Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“That was stupid, even for you.”

Shifty hissed, both at the words and at the sting of Splendont pulling a shard of glass from one of his wounds. He did not look in the redhead's direction, instead willing himself not to pull away as he cleaned and dressed his wounds.

From off to the side, his brother watched, lips curled into a frown. Lifty was unharmed for the most part, save for maybe a cut or two he got while running to pull Shifty up.

“He's right, y'know,” he spoke, and Shifty had to resist the urge to snap back at him. “It's a miracle you survived at all. I mean, getting hit by an off-course car and flung through a shop window usually would have killed someone.”

Splendont made a noise signaling his agreement as he bandaged another wound. “I would have been fine, there was no need to push me out of the way.”

“I'm more surprised he actually could push you out of the way,” Lifty muttered, “or that he'd do something like that in the first place.”

Groaning, Shifty put his palm to his forehead. “Shut up. Just, shut up. I wasn't… I wasn't thinking straight, alright?”

“Oh, you definitely weren't thinking straight at all,” Lifty folded his arms, and shifted his position. He looked away from the other two, muttering under his breath. “I'm sure ‘Dont is flattered that you care about him that much, at least.”

Feeling his face heat up at Lifty's jab, Shifty attempted to pull away from the redhead with an annoyed grunt. However, Splendont's grip on him tightened, making him hiss in pain. He whirled around to face the redhead, embarrassment, anger, and frustration melting together within him. A part of him wanted to kick and scream and let it out, but he knew that wouldn't do him any good. Instead, he'd have to wait for Splendont to finish dressing his and his brothers’ wounds.

He had a bone to pick with Lifty for picking up on and hinting at things he hadn't yet told, after all.

After what felt like an eternity of meticulous glass removal and wound dressing, Splendont finally stood up. “Alright, Lifts. What about you?”

“What about me?” Lifty's frown turned into an uneasy smile. “I'm fine. Pay attention to Shifty. He's the one who cared enough to try and save you. Maybe he's… lying to you, or you missed something.”

The fedora wearing man narrowed his eyes and turned to look straight into his brother's nervous golden gaze. “Me, lying about whether or not I still need an injury attended to? That sounds like you're protecting. And since I'm soooo stupid for caring for once, maybe he should pay more attention to the smarter one of us, the one who was friends with him first!”

“Hey, hey-” Splendont tried to intervene as Shifty got up to stand in his brother's face, but both of the twins looked at him with heated golden glares.

“Shut up, Splendont!” they shouted at him, still synchronized even as they turned back to each other. He threw his hands in the air and backed away, but his crimson eyes stayed focused on them.

“You… you just don't get it, Shifty! I-, You-, You're-!” Lifty kept cutting himself off, face contorting and expression twisting as he tried to formulate his thoughts into clear, coherent sentences.

With a snort, Shifty got closer to his brothers’ face, lips curling into a smirk. “Hah! You're gonna lecture me when you can't even form a sentence right now?”

“Ugh!” Lifty shoved him away, turning so he didn't have to look at his brother, who staggered backwards, barely catching his balance. The cuff of his left hoodie sleeve was stained with blood, and he winced when his hand made contact with Shifty. 

With clear evidence of Lifty ‘projecting’ the lying and hiding injuries onto him, Shifty opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Lifty spoke once more. “Can't you see I'm trying to help you, give you a chance to say something? You're the one that deserves to be with him - you're so much better, so much more worthy than me! You're the older one, you're the one who calls all the shots, you're better at most things than I am, and you were willing to put yourself in danger for him! Just tell him you like him, so I can make myself give up on these feelings completely!”

Mere moments after he finished speaking, Lifty covered his mouth, eyes going wide. His ears immediately flattened, guilt evident in watering golden hues.

The way Shifty had seen it, Lifty was the one more deserving of being with Splendont. He had always been nicer and willing to open up to him. He was the first to really be friends with him. And for once, Shifty was willing to not be so greedy, to let Lifty have something that he also wanted.

Funny, how the one thing they were both willing to sacrifice for the other was the same exact thing - love. Something neither of them had ever expected being able to truly experience.

“You… you two know I've been here the whole time, right?”

“...Ah.” Shifty looked towards Splendont, lips curling into a frown. What was there to say? ‘Sorry that I got into a stupid argument with my brother and he accidentally revealed that he and I have feelings for you, and also, neither of us ever talked about it, we apparently just sorta assumed we both did and decided that the other was more worthy of being with you, and this is the first time it's being acknowledged out loud’? Abso-fucking-lutely not.

The redhead moved to the middle of the couch, patting both spaces beside him. “C'mere, both of you. Lifty, let me look at your hand, and… we'll talk, yeah?”

For once, Shifty was the more obedient one, taking the seat to the left of Splendont. No complaints, no snide remarks, just… a moment of hesitation and dread. The embers of the hot anger burning within him was overtaken by the fact that it felt like everything was about to be pulled out from underneath them. All the hard work of moving forward, actually making friends with some of the others in town and having connections they could rely on thanks to Splendont's support was going to be undone by a stupid little mistake and words spat in the heat of the moment.

Was it Lifty's fault? His fault? Were they equally to blame? Rationality had slipped out the door the moment he panicked when he saw the car swerved towards them.

He would've been better off if he continued to be a piece of shit person, wouldn't he?

His gaze flickered over to Lifty, who had backed away, eyes still wide and with regretful tears rolling down his cheeks. He rubbed at his eyes, tugged at the hair strands that always seemed to bother him, and shuddered. “N-no, I don't…” He muttered, not daring to directly look at either of them. “It's not that big of a deal. My hand isn't. Sorry, I… I didn't mean to, but…” He trailed off, looking at his feet.

“Please, Lifty?” Splendont urged, “I'm… not mad. Not mad at all, I swear to you. But we still need to talk about it, and I still want to clean that cut, just to be sure.”

A long, shaky breath escaped Lifty, and he began to shuffle over to the couch. Once he'd sat down, he still avoided looking at them, but extended his injured hand to Splendont.

“This the only one?” the redhead asked, and Lifty made a confirmative noise. “Gotcha.” 

All three went silent, save for Lifty's sniffling, as Splendont cleaned and dressed the wound. When he was done, he did not fully let go of the hand, but held it ever so gently. Then, with his other one, he reached to grab one of Shifty's. In response, the fedora-wearing man made a soft, confused noise, but did not pull away.

And with a deep breath, Splendont finally broke the wordless lull. “You two are very, very important to me. Both of you. If someone would have asked me a few months ago if I ever anticipated caring about anyone outside my family as much as I care about you, I would have never believed them. But, here I am. I genuinely feel so very lucky to have met you, because it has made me so much happier. You gave me something to care about other than my brother and saving people, a reason to be willing to step outside my comfort zone and actually… get to know people. That is a debt I can never, ever repay.”

He took another breath, dropping both of their hands in exchange for wrapping his arms around their shoulders, and then he continued. “You're so important to me that I want to give you both whatever you want, given it's within my power. And I don't want to force either of you to… give up, and I don't want you to sacrifice your own feelings. There's something I've been struggling with recently. Because I've found not one, but two people I want to hold close and never let go. It… took me a while to sort things out, I actually had to talk to other people about it. Maybe this is selfish of me, because it sure as hell felt like it at first. But I don't care if it's selfish or not, because it's how I feel. Lifty, Shifty, I love you, both of you. And I want to be with both of you, date both of you, if you'll allow me.”

Wasn't it ironic Splendont had felt selfish in regards to the very kings of selfishness themselves? The two that took without asking, fueled both by necessity and the thrill and enjoyment? Shifty wanted to laugh, wanted to point out how hilarious it was, wanted to say or do anything to break out of the state of shock he was in. A happy sort of shock, but shock nonetheless.

He moved closer to Splendont, as if to signal to him that he was okay with this, and wanted this. For someone usually not willing to share, it felt surprisingly right. No sacrifices, no wanting to erase everything, and neither of them were unworthy. Both of them were worthy, both of them were loved . Maybe that was reason enough to ignore the tears streaming down his flushed cheeks, to let himself be just the teensiest bit vulnerable, if only just for a little while.

When Splendont pulled him closer, he also pulled Lifty closer. The younger twin had wrapped his arms around Splendont, just about in his lap, clinging onto him as if he was going to disappear. While Shifty's breaths were rapid and heavy, Lifty's were more like gasps for air, borderline hyperventilation.

“Hey, Lift, it's okay,” Shifty murmured, reaching out to put a hand on his back. “Everything's fine, it's all worked out! It's… it's, uh, great even.”

“I-I… I know… I'm so, so h-happy. Happy, yeah, but, but… still feels… it was… it was sh-shitty, real shitty of m-me,” Lifty managed to get out between breaths. “I'm s-sorry, s-so…”

Splendont gingerly placed a hand near Shifty's, and began to rub circles on Lifty's back. “Breathe,” he murmured comfortingly. “We all say things we regret. Sure, it might have been a dick move, but you've apologized now and things are… things are happening. Fuck, it feels so surreal.”

Shifty nodded in agreement, still half in a daze. This had really happened, Splendont wanted to be with them, both of them, and he and Lifty were fine with it. They had gotten a boyfriend. Their feelings were returned and it was all because Shifty hadn't been thinking clearly and panicked.

“Y'know,” Shifty hummed, a grin curling onto his lips as rested his cheek against Splendont's chest. “If doing stupid shit like getting hit by a car managed to get me a boyfriend, I should start being more reckless. Maybe more good things'll happen.”

Splendont chuckled, and even Lifty managed to giggle as he caught his breath. “There's that sense of humor I know and love,” the redhead smiled, before his expression immediately turned serious. “Absolutely do not do that. I'll make sure more good stuff happens to you as long as you don't pull a stunt like that again.”

Shifty let out a small laugh, wrapping an arm around Splendont as he did so. “I'll do my best, but no promises.” The headshake accompanied by a smile from the redhead and the forehead flick from his brother made him chuckle even more.

Knowing both he and Lifty were loved, feeling safe just being by Splendont's side… Things had changed, and would continue to change as they adjusted to their new relationship. But for once, Shifty was willing to deal with it, and was even excited for the things to come.

Chapter Text

It was just another day in Tree Town, and Cuddles was laying on the couch, chomping on some carrots and watching TV. The show was nearing its end, so he checked the guide to see what was coming on next. Unfortunately, it was one of his least favorite episodes, so he turned the TV off and set his remote off to the side.

“Man, if only something exciting would happen,” he mumbled, dramatically flopping over to the other side of the couch. “What else is there to even do right now?”

He hadn't gone skateboarding in a little bit, or maybe he could practice guitar… It was a matter of if he felt like putting in the effort to do either of those things, though, and he wasn't really sure he did.

Well, if not that, there was always the good ol’ timewaster of sitting on his phone and watching videos or bugging his friends in group chats. As Cuddles reached to grab his phone, he heard his doorbell ring. With a curious hum, he hopped off the couch and went to answer it.

As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted with Giggles's smiling face. “Hi!” She greeted him. In one hand, she held a take out bag from the local burger place they both liked, but she still stretched out her arms for a hug. “I figured I'd drop by and surprise you! I brought lunch too, if you haven't had it.”

“Aww, thanks Giggles!” Cuddles grinned, wrapping his arms around her. “You're really the best, you know that?” This certainly cured his boredom problem - now he was getting to hang out with his girlfriend AND have lunch for free! He really meant it, she was the best. She was always really sweet, she was super cute, and she was one of his best friends. Plus, she did things like this! How could he not think of her as the best?

True to her name, as she pulled away, Giggles started to giggle. “What's so funny?” Cuddles asked, pulling away slightly.

“You're so cute! You're blushing, did you know that?” With her free hand, she reached up to wipe away at his mouth, before tugging on his cheek. “I can tell you were eating carrots, too! The crumbs make you even cuter!”

Now that he was aware of it, he could feel his cheeks heat up even more, especially as one was tugged. Luckily, he noticed that her cheeks were flushed too, and so he mirrored Giggles's actions. “You're blushing too, y'know! Plus, you're cuter than I am!”

She responded with even more laughter and cheek pinching. “I beg to differ!” She then finally let go and stepped inside the house fully, closing the door behind her. “Buuut, we should probably eat before this gets cold. Come on!”

As she made her way to his table, Cuddles couldn't help but grin as he followed her.

God, he was soooo lucky.

Chapter Text

Splendont had never been on a plane, and before meeting Lifty and Shifty, he'd never been to any sort of fair or carnival either. Every time he'd been high up, he had been flying.

Today had been full of new experiences. Getting dragged to stand in lines, actually riding rides, faces pleading him to pay for snacks or games… It was fun, and the twins seemed to be enjoying themselves, even in the summer heat.

The day was winding down though, and so he was dragged into one last line - one beneath the towering ferris wheel. It wasn't any higher than he'd ever been, but it was still kind of impressive.

“You scared of heights, Dont?” Shifty joked, elbowing him in the side. Splendont rolled his eyes in response, while Lifty merely sighed. The line moved forward, and so did they.

Soon enough, it was their turn to board. He sat accross from the twins, watching them as they looked out of the sides of the carriage when the ride began to move.

The way they looked at the view below was quite cute. Well, they were cute irregardless, but the look of awe on their faces accentuated it. Splendont smiled as the ride paused, likely to let some others on. “You don't even need to be on a ferris wheel to see things from high up. I could carry you both at the same time. Plus, you can see way more of the town than you can from here.”

Lifty let out a small laugh, turning his attention to the redhead. “I guess you're right. Either way, we're making memories together. But isn't it nice for you to get to do things the mundane way every once and a while?”

“Mundane makes it seem boring,” Shifty chimed in with a snort. “It's not like people get to ride the ferris wheel every day either. The carnival's only in town for a little while.”

Splendont chuckled, resisting the urge to close the distance between himself and the twins. That could wait until they were on the ground. “I guess it is nice to pretend to be the average person. No powers, no expectations, just experiencing wonders the way they're supposed to be experienced.”

After another stop, Splendont took the time to peek outside the cart himself. He could spot a few familiar faces, mostly waiting in lines for other rides. Normally, on patrols and such, he was listening out for any sign of danger. If he had a specific place he wanted to be, he was likely speeding over to it. It wasn't often he stopped to look at what was below him and consider that people were there, enjoying and living their lives. His lips curled into a smile, and he tore his gaze away from the view to look at his boyfriends.

“Well, even if the view from up here is nice, the view in front of me is even more incredible,” Splendont grinned, watching as both of their faces went red.

“I-I guess the view in front of us isn't so bad either,” Shifty managed to get out as he grabbed his hat off his head to cover his face. Lifty had placed his head in his hands to hide his blush, speechless. It was always nice to fluster them, just seeing them try and hide their faces while their tails seemed to move in excitement. Sometimes, they'd even make cute trilling or purring noises, and it all served to make his heart beat faster.

