Chapter Text
Quackity's wings twitched nervously as he pushed open the heavy steel door to Multi's underground lab after he went through the decontamination. The air hit him first - thick with the metallic tang of ozone and chemicals, undercut by something sharper, like overheated circuits revealing a cavernous space alive with soft glows from bioluminescent tanks and humming servers and vials bubbling gently on shelves.
Cameras turned. He felt them before he saw them - tiny mechanical irises adjusting, focusing, recognizing. Of course. Multi never stopped watching. Quackity exhaled slowly. His feathers ached, a dull throb radiating from his bones, and his vision blurred at the edges from the fatigue as he stepped inside, the dim overhead lights flickering to life in response to the motion sensor. He'd come here desperate, radiation sickness gnawing at his insides like dull knives, hoping Multi had finally cracked the formula for a cure.
“Multi? Are you here?” Quackity called softly, his voice echoing like a whisper in a dream.
A figure emerged from the shadows near the entrance, tall and lean, wearing a lab coat stained with faint chemical splatters. Quackity froze, heart thudding. It was Multi - or looked exactly like him. Same sharp jawline, same dreadlocks, same piercing eyes that seemed to dissect everything they landed on. But something was off.
"Welcome back, Quackity" he said, voice a perfect mimic of Multi's low timbre, laced with that familiar edge of manic curiosity. "Multi's in the back. Come in"
Quackity's wings flared instinctively, feathers brushing the doorframe. "What the fuck? Multi cloned himself? You...you're him?"
Footsteps echoed from deeper in the lab, and the real Multi appeared, wiping his hands on a random rag, goggles pushed up onto his forehead. “…Quackity? I thought I was hallucinating when I looked at the camera…”
He grinned, wide and unhinged, the kind of smile that made Quackity's stomach twist with equal parts dread and heat. They'd danced around this for months - stolen glances during late-night meetings, brushes of hands that lingered too long, the unspoken pull between them like gravity. Multi was a mad scientist through and through, his private lab like a fortress of secrets, including that not-so-secret room in the back with one-way glass and cameras everywhere only he controlled and had access to.
For a moment neither of them moved. Multi looked stunned. Like someone seeing a ghost they had already mourned. “You’re alive…” Multi said, voice breaking despite himself.
Quackity swallowed. “Yeah. I managed to escape…whatever that was”
The distance between them vanished. Multi crossed the room faster than Quackity had ever seen him move, stopping only centimeters away - close enough that Quackity felt the heat of him, the tremor in his breathing. Multi didn’t touch him immediately. He just stared. Scanning for injuries. Proof. Reality. “You disappeared" Multi murmured. “No signal. No trackers. I thought-”
“I got kidnapped…Pepino as well” Quackity interrupted and said lightly, though the words carried weight. “But we’re back, both of us, so there’s no need to worry anymore. I mean I’m not saying that you missed me, but it would be nice if you-”
Multi’s hand finally rose, hovering near Quackity’s wing before gently brushing gold feathers.
The contact was reverent. Careful. Like touching something fragile he had spent months convincing himself he’d never feel again. “You came back to us…to…me” Multi said quietly.
Quackity felt heat crawl up his neck. “Yeah, well…someone still owes me a cure or something to get rid of the radiation” That broke the tension just enough. Multi laughed - a tired, disbelieving sound. Behind them, the other figure watched silently.
Quackity turned again, pointing. “Okay. Time for explaining. Why are there two of you?”
"Surprised?" Multi said, stepping up beside his clone. They mirrored each other perfectly. “Perfect replica, right? Meet ‘Multi-01’, or M1 for short. Same brain, same everything. He's got my memories up to the cloning, and we've synced since. Such fascinating data, easy to manipulate. He’s my masterpiece.” Multi paused for a moment. “With one outstanding tweak that I’ve wanted to do for a while”
His eyes gleamed as he put an arm around M1's waist, pulling him close. The clone leaned into it, his hand sliding possessively over Multi's chest. “I have made some experimental modifications for this one. You see, I have been working on interchangeable, organic body parts for quite a bit, you could say I did that…in case for a survival, and decided this would be a good time to put him to the test so I let him roam here for now”
Quackity swallowed, throat dry. "Modification? Body parts that you change?" As he said it, he sounded so confused.
