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It’s been about a week since the whole “It’s Gotta Be Perfect” incident. Tensions within the SMG4 gang had never been so high before. With no castle, the group hadn’t really gotten together to hangout all week. Everything had just been a mess and everyone wasn’t sure what they should do now. SMG4, on the other hand, was terribly suffering. Of course, he let absolutely nobody know about this but the meme guardian had really been struggling to live in the past week. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself after all he didn’t have a computer or laptop to work on videos with. In consequence of having no distractions, his brain had spiraled down into a horrible depression. Even while he attempted to live with Mario, he struggled. He managed to mask it very well so the dumb plumber wouldn’t realize. Now he lived alone and in a rather ok RV. It was just him and his spiralling thoughts. The past week had been nothing but anxious thoughts, rotting in the RV, and borderline crying every night. He attempted to socialize with his friends and keep up high spirits but every time he’d return to be alone, that terrorizing anxiety would come back to bite him. He was heavily avoiding addressing it.
While laying and rotting in his RV, 4 suddenly heard a knock on the door. He perked up and looked to the door in confusion. He hadn’t planned for any visitors today.
“Heyyy uh 4? It’s 3. I wanted to uh… come visit.” SMG3 said from outside the vehicle.
“Oh!” 4 exclaimed. He quickly scrambled to get up and fix his appearance before opening the RV door to see his fellow meme guardian standing there. “What a surprise! Come on in.” He said in his usual chipper tone.
SMG3 climbed up into the RV and began to look around in interest.
“This thing is rather nice. Not bad for not having a home.” The purple meme guardian commented.
“Haha, yeaaah. It’s better than being a total hobo.” 4 jokes lightly. 4 sat down and watched as 3 inspected the vehicle. “Sooo what brings you here?” He asked.
“Meggy forced me to come check in on you. I was going to anyway but she told me I should do it now. So here I am.” SMG3 said, sitting across from 4.
“Oh! Well I’m doing just fine! This RV is nice and I’m starting to get preparations together for a potential new castle. Everything's gonna be great.” SMG4 said.
“Nah-ah-ah, how are YOU doing? Not everything else that’s happening, I mean you personally.” SMG3 instantly said, crossing his arms.
“Me? I just said I’m doing fine-“
“And I can tell you’re lying. That whole incident happened barely a week ago. There’s no way you feel ‘just fine’.”
4 couldn’t help but frown. Did 3 catch onto his decline in behavior? Has his masking really been that bad? How could he tell?
“I swear, I’m doing fine…”
“Oh bullshit. You already know I read all of those messages on the walls of the castle when trying to search for you!”
“Well… I don’t think that way anymore!”
“You’re lying again.”
“No I’m not!”
“You totally are!”
“No!”
“Yuh Uh!”
“Nuh uh!”
At this point 3 and 4 were just arguing with each other for the sake of arguing. 4 didn’t understand what 3 wanted from him. Yeah he was lying but he didn’t want anyone knowing that something was wrong. He needed to stay strong and supportive for everyone else. His feelings didn’t matter.
“4, fucking listen to me! We are worried about you! Still! You haven’t been hanging out a lot and have been alone most of the time. This past week has been hell and we want to help you!” SMG3 said, his tone growing harsh as he spoke. The blue meme guardian kept his gaze away from his counterpart.
“I haven’t processed anything in the past week, and I don’t want to!” SMG4 said, trying to hold back tears. It was true. He wasn’t sure what to think. He’d be majorly avoiding feelings to avoid crying almost everyday.
“Can’t you hear yourself?? You sound like a child! What happened last week was serious! Don’t be a hypocrite when it comes to your own feelings!” SMG3 scolded.
“Everyone else’s well being is much more important than mine!!” SMG4 yelled, his voice cracking as he continued to hold back his emotions. SMG3 went silent as he heard the unfamiliar sound of 4’s voice cracking up. His face fell to concern as he gazed at his counterpart who was faced away from him.
“4, what the hell are you talking about? You know damn well you’re just as important as the rest of us!” SMG3 argued.
“Well- I-! No!” SMG4 yelled. He had run out of arguments to make. He knew he was in the wrong but something within him kept wanting to put up a fight about this.
“You’re so frustrating… I don’t understand how everyone puts up with you.”
