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Everything happened too fast.
Multi didn't expect that one of the North members, well ex-member, would lower the lever and doomed Juan to death. A painfully slow one.
The room filled with sobs and cries from the former North members, while Aldo and Roier remained silent. What caught Multi’s attention was Ash's reaction, he wasn't saying anything or showing some kind of emotion. He only remained near the glass watching Juan's agonizing body.
He heard some mumbling, though. Some encouragement maybe.
Multi kept watching the scene in front of him like it was a Renaissance painting. He only wanted answers, it didn't have to end this way.
“You should have something! Some pills! Please, give him something.” Tina's cries took him out of his trance, only to side eye her.
“It’s too late. There's nothing I can do.”
He answered like it was a contribution to the main artist's work of art, who began to trace the most important lines of the piece.
“I warned you, Juan” Aldo spoke, the artist responsible for everyone's cries. Such an amazing artist who got his audience crying in the front row.
“You bastard!” Foolish tried to attack him but Roier reacted and protected his friend. Creating another painful frame to watch, a son fighting his dad.
The whole room was chaotic and Ash's mind seemed to be in the same state. Multi expected him to be the first to attack the others and it seemed like his impulsive personality had a weakness.
A chuckle escaped his lips when the main communicator filled with death messages. Multi only gave them the weapons and Aldo began the war.
Then he saw a message.
Quackity: Is the reactor under attack?????
Quackity: Are you okay?
His message.
The smile faded from his face. When did he text Multi? Maybe it got lost between all the mess they were making before and the messages with his informants. How long had he sent it?
Multi’s radar began to tick. Someone entered the reactor.
“Oh fuck.”
It was just a few seconds that passed and the hybrid duck was already screaming for Multi. Everyone stopped fighting when they heard Quackity yell the scientist's name.
“Why is he here? He had the reactor waypoint?” Foolish asked while lifting Tina up from the floor.
“Why don't you tell him where we are, huh?” The generalisima spoke, spitting blood.
Multi remained silent, hoping everyone would do the same and just when he opened his communicator, everyone started yelling Quackity’s name in response.
“We are here! Quackity, help us!”
“Don't listen to her! Go away, we are fine!”
At least Aldo understood that Quackity had nothing to do with this.
But it was too late. How ironic.
Quackity found the doors that Multi recently put his name for him to enter freely to every room or office. And eventually, he found the room where the voices came from.
“Wait, Quackity! Don't go through the d-” Multi tried to warn the duck about the magnet in the entrance, but he ran into the scene without listening to him.
“What is going on here?!” Only when Quackity's agitated voice echoed in the room, Ash looked away from the tube where Juan was.
“Is that…?”
“Quackity you have to get out. I can give you your things later, but you have to go.”
“He's not only a fucking mad scientist, he's also a thief!” Foolish accused him.
Multi was about to protest, Quackity wanted answers too and he saw it on his face, he was approaching him but suddenly Ash got his arm around Quackity’s neck. When did he move?
Everyone was stunned, except for Aldo who jumped straight to kill The Regime's leader too.
“If you lay a finger on me, I'm making sure to get not only Quackity but Multi killed and fucking explode everything.” With that threat, Aldo remained where he was.
Multi never felt so angry. He had a lot of episodes, a lot of crashouts but he never felt like killing someone. Of course he likes control, but over living things… living people.
They not only came here to give him a scene but to get on his nerves. Maybe he should let everyone explode, only if it didn't mean putting Quackity's life in danger. Unfortunately, it was ineffable. He wanted to reach for him so bad. It always made something deep inside him ache whenever he saw the hybrid duck in danger.
“Let go of me! Son of a-” Ash tightens the gripping of his arm, making it difficult to breathe for Quackity.
“Your face changed, Multi. You were looking at us in awe, but now it seems like a touch of a nerve here, huh?”
“Let him go, Quackity doesn't have to do anything with this.” Multi walked slowly to Ash’s side.
“Then what is he doing here? Why did he get in so easily? Answer! Are the two of you working together?” The glitch on his eye now covered up every inch of his face and Quackity looked at him terrified, giving up every force he was making to get out of Ash's grip.
Maybe Ash asked just to be sure, because it was pretty obvious that none of them had access to the entrance, everyone got in because Multi opened the door for them. But he was one hundred percent sure that he caught Multi's attention now. He found his soft spot, a weakness.
And the silence that came after his questions only proved him right.
Ash laughed, maniacally.
“Could you ever believe it? Evil scientist Multi has a weak spot, how cute.”
“I'm telling you, he didn't do kurwa anything!” Multi drew his sword, even if it wasn't good at fighting, he was willing to do it if it meant leaving Quackity out of this mess.
“Yes he does! The second I laid a finger on Quackity you started talking, no longer a viewer. How does it feel having the one you care the most fade away?” Multi could see tears falling from Ash eye, the visible one. Then he looked at Quackity's face, who was almost out of air.
He had two options. Multi could betray Quackity's trust with any of it, but he would be safe.
If he admitted that Quackity worked with him, maybe Ash would try to take his life anyway. What did Ash even want to do with this hostage situation?
Because if he denies every connection with Quackity, nothing will assure his safety.