The rest of their ride was filled with banter, even as they looked at the world below. Soon enough, however, it was time to get off. Once safely on the ground, and away from prying eyes, he knelt down to hug and place a kiss on both of their lips  “God, I love you two,” he muttered, smiling as he pulled away.

“Love you too, ‘Dont,” Lifty responded, grabbing his hand, and smiling.

Taking Splendont's other hand, Shifty nodded. “Yeah. Love you too.”

“You guys wanna get funnel cake before we go?” Splendont asked, remembering that they had been eyeing it earlier, when they'd gone to get drinks. Both of their faces lit up, and they nodded, so off they went.

‘We're definitely doing this next year,’ Splendont decided, smiling as he walked them over to the food stations. Life was good, love was amazing, and visiting the carnival only amplified those feelings tenfold.

Chapter Text

It felt like taking care of one's sick partner was a very… ‘boyfriend’ thing to do. It was also another aspect of helping people, so it was a no-brainer that Splendid came over to Flippy's house when he found out he wasn't feeling too well.

 Of course, it was also a bit of a pain considering that Flippy was surprisingly stubborn about not wasting the day doing nothing but resting. Splendid certainly understood getting restless and worrying about productivity, and he was definitely no stranger to pushing himself at times, but he still wanted for Flippy to just rest, at least while he was there. Perhaps he was a hypocrite, but if it was for the sake of his boyfriend's health, he had to be one.

Splendid had started up a pot of soup as soon as he'd arrived and, now that it was finished, he put some in a bowl. He carefully carried it over to the dining room table, before carefully raising his voice to call out. “Flip! Soup's on the table!”

It was louder than he intended, as often happened, but not loud enough to burst anyone's eardrums, hopefully. Splendid sighed, cursing his own lack of control over his own abilities. A slight groan reached his ears, however, and he stepped out of the room to see Flippy groggily rubbing his eyes.

“Sorry, I think I was on the verge of falling asleep,” Flippy murmured, gently setting his sewing project off to the side as he got up. “You said the soup is done, right?”

Splendid nodded, motioning for Flippy to follow him into the kitchen. As the green haired man sat down and offered thanks, he smiled. “Not a problem. Careful though, it's hot.”

A small laugh turned into a series of coughs, before Flippy picked up the spoon and blew on the soup it held. Splendid watched carefully, ready to get up and get a towel should a coughing fit cause his boyfriend to spill any. He was about to ask if Flippy wanted any tea with honey, before he noticed slow, drowsy blinks turning into Flippy dozing off mid-meal.

“Oh, careful!” Splendid gasped, catching him as he slumped and stopping him from face-planting straight into hot soup.

Flippy's eyes shot open, and he let out a small breath as he regained his composure, offering Splendid a grateful look. “I… guess I started drifting off again. Sorry,” he murmured hoarsely. 

The cyan haired man chuckled at that, letting go and watching the other begin to eat again. His gaze was more watchful, knowing that it could happen again. “I think you're more tired than you realize, Flip.”

Swallowing a spoonful of soup, Flippy frowned. “I guess…” he murmured, trailing off.

“Getting enough rest will make you feel better sooner, so how about after you eat, you go to sleep for a little while? As long as there aren't any emergencies, I'll stick around and I'll come right back if there are. Just in case you need me, okay?” Placing a hand on Flippy's shoulder, Splendid gave him a gentle smile, trying to encourage him that it really was okay to do so.

A series of coughs, a sigh, and a nod later, Splendid knew that Flippy had agreed. When he had eaten all he could stomach, the green haired man stood up, a little wobbly due to dizziness. The other followed suit, letting Flippy lean on him as he led him to his bed and tucked him in.

“Sleep well,” Splendid murmured softly, brushing sweat-soaked bangs aside and placing a kiss on the other's forehead. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Before he had even left the room, he could already hear the slight purring sound that the other made when sleeping. Splendid smiled softly as he gently closed the door, making his way to the living room and sitting down. 

Mission accomplished.

Chapter Text

The clock read 12:00 am when Lifty opened his eyes, jolting up and gasping for breath. Physically, any injuries that he'd gotten due to the curse had healed, but for the next twenty four hours, he would still be feeling pain and sensations. Because repeatedly dying gruesome deaths and then being revived was just too tame of a curse.

One minute he was running behind Shifty in a thunderstorm, carrying the spoils of their latest heist, the next he was waking up nearly a whole day later, jittering and struggling to breathe. His chest hurt, too. The cons of going out just after midnight and in a storm, he supposed.

Lifty glanced over at his brother's bed, but Shifty wasn't there. He got to his feet with a sigh, letting out a groan as his legs threatened to not cooperate, and then blew the hair out of his eyes. With slow, unsteady steps, he made his way to the door, only for it to open suddenly as he reached to grab the doorknob. Startled, he tried to step backwards, but lost his balance and fell.

Shifty let out a snort, covering his mouth as he tried to stifle his laughter. Lifty could only sigh again - he was losing count of how many times he'd done so since waking up. Disgruntled, he decided that maybe laying on the floor was better than trying to pull himself up. It was uncomfortable, sure, but laying there for the day did mean the tingling and shaking might not be too big of a problem.

Finally, Shifty stopped snickering, clearing his throat. “How're you feeling?” he asked, kneeling down and extending a hand to his brother.

Lifty took the offered hand and let himself be pulled up. “Fine, I guess. My body feels all tingly, kind of like with electrocution. My chest hurts and I feel kind of breathless too but… It could be worse, I guess.” Letting go of his brother's hand, he went to sit on his bed once more, his right hand pushing his bangs out of his eyes once more. “I'm more surprised you survived, honestly.”

“Lightning never strikes in the same place twice,” Shifty rolled his eyes, making his way to his own bed and flopping onto it.

Rolling his eyes, Lifty let out a small laugh. “That doesn't make sense. You were ahead of me. I just got unlucky.”

Neither of them spoke for a little while, but Lifty could hear Shifty moving, softly grumbling as he did so. Sleep often evaded them, which they did take advantage of with nighttime heists, but it did get incredibly annoying, especially after repeated struggles of attempting to sleep, waking up too early, or just not sleeping well. Dying didn't even make them feel any more rested - it probably just made them feel the opposite. No benefits even with all the bullshit the curse put them through.

Finally, after groaning and likely accepting he would remain uncomfortable, Shifty spoke. “It was really fucking boring yesterday,” he muttered, “kind of lonely too.”

Lifty turned his head towards his brother, blinking. He didn't say anything at first, somewhat surprised that Shifty would even admit that. “You probably could have done a lot of things without me,” he replied, not really sure how to react. “I mean… it was probably nice for you to not have to deal with me for a while.”

Shifty took a breath, rolling over to face him. “It's that I didn't get a choice in the matter,” he mumbled, “Yeah, we do our own things sometimes. We got to choose to do it, and if we needed each other, we could call or text. And if I survived and you didn't, it was never… the whole entire day.”

Lifty smiled slightly, glancing over at Shifty. “You missed me,” he stated, a teasing edge to his voice. “You didn't know what to do because me being gone threw you off.” His smile turned into a grin, the pain and jittering ignored in favor of messing with Shifty.

Shifty responded with a chuckle and an eye roll. “Of course I missed you. You're my brother. You're important to me, you little shit.”

There were times Shifty left him behind to save his own skin. There were times they barely reacted to the others’ death. There were times they fought, but Lifty cared about Shifty, and Shifty cared back, though he didn't often show it all too visibly. They were family, the only family they had left. Sometimes, a good reminder of how much they cared about each other did good, though. The chest pain still remained, but Lifty's heart felt full of warm and fuzzy feelings.

“You're important to me too, but I don't think ‘little shit’ is correct. We're the same height,” Lifty teased, grin growing wider. He could see Shifty narrow his eyes, even in the darkness, and he laughed in response.

“Fuck you, I take it back,” Shifty huffed, flopping over onto his other side. There was still a fond playfulness in his voice, however, even as he began to insult his brother. “You're the worst ever and I'm gonna fucking strangle you when you sleep one of these days.”

With one final eye roll, Lifty forced his laughter to die down. “Just shut up and try to go to sleep yourself,” he retorted, grabbing one of his spare pillows and laying his head against it.

The fact that Shifty was willing to admit he cared tonight made him feel safer and relaxed, for some reason. Feeling safer made him feel a little more willing to let drowsiness take him. Lifty let out a soft, content sigh as he let slumber take him, grateful to be able to sleep, no matter how long.

Chapter Text

Work had piled up in the past week or so. Since Splendont seemed to be the most competent person at his job, others’ sloppily done projects were passed off to him, alongside his own, already abnormally heavy workload. He wasn't really even sure if it was legal for him to be given so much work in such a short time frame, but he just didn't feel like arguing. He liked his job, doing design work was fun to him, and he was pretty good at it too. Coupled with superhero work, however, he didn't really have much time for himself.

It had never really bothered him before, when he got really busy with things. The only one who he enjoyed spending time with was Splendid, and they lived together so it was never a big deal. But now, he did have other friends, and he also had two boyfriends who he loved very much - and missed quite a bit too. Sure, he texted and called Lifty and Shifty, but it didn't feel the same as seeing them in person.

Nevertheless, Splendont did not slack off, and finally, he had gotten everything finished and submitted. It felt good to be done with it all, and he finally felt he could relax.

With a sigh of relief, he flopped down onto his bed, reaching for his phone off of the nightstand. Just as he unlocked it and prepared to tell the twins he was finally free, he received an incoming call. One quick look at the caller ID - Shifty - and he answered it immediately.

“Hey, uh…” The voice on the other end sounded raspy, and almost breathless. “I know… you're busy, but… can I come over? Now? I don't even care if Splendid's around.”

“Of course, Shifts,” Splendont replied, though his brows furrowed at the deep breathing he could hear from the other. “Just you?”

Shifty made a confirmative noise. “Yeah. Just me. I'll… talk to you when I get there. See you soon.” Then he hung up, leaving Splendont in the dark.

To say that he was concerned was an understatement. The twins were not uncommon victims of the curse - it had happened many times since they had first become friends, and it wouldn't stop just because he had started dating them. It wasn't often that one survived while the other didn't, however.

It still made his heart hurt, that he couldn't do anything to save them, that they had to experience the pain of dying gruesome deaths over and over again. Splendont was sturdy, though not immune, and his own deaths were few and far between. But Lifty and Shifty were just normal people - fragile when facing such evil, succumbing to the curse's deadly whims most times they got caught up with it. There was nothing he could do without being there when it happened, but he still wished he could take it all away.

There was no use dwelling on what he could have done, though. If his intuition was correct, Lifty had gotten killed, and being there for Shifty was the least he could do. Splendont got up off of his bed and exited his room, descending the stairs. Thankfully, his brother was off doing his own work right now - Shifty had said he didn't care, but Splendid's presence would likely make him feel worse.

Crimson eyes locked onto the window, staring as he waited to see the purple van pull into the driveway, or Shifty himself arriving at the house. Thankfully, it wasn't long before he noticed the vehicle, and he got up to open the door.

“Hey,” he murmured softly as the green haired man approached him. He opened his arms up for a hug, a concerned look in his ruby gaze. Shifty paused, before closing the distance that remained in seconds, wrapping his arms around Splendont with a shaky breath.

He wrapped one arm around the younger man, guiding him inside, and the other closed the door behind them. Then he fully pulled the other into a hug, both for the sake of comforting him and for recharging himself on one of his boyfriends’ presences.

“Fuck,” Shifty murmured, burying his face into Splendont's chest. His voice was shaky, and he seemed to sniffle slightly. Perhaps it was being embraced that allowed him to break the dam and let tears overflow, shuddering as he let out a sob. The redhead could feel wetness on his shirt, but he didn't care. What mattered to him was being here, and comforting Shifty.

“It's okay. I'm here,” Splendont murmured softly, carefully tightening his embrace, but not enough to crush him. “It was bad, wasn't it?”

Through his tears and sobs, Shifty let out a snort and some laughter. “It fuckin’ SUCKED! You don't know how much you need somethin’ until you can't have it for a while. Bad enough that just… gettin’ it makes me cry like a baby.” He pulled his face out of Splendont's chest, letting out a sigh and wiping away tears. “If someone told me a few months ago I'd be crying because I needed a hug from my boyfriend after not seeing him for a bit, I would have laughed at them and told them to fuck off. God, being in love is weird.”

Splendont smiled slightly, though his early concern had not dissipated. Still, since Shifty seemed a lot less tense, he decided to carry on with the conversation a while, leading him to the couch to sit. “It's not a bad thing though, is it? It's probably better than being alone and keeping everything bottled up.”

“Yeah,” Shifty breathed, settling down next to Splendont, making a content purr-like sound as an arm pulled him closer. “I've let out enough of my vulnerable emotions for the month though, so don't expect too much more from me.”

Splendont laughed. “And there it is. Welcome back, sarcasm.” He took off the fedora to ruffle Shifty's hair. “You're lucky I finished up all my work right before you called. I was actually about to text you two to tell you I was free tomorrow.”

Shifty smiled for a moment before his eyes widened and he began to cough. “Shit!” he exclaimed through the coughing fit. “Goddamnit, I saw some couple hugging in the fucking parking lot and I got all emotional and I totally forgot to pick up Lifty's cold meds!”

Ah. So Lifty was fine, save for a cold, and Splendont had simply misunderstood things. It also could explain the raspiness and breathlessness he'd heard from Shifty. He gave Shifty a pat on the back and a gentle laugh. “You sound like you might be on the verge of a cold, too. How about I come with you to the store, get the cold medicine, and then surprise him? I'll probably be fine.”

“Shut up, I'm fine,” Shifty huffed, rolling his eyes. “...But that sounds nice. It might make him forgive me for taking so long.”

Splendont chuckled, standing up and grabbing Shifty's hand. “C'mon then. Best not to keep him waiting any longer than we need to.”

All's well that ends well, it seemed.

Chapter Text

‘Huh. Okay. This is happening,’ Fliqpy thought as he glanced around, trying to figure out where Splendid had gone. 

Flippy had invited Splendid to a festival. Said festival was quite crowded, and when one wasn't holding hands with their companion, it was easier to get separated. Then, a switch was triggered and he stopped to seal with that. Splendid had totally been in the zone talking about something while Flippy listened, so he probably hadn't noticed Flippy wasn't next to him anymore.

Well, if he found him, he'd get to have his own date with him, which was always nice. Plus, Splendid's excitement when he talked about things he was interested in was always cute. And the cherry on top was that Fliqpy always loved to surprise him, just because he found it funny. All in all, he'd been dealt a pretty good hand of cards, so it was time to get looking.

They were headed to get a snack, so wherever the food stands were was probably his best bet. Was there a specific snack though, and which way were the vendors? It was probably in the direction he'd been facing, but he couldn't think of anything specific.

