Chapter Text
It was to no one's surprise that Multi was the first one to get sick. For all that he complained about his anemia and the radiation poisoning slowly draining the color from his skin, he did not do much to fix them. Multi was a self-care enthusiast's worst nightmare. With the amount of sleep that he lacked, the meals he refused from both Katie and Quackity, who were both more than willing to help out, the water he rarely consumed, and the fact that he lived in an underground bunker and hadn’t seen the sun in at least two months, it was inevitable that he was going to get sick.
Despite the foresight they had and the number of warnings Quackity had given him, his lovers still did everything they could to take care of him.
—
Quackity woke to the sound of coughing and sniffling echoing from the bathroom. He shuffled out of bed to find the source of the noise and squinted into the light to see Multi. He was sitting on the edge of the bathtub with a pile of used tissues scattered around his feet. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked even paler than usual. Quackity stared at him.
“Are you sick?” He rasped, with sleep still caught in his throat. Multi did not reply. He only sniffed pitifully and glared at Quackity’s blanket-wrapped frame.
Are you sick? Quackity attempted to repeat, only to be cut off.
“No. Leave me alone. It’s just allergies. Go back to sleep.”
“Katie said you weren’t feeling well last night.”
“Katie doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” Multi hissed. It reminded Quackity of a kitten growling about a golden retriever. He resisted the urge to coo and to pat Multi on the head. Especially when Multi sniffled again and wiped his already red nose with another tissue.
Multi’s eyes were glazed, and his skin was pale in the way it got when he hadn’t fed in a while. But if Quackity’s memory served him right, he’d seen Multi feed from Katie just the other night. So the only other option that remained was that the great scientist, Young Multi, was, in fact, sick.
“I’m gonna go to Zabka and get you some medicine, okay,” Quackity said with a barely concealed grin. He stepped forward and left a quick peck on Multi’s forehead.
“Wait,” Multi called, grabbing the edge of Quackity’s pajamas before he could leave. “I’m fine. You can’t leave; they’re looking for you. You can’t leave just because of this. I can deal with it. I’ll be okay. I can just drink some tea and rest or something.”
“Dude, you can’t be serious. I’m not letting you sit here and suffer just because the Federation is threatening me. I can go invisible, and they have no idea where any of us are right now. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re not listening,” Multi growled, rising to his feet with a slight stumble. Quackity grabbed his elbow to steady him. “I have brought all of you here to keep you safe. I can’t allow you to jeopardize that just for some stupid medicine. It’s not that bad. I cannot risk the safety of Katie and Nacho and of you for this.”
“If you stay here like this, you’re going to get all of us sick anyway.”
Multi glanced up at him blankly like he hadn’t thought of that yet. But judging by the sheen of sweat across his forehead and unfocused look in his eyes, Multi hadn’t been doing much thinking at all recently.
“Nacho can’t get sick. He’s little; he can’t fight it off.” Multi said in what was practically a whine. Quackity eased him back to sitting. He patted Multi’s head gently.
“Exactly, which is why I need to go get you some medicine before he gets sick too,” Quackity spoke softly.
“No.”
Quackity sighed. “You need to get better, John Multas. Stop being difficult.”
“No.” Multi sniffled pathetically and looked up at Quackity with big, watery eyes. “Everyone needs to stay here. Or I’ll be sad. We can quarantine away from Nacho. We can send him to be with Uncle Aldo. He will be safe. You and Katie can stay with me. And we’ll be safe here.”
Quackity snorted. “Okay, sure, buddy. Let’s get you back to bed. I’ll bring you some soup and check your temperature. Katie can look after you while I’m gone.”
“I’m serious,” Multi said with a pout that he probably thought looked extremely intimidating. It was clear that he was losing his ability to think clearly by the second. All the congestion and possible fever or stomach virus were getting to his head.
Quackity sat down next to Multi and rubbed his back. It was odd to see his companion so out of it. Multi was a scientist. He prided himself on his ability to think clearly, to discern risks and flaws, nd to correct them with extreme precision. He worked as hard as he did because he was ambitious beyond anyone else Quackity had ever met. He admired Multi’s drive. And to see him incapacitated like this, barely able to form a coherent thought, hurt Quackity more than he was expecting.
Multi had taken him and Katie into his bunker and sheltered them from both the Federation and dark cucurucho without a moment’s hesitation. He had risked his reactor, his safety, his entire life just to protect those he cared about. Being one of the only people on the island that Multi trusted enough to hold closely like this meant everything to Quavckity. It was an honor that he would never forsake.
Which is why he was confident that he would do everything he could to see Multi healthy and lucid again.
“My head hurts,” Multi mumbled. He leaned into Quackity’s shoulder and pressed his forehead into the crook of his neck.