“They don’t! I don’t want them to have to!!” 4 shouted, clearly hurt by 3’s words. The purple meme guardian paused, realizing what he said. He really had to think through his words, he was only making 4 feel worse. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, now trying to think of what to say next rather than just spewing shit like it was nothing.
“SMG4, listen-“
“No! Shut up! Stop ridiculing me over everything!” 4 suddenly yelled. He was still faced completely away from his counterpart, refusing to look at him.
“Ah shit…” 3 mumbled. They both needed to calm down. They were getting absolutely nowhere just mindlessly arguing at each other. 3 realized that he was trying to be logical with 4 rather than simply just comforting him. He wanted to make sense of everything but sometimes that just wasn’t possible. 4 was known to push back his emotions so much that they just become a jumbled mess, there would be no way for him to coherently put them into words. It would be useless to try and get 4 to really confess anything. Slowly, 3 placed a hand on 4’s shoulder.
“4... We-… No, I care about you. That whole incident last week was scary. I’m concerned for you and I want to help… in any way. I don’t care what that way is, I just want to help you.” SMG3 said softly in a voice tone he never knew he was capable of speaking in. 3 was growing soft for 4 way too easily right now but he just couldn’t help himself. He hates to admit it but he wanted to visit 4, not because anyone told him to do it. Out of the entire friend group, he’s been the most worried. Almost every hour he had SMG4 on his mind. Most of the time he hates thinking about his counterpart all the time.
“I’m sorry…”
“No. Don’t apologize dude. Just tell me what’s wrong.”
“I-… I-… Well- I-“ SMG4 was stuttering over his words. He wasn’t even capable of fully forming a sentence, he just wasn’t sure how to verbalize anything that he felt. SMG4 squeezed his eyes shut as the tears began to fall down his soft cheeks. “I don’t… I don’t know! I can’t- I just- but-“ 4 was just stumbling over words and thoughts. Everything was a jumbled mess and barely even coherent. His body shook lightly as he began to cry.
The purple meme guardian sighed and rolled his eyes before holding his arms outwards. He was inviting 4 for a hug. This was something that has never happened before. 3 wasn’t even sure if he’d accept the invitation. And he was wrong. SMG4 turned around to tackle SMG3 into a tight hug. He buried his face into his counterpart’s neck and began to just sob. He sobbed long and hard. All the packed up emotions were pouring out like a waterfall. 4 couldn’t even believe that 3 managed to crack him so easily like this. He believed that nobody would ever see past his mask of happiness but his counterpart had always seen through it. 3 saw everything 4 thought he could hide. SMG3 simply sat there, hand rubbing 4’s back comfortingly. He could be here all day and he wouldn’t really care. He just wanted to be sure that 4 was ok. Clearly they had a long conversation ahead of them as 3 was not going to let 4 get away with not sharing anything. He was determined to make 4 share everything, no detail spared. After a long while of continuous sobbing, the blue meme guardian calmed down just a little bit.
“Damn dude, something’s really wrong.” SMG3 mumbled.
“Shut up…” SMG4 said in defense.
“Calm down, I’m just teasing you.”
The two of them went silent. 4 simply stayed where he was within 3’s arms. He liked it… a lot. This was rare. 3 never let 4 hug him let alone even touch him too. He wanted to soak in the moment. A rare moment of comfort between the two of them. Typically they’d always be yelling or arguing at each other over small miscellaneous things but now… now they were quiet. This was the first time that they’ve ever been silent sitting together. 3 didn’t seem to be pulling away anytime soon, which was good because 4 didn’t want this to end. His heart was racing, his face felt hot, he felt… warm. There was something happening. He was feeling something he was unsure he'd ever felt before.
“3… We are friends… right?” 4 suddenly asked. SMG3 was still silent. He was unsure how to answer. The villain inside him was ready to protest and tell him no, but that wasn’t the time for that. 3 hated to lower his pride but right now the only thing he could do is answer honestly.
“Yeah… I guess.” 3 answered.
Silence again. 4 wanted to continue talking but the moment he tried to verbalize anything it would just come out like word vomit. He knew this would be difficult but there was something he needed to say to his counterpart. It was important, more important than anything else in the world. SMG4 wasn’t sure what it even was but he knew it was important.
“Oh… ok well I just- damn it I don’t know how to phrase this.” SMG4 said.
“What’s up?”
