Work Text:
"alright," katie grinned as she straightened up, looking down at her work. "you look as snug as a bug in a rug! i don't think you've been more comfortable in your entire little egg life."
nacho laid in his bed, pink blanket tucked over his round body and just slightly obscuring the smile on his mask. his feet kicked underneath the cloth, the little mounds moving up and down excitedly. a sign appeared in his left hand before being placed on the wall next to him. katie turned her head as she watched his small hand carve into the wood. once finished, he put the signs away and shifted in his mattress with satisfaction.
'COMFY'
a chuckle left her throat, smirking from knowing she did a good job. "i know, i know. just as mama intended. now then," she walked to the right of the bed, bending down over nacho, "i need to sleep too. don't cause any ruckus okay? i love you, nacho."
she kissed the top of his head, making the egg wiggle side to side happily. she couldn't help but smile harder. all she wanted to do was squeeze him until he popped, he was just that cute. but the kiss would suffice for now.
"welp," she stood up, dusting off non-existent dust on her pants. "goodnight, my sweet, sweet nacho. sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite!"
but as she walked away, a mischevious idea came into mind. she wasn't one to shy away from pranks, and what's so wrong about scaring your kid a bit?
just as she was at the doorway to leave, she spun around and looked directly at nacho, who was watching her leave. the glare on her glasses left, exposing the way her eyes narrowed playfully. she brought a finger up to her lips. her other hand held the doorknob, closing it towards her as she creeped backwards.
"and beware... who knows what entities are lurking around in the night? maybe zombies..."
nacho sat up in bed, attention caught at the mention of potential danger nearby.
"or maybe..."
she whispered, pausing for dramatic effect. an ear twitched nervously on nacho's head.
"DARK CUCURUCHO!"
katie shut the door as fast (and as quietly) as she could, bounding toward her room with quick succession. an evil grin displayed on her face, feeling the adrenaline of a well-done prank.
unfortunately, poor little nacho was now stuck in his room, shaking and looking out his window as if he'd get attacked at any moment.
how was he going to sleep now?
---
katie flinched harshly at the feeling of little fingers on her arm. she shoved her sleeping mask up to her forehead, frantically searching for the culprit. her racing heartbeat began to calm down once she recognized the smiling mask of her son. he crouched in greeting.
"oh my god. nacho," she laughed, moreso in relief rather than amusement. "you scared the daylights out of me."
nacho withdrew his hand from his mother's arm, jumping off the bed and getting a sign out instead. he placed one down on the floor with a quiet thunk. katie adjusted herself to lay on her side, propping herself up with her elbow as she waited for him to finish carving his words. his handwriting seemed to be more messy tonight.
she noticed how his hand trembled as he pulled it away from the sign. brows furrowing, she took his hand into hers. little fingers instinctively curled around her thumb.
"nacho, baby, are you okay?" the concern was evident in her voice. he crouched rapidly this time, slapping his other hand on the sign he just wrote as if he wanted her to read it now. she came to the realization that her focus was misplaced with an embarrassed chuckle, muttering an apology. she turned her attention to the sign and read the scratchy letters.
'scared'
'want mama and dada'
she pouted with a mix of pity and pride. her scaring skills must be top-notch. but now her poor baby was terrified; not only that, but it seemed like nacho wanted multi over as well. knowing how occupied he was, she ignored the last word and attempted to cheer him up alone.
"oh, c'mon. you're a tough little egg, aren't 'cha? what about that knife i gave you? you don't need your-"
her words faltered as nacho began shaking his body side-to-side in disagreement.
"...you wanna cuddle with mama for tonight? i have plenty of space-"
nacho repeated the same action, noticably more urgent. katie chewed at the inside of her cheek in contemplation. she didn't want to seem like she couldn't handle her son on her own, but he seemed like he needed it. there was also the possibility of a nacho tantrum. and god forbid if she'd have bedrock outlining the interior of her hq.
katie sighed, grabbing her phone from the bedside table to send a message.
---
buzzes from multi's phone startled him awake. his head yanked away from his crossed arms and crashed into one of his desk lamps. he cursed to himself, quickly evaluating the room in case anything changed. he didn't remember falling asleep. was it the lack of sleep or did he faint again? he couldn't tell. but being unconscious meant he couldn't monitor all that was happening around him.
he planted his feet on the edge of the table, pushing himself away from this desk and towards his monitors. his chair squeaked from the sudden force; he'd probably have to lubricate it again unlike a certain someone.
as soon as he made it, he swiveled around to face the desk. his gaze flickered between cameras. he murmured a 'clear' with each empty monitor. every single one was devoid of people. a tired sigh left him, leaning back into his chair. everything was fine, everything was safe.
now who was notifying his phone at this hour?
he pulled his chair forward with a push of his foot. picking up the phone, it vibrated once more in his palm. he clicked his tongue with slight annoyance.
