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Bolt Bar was not a place Sparks was familiar with.
Nothing in Reprogram Town was, really - it had been sealed off from the rest of the lab for years. Any security cameras were long since disconnected and likely dismantled for metal and other parts - if they even existed to begin with.
Honestly, the environment the Reprograms had managed to create on their own with limited resources and no access to the emulation software was nothing short of impressive. It looked nothing like the rest of the lab. Sparks was actually shocked the first time he had visited. It brought back faint, faint memories of seeing what 'outside' looked like, back when the old organisms worked in a secret lab on their home planet before they fled into space. Or something out of the smattering of old media Sparks had seen over the years.
It was some sort of social night at the bar, and Keys had invited Void to come. Void, in turn, had asked Sparks if they wanted to come too, mostly so Void didn’t have to go by themself. Void had been slowly building a friendship with Keys through being his apprentice, but they still didn't really know any of the Reprograms well. The original residents of Reprogram Town remained a tight-knit group even after beginning to mingle with the rest of the lab.
Sparks definitely wasn't going to turn down a chance to hang out with his best friend - although Void probably didn't think of him the same way.
He was trying to get out more, anyway. No longer forced to watch all of the security cameras all the time, Sparks suddenly had a lot more free time that they hadn't quite figured out how to fill yet.
The two of them weren't in the crowd itself, but rather off to the side. They were both fine with this arrangement; Sparks preferred watching from the sidelines and Void got anxious when too much attention was on them. Despite the difference in physical distance, there was an opening in the crowd in their general direction - no one had turned their back to them.
The others were talking about Sparks. It was pretty standard stuff, nothing that he hadn’t heard before. Nothing worth paying any mind to.
Sparks looked over at Void. Something wasn't right. They were fidgeting in their seat more than usual, shooting glances over at the larger group as they talked but not saying anything. Void wanted to talk to others, but their anxiety always made it hard for them to work their way into an already existing group, especially a large one that they weren’t familiar with.
Something seemed different about the way they were acting, though… They were tense, but it wasn't the sort of tension they normally had while anxious. It was a different sort of restlessness that was hard for Sparks to place. Like the simple act of existing in this environment was making them uncomfortable. He wracked his brain trying to remember if he had seen it in the past or not.
(Was something wrong with their chair? Were they in pain? They had been fine earlier…)
"It's a shame," one of the other programs said. "I wish I had gotten to know them better before everything happened… when there was still someone left.”
Void looked over again, their eye narrowing. Their hand balled into a fist and they ground their heel against the floor.
Then something clicked in Sparks’s head.
Void wasn’t anxious, they were angry.
Once he recognized the emotion (when did Void ever get angry?), the cause became clear: They were angry about the way the other group was talking about him. Like Sparks wasn’t even there, like they were an empty shell of their former self. He was so used to the comments that it hardly even registered. Sparks realized that it wasn’t that it didn’t bother him anymore, it was that they had become resigned to hearing other programs talk about him like that.
Void’s reaction had reminded them that it wasn’t a normal or appropriate way to talk about someone who was still present.
(But what could he do about it? It had been this way for years.)
It didn't have to ruin their evening, though. Sparks reached over, about to tap on the table to get Void’s attention and hopefully distract them…
—But Void stood up with an almost explosive amount of force, knocking their chair over in the process.
And when they spoke, their voice shook, but there was an edge to it that Sparks hardly ever heard.
“They’re right here, you know. He can still hear you.”
The bar had gone silent.
All eyes were now on Void.
They lost their voice. Everyone was looking at them. (Everyone was judging them.)
“Uh— I mean—”
Void felt like they were suffocating under everyone's stares. Why had they acted like that? They were being irrational again. They should have just kept quiet. This sort of behavior was the sort of thing that led to reboots, that led to painful punishment. The others were just talking, what was Void's problem? They were invited to this, and this was how they decided to repay them?
They felt a hand settle on top of their own, and Void glanced over at its owner. Right. This didn’t even involve them, it wasn’t directed at them. It wasn't their business. This was about Sparks, not about their own feelings. How could they be so selfish, to make such a big deal over—
But then Sparks nodded at them in silent reassurance and encouragement. He didn’t have to say anything; the message was clear on its own:
It’s okay. Go on.
Void was able to find their voice again.
“—Right. Yeah. Sparks might be quiet, and not… the most… expressive…. But they still listen! He’s listened to me when no one else would! Not– that– this is– about me, but– you know–”
They shook their head, forcing themself back on track. Come on, focus! “Sparks isn’t gone. They’re not empty, he's not a hollow shell, they’re not an echo of everyone else… He’s still here! Still somebody!”
“They’ve been through a lot. Some of it really horrifying stuff, I can tell you personally! But he survived. They survived all of it!”
Void gripped the edge of the table, hoping it wasn't too obvious that it was the one thing holding them upright. (The room was spinning. So many programs were staring at them right now…) “A-and then you all go and talk about him like he’s not even here…” They didn’t know how to finish the thought. They didn’t have the words to explain how it made them feel. They just knew they didn’t like it.
The others looked at each other and murmured amongst themselves. Evidently Void had said enough. They heard several apologies directed at Sparks, but only as though they were in another room.
Void was shaking. They had gone from feeling suffocatingly warm to freezing cold. There was a hammering feeling in their chest and their legs hurt so much Void thought they were going to give out completely. They lowered themself back into their chair before they fell over…
…only to realize their chair was still overturned and fall over anyway.
Through some stroke of luck, nobody noticed except for Sparks. He righted their chair and helped them up off the floor.
Sparks had always been there for them, especially when they needed it the most. Void considered him their best friend, although they doubted he thought the same way.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause such a scene.” Void’s voice still shook. “I just– I felt— I don’t know. I’m sorry–”
They were abruptly cut off by Sparks pulling them into a tight hug.
“Thank you.”