“I just…” SMG4 paused and took a deep breath. 3 could feel his breathing from beneath his finger tips. He could feel everything. All of 4. They were still sitting there, hugging each other tightly. No signs of wanting to let go from either of them. “I feel weird right now…” he said.
“Well… maybe you can describe it to me?” 3 suggested.
“I can try… uhhh… So, Y’know how I appreciate all my friends and stuff? I have this feeling of appreciation… for you… but it feels like it’s more than that all that time. It’s different compared to all my other friends. It feels… warm… I feel very warm, right here, with you.” SMG4 confessed. With no hesitation, SMG3 instantly responded, pulling away from their hug to look at his counterpart.
“4, are you in love with me??”
SMG4 immediately shut up. His cheeks flared pink as he looked to 3 with wide eyes. Well that certainly describes a lot of his current feelings. Finally having a label on his feelings felt like a breath of fresh air.
“Ah… I think that’s it?” 4 said, unsure of his answer. SMG3 was reduced to total silence. 4 became worried as 3’s expression suddenly became very hard to read. He wasn’t sure what else to say. Did he upset him? Was this a problem?
“Are you-“
“4, shut up. Since when?” 3 asked, cutting 4 off before he could say anything else.
SMG4 wasn’t sure if his counterpart was angry or upset or uncomfortable. He was scared. The thought that a possible rejection could happen right now made 4 terrified.
“Don’t tell me it was because of the igloo.” SMG3 said sarcastically.
“No! No! Not that… Uhm… about two years ago. I think? I don’t know….” SMG4 confessed. He’s well aware he’s felt this way for a long time but he’s always pushed back the feeling or didn’t want to think about it. There was always something different about his relationship with SMG3 compared to all of his other friends.
“Wow, you were that slow to figure it out?” SMG3 teased.
“Shut up! I didn’t realize it!!” SMG4 said, growing defensive. “Oh and uh- I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable… with this…”
SMG3 rolled his eyes and placed a hand on 4’s shoulder.
“When have I ever said I was uncomfortable? Think rationally 4, you already know how I typically act.” SMG3 said, giving 4 a reassuring look.
“I guess you’re right… So… what now?” 4 said, completely clueless as to what was to come next.
“Are you kidding me?” SMG3 face palmed himself, rolling his eyes once more. “You are the dumbest person I’ve ever met.”
“What? Where is this coming from?” SMG4 asked, tilting his head in confusion.
“I’M RECIPROCATING YOUR FEELINGS, DUMBASS!!!” SMG3 yelled. 4’s eyes seemed to widen even further.
“Ohhh…” 4 murmured, totally embarrassed. 3 shouldn’t really be surprised that 4 was this naive. He was terrible at picking up hints. “Wait… when have you ever liked me?” He then asked. 3 looked away from 4, his inner tsundere starting to grow defensive now.
“I don’t know! It’s none of your business!” 3 said, pouting. SMG4 could only help but laugh. He always found 3’s little attitude to be really cute. 4 smiled fondly, lifted a hand up to caress 3’s cheek, and gently moved 3’s head to move back at him.
“You’re… really cute when you do that.” SMG4 confessed. 3’s cheeks flared red hot. He was speechless now. 4 had totally rendered him speechless, he couldn’t even come up with a defense. Instead, he switched the subject, attempting to fluster 4 in return.
“So when do I get to kiss you?” SMG3 suddenly asked. It was now 4’s turn to become incredibly flustered, yet he recovered quickly.
“Anytime now. I’m waiting.” SMG4 said, a smug grin on his lips.
“BET!?” SMG3 exclaimed. With no hesitation, SMG3 grabbed 4’s overalls and tugged him forwards. Their lips gently connected into a soft first kiss. 4 was shocked for just a moment but instantly melted into the kiss. His hands smoothed over SMG3’s chest, trailing downwards to grip at his hips. Of course, even while kissing they seemed to be at war with one another. SMG3 was quick to try and shove his tongue into SMG4’s mouth. 4 retaliated, initiating a fight for dominance. Though this was their first kiss it quickly turned into a rough makeout session. 3 tugged harshly on 4’s overalls once more and attempted to manipulate their position. He got up and pushed 4 down to lay flat on the bench he was sitting on, climbing right on top of him. SMG4 disconnected their kiss, now totally out of breath.
“Wow…” he simply mumbled, gazing up fondly at his new partner.
“What?” 3 questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“You’re just… so pretty.” 4 said. He lifted a hand to caress 3’s cheek once more. “I can’t ever seem to take my eyes off of you.”
