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This whole party was a mistake.
He shouldn't have even come here in the first place. The reactor wouldn't blow up in a few hours of his absence, but right now, he could be doing something way more useful. The empty flasks with DNA samples were waiting to be studied, now hiding under the lapels of his suit.
Multi wouldn’t gain anything more from hanging around the rowdy crowd of the weddinggoers. Half of the guests were already high on kelpamine, the other drunk on Graf's suspiciously strong beverages. The utter chaos surrounding him could not mean anything good.
There was no point in staying longer; he had already gotten everything he came to the ceremony for. The scientist hoped Quackity did the same. He saw him trying to palm the drinks off to virtually anyone in his vicinity, so that their dashed plan would amount to anything of importance.
At first, he was a bit surprised by the avian’s eagerness, but he embraced it all the same. Multi was glad he found somebody who shared his ideals. It was easier to trust someone with similar goals after all. That’s what he was telling himself to justify his faith in Quackity anyway.
Multi was currently observing the arguments developing between virtually every person attending the reception. Poor Tomate and Katie were swiftly swept aside as more wedding day shenanigans ensued.
He didn't know what the pair saw in each other and frankly couldn't care less. Right now, he was regretting wearing his only good suit to the event. It was not worth ironing or even taking out of his closet. Multi was pretty sure some of the Oranżada Helena spilled on his black coat, leaving stickily sweet stains on the black material.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't register the crowd slowly making space on the dancefloor. Someone shouted something in what could have been Dutch, and the music began to play. Only then did he turn his head towards the sound.
It was a nice, mellow tune, clearly reserved for the first dance of the night. Katie and Tomate quickly stepped to the middle of the makeshift stage and began to waltz to the melody. Multi could hear someone sob, and others were oh-ing and aw-ing at the pair. Ewron, whom he expected to be cheering the loudest, was suspiciously nowhere to be found.
Slowly, other guests pooled onto the dancefloor. The scientist could spot Foolish and Vegetta in a tight embrace, exuding so much love they could rival the newlyweds. Next to them were Fit and Pac, not really dancing, but hugging each other and swaying from side to side. The Dutch were trying to play their music and dance at the same time, which was a task they were failing spectacularly at.
On his left, he saw Graf offering Haiper flowers that the witcher caught in the bouquet toss some time ago. It looked as if he was asking him for a dance too, smiling softly and taking the fox by his hand. Surprisingly, the other must have agreed, as the lavender was now tucked behind Haiper’s fluffy ears. He spotted some of the flowers in Graf’s hair as well. Soon, they were properly waltzing with matching blushes covering their faces. Despite the havoc breaking out in the background, they both looked elated.
Such development was interesting to say the least. Was it the chip that brought them closer? Multi filed that observation away for further investigation. His dear subjects could not get distracted with matters as fickle as emotions after all.
A sudden yank at the necklace he decided to wear for the occasion snapped him right back to reality.
"Why are you standing here, looking like a brooding vampire?" Asked no other but Quackity, letting go of the silver chain.
Somewhere along the way to the reception party, he lost the coat he wore in the church. Now the avian was proudly parading with a shirt unbuttoned halfway down. Noticing that, Multi felt a tad warmer in his own suit.
"Just lost in thought, I guess." Answered the mildly perturbed scientist.
"Even now you're not really here, are you? I bet you're thinking about your precious react-" the avian got cut off by a hand covering his lips.
"Not here," hissed Multi, quickly looking around to check if anyone was close enough to hear anything. After confirming he was in the clear, he let Quackity go.
"Oh my god, you're so dramatic, Multi. For once, you could do something with other people, you recluse."
"It's not like anybody wants to dance with me anyway," huffed the scientist in response. "It's not like I can dance either."
"Well, maybe if you paid any attention to your surroundings, you would know there is at least one person willing to do that."
That Multi wasn't so sure of. He was aware of the mysterious scientist aura surrounding him and welcomed it with open arms. The scarier he looked, the less people would try to mess with his work, he assumed.
"Yeah? And who would that be?"
"No mames, man, for a scientist, you can be very dense sometimes."
That was the only warning Multi got before Quackity caught his hand and pulled him towards the dancefloor.
"What are you doing? Kurwa, I just told you I can't dance for shit!" He protested.
"You're in luck!" Quackity wiggled his eyebrows. "I am an excellent teacher."
