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“Well, fuck.”
It wasn’t a particularly eloquent response, but how does one react to such information? Quackity just listened to a tape in a different language narrated by a stranger’s solemn voice. Obviously, he would get the creeps. However, the worst part was the message itself. The clone came back and it didn’t seem like he was leaving them in peace anytime soon.
The silence enveloped the room. Multi has always been the type of few words. That was not the case with Quackity. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a subtle throbbing in his temples. He remembered perfectly the last encounter with this creation straight from hell and he definitely didn’t want to experience it again. Too much chaos. Besides, it could compromise their plans - there were too many eyes directed at the scientist.
After a moment, Quackity turned to Multi. “So, what are we gonna do now?”
Multi has always had a plan, and has always been a few steps ahead of others on the island. He wouldn’t have achieved so much if that weren’t the truth. This time though, he looked different. As if he was.. uncertain.
Then, Quackity took him all in. Multi stood there, his back straight, hands hidden in his lab coat. If Quackity didn’t know him, he wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss. The scientist emitted a confident aura, some would classify it as intimidating. Quackity just had the ability to see past that facade, and so he immediately recognised an immense amount of tension stored in Multi’s body. Apart from that, Multi avoided eye contact more than usual.
However, the most worrisome thing was the state of his friend’s skin. It grew ashen with each passing encounter, becoming unnaturally grey with green undertones. Without a doubt, that wasn’t the colour of a healthy human being. On top of that, Quackity observed huge bags under Multi’s eyes. The avian made a mental note to drag his friend outdoors more. He should probably mention it to the other Hussars as well, so they could also make sure the man gets some sleep.
“I don’t know.” Multi said under his breath, but it brought back Quackity’s attention back to the matter at hand nevertheless.
Quackity was speechless. For once the scientist didn’t know something and it wasn’t the best time for it. They needed a solution. Fast.
“Shit, shit, shit, fuck, this is not happening.” The avian groaned in frustration. He started pacing back and forth. He could feel stress consuming him from the inside out. “So what, does this mean that he can enter anywhere you can? Is your lab compromised?”
“I guess so..” Multi didn’t move an inch, his gaze glued to the floor.
“We have to move the reactor then. There’s no other choice.” Quackity stopped in his tracks and looked around the room. White walls, tidily arranged desk, multiple lockers and bookcases - sterility ruling over the whole space. He focused on the window overlooking an artificial village. There were too many secrets that couldn’t see the light of day. “It’s not safe here anymore.”
Multi shook his head. “It’s the safest place on this island. I spent weeks reinforcing and securing everything.”
“Well, now it all went to shit because of that stupid clone of yours.” Quackity couldn’t help it, the irritation was getting the best of him.
“Moving the location won’t change anything.” The scientist let out a long sigh. He sat at the edge of his desk. “He knows my every move, so it doesn’t matter.” Multi started searching for something in his coat to finally pull out a piece of paper. “Look.”
Quackity took the note. Struggling a little, he read the sentence aloud. “Listen, I know I’ve been parading with my awesome polish flag pin around, but my language skills are not quite there yet so-”
“Sorry, sorry.” Multi snickered. A corner of his mouth quirked up. Was that a smirk? “I couldn’t help myself. You’re cute when you’re trying to speak Polish.”
Quackity crossed his arms. This comment aroused a heat that crept up his neck and cheeks. He ignored the tingly feeling, instead he decided to use it as a sign of his irritation.
“Alright, alright. It says that the clone knows what I was up to in the radar tower.”
“Radar tower?” Quackity’s brows furrowed.
“Yes. Remember the island where we met after the break?” The avian nodded. “I had it built there today. It’s supposed to track this fucking clone among other things, but it just… appeared there.”
“What?!” Quackity exclaimed. The situation was getting more complicated with every new revelation. The man hid his face in his hands for a second. “Oh my god.”
“I tried to catch it! But it kept slipping away and I was alone…” Multi’s voice mirrored his restlessness. However, the end of that sentence was laced with something else. It felt… fragile.
“Why would you create a clone of yourself out of all people?! Who would come up with an idea like this?!” Quackity gesticulated wildly while the scientist stayed rooted to his place.
