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When Jongler came back from a pretty stressful Mike shift, they saw Pluey and Battat asleep in their shared bed.
Not a bad thing on its own, by any means. In fact, they were actually glad that Battat slept on an actual bed for once. And, admittedly, seeing those two curled up against each other was very adorable. But when they took the time to tuck them in securely, before taking the couch for the night, they felt a wave of emptiness overtake them.
Battat was being more distant than usual these days. Going into his room the second he came home, always rejecting invites to hang out by them or Pluey, when he used to be more flexible in his schedule (even if he usually agreed begrudgingly,) looking more stressed with each passing day. It felt like they were a burden on him just for existing, sometimes.
The worst part was how quiet it got. Battat used to be able to talk your ear off, whether it be a lecture, ranting about Tenna, or some theory about Mike. They didn't always understand what their boss was saying, but it was nice to see him so passionate. It was what they loved most about him. He was a genius, in his own way. But now, it's like he doesn't want to say anything at all. Goes out of his way to avoid speaking, unless it's through text. He'd try to get him to open up, even in casual conversation, try to figure out how to help, and he'd completely shut it down.
That's when Jongler knew, without a single doubt, that something was wrong.
At first, they didn't take it personally. He was the same with Pluey. But when they saw the two together, being so close in a way Battat has never been towards anyone outside of the Mike costume, it was like the answer they've been looking for. With Jongler out of the picture, he was normal again. But with them there, all they seemed to do was annoy him. More than usual. More than the playful kind that would go away after a few minutes. Even someone as unbothered as Jongler couldn't ignore how helpless it made them feel some days.
At least they knew it was just with Battat. Pluey was always a ball of sunshine, the one Jongler would spend most of their time with. Though, if Battat gave them a chance, they'd split it up evenly. Knowing that Pluey was the one to help Battat relax and feel like himself again, despite the lack of details, made their heart swell. Really, it was a good thing. They wouldn't want to rob either of them of it
And yet, they wish they could have that, too. Wish they knew what they were doing wrong. They try to be as supportive as possible, to accommodate his needs, but now they've resorted to not acknowledging him at all. Not out of malice or resentment, just because it seems to be exactly what he wants.
They're not sure how much longer they can handle it, though. Even if they're scared to face him, they need to say something about it. They can't lose one of the only real friends they've ever had.
When they woke up the next morning, they stayed on the couch to read. They didn't feel like getting up, but they didn't want to do nothing either. Pluey was out for the morning shift, because they've spent almost the entire day sleeping yesterday. Typical "cat-like" behavior from them, which Jongler thought was adorable.
An hour or so later, they hear a click coming from the bedroom door. Jongler froze instinctively, looking up from their book to catch a glimpse of a dazed Battat, rubbing his eyes. They watch him go into the kitchen to make coffee, looking down every so often as to not look any weirder than they already felt.
They felt their hands clam up, clenching around their book as they watched his movements carefully.
He just woke up, they tried to rationalize. Botherin' him now ain't gonna help.
But still, they felt like they had to say something. Just to feel a sense of normalcy between them again. Better to start off small, right?
Come on...
They continue to look up every now and then, Battat now drinking his coffee with his back against a wall. He looks more awake than usual, Jongler noted. A little more color in his face. Pluey must've been a real good help.
They huff as quietly as they could, but immediately regret it after. Better not think about that too hard.
Suddenly, Battat turns to go back to his room, and Jongler panics. He's gonna be completely unreachable once he gets into his usual "work flow." Aka: ignoring his health and everything else around him in favor of working by himself, until it's his time to be Mike.
Jongler's not gonna get another opportunity like this for a while. Not when Pluey is gone. He has to talk to them at some point, right?
...God, why is this so hard???
”Mornin', boss.” The words awkwardly stumble out while he's still barely visible, and they see him pause. They immediately regret it.
There's silence for what feels like hours. They see him turn back, ever so slightly, until they're both looking at each other. There's a noticeable shyness in his gaze.