“I'll remind you, the one who killed Juan wasn't me. I only wanted to make a deal but it seems your own side had different plans. You're not looking at the real problem again, Ash.”
“Again?”
“Who sent Haiper to the reactor in the first place? Because I didn't. You were the one who sent him through his death and maybe,” Multi touched the green glass and Ash tweaked.
“Don't you dare say it.” Ash sobbed.
“I think I made myself clear, then. Now, leave Quackity out of your fucking arms and leave this place before I break the fucking glass and kill everyone the same way.”
Finally, Ash left Quackity's neck and headed through the door. Foolish and Tina followed him, before telling him all types of threats and how he will die. Multi couldn't care less. Leaving only Roier and Aldo in the room, they tried to approach Quackity, who coughed like crazy, trying to regain his breath.
“Leave him alone, I will take care of him. Thanks for your help, we'll keep in contact in the future.” Multi also pushed away his new allies for the sake of the ducks safety.
Finally he was left alone with Quackity, he wanted to hug him, protect him, maybe take him away from this island and only be the one on earth with him. But he needed to recover first. Of course.
“How's your throat? You can write on the communicator, you don't need to talk.”
“I'm, I'm fine” Quackity finally talked, with a raspy voice. “I think he broke my vocal cords.”
“Don't talk, don't talk. You have to rest your voice, then. Come here.” Multi guided him through the operation room and helped him sit down on the stretcher.
“Multi, I'm fine. It was my fault, you told me not to come to the reactor today,” he took a long sip of water that was handled by Nacho, when did he enter the room? He couldn't process anything now, there was a lot going on right now. He didn't even know about these new rooms.
“Yes, you shouldn't but you're safe now. That's important.” The anger of Multi’s gaze left a while ago, as soon as he was left alone with Quackity, the aching feeling was long forgotten. “Thanks, Nacho.”
“How, why-” Quackity didn't know how to start with the questions, the sighed he left after finishing his glass of water was a heavy one. His throat was coming back to normal. “What the hell happened?”
“Everyone made a competition of who gets on my nerves easily and The North won.” Multi answered sarcastically. “I could tell you tomorrow, you need to recover first.”
“Do they know now?” Quackity saw Nacho take the glass of his hands and leave the room.
“About Nacho?”
“About us.”
The silence that came after that felt so loud.
Multi knew that Ash was a smart guy, he figured it out easily how important Quackity was for him and how easily it was to use that against him. By now they all should be planning how to get on Quackity's nerves now. And not in a funny way.
“Yeah, I'm pretty sure they know by now.”
“Shit, I'm really sorry. I wanted to help and only-” Quackity was cut off by Multi's embrace.
“I already told you, it's not your fault.” He hugged Quackity with such calmness, making sure he wasn't crushing the guy. “Forgive me, for not protecting you. I'm such a coward, I had to call Roier and Aldo to fight for me and I know you can defend yourself, but today…”
Quackity felt how Multi's body trembled and patted him in the back, his chest and stomach did a a fucking flip. He never saw Multi so vulnerable. Multi saw him as a soft spot, he was the third person today that realized that.
“Today I tought I would had to explode the fucking island. Putting in danger everyone, even you.” Multi couldn't control and hold Quackity tighter.
“You did what you can do best and that's okay,” Quackity now caressed Multi’s dreads. “We can figure out something later to make them think we no longer work together. I'll go to talk with them-”
“Don't go with them.” Multi cut him off, he left the hug and locked eyes with him. Sometimes his eyes betrayed him and looked at Quackity's lips but he won't address that.
Multi caught Quackity's gaze also looking at his lips.
“Please, stay.” The scientist grabbed Quackity's arms and the hybrid duck did the same, almost in instinct. They could feel the adrenaline and the heat on their cheeks intensify. “You came to see me and I'm here. So please, don't leave.”
Quackity wished he had his camera with him, so he could look at the picture of Multi begging at him to stay and make fun of him every time he remembered.
“If I stay, who's gonna tell everyone we're not working together.” This time Quackity didn't stop looking at Multi's lips and leaned even closer. “Aldo and Roier didn't know about us either, I only told them I knew you a little.”
“I didn't tell them either, I didn't tell anyone about you.” Multi sighed. “But Ash figured it out and now they see you as a threat.”
“I don't think they do, they think I'm just a silly guy who likes to hang around. Your words, not mine.” Quackity grinned.
“Don't steal my quotes”
“Me? A thief? You're the one who has my armour and weapons.”
They were getting closer to each other.
“I would give it to you, kaczko.”
“And my things too?” Quackity smiled at the cheeky joke he made.
Multi finally pressed his lips against Quackity's and the hybrid duck didn't waste any time in returning the soft kiss. They were holding back to intensify the kiss, they couldn't go further today.
Maybe they did intensify a little. Just a little.
Maybe Quackity opened his mouth so Multi's tongue could savour him.
Maybe Multi pushed Quackity to the bed again so he could rest while they kiss and his hands travelled to the duck's waist and then-
“Dada,” Nacho's voice made them jump and they separated immediately.
“Kurwa mać.” Multi looked at the little white bear who was standing at the door. “Nacho, what happened?”
“Body in the tube.”
“Oh shit, I forgot that Juan's corpse is in the other room.”
Now they felt ashamed for making out near it.