Multi's grin sharpened. "I gave him a vagina instead of a cock. Experimenting with sexual dimorphism, optimization. See how it changes behavior, response to stimuli. He's me, but better in some ways. So much potential"
M1 stepped closer, his touch feather-light on Quackity's arm, fingers brushing sensitive wing joints that made Quackity shiver. Heat flooded Quackity's face, creeping down his neck. Multi's gaze tracked the flush, and something shifted in the air - conversation turning heavier, laced with intent. "I can see that you like the idea" Multi murmured, stepping closer, M1 beside him like a shadow.
Quackity's heart raced, cheeks warming under their stares, wings folding tight against his back as Multi's hand cupped his jaw, thumb pressing into the hinge. M1's fingers trailed down his arm, nails scraping lightly over the fabric of his shirt. “Yes, but the medicine-”
Multi shushed him with his gloved finger. “Let’s go to my office” as he said it, the lab lights dimmed slightly as nightly protocols activated. Screens flickered alive across the walls - medical scans, chemical formulas, security feeds.
Quackity noticed dozens of camera angles displaying them from different perspectives. “…I see you added more cameras” he muttered.
Multi stiffened. “Security”
“You’re watching everything”
A pause.
“…Yes”
Quackity smirked faintly. “Still obsessed with control.”
Multi’s gaze sharpened. “Only when I have something worth protecting.” The words lingered heavier than intended. Silence settled.
The clone broke it. “He missed you” M1 said softly.
Multi flushed. “That was…unnecessary.”
Quackity glanced between them, but set his sight on Multi. “…You talk about me?”
“Constantly” the clone replied. Multi groaned. But Quackity felt something warm bloom in his chest - dangerous and comforting all at once.
They moved deeper into the lab. Notes covered every surface in frantic handwriting and prints. Drawings and diagrams here and there. Quackity recognized desperation when he saw it. “You’ve gotten worse” he said quietly.
Multi didn’t argue. The faint radiation sickness showed now that Quackity looked closer - trembling hands, pale skin with shade of green scattered in a few places.
“I’m close” Multi insisted. “The treatment just needs stabilization”
“That’s what you said before I vanished”
“I didn’t stop working”
The clone added gently, “He didn’t sleep much either”
Quackity folded his arms. “Are you serious? You made another you just to keep working?”
Multi hesitated. “…Not just for that.” He looked at the clone - expression complicated. “I needed someone who understood the research fully. Someone I trusted with access. Someone who wouldn’t abandon the project.” The unspoken meaning hung in the air. Someone who wouldn’t disappear.
Quackity’s wings lowered slightly. “…You thought I left.” Multi didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.
Hours passed as they talked. About the kidnapping, survival, loneliness. The clone listened closely, asking questions Multi never would - emotional ones. Careful ones. Questions that made Quackity realize how much of Multi existed beneath layers of obsession and fear.
At some point, tea appeared and Quackity forgot he had planned to leave quickly. The lab felt warmer with three people in it. Safer…and stranger. Quackity caught Multi watching him through reflections in glass screens, through camera feeds, through every available angle. ‘Possessive’ wasn’t the right word. ‘Protective’ didn’t fully fit either. It was something deeper - a scientist guarding his most irreplaceable discovery.
“You never stopped monitoring the entrance, did you?” Quackity asked suddenly. Multi shook his head. “I’ve kept hoping”
The clone smiled faintly. “Every movement alert made him run”
Multi looked away, embarrassed. Quackity’s chest tightened. “You’re unbelievable” he murmured.
“I mean, you suddenly were gone the next day” Multi replied bluntly. “We, all of us, were looking for you. When we needed to look for more trope I came here and just watched and hoped that you will just randomly appear”
The honesty stunned him. Quackity leaned closer off his chair.