“Damn it,” Fliqpy growled, narrowing his eyes and scanning the area as he marched forward. He could yell for him, but that'd attract way too much attention. Splendid would hear it though. To be perceived and make it easier, or to just walk and continue the challenge? The triumph would be all that much sweeter if he just kept walking, wouldn't it?

Fliqpy didn't have to contemplate long. It wasn't too hard to notice a tall man with cyan hair and squirrel features that just so happened to hide his face behind a big pair of glasses. A wide grin spread across his face as he prepared to charge ahead and surprise him, but then he noticed someone bump into Splendid.

“Watch where you're going, four-eyes!” the perpetrator spat, “Don't just stand around, people are walking!”

Splendid frowned, an apologetic look on his face. “Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you or realize I-”

The stranger's face was red with rage and he snarled. “How do you come to a festival and not realize people are going to be walking? You have glasses, how could you not see me? Are you stupid? Is there something wrong with your brain? Or was it so small that it fell out when I bumped into you? Seriously, people like you should just drop dead - you'd be less of a waste of space that way.”

Fliqpy didn't like that. Instead of charging in to surprise Splendid, he marched to the duo, reaching for the knife that Flippy tended to carry around in case he needed to defend himself.

“I'm sorry. I didn't hear you the first time. Can you repeat that? Can you repeat what you just said to my boyfriend?” He sneered, staring straight into the bastard's eyes. “Or do I have to teach you how to walk around obstacles like you're a little baby? I know a toddler that can do it better than you. Funny, huh? I could check and see if your brain is working too, if you want me too…”

With wide eyes, the perpetrator gulped. “Er… sorry, I… guess I was a little… harsh there… Please don't hurt me…” He stepped back, seeing the glint of the knife's blade, but relaxed as Fliqpy put it away. “I'll… leave you to things, then. Sorry again!”

Fliqpy laughed, watching the coward run with his tail between his legs. “There we go! Teaches him not to mess with my boyfriend!” He then threw an arm around Splendid's shoulders. “So where were we headed?”

With a sigh and shake of his head, though the corners of his lips threatening to curl into a smile, Splendid removed Fliqpy's arm and instead took his hand. “Thank you for the assistance Fliq. I really do appreciate it, but I'm sure there might've been a less… threatening way to do so.”

“Eh, it's who I am. And you love me for it, dont'cha?” Fliqpy grinned. “Now I'm hungry, so let's get the snacks.”

This made Splendid smile fully, a chuckle escaping him. “You're right, I do love you for it. Let's go get my hero a soft pretzel.”

The slightest hint of a pout formed on Fliqpy's face, and he put in the tiniest bit of effort to look cute to beg. “Two. Two soft pretzels, ‘cause I saved you.”

Splendid chuckled, nodding. “Two soft pretzels for my hero it is.”

Chapter Text

There was a slight touch, a gentle grasp of his waist, and Lifty whirled around, eyes wide as he shuddered. Splendont simply smirked as he removed his hands from.his and Shifty, and continued walking towards the coffee machine.

‘Oh,’ he thought, looking towards his brother, whose cheeks were dusted pink, lips slightly parted in a silent gasp, frozen in place. He knew his own cheeks were flushed, and he inhaled slowly. ‘Wow.’

Lifty liked that. If he'd had it his way, if he had been quick enough to react, he'd have grabbed Splendont's hand and told him not to let go. Just a gentle touch, holding him around the waist for a few seconds, sent a shiver down his spine. In a good way. Fantastic, even.

“Fuck,” he murmured softly, sitting down at the table and locking eyes with Shifty. “He can't just do that, and then go about his business.”

“He just fucking did. Asshole,” Shifty huffed, taking a seat for himself. “When he's least expecting it, we strike back.”

They both grinned, snickering to themselves before they turned their attention back to their boyfriend, watching his sluggish movements as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing. He yawned and cast them a glance, to which they responded by doing their best to seem innocent.

The machine beeped, and they heard him let out a sigh of relief, letting his mug get filled before walking towards the table and sitting down. Lifty and Shifty glanced at each other before they stood up, one on each side of him, watching as he drank his coffee, and then put down the mug

Just moments away from enacting their plan, the twins shot each other a glance before reaching to gently touch his shoulders. But then his hands ended up caressing their waists again, and they froze.

“Got you,” Splendont grinned, giving just the slightest squeeze, enough to elicit a small gasp from both of them. “Did you really think I was oblivious to what you were planning? If you didn't want me to let go, you should've just told me.”

“That's-!” Lifty whined as his lips curled into a pout and he averted his gaze. “Come on, quit teasing!”

“Don't fucking let go,” Shifty huffed, curling his tail around his legs and placing a hand over Splendont's. “You happy now that you have verbal confirmation?” His other arm wrapped around the other's shoulders. Lifty mimicked him, although drawing closer to the redhead and pressing their bodies together to the best of his ability.

Splendont chuckled, pulling Shifty closer as well. “So happy to hear you say that, Shifts. Love you two so much…”

The annoyed and embarrassed moods were turned into an affectionate and flirty one as the three reveled in the shared contact. Then, the sound of someone clearing their throat snapped them out of their daze.

“Uh, g'morming, ‘Did, Flip,” Splendont muttered, averting his gaze from his brother and his boyfriend, as well as quickly removing his hands from the twins’ waists. His face was just as red as theirs were, all three clearly a little embarrassed that they got so caught up with themselves that they forgot they shared the house with others.

“Motherfucking mood killer,” he heard Shifty mutter as he walked back to his seat, folding his arms and clearly annoyed.

…Maybe after breakfast they'd be able to do more? After all, Lifty and Shifty did love receiving Splendont's affection.

Chapter Text

It was nice to get out of the house casually sometimes. Hero work did allow Splendont to spend time away from the house, but not in a relaxing way. It required a lot of focus, and it could be quite frantic at times, stressful even. Just taking a walk or even running errands was a nice change of pace from both kinds of work.

Of course, his enjoyment increased tenfold when his boyfriends tagged along - date or not. It also kept Splendid satisfied, since it usually meant that they were kept out of trouble.

It was a nice, clear day. Not too hot but not too cold either, which was perfect for spending time outdoors. He'd decided to take them to the park, a popular hangout spot for the citizens of Tree Town. There was never a shortage of interesting things to observe there - though he hoped today none of those would be of the lethal variety.

Splendont had packed a picnic basket for the three of them, albeit it was a little boring. Alongside plates and napkins, there was one sandwich for each of them, some chips and pretzels, a few apples, drinks, and some candy bars. He ran the risk of attracting Nutty with the candy. He just hoped that he wasn't there, or that he'd at least behave if he was. There was a chance the twins would fight for their food, and while the concept was intriguing to him, he'd rather not cause a scene.

With one twin on each side of him, Splendont smiled and began to walk towards the picnic tables. “See a spot? Unless you'd rather sit on the ground, but I didn't bring anything to put under us.”

“I'm wearing shorts, I'm not sitting on the grass,” Shifty huffed, folding his arms. “It's like… I dunno…”

“Uncomfortable? Makes you itchy?” Lifty chimed in, tilting his head. “It's… kinda pokey.”

Shifty's eyes lit up and he snapped. “Yes! Pokey! It's uncomfortable, but… fucking… the ‘pokey’ kind of uncomfortable. Not like you're being stabbed but like you're being stuck with something, kinda. It's sorta… tough underneath your legs.”

The redhead snorted, before beginning to chuckle as they arrived at the tables. He put the basket down. “Can't say I really understand, but I was never one to sit down and play in the grass.”

Swinging his legs as he sat down, Lifty let out a laugh. “We played tee ball for a year as kids. I just sat in the grass and looked for clovers. Shifty kept getting in trouble for trying to fight people. And at recess, well… there was a lot of falling in the grass.”

“They deserved it for getting me out,” Shifty muttered, taking a seat next to his brother. “At least I played, and I didn't keep fucking up the monkey bars.”

“Alright, alright,” Splendont interjected, holding back a laugh as he opened the basket up. “No need to argue about who was better at what. Aren't you guys hungry?”

Reminded of the impending meal, the two immediately stopped their squabbling - if it could be called that. Splendont portioned things out and then sat down for himself, pausing to watch as they eagerly dug in before he did so himself.

“What kind of bread is this? It's good,” Shifty asked after swallowing the first bite of his sandwich.

A teasing smirk curled upon the corners of Splendont's lips, eager to see how the green haired man reacted to the truth. “Splendid baked it.”

“Wha-” Shifty's ears perked up and his eyes widened, cheeks flushing slightly as he jumped to his own defense. “I didn't say shit! It's fucking awful bread! I think there's mold on it! The rest of it's fine but the bread's shitty!” And yet he still continued to eat it, even as he ranted…

It made both Lifty and Splendont laugh, the younger twin trying and failing to hold it back as he took a drink, resulting in the water coming back out through his nose. He coughed and spluttered, still mixed with the giggling, trying to recover from it.

He looked at the people around them, staring at his two lovers. A sense of protectiveness bloomed within his chest, and he put down his sandwich, each hand taking one of the twins’, as if to say that ‘they may be messes, but they're my messes’. His crimson hues narrowed into a glare as he made eye contact with each and every observer, who all seemed to take the hint and looked away.

“What's this all about?” Shifty asked, though he squeezed his hand back, just as firmly as Splendont was holding their hands.

“Aren't I allowed to want to hold hands with you two?” Splendont innocently replied with a hum. “Just touching you, even like this, makes me feel better. More secure.”

He then leaned in, voice barely above a whisper with a message intended only for their ears. “And it proves to everyone that you two are mine and under my protection.” His lips curled into a smirk, watching as the two's faces became scarlet. As if they hadn't done anything more intimate at this point, in private and in public.

“I-it's not like… we don't cling all over you sometimes to… do the same thing but when you say it out loud…” Lifty trailed off, taking in a deep breath.

“It's really fuckin’ hot,” Shifty bluntly stated, though his voice was wavering slightly with embarrassment. “Do it more.” His brother nodded, averting his gaze from Splendont. 

He gave their hands another firm squeeze, not wanting to let go but knowing that they needed to finish eating. He let go, not missing the look of disappointment crossing both of their faces. 

“I'll make it up to you by holding your hands when we walk the trail, okay?” Splendont promised, enjoying the eager nods they responded with while their mouths were full.

It was both an act of affection and a statement, one all three of them liked. He couldn't help but grin as he continued eating, anticipating being able to take hold of their hands once again.

Chapter Text

“You sure you don't want me to come pick you up?” Shifty asked.

“I walked here myself in the first place,” Lifty retorted, rolling his eyes even though he knew his brother couldn't see him. “If I had gotten a whole lot of stuff or things that needed to go in the freezer or fridge then yeah, but I just got some chips and cookies. I can carry that home just fine.”

“‘Kay,” Shifty responded, though there was a hint of disappointment, or maybe annoyance, in his voice. “Don't take too long though. I want those fucking chips.”

Lifty laughed slightly at his brother's annoyance. “Hey, even if you picked me up, you'd have to drive all the way here and then back home. And if it makes you feel any better, I don't have plans to eat anything before I get home.”

“Whatever,” Shifty scoffed, “ See you when you get home. ”

“Yeah, see you!” Lifty hummed as he hung up, putting his phone into his pocket. 

Today was a good day, and they had some spare cash, so Lifty decided to get some snacks for them. He'd been a little restless all day so he decided to walk - which admittedly might not have been the best idea considering the shopping district wasn't all that close to their apartment building, but regardless it gave him a sort of ‘free’ feeling. Sure, driving the van would have been faster and less exhausting but sometimes it felt… constricting, in a way.

Regardless, he had his haul, and he had a bit of a trek to get home. As much as Lifty wanted to break out into a sprint and just be a little silly, he knew that it'd drain his stamina, and get him a lot of weird looks. It could also break the chips up, and he wasn't looking to piss Shifty off, so a nice casual pace it was.

He hummed softly to himself as he began walking, glad that nothing bad had happened so far. Sometimes good days were few and far between, and it wasn't uncommon for something to bring his mood down, whether it be the curse or something else.

Good days had become increasingly more common though, ever since…

Crash !

Lifty jumped, startled out of his thoughts by the loud clattering noise. His ears perked up and his eyes narrowed, searching for the source of the noise when his eyes caught sight of a familiar redhead off to the side of a fallen store sign - carefully setting someone down.

Suddenly no longer phased by the danger, he began to approach, planning to surprise Splendont when the innocent soul that almost got crushed had left. He softly snickered to himself, his original mission forgotten in favor of a surprise boyfriend ambush.

“Thank you for saving me, Mister Splendont. I didn't realize that sign was about to fall off!” the poor victim smiled at the redhead, shuffling her feet. “I'm… I'm actually a really big fan of yours, actually!”

“Really now?” Splendont asked, a very slight curious hum in his voice.

Lifty couldn't see his boyfriend's expression, but the girl he'd saved had cheeks dusted in pink. He couldn't help but pout slightly, despite knowing fully well that the hero was fully committed to him and Shifty.

“Y-yes, actually. I'd, um, really like an autograph, if you could, maybe?” The fan dug into her purse, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen, and handing it to Splendont.

Carefully, the redhead signed it, before handing it back to her and offering her a wave. “There you go. Stay safe now.”

“I-I will!” she let out a squeak, clutching the autograph and pen close to her chest, her cheeks bright red now. “My friends… they are going to freak out!”

As she turned to head out, her eyes met Lifty's golden ones and she stiffened, freezing for a moment as she went pale. His glare intensified, even though he could get an autograph whenever he wanted, if he so desired. If he was feeling risqué, he could even have him write it on his skin!

…Ah. Nope. Maybe a bit too much. He felt his glare die down as his face heated up. The pout remained, however, even as he pulled his hood up to hide his face, and even as the girl carefully walked away, avoiding looking in his direction as much as possible.

“Oh, hey you,” Splendont greeted him as he approached, his voice much warmer in tone, softer, full of affection. “How's it going, Lifts? You didn't get hurt, right?”

Hmm… Splendont had noticed him before he had the chance to surprise him. That didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun, play up the dramatics over a simple interaction he'd witnessed. If he played his cards right, he'd get Splendont to be affectionate with him for a bit.

Shifty could wait a while longer, right?

Emphasizing his pout, he turned away with a dramatic ‘hmph’, folding his arms carefully so as not to crush the snacks. His tail twitched slightly as he did so, and he willed it not to give away his farce. “I didn't realize you had gotten so popular. Or that you had such adoring fans.”

Splendont frowned for a moment, before laughing and tugging on Lifty's cheeks. “I guess I am getting more recognition now, since I'm getting more merchandise than I ever have before. It means I have more money to spoil you and your brother with, so it's good news for you, too.”

The flush that had started to fade returned with a vengeance and he let out a soft gasp, inching just a little bit closer. “She was totally into you, y'know…”

“Maybe she was,” Splendont chuckled, reaching up to take the hood off of Lifty's head and ruffling his hair. “You scared her off though. Not that I wouldn't do the same for you and Shifty, of course. Speaking of him, where is he?”