“You’re such a sap.” 3 said, rolling his eyes.
“I know you love it…”
“Nuh uh!”
“Yuh uh!”
Always arguing and fighting… 3 and 4 would be at each other’s throats even if they were dating. And here they are. Now dating for not even an hour and they were already bickering over the smallest things.
“Whatever… Well, how do you feel right now?” SMG3 asked.
“Uhh… better… a little bit…” 4 answered, pushing 3 off of him so he could sit up.
“Is there any way I could help more?” 3 asked. They still had a serious conversation to have. All of 4’s feelings from the past week have still been unsaid and 3 was desperate to get this whole situation done and over with.
“I’m just…” 4 took a deep breath. He knew the topic would have to return to this. “I’m just not sure at all. You already know I can’t even begin to describe how I feel…”
“And that’s fine. But I still want to be of some help. Again, I don’t want you feeling like shit all the damn time.” 3 said.
“I understand but…” 4 wasn’t really sure what to say at this point. It was just so hard to verbalize how he felt. “It’s mainly about the uh… the video making and stuff. Yeah…”
“Your videos? 4, I’ve told you a million times that your videos are all good. They always are.”
“But it doesn't feel like it...”
“They are still good. If people watch them then they are worth it to watch.” 3 said, shrugging.
“I mean I guess you’re right…” 4’s eyes began to wander off, staring off into space now.
“There’s more you want to say, I can tell. This is more than just about your videos.” SMG3 said bluntly, crossing his arms.
“Uhhh… yeah…?” As 4 sat there in silence not wanting to admit what was on his mind, 3 took a deep breath before finally nipping this in the bud.
“You don’t feel like you’re good enough to be around all of us as a friend, do you?” SMG3 said. The blue meme guardian froze up as he was immediately called out by his counterpart. Damn he knew him too well, it was insane. 4 simply remained silent and nodded slowly in admittance. SMG3 sighed. He wasn’t sure how this could even be a problem, he viewed his counterpart in such a high regard compared to everyone else. It was impossible for 3 to even believe that 4 had this sort of mindset. “Glitchy, that’s just stupid to even assume. You’re the best person this whole crew has.”
“I’m not worthy enough to be cared for. You are all so much more important than me. Don’t even get me started on how much more important YOU are to me.” 4 finally spoke.
“You’re speaking absolute nonsense. Your worth is just as much as everyone else. Everyone cares about you, dude.”
“I just don’t understand why… I’m such a mess… even after what happened I’m even MORE of a mess and everybody is now aware of it!” Tears began to form within 4’s eyes, threatening to pour over for the second time today. “I didn’t want everyone to have to worry about me… but of course I just made it worse. I’ll never be-“
“Perfect?”
SMG4 looked over to SMG3. Of course his counterpart knew what he was going to say. He’d been repeating that same forbidden word over and over again for weeks on end recently.
“4…” 3 reached up to caress the blue meme guardian's cheek. His features softened as he gazed into his eyes. “I think you’re perfect.”
“W-what…?”
“You’re perfect.”
“3, what are you-“
“You’re perfect, 4. There’s nobody that’s as perfect as you are.”
“Please, you know that can’t be true. I-“
“No. Listen to me. You’re perfect.”
SMG4 was rendered speechless at this point.
“I’ve always thought you were perfect. No matter what you did. There was a reason I envied you so much. You’re perfect to me. You’ll always be perfect in my eyes.” SMG3 confessed.
“But 3, you already know-“
“No bullshit, baby. I think you’re perfect.”
SMG4 cried for the second time that day. He curled up in his partner’s arms and gently cried into his shoulder. SMG3 continued to comfort him softly, muttering the same words over and over again. You’re perfect. You’re perfect. You’re perfect. He’d drill that into 4’s head if he could. 3 was honest with his words. There was no bullshit or defense in his statements, everything he said was true. He truly thought SMG4 was the most perfect human being in the world and in this universe. SMG4 was truly the only human he’d ever genuinely cared about. SMG3 gently pressed a kiss to his partner’s cheek and comforted him as he began to calm down. Luckily this time the crying wasn’t as bad as earlier.
“Any better?” SMG3 spoke after a moment of silence.
“Yeah… for sure…. Thank you…” SMG4 mumbled.
“Anything for you, 4.”