"Oh, uh. Hey." He mumbles, taking a sip of his coffee as a way to break contact. Jongler's whole body tenses up at the awkwardness, losing all of the talking points they originally had.
"...You could've kicked me out, you know." He suddenly added, much less hostile than usual, which snapped the Zapper out of their spiral of thoughts.
"Hm?"
"Of the bed."
Jongler pauses, taking the time to shut their book and set it aside.
"I don't mind." They shrug, faking their usual nonchalance. "It's yer bed too, ain't it? I always say yous can take a turn. Just don't wanna disturb yous n' Pluey." They see a flicker of guilt in his eyes as he visibly swallows.
How are they supposed to say that they're happy for him and concerned at the same time? Battat deserves to be happy. He deserves quality time with his friends. He shouldn't have to feel bad about it.
No wonder he prefers Pluey over them.
“...You wouldn't have.” He's barely audible by this point. “It makes more sense for me to be out here, anyway."
It doesn't, they want to say. You should be in the same place as the rest of us. But no words come out.
“Well, have a good mornin'. Try not ta work too hard, k?" They say, and Battat merely nods before walking off again. He's definitely not going to listen to that.
When they heard the door close, they sighed and hid their head in their hands.
They didn't get to say anything they wanted to, but it was a start. At least he wasn't as annoyed today. Maybe, because of Pluey, they can finally have a conversation. Who knows when he's gonna be in a decent mood again.
Today. They have to do it today. And they have to do it right.
Finally getting up from the couch, Jongler decides to think of a proper starting point.
While making a cup of coffee, because that sounds great right about now.
-
They went back into their own room at some point. Not wanting to bother Pluey for such an overreaction (and also not wanting to cause any more drama in the group,) they decided they had to figure things out on their own. Working on some unfinished knitting projects cleared their head a bit.
Maybe they should do something together, Jongler considered. Something they would actually like. Maybe he just needs to be in the right state of mind. If they could get him to agree with it.
But, other than Mike stuff, what does Battat actually like? When looking around their room, they realized that he had nothing of his own. No decorations, no collectables, nothing in his part of the closet besides clothes. He talks so much about anything but himself. It made Jongler feel weirdly uncomfortable.
Maybe it's all in his work station, though part of them doubts that. If he doesn't have time for partaking in his hobbies, he probably doesn't have time to display any of them. But they've been friends for well over a year at this point, and yet his walls are still as high as they can go. Jongler wishes they could be the person he trusts, the person he opens up to. But for some reason, he distances himself more and more from them.
What makes it so easy for Pluey? Why are they so much better at being the friend that Battat needs? They try to be supportive, ask him questions, do stuff for him without asking that they think he'll appreciate. They want to be engaged in Battat's life, even if they don't understand everything he's passionate about.
Do they sound condescending? Are they just doing all the wrong things? It makes them think of how easy Pluey is. Just tell them nice things, point a laser on the floor, and give them lots of physical affection. It's definitely unorthodox, but they don't mind it one bit. They like how unique Pluey is.
Battat is more difficult in every single way. It's never been a huge source of conflict, everyone knows that he's an easier shell to crack than he lets on. He's a good friend, really. A real sweetheart. And he's a good boss, too. Always one step ahead, planning out all of the details, being overly prepared for every scenario. He was made for this kind of thing. Why he chose Mike to be his main focus, Jongler will never know. The most interesting thing about him is that he disappeared. Actually, the most interesting thing is that everyone seems to be obsessed with him. Tenna was already an emotional wreck without Mike's disappearance, but he seems to rely on him for everything now. His most trusted friend, yet he can't recognize his face, voice, or body type.
Or, maybe he does. Jongler has his own theory, though much less researched than any of Battat's, that he's letting them all play the part. That he's too lonely to call them out on it. He's lost too many people over the last few years and can't handle anything else. It's sad to think about, so they try to ignore it. Tenna's far from perfect, but he's technically the reason he met Battat and Pluey, so they can deal with his outbursts. Most of the time.