“Oh, I left him at home. We had a little extra cash so I bought chips and cookies. And I… kinda had a lot of pent up energy, so I decided to walk,” Lifty admitted with a little bit of a sheepish laugh.

The older man nodded, before glancing around to make sure nobody was watching. Then, he gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. “I'll let you go then. Neither of us want to get in trouble with our brothers, do we?”

“Mmhm,” Lifty agreed with a small chirp. “I love you, and I'll text you later, okay?” When he got a nod in response he beamed, before turning away and waving.

“Love you too, Lifts,” Splendont replied, and then the two were back to their previous tasks.

‘Shifty's gonna be jealous,’ Lifty cheerfully thought as he began his trek once more, this time with more pep in his step. It really was a good day.

Chapter Text

War-related PTSD and fireworks mixed horribly. Explosions brought back memories of the war - and they were usually not good ones. While Flippy took care to prepare himself on days where fireworks were to be expected, sometimes there were assholes that thought that it was cool to shoot fireworks willy-nilly and whenever the fuck they wanted. They both could agree they were cool looking, but the sounds usually triggered them to switch and Flippy to retreat. Plus, Fliqpy himself wasn't fond of the noise either.

Slow blinking, gaining his barings, he looked around the room, grabbing onto something nearby to anchor himself to reality. One breath in, one breath out.

Right, Splendid's house. He was at Splendid's house, sitting on the couch. He looked to his left, and Splendid was sitting there. Beyond him was Splendont, who held the remote and gave him a concerned look.

“You okay?” the redhead asked, and Fliqpy gave a quick nod in response.

“I'm fine,” he muttered, folding his arms and looking away. Splendont was okay enough, but he wasn't here for him. He was here for his brother. A goody-two-shoes hero that Flippy had fallen in love with, and the sentiment was also held by him.

“Do you think whoever shot those had a license?” Splendid turned to his brother, a questioning look in his eye. “Should I go try and find them and make sure they do? I don't want Fliq to get startled again.”

…Hm. While Fliqpy was grateful for the concern, he was also a bit curious. He hadn't said anything about switching. Was it that obvious when they did so? Had Splendid not been watching the movie, or did he simply infer based off of the fact fireworks are commonly associated with triggering PTSD?

Fliqpy was no scientist, and he cared little for the art of it at all. But he was curious… could he actually pass off as Flippy if he didn't say anything? He'd have to do some testing… and hope that both Flippy and Splendid didn't get too irritated when things came out.

–––––

Science usually involved variables, and Fliqpy figured that his variable would be how much he tried to act like Flippy. It was basically the same thing as acting or playing pretend- things he hadn't really done but were probably easy nonetheless. The only other factor was Splendid not being around when he switched, which was easier said than done.

Well, it would have been if Flippy wasn't the tiniest bit intrigued by the idea.

‘It's at least something for you to do, and I will admit that I'm interested in what it takes for him to not notice,’ he'd responded when he was told. ‘It might be good for you.’

There were consensual switches on occasion, mostly when Flippy was having a bad day or when Fliqpy wanted to spend time with Splendid, but this was for a different purpose - science. Maybe. Honestly, he didn't care if it was actually science or not.

“Let's start with a phone call,” Fliqpy smirked, navigating through the phone to contacts and then clicking to call Splendid. Certainly, he could get away with it since Splendid hadn't seen him switch and only had his voice to go off of.

“Hello?”

“Heeey, uh…” Crap, was he at work? In public? Which name was he supposed to use? Flippy usually used Shiver just to be safe, and then Splendid would either continue with that or tell him his real name was okay. So why was he hesitating?! Actually, was Flippy's method alright? What if he was doing hero work and someone overheard his alter ego's name? Would he even answer the phone if he was doing that? Ah, fuck it! “...Shiver.”

There was a chuckle from the other line after the agonizingly long pause between greeting him and saying his name. “Hello to you too, Fliqpy. I'm at home right now, so Splendid is fine.”

Damn, he'd hesitated and that had cost him. He suppressed the growl of frustration from coming out of his throat, though Flippy's giggling from inside his head made him want to let it out even more. ‘If you wanna switch and pretend to be me, I'll let you talk to him.’

’Hey, it's your experiment, not mine. I'm just observing,’ Flippy replied, humor still evident in his tone.

…Well, he was right, but…

“Is everything okay?” Splendid asked, worry evident in his voice. “Did something happen?”

Shit, someone needed to say something. “Uh. No. Just called to say hi. Because I, uh, like talking to my boyfriend and I get bored sometimes.” God, he needed to get better at making excuses quickly when it came to Splendid. Did love really make him that nervous? Fliqpy, usually so good at improvising and coming up with plans on the fly, rendered unable to do so because Splendid made his heart flutter and skip a few beats.

“Oh,” Splendid let out a breath, a slight hint of nervous laughter in his voice. “Really? That's… I miss you too sometimes.”

Well, even if he didn't get the expected result, he did get a pretty good one instead.

–––––

The next time he met with Splendid, the switch hadn't been consensual, and Flippy had retreated into the headspace. Splendid was expecting to visit and see Flippy today, so it was definitely a good time to test his acting skills.

He knocked on the door, waiting for the cyan haired man to answer. His hands rested on his hips, and he tapped his foot impatiently. Would Flippy act like this? Probably not, but it was all part of his experiment.

Of course, all of his hopes were dashed the instant Splendid opened the door.

“Fliqpy?” he asked, tilting his head. “...Have people been shooting fireworks near your house like what happened the other night? Or was this a nightmare? Wait, this must've been a nightmare - who would shoot fireworks when it's still light outside?”

Fliqpy suppressed the urge to show a frustrated scowl on his face as the other rambled on. He was glad to spend time with Splendid but his experiment hadn't gone well again. Was he really that obvious?

“...Ah. Sorry. I went off on a tangent there, didn't I?” Splendid let out a nervous chuckle as he moved to let him inside. “I suppose it doesn't matter why you switched, so come inside. Let's spend some time together.”

“Right,” Fliqpy muttered softly, following after his boyfriend. Next time, he'd have to try really hard.

–––––

“Maybe try a phone call again? Or try and surprise him?” Fliqpy muttered to himself, arms folded across his chest. “Either way, I need to practice my Flippy impression…”

Flippy was patient, calmer, friendlier… He just had to be those three things in order to fool him, right? Maybe he just… wasn't a good actor?

“Haha,” Flippy laughed slightly, “I'm surprised you haven't given up yet. You're prone to rage quitting when you get frustrated.”

“Shut up,” Fliqpy snarled. “Don't patronize me, I'll make Splendid hate you.”

Flippy let out another laugh. “How do you plan to do that? He's always picked up on it being you right away.” Damn! Was he this irritating when he spoke while Flippy was fronting?

The doorbell rang, and he scoffed. Great. It was probably Lumpy coming to ask for something like sugar. Now he probably had to explain himself - or maybe he could pretend… If he fooled Lumpy, that'd make him feel better about all this.

Fliqpy lightly smacked his cheeks and smiled, hoping it didn't seem too forced, before he made a beeline for the door. The doorbell rang again and he held back his annoyance. “I'm coming!” he said, making extra sure he used the same tone that Flippy usually used.

When he opened it, he was surprised not to find Lumpy, but instead Splendid. He stiffened in surprise, especially so when Splendid wrapped his arms around him.

“Hi, Fliqpy. I was in the area, so I thought I'd stop by.”

‘Hi, Fliqpy.’ ‘Hi, Fliqpy .’ ‘ Fliqpy. ’ 

What. The. Fuck.

“Heeeey,” Fliqpy managed to get out, only half returning the hug. He was happy to see him, but he noticed immediately. Again!

‘This is hilarious,’ Flippy teased, and the only reason Fliqpy didn't punch him is because they shared the same body and he didn't really want to hit himself.

‘Straighten up, soldier,’ he told himself, not wanting to be a shitty boyfriend and upset Splendid. “Nice to see you. Uh, come inside.” He took a deep breath and accepted that it wouldn't be this time. But it would definitely be next time.

––––––

This time, he was going to fool Splendid for sure. And if not… well, maybe he'd concede it was impossible.

Fliqpy took a deep breath, waiting outside the cafe they planned to meet at and checking his phone. Just act natural, normal, but like Flippy. No need to try and force anything. That was the key.

He heard footsteps and he looked up to see his boyfriend - wearing the dorky glasses that he used as a disguise. “Oh, hey Shiver,” he greeted, offering a wave.

Splendid's mouth made a slight ‘o’ shape, and Fliqpy raised an eyebrow. “What? Something wrong?”

The cyan haired man shook his head. “No, nothing's wrong. It's just… I feel that I should be asking you that. You've been fronting a lot more, Fliqpy.”

“What?!” Fliqpy exclaimed. “But-! But-!”

‘Seems you were just a bit too obvious,’ Flippy teased, but Fliqpy was not in the mood for it.

Enough was enough. Fliqpy was giving up. It was not often he fully retreated, but he just didn't want to be right now. Flippy could have his date, and he could have his time to seethe.

–––––

The anger dissipated with time, though he still remained frustrated - more with himself. Was he truly that obvious? He liked to think he could be a good actor if he really tried, and he had been trying!

…It didn't matter anymore, and though he loathed doing so, he had admitted defeat. But he had to know what he did wrong.

And so that was what led Fliqpy to begrudgingly admit everything just for answers. And to… force a switch without permission, but he was sure that Flippy wouldn't be too mad about it.

“Splendid,” he murmured upon gaining his bearings, “...I got a question. How… do you know it's me? Like, when I don't tell you. I was trying to see if I could fool you, to see what it would take but every single time, you knew . And it pissed me off, because I was really trying my fucking best!”

“Oh,” Splendid let out a breathy chuckle, “so that's why I was seeing so much of you.”

Fliqpy nodded, staring at his lap and cracking his knuckles. Splendid placed an arm around him and pulled him closer, making him let out a disgruntled noise.

“For starters, you speak in a lower tone of voice than Flippy does, and you react a lot differently when I show you affection,” Splendid chuckled, stroking his shoulder. “Your body language is different too, and you tend to speak more bluntly, less formally than Flippy. Maybe it's because I know both of you very well, but it's easy for me to tell.”

His green eyes blinked and he frowned. “Oh. Huh. So, you think that someone who didn't know us would get fooled?”

“Maybe. Someone perceptive might be able to tell, but if it were someone you've interacted with only a few times, then I imagine they might not realize.”

So, the only reason he'd failed was because Splendid knew him way too well. It made a lot of sense, though Fliqpy was still a bit irritated that he hadn't managed to fool him at all. At least he knew why though and-

His face suddenly heated up as he realized it was because Splendid loved him. It was because he was loved that Splendid took care to make note of those distinctions and store them in his memory.

“Ha,” he muttered, relaxing into the touch. “You're so into us, it's not even funny.”

“Hm?” Splendid turned to look at him, a knowing smile on his face. Of course he'd heard it - he had super hearing, but he probably wanted to see if Fliqpy would repeat it and own up to it.

Instead, he looked away, face flushed. “Nothin’.”

Maybe his experiment had failed, but he'd learned something from it, and he was going to take it to heart.

Chapter Text

“Do you remember that one time when Mom and Dad took us to the store while it was raining, but we didn't want to go in? We just wanted to splash in the puddles,” Lifty giggled softly, gently bouncing on the soles of his feet before trying to kick and splash his brother.

“Hey, quit it!” Shifty scoffed, attempting to the same back. “Stop acting like a little kid! We were like… five!”

The laughter continued, even as he felt the rain falling against the rain jacket Splendont had bought for him - a lighter green as opposed to the darker green his brother had gotten. “You're doing the same thing, Shift! You're just as childish as me! And besides, we had to grow up too fast. We might as well have a little fun when we can!”

“Ugh you're such a pain in the ass!” Shifty let out a huff, but it was clear that he was trying to hold back his amusement. He shoved his brother, likely a bit harder than he was meaning to, and Lifty let out a soft gasp as he staggered.

He smirked, grabbing his brother's arm and dragging him down too as they fell down, making a bigger splash in the sidewalk puddle than they had before. “I'll drag you down with me everytime, asshole.” Lifty laughed, looking at his brother's disgruntled and annoyed face.

Then came the throaty chuckle of their boyfriend, the red haired hero looking back at them from his spot a few paces ahead.

“You two look so cute in those rain jackets. And playing in the puddles like this, just goofing around makes you even cuter,” he hummed, approaching them both. “Need a hand?”

Lifty took the hand with a wide, genuine smile, still giggling as he was pulled up. Sure, his pants had gotten drenched from the puddles, and it did hurt a little when he fell but… he was overall in a chipper and playful mood today.

“Shuddup,” Shifty scoffed, cheeks tinted pink as he was pulled up alongside his brother.

Splendont wrapped an arm around them both, a smile on his features. “It's true though. You both are very cute, especially when you're happy.”

Lifty cuddled closer, letting a soft purr-like sound leave his lips. He was really happy today. Usually the rain was kind of dreary, especially in their shitty apartment. But he and Shifty often went out in it anyway to try and use it to steal a little more, hoping that the rain would serve as a distraction. Sometimes it worked out, sometimes it didn't, and sometimes the rain would lead to their deaths. But a childhood memory brought to the surface by a simple walk in the rain had given Lifty a newfound appreciation for it.

He watched his brother press against Splendont more, a slight shiver running through his body. “I'm not happy! I'm cold and my pants and shoes are soaked now!” There was a pout on his lips, cheeks puffed up as he tried not to let his voice show his true feelings. “It was your idea to take a walk in the rain to test out the jackets, you should take responsibility and warm me up!”

“I'm cold too!” Lifty added quickly after the other. “Warm me up too! We can go home and cuddle under the blankets and listen to the rain...” That sounded nice and relaxing. Maybe he could even take a nap…

“That sounds nice,” Splendont hummed, leaning down to place a kiss on each of their foreheads before pulling them in just a tad bit tighter. “Let's go back then. Just me and the loves of my life, relaxing, cuddling, and getting warm while the rain falls outside…”

The twins looked at each other, each letting out a soft breath as they nodded, smiles blooming on their lips. Thus, the trio began their trek back to the house, already eager to experience the picture painted in their minds for real.

Chapter Text

There were not many people who would mess with Flippy. Those that would likely didn't know about his capabilities or Fliqpy. And though Fliqpy was the protector, more often than not able to handle himself, there were times when he couldn't, whether it be PTSD messing with him or just having an off day. Though he always tried to deny it, Fliqpy was not invincible.

It hardly ever came into play though, so Splendid tended to just assume that Fliq could handle most every that came his way His pride and being paralyzed by the PTSD would likely cause him not to call for help, either, and the chances of him flying by on patrol and witnessing it were slim.

It was an average patrol - fly around town, look and listen for people in need of help or criminals up to no good. He'd taken on Splendont's route as well, since his brother had a meeting with a client. That led him to the bad part of Tree Town, which he knew would certainly give him a workout.