“So you did miss me” he said quietly.
“You…can say that” Multi’s eyes softened. Quackity just chuckled.
The clone watched them - fascinated, almost fond. “You two very much influence each other” he observed. “Even when separated”
Quackity huffed. “He’s impossible”
“And yet you returned” M1 said.
They both had no answer for what just the clone said.
Later, exhaustion finally caught up to him. Multi guided Quackity toward the couch in the back. Soft lights glowed amber, machines whispering below. Quackity sat, wings drooping. Multi hovered nearby like he couldn’t decide whether touching now was allowed.
“…I thought about you” Multi suddenly admitted.
Quackity raised an eyebrow. “Very dangerous habit”
“Every calculation” Multi continued. “Every experiment. I kept thinking how angry or even disappointed you’d be if I failed”
A small laugh escaped Quackity. “That’s what kept you going?”
“Yes”
The simplicity of it stole Quackity’s breath.
M1 remained on the chair opposite of them, observing quietly - a mirror reflecting emotions Multi struggled to express himself. “You matter to him beyond logic” the clone said.
Multi groaned again. “I regret giving you emotional autonomy”
Quackity smiled softly. For the first time since returning, he reached out and grabbed Multi’s wrist and started to caress it gently. “I’m here now” he said.
Multi went completely still to the sudden touch. The cameras rotated silently. Watching. Recording. Witnessing something fragile unfolding under the dim, laboratory light. “…Stay” Multi whispered and looked at him wasted.
It wasn’t a command, it was a plea. Quackity hesitated only a moment. “Yeah…” he said. “I think I will”
Multi smiled gently at him and stood up, leaving him just to come back with a big blanket for him. He really wanted him to sleep, to control him, like he could disappear the moment he looked away. Quackity just smiled back as a thank you, snuggled in the blanket and leaned back closing his eyes to try to sleep.
An hour has passed. The lab grew quieter after midnight. Not silent, it never truly was, but softer. Machines shifted into low-power cycles, lights dimmed into warm gold instead of sterile white. The constant hum became almost comforting, like breathing in sleep. Quackity hadn’t meant to stay awake so long. He sat curled at one end of the worn couch overlooking the main office floor. Both boots lying abandoned on the floor. Across the room, screens still displayed rotating camera feeds. Entrances. Hallways. The outside of the Polish Cave. Security never slept.
Just now, Multi and M1 entered carrying two new mugs with tea, the man moving slower than usual. The exhaustion he hid during work hours showed now - shoulders slumped, dreadlocks falling into his eyes, lab coat hanging even more open. “You’re supposed to be resting” Multi murmured when he looked at Quackity.
The other snorted, closing his eyes. “You first, doctor death-wish”
Multi set the mugs down carefully on his desk. He hesitated before sitting next to him. Close enough that their knees nearly touched. For a moment neither spoke. The quiet felt fragile.
“…It still doesn’t feel real” Multi admitted softly. “You…being here”
Quackity opened one eye. “Then believe it” he said while a faint smile tugged at his mouth. Multi leaned back into the couch, tension slowly draining from him. Without constant motion, he looked younger, less like a mad scientist fighting time and more like someone who had simply been too lonely for too long. They sat there listening to the lab breathe. Half asleep and half aware.
Quackity’s wings shifted unconsciously from under the blanket, brushing Multi’s arm. Multi froze. He didn’t move away. He carefully let his hand rest against the feathers. His fingers traced along the gold edges, slow and absent-minded, like maybe for grounding himself.
“You always shed more when you’re stressed” Multi murmured.
“You kept track of that?”
“I keep track of everything”
Of course he did. Quackity’s eyes closed again. The warmth of the couch, the steady hum of machines around, Multi’s gentle touch…it all blurred together until thinking felt unnecessary.
“…I thought about this” Multi said quietly.
“Hm?”