“Ewron…”
After this name dropped, a deafening silence fell upon them for a moment. Quackity stared at his friend, still not quite believing what he’d just heard. He took a deep breath so as to not explode, but his patience was wearing thin.
“Ewr- Are you. Fucking. Kidding me.” He carefully enunciated every word. Multi'd never had the chance to see him fuming before. Quackity’s always taken on the happy-go-lucky kind of attitude counterbalancing his partner’s serious nature in their relationship. Besides, Multi never did anything to anger him. Well, there needs to be a first time for everything, huh. “Let me get this straight. Ewron gave you the fan-ta-stic idea to create a clone of yourself, and you fucking listened?! No wonder we’re GRAVELY FUCKED right now!”
“It seemed to be a good idea then!” Multi scratched the back of his neck as he stood up straight again. He looked embarrassed. Good. Although it still wasn’t enough. The avian wanted nothing more than to grab him by the lapels and shake all of that idiotic scientific bullshit out of his system. Following Ewron’s suggestions? The man was obviously losing his sanity.
“How are Ewron’s ideas any good?! Have you met him?! He literally hung Katie’s cats on my statue a couple of days ago!” Multi rolled his eyes at these exasperated comments which only loosened Quackity’s remaining self-restraint. He was really holding back from punching the scientist in the gut. “Make that fucking face again and I swear I’m leaving you to solve this issue alone.”
“No! No, no, no, no, no.” Multi instantly came closer to Quackity and firmly grabbed his hands. He rubbed his thumbs gently against them in what seemed to be an attempt to soothe the avian (or himself?). Quackity felt intense distress emanating from the man. The anger that was consuming Quackity suddenly evaporated, replaced by the urge to comfort his friend. “It’s just… Everybody’s been trying so hard to get into this reactor. They suspect that I’m up to something and we were just searching for a solution. You know how chaotic Ewron is. We needed that chaos to help our case. We could’ve used the clone to blame every single bad thing on it, there are already clones wandering around after all. But it was supposed to be a controlled chaos, not this-”
“Mess?” Multi nodded timidly, still focused on rubbing his fingers against Quackity’s soft skin. The sensation continuously sent shivers down his body, maybe because of the scientist’s cold hands or maybe it was the contact itself. Quackity didn’t dwell on it. The fact that the action calmed them both was all that mattered.
The avian searched Multi’s eyes which were downcast the whole time. It was important to him that the scientist held his gaze while hearing what Quackity was going to say next. So he withdrew his one hand. At first a small frown settled on his friend’s face but it changed immediately when he sensed a warm palm cupping his cheek. Their eyes finally met.
“We’ll figure it out. Somehow.”
Multi let out a deep breath, visibly shuddering. He leaned into the touch. Quackity saw him melt a little, however the tension never fully left his body. The avian wondered whether it ever did. One thing was certain, if uranium doesn’t kill his friend, stress will do its part.
“We need a plan, but we can’t do it alone.” Quackity bit his lip in thought. “The clone is tricky. We need information and other people to outsmart it. That way it won’t be able to calculate our every single move, there would be just too many variables. We have to be unpredictable.”
“Easy to say. It’s literally a carbon copy of me. It proved that it can predict how I act.”
Quackity couldn’t fight a smug grin appearing on his face. His mischievous nature spotted an opening for upcoming antics right away; so Quackity got up even closer to the scientist and draped his arms around Multi’s neck shifting all his weight onto him. His partner in crime didn’t have the time to process what was happening, let alone react. “That’s exactly when I come in handy, księżniczko.”
Finally, some natural colours bloomed on Multi’s cheeks. Quackity patted himself mentally; he loved flustering people, but using his charm on the scientist had a different kick to it. He knew he was pushing boundaries, yet somehow he never got scolded unlike other people. Hell, if anybody else tried to do the same, they probably wouldn’t live to tell the tale. Therefore Quackity marveled at another one of his achievements.
Their faces were close. The avian could feel the other’s breath on his skin, however to his surprise it wasn’t regular. Multi didn’t step aside nor did he push him back. He just stood there, glued to his place with arms hanging by his sides. Quackity’s gaze wandered all over his features. The man’s skin didn’t really redden, it just had more of a living being kind of shade. Still, it counted as a blush, right?
