Chapter Text
Rocket couldn’t believe his eyes.
“What the FUCK, Sword?” He spat, flinging his arms out wide. “Why the hell were you gone for so long?”
Sword tried his best not to flinch. “I- It’s- I’m sorry,” was all he could muster in the moment. He looked down at the ground in shame.
Coil, who was still half unconscious, tried to flip his head around to look at both Sword and Rocket, trying to understand the situation. He was able to sit up fully now, thankfully.
“And how in the FUCKING Inpherno did you manage to find Coil? Of all inphernals?” Rocket questioned.
“Rocket, you’re going to get fined for disturbing the peace if you don’t hush a bit,” Darkheart whispered.
“Yeah, and I could ask the same, why the fuck is my uncle here? Huh? Care to explain that one?” Sword snapped. He was getting kind of pissed at Rocket’s behavior. He just got back from running from Blackrock! Blackrock of all places!
Coil was awake now. “Your what? Your what?”
“Did I not mention that?” Sword asked, putting on an innocent face.
“I HAVE A GREAT IDEA!” Darkheart suddenly said, “howsa ‘bout I go get Skateboard and we can have an AWESOME family reunion!”
“Or–” Rocket interrupted, “--You can just take us back to Skateboard’s and get him over there, wouldn’t that be better?”
“No, but whatever you say!” Darkheart grinned.
Rocket rolled his eyes. “I want answers out of you,” he snarled, pointing to Sword, who looked like he might throw up at any moment now.
“Who the fuck are you?” Coil asked, gesturing to Rocket.
Rocket stared daggers into Coil’s soul. Promptly, Coil shrunk back, taking that as a warning.
“I’m so cooked,” Sword whispered to Coil. “Remember me.”
“I wonder if Skate’ll cook me,” Coil wondered out loud, half to himself and half to Sword.
Darkheart shifted the scenery once more, bringing them and Skateboard back to his house, in the living room. Sword took this as his chance to dive behind a couch to at least have something in between him and Rocket. He did not want to be on the receiving end of Rocket’s punches, or Coil’s for that matter. It can’t hurt worse than a professional boxer’s, can it? Sword though hopefully (my guy metal HURTS).
Darkheart slunk away to the shadows, giggling as he did so, as to watch the chaos that might ensue.
Skateboard’s head immediately turned in confusion, looking for Rocket and his eyes landed on Coil instead.
“Coil?” He whispered quietly, almost where you couldn’t hear him. Skateboard dove towards him and grasped him tightly in a rib crushing hug, with Coil reciprocating the action.
While that was happening, Rocket spotted Sword hiding behind the couch, trying, but failing, to look nonchalant.
“Answers. Now,” Rocket growled, staring at him while coming around the couch to stand threateningly above him.
Sword looked as if he might cry. “I- uh- it’s all Venomshank’s fault! It’s all his! Please! Don’t blame me, I- i didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to do anything!” Sword cried, turning into a sobbing mess.
Rocket froze. He hadn’t meant for that to happen. Rocket reached over gently for Sword, crouching down and trying not to spook him, and held him close, wrapping his arms around him in a tight but gentle hug.
“I’m sorry,” Rocket said quietly, “I only wanna know what happened. I really, really, fucking missed you.”
Slowly, Sword’s arms crawled up Rocket’s back, reciprocating the hug gently. “S’okay. I know you only mean well.”
“You still haven’t answered my question, Sword, who is that?” Coil said, obviously trying to ruin the moment between the two.
Sword furrowed his brows at Coil. “Shush, I’m trying to have a heartfelt moment.”
“That’s Rocket,” Skateboard said, answering his question. “Now shut the fuck up, Sword let you be a sap with me, let him be a sap with Rocket.”
“Thank you Skateboard,” Rocket muttered, resting his head on Sword’s shoulder. Rocket squeezed Sword tightly once more before letting go of him. His face twisted into one with knitted brows and slightly agape jaws.
“What the fuck happened to your eye!” Rocket almost screamed. He’d just gotten a good look of Sword, and being down sitting on the floor at eye level is almost certain he’d see it.
Sword winced, shrinking a bit. “Venomshank,” he muttered. “It was him.”
“So your own mentor just tore out your eye???” Rocket cried.
“Nooo, I’m not sure if I did something, or it was something else. I can explain more in detail later,” Sword said. “It’s still kinda an open wound.”
“Even after 4 months?” Rocket asked genuinely.
“WHAT?” Sword screeched. “HOW LONG?”
“Keep it down!” Skateboard hissed. “Do you want to get sent to Banlands for disturbing the peace?”
“Does Subspace not keep any calendars? You have to be blind,” Coil said in disbelief.
“And I don’t suppose that you saw any dates, sitting there in a cold cell,” Sword shot back. “To answer your question, no. He literally doesn’t. It’s insane.”
