subspace to remain his… then he had to behave.
He had to stay calm.
He had to keep functioning like this.
“Subspace, I need to fix the bed… go sit in the corner and wait.”
The command came out clear, firm, leaving no room for confusion. And as if pulled by an invisible string, Subspace registered it immediately. He stood up without a sound and moved to the exact corner Medkit had indicated, sitting there… quiet, docile, obedient.
Exactly the way Medkit wanted him.
While Medkit made the bed, Subspace simply watched. He tried to think about anything that wasn’t Medkit, but it was difficult. Being cared for felt good… yet something was wrong. Very wrong. A crawling sense of danger and sickness clung to him. Something had happened—he knew it—but he couldn’t remember.
He only knew that on the day Medkit took him to the church…
…he remembers nothing after that.
“Subspace, come here. Let’s get your pajamas on and go to sleep.”
Medkit’s voice cut through his spiraling thoughts, and Subspace obeyed, sitting on the freshly made bed. It was comfortable… too comfortable.
Medkit began by lifting Subspace’s shirt slowly, careful not to startle him. Back when they used to work together, Subspace always shoved him into the bathroom whenever he had to change. He almost never let Medkit see his scars. But now… Medkit was close to them.
It felt good—to him—to look at them, to touch them, to kiss them.
“Mgh… M-Medkit..!”
Subspace flinched when Medkit’s fingers brushed his chest. Medkit apologized softly, then continued with his task.
Next were the pants. It wasn’t a secret to anyone that Subspace was trans—he used to be very open about it for a long time. He was proud of having had his surgery, of living freely. And then he grew up, and it simply stopped being something he talked about.
To Medkit, though, it was… fascinating. Subspace had always been so private with him. Being allowed to be this close now—being allowed to really see him—filled Medkit with a warm, fervent affection.
He loved Subspace.
He loved this Subspace.
He loved his Subspace.
“Medkit..!”
Subspace complained again, this time because of the cold. How stubborn he was—even as a perfect little pet, he still demanded everything be done exactly the way he wanted!
Medkit finished dressing him. Subspace looked good in his pajamas. Medkit felt a gentle happiness bloom in his chest from seeing him so close, so quiet. Then he changed into his own pajamas. Subspace didn’t react at all.
By the time Medkit was done, Subspace had already curled up and fallen asleep.
Silly thing—he didn’t even wait for him. But Medkit couldn’t be upset. He was adorable… and Medkit loved him so much.
He laid down beside Subspace, first pressing a kiss to his forehead and lingering there for a moment before lowering himself to kiss his lips.
He loved him.
He loved having someone beside him.
He loved Subspace.