Eventually, Multi cleared his throat and turned his head to the side. “It’s not time for jokes, Quackity.” He muttered.
“I’m deadly serious, though.” The avian giggled at his friend’s bashfulness as he released him from the embrace. Multi instantly folded his hands behind his back. Quackity wanted to mimic him, but maybe it was enough teasing for the coming ten minutes. “So, first things first, who can we trust?”
“Uhm…” Multi faltered, his brows furrowed. “I’m not sure. It’s hard to say.”.
“Huh.” Quackity didn’t expect such an answer. “I can tell you who I trust, okay?” The scientist nodded. “Luzu, Roier and Schlatt.” The avian noticed a fleeting grimace adorning Multi’s face at the mention of the last name. He still didn’t understand why his friend held a grievance against Schlatt. They haven’t interacted much after all.
“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind, besides the Prince of the North is always welcome here, he’s a dear friend.” Multi said, which piqued Quackity’s interest. He didn’t know they were friends. When did that happen? Has Roier been the one teaching Multi Spanish? A strange feeling settled itself in his chest.
“So, what about you?” Quackity shifted his attention to the topic at hand. He didn’t want to overthink this emotion.
“I would say… Nexe, he’s the most loyal out of us four in the Polish Cave. Shappo, although he’s still not as stable as I’d want him to be.” Multi seemed to be thinking out loud. “Hai-Haiper? Hm…”
“What about Graf and Ewron?” Quackity inquired curiously. The dynamic between the Hussars has always confused him. “Aren’t they your family?”
Multi gave him a sharp look. That one question apparently shook him to the core. His posture grew all the more rigid, his jaw clenched and his hands formed into fists as he put them inside the pockets of the lab coat. A minute of tense silence had enveloped them, before his friend repeated ironically. “Family?” He closed his eyes and took a couple of shaky breaths. Quackity was just about to say something, but Multi snorted before continuing, his voice agitated. “What a joke. Everybody’s saying something about some fucking family, but nobody actually cares about one another. I have to be the one responsible, I have to be the one to keep us all together, kurwa mać!” The atmosphere completely shifted. This time Multi started to pace in small circles, one hand buried in his hair. Quackity observed it, stunned. “Everything is always my stupid fault. Nobody trusts me, even Nexe! I can sense it, he’s just an obedient dog that doesn’t want to get on my bad side.” He laughed incredulously. “Kurwa, it’s so messed up. They all think I’m some kind of a fucking psychopath, so they don’t feel guilty when they fucking stab me in the back!”
Multi was spiraling. It was the first time that Quackity was seeing him this way. He instantly gathered that it’s been happening to his friend for… god knows how long. He needed a safe way to ground him. The avian started slowly approaching Multi.
“Multi, please-” He said loudly with a voice full of concern, still it didn’t break through.
“I have no family. They don’t trust me.” Multi’s breathing grew erratic as a nervous laughter accompanied his words. “So, I can’t trust them. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t trust…”
“Multi! Look at me!” Quackity harshly grabbed his friend’s arm to finally catch his attention. The scientist halted and slowly turned around. He focused his eyes on Quackity, but they were… glowing green?
“You.” Multi panted. His irises gradually returned to their natural shade of blue. “Can I trust you, Quackity?” He said steadily as if nothing had happened.
Something snapped. Quackity sensed it with his whole being. They maintained eye contact while the avian took two steps back. That one foolish question kept ringing in his ears. Without a doubt it evoked more feelings than he could process at the moment. His face distorted into one of disbelief. At the very least he hoped it didn’t betray how crushed he felt. He can’t let himself go on showing people ways to hurt him. He won’t allow that. Only his wings quivered delicately - they were always the hardest to control.
“I won’t dignify that nasty question with an answer.” He spat out the reply, pouring as much anger in it as his body would allow. “And for both our sake, I’m just gonna pretend you didn’t ask it.”
“You have to understand me, Quackity.” His friend responded without delay. He tried to approach the avian. In return he backed away, putting even more distance between their bodies. “The situation is dire, I can’t let myself have any weaknesses, I already have huge trust issues and-”
“So do I!” Quackity yelled at his friend. “Have I given you any reason not to trust me?!”
