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Wilbur found him in the strip club. He was face down on the counter, surrounded by bottles as sobs shook his whole body. He hadn’t even noticed when Wilbur sat on the bar stool next to him.
“Quackity?” Wilbur said in a soft voice as to not startle him.
There was a sharp inhale as the sobs stopped.
“Have you come here to kill me too?” Quackity asked.
Wilbur looked at him, confused, “What?”
“If you are, then just do it. I’m vulnerable, I won’t even fight back. A nice and easy kill,” Quackity hiccuped.
“I’m not here to kill you,” Wilbur said.
“Well just do it anyway, I’ve lost so much already, what’s one more? It doesn’t matter anyways.”
Quackity sat up and finished the bottle in his hand before reaching for another.
“I think you’ve had enough,” Wilbur said, taking the bottle before Quackity could grab it.
Quackity glared at him, “After the week I've just had, nothing will be enough. Now give it back.”
Quackity tried to snatch it from Wilbur’s grasp, but Wilbur just held it high over his head, grateful Quackity was too short to reach.
“Alcohol poisoning is no joke, Quackity,” Wilbur deadpanned.
Quackity grabbed at Wilbur’s sleeve trying to pull it down, “Just shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I don’t care about your jokes, I've just had the shittiest week of my life! Karl doesn’t remember me and thinks that I’m a murder, Purpled betrayed me, and Slime is dead. If alcohol poisoning kills me, so be it. Now give me the bottle!”
Wilbur stared at Quackity, shocked. This distraction allowed Quackity to pull Wilbur’s arm down and grab the bottle from his hand. He yanked the cork out with his teeth and took a gulp.
“Quackity, I-”
“Oh don’t give me your pity,” Quackity spat, “I know you don’t care. No one does! Everyone on this server only cares about themselves. You can leave now. Leave me alone to drink myself to death.”
Quackity turned back and rested on the countertop again.
“Quackity-” Wilbur tried again, only to be cut off again.
Quackity sat up and turned quickly, shouting in Wilbur’s face, “What!? What could you possibly want?! That’s all I’m good for, isn’t it? For people to want things from me. My votes, my time, my body, my money. I’m the whore of the SMP, for everyone to take from. The one person who made me feel like they didn’t want anything from me is gone and I'm done. I’m done with this SMP, I’m done with Karl, with Sapnap, and I’m done with life.”
He poked at Wilbur’s chest, “And I'm done with you. I’m done with our stupid little rivalry. No get the fuck away from me and leave alone to wallow.”
Quackity went to take another swig, but before he could, Wilbur pulled him into a tight hug.
“What the hell are you doing?!” Quackity asked, voice muffled by Wilbur’s shoulder.
“I know what it’s like to feel like you’ve lost everything- like no one cares. And sometimes no one does. But that doesn’t mean people won’t in the future. And the only way to find out is to live long enough to reach that future,” Wilbur took a deep breath before continuing, “I care. I care about you Quackity. You’ve made me feel human, not like the monster everyone treats me as. You put up this tough front, and I know it’s because of all the things you’ve been through- and things I’ve put you through- and I’m sorry for that. You’ve been through so much, more than anyone should go through. Don’t let this be the thing that takes you down. And I’ll help you. Not out of pity, but because I care about you.”
Quackity tried to pull away, but Wilbur held on tight, “You don’t care. You only care because I don’t treat you like a monster. What if I started to do that? You’d leave, just like everyone else.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” Wilbur rubbed soothing circles on Quackity’s back, between his wings, “Because I know you don’t truly think that. You’re a good person, Quackity.”
Quackity was silent for a moment before Wilbur heard him sniffle, and seconds later the waterworks were back and he was sobbing into his shoulder. And Wilbur just held him. He held him until his sobs turned into sniffles, and those sniffles turned to hiccups, and those hiccups into soft snores and Quackity fell asleep in his arms, exhausted by the day. Wilbur wasn’t quite sure where Quackity’s room was, so instead, he carefully carried him back to Wilbur’s base, where he placed slumbering Quackity into his bed and covered him with the blue covers. He sat in a chair next to the bed. He knew Quackity was suicidal, and didn’t trust that he wouldn’t wake up and try to do something stupid, so Wilbur decided to simply sit and watch him until he woke up. He wasn’t lying when he said he cared.
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Quackity woke up in a bed that was not his own, causing him to panic and sit upright quickly. He looked around and saw the sleeping figure of Wilbur, slumped in a chair next to the bed. He vaguely remembered the night before, but he did remember feeling warm and safe.He stared at Wilbur and yawned. He was still tired, and it wasn’t quite morning yet. He laid back down and sleep quickly overtook him.