“I know, I’m sorry, baby.” Quackity kept his hand rubbing over Multi’s back as he slumped further and further into Quackity’s arms. He was losing his grip on reality quickly, and Quackity knew he needed to act fast before Multi could fall asleep again. “Katie!” He called out. Multi cringed away from him at the noise. “Katie, I need help!”
A few seconds later, Katie slid into the bathroom on socked feet, nearly slamming into the sink and then tumbling to the floor in front of the pair. Her long limbs flung everywhere, nearly smacking both of them in the face.
“What’s wrong?” She yelled, pushing her tangled hair out of her face. “I have an ax; everyone get behind me!” One of the pant legs of her pink fluffy pajamas was rolled up all the way to the thigh, and her shirt was falling off one shoulder. She did indeed have an axe and was holding it above her head like a drink she was trying not to spill. Quackity couldn’t help bursting into laughter, doubling over to cover his mouth but failing to suppress any of the noise.
Katie’s eyes seemed to finally catch up to her sleepy brain, and she slumped in defeat. “What the fuck, Quackity? I genuinely thought you guys were in trouble.”
She picked herself up off the floor and tucked away the axe back into her inventory. Quackity tried to calm his hiccuping laughter by pulling her shirt back into place, but only continued giggling uncontrollably in her face. Katie pushed him away with a hand to the face.
“Why were you yelling? I woke up for this bullshit.”
“Can you pretty please carry Multi to bed? He’s really sick, and I can’t pick him up.”
“I forgot how much of a twink you are,” Katie snorted. “Yeah, sure.”
She crouched down next to Multi and pulled him into her arms like she was carrying a toddler. Multi made some sort of sad, sick noise and buried his face into her neck. Katie grinned down at him like she’d won the lottery. “Aww, he’s so cute and cuddly. I wish he got sick more often.”
“Okay, weirdo, just put him to bed. I’m gonna go out to get some medicine from Zabka.”
“Wait, what?” Katie glanced back with a furrowed brow. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, Multi clearly needs some help. I can invis, I’ll be fine.”
Katie considered for a second, and then shrugged. “Sounds reasonable.”
“Thank you,” Quackity said with a grin. At least two of the people staying in this bunker had some sense in them.
Katie whisked Multi away to tuck him in, and Quackity busied himself with getting prepared for his little outing. He made sure he had his armor off and plenty of potions and diamonds on him so he could buy everything he’d need without being noticed. Just as he was about to start working his way through Multi’s extensive security system, Katie rushed back out of Multi’s room.
“Quackity, Multi’s asking for you, and I think he’s threatening to drown himself in the toilet if you don’t come right now.”
Quackity groaned and took off his shoes to follow Katie back down the hall. “I swear, this virus is actually making him crazy, like no joke, he’s gone insane for real this time.”
“I thought he was already insane,” Katie asked. “I feel like this is just his real self peeking through.”
“Katie, I swear to god, I will punt you through the roof.”
“Geez, my bad. Is it that time of the month, Pal?
Quackity glared at her. He gingerly opened the door to Multi’s room to find him curled up in the middle of his bed like a snake covering its eggs. Katie shrugged when Quackity gave her a questioning glance.
“He’s been like that ever since I put him down. I tried to get him to drink some water, but he just kept talking about how you need to be here.” She whispered.
Her attempts at secrecy didn’t matter, though. Multi’s head whipped towards them,m and his green eyes were a piercing glow in the darkness. Quackity flinched at the sight and took an instinctive step back.
Multi’s glow dimmed as he seemed to recognize them. “Quackity?” He called hoarsely.
Quackity put a hand to his chest to calm his racing heart, but took a step regardless of the adrenaline still shaking in his blood. “Yeah, it’s me,” He said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Katie said you wanted to see me.”
Multi’s eyes traced the room to find Katie still lingering in the doorway. “Make her come here,” He demanded weakly at Quackity. That seemed to be all the talking he had energy for at the moment, because he immediately buried his head back into his arms and resumed shivering pathetically.
Quackity bit his lip to hold back a laugh and beckoned Katie closer. His heart felt calmer n90w that Multi’s eyes were hidden from view. He could tell Katie felt the same way. Her hands relaxed from their clenched fists as her sides, and she came forward to lounge on the edge of the bed with him.
He couldn’t blame her. As unbothered as she acted, there was nothing you could really do to dissuade your body from reacting to the eyes of someone who had nearly killed you.
“What did you want, Multi?” Quackity asked softly.
“You have to stay here,” Multi mumbled. His voice was quiet and muffled from the mattress. “Both of you. Or Nacho will get sick.”
Katie buried her face in her hands. Quackity sighed. “Multi, we need to get you some medicine. You’re weak enough as it is; it’s not worth the risk to wait this out.”