'saucebxss whispers to you: can you come over to hq'
'saucebxss whispers to you: come over'
'saucebxss whispers to you: come over'
'saucebxss whispers to you: cme over'
'saucebxss whispers to you: cjome over'
'saucebxss whispers to you: COme ovherrr'
his eye twitched at the abundance of messages. the most recent one, however, had his irritation dissipating in a matter of seconds.
'saucebxss whispers to you: nacho needs you'
he reread the text once. then twice. he looked around his lab. then looked back at his phone. his thumbs hesitated before typing out a slow response.
'you whisper to saucebxss: coming'
---
katie sat on the stairs of her hq, nacho in her lap. her arms wrapped tightly around him. it seemed like he couldn't be comfortable until he felt pressure around him. 'maybe i should get him a weighted blanket,' she thought absentmindedly.
before she could continue her train of thought, a series of solid knocks hit her door. nacho jumped, most likely in fear. he pulled out the diamond knife that was gifted to him.
"no no no," she said as she walked to the door. "it's just your dad. and put that knife away, you're gonna hurt me and my beautiful robe."
she shifted him to the crook of her arm, using the right hand to open the door. just as she expected, multi was standing before her.
"multi!" she exclaimed, just as nacho jumped out of her arms and toward his dad. he circled around him excitedly, replacing the knife with fireworks. those were confiscated rather quickly by multi.
"no nacho," he shook his head. "don't go exploding fireworks on me," he scolded, despite the smile on his face. attention now on katie, he opened his mouth to speak before stopping.
she had a rather pretty night gown on, the pink reflecting the warm lights inside. it was accompanied by the ginger hair that flowed just below her shoulders. strands curled and framed her bust so effortlessly. the sight was enough to make his brain short circuit.
it was funny to see, on katie's end. he had the same, awestruck look that ewron would give her. and she knew exactly what it meant.
"multi." katie snapped her fingers in front of his face. she was simply pretending she didn't notice to avoid him getting embarrassed. he flinched, blinking at her with mild confusion. the warmth that was building up in his face faded away once he remembered what he was here for.
"ah, right. bedtime nacho!" he said in a louder-than-usual voice, bending down and scooping the egg into his arms. nacho nuzzled into his chest, still seemingly very excited that his dad was here.
katie nodded and began leading them towards nacho's room. multi was occupied with entertaining the kid in his arms, but a question popped up in his mind while watching that robe flow behind katie.
"so, why are you wearing, uh-" he stammered for a moment, struggling to remember the word for what she was wearing. katie caught on, looking over her shoulder at her own outfit. "oh, my gown?"
"yes." he looked up at her as they ascended the staircase. "i thought you wore different clothing to sleep. shorts, t-shirts, that."
it pleased her to know that multi remembered small things like that. it was also kind of weird in her opinion.
"i forgot i had stuff like this in my closet." she spun around as they made it to the floor, making the cloth lift up slightly. "i decided i wanted to look nice tonight. you like it?"
he stopped in his tracks. she stopped to await his answer.
was she always planning for me to come here? did she want to look nice... for me?
multi's train of thought went haywire as he misinterpreted her words. his face heated up once again, the blush quite prominent compared to his pale skin.
"oh." he didn't know what to think of it. no one has put that kind of effort for just a simple meeting.
"oh?" katie repeated, her eyebrow raising. "so you think it's bad?"
he snapped out of it as soon as he heard the sounds of fake crying. the corner of his lips twitched downward, muttering, "kurwa emotional manipulator..."
multi decided to walk right past her and into nacho's room, shutting the door behind him. he could hear katie's sound of surprise. the speedwalking towards the door got him to chuckle.
she entered the room with an exaggerated sad look. "wow. wow. i can't believe you'd treat your very own friend like this." a fake sob left her, wiping her eyes of nothing with her sleeve.
his heart twisted unexpectedly from the label 'friend.' ignoring it, he turned around to place nacho on the bed. only to realize that the weight in his arms was gone. his expression dropped.
no way he lost him just like that? he searched his mind for when nacho could've escaped. he couldn't recall anything.
"nacho?" he looked at the floor. no egg to be seen.
"nacho??" his voice raised, the worry in his throat making him nauseuous almost instantly. he turned around again and saw katie, perplexed.
"what are you so worried about?" she hooked her finger in the collar of her robe. his eyes widened as she pulled it down.
"what the fuck are you-" he panicked, waving his hands around in front of his face.
multi's panic and confusion intensified when he heard her laughing.
