Work Text:
While none of them had outright said they were dating, overtime it had become clear that their relationship wasn't that of just coworkers or friends anymore. They'd worked together for so long and slept in the mike room for convenience enough, that they eventually started sharing the bed they brought for when they couldn't head back home, and after a while each moved into the room as their time there increased.
The 3 had been far too tired after the abrupt move from the Dreemurr residence to the school’s storage closet, dealing with a ruckus of shadowguys and pippins doing something in the snow, alongside the monster girl, who seemed distressed. The 3 had opted to sit out of it so their recent (temporary) declaration of mike quitting, wouldn’t peel up a freshly healed wound in tenna. They would figure out what happened in the morrow.
The prince who accompanied the lightners, had helped them adjust to their first interactions with Castle Town, however it hadn't crossed any of their minds that they could realistically have their own homes now due to the reduction of Mike's tasks, and the prince who had made sure there were enough living spaces for everyone.
The idea of each getting their own beds wasn't even considered, as the first night came and they all climbed into the “bed” of some cheap pull out couch they managed to bring along. The room aside from the pull out couch–which could be moved away as the room’s geometry shifted depending on use– and Mike costumes, was rather desolate, but it served its purpose.
Their first full day in castle town was moreso spent setting up the new Mike room in the tv studio. Each mike took a turn to don a costume and get supplies, without alerting the other workers that there were 3 people living there. While one was out, the other 2 would furnish; or at least that was the intention, in actuality, it was mostly just sitting around in a mostly empty room while people worked outside. Taking turns sneaking out for snacks and games, until the studio– well not “closed,” tv never stops, but calmed down– and there were less people to notice that there were 3 random darkners hanging out in mike’s room.
The second night came, and people left to head home as the music being played by the young spade prince and his makeshift ensemble could be heard vaguely through the walls as background noise. The shadowguy at one point had stuck his head out and watched the performance, but they returned after an unexpected fight with the 3 heroes, which had caused him to head back to support the other mikes. As fun as a fight and a handful of rounds of each mike’s minigame had been, it caused the sleep of their first full day in the town to get pushed back even more.
The minigame equipment was packed away, pushed aside into the void, as the pull out couch slid back into the room, and unfolded. Not a word was said as they all took the places in the order they had formed many times before. The zapper on the left, shadowguy on the right, and pippins nestled between the two larger darkners, like a 3 piece puzzle.
The shadowguy always seemed to sleep like a cat, so he was out in a matter of minutes. The pippins was on schedule to follow suit, however the shifting of the zapper kept it up, it seemed so out of character for them. Usually they could sleep as stiff as a board, anywhere and everywhere with little to no signs of discomfort. The shifting was something they only really did when stuck in their jacket for too long –a reminder to fix that– so the tired pippins grumbled and decided it should probably figure out what’s wrong.
The die rolled over and awkwardly tapped at the zapper’s back with its claws. At the lack of response, he climbed over the larger darkner, to face their…er, not a face, but the closest thing they have. And tapped once again with its claw.
Curse his hubris! The large hands of the tired zapper grabbed him and held him at their arms’ length. Their light brightened slightly. The pippins pulled its limbs to its chest
“Too far. I get it. You just looked off.” The pippins raised his hands in mock defence, “You, uh… you wanna talk ‘bout that?”
“It’s nothin’ really” they scoffed, setting the pippins down on the blankets, “Tis stupid really, you’d probably laugh.”
“Come on, I know I’m a pippins and all, but if you trust me enough to sleep around, I’m sure you can trust me enough to lend an ear. I don’t even have one, but the gesture still stands.” The die huffed, “Is it something about the bedding? I know you got some issues with different fabrics. I’m sure I can get you somethin’ else-”
The zapper chuckled and crossed their arms, “Na, da bed’s fine, it’s…just been thinkin’ a bit too much I guess.”
The pippins’ face softened. He squished in next to the zapper again, however on the other side, so he was between their buttons and the arm of the couch. “Hey, if something is bothering you, I can’t exactly help without knowing what’s wrong. I won’t tell, I swear on my 6 sides. Promise?” it lifted its claw up in a gesture that would suggest offering a pinky promise, but with his 3 clawed hand it was hard to tell.