Almost immediately, Splendid heard gunshots and stiffened. He was aware it wasn't exactly uncommon, but it still worried him. He hoped it wasn't too big of a scuffle.

He began to fly towards the source until he heard something else.

“He's a veteran, right? Maybe he's rich. Think we can make him pay us to leave him be?”

Immediately, his eyes narrowed and he pushed the gunshots to the back of his mind. He changed courses and landed near the source of the comment, glancing over the scene.

In the midst of a switch, or maybe stunned by memories of war, stood Fliqpy, cornered by two young looking men. Older than the twins, he assumed, but not nearly smart enough to know who not to mess with.

“I suggest you leave him alone,” Splendid announced, stepping forward and cracking his knuckles. “I'm not above beating up criminal scum like you. And believe me, it will not be pretty and it will not be painless.”

With a smirk, the second of the two, the one who had not yet said anything, spoke. “Yeah, right What are you going to do about it?” 

The two young men threw each other a look, before the glint of a blade caught his eye in the second's hand. He assumed he was bluffing, or that Fliqpy's reflexes would kick in, but when the knife plunged into his boyfriend's side and he barely flinched, Splendid realized that he should not have been so optimistic.

And upon that realization, he saw red.

One punch was all it took to send one of them flying into a building, splattering upon impact. The other, the one that held the knife, took it out and immediately dropped it upon hearing and looking at the impact, his friend's body broken and leaving a crimson stain in its wake.

“Craaap, this is one of those superheroes!” he hissed, eyes darting around as he tried to look for a route to escape. He let out a sigh of relief and began to run, trying to round a corner.

…Only for Splendid's heat vision to reduce him to ash.

He did not intend to kill them, but it seemed the curse liked to male his powers a bit more potent than usual, which led to a lot of accidents and, well… But that was not the point - he didn't have time to think about his failures. The curse had seemingly kicked in, and the chaotic nature of it could easily male that stab wound more dangerous than normal, fatal even. Unless it wasn't technically caused by the curse but…

Bah! Not the time to consider semantics! He needed to treat it with urgency, no matter what!

“Hey, Fliq,” he approached carefully, so as not to startle him. “Are you…”

“...Got stabbed,” Fliqpy responded, gaze still vacant, not even looking at him. “Kinda hurts.”

It was a good thing Splendid always cane prepared with-

“...Oh dear. It… looks like I've forgotten my mini first aid kit at home.” He still, albeit hesitantly, lifted up the other's shirt, looking over the wound. “It doesn't look to be too deep, though it obviously needs treatment.”

A shaking breath, and Fliqpy grit his teeth. “I'll be fine. I can handle it. I was only… The gunshots fucked with me and… Fuck, sometimes I miss the days where I just killed, because the memories didn't hurt. They just felt like the present and I went wild.” The mint haired man let out a low laugh, looking around and steadying himself. “You killed them for me, this time. Probably better that way. If I went into a state like I used to, they wouldn't be the only one's dead.”

Splendid let out a hum. He didn't want to kill them, but… he didn't regret it a single bit. “They hurt you, despite knowing what I would do.” He had warned them - they were just stupid enough to pick the wrong person to mess with and not realize they were being confronted by a superhero.

“But it's going to be fine,” Fliqpy assured him, putting pressure on his own wound to stop the bleeding. “They deserved it, and they should've listened, but I'm okay in the end.”

“I know you are… I just… worry sometimes,” Splendid admitted, pulling the other closer and placing a kiss on his forehead. “You can usually handle yourself but you were all frozen here. This isn't uncommon in this part of town, why were you over here?”

Fliqpy tensed at the contact at first, but relaxed a few moments later, wrapping his arms tightly around the other. “Dropping something Flip made off for Red's double trouble duo. But PTSD's a bitch and shit happens and then suddenly you've been stabbed and stuff.”

It was good they were getting along, and Splendont would especially be happy his boyfriends were getting along with someone they'd been terrified of prior. Not that Splendid cared for Lifty or Shifty that much, but he respected his brother enough to be civil. At least they weren't going around stabbing people to coax cash from them.

“Oh!” He wrapped his arms around Fliqpy. “We should go to my place and clean that wound. I'll take care of it for you.”

The other let out a huff, but in a fond sort of way. “You really are my hero.”

A smile bloomed across the cyan haired man's face as he took off, careful not to hold him too tight. He'd stopped anything worse from happening to his boyfriend, and any excuse to spend time with him was wonderful.

…The gunshots were forgotten in the wake of this however.

Chapter Text

In all honesty, maybe running out to greet his boyfriend in a pretty heavy downpour wasn't his best idea.

Splendont came prepared with an extra change of clothes and an umbrella, and Lifty had immediately put on those warm pajamas they'd bought for cold winter nights. But Shifty? He was still drenched, and he was being stubborn about it. At least he'd taken off the jacket, shoes, and socks but…

A shiver went through his body, and he held back a sneeze.

“Come on,” Lifty urged him, “even if you don't take a shower, you'll feel much better if you put on the pajamas.”

Shifty huffed, folding his arms as he held back another sneeze. “Don't care. I'm not putting on pajamas in case I need to go out later. My clothes will dry.”

“You are so stupid sometimes,” Lifty scoffed, cuddling closer to Splendont as he used a towel to dry off his tail. “You'd go out when we're having a sleepover? You'd leave me to have our boyfriend all to myself? He'd be sad if you went out without us.”

“Very sad,” Splendont faked a frown as he ruffled Lifty's hair. His attention turned to Shifty, and the frown deepened and became genuine - but concerned instead of sad. “Strip, you're gonna catch a cold.”

“And if I don't?” there was a hint of defiance in his golden gaze as he cocked an eyebrow and smirked, baring his teeth.

He wouldn't, right?

Splendont gently nudged Lifty away and stood up, making the younger man pout and let out a little whine. But it was just for show, right? Just to tease, nothing more.

And then a hand grasped at the color of his shirt, and another in rainwater drenched green locks, knocking the also-soaked fedora off his head. Before he could protest, lips crashed against his own and his body shivered, both due to the cold and the sensation. Teeth nipped at his lower lip and he just barely suppressed a moan, eyes half lidded as he melted into it.

And when Splendont pulled away, Shifty was so focused on the loss of lips against his own that he didn't notice Splendont lifting his shirt up and grabbing his arms to take it off.

The instant the air hit his body he shivered again, only this time he actually let out a sneeze. He heard Lifty snicker and he whirled around to retort, only to sneeze again.

“He probably has a cold already,” Lifty laughed slightly, looking at Splendont as he undid the buttons on Shifty's jeans. “If only he weren't so stubborn, if only he weren't so stupid.”

“Shut. Up.” Shifty hissed, before letting out a disgruntled cry as his pants were slipped off of him at the same moment Lifty threw him the towel he'd used to dry his tail.

“You have a choice now,” Splendont chuckled, gathering the discarded garments and placing them in the laundry pile. “Take a shower, put on some dry clothes, and join your brother in getting cuddles, or be grumpy and cold in just your underwear.”

“I…! You…! Damn it!” His face was scarlet as he trudged into the bedroom, throwing the towel in the laundry pile as well. “You're such a tease. Actually evil , asshole…”

The shower would have to be a quick one so he could maximize cuddling time, and maybe coax things to get a little spicier…

Chapter Text

It wasn't… good to be out in their part of town late at night. He and Lifty knew this fully well, but sometimes it didn't stop them from doing so. Maybe just a hankering to do something other than stew in the insomnia, or lingering outside after a heist actually went right for once.

Today was the former - Shifty was feeling restless and Lifty had gotten fed up with whatever he had been doing, and so they slipped out of the apartment. A short walk, just to stretch their legs. Avoid alleyways and the like, head to the gas station down the street, maybe snag something there, and then head back. Most of the time, it was really that simple.

This was not most of the time.

“If Splendont found out about us doing this, how much do you think he'd scold us?” Shifty hummed, reaching for his brother's hand so as to not get separated in the darkness.

“Maybe he'd stay over more, or let us stay over more…” Lifty murmured in response, taking the hand. “Probably a pretty stern scolding though, so I'm not sure I want to test the chances, even if I want to spend more-!” Lifty suddenly gasped, grip tightening on his brother's hand.

“What?” Shifty turned to look at him, only to see hands reaching out from around a corner tugging on Lifty's tail. His own lashed, ears perking up as he prepared to grab the younger and pull him away, only for Lifty to let go and be tugged around the corner.

Shifty hissed, running after them, only to have his wrist roughly grabbed. He tried to pull away, but the grip tightened and he was dragged further into the alley alongside, despite his attempts to break free.

…They both knew fully well they were not the worst of the shady people in this part of town. They knew that under the cover of darkness, the far more wicked types would begin to stalk, looking for easy prey. And they knew that they fell into that category for those far stronger, more successful than they were.

“Fuck!” he shouted as they were slammed against the wall, trying to take the split second they were free to grab Lifty and run away. But before he could, their assailant pressed a fut to his abdomen and he wheezed, falling down to his knees.

And despite his fighting against it, his legs and hands were bound, and so were his brother's.

“Let's see if you were smart enough to change that hero's contact name in your phone,” their attacker purred, grabbing Lifty's phone. Shifty took in a sharp breath, because he knew that his name in Lifty's contacts was simply his name.

But…

“Are you stupid or something?” he snarled out despite everything. “You're gonna contact him? For what? Ransom? Don't you know what he could do to you?”

Crimson eyes, not warm like their boyfriend's but cold and calculated, stared at him for a moment. “You're both smart and stupid at the same time. I want that hero to stop bothering me and my associates. You just so happened to pass by and say his name as if you knew him personally, talk like he cared about you personally. And it looks like I inferred correctly!” She twirled a lock of jet black hair around her finger before grinning. “Smile for the camera! And be careful, I turned the flash on.”

Shifty's jaw clenched and he struggled against his bindings. “Bitch! Like hell I'll smile for your fucking picture!”

“Shifty,” Lifty murmured softly, not looking at him, looking at the bindings around his feet. “Don't… don't do that. She'll just…”

The both recoiled as the camera on Lifty's phone shuttered, the flash going off. The woman spent a few more moments typing before she called out. “Two of you! Come out here. Bring the knife. Grab the one with the hat. He has a sharp tongue…”

Footsteps drew near, and Shifty growled as someone kneeled next to him, grabbing his chin and forcing his mouth open. He could hear Lifty visibly gasp and felt him flinch as a second shoved him to the side, reaching into Shifty's mouth and grabbing his tongue. Something cold touched his tongue. Something sharp .

“If you don't keep quiet, or at least don't stop being so crude…” their original assailant hummed, creeping closer to him, holding the stolen phone in front of his face. “Let's say you won't be having that sharp little tongue of yours for much longer.”

If Shifty moved, if he tried to fight, then… His eyes widened and genuine terror crept into his chest. And it was late enough that they'd probably be out here all night, waiting for Splendont to wake up. In such an amount of time, his tongue could get cut off and even worse could be done.

The flash startled him once more and he jerked - not enough to cut it, thank fuck, but enough to raise his heart rate and think about how it could have.

“Now that you know the consequences, I do want to make it clear that just being nice and compliant won't save you,” the woman chuckled, approaching Lifty and wrapping his arms around his neck. His breath hitched, and he saw his brother struggle with the bindings as tears formed in his eyes, and heard him gasp for breath around her hands.

’We're fucked. We're completely and utterly fucked ,’ Shifty thought, heart hammering in his chest. They'd gotten cornered before, but never in such a way like this. They'd usually manage to get away somehow, or the curse would kick in. Not this, never this.

The cold metal against his tongue, threatening to chop it off, the sounds of Lifty choking, gasping for breath, and the sensations of the tight bindings… It's enough to make even him tear up. It's all too much, and his heart beating and beating so fast wasn't helping. He wanted this to be over with - if they were going to kill them, get it over with fast. He hated struggling, hated the prolonged pain of a drawn out death, hated the blood and gore that never really fully went away. He didn't want to die, not really, but if it was quick, it'd be better than prolonging it.

…They probably planned to make them suffer, though. If Splendont didn't respond, they'd start cutting off their fingers one by one, remove an eyeball, or other stuff like that.

A shadow began looming above him, but he dared not to look up, dared not to move an inch. Until the knife was tossed away. The hand holding his tongue let go, and they were tossed aside like the lightest thing ever.

Looming above him was Splendont, folding his arms. “I suggest you let go before I toss you aside like your friend over there.”

“...I thought we had a deal, sir? You give us a pretty sum of cash and leave me and my associates alone for good, and your friends will be freed,” Letting go of Lifty's throat, the woman folded her arms, mirroring the hero's. She gave one look to the one still holding Shifty's mouth, and waved him off. He scrambled away as the woman took the lead, and Shifty scooted closer to his wheezing brother, gently touching their shoulders together.

“You think I'd just… bow to your whims like that?” the redhead murmured, eyes narrowing, and there was an intensity in his voice that Shifty had never heard before. Burning red rage hidden behind calmness, he wagered. For him. For Lifty.

The woman hummed. “You focus more on saving people. You wouldn't hurt anyone purposefully, would you? A hero would never do that , especially if all they want is to save people.” A taunt, and she stared at him with a smug look in her eyes. “So, hand it over. Because you're a coward that wouldn't dare hurt anyone unless you had to.”

Instantaneously, Splendont reached and grabbed her by the throat, slamming her against the wall with enough force to hurt but not kill. “You are pretty fucking stupid for assuming that. My brother, maybe, but I'm not above hurting scumbags like you who think they can outsmart me to get their way.” His fingers tightened around her throat. “You're lucky that only one of them actually got physically harmed after being tied up, and it's not the most serious of wounds. Because if you'd done anything more serious, I wouldn't be talking to you right now. Your brains would be splattered in this alleyway, or maybe your body reduced to nothing but ashes.”

The redhead took a deep breath, baring his teeth at her. “I'm not above maiming you or killing you, and honestly, I am considering it anyways. The only reason I haven't yet is because I want you to be alive to go and tell your little crew something. These two are off limits completely, do you understand me? They're under my protection. And if you, or one of your ‘associates’ dares to harm them in any way, shape, or form after this warning I will slaughter you in the most painful way I can think of. Do you understand me?”

Her gasps for breath were similar to Lifty's, and it made him feel… uneasy despite everything. Even if she deserved it, it just made him think of Lifty. His brother sobbed beside him, clearly still shaken up by the experience. Shifty didn't blame him. Even with the sensations of being forced to have his mouth open and tongue held against a knife gone, his heart was still beating so rapidly that he was afraid it'd burst out of his chest. Tears were still flowing from his own eyes, though not in heavy sobs like Lifty, who was still gasping for breath, trembling as he hiccuped and tried not to hyperventilate.

