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The wedding ceremony ended. Everyone congratulated the newlyweds and left the church to start the real party.
One by one started to disappear as the place fell quiet. Only two couples remained near the church, but in different locations so their conversations couldn't be heard.
As Quackity and Multi made their way to the forest to be more far away, just in case, they started to bring out their evidence of the evil plan they had discussed minutes before the wedding started.
They were giggling as they saw the sample of, almost, everyone's DNA on their hands. Multi started to check name by name of the ones who drank the bottle of water disguised as a Mexican drink as his friend suggested.
There were only a few people who haven't got their DNA’s, though. But they didn't care too much about it,
It was their first time planning something together, at the last minute, but it turned out great. And with Quackity going unnoticed easily by his silly personality.
“I need to figure out what to do with so much DNA now.” Multi sighed as he opened his inventory and stored every sample.
“Yeah, but we can think about it after the party.”
The scientist looked at Quackity, he was already in a boat with the warp stone in his hands. As much as he liked to spend time with his friend-partner-crush, he preferred to do it indoors. Multi's idea of an after party was doing the deep research and experiments with the fresh samples in his laboratory until he passed out.
He was about to make an excuse so he could go, but he couldn't say no to everything Quackity asked. He was his weak spot and Multi realized how dangerous it was.
Once they appeared on the Molly's Cafe waystone, the noise welcomed the pair. Almost everyone was on their tables or walking to the ceremony, the dancefloor empty and the bar already had people waiting for their drinks.
“I thought we're going to be late, this is awesome!” Quackity held Multi's hand, and he almost jumped at the sudden touch. “Let’s go say hi!”
They went to the table where Ewroon was, the red panda hybrid waving in their direction and smiling soon as he noticed them. Multi hoped he wouldn't make any joke about them coming late to the party.
On the table there was also Nexe, who was also smiling, almost like a grin. Multi knew that face, he also knew about his feelings for the duck. This was going to be a torture party.
“Well, well, well. How are our soon-to-be husbands doing?” Ewroon sat and handed them two wine glasses.
Okay, he was leaving.
“Can I sit with you guys?” Quackity ignored Ewroon’s comment and held tighter Multi's hand when he saw him turning around.
“Of course, of course. You are also from the Polski Cave, Quackity.” The assassin moved the chair so he could sit.
“What a gentleman!” Quackity joked and pretended to be amused by the gesture, resting his hand on his chest as if he was out of breath. “And where is Graf?”
Only then Multi noticed that one of the chairs was empty, he was too focused on the scene their friends were doing. He won't say it but he felt jealous of that silly joke. He felt pathetic.
“He's on The North table, seems like he also has a plus one.” This time Nexe joked about his nonexistent relationship with Quackity, Multi side-eyed him. “Their table is so big, half of the island is there.”
They laughed and started talking about how overwhelming the wedding ceremony was and the party felt more relaxing. Sometimes, a Federation worker bringed more drinks or food to their table.
Multi started considering assisting the next event if it's always gonna be like this and if it meant watching Quackity in a suit, of course. Until he heard a loud voice announcing everyone to go to the dancefloor and loud music started to play.
He wanted to leave again.
When he looked back at the table, it was empty. Nexe and Ewroon left once the music started but Quackity remained by his side. He also didn't want to dance? Was he tired? Quackity's gaze was on the people dancing cheerfully. He noticed how his body moved on his chair, the way he swayed his head and clapped at the rhythm. Multi took a sip of his whine, cheeks turning red because of the drink, nothing else.
Multi was looking at him very carefully, as if in the blink of an eye, the sight of Quackity in front of him would disappear.
Quackity turned around to look at Multi and smiled at him.
“Enjoying the view?”
He was left speechless.
Multi looked another way to avoid the piercing eyes of the hybrid duck, they were pretty but sometimes intimidating. Before he could answer him, someone else spoke.
“Quackity?” The duck and the scientist turned around to see who it was.
It was him.
“Schlatt! You came!”
Of course it was him.
The ram hybrid was in the same suit he always wore and smoking, like he didn’t care too much for the party or how he looked. He approached them but didn't sit, he stood still near them.