“There are people actively trying to kill me, kurwa! I can’t talk to anybody without this crippling feeling that they will betray me. It’s fucking me up!” Multi’s voice cracked as he shouted.
Quackity shook his head, smiling incredulously. He could already feel his feathers puffing up involuntarily. You do everything and more to help your partner in crimes you two commit together just for him to suddenly start having doubts about you. That motherfu-
“Let me remind you that you are the one with a mysterious lab, a bunch of experiments that you haven’t even told me about and a fucking reactor that could blow us up in a second! Don’t you think that I have more reasons not to trust you?!” Somehow the volume with which he spoke became louder the more words came out of his mouth. Petite wings fluttered rapidly, making his hair stick out in different ways than usual. The avian still couldn’t believe his intentions were actually being questioned. He’s never been entirely honest with others, that’s true, however ever since their heart-to-heart Quackity’s never been more genuine in his entire life. Only Multi got to see this side of him, so when he screamed out the last part, it sounded raw. “And yet I still do!”
Some emotion flashed in the scientist’s eyes at that, but it went so quickly he barely registered it. Although Multi was ready to retaliate a moment ago, the ending apparently took him by surprise. He looked so lost.
“But I- I don’t know where you are most of the time!” He stammered.
“You can find me in the North!” Quackity stated the obvious fact.
Really what is his problem now? He wondered.
“Well, I’m not particularly welcome there!” Multi cried out mockingly, trying so hard to get his point across. Right after that his tone changed entirely. “Seriously, it’s as if you’ve been avoiding me! I- I don’t see you around anymore and when you’re not there I don’t know what to think!” He uttered brokenly. Multi’s left hand shot to his sweaty forehead while his eyes struggled to focus on one thing. Violent convulsions went through his body over and over again. His chest heaved repeatedly in what seemed like desperate attempts of catching a breath, yet the lungs didn’t agree to cooperate, allowing only short supplies of air. “I have nobody! I have nobody, I have no family! I can’t count on anybody. I can’t trust anybody, I can’t trust, I can’t-”
It was like a bucket of freezing water.
Quackity cursed under his breath. He immediately shortened the distance between them, took hold of Multi’s hand and pressed it firmly to his chest. The avian put his other palm on his friend’s cheek. “Hey, hey, hey. It’s fine, I’ve got you. I’m here.” He said gently, his eyes relentlessly searching Multi’s absent gaze. Shit. He tightened his grip in hopes of successfully bringing back his friend from whatever hell of a place he now found himself in. “Listen to me, I’m sorry.” Quackity leaned his forehead against Multi’s. Only then did the scientist stop muttering the same set of sentences as his eyelids shut. “I’m sorry. I really am. You can trust me, sweetheart. Of course you can.” He kept on talking in a low voice, while running his thumb over Multi’s cold skin in a comforting manner. “I promise, I will do anything and everything I can to prove it to you.”
A small whine made itself audible right then and there. Good, that means he’s starting to respond.
“Can you feel my chest? How it rises and falls?” A little nod. “Perfect, now I need you to try and do the same, okay? Just follow my lead.”
Quackity’s hand wandered from his cheek to the nape of his neck, making his hold more stable; and so they stood there in a tight embrace. Shuddering breaths followed steady ones. Apart from those two sounds nothing else let itself be heard.
“You’re doing so well, sweetheart.” Quackity rubbed their noses lightly together. He started swaying them from side to side, the remaining tension escaping their systems into a void with every passing minute.
Suddenly, he felt something wet land on his lips. Before he had a chance to react, Multi took him even closer as he snaked both his arms around his frame and buried his face in his neck. Quackity gasped, startled. The scientist didn’t hide his stand-offish character; he hardly ever really initiated any contact. Valuing his personal space above all, sometimes he seemed annoyed at the slightest increase of proximity. There was only a small group of people that he allowed closer, and Quackity belonged to those people. Nevertheless, Multi never pursued physical touch, only welcomed it on rare occasions (rare occasion being quite literally Quackity throwing himself at him), that’s why the avian was caught off guard. Still despite his early shock he didn’t waste a second to reciprocate the gesture. He also wrapped his golden wings around Multi’s continually trembling figure.