When this all comes to an end, for one reason or another, Jongler hopes they won't be separated. They'd be perfectly fine living with the others for a long time more. Especially with Mike out of the picture. Battat can finally relax, be present. Do something else. They can learn more about him.
They shake their head at the thought. That's really selfish, isn't it? Who cares what Battat does with his free time, as long as he's happy?
He'll probably go off on his own once it's all over, anyway. He doesn't seem like the type to stick around. Pluey would, though.
Ugh, they feel sick just considering it. Things were so good between the three of them until recently. Why did they have to mess it up?
Suddenly, the sound of running water and porcelain clanking together jolts Jongler out of their thoughts. They wait a minute, then another, and it doesn't stop.
Battat's out of his room again. They feel relieved and nervous at the same time. They have another chance to talk about something with him. The fact he actually left his room so early in the morning is puzzling to them... What if he doesn't want to be bothered? What if they scare him away?
He was more receptive to conversation last time, but Jongler shouldn't push it too hard. It's caused enough problems already, apparently. Though, at this point, they don't even want to be confrontational.
They just...want to talk to him again. About anything. Just for a little bit.
It's probably better to start things off slow, anyway. They push themselves off the bed with a grunt, lingering in front of the door. They could still hear the noise from the other side, faintly.
No turning back now.
Twisting the nob as slow as humanly possible before pushing the door open, Jongler approached the living room to sit down on the couch again. Just to keep a good distance between them.
Jongler noticed what Battat was up to right away. He was just doing the dishes. Which made them raise an eyebrow (or their equivalent of one,) since he usually hates doing them - which is why Jongler or Pluey take up that chore for the most part. Battat is an organization kinda guy when it comes to cleaning. Spending his free time on this, of all things, was definitely a first. Though, maybe he's just going out of his way to fix something that bothers him. He does that a lot. Though they were just sitting down, trying to relax their racing mind, hearing Battat make any kind of noise at all caused their heart to jump in their chest.
Eventually, the sound of running water ceased entirely. Jongler could hear a sigh, followed by the closing of cabinets and a towel rubbing against his hands. When he left the kitchen, the two looked at each other, an equally stunned expression from both of them.
Jongler tries to speak as casually as they did before, but all words evaporate before they can come out. Before they know it, Battat is gone again. Damn.
Except it didn't take longer before he returns, dragging their vacuum across the carpet.
???????
He hasn't been this productive in a WHILE. Not with normal things like this. They watched in awe as he plugged it into the outlet, cleaning around them like they weren't even there. It felt personal, for some reason.
Despite the loud noise from the vacuum incredibly close to them, Jongler doesn't find it as distracting as Battat closing some of the distance on them every now and there. It's actually a good way to block out some unwanted thoughts.
With that done, the die was quick to walk off and put everything away. Thinking this was their moment to start a conversation, Jongler was exasperated when he came back again with a rag and disinfectant spray, sitting on his knees and scrubbing into the table like his life depended on it. He's very determined, Jongler noticed from the corner of their vision.
This was gonna go on for a while, they think. And it's definitely to work something out of his system.
Almost every part of Jongler wants to wait until it's a better time, when he's not so busy, but the part of them that just wants to get it over with is incredibly loud. Especially with his Mike shift coming up soon.
He can't leave while they're still on bad terms. They can't take any more of this distance. Not when there's a way to fix it.
They swallow, finally looking up at him with clear intent.
“Hey, uh...boss? Whatcha doin'?” They ask, Battat stops entirely like they flipped a switch. He doesn't even look up in return.
“Cleaning.” He murmurs. Of course he'd give an an answer like that.
“I can see dat. Don't ya think yous oughta be relaxing?"
He shrugs, continuing his task at a much slower pace. “I'd rather be productive, I guess.”
He sounds so...sad. They sort of miss Battat being annoyed and throwing ridiculous insults at them, or completely talking their ear off once he gets the right inspiration. Usually when something doesn't make sense, to either him or everyone else. Their shared space has been so much less lively ever since he took up so little of it.