“Checks out.” Coil shrugged.
“How’d you escape BLACKROCK?” Skateboard’s jaw dropped.
“Skill. And me. Lot’s of me. Coil was just kinda there,” Sword said proudly.
“Who helped you walk?” Coil sneered.
“Me,” Sword smirked.
“Liar!”
Rocket looked at Sword. “How many injuries do you even have?”
“Eye, leg, uhh, I must have some sort of brain damage at this point. I think I’m ok,” Sword counted.
“Lemme see,” Rocket said.
Sword grasped his right leg, helping drag it into Rocket’s view.
“Oh my fucking gods, you are not okay. Holy shit, how in the world are you even here?”
“Determination,” Sword said.
“Is everything a joke or a reference to you?” Rocket asked, unamused.
Sword would rather go back to Subspace than to admit right there and now that his biggest wish before he died was to see Rocket again, to maybe confess his undying love for him and to ask whether or not he’d like to die with him. Selfish, maybe. Sword thought.
“Genuinely, I think we need to like clean that, or something. I’m assuming that you haven’t yet.” Rocket pointed to the injury.
Sword shook his head.
“Skate, do you have a first aid kit or something?” Rocket asked.
Skateboard shot up and rushed off to another room, presumably to grab the first aid kit.
Rocket wrapped his arms again around Sword, tighter this time. Sword reciprocated the hug. The feeling of being held once more by the bundle of hatred that he had slowly broken and came to love over the years filled him with an unimaginable joy.
Coil came sliding in, making a camera motion with his hands. In response, Sword freed one of his hands and flicked his forehead.
“Ow! What was that for?” Coil whined, rubbing his face dramatically where he’d been flicked (flick notes those suck but not as much as small holds).
“It didn’t even hurt, stop being dramatic,” Sword huffed.
“Yeah no, it didn't, you're pretty weak for being trained by a GOD,” Coil snarked back.
And that’s what everyone says, that’s nothing new. Sword thought.
Skateboard bounded down the stairs, first aid kit in hand.
“I found it!” He announced proudly. “Here.” Skateboard handed the first aid kit to Rocket, who wasted no time in opening it and fishing for necessary supplies.
Attempting to disinfect the wound and wrap it up, very poorly, Rocket gave Sword a pat on the shoulder, as if to say ‘you’re ready to go’.
“Guhhh, it’s so late. I guess I could go home tomorrow. It’s not like I can stay with you forever, and I’ve met my goal, it doesn’t matter if my dad thinks I’m schizophrenic now,” Rocket sighed. “I’ll have to face him eventually.”
“You could stay! I’ve had this leech forever, and he doesn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon! Plus, I feel like you’re more responsible.” Skateboard roughly slung one of his arms around Coil, causing him to be jolted to the side harshly.
Coil scowled at the statement. “I’m surely as responsible as this little freak.” He pointed to Rocket
“I can stay one more night, then I’ll be off with Sword. And Darkheart too, I guess,” Rocket said, disappointedly muttering the last part.
Darkheart finally came out of the shadows, unsatisfied with the amount of chaos he’d been left with, halfheartedly slugging Sword in the shoulder, who promptly responded with a yelp of fear, forgetting he was even there in the first place.
“Boring,” Darkheart mumbled, ruffling the mismatched teal and red feather helmet on Sword’s head. Sword had never gotten around to fully dying the feathers, nor completing the rest of the Church’s teal color palette. He preferred red anyway.
“Hey!” Sword exclaimed. “You never answered my question, why in the world are you even here???”
“Oh. It’s a long perilous story, one that dates back many months ago, and with so many twists and unnecessary turns, it’d take too long!” Darkheart chuckled. “Plus, we think Rocket would be so much more suited to explain!”
Sword was not going to get an answer out of his uncle it seemed. That’s low-key weird. High-key, even. What is my literal UNCLE doing here? With Rocket? I’m concerned for his well-being. Both of them, actually, Sword thought puzzledly. He narrowed his eyes at Darkheart suspiciously, while the other just grinned even wider.
“Well, I’m ready to hit the hay, I’m beat!” Coil said, skipping away and blowing a kiss to Sword, then falling down the stairs to the basement, since he wasn’t looking where he was going. Sword did not have a reaction to either of those actions, though he thought Coil falling down the stairs was hilarious.
“Ehh, I guess I don’t really have any more beds or anything, sorry,” Skateboard said sheepishly.
“That’s fine,” Sword said. “I don’t mind sleeping on the floor one more night.”
“I can take the floor,” Rocket piped up.
“I’ll just let you two figure it out. Night.” Skateboard departed to his own room.
Sword stared at Rocket, who was sitting on the couch, before laying down on his side, facing away from Rocket, on the floor. “I really do not care, I’ve been sleeping on concrete for the past few days, and I’ll be out like a light in 5 minutes or less,” he mumbled.