He swiped his tongue over the wet spot - it tasted like salt. Fuck, I’m so stupid.
He shouldn’t have reacted this way in the first place, seeing how distraught his friend appeared to be. Ever since they saw each other this evening, there was no denying that Multi’s been on edge. Hell, he said himself, that he’d seen his clone that day. It would be impossible for him to not feel overwhelmed or paranoid, and instead of understanding his condition, Quackity focused solely on his own emotions getting hurt. He wanted to slap himself.
“I can’t lose you too.” Quackity heard the man murmur into his hair.
Now he wanted to slowly pluck every single feather from his wings. It wouldn’t hurt as much as hearing a broken whisper of a person whose soul you’re so deeply intertwined with.
“You won’t.” To prove his point, Quackity only held Multi tighter in his arms. “Nobody’s tearing me away from you. Not even myself.” He sensed his friend nod again.
Quackity knew, these words weren’t something to take lightly. So many things could happen that in hindsight would make this declaration sound silly, ironic even, yet the avian found it extremely fitting. How else was he to describe what has been happening between them? He didn’t run when he saw that poster. He didn’t run when Multi admitted to his plans of becoming a god. He let him extract his DNA. Please, he helped him collect it from the other islanders. If all these times he stayed, then what would actually make him leave?
Not to mention the strange pull he felt towards the scientist. It was just impossible to ignore it. Quackity’s been aware from the beginning that getting involved with this whole uranium business might end up badly for him. He’s even more aware now, that he’s currently suspected to have developed a radiation sickness. However, he simply couldn’t resist seeking his favourite introverted mad scientist out. Quackity simply enjoyed their companionship and how strongly they relied on each other in various aspects of life. Their bond overcame his fear of dying, because the fear of not seeing Multi again turned out to be greater. No wonder the avian reacted so strongly to a slim possibility of distrust settling between them.
Quackity didn’t keep track of how long they stood there clinging to one another. They might have spent hours in that embrace, but it still wouldn’t have satisfied him somehow. Now that Quackity had Multi in his arms, he didn’t want to let go. Was it because they haven’t spent much time together lately, or-
“I’m sorry.” His friend rasped out. Multi straightened himself out but stayed close all the same - hands clutched on Quackity’s blue jacket. “That was pathetic.”
Quackity had to resist a strong urge to smack the man for this comment. Instead he slid his wings softly along Multi’s sides as if he was patting him. “You don’t owe me that intimidating image you’ve created. I know you. You know me. Let me be the one to pick up all of your scattered pieces once in a while.”
“I have to think it over.”
“Hey.” The avian started sternly. “None of that pushing me away bullshit, okay? We’re partners and I need you to-”
“I trust you.” Multi jumped in instantly, his ridiculously blue eyes boring into Quackity’s. “Entirely.”
Quackity smiled. “Good. Glad, we’re on the same page.”
Right then his communicator buzzed. The two clumsily let go of each other, reality catching up onto them. They’d been so engrossed in their heated conversation and complicated feelings that handling the aftermath of their confessions didn’t come easily to them. Fortunately, Graf came to the rescue.
Graf: Sorry to interrupt your make out session, but a message whether I should keep on waiting or not would be nice.
Quackity giggled at that and began to type the answer when a single hiss from Multi made him stop at once.
“Damn, why are you so mad for?” The sentence had left his mouth before he once again looked up at his friend. His dopey grin dropped right away.
Only now did he notice Multi’s right hand was covered in blood. Quackity grew speechless, his gaze locked on the red liquid dripping on the tiles, one word present in his mind: how.
The scientist was fixating on his open wound, however the minute he moved in a bathroom’s direction the avian grabbed him and sat him down. Quackity acted automatically - he sent a quick response to Graf (sorry, can’t make it, urgent matter) while walking into an adjacent room and took all things he needed. When he returned, Multi was waiting patiently, slumped in his swivel chair. Without saying anything, Quackity focused on cleaning the gash. He winced, seeing how deep it was.