Somehow, Multi doubted that. Nevertheless, he had no other choice than to follow his friend's instructions, lest he desired to stand out in the sea of dancing people.
By now, the party had slowed down. Everyone was calmer, clearly coming off the high caused by the substances they had consumed and the general chaotic energy of the event. In the middle of it all, two very sober attendees were trying not to step on each other's feet.
"No Multi, it's the other side now!" Quackity was shooting out commands that his dance partner clearly could not follow.
"Okay, now put your hand on my shoulder, no, not this one. Księżniczko, how the fuck do you keep messing up left and right?"
"I did not sign up for this." With the weak retaliation came new missteps, followed by a curse in Spanish.
"Okay then." A smirk started to form on Quackity's face, replacing his frustrated expression. Multi immediately knew nothing good would come from that switch up.
In one swift step, the avian attached himself to his incompetent companion. Chest to chest, he was now physically pushing Multi in the right direction of their dance.
The scientist tensed, his pulse going haywire. It was way more contact for him and Quackity than usual. His friend was certainly way more touchy than him, but not to this extent. The lack of the coat was certainly not helping either, as he could feel the warmth Quackity was physically radiating with.
Amidst his inner crisis, he felt his back being hugged by a pair of wings, enveloping both of them in golden feathers. Their shadow immediately dimmed the bright lights installed at the venue.
"What is this?" Whispered disoriented Multi.
"You need to fix your posture." Quackity smiled sweetly. "I'm afraid this is the only way you will learn."
He felt a warm hand on his chin, lifting his head towards the avian's gaze. "You need to focus, eyes on me, cariño."
Multi was too flabbergasted to respond. All he could do was look into his partner's eyes, which were now shining with unbridled joy. There was something else there too, something that he was afraid to decipher. Like a breeze, affection was passing through Quackity's features.
"You're redder than Tomate right now, do you know that?"
"I'm pretty sure he's white."
"And I'm pretty sure you know what I mean anyway."
"Yeah," he admitted softly, with a smile slowly spreading on his face.
What they were doing couldn't really be called dancing anymore. They were simply holding each other, both looking akin to the lovestruck idiots that Multi had disregarded earlier.
"Thank you for teaching me how to dance, I guess."
"Yeah, we will work on that in the future."
"The future? Do you know of any more weddings ahead?"
Quackity did not grace his scientist with a response. He put his head on Multi's shoulder instead, hugging him even tighter.
Slowly, Multi was coming to terms with how much he enjoyed that feeling and how he was considering never letting the boy in his arms go.
For a few minutes, the world around them ceased to exist. The only thing that remained was the warmth they both shared. With it came another feeling. If he could, Multi would put it under the microscope and study its composition. He didn't have the time or means for such an operation, though, so all he could do was slowly embrace its overwhelming nature.
It was foreign, but he could get used to the tender heat overcoming his senses, so gentle in its movements. He closed his eyes, trying to find its root deep within his chest.
Multi has never been sentimental. When Katie was complaining about missing Tomate, or when the North lamented after Aldo, he couldn't understand their reactions. To be led by emotions was to be weak, after all. Now that he thought about it, the only time he felt an uncomfortable amount of unease was when Quackity went missing. Before, Multi had failed to notice how much better he felt after he saw him safe and sound at Camp Fatal. Maybe he wasn't as immune to attachment as he thought himself to be. It was okay, though, Multi reasoned, if it regarded only one person.
Once again, something disrupted his musings. This time, however, it was way less pleasant than the touch of soft feathers.
He shouldn't have been surprised when he heard "Gorzko! Gorzko!" along with "¡Que se besen!" shouted by a chorus full of familiar voices. Day by day, his housemates seemed to be taking way too much joy in making fun of him. Apparently, that action was not exclusive to the Poles either.
He sighed deeply, opening his eyes and spotting the culprits destroying his moment.
The first thing that he noticed was that there weren't many people left on the dancefloor. How long exactly did they stay there? It felt like a few fleeting moments, but apparently, half of the party had already vacated the area in the meantime.
Another problem was that the list of guests that decided to piss him off consisted of not only Nexe and Graf, but also Roier, Juan, Jeremy, and Haiper. He spotted Ishan and Pierre giggling at the whole ordeal as well. Splendid.
He reminded himself of the DNA samples he had with him and momentarily felt a bit better. If they ever decided to get too curious, he’d gladly make sure that the consequences of such actions would be largely unpleasant for them.
