Chapter Text
Multi has been on edge.
He’s never been one to let emotions get in the way of his work. Multi doesn’t ‘do’ emotions anyway. They’ve only ever inconvenienced him and messed up any progress in his projects, so it’s become a habit to completely repress them by drowning himself with even more work and ambitious goals.
But this wasn’t something he could ignore.
At the back of his head he always knew Alex was special somehow. Their interactions together never failed to prove that fact. Hes never built any bonds with people, simply using them for his convenience - even Ewron, Nexe and Graf. To him, they’re just people with mutual ideals who he can confide in. They consider him a friend, and he acts like one too, but could not feel anything for them if he tried. This is where Alex was different (and he doesn’t know why, but it’s not important, because he doesn’t actually think about it)
He’s inspected Quackity after an accident once, seen his wings, yet brushed it off as he has friends who are hybrids (even though he had to stop himself from running his fingers through those lovely golden feathers)
But then quackity got contaminated with radiation, and it’s the first time Multi has considered finding a cure. He didn’t particularly mind if he died to his life long project, and despite not understanding why he felt a pit deep in his stomach initially realising what happened, he couldn’t let that walking mystery of a friend live that fate. And so he takes his DNA, looking to find a clue, a way to save him.
But the DNA was different, nothing remotely human, not even resembling a hybrid. This.. is unlike anything I’ve ever seen or heard of Multi initially thought. Why does it look… corrupted? Like conjoined genes?
But then he didn’t have time to look at it properly, having to destroy it just mere moments after witnessing what he considered a miracle. This sequence of events changed something.
He dreams of him, of studying him, of all the possibilities if he could just take a few samples. Unfortunately for Multi, it’s nothing but a dream, and the negatives outweigh the positives if he were to cut open his friend for research purposes.
So he watches. Looks for any excuse to see him. The people around him have noticed, it’s hard not to. The only thing he can do is shrug it off and say something like I’m just worried about him since he got infected with radiation
It’s been three days since Multi has seen Alex.
Multi hasn’t slept in three whole days.
—-
‘Hey man, you doing alright?’ Said a concerned voice.
It was Multis trusted companion, Nexe. He knew not to ask about Multi and his emotions, yet he couldn’t help but notice something being… off. His friend wasn’t one to make mistakes. Not ever.
‘Yeah, where’d that come from?’ Multi furrowed his eyebrows, genuinely surprised about the question.
‘I don’t know man, you’ve barely left the reactor and the one time you did you’ve somehow managed to make the regime think you’re up to no good and Ewron had to clean up after your mess’ Nexe sighed ‘This isn’t like you, and we can’t have you put all of the Hussiers in unnecessary danger because you’re being careless’ And after a brief moment Nexe whispered ‘We’re just all worried’ just loud enough for Multi to hear it
And that’s what ticked Multi off
Yeah sure, his Quackity was avoiding him, but it’s not like he was acting differently? Worst case scenario he’ll kidnap someone and put a chip in them, so really, everything is under control.
—-
Multi could not stop thinking about Alex.
It’s been five days, his polish friends have mentioned seeing Quackity around, but then seems to disappear anytime Multi tags along. All he can do is stay inside his reactor and try look for a cure based on DNA that he’s collected from everyone else infected (their dna is nowhere near as interesting as Quackity). It’s boring, he’s not making any breakthroughs and worst of all - it isn’t enough to keep his mind off a certain person he hates how with passing day his pretty face seems to be more blurry in his head. Any train of thought somehow ties back to him not understanding why he’s being avoided.
Quackity was special. He’s said this to him outright. Not only that, he promised to help Multi, that he’ll do anything… does he intend to break his promise?
He wouldn’t dare do that Multi thought We’ve spent so much time together and I’ve been nothing but good to him, Ive helped him evolve
The radiation made his wings bigger, shinier and practically indestructible. Truly remarkable to look at. While showing them off to Multi in his lab on their recent check up, his wings ended up getting stuck between a door creek, ripping a few feathers out covered in blood. They both watched them grow back instantly - even stronger and more beautiful than previously. The sight froze Multi in place, They’re… breathtaking he thought. Alex told him they were fragile before the contamination, and yet somehow, Multi managed to make them even more perfect.
No one has had positive effects after getting infected, people usually end up dying slowly and painfully. But Alex?
Oh how Multi needed to know more
He was the perfect vessel. Multi was going to make use of that. Together, they could become something even the Federation won’t be able to comprehend. They could become something so much bigger than themselves. After all, who said there can only be one God?
So Multi doesn’t understand, why is Alex avoiding him? How could he reject a future like this, especially after everything he’s done to help him become this?
—-
It’s been eight days
The scientist has entirely given up on trying to contact Alex personally, he’s shut himself in his lab watching the hidden cameras all over the island just to catch a glimpse of the winged boy.
He’s watched back all CCTV footage from his lab three times, sent out Haiper and Graf to take a look, talk to him, get out info, only to find out nothing seems to be wrong and that Alex is willingly hiding from Multi.
Finding that out he makes the two forget even speaking to him and Multi locks himself up in his lab entirely.
What if the federation is forcing him away from me, what if they’re scared of me becoming more powerful than them? Multi thinks. He knows the lack of sleep is probably bad for his common sense, that the voices he hears now aren’t rational
He takes samples from any places he remembers Alex standing, sitting or leaning on when visiting the reactor. Finding a fragment of a ripped out feather stuck between a door creek felt like winning the lottery.
That night, right next to his microscope and a small scalpel with a cut up feather, Multi falls asleep for the first time in eight days, thinking of Quackity and his beautiful wings once more
—-
He wakes up to loud banging on the decontamination doors. He can make up some words (potentially swearing) in polish, but it wasn’t loud enough to bother him in doing his work. There wasn’t much left he had to do.
The scientist proceeded to take a small piece of the golden feather into a vial with uranium, mixed with his dna and other chemicals in hopes of creating something that could make Multi grow his own pair of wings.
He takes the substance, he’s overjoyed looking at it, puts it into a syringe and right as he’s about to inject it, he hears a voice a little too familiar among all the banging and cursing outside the door
’Multi, please, we need to talk’