Work Text:
Multi woke up to an almost quiet room, with only a television playing in the background. He stared towards the ceiling, blinking before patting the bed around him.
He had fallen asleep in Nacho’s room, to protect him from the dark workers that had been floating around. It was the only safe spot he knew for Nacho.
And so, waking up after a long snooze, he straight away searched for the tiny egg. If it wasn't in the bed right beside, was it already up and about?
He sat up on the soft bed and searched around the room, looking at every corner. Nacho was nowhere to be seen, not even near the TV, which was playing cute animals quietly.
Multi bit the back of his mouth, trying to fight the urge to go full-on panic mode. It would be silly if Nacho were just playing around in the reactor. Or, simply with his mother.
Multi hopped off the mattress and took one more good look before heading out of the bedroom. He closed the door shut and faced his reactor, waiting for any signs.
The reactor had no sudden sound of tiny footsteps, or anything that would prove Nacho’s presence.
He exhaled before stepping away from the hidden room and towards the stairs. He strolled past a desk that usually had nothing placed on top of it, which is why it grabbed his attention when there was a file resting on top.
His brows furrowed when he got closer to the desk, wondering what the file could be about. It seemed pretty thick and unusual for an expected casual weekend his worker witnessed.
He gingerly opened the file, allowing a variety of pictures to be exposed. All of them, at first, seemed confusing.
They were all taken from the worker, but it seemed like it was taken in some type of bedrock jail that the worker had been in. The photos also showed other islanders in them; Tina, Ishan, and Katie.
Multi picked up the photo of Katie. It seemed she was standing towards the corner of the prison, with a nervous expression drawn all over her face.
What could this all be about? Why would all three of them be in that prison?
Multi placed the photo back into the desk, and pushed it aside with the other ones. He saw the next thing his worker had given. A letter.
He unfolded the neatly folded paper and held it towards his face. He began to read it quickly— or until he read the first sentence. He slowed himself down.
Dr Multi,
Nacho is missing. No one knows where he went. Not even Katie. As in the photos, the federation was looking for him after a scary message from him asking for help was sent.
The federation worker was taken away by an unknown person, which freed us from the bedrock prison. Even after, there was no sign of Nacho.
Katie kept repeating that she has no clue where he is, stating he is fine, even though we do not have any proof of that. The clipboard is her message to you.
Multi dropped the letter down and reached for the clipboard. He flipped through empty pages until reaching one that had words written on it. His eyes scanned across the page, rapidly reading.
The message, from Nacho’s mother, told him not to worry about Nacho, and not to kill his worker for anything until he spoke with her.
Multi held the clipboard to the side as he tried looking for more things in the file. There were only the things he had reviewed, nothing more.
He picked up the letter again, reading it over once more. The news his worker gave him was a lot of info, yet a small amount.
He began to breathe more, especially through his mouth. He felt like he had nowhere to place his hands, not knowing what to do with them.
He did put down the letter and the clipboard, hiding them back into the file, along with the weird pictures.
Multi patted the sides of his legs before walking towards one of the iron doors that led to experimental rooms. It just so happened to be the door where everything went down.
The green tube ahead still had that toxic smell around it, and there was still blood around the room from other people.
They wouldn't have the guts to come back and take him… would they?
No, and Nacho wouldn't let them.
Though Multi felt bad to a degree, he couldn't weep, especially with his egg missing somewhere, he hoped, in the reactor.
He checked behind the chests in the depressing room, but none had Nacho hiding near them. And with that, he moved to another room; the village.
He first didn't think it could be a possibility, but then again, his lab was breached.
He paced around the village, checking into each of the reckoned homes. Even the observing room above had no signs of Nacho.
Multi came back towards the main area of his reactor, eyeing the desk with the files, again.
He once again walked over and opened the file. He grabbed the pictures and held them up.
It was a bedrock prison, something no other ordinary Islander could break, unless they were the federation.
He used one of his hands to pick up the letter from his worker.
“The federation worker got taken away by an unknown person.”
Someone against the federation had to have taken the fed's worker. That someone could be anyone siding with Dark Cucurucho.
Multi bit the side of his mouth.
Katie did encounter the Dark Worker. They threatened to take Nacho away for a deal.
He picked up the clipboard written by Katie again.
“Nacho is okay.”
He glanced back at the letter.
“Nacho is missing.”
Is she…. Lying to me?
Multi’s breath hitched out loud. He dropped the papers and brought his hands to his head. His fingers slide underneath his hair, slightly tugging.
She can't be lying to me, especially with Nacho.
She cares about him…. She would never harm Nacho. Right?
Multi continued to pull on his hair. His eyes widened as he stared down at the ground. He could feel his own heart beating faster than it should.
This can’t be happening again... I have to find Nacho.
As he tried calming his breathing down, he received a message from Quackity.
“Can we talk?”
“Are you okay?”
“Last time you didn't answer me….”
Multi waited before messaging him back.
“Come to the reactor.”
Multi snapped out of his small panic and started to fix the file up with the report from his worker. It was something only he should know about.
In the distance, he could hear the warpstone’s sound and the decontamination machine. He knew Quackity was already here.
“Multi,” Quackity called out, dragging out the ending.
Multi stood straight and brought his arms behind him; his favorite pose.
Quackity moved fast towards him. “Wow, no greeting? Wow,” he jested. He continued to rant on about other things that Multi blocked out.