“How on earth did that happen?” He asked, brows furrowed in concern. Quackity noted a good amount of blood staining Multi’s lab coat. How could he miss this?
“I always carry a scalpel in my pocket.” The scientist murmured. Multi clearly didn’t want to talk about it, but the cat was already out of the bag. Quackity obviously couldn’t just ignore his friend bleeding out in front of him, especially when he’d personally experienced the man’s deteriorating mental health; still he didn’t pressure him. Instead he waited, and he would wait however long it would take for Multi to open up, because he was worth every second of it. “I sometimes squeeze it, when I’m uhm… under pressure. Pain grounds me.”
Quackity expected as much after everything he’d witnessed today. Nonetheless, he was staggered. “God, Multi…” He sighed. The avian felt intense guilt washing over him. How had he not seen it sooner? Now that he looked closer, multiple scars adorned Multi’s skin indeed. Some were faded, some seemed fresh. Quackity kept on bandaging, he tried to be as gentle as possible. “You can’t use pain as your relief. I know it’s easy to say, but I can’t let you keep on hurting yourself like that.”
“I know what I’m doing. I have everything under control.” The scientist grumbled like a stubborn kid.
I’m not so sure anymore. Quackity thought to himself, concerned.
“I’m serious. Your health’s already in bad shape and I won’t allow it any longer.” The avian finally finished patching his friend up. He grasped Multi by the chin and raised his head. They stared at each other in close proximity. “Whenever you feel like slipping into this habit, think about our plan. You’re the future god. Why should you bleed like mere mortals?”
Right then and there a certain kind of glint settled in Multi’s blue irises. Quackity smirked lightly to further his point, even though the anxiety and worry were still very much present underneath it all.
At the same time his determination grew. I will take care of him.
***
The air had already turned chilly when they came up to the surface. The night settled and the whole cave was quiet, if one didn’t count random animals’ sounds. The two of them were quiet too.
Quackity presumed that exhaustion stood behind it; that day didn’t go easy on both of them after all. First the mysterious mission, seeing photos of Pepino and Tomate being tortured, nearly getting drowned in lava. Then the news of that fucking clone messing with his friend to the point of him physically hurting himself. It was only natural that he didn’t have the strength to talk. The avian figured the same applied to Multi. The scientist had a habit of staying mute, especially when he got overwhelmed. But Quackity wouldn’t describe their silence as unpleasant. It was needed.
They simultaneously stepped out of the elevator. Quackity glanced around the cave. The place had changed a lot since his last visit. One thing that remained the same was the area where the Hussars slept together. A couple of mattresses were lined on a rough stone floor, the only decoration in sight being a picture of all members laying in their assigned spots. However, they seemed abandoned, like nobody actually used them anymore.
“Does anybody actually sleep here? It looks depressing.”
Multi shrugged. Quackity expected as much.
“You probably never sleep here anymore, huh?” A shake of a head. “Do you sleep, like at all?” A slow nod. He gestured towards the elevator. “You sleep in your lab?” Another nod. Quackity narrowed his eyes, not fully convinced. “I see. Something tells me that you don’t sleep as much as you should, though.” Multi bit his inner cheek. The avian sighed. At least he didn’t get a half-assed lie.
Quackity took his friend by the hand as he led them towards the mattresses. They plopped down - Multi on his own makeshift bed and Quackity right across from him. The two sat there, silently exchanging looks while the duck hybrid played with their fingers. He had so many things to think through, but no energy to do it. So he focused on the soft idle touches instead. Delicate warm palms enveloped the cold ones, sliding smooth skin against rough patches. Quackity traced different shapes on every visible scar. He noticed some of them extended under his clothes. A shiver went down his spine at the mere thought of how much pain Multi’d caused himself.
Now that they were on the surface, Quackity noticed his friend looked better than he had half an hour ago. Multi’d left his bloodstained coat underground which made it seem as if he’d abandoned his scientist persona as well. He should take it off more often, the avian mused. Without it he seemed more harmless, more… ordinary, and perhaps this is what his friend could currently use. Some normalcy.