The lack of the biggest noisemaker of the Polish Cave made him do a double-take on the group. Maybe it was for the better. Hopefully, they were too drunk to remember anything that happened anyway. As if seeking confirmation of his assumption, he met Graf's eyes. They were way too knowing for his liking.
While shooting a deadly stare in the witcher's direction, he noticed a few stray blue streaks tangled in his hair along with wilted lavender. Multi's stare turned to one full of surprise. There was no way Graf was giving him shit for what he was doing when the other had apparently been engaged in something with a suspiciously giddy Haiper. Confirming his previous suspicions, he reminded himself to extract some information from both of them later.
For now, he turned his gaze towards Quackity.
"I think this party sucks, actually."
"Yeah?" Quackity looked up from where his face was smushed into Multi's shoulder, a hint of a mischievous smile forming on his lips.
"Yeah, so let's just get the fuck out of here." With that, the scientist took his partner’s hand, leading him away from the venue.
Quackity didn't resist.
While venturing out into the warm night, they passed a bridge decorated with wedding flowers. Multi was about to breeze past it when his companion tugged on his silver necklace again, halting him in his tracks.
This time, it was Quackity who gently put a finger to his lips, signaling him to stay quiet. Distraught by the gesture, Multi barely remembered to follow the other's gaze.
On the wooden deck, two figures were dancing under the moonlight. It was a proper waltz too, and not its poor excuse executed by most of the wedding attendees. None of the pair’s movements seemed to be accidental. They were slowly and gracefully mapping out their makeshift dancefloor.
It was a perfect performance held for no audience. The only sound that could be heard was the swishing of their clothes rustling from the subtle motion and the lightest of steps. Multi looked a bit closer and nearly gasped out in surprise. The figure's faces were now illuminated by the pale light of the moon, making them easy to recognize.
It was no other than the Supreme Leader of the Regime who led a certain red panda hybrid in their private dance, hand in hand. Currently, Ashswag was pulling Ewron closer. The man, as if rehearsed a thousand times before, spun towards his partner with ease. None of them spoke a word, no music was playing, and yet it seemed as if a silent conversation was happening between the two.
Their faces were full of melancholy, and their dance seemed to be a fragile attempt at alleviating their somber expressions. Despite that, both still held each other tightly, almost viciously, when their arms met in an embrace. Ash was gently dipping Ewron to the side, avoiding the other’s gaze.
The scientist never took the red panda for a dancer, and yet, here he was, as graceful as he was when swinging his blade. He and his partner seemed to be lost in their little world, as they didn’t notice two sets of eyes shamelessly spying on them.
Having seen enough, Multi pulled Quackity by the hand once more.
"I believe this spot is taken." He whispered.
The only answer he got was a quiet giggle that seemed to alert the two dancers to their presence, as they stopped in their movement.
"I think it's our time to go."
Nothing good would come from the Regime Leader's angry expression, currently directed in the vague direction of where they were standing, hidden by the railings of the bridge.
"Yeah, let's." Agreed Multi.
They quickly left the spot altogether without any further complications.
The place they found themselves in shortly afterwards was a meadowland full of blooming flowers. Someone made sure that when the date of the wedding came, the general surroundings of the venue would look like a colorful painting. That someone was probably Graf. Right now, however, everything was bathed in shades of deep blue and silver of the night.
The only thing that really stood out amidst the dark ocean was Quackity's wings, shining with a warm, golden hue that even the moonlight could not dull.
Suddenly, Multi felt the need to touch them and see if they were as soft as they seemed to be when he was being embraced by them. It was another foreign feeling that he would have to dissect later. For now, he decided to welcome the warmth that it brought him.
Another thought came to the forefront of his mind.
"Quackity?"
"Yes, księżniczko?"
"Would you teach me how to dance again?" He asked with a hint of shyness in his voice.
"Really?" Multi was not ready for the radiant smile that was now directed at him in its full force. It made him feel off balance once again.
"Yeah, I think," he stuttered, "I think that we have more space and no nosy audience here, you know."
"Okay then." The smile never left Quackity's face.
"Yeah?"
"Yes, let's start again."
Multi quickly brought him closer, catching his partner’s waist. Quackity immediately corrected his stance with a chuckle. Far away from any prying eyes, with the moon as their sole witness, they began to dance once more.