“C'mon..Yous deserves a break, Batts.” They insist, despite knowing better. “At da very least, I can help out a bit?” They watch him stand up, brushing off his legs and making his way back to the kitchen.
“It's fine. I got it.” He brushes them off so carelessly, something uncomfortable starts to burn inside of their chest.
It's like everything is better when they aren't around. Like the world just expects them to sit helplessly and watch their friendship fall apart.
Without thinking, some of those emotions slip out, desperate to keep him still.
“Battat.” They call out, much more stern than they wanted. In fact, it was probably the most genuinely bothered they've ever sounded. Battat must think so too, because he fliches when he stops moving. The look in his eyes they can see, so unsure of himself - immediately fills them with regret. They soften their tone extremely.
“Just...talk ta me, please?” The desperation is apparent, uncontrolled. ”What's goin' on?”
After a moment of silence, he sighs, walking at a slower distance to put everything away again.
“I don't know.” He can barely make it out. “I just... need to do something important. I haven't been out here in a while.”
“But dats da problem. I'm worried about ya, Batts. Real worried. This ain't normal.” He leaves his field of vision for a second, coming back to sit next to him at a reasonable distance. His hands held together, resting on his leg as he avoided their gaze. They took this time to continue.
“I don't mind if ya don't get everything done all the time. There's more goin' on in life than work, ya know? Just... I wish youse was here more. With us. Not just with work things.”
They see him tap the fingers of one hands against the other, the same rhythm as his foot. The silence is making their head spin, despite being overall very patient. He might not say anything for a while.
“...Is it 'cause of me?” they ask weakly, and that's when he looks at him again, absolutely terrified. Maybe he was just nervous about being figured out, they thought for a brief moment. They could tell he was about to blurt something out, before begrudgingly closing his mouth to think first.
After a moment, he leans back against the couch and sighs.
“It's...it's not like that. Really.” They doubt that almost immediately. “I'm just... I dunno. Not feeling like myself.”
“I's noticed.” They respond calmly. “But... It feels like yous more like yaself 'round Pluey den me.”
Battat is silent, blushing a light green out of embarrassment. Or implications that Jongler doesn't want to consider at the moment. Regardless, he knows what they're referring to.
“That just kinda happened,” he finally explains. “I didn't want to talk to anyone, but Pluey was worried about me so I let 'em hang out for a bit. Even if we weren't saying anything. We've never done anything like that before.”
Horrifyingly, this makes Jongler feel a little relieved. But still, the lingering insecurity and disappointment in themselves wouldn't go away.
“Well, dats fine, I mean- I'm not sayin' yous can't hang out separately or anythin'. But whenever I try ta help out, it's like I's just make it worse, y'know? While Pluey can figure it out just like dat. Feels bad.” They couldn't hide their hurt expression, turning to the side so Battat couldn't see them. At the same time, they didn't want to upset him anymore than they already have, knowing that he's going through Heaven knows what.
Jongler knew this whole situation was more than them or Pluey. If Battat really doesn't like someone that much, or something that they do, it's very easy to tell. The other Pippins are proof of this. But Jongler's a bit of a people pleaser at the end of the day, more than the average Darkner. They want to do whatever they can to make their loved ones happy, especially someone who often struggles to enjoy anything. Failing at that, to them, is like being less of a person. Less of a friend. Even though someone's mental health is not a problem for an unrelated individual to solve. It hurt more than it should.
“You--” The Pippins pauses, dragging his nails across his palm, which makes the other shiver. “You don't make it worse, it's just... A lot to deal with sometimes. Like, you always want me to talk to you, to tell you what I want when I'm upset, and I don't always know. It's like you expect me to act a certain way constantly. To be my "normal" self."
As Jongler's mistakes finally get laid out to them, they simply listen and nod, ignoring the nausea building up inside their stomach.
“Sometimes I just want to be alone, to not think about that stuff, and you're always bringin' it up. I don't like it.”
“Oh.” That tumbles out without thinking, void of emotion. Battat nods weakly.