"calm down! i'm not about to flash you, weirdo." she snickered. he shakily lowered his hands. he caught a glimpse of a white, round shape in his peripheral vision and turned his head. nacho was in her robe, waving his hands around.
he jumped out and katie covered her chest back up. her fingers played with a stray strand of her hair. "you genuinely thought i'd do that to you?" she rolled her eyes, amused. "you're a freak."
the scientist didn't know how to feel about the fact that the insults were sending warm buzzes through his skin.
his brows furrowed. "you're so unpredictable, i wouldn't be surprised if you did do that!" his accent thickened with how fast he spoke. he watched nacho hop into bed. rubbing the bridge of his nose, he sighed.
katie felt a little bad for getting him worked up like this. she stepped forward and placed her hand on his lower back, beckoning multi toward the bed. "okay, okay. sorry."
he didn't say anything else. he didn't want to; not with the thought of katie potentially undressing right in front of him. it made his throat feel tight and he'd be damned if his voice cracked in front of his family.
shrugging off his coat, he folded it and gently dropped it next to the bed. katie crawled onto the bed in the meantime. he could hear her threatening to tickle nacho, while the frantic flailing of the egg rustled the sheets.
he tentatively sat on the edge of the bed, knocking off his boots. the bed seemed rather small. he wasn't exactly sure if he was going to be able to fit next to katie and nacho. he turned his head, looking at katie in hopes she'd understand the issue at hand.
katie, feeling the intense stare of multi behind her, tilted her head his way. "what're you doing?" she laughed, grabbing nacho and spun around so her back laid on the mattress. she scooted over and pat the spot next to her. "there's plenty of room."
in multi's perspective, it was definitely not enough. he'd be squished against her if he laid like this. no room for him to curl up like he normally does. he decided to express that concern, arguing, "no, we will be packed together like sardines. or we're falling off. i'll make my own bed."
before he could open his inventory, he got yanked down by katie. he face-planted into the pillow with a grunt. turning his head towards her, he gave her a defeated look. what he didn't expect was how close he'd gotten.
their faces were inches apart. her smile and playful expression met his softening one. "see?" she manuevered herself so that her and nacho's body would face his. "you fit perfectly fine."
"yeah," he murmured. nacho pushed his way to settle between both of his parents. multi looked down at him with a love he had for nothing else. "i guess so."
the next couple of moments were filled with them adjusting their positions. katie wrapped her arm over both nacho and multi, pulling them closer together. her legs stretched out as multi took the chance to slide his legs against hers, tangling them in a comfortable way.
multi curled into himself, tucking his hands close to his chest. nacho outstretched his limbs as much as he could, welcoming the air of the room as well as the warmth of katie and the cold of multi. plus, he just wanted to feel as if he was in reach of everything he loved.
it took no more than a few seconds for the egg to fall asleep. katie double-checked his state. no movement apart from the faint twitching of his ears.
the night was surprisingly quiet. no sounds of mobs outside, no one running around and causing ruckus. it was peaceful.
the moon had blessed katie tonight. in contrast to the constant, warm light of the torches, the pale glow shone through the window and colored their bodies in a beautiful white.
she looked down at multi. his eyes were already closed. her gaze traveled over his face, noticing how the moonlight highlighted his complexion so well that he looked otherworldly. a sudden boost of confidence struck through her. she had to say something.
"multi," she whispered, though poorly. he flinched at the noise, glaring at her. seems like he was pretending to sleep for the moment.
"shut up, are you trying to wake nacho?" he whispered back, better than her attempt. "quiet down."
"oh, right, sorry."
she copied how he spoke. she whispered again, "better?"
"yes. why are you saying my name for?"
"i just wanted to say something."
he wanted to tilt his head. the katie he knows says what she wants whenever he wants. she was hesitating.
"...go on?"
katie looked into his eyes. he met the eye contact with interest.
the arm that she had over both boys shifted, moving her hand to his face. he tensed up once her palm met with his cheek.
"i'm really glad," she paused, figuring out her words. her thumb ran across his skin. "i'm really glad that you could make it tonight."
his heart was racing. this was too intimate. too much for platonic co-parents. one hundred million billion percent platonic co-parents.
so why did he feel so happy?
katie could sense the sudden panic she initiated within him. she let go of his face as if it burned her. it might as well have, considering how quickly his face turned red.
"sorry, sorry. i mean i'm really glad that you came to see nacho. he was so excited and-"
"were you happy to see me too?"
she blinked down at him. looking away while she was apologizing, she didn't realize how much his expression changed.
he was looking at her different. his eyebrows shifted upwards, lips turned into a frown. his prominent blush made him look desperate. she watched as he moved closer, as if he wanted to analyze her face just as well as she was.
katie wished she could take a picture to remember this moment for lifetimes.
wanting to avoid scaring him and losing this precious moment, she lowered her voice into a softer tone.
"oh sweetheart, of course i was."
multi had never thought she would use that pet name on him again. yet, hearing it said so sweetly from katie, had his face flushed more than he thought possible. it also made him realize just how vulnerable he had got.
he pulled his face away, closing his eyes again. "amazing."
he forced himself to sound nonchalant. yet, the way his body trembled ever so slightly betrayed his inner feelings.
katie frowned. she lost her chance to see if she could push him any further. to see if he really did care about how she felt. oh well.
she put her arm back over both of the boys, letting her eyes flutter close as well. just as she was about to drift off, she felt multi's body calm down. soft snores filled her ears, lulling her to sleep.
with the knowledge that she'd gotten him to rest for once, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.
and nacho, who had pretended to sleep for the entire ordeal, finally got to rest with one single thought in mind.
'mama and dada love each other'