In a way, he felt kind of pathetic. Wondered if Lifty did too. For every excruciatingly painful death that they faced, everything that was more than likely worse than this, Shifty was still… unnerved. Terrified. Was it the threat of permanence, or was the thought, the sound, the feelings, the imagery all too much?

His golden gaze drifted back over to Splendont as he sniffed, wishing his hands were free so he could wipe away the tears, even if to the point the skin around his eyes was raw. He didn't want to be seen like this, even by his boyfriend who had seen him in even more vulnerable states.

The lady hit the ground as he let go of her. “Y-yes… I… I promise…” she wheezed out, and he saw that glimmer of fear within her eyes. She, who felt now what they'd felt. 

Lifty's phone was picked up off the ground and presented to the hero, who took it. “Stay here. I want to see you tell them not to mess with these two. If you try to run, I will find you.” He received a nod in response as she sank to the ground, and he smirked at her before turning his attention to them. He began to undo their bindings, and as soon as his arms were free, he wiped away the tears, taking in a shaky breath and not meeting Splendont's gaze. Instead, once he believed himself to no longer look like a pathetic mess, he grabbed Lifty's hand, making circles with his thumb on his brother's palm.

“Hey. Look at me. You're gonna be okay. Both of you,” Splendont gently grabbed his chin, placing a kiss on his lips before the motion made him flinch and think of the way he'd been held before. He did the same to Lifty, who simply clung onto him and cried. Shifty hesitated, feeling the tears return as he let out a breath, shuddering as he simply stared at him, a wide-eyed mess, trembling like a frightened child, crying like one too.

And yet wordlessly, he followed in Lifty's example, clinging onto Splendont and letting out an anguished sob, mentally pleading for him not to let go, to just… let it happen. Just until he could compose himself. Just until his heart no longer was about to beat out of his chest.

–––––

Even back at their apartment, even after witnessing the scum and her associates promise to leave them be, even when his tears had stopped, even when Splendont was holding them so close to him, rubbing their backs comfortingly, he still felt… indescribably not good. It probably would be the last time they went for a walk or something so late at night. It'd probably fuck with their insomnia even more. Nightmares? Maybe! Because fuck him and Lifty, they deserved the worst possible fucking cards in life at every given opportunity, right?

“Damn it,” he hissed, voice cracking as tears welled up in his eyes again. Why did he have to keep thinking about how he felt? It just made him fall back into crying again, a cycle that was hard to break.

“Shifty,” Splendont murmured softly, holding him closer, wiping away the tears gently. “It's okay to cry and be scared. I think anyone would in your situation.”

“It doesn't feel okay,” he snapped half-heartedly, sniffling, shutting his eyes tightly. “I hate feeling like this, I hate the fact it happened, and I hate the fact that the problem we tried to solve by going out is just going to get worse!”

“Shift…” Lifty murmured softly, looking at him. “...He's right.”

’I KNOW he's right but it doesn't make it feel any better!’ he wanted to shout, but he just held his tongue, burying his face into Splendont's chest.

Splendont continued to rub his back, just holding him while he cried and sobbed like a child. It was soothing, and Lifty grabbed his hand and held it too.

“I love you,” Splendont murmured, kissing his forehead. “More than words can describe. And I'm so glad I got there before they did anything worse because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something did happen to you. I would take a thousand bullets for the two of you, run through fields of fire and lava, turn back time if I had to. I'd die so many deaths for you… Anything to keep you two safe.”

“I'm sorry,” Lifty murmured softly. “I'm sorry, it was stupid of us to go out so late especially given we live here, but… but we couldn't sleep and we didn't want to just sit around.”

Splendont let out a breath. “Don't apologize. I was feeling restless tonight myself. God, I'm so lucky I was on my way to do an extra round of patrols when I got that text. But… you know what I'm about to say, right?”

“...You don't want us to wander outside at night anymore,” Shifty answered, lifting his head up. “We weren't going to. Not for a while.”

Splendont nodded. “Not alone, at least. If you want to go take a walk, call me. I'll drop everything for you.”

“You're too good. Too good for us,” Lifty murmured. “...Love you…”

“Yeah. We love you.” Shifty added. “...Thanks. For saving us, for… staying with us, for everything .”

They both let out a soft gasp as Splendont pulled them closer, peppering kisses onto their faces. And finally, Shifty no longer felt the dark and cold pit of dread and fear in his stomach, but rather a warm feeling. Love. Safety. The tension began to melt as he relaxed in his boyfriend's arms, giving his brother's hand a squeeze.

Maybe when Splendont left, it would return. But for now he knew they were safe and loved, and that was good enough for him.

Chapter Text

His brother shivered and sneezed within Splendont's embrace, letting out a groan. The redhead was gently stroking Shifty's hair, trying to soothe him to sleep. It was weird for Lifty to just see Shifty accepting it with no fuss, no fighting to say he didn't like it, but Shifty was doing worse with this illness by far. He wasn't even wearing his hat, just some comfortable pajamas, his eyes half-lidded as he shuddered and groaned in pain and coughed and sneezed.

Lifty took a breath before he began a coughing fit, grabbing onto his chest and rubbing in hopes of easing it. It didn't work. He let out a sigh at the end, trying to catch his breath, when Splendont pulled him closer, rubbing his back.

“You should try to fall asleep too. Do you need some water, maybe?” Splendont asked, humming as Shifty's eyes closed and his breathing slowed. “Let me put your brother in bed, okay? Then I'll get you a glass.”

He made a confirmative noise, sinking into the cushions on their crappy couch as the other got up. It was nice of him to come over and take care of them, make sure they had and took some medicine, and that they weren't doing anything stupid, but…

“You're going to get sick if you keep coddling us,” he murmured softly once he saw the other return, ears drooping as he winced at the sound of his raspy voice.

Splendont raised an eyebrow. “And you're just going to get worse if I don't. Would you two have tried to rest today, would you even have medicine to take?”

“That's…!” Lifty cut himself off with another coughing fit, the aching of his throat growing more intense. He grumbled softly when it finally ended, and looked up at his boyfriend, who held out a glass of water. Gingerly, he took it, taking a slow sip, still a bit disgruntled by his body cutting himself off.

“You don't need to worry about me, Lifts. Promise,” Splendont gently stroked his hair, like he had done for Shifty. “If I get sick, I get sick. I'm more worried about you two right now.”

Lifty sighed, relaxing at the soothing touch, just like Shifty had before him. He was already pretty tired, and the motion was comforting. His throat still ached, but maybe getting some rest would let the medicine work its charms. “Thank you,” he murmured, letting out a soft noise of approval. “Gonna try to sleep.”

“If your throat still hurts when you wake up, I’ll make you some tea with honey, alright? But you have to promise me that if I go to the store to get it and I leave you two alone, you won’t take anything more than I already gave you. Even if you’re desperate.” Splendont looked him in the eyes, a stern look in his eyes. “I’ll count how much there is before I go. I don’t want you to take more than you need.”

Lifty let out a soft huff. “I’m not that dumb. But I’ll make sure Shifty doesn’t,” he promised, setting down his empty cup before closing his eyes and leaning on the other. “Feels better ‘cause you’re here.”

The redhead let out a chuckle, standing up. “I guess love is a pretty good medicine.” He continued to stroke his hair as he walked in the bedroom. “I can tell you’re about to fall asleep. Get some rest, sweetheart.”

The younger hummed as he felt the drowsiness overtake him, curling up softly as he was laid in his bed and tucked in, finally succumbing to sweet slumber.

Chapter Text

Everything sort of felt different now. Morning sickness was intense for both of them, they were extra tired, emotions were a bit all over the place… If it was a possible symptom for pregnancy, Lifty and Shifty probably had it or would have it in the future.

All things considered, it could have been worse. They have a loving boyfriend with a stable (and pretty high) income and a safe and stable environment with him. A house, not a shitty apartment they can barely afford.

They hadn't ever considered this as something happening. First it was believing they would never find love and then they just… never brought it up or talked about it with Splendont. Things happened though and…

Lifty stared at the mirror, golden eyes looking over himself, trying to pick apart every detail. Of course it wasn't obvious while he was wearing his baggy hoodie, so he lifted it up.

Nothing.

He pouted, just a bit, eyes trailing towards Shifty, who lifted his shirt up, nodded, and then turned away. This had become a habit - despite their overwhelming exhaustion, they often were awake before Splendont due to the morning sickness and a little known ailment known as insomnia. Though Lifty was the one that was really into it…

“I don't get how we can feel so… weird and different and not be showing,” Lifty sighed. “We're skinny and small, we should be showing earlier!”

“Well, you don't usually start showing until the second trimester.”

Arms wrapped around him, and for a second he stiffened, before relaxing and beginning to purr. It seemed Splendont had finally caught them, but it wasn't really a big secret they were hiding. He just usually happened to be asleep.

“But we're small,” Lifty still protested.

“There's other factors than just your size, like if it's your first or not,” The redhead countered, pulling Shifty closer too and dragging them both back to the bed. Shifty let out a noise of protest but surrendered easily, cuddling closer. “Is the bump what will make it ‘real’ to you?”

Golden eyes blinked and then closed, cozying up to the other as the exhaustion caught up to him. “Mmhm.”

“It's real enough,” Shifty cut himself off with a yawn, “It's real enough to me. Test was positive, the symptoms are always fucking kicking my ass… I've cried and thrown up more in the past two weeks than I have in like, what? Two years, maybe?”

Splendont sighed, patting Shifty on the back. “I know, I'm sorry,” he pressed a kiss to the older twin's forehead. “I know this will be tough for you two, but I'll be here every step of the way. I'll take care of you both, I promise.”

“I love you,” Lifty purred, nuzzling closer at the assurance. He felt… safe, protected, loved. If he was to do this with anyone, Splendont was the man he wanted to do it with.

Shifty nodded. “Yeah. Love you.”

The redhead smiled gently, kissing their foreheads and ruffling their hair. “I love you too, both of you. I'm looking forward to doing this with you, no matter what. And no matter how tough it gets, I'll be here with you.”

“And we have each other. Won't be alone in our experiences,” Shifty added.

“You probably will have different symptoms at some point,” Splendont hummed, “but you're right. You're not alone in this experience.”

He paused, running fingers over their abdomens soothingly. “Do you feel nauseous, or do you think that the morning sickness is gone for right now?”

“I think we're okay for now,” Lifty hummed. “Flippy made us some ginger tea the other day and taught me how to brew it, so we had a little of that and it helped.”

“What do you mean he taught ‘you’?” Shifty protested, glaring at his brother. “He taught me too! I can brew tea just fine!”

Both Lifty and Splendont stared at him with a pessimistic look on their faces. “What?” Shifty scoffed. “I can!”

“You have a habit of ignoring directions and instructions, mister ‘undercooked macaroni and cheese’,” Splendont pointed out. “We can hardly trust you in the kitchen at all.”

Lifty nodded, giving his brother a gentle slap on the wrist. “You once put a frozen pizza in the oven for way too long, decided to just check on it to make sure it didn't burn, and then forgot about it until it was basically charcoal,” the younger twin sighed, shaking his head. “Not to mention the bacon grease fire you caused because you spaced out while cooking.”

He looked offended at first, but then his expression changed to frustration as he spluttered, trying and failing to come up with a defense. “That's-! I-! You-!” And then, finally, acceptance. “I need to work on that…” he mumbled, flopping over to his other side.

“Good,” Splendont murmured, patting his head. “Try and go back to sleep, okay? I can tell that you're both exhausted. You need plenty of rest so the babies can get big and strong. I love you.”

Lifty hummed in response, letting out a bog, long yawn. “Yeah… Tired… Love you too… G'night…” he murmured, closing his eyes once more and relaxing.

“Night, love you too,” Shifty added.

By Splendont's side, the two felt safe and relaxed, and though they were not yet showing, they had departed on a new journey in life with him.

Chapter Text

Dating Nutty was… a bit different than Lifty originally expected. Nutty was very affectionate and very shameless, like he'd thought, but he was also a lot more inclined to share his sweets than Lifty originally anticipated. Maybe a bit too eager, because Lifty never went home hungry after spending time with him. Sometimes, he even had to tell him that it was too much.

It wasn't a bad thing - he was underweight to begin with, and his clothes were big on him too. It was just a little… odd, to him. Odd enough that he decided he would ask.

“Nutsy?” Lifty asked quietly - the other had come up with that nickname despite knowing the connotations. “I've got a question for you.” The two were sitting on the lime green haired man's couch, Nutty alternating between giving Lifty a chocolate and eating one himself.

“What's up?” Nutty asked, tilting his head, before kissing him unprompted. His tongue swirled around the shorter's mouth, and when pulled away, he laughed that goofy laugh of his.

Lifty buried his burning red face into the other's shoulder, shuddering slightly. He always kissed with tongue, always swirled it around every inch of his mouth, as if he were tasting it. It wasn't bad - not at all - but even though the other loved kissing, it always caught him off guard.

Taking in a breath, he removed his face from the other's shoulder. “It's just… I dunno… I didn't expect you to share your candy with me at all, but… you're really generous with me.” He let out a nervous chuckle. “Is it just because we're dating or…?”

Nutty paused, putting a chocolate on his own tongue, before kissing him once again, passing it into Lifty's mouth and deepening the kiss. Golden eyes fluttered shut and Lifty moaned slightly when Nutty withdrew his tongue and nibbled on his lip.

“Kinda-Maybe-Sorta? See, I like kissing you,” Nutty hummed, pulling the other onto his lap and squeezing him tight. He had a larger body type, more meat on his bones compared to Lifty, who had started the relationship as underweight and probably was still underweight. “And I like to taste the sugar on your lips and in your mouth. So, if I keep feeding you candy, you taste like sugar and I want to do it more and more! Ahahaha!” There was another bout of his laughter, and he jittered, jostling the smaller male on his lap. It didn't help that Lifty's face was burning again and he was turning to bury his face in his shoulder again.

“Plus, it gives you a little more to love, and you're healthier ‘cause of it,” Nutty wheezed out after his laughing fit. 

Lifty pulled his head up for just a second. “I'm not sure if eating all of this candy and dessert when I'm with you is healthy…” he mumbled, before rehiding his face as Nutty's hands slid under his shirt, groping at everything he could, even unzipping his binder to have access to his chest. Lifty let out a squeak, and then a whine. “What are you doin’?’

“Loving you!” Nutty chirped, kissing his neck as his hands roamed. 

Lifty failed to stifle a moan, breathing in. “Mmn… Too much for now, can you stop? Maybe later.”

“Aww,” Nutty whined, but ceased. He at least respected boundaries when explicitly informed or told to stop.  “Lemme help you with this.”

He sighed softly as the other clumsily zipped the binder back up. ”Thanks, Nutsy…” he murmured, nuzzling his shoulder rather than hiding his face in it. “I love you.”

“Love ya too, Liftsy!” Nutty grinned, shoving a chocolate into his mouth as soon as Lifty looked up, before stealing his lips in another kiss.