The taller darkner scoffed, and the pippins could’ve sworn their eyeline softened into a mock smile. The larger hand wrapped a pinky around the closest parallel on the smaller darkner’s hand. “Promise.”
The die laid down and looked up. Basking in the soft red glow of the zapper. Playing up how much he intended to listen a little. As thick as the zapper tended to be, they could see the genuine underneath.
“Right…so do you ever…” they started, yet the words died out. They weren’t very good at talking, especially with bigger topics. They took a deep breath –which they realistically didn’t need– and gripped the smaller hand of the pippins. “Do you ever think ‘bout how…”
Another pause, “do you ever think ‘bout havin’ kids?” they cringed slightly at how it sounded coming out of them.
The pippins felt himself nearly stunned into a roll, but he shook his head to clear his face. Tightening his grip on their handhold. “Ah…I see,” he gulped, “you know darkners can’t…do that. Well most of them at least. That’s pretty much just a lightner thing with a handful of exceptions, right?” it felt a pit in its stomach as the taller darkner sank down slightly. “Oh crumbs. Please don’t get all sad on me. You can go on. Forget I said anything. Continue your thought-”
The zapper sighed, and patted the pippins’ back “Yeah, I know dat we can’t have kids ‘nd all, but do ya ever think ‘bout it? Like, in theory or somethin’?”
The die paused, relaxing into the larger darkner’s side “Sometimes I guess?” he paused to look up towards the other ”...Do you?”
They looked aside for a moment, “uh, yeah, sometimes. Probably more den I really should.”
A small nod of the die, as it formulated his words “Well, what do you think about?”
“A daughter? It don’t really matter though.” They laid back, placing one hand on their lap, and squeezing the pippins’ claw in the other.
“You’d probably be good at that, ya big sap.” The smaller darkner huffed, but a smirk appeared on his face “Probably spoil it rotten.”
“Oh yeah? Dat’s fair. What’d you do?” the soft red glow brightened. “You’d ever want a kid?”
“I… huh.” It placed a hand to his chin. Would he? Part of him knew the concept should be awful. it’d be like willingly harboring a parasite! “Giving a pippins a kid sounds like a disaster waiting to happen! Can ya think about how much of a mess that’d be!?” He let go of the zapper’s hand, and raised his arms into the air. Whisper-yelling, as to not wake the shadowguy.
“Well you’s not really a regular pippins, though.”
“Hey, I’m normal!-” His expression suggested otherwise, as he forced a wide smile.
“Not sayin’ it’s a bad thing, I don’t think you’d be bad like you says a pippins would be.” They chuckled, resting a hand on the smaller darkner’s lap. “I think you’d be good at it, you’s all strict, but you care. Somewhere in dat empty spot ya soul should be, near your heart. Already basically know how to deal with kids from takin’ care of Tenna.”
The pippins felt its heart race a little. “Cheese and rice, Tenna isn’t that bad. It probably would transition over though.” He snorted but tried to brush past it via clearing his throat. “You were thinking a daughter? Anyone you’d want to help with that hypothetical, or single parent style?”
The zapper moved their hand to the die’s lower stomach. “Uh, probably just stay workin’ with you two. Get you guys to take care of ‘em while I’m out, and allat. You know?”
A shiver crept down the pippins spine, as he moved his hands to rest on the larger one. “I think I’d like that. We could work together to raise her. You’d make her breakfast and stupidly cute lunches. I’d get her all ready for school or something, help her with her homework and stuff. The other guy would probably give her music lessons in the evening, probably call her a kitten or something dumb.”
“That sounds nice.” they relaxed more into the couch, pulling the pippins closer, letting out a sound akin to a yawn.
The die held the larger hand to his stomach, and snuggled deeper into the space between the zapper and the arm of the couch. “I’d want that…” it lifted the hem of its sleep shirt slightly. “That’s stupid though. Tell me I’m being irrational.”
“I don’t think so.” Their light dimmed and breathing slowed. “Good night, boss.”
He gulped, “Good night.” oh no…