“Just…sitting with you. No emergencies. Nothing exploding behind your back”
Quackity let out a tired laugh. “Your standards for happiness are a little bit depressing”
“Maybe”
A long pause followed. Their shoulders slowly leaned closer without either consciously deciding to move. Half asleep, boundaries softened.
“I was scared” Multi admitted. “When you disappeared”
Quackity didn’t open his eyes. “Me too”
“I kept imagining you coming back through the door on a random moment”
“...Guess you were right”
Multi turned slightly toward him. Quackity felt the shift, the attention, and finally opened his eyes. They were close, even closer than before. The lab lights reflected faintly in Multi’s gaze, softening the sharpness that usually lived there. For once, Multi wasn’t analyzing. He was just looking.
“You stayed” Multi whispered.
Quackity’s voice came out equally quiet. “Yeah”
Neither of them moved away. The moment stretched…fragile, suspended somewhere between wakefulness and dream. Multi’s hand slid from Quackity’s wing to his shoulder, hesitant, asking permission without words.
The moment stretched, kind of fragile, suspended somewhere between wakefulness and dream. Multi’s hand slid from Quackity’s wing to his shoulder, hesitant, asking for permission without words. Quackity didn’t pull back. Their foreheads nearly touched.
A breath passed between them.
Then another.
And then…the kiss happened almost accidentally. Soft. Uncertain. Like two people discovering something they had both known for a long time but never dared to confirm. It lasted only a second before they both froze.
Quackity blinked first. “…Was that-”
“Yes” Multi said immediately, then looked shocked at how fast he answered.
Silence.
Then Quackity laughed under his breath. “You’re unbelievable”
“I am very sorry if-”
Quackity cut him off by leaning forward again. This time the kiss wasn’t accidental. It was slow. Careful even. Very exploratory.
Months of worrying, being absent, and unspoken attachment folded into something warm and real. Multi’s hand tightened slightly at Quackity’s shoulder, grounding himself as if he was afraid this moment would vanish. Quackity shifted closer on the couch, one wing draping partially around them both. The world around the couch seemed to disappear. Only the quiet hum of machines remained.
Only shared breath.
The kiss deepened, still gentle, still hesitant. Multi exhaled softly against him, tension melting into relief. When they pulled apart, neither moved far. Foreheads resting together. Half-smiles lingering.
“You planned this?” Quackity teased faintly.
Multi shook his head. “I plan everything. This…was not planned”
“Good”
Quackity leaned back into the cushions, pulling Multi with him almost absent-mindedly. They ended up side by side, shoulders pressed together. Dangerously comfortable. Multi’s fingers traced absent lines along Quackity’s sleeve, distracted, full of thoughts.
“The cameras are still recording…” Multi muttered suddenly.
Quackity glanced lazily toward one of the monitors showing their couch from above. “Of course they are”
“I can disable them”
Quackity considered that, then shrugged slightly. “No…Leave them”
Multi looked at him surprised.
Quackity smirked faintly. “You built this place to watch everything you care about, didn’t you?”
Multi didn’t deny it. Something unspoken passed between them, trust tangled with vulnerability. Quackity shifted closer again, their legs brushing. His hand caught the edge of Multi’s coat, absent-mindedly tugging it. The air felt warmer. He studied Multi’s expression, now softer, almost disbelieving.
“You missed me that much?” Quackity asked quietly.
Multi answered without hesitation. “Yes”
The honesty stole any teasing reply. Quackity’s hand lingered against his chest, feeling the steady heartbeat beneath the fabric of his shirt. For a while they simply stayed like that - exchanging quiet kisses, murmured half-sentences, drifting in and out of sleep while leaning into each other. Outside, in the lab, experiments waited. Cures still remained unfinished.
M1 sat at the desk, back to them, observing cameras, giving them space without needing to be asked. But here in that moment, Multi allowed himself to stop working. And Quackity allowed himself to stay. Two exhausted people, finally close enough to admit what survival had made obvious - that neither wanted to lose the other again. In the end, they both fell asleep in each other’s embrace, under the soft blanket.