How were they so unaware of how they came across? They're well aware that they struggle with reading people's emotions sometimes, but even when Battat was clearly bothered, they kept pushing it. Just because they see it as "normal," not a sign that they're doing something wrong. They thought he was just being stubborn until recently.
Before they can properly apologize, he continues.
“...At same time, I'm trying not to bother you, either. Trying to make up for being so rude to you. I know it's stupid since you clearly want to talk to me, but... I kinda just realized that's what you've been trying to do.” He shamefully admits.
That statement alone wakes Jongler up a bit, looking back at him in shock. ”What? What do ya mean?”
“Uh-” he stammers, embarrassed. “Like, I thought you were just uncomfortable with me being upset all the time or whatever. Or you wanted to know all the details because you were judging me about something. Not because you wanted to help that much.”
Heaven above, this is the most oblivious Darker that Jongler's ever met when it came to personal relationships. Unless their tone was really out of whack, but they can't recall a time where they've ever sounded genuinely irritated with anyone. Perplexed, they decided to just get right to the point and make sure they were on the same page, at least a little bit.
“Boss...Yous do know we's pals, right?”
“Not until yesterday, I didnt.”
...
Okay. So. No. Definitely not.
Jongler was completely amazed by this level of denying the obvious.
Not in a mean way, clearly there's a lot they both don't understand about each other, but this? How can it be any less clear? They live together, work together every single day, share a bedroom, take each other everywhere, practically only talk to themselves, and have shared personal details that not even Tenna knows about. Battat himself has written pages of information about these two for his own convenience...
...And he still didn't think they were ever friends? What kind of intimacy level is this, then? People thought they were dating, for Heaven's sake!
“Will ya stop looking at me like that?!” They hear him yell, snapping them back into the present moment. They suppress a chuckle.
“Sorry, boss, I's just confused 's all. Ya mean we wasn't friends to yous? Or da other way?"
“Both, I guess?” He shrugs. “I didn't think you hated me or anything, we just weren't all that close either. Didn't wanna make things weird between us.”
We've already made things 'weird' a LOT, Jongler thought, but didn't dare point that out to him.
“Do ya like it, though? Bein' friends?” They ask sheepishly, and Battat nods.
“It's not like I was trying to not be friends the whole time, I wasn't against it, just-- I don't know when people actually like me, y'know?” If Jongler had a mouth, it would be wide open right now.
This guy is so stupid. They think this affectionately, of course.
“Ya mean 'people' like Pluey? Dat guy? The one whose litterally obsessed with yous?” They smirk, a laugh casually slipping through. “Gimmie a break, Batts. Yous gotta be doin' this on purpose.”
The Zapper relishes in the other's offended reaction, stammering for a few seconds before flinging his hands around for emphasis.
“Doing WHAT?! WHAT are you talking about!! I'm new to this okay!!! Just shut up!!!”
That sounds more like him, Jongler admires. It's nice to poke fun at him again. They wave their hand, brushing aside the thought.
“Eh, nev'amind. Point is, wes like ya a lot, got it? I's only been tryin' to help ya 'cause I want ya to be happy. N' like I said, Pluey adores you.”
Battat rolls his eyes, trying not to smile as he closes the distance between them by leaning to the side. “Yeah, yeah, trust me, I already figured that out.” he huffs, and the few seconds of silence turn panicked when Battat sees the slight blush on the other's face.
“Oh, for the love of-- not like THAT, ya moron!” He pushes them, despite it not doing much (he's incredibly scrawny, even for a Pippins.) “They just keep clinging to me!”
“It took ya that long to notice?”
“Oh, I noticed..” He grumbles after calming down a bit. “Just thought they only wanted to piss me off.” Both of those things could be true, to be fair.
Silence overtook them again, and Jongler got a tiny bit closer, sincerity and remorse in their expression. Battat tensed, but didn't back away.
“Really, I'm sorry for pushing ya like I did. You's just... Been scarin' me a bit. N' I wanna be a good friend when I can. I don't want things to change between the three of us, ya know?” They explain gently, the thought of them parting ways appearing in their head again and straining the last few words.