“I wouldn't miss Katie's wedding party,” Schlatt took a puff of his cigarette, “I already missed the ceremony.”
Quackity laughed and Multi felt jealous and pathetic for the second time in this day.
“Mind if I take him for a while?” Schlatt looked at Multi, who was stunned at the sudden question.
“Hey!” Quackity stood up and grabbed Schlatt’s arm, “Why are you asking him? I'm right here! I'll be back, Multi. Don't miss me too much.” Multi only nodded.
What the hell did just happened?
Multi watched how they walked through the dancefloor and started dancing. Right, that's what Quackity wanted to do and Multi felt like a coward for not asking him first. It's not like he knew how to dance either; he probably would have made a fool of himself and ended in a worse situation.
He couldn't understand the lyrics of the song either, since it was in Spanish, but the rhythm was energetic and everyone who was dancing did it in pairs. Dancing closer. Too close.
Multi was biting his nails as he watched Schlatt spin Quackity around in place or how he grabbed his waist as the duck leaned closer and held the ram’s shoulder.
He got lost in the sight again, it was a bad habit of him staring too much. After all he was a scientist, he was just studying.
“Damn,” Multi jumped in his place, startled at Ewroon's sudden voice, “you were so slow that-”
“Shut up,” He took a long sip of his glass of wine.
The damn song didn't end and he was getting more impatient with every minute, Multi couldn't stand being in that place anymore. And when he thought the music ended, another one started and it was more cheerful than the previous one. Quackity didn't leave Schlatt's embrace and kept dancing with him.
“I think I'm going to sleep early.” The scientist sighed and more wine was poured into his glass by the red panda without him noticing it.
“You? Sleeping?” Ewroon shouted but no one could hear him because of how loud the music was. “You are so miserable, bro.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Multi didn't fight back, he was so tired, overwhelmed, jealous.
“You should start acting before it's too late.” Ewroon finished his drink and left the empty glass on the table with a sigh.
“Too late for what?”
“I think I don't have to explain myself, Multi. Take this information with caution,” they turned to look at Quackity and Schlatt dancing at the same time, “but I heard from a little bird that they were something else than boyfriends in the past.”
“There's other ways to tell me you do drugs, Ewroon.” Multi got up and searched for his warp stone, while he walked away as he heard how his friend's insults faded away.
He was about to leave when he felt someone grip his wrist. For instinct he pulled away quickly, then he noticed it was Quackity who was going after him and wanted to apologize but the hybrid duck spoke first.
“Where are you going? The party hasn't ended yet.”
“I need to sleep early if I want to spend the whole week inside my lab looking at a bunch of people's DNA.” Multi sighed and held Quackity's hand as an apology, not letting him go either.
“Well, I got something for you.” The duck hybrid intertwined their fingers and grinned. “Let's go now to your lab.”
The smile on his face, his pretty eyes with his eyelashes blinking at him plus the redness of his cheeks probably because of the drinks he had before. Multi already understands that he couldn't say no to Quackity, even if he wanted to go alone.
He didn't say anything, just teleported them to the Reactor waystone, they did the decontamination protocol and walked through the hidden office. The routine was already something familiar for them, Quackity's wings got used to the water as Multi got used to getting splashed off when Quacky spread his wings to get them dry. But he didn't complain.
“So,” the duck hybrid began to speak once the door of the office was closed, “how many people do we still need to get their DNA?”
Multi grabbed the clipboard from the inventory, counting the names that weren't traced.
“We still need to get five samples,” Multi handed him the checklist so Quackity could see it for himself. What he didn't expect was watching how he traced the rest of the names and gave him back the paper.
“Did you-” Before Multi said one more word, Quackity took four swabs in plastic bags out of his pocket and gave it to him.
“Surprise! I even put the names with some ink I found on the bar.”
Multi was stunned.
“I don't have Nexe’s, though. I couldn't find him and Ewroon messaged me to let me know you were going back to the Polish Cave.”
So stunned, he couldn't get angry at Ewroon’s intervention now.
“How did- How did you manage to get them?” his gaze lost on the samples in his hand.