So happy for what? One of his friends recently died.
His friend, who was kidnapped by Nacho.
The Nacho that everyone now wants to kill. Especially the dark side.
The same side on which he and Katie made a deal.
Katie…
She knows where Nacho is. So does Quackity if they're working together. Why is he here?
Multi looked at Quackity directly in the eye. “Where is he?” He demanded to know, interrupting the other’s rambling.
“Where is who?” Quackity tilted his head a bit.
“You know who,” Multi responded. “Don’t try to act stupid.”
Quackity shrugged in confusion. “Multi, I don't know who you are talking about.”
“Nacho,” Multi’s hands clenched behind him. “Where is he?”
Quackity’s expression didn't change to anything but more confusion. It was like he really didn't know anything that Multi was trying to accuse him of.
It should have made it clear to Multi that he didn't know anything about it, but it only made his suspicion worse.
“That deal…” Multi muttered. “What did you have to trade in order to save Pepino?”
“Nothing yet,” Quackity replied. “I haven't been contacted by them either.”
“Yet.”
Quackity knows they will contact him. He’s accepted the potential deal already.
His heart began to beat again, faster, pounding against his ribcage. That uneasy feeling returned in his stomach as before.
He started to turn away from Quackity, placing his hands back in his hair as a way of comfort. The huge reactor began to shrink.
Quackity’s face softened. “Multi?—”
“You’re betraying me.”
Quackity’s mouth dropped slightly. “What?”
Multi let out a short crazed laugh. “You and Katie… I trusted both of you.”
“Multi,” Quackity got closer. “Explain to me what's going on. You’re scaring me.”
Multi hunched over. “Everyone plays with my trust.”
His vision blurred, it seemed all blank to him. He couldn't hear anything except that voice in his head, scolding him for ever trusting anyone.
Quackity stood above him, fearful. “Multi, I told you that you could trust me, and thinking otherwise is stupid.” Though he meant to come off as assertive, his voice was weak. Worried almost.
Multi couldn't look up towards him, he would remember the betrayal that floated around Quackity. Even so, he couldn't hear him, not even himself, only the other voice that dictated his brain.
No one can be trusted. No one.
Not even Katie, the one who “cared” for Nacho.
Not even Quackity, the one who’s been there from the start.
They both sided with the force that's trying to get rid of you.
Multi’s breath shortened. “I'm going to kill myself.”
Quackity’s eyes widened, thinking of what to say next, but nothing came out.
Multi began to laugh again, slowly rocking as he sank to the floor, knees hitting the floor. His face pointed towards the ground, and muffled laughs escaped through his mouth.
“No one trusts me, and I can’t trust anyone,” he repeated to himself. “I've let my son be faced with danger.”
Quakcity’s brows furrowed. “Son?”
“I should just kill myself, I’ve hurt everyone,” Multi chuckled. “Yes.”
Multi didn't even know he was speaking out loud, or slightly shaking on the floor while tugging on his hair.
The voices became louder than his environment, only telling him to distrust everyone.
It was only darkness it seemed. It was always in the corner, waiting to overtake Mutli. There was no light on the island anymore, not even for himself. Nacho was gone.
It was hard for him to calm down, it felt as if he was dying right there. He couldn't sense anything, except that hand on his shoulder.
Multi tilted his head up to the side, looking at the small brightness in the dark. It was warm in the cold. Quackity.
Quackity exhaled. His expression was soft, but it seemed like he wanted to discuss something. Either way, he still had a calm effect.
He slowly sank to the floor next to Multi. His arms began to wrap around Multi, bringing him into a warm hug. He didn't even ask.
Multi’s arms stayed at his side. His head lightly rested on Quackity’s shoulder, looking up.
His eyes were still widened, not processing quickly enough what was happening in that moment.
His senses did come back though, he remembered they were in the reactor, and Nacho wasn't.
He could feel Quackity around him, holding him calmly. It was like no other hug Quackity usually gave him, it was much more meaningful.
Multi’s heart began to relax with his breathing. He began to push his head more down onto Quackity, taking in all the warmth he could.
And with the silence, and a quick move, Multi brought his arms around Quackity, hugging him back. His hands tightly grabbed onto the fabric of Quakcity’s jacket.
Quackity didn't say anything about it, he knew it wasn't the time. He continued to hold onto Multi, just like Multi was doing to him back.
What broke the silence were tears from Multi, and small sniffles. They rolled down his cheek, falling into Quackity’s shoulder.
“I don't know where Nacho is,” Multi’s voice broke.
Quackity gently rubbed his back. “It’s okay. Maybe it's a huge misunderstanding.”
Multi inhaled. “Why would she ever take a deal with them?”
“People always want to side with power,” Quackity muttered. It was like he was referring to someone in that moment.
“I just want Nacho to be okay. I know he's strong…. But he's only a small tiny egg,” Multi sniffed.
He began to let go of Quackity, slowly pulling out of the hug. They both sat still on the floor together, not knowing what to do next.
It was like there was so much to be said, especially how eager Quackity looked to ask questions. There was definitely new things brought to attention. More so, how they didn't know certain things about each other.
Or how, Quackity didn't know Multi cared so much about a federation egg.
Quackity sighed. It was nothing he could challenge at the moment, and especially after seeing Multi in that state.
Multi pushed himself up from the ground and wiped away the faint tears. Quackity looked up to him.
“Where’s Katie?”
“I don't know.”