“Maybe you should consider building yourself a bedroom next. You must be at your best, there’s no room for any weaknesses, you understand?” His friend nodded solemnly. “Good. I’ll help you with everything. Actually, we’re going to be inseparable from now on. I bet you’ll grow sick of me pretty soon.”
“Not happening.” Multi declared suddenly, his voice barely audible but extremely steady at the same time. It took Quackity off guard. Once Multi switches to his mute state, he’d usually go for days without speaking; so the avian naturally supposed he wouldn’t get to hear the responses. Surprisingly, he was proven wrong. A small smile grazed his lips.
“I hope you’re right.”
After a few minutes of lingering gazes and touches Quackity stretched his limbs, trying to rid himself from all tension. It was well past midnight and his body was telling him to finally end the day. “We should hit the hay, I might collapse any moment.” The man yawned. Multi followed suit, even though he tried hard to hide it. Quackity giggled lightly. So not fully psychopathic, cute.
“Promise me you’ll rest properly, okay? I’ll check up on you later.” The avian said while standing up.
When he was about to turn, he felt a tight grip on his wrist.
“Wha-” Quackity focused on his friend’s silhouette again, puzzled.
“Stay.” Multi was staring at the floor, his hold gentle but firm. “Please.”
“Oh.” He exhaled. These two simple words nearly struck him dumb. “Sure. I almost forgot I have my own bed here.”
“No.” His friend blurted out immediately. Quackity’s brows furrowed in confusion as he waited for Multi to continue. “I mean…” He cleared his throat, still not meeting Quackity’s eyes. “We can share. I just need you close.”
The avian's golden wings fluttered faintly. He’s never imagined that such a proposition could ever leave the scientist’s mouth; especially since he’s so adamant about upholding his reputation of a stone-cold, distant man. It was a very rare instant when Multi was being vulnerable, probably in spite of himself, happening once more that evening nonetheless.
I should have been here. I should have been by his side this whole time.
Quackity berated himself. The sense of regret not quite leaving his chest.
“Scoot over then.” He smiled warmly as Multi looked up at him. The duck hybrid noted how equally relieved and flustered the man was. Adorable.
Multi clumsily repositioned himself to make space for Quackity. He kneeled there and was about to start getting comfortable when all of a sudden his friend tucked at his jacket.
“You’d better take it off. It’s all bloody because of me.”
“Oh, that’s right. I didn’t notice.” Without thinking much of it, he did as he was told and carelessly tossed the piece of clothing aside. Fortunately, he had a top beneath it. Normally he didn’t mind some nudity but he didn’t want to mortify Multi any further. The poor guy had more emotions in the span of a few hours than in his whole life probably.
The mattress wasn’t exactly wide, originally intended to be used by only one person. Also in their daze, it somehow didn’t occur to them that they could join two, so they ended up pressed up against each other. Not succumbing to the air of awkwardness nor hesitation, Quackity wrapped his arms and legs around the other man. Multi wanted him close, so naturally the avian was going to give him every inch of himself. His friend instantly melted into the embrace, his own limbs setting in all the right places, which at first repeatedly sent pleasant shivers down Quackity’s spine.
He let his fingers sink into soft dreadlocks, slowly massaging the scalp. The gesture elicited a throaty hum from the scientist that burrowed his face deeper into his neck, regular breaths tickling the sensitive skin. They fit each other perfectly.
It didn’t take long for Multi to doze off. Sadly, slumber didn’t come so easily to the avian. Initially he had to prevent his heartbeat from racing. Once he’d had it handled the events from that day kept haunting him, replaying the images under his eyelids. He persistently tried to turn off his brain but it seemed impossible. A huge part of his concerns was currently sleeping soundly in his arms after all. Quackity unknowingly tightened his hold on Multi.
I’m here. And I’ll be here for as long as you allow me to.
***
“Mówiłem ci, że Michał jest małą łyżeczką. [I told you Michał was the little spoon.]” Ewron said. He was standing near the liege wie, observing two figures snoring quietly. Barely any space left between their bodies, Quackity’s wing serving as an additional blanket.
“A ja nie zaprzeczyłem. [And I didn’t disagree.]” Graf replied. The two snickered as they moved on with their conversation elsewhere.
Quackity and Multi slept through half the day.