“Schlatt gets thirsty easily, after we dance he wanted a drink from the bar and I took the sample from his glass without him knowing.” Quackity crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Also the other people we needed their DNA were on the bar too. How convenient, right?” He chuckled.
If he wasn't a repressed and shy gay boy, Multi would kiss Quackity without hesitation. Unfortunately, he couldn't manage to move a single bone, yet he was so happy.
“Well done,” he said with a smile on his face, “now it's time for the boring part. You can go back to the party and enjoy yourself.”
Multi sat down on his desk, organizing the new samples with the ones they collected at the wedding ceremony. It was gonna be a long night.
“You don't want me here? Ouch.” Quackity faked a hurt expression. “After I bring to you the thing that you are going to analyze, at least I want some credit too!”
“No, it's not that.” Multi turned around, worried that he got the wrong message. “I thought you were enjoying the party and wanted to go back, rather than being here doing, you know, scientific stuff.”
“I prefer the scientific stuff, believe me.”
Quackity got a big grin on his face, like he just told a joke but he didn't get it. Was that supposed to be a joke?
“Well then,” Multi crafted a chair quickly and put it by his side, “you can help me write the observations.”
“Fine by me.” The duck hybrid sat and grabbed the first pen he saw on the scientist table.
As the hours passed, Multi realized how effective this method of working was. He really needed someone, he needed Quackity by his side. Of course it's not biased, it makes the work faster and nothing more. Nothing else.
Sometimes, he looked at Quackity out of the corner of his eye, watching him write everything he indicated while humming songs that maybe he heard at the wedding party. Did he still want to dance? Multi remembered what he saw at the dancefloor, how he enjoyed it and then Ewroon’s voice came to his mind, reminding him that if he waits more or for something to happen, he’s gonna lose his chance. If he even has one.
And if that was the case, this was his opportunity to do something about it and no one else could take it.
Multi stood up, confusing Quackity. He looked through his inventory and saw the TV, then he put it on the floor.
“Don't you want some music while we work?”
“Yeah! Let me see,” Quackity stood up too and started searching for a song, “this one.”
The sudden noise made Multi shake a little but he got used to it, Quackity seemed to notice his reaction because he saw him laughing.
He didn't understand what the song was about, but the instruments sounded… sad.
Then, the music stopped and a different voice spoke, an old man’s voice, as if it were on a radio. And the music started again, more cheerful this time.
“What does it mean?” Mutli turned around to look at Quackity.
“It means,” he locked eyes with Multi. “As long as you're alive, you should love as much as you can.”
This time he saw a gentle smile on Quackity's face, like he meant those words. Maybe he did and that's why he chose that song.
“And the rest it's the singer talking about how he misses someone he used to dance with and was also in love.” Quackity looked somewhere else, his cheeks burning. “Pretty corny don't you thi-”
“Wanna dance?”
The red on Multi's face matched Quackity's now, neither of them moved and Multi started to get nervous, his stomach aching so hard at thought that he just fucked up and was being weird.
Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and another one grabbing his, by instinct he intertwined their fingers together so they could stay close and put his other hand on the duck's waist.
That's how a dance posture was supposed to be?
“Of course.”
Multi didn't even know how to dance but made the effort as soon as Quackity started to move, copying every step he made. They started slowly, the duck hybrid guiding the scientist at the rhythm and he didn't expect Multi to be a fast learner, he even made him spin and caught him in his arms gently.
With every step, Multi felt that they were getting closer. Not metaphorically, he could almost feel Quackity's breath in his face.
His heart skipped a beat.
Then, he realized that he was dancing with Quackity in his laboratory, the two of them alone. The samples and the damn investigation were left behind for a long time now, he wanted this moment to last forever. He was missing a moment he didn't lose yet.
“Oh,” Quackity gasped when he felt Multi's arms wrapping him all of a sudden, “what happened?” He hugged him back and patted him.
They stayed in silence for a while, until Multi left the embrace and now cupped one of Quackity's cheeks in his hand, forcing eye contact.