Rocket shrugged and stared at Sword for a little while longer. I really wish I could say what I needed to say, I wish I wasn’t such a coward. So violent and relentless, to the point I could care less about my body, and I can’t confess? He thought dejectedly.
“You know, if you wanted to, you could just ask him. It’s Sword. You can literally ask him to kill himself and he’d do it, especially since it’s you, Rocket.” Darkheart snickered.
Sword flipped himself around quickly to stare Darkheart in his non-existent eyes. “What?” He said, narrowing his eyes. “You freak me out.”
Rocket only stared daggers into Darkheart’s soul. “I really hate you. I really really do. And I probably didn’t even need you in the first place! I could’ve found him on my own.”
“No, we were giving you hope. You probably would’ve jumped off a bridge if you hadn’t had a deity helping you find your precious ‘friend’.” Darkheart explained to Rocket like he was a child.
Rocket hated that it was accurate. He looked down at Sword in a panic.
“Go outside for like, the rest of the night. Go hookup with your ex or whatever. B something. I can see why he’s your ex,” Sword told Darkheart.
“You’re our nephew!” Darkheart said with offense. Nevertheless, he took his leave. “We can clearly see we're not wanted here.” Darkheart slipped into the outside shadows of night.
“Thank you, so much,” Rocket said with relief. “He’s a pain.”
“I figured,” Sword said. He got up from laying on the floor and sat down on the couch next to Rocket.
Sword was freaking out. Darkheart knows a lot. Maybe he was hinting at Rocket liking me back! Or maybe I’m delusional. Maybe both. My stomach hurts, but I think that’s from eating junk shit and my situation right now.
“Y’know,” Rocket started. “I’ve really liked you for a while now. Like I’ve have feelings for you, and I’ve wanted to know if you feel the same.
Sword only stared like a lost puppy at Rocket, who was growing increasingly nervous.
“Huh? You like me? You love me?” Sword asked. “I thought you hated me.” Sword seemed to be curling in on himself out of embarrassment.
“What? Why would I hate you?” Rocket asked, stunned.
“I dunno, you just never seemed interested in what I had to say,” Sword mumbled sheepishly.
“Well, you’ve grown on me.” Rocket patted Sword’s back reassuringly. “If I could hold you in my arms forever, I think I’d be set for life.”
Sword’s face turned bright red at that statement. Rocket noticed and quickly apologized. “Wait. I’m sorry, was that weird?”
“No,” Sword said, “and to answer your question, I do feel the same.”
Rocket’s mouth held slightly agape to the sudden statement. He held out his arms slightly, and Sword took the hint, moving in close to hug Rocket.
“Honestly, you’re the only reason I kept going in Blackrock,” Sword said, “my only thoughts were to get out of there and see you again. I can’t believe I almost killed myself.” Tears pricked his eyes.
Rocket didn’t say anything, and instead held Sword closer. Tears were falling from both of them, and nothing was said, only feeling connecting the both of them.
“It’s okay. I love you, Sword. Darkheart wasn’t wrong, I probably would’ve gone and done it if I didn’t have your literal uncle, who’s a deity, helping me. That’s still weird to me,” Rocket whispered gently.
“In order to date me, you’re going to have to defeat my 7 evil deity family members,” Sword giggled. “Thank goodness you’ve already gotten Darkheart’s blessing, you’re going to need it, especially against Windforce and Venomshank. I still don’t know what happened to either of them,” he mumbled. All the sudden, Sword wanted to sob again.
“You don’t have to talk right now,” Rocket said. “You don’t have to make any jokes, using humor as a coping mechanism? Right?” Rocket smiled.
Sword smiled back. “I’m sorry about that one.”
“Nah. I was about to make that joke anyway,” Rocket said. “Seriously though, you don’t have to talk anymore. You must be exhausted, go to sleep.”
“Kinda hard when there’s a cute dude holding me like his life depends on it,” Sword smirked.
“Is it too much?” Rocket asked frantically, oblivious to the other part of the statement.
“No, I like it,” Sword closed his eyes. “If I could be held in your arms forever, I think I’d be set for life.”
“You big sap. I can’t even kiss you on the forehead or anything, why do you even still have your helmet on, and why is it green?” Rocket questioned.
“Oh. I forgot about that. I’m so fried,” Sword said. He reached up to take off his helmet and set it on the ground beside them.
Sword tried his best to stay awake, but it was getting hard. With Rocket caressing him like a pet, sweetly and gently, he felt like might drift off into heaven at any moment. Leaning onto Rocket, Sword passed out slowly, both still clutching onto each other like a lifeline.
Rocket smiled and kissed Sword on the head, before drifting off to sleep. Shit, wait, my prosthetics are still- and he’s asleep.