Being with Nutty made Lifty's heart race, and the other easily embarrassed him. But it was worth it for such a sugary sweet taste of romance, and one he hoped he'd never stop getting to sample.

Chapter Text

“Stop eating the apples and get out of the wagon. It's for the apple bags and pumpkins!” Lifty huffed, and Shifty huffed back.

“You're just jealous that I'm getting a free ride!” Shifty snorted, taking another bite of the apple he'd stolen from one of the bag.

“You barely fit in there, hon,” Splendont turned around, snorting. “ And you're supposed to wash them before eating.”

Lifty nodded. “He goes over a bump, and you're gonna-”

“FUCK!”

“-f-fly… pfft… fly out!” The younger twin couldn't hold back his laughter, watching the other lay on the ground for a bit. Luckily, the apples were fine, as the bags weren't full enough to be all too heavy, still in Lifty's arms.

“You did that on purpose , you bastard!” Shifty glared at Splendont, who simply shrugged.

“I will neither confirm nor deny that. Now get up,” the older chuckled, making sure he wasn't actually injured beyond his pride, and the sting of face planting.

With a huff, Shifty stood up, but grabbed onto the other, climbing atop his shoulders. “Yeah, this ride's better, actually. Thanks.”

“Heeeey, no fair!” Lifty glared, setting the bags in the wagon. “I was going to do that to pick apples that are higher up!”

“You snooze, you lose!” Shifty cackled, swinging his legs against the older's chest. “Now I'm king of the world!”

“You have to support yourself, love. My hands are full,” Splendont rolled his eyes at the childish behavior, beginning to walk. “And be careful, you're bound to hit your head on the branches.”

Lifty pressed against his side as Splendont's free hand interlaced with one of his. “These are golden delicious, right? Let's go for honeycrisp next.”

At the very least, apples were somewhat good for him, but it was annoying every time Shifty took an apple off the branch as they walked, devoured it, and threw the core. Sometimes at his brother, sometimes ahead. Splendont had half a mind to kick him off and let Lifty get a free ride. Though he also could pull the wagon with one hand…

The younger let out a squeak as he was picked up and held close with one arm. His face flushed and he relaxed. “It's a little uncomfy…”

Splendont hummed, setting him down. “Is it? I guess it doesn't give you a lot of support. If I had psychic abilities, this would be much easier.”

Shifty snorted..“Or a third arm. Just like I wish you had a second pe-” Splendont suddenly grabbed him and removed him from his shoulders, to which he protested.

“None of that bedroom talk. Family friendly apple orchard, remember? And look over there,” He pointed to a young child, elementary school aged, and a stroller with a wiggly baby in it a little bit behind them. “You don't want that poor baby or kiddo to be traumatized, do you?”

“The tyke won't remember,” Shifty scoffed. “And I doubt the older one will remember either, let alone know what it is.” 

“Better safe than sorry,” Splendont shook his head disapprovingly, patting Lifty on the back. “You've worked hard today, hon. Your turn. Your brother can put what you pick in the bags. You are capable of not eating them, right?”

Shifty scowled. “Yeah, yeah… Fine.”

They passed a sign that said ‘honeycrisp’, and Lifty, now on Splendont's shoulders, carefully considered each apple before deciding whether or not to pick it. Shifty was compliant, mostly because Splendont and Lifty would watch him to make sure he did not eat them.

“Should we get granny smith? Those are good for baking, I read,” Lifty asked. “We have a little more room.”

Splendont hummed. “Why not? Let's see if we can't find them.”

“Those are the gross ones,” Shifty mumbled, following as he walked.

Rolling his eyes, the younger sighed. “I'll make a pie with the sweeter apples too. I thought I was the picky one.”

Splendont chuckled softly at their banter. It was always nice to go out and do things with his boyfriends. “Here's to many more years of apple picking trips,” he murmured softly, ruffling Shifty's hair and then reaching up to squeeze Lifty's hand. “And more things like this.”

Chapter Text

“What are you looking at, Flip?”

Flippy turned to look at Splendid, a sheepish smile on his face. “I just… I know there isn't really a basis for most of them being true, but I'm looking at old wives tales.”

“Are the twins not interested?” Splendid asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the website.

Flippy shook his head. “No, not really. Shifty said it's a waste of time and Lifty said that he'd rather wait until they can tell with the ultrasound. But I'm just a little curious to see if it's different from what we're actually having.”

‘Well, the first one easily says boy. I'm the one that's had the morning sickness mostly, not you…” Poor Splendid had been getting sympathy symptoms, while Flippy was having a more relaxed time. “But you've been craving sweets, so that one would point to a girl…”

“Heartburn… Nope, haven't had that. So, boy,” Flippy hummed. “Little Splendorous seems a bit more likely than little Dazzle right now.”

“First of all, we're not naming a son that, and secondly, we haven't even gotten through half the list, Flip,” Splendid chuckled. “...What's a linea nigra?”

“Um… it says it a line… but I don't think I have one yet…” Flippy stared at his belly as he lifted up his shirt. “Let's put a pin in that one… Hair and nails!”

Splendid ran a hand through Flippy's hair and looked at his hand. “You've had the glow. So boy… And the next is also boy. No acne at all.”

“According to this, it seems like Lifty and Shifty are having girls so far,” Flippy let out a giggle. “Okay, this one's about being clumsy and tired for boy or alert for girl. Finally, another point for girl!”

“And you're carrying wide and high, so add on two more,” Splendid patted the baby bump. “...What about your feet? Swollen?”

“Nope!” Flippy chirped, so that's another girl…”

And so the tides changed. Tale after tale now pointed to a girl.

“...Do you want to do the ones with pee?” Splendid hesitantly asked as they got to a new section.

“Eh…” Flippy shrugged. “I'd rather not have the others walk in on that. I think this is an okay stopping point. But… what do you think? I've been feeling like they're a girl, but who knows if I'm right? These tests were a mixed bag.”

“I also feel like we're having a girl,” Splendid responded, placing his hand on the bump and rubbing. “But I don't really care as long as we have a healthy little one.”

Flippy nodded. “Yeah. Healthy. I don't care if you're Dazzle or Splendorous, as long as you're healthy, little one.”

“I told you we're not naming a son that,” Splendid huffed, pulling on Flippy's cheek, to which the other laughed.

“What about Fliqpy Junior then? I'm dealing with this too.”

Both Flippy and Splendid rolled their eyes. “I don't think so,” the hero shook his head. “I want them to have their own identity, not live in anyone's shadow. Alluding to someone else is fine, but Splendorous is way too close to my name.”

“Bah, better bank on having a girl then if you can't think of a good boy name,” Fliqpy responded, and Flippy simply sighed in response.

“Fliq, you're so dramatic,” he mumbled, shaking his head. He then looked back down at his belly. “We'll come up with a good name for you if you're a boy. And we'll love you no matter what.” He stood up, leaning on his boyfriend. “Let's go snuggle somewhere more comfortable.”

“Of course, of course,” Splendid smiled, leading him to the bedroom. No matter what the world had in store for them and their growing family, they would face it together and with love.

Chapter Text

If someone told Shifty that he’d be mated to his (self-proclaimed) nemesis a year or two ago, he would have socked them in the face. Especially if they hinted that he’d get knocked up. But here they were. It was not without its fair share of arguments, especially with his hormones dialing everything up to a ten, but Shifty and Splendid were happy together. Probably.

In all honesty, he'd never expected to be wanted by anyone due to his lack of stereotypical omega qualities. His scent was a cinnamon with a hint of spiciness, he couldn't cook or clean, he was snarky and snappy and not at all nurturing and sweet… Lifty had the scent of pure sugar, could cook and clean, and if he so chose, could be sweet as all hell. And yet he ended up with the alpha he'd least expected to even tolerate him.

His own hands gently rubbed his belly, a small frown on his face. Maybe Splendid had settled for him. He was sure that, being a hero and all, he could attract any omega he wanted, so why had he chosen him? Especially after how… hostile they originally were towards each other.

“How are you feeling? I made you some soup! Do you want a back rub or foot rub or-”

“Stop!” Shifty shouted, jolting up to look at Splendid, ears twitching in annoyance. “Stop it… Just… Stop. Slow down. One at a time. Stop coddling me…”

The cyan haired man frowned, approaching him slowly, gently. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I just can't help but worry. You barely get out of bed and that's not healthy.”

Shifty wanted scowl and bite back but… he didn't have much fight in him. “Of course I stay in bed all the time. Look at me, Splendid. I look like a fucking trainwreck. I don't think I properly prepared myself for the changes in my body so I feel like shit, I can't stop picking at the acne on my face, and I just…”

It hadn't been unplanned. Shifty had agreed to it, stopped taking T for the time being, and thought that he could deal with the changes in his figure. But he was not his brother, who had glowed and took every change in stride, let himself be coddled and treated like a king. And his pregnancy was a surprise! Shifty wondered if Lifty would still have felt that way if he got pregnant before starting therapy.

“I still think you're wonderful,” Splendid softly said, wrapping his arms around him. “I can't help but feel guilty and want to do everything for you. It's my fault that you're so miserable. Did I push you too hard? Did you feel like I was forcing-”

“No! No, damn it, no! I agreed with my own free will. You know if you pissed me off or pressured me, I'd have blown up,” Shifty shook his head rapidly, leaning into the touch unconsciously. “I hate feeling like trash and I can barely focus on work. I feel like a fucking freeloader again.”

The other gave a thoughtful hum. “Hmm… maybe you could try going in again. Or at least try working somewhere else in the house. Sometimes a change of scenery helps me get going, but I'm sure that writer's block on articles is far different than fixing a bug in programming…”

“Maybe,” he murmured softly, sighing. Shifty pulled away from the other with a groan. “Feel sick again.”

“Are you gonna-” Splendid was cut off by Shifty grabbing the nearby trash can and letting out the contents of his stomach. He stroked the other's back in comfort. “There, there…”

Shifty wiped his mouth, panting as he settled back down, wanting to curl up in the blankets and sleep but also not wanting to do so. “Ugh, I feel so USELESS! I can barely bring myself to do anything!”

“You aren't useless,” Splendid chided him. “You have depression, and that's okay. It's normal for it to come back at times, and we should talk to your doctor and therapist, especially because antidepressants might cause complications.”

“I know you frantically looked up ‘depression coming back on antidepressants’,” Shifty huffed, flopping back down on the bed. “Thanks, though. You care. I appreciate it. Love you.”

“I love you too, Shifty.” Gently, Splendid took the other into his arms, rubbing his scent of herbal tea all over the other, an act of comfort and possession. Shifty responded in kind, the alpha's scent mixing with his own cinnamon in a combination that was uniquely their own. His calloused hands slowly rubbed circles on his stomach, soothing the last of the nausea.

A small sigh escaped him, content. “I think I can stomach some soup.”

“Right,” Splendid hummed, setting him down and kissing his cheek. “I'll be right back, okay?”

Shifty hummed in response, watching him go. He felt a little better now. Maybe he should lean on Splendid more.

Chapter Text

Flippy purr-snored while he was asleep, and he was doing that now as he sat in the newly done nursery's rocking chair. An obvious sign that he was asleep. Splendid smiled softly at the peacefulness. PTSD, and the baby herself, permitting, he would remain asleep for a little while. Thus, Splendid decided to talk to the little one. He'd heard that they could hear while in the womb, after all. Maybe she wouldn't understand him, but he wanted her to hear his voice.

“Hi Dazzle,” he began, very quietly. “I'm your papa. I can't wait to meet you. And neither can your dad. Let's see…”

What could he talk about? Oh! Yes! Home! “Right now we live with your uncle Splendont and his boyfriends, Lifty and Shifty. I suppose you could consider them your uncles as well. They're both having babies too, so you won't be lonely. You have your own nursery though. Our house is big, so you'll have plenty of room to explore. But Papa will keep you safe. He and your uncle are heroes, and we keep people safe. Your dad's a hero too. He fought very hard in the war for all of us, with his friends Sneaky and Mouse Ka Boom.”

“I think you're overselling me a bit there, Did…” Flippy softly giggled, and the cyan haired man looked up.

His cheeks heated up and went red. “Flippy! I-I thought you were still asleep!”

The mint haired man smiled softly. “She likes your voice. She responds to it. Kicks me a little. You have a good storytelling voice. I hope you read to her when she's here.”

Splendid's blush spread. “O-oh. Do I? I've never thought of it like that? I don't read aloud often, but I do try to sound cool when I make an entrance.”

“In another life, you recorded for audiobooks. Or maybe you were a voice actor,” Flippy laughed again. “We should find books to read to her. I think it'd be nice, having you read to my bump.”

Blue eyes softened, and Splendid nodded. “Yes. That… would be nice.” He'd eventually run out of things to tell her, so reading books could remedy that. “What about the caterpillar one? Or the one with the letters in a tree.”

“Yeah, things like that would work perfectly!” Flippy beamed, eyes shining. “Maybe I'll try my hand at writing a children's book for her and her cousins. Though, I've only written young adult stuff so far…”

Splendid stood up, kissing his lover on the lips. “If anyone can do it, it's you, Flip. You're good at improvising and adapting!”

“Am I?” he smiled softly, shaking his head. “Fliq is, but I'm not sure I am. I guess I'll have more experience with children's books if my beloved superhero read's them to our baby before she's born. Hint, hint!” A playful tone, the energies of which spread to Splendid.

The hero's tail swished with joy, and he smiled. “Well, let's get a good night's rest so we can go to the bookstore tomorrow and pick out as many children's books as we need to fill up the shelves in the nursery.” He extended a hand, to which Flippy took, and pulled the other up, letting him lean against him as they walked out of the nursery.

Chapter Text

If Shifty had learned anything, it was that being in love was weird and being subtle was not going to work out.

He'd asked Lifty what he did to show Nutty he was interested, and his twin had rolled his eyes. He said yes to the confession. That was what he did. So basically, Lifty was no fucking help.

Shifty had tried so many things. He tried smiling more, and Splendont asked him if he was okay because he looked like he was faking a smile. He tried making him something to eat, but the meal never got to Splendont, let alone out of the kitchen in an edible state. The most successful attempt was when he tried scooting closer to him, but Splendont didn't say SHIT! He did wrap his arm around his shoulders, but that was it.

So it was time to be AGGRESSIVE. Shifty had plans to call in the most aggressive person he knew for assistance, but unfortunately Lifty had hidden all the alcohol in the house. Something about alcohol poisoning and regretting it even without that. Shifty was responsible at least… a good ten percent of the time, give or take.

Alas, Lifty was too good at hiding things for him, which probably meant he hid it all at Nutty's place. He wasn't in the mood to deal with him, so sober Shifty was going to have to do a LOT of heavy lifting.

He was going to find the line Splendont drew when it came to affection and flirting, and he was going to get LAID. And a boyfriend.