“I don't want to miss this moment, I don't want to miss you.” Now he felt Quackity's hand on his cheek, he closed his eyes and rested his face on the hybrid hand. Perhaps it was the thought of losing Quackity again, because of the Federation or someone else, who made Multi get even more closer and vulnerable.
“Then let's make this moment worth it to remember.” Quackity closed their distance and kissed Multi, closing his eyes and stretching his arms over the scientist's shoulders.
Multi returned the kiss. He didn't even know how to do it properly and only held Quackity's waist with both hands as he tried to follow the rhythm of his lips. Until the hybrid duck separated after a minute, without getting his eyes off of him and while Multi tried to process what just happened, he couldn't get off the sensation of Quackity's lips on his and how empty it felt now.
“The song…” The scientist spoke, “Uhm, it was nice. I want to learn more about it.”
Quackity laughed and Multi got flustered like a teenager talking to his crush for the first time, and while it wasn't that far away from that situation, at least he could brag about Quackity being his first kiss.
“Why are you so interested in that song? Did you really like it?” The hybrid walked to the TV again and looked for another one.
“You were humming that melody while we were working and thought you wanted to hear some music, that's why.” Multi felt ashamed for saying that outloud. He couldn’t feel more miserable that night.
“You're such a good observer, Dr. Multi.” Quackity talked with a mocking tone. “Wanna keep dancing?”
“We can dance all night if you want, if that means you're gonna kiss me every time a song ends.”
No response was necessary, Quackity grabbed Multi's hands again and started moving again as soon as the other song started.
“You can kiss me whenever you want.”
If that was the case, Multi stopped and grabbed Quackity's cheek and pulled him for a kiss, a messy one. He was supposed to use his tongue? or just their lips colliding was enough?
The hybrid duck noticed the eagerness of the scientist and opened his mouth, helping him through the kiss. Quackity somehow understood that someone who doesn't go out too much wasn't so experienced but everything Multi said was so intentional or unintentionally romantic. In reality, being only the two of them made Multi more confident of himself and probably the idea of someone else doing this with Quackity.
Quackity understood Multi's feelings, too. He also waited for something to happen, for a sign that what he felt wasn’t one-sided. At the same time, Quackity couldn’t deny any signs of affection from other people, he was an attention seeker after all but he didn’t know that he got the attention from Multi a long time ago.
The song was long forgotten, none of them were dancing anymore. The kiss deepened even more and Quackity did a great job teaching Multi how to kiss with tongue, because they couldn’t separate anymore. And when they did, they couldn’t look each other in the eyes, their faces burned and were out of breath.
“Quackity,” Multi spoke once he caught his breath.
“Yeah?”
“Did you have any experience with previous relationships?” Quackity froze and then laughed, leaving Multi confused.
“Are you trying to ask if I have exes?” Technically, Multi was asking that but he chose the wrong words apparently.
“Sorry, it felt rude. I didn't know how to ask.”
“It’s fine, but yes. I think I have experience in that area” Now Multi froze but he didn’t laugh.
“What do you mean ‘you think’?” Was Quackity making fun of him?
“I got some memories of past romances, even with people from the island and they remember too. Crazy, right?” The hybrid duck went to sit again as Multi turned off the TV and sat by his side. “But I don’t remember the same feeling with each person. Part of that memory comes with pain and resentment, like they weren’t good experiences.”
Multi was shocked, he didn’t know something like shared memories seemed impossible to him. But again, Quackity was here to prove him wrong each time he felt something was impossible. After all, he also thought that someone being immune to the radiation was zero in one billion until Quackity got ‘infected’.
“Wanna know something crazy?” The duck asked and the scientist nodded. “I thought I was doomed to not be able to be loved or to be someone worth of take care of” Multi hold Quackitys hand and wanted to protest but then he felt Quackity’s forehead on his shoulder. “But you showed me that I’m not cursed or something,” he laughed and when he looked up, Multi's gaze softened.
“You are worth loving,” Multi kissed his cheek, “worth of being taken care of,” another kiss “and worth searching for.”
“Cheesy, but say it again.” Quackity joked.
Multi sighed and grabbed both of Quackity’s hands and kissed his knuckles.
“You are worth loving, Quackity.”