This is the first time either them or Pluey have mentioned Battat being “weird” over the past few weeks to him directly. To each other, they switch between it being a genuine concern and just one of his “moods” when he has a bad day, not wanting to bring attention to something that'll go away once he gets his free time. Clearly, Jongler should've been paying more attention to it instead of just trying to convince him to spend time with them.
That's most likely why Pluey's approach was a breath of fresh air to him. Silent acceptance, small displays of affection, not expecting anything in return, or him at his fullest. Not having to put on a show just to appease people who are used to it.
Pluey seems to be the best at everything, and Jongler loves them for it.
“It's fine, really.” Battat finally responds. “I appreciate you trying to make me feel better and stuff. You're a good friend. I don't want that to change, either. But I might not be 'normal' for a while. Not because of you or anything.”
“Dats fine.” They immediately accept, and Battat seems relieved. “Ya really don't needa be at your best all the time, but if ya need anything, just let me know. Even if it's nothin' at all. I'd just... wanna see ya more. You's more important than your work, y'know. Especially da whole Mike thing.”
That makes Battat huff, gaze lingering in a random direction as his brows furrowed. “There's nothing really 'important' about me, but thanks. I'll try to not shut myself out as much.”
While he could just be tired, that comment left a large pit in their stomach, and he was already moving on before they could make an argument against it.
“You guys...actually help a lot. Just being here, I mean. Thanks.” He smiles a bit, and Jongler's sour expression fades with it.
They're gonna make things right, somehow. Make up for doing things the wrong way. Be the reason things suck a little less.
He's going to take up space in their lives again, as much as he wants. He's going to know that he's cared for. Jongler's not gonna stand for him acting like a guest in his own house any longer.
They would've said as much, but they were truly exhausted from the stress of these events. They aren't used to this much talking. No wonder Battat got sick of it after a while.
“Anytime, boss.” And as soon as the words come out, Battat's alarm goes off, indicating that it's his turn to takeover as Mike. He groans, pushing himself off the couch like he was being crushed by it.
“Ughhh, I gotta get ready now.” He stretches, and Jongler stays put. “Glad we got to talk about this, though.”
You have no idea...
They sighed in relief, but before Jongler could actually verbalize anything, he was already off. At least he was going back in their shared room, instead of his work station.
He's such a strange guy, but they wouldn't want it any other way.
-
Less than an hour after Battat left and Pluey returned, Jongler got a message from their phone.
“Look on the bed in our room. Made you something last night.”
Jongler proudly gleams at the fact that he said “our” before they processed what he actually said. When they listened to the written instructions, they found a closed notebook with quite a few torn out pages on top of the cover. All drawings of characters from Jongler's favorite show, neatly colored and shaded.
They wanted to curl up on the bed and sob from the overwhelming relief and love they felt from this small gesture, but settled on hugging Pluey with all of their strength. They happily let them.
It was so nice to finally have their friend talking to them again, they could hardly express it. Not to mention all of this.
And after finally collecting themselves, they responded:
“Didn't know you liked art, boss! They look amazing! Thank you! :)🧡”
It didn't take long for their phone to buzz again.
“Yep. Let's all do something when I get back. Up to you.”
They showed the message to Pluey, who happily agreed, of course. They helped Jongler pick a good space on the wall in their bedroom to hang the drawings up. They also finished the gloves they had been knitting for Battat a few weeks ago, which they started because he kept scratching and digging at his skin when anxious. Sometimes really harshly. They then stopped working on it, because they were worried that he wouldn't like how it feels, or how warm it got, thus not actually helping at all.
Better not to make assumptions, though. They should at least give him the opportunity to try it.
“Sounds good to me. Plue's is down, too.”
While Pluey was curled up in the Zapper's lap, purring up a storm, they added:
“Thanks for talking with me today. Love you.”
They didn't get an actual response, but they expected as such. The following evening spent between the three of them said everything it needed to.