He stepped out of the van and immediately was drenched by the downpour of rain. Splendont had suggested they reschedule, but Shifty was stubborn, so he drove despite the dark skies and heavy rainfall. But it made him cold, and he shivered. But it was okay because this was supposed to be a sleepover while Splendid was out of town and he brought extra clothes. Funny how things worked out.

The door finally opened, and Splendont ushered him in. “Hey. There's towels in the bathroom if you wanna shower to get warm.”

And in a brilliant moment of presumably horny desperation, the words that left Shifty's mouth were nothing short of… interesting. “Why don't you join me? We can shower together.” Outwardly, he smirked. Inwardly, he cringed. At least if he was drunk, he wouldn't care what he'd said! But he'd probably say and be okay with way worse…

Splendont's cheeks flushed pink briefly, and he raised an eyebrow. “...Excuse me?” His arms folded, but his expression didn't seem angry…? If anything, the redhead just looked confused. Shifty wasn't the best at reading other people, and leaning in and getting up on his tip-toes to look at the expression probably changed his expression and emotions. Or just made him more confused. Hell if Shifty knew, he wasn't a mind reader.

He pulled away. “I'll go… take that shower now…” If only to hide the embarrassment and flushing that had suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks.

—————

“Your hair's still wet,” Splendont murmured as the younger left the bathroom. Carefully, he grabbed the towel from around his neck and dried his hair and ears, and then did the same for his tail. A rougher form of the ruffling, Shifty supposed.

It was nice.

“You should brush it more often. It's all knotted,” the hero softly scolded. “Anyways, do you wanna watch a movie or show or something?”

Shifty nodded, before trying to think of the most romantic thing to watch. “The Office is fine.” There was romance in that, right? Good enough.

They settled down on the couch, and Shifty scooted closer. Splendont put an arm around him but the younger went further. He pulled himself onto his lap and turned around to straddle him.

“Shifty,” Splendont stared at him. His cheeks were flushed once again, and his eyes narrowed. His hands went to support the younger's back. “Do you have something you want to say to me?”

Was this the line? Golden eyes widened, and he tried to avert his gaze, but the older removed one of his hands from his back, instead grabbing his chin. Shifty swallowed, face going red.

Why was that embarrassing but not fucking straddling him?!

What left his mouth next was spat, but not with venom. “Do I really have to spell it out for you? I love you! Are you happy now?” A faint pout curled on his lips, ears flattening.

Splendont smiled faintly, but it then curled into a smirk. “Yes, I am. Very happy,” he hummed, gently pressing a kiss to his forehead. “It is pretty cute that you'd rather ask me to shower with you than just outright confess it.”

He huffed, grabbing at the redhead's cheeks and pulling. “You could've just asked… or confessed yourself!”

“But where's the fun in that if I want to hear you say it?” The older teased. “But I'll do you a favor here. Will you be my boyfriend?”

Shifty scoffed, cheeks burning bright. “Of course, dumbass!” He buried his face into the other's chest as Splendont let go of his chin, instead stroking his head and ears.

It was a mission accomplished, at least. Shifty got what he wanted, so he couldn't complain. He listened to the sound of the TV, and relished in the heart pounding feelings of having a boyfriend.

Chapter Text

Usually, Lifty would put aside money for personal things - like a new game or a haircut - or to save for emergencies. But for the past month or so his intentions were far… sweeter. Literally.

It wasn't often he got to cook or bake, and he was happy when he could make more than frozen pizzas or canned soup. Even if it wasn't from scratch.

Carefully, he opened the box of dark chocolate cake mix and breathed in. Technically, he'd set aside extra money from what Splendont gave them for rent and groceries. So had Splendont paid for his own birthday cake?

Well, it was the thought and effort that mattered, right? So Lifty was going to give it his all! He'd never really cooked or baked for a lover before… He didn't really set aside time or money to cook or bake either, even though wanted to do it more when Splendont started making things more stable for them. This was a perfect starting point to jump back into things!

Of course, there was just one issue with this - Splendont was also dating Shifty. Therefore, Shifty should also help so he can be part of this sweet little gesture. Except in the kitchen, Shifty was… well…

There was a crunching noise, and Lifty whirled around. “HEY!” he snapped, tail lashing irritably as he saw his brother snacking on the chocolate he'd set out for the ganache. “I said DON'T DO THAT!”

Shifty rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips. “You see, Chef ,” he mocked. “I don't care. This isn't a restaurant, we won't run out. Besides, I don't even like dark chocolate that much.” He then proceeded to eat even more of it despite this claim.

“Okay… Can you just look at the box and set the oven to preheat at 350 degrees and… whatever amount of time it says for two 8 inch rounds?” Lifty asked with a sigh. He was currently cutting parchment paper to line the rounds in, the bag of mix sitting next to him alongside the mixing bowl, beaters, three eggs, a cup of water and half a cup of oil. “But bring the box back so I can put the shells in it.”

The older twin paused for a minute. “Okay, but what if we set the heat to like… 700 degrees and cut the time in half?” There was a grin on his face, devious, and Lifty wasn't sure if he was being serious or not.

Could Lifty really be blamed for acting like this when Shifty was an absolute nightmare?! A kitchen nightmare, if one wanted to be funny.

“If you were a restaurant, Gordon Ramsey would shut you the fuck down,” Lifty muttered, shaking his head. “If you try that, I'll duct tape you to the wall. Follow directions. They're important so we don't burn the apartment complex down.”

Begrudgingly, Shifty did so. At that point, Lifty had finished preparing the pans and got ready to start making the batter. He poured the powder into the bowl and carefully cracked the eggs, putting the shells in the box. “Okay, can you add the oil and water?” A simple enough task Shifty followed through on, and then Lifty beat everything together, getting Shifty's help to pour it into the pans.

Lifty began to clean up once they were in the oven, and looked over at Shifty to tell him to help. Expectantly, like a dog waiting for a treat, the older twin stared at the beaters. With a sigh, he disconnected them from the machine and gave them to him.

“Nutsy said he died of salmonella before. One day it'll be you,” he teased, running water into the emptied mixing bowl. “When you're done, grab that kitchen scale and a pot. And some heavy whipping cream.” Hopefully Shifty could find it all…

It took time, but eventually Lifty was whipping up dark chocolate ganache, and then putting it on the cake. Carefully, he opened the one pack of icing and wrote ‘Happy Birthday’ on it.

“There,” he smiled. “All done!” He took a moment to admire his work, happy with the end results.

“So how do you plan to transport it?” Shifty suddenly asked.

“Huh?”

“Do you have a box or container to put it in? I dunno if it'll fit in any Tupperware,” Shifty hummed, grabbing the leftover dark chocolate and shoving it into his mouth.

Lifty's jaw remained dropped as he realized that he may, in fact, be an idiot. Like, really. Really, really .

“...damn it,” he murmured, biting his lip. “Okay, I'll go get something - I just need to put it in the fridge… Ugh! Damn it!” To say he was frustrated with himself was an understatement.

—————

Shifty rang the doorbell while Lifty held the cake. They hadn't said anything, but he knew they were both hoping it was Splendont who answered the door.

Naturally, because life enjoyed giving them the middle finger, it was Splendid who answered. He may have gotten better about tolerating their presences and being polite, but he wasn't who they wanted to see. Even if it was his birthday too.

“Oh, hello,” he hummed. “What are you two doing here?”

Lifty offered a polite smile. “Hi, happy birthday. We came to celebrate with Splendont.” A pause. “We made a cake.”

Splendid hummed, looking at it with scrutiny. “You acquired all the ingredients legally, right?”

“Yes, we bought the ingredients, shithead!” Shifty snapped, tail lashing irritably. “It's not even for you. It's for Splendont, so it doesn't matter what you think or how we got the ingredients!”

Lifty kicked his ankle just enough to cause a little pain as to shut him up.

“Sorry,” he forced a smile. “It's all dark chocolate, I don't know if you like that.”

“Oh, no. I don't need any! I'm sure Flippy has made or bought me a cake that's guaranteed to be made from legally obtained ingredients and far better-” Footsteps and a figure looming behind him and casting a shadow made Splendid pause, swallow, and clear his throat. “I mean… far more suited to my tastes. I'm not a fan… of dark chocolate.”

“That's what I thought,” Splendont scoffed, before his entire demeanor changed when addressing Lifty and Shifty. “Hey, come on in. Flippy's taking him somewhere, so he'll be out of our hair soon.”

Shifty squeezed past Splendid, making the cyan haired man grunt and grumble a little, but Lifty waited for him to move. He wanted to be extra delicate with their hard work. 

Once inside, he put it on the kitchen counter and sighed in relief. They'd arrived safely and the cake was intact. No curse interference at all. The cherry on top was that Splendid was leaving soon, so it'd just be them…

“Thank you,” Splendont whispered ever so softly. “He actually helped?”

Lifty suppressed a snort. “Yeah. He was supervised, so it should be fine. I just… didn't feel right doing nothing, so I saved to buy dark chocolate cake mix. And dark chocolate ganache ingredients.”

“You didn't have to get me anything, really. The two of you are enough.” Splendont  brushed his bangs away and kissed his forehead.

“I wanted to,” he reassured.

Effortlessly, Splendont picked him up in one arm, and grabbed Shifty, who was distracted by glaring at Splendid, with the other. He chuckled at their surprised expressions and noises. “Let's save the cake for later. I know a sweeter treat I'd like to have now.”

Splendid's shocked and almost disgusted expression was priceless, and just the icing on the cake for the upcoming sweeter treat.

Chapter Text

“What do you two usually get each other for your birthday?”

They had all been curled up in Splendont's bed, watching some old cartoon, contemplating if it was really as good as it was back then. Halfway through, it'd become background noise to cuddling and conversations - probably proving that it wasn't as interesting to adults as it was to kids.

But then, there was a birthday party episode. And that reminded Splendont that Lifty and Shifty's birthday was coming up. Considering they had made him a cake, he wanted to do something nice for them. That prompted the question, but that question prompted expressions with a certain bittersweetness.

“...We'd get two cupcakes and some candles. Nothing much. Like with a lot of holidays, we just celebrated surviving,” Lifty murmured softly. “Normal birthdays stopped after eleven, I don't know if we actually got each other anything then. Mom and Dad might have handled it all.”

“Besides, you said we were enough on your birthday,” Shifty added.

Splendont let out a soft huff in response. “But you still wanted to make me that cake, so I still want to do something for you.”

That made Lifty smile, and he cuddled closer to the redhead. “You do so much for us anyways. Bills, groceries, dates… Um, I guess we could go on a date?”

“How about this expensive steakhouse where they come around with meat on swords and cut them for you at the table?” Splendont suggested.

“You had me at steakhouse,” Shifty said, mouth already watering. This made Lifty and Splendont snort.

“Alright, alright, I'll make a reservation for the 24th then,” Splendont ruffled their hair. “Don't forget.”

“We won't!” they responded in sync, their tails swishing despite their positions in bed. Splendont smiled - it seemed they were excited.

—————

Splendont smiled softly as he watched the two eat the filet mignon on their plates. Lifty was carefully cutting it, while Shifty was shoving the whole piece into his mouth. “You're gonna choke, Shift,” he chided. “I know you like that on occasion, but now isn't the time.”

Shifty's lips quivered, his cheeks going bright red as he swallowed and burst out laughing. Lifty's cheeks were also red, his eyes wide and less amused, more mortified, especially as the sip of water he was taking came out his nose.

“Why are you the one that's embarrassed, nobody heard,”Shifty cackled out.

“Now everyone's staring…!” Lifty sighed. “And I'm all wet…”

Splendont smiled and began to pat him dry with napkins. “Sorry, sorry. It just slipped out. The two of you are fun to tease. You're cute when you blush.” They were cute in a lot of situations. The small smiles, the wide grins. The way Lifty stuck his tongue out a little when he was focusing, the fact that Shifty liked to have a show as background noise when gaming. The way that they bickered with each other was cute, even.

Little things, big things. He loved them all.

Another round of waiters came, and they all got some more meat.

“Wanna try?” Splendont cheekily asked, pointing to the spicy sirloin on his plate. Lifty stuck his tongue out and shook his head, while Shifty seemed to weigh the pros and cons before ultimately declining himself.

“The only spice we want is your secret identity,” Shifty whispered, which did get a laugh from his twin. “Other than that, it's like the heat. Unbearable.”

The hero cracked a smile. “I figured. But that does make me happy, to be the only one in another category.”

They continued to eat, and afterwards the twins received a free dessert because it was their birthday. Splendont grinned, and then took a forkful of each for himself.

“Hey!” Shifty huffed, a slight pout on his lip. “If you wanted to taste, you could've just kissed us…”

“Y-yeah… you already got a whole cake for your birthday,” Lifty protested weakly, though the slightest hint of a blush was on his cheeks.

Splendont smirked. “Fine then. One kiss to taste, and then… hmm… 20 more for every year. That's 21 kisses each for a total of 42.” As if he couldn't have as many kisses as he wanted and more.

Once they finished eating their dessert, paid, and were out in the car, he made good on that promise. The first was on the lips, and the rest ranged from their face to their necks. He was careful not to go too far, but it was hard to restrain himself when they were so utterly irresistible.

“I love you,” he breathed out. “Happy birthday, my loves…”

They both smiled that genuine smile of theirs. Sharp toothed and all. Something that made them who they were.

“Love you too,” they responded together.

Absolutely enamoring.

‘Eyes on the road, Splendont. Be in control with your brain and not your dick,’ he scolded himself. ‘That's something to do when you get home.’

All he wanted to do was give them 20 more kisses over their entire bodies, tell them something he loved about them for each one, and make sure they were loved and appreciated on their birthday. But this was a parking lot of a fancy restaurant. Splendont was a hero, disciplined and able to resist temptation…

But it was so fucking hard.

Hell, he would be okay with just cuddling and holding them close, but that wasn't reasonable to do when driving. So he set a goal - obey the law, but home as fast as possible.

—————

The day would end where the saga started - where he first talked to them about their birthday. This time, it was just some sitcom in the background, and Lifty and Shifty were pulled close against him.

“Have I made it clear how much I love you?” he smiled, tracing a finger around a hickey on Shifty's neck.

Shifty purred in contentment, golden eyes half shut. “Have we made it clear how much you belong to us?” he breathed out.

“Considering I have bites all over, I think you have,” he grinned, moving his hand to the other's head, running fingers through the tangled mess of green. “Not that I mind.”

“Love you… thank you…” Lifty sleepily whispered, his eyes shut and his breathing slow and soft. He nuzzled closer to Splendont as he began to doze. Shifty followed suit soon after, and Splendont took a moment to revel in the moment as the clock ticked over to midnight. It was no longer their birthday, but that wouldn’t stop him from loving them and treating them every other day of the year. He had repaid them for the gift of cake on his own birthday though, and now they were even.

Smiling, Splendont closed his eyes as well. They’d be here when he woke up so he could cherish them some more.