“You have to stay here, then. To make sure I don’t die.” Multi’s words were starting to slur with exhaustion. Quackity half-hoped that he would just fall asleep before he could make any more ridiculous demands, but he knew that Multi was far too stubborn for that to ever happen.
“If this is contagious, Nacho is probably already sick,” Katie reasoned. “And if we get sick, then no one will be able to take care of you. We’ll all probably just die here together, and no one will even notice.”
“I don’t care,” Multi shot back. He struggled to push himself up with his arms, so Katie easily dragged him into her lap so he could lean back against her chest. He was shivering as she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on top of his head. Now he could stare at Quackity in the face without having to exert much energy, but the way Katie was nuzzling into his hair made it much less intimidating. “I want Nacho to be safe. I told Aldo to come get him. Neither of you will leave the bunker. It’s too dangerous. I brought you here for a reason. I will protect you both.”
Katie wrapped herself tighter around him. “But how is it protecting us if we all get super sick like you?”
“I’m fine,” Multi stammered unconvincingly, “It’s probably not even contagious; I think it’s from the radiation. But I can’t take that risk with Nacho.”
“Oh, so you hate us,” Katie concluded smoothly. “Right, thanks, Multi. No, I appreciate that.”
Quackity pulled one of his wings in front of him to adjust his feathers while Multi attempted to weakly smack Katie in the face. Eventually, Multi gave up and surrendered to being mercilessly cuddled.
“When is Aldo coming?” Quackity asked. Multi glared at him from where he was snuggled into Katie’s chest.
“Soon. I told him to restrain you if you try to leave as well.”
Quackity dropped his wing and stood in shock. “You what? Excuse me? Are you insane?” Incredulous, he pointed a finger at Multi’s stupid, flushed face. “You told a known war criminal to restrain me as your way of protecting me.”
“I trust Aldo. He wouldn’t hurt you any more than he has to.” Multi crossed his arms and pouted like he hadn’t just sold Quackity’s autonomy to an ex-general with a penchant for explosives. “Just stay here, and there won’t be any problems.”
“Yeah, just stay here,” Katie agreed distractedly. Quackity wasn’t even sure if she’d been listening to anything going on, given how she had started scent marking Multi’s so thoroughly that even Quackity could smell it. He wrinkled his nose.
“You have got to be kidding me. No, you’re fucking insane. I’m just trying to help you, Multi.”
“And I said I’m fine. You need to stay here.” Multi said sharply. He was starting to pull out of Katie’s grasp, weakly pushing himself to get closer to Quackity.
“You can’t tell me what to do; I’m my own person.”
“I can tell you what to do. Otherwise, there will be consequences. Just listen to me. Stay here, and everything will be fine,” Multi growled. He was panting from the exertion of talking for so long, and his eyes were starting to spark again, flickering in and out. He swatted Quackity’s hand out of his face and locked eyes with him. “Sit. Down.”
All Quackity could see was the sweat dripping down Multi’s neck and the sick green tinge of his normally bright eyes taking over. He wasn’t right in the head. Even if he was normally a bit off the rails, this was different. There was something instinctual and reflexive in the way Multi was acting. He truly thought that this was the best course of action, and he would stubbornly hold onto that regardless of anything Quackity said. The tremble of his shoulders and the hand he had braced against Katie’s thigh to hold himself up spoke of something more than just Multi’s paranoia. This was the product of months of fear building up just to pour out the second his defenses were weakened.
So – even if the threats Multi was spilling would have been the last straw for Quackity in any other scenario, even if he could feel dregs of fear climbing up his throat and making it harder and harder to swallow every second, even if the way Katie’s dark eyes followed him from behind Multi’s shoulder made every feather on his body bristle – Quackity sat.
Multi slumped back into Katie in relief. Breathing heavily and shivering, he curled into her. Katie leaned back against the headboard, adjusting Multi so he could lie back on his own pillows. Then she grabbed Quackity by the wrist and dragged him over to Multi’s other side. Quackity shook her off. If he were going to submit himself to Multi’s wishes like this, he would do it on his own terms.
He crawled over Multi’s legs and started fluffing up the pillows. Katie tucked herself into Multi’s side easily, smiling and whispering something probably stupid into his ear before giggling. Multi made a tired but amused noise in his throat and closed his eyes. Quackity tried to relax, but his stomach was still too tense with nerves to settle.
Katie, on the other hand, was still rubbing her wrist along Multi’s neck and even trying to reach across him to scent Quackity as well. He swatted her hand away, even if the sight of her drooping ears was maybe a little sad. Even if Multi might benefit from the relaxation that Katie’s pheromones offered, Quackity didn’t want any part of it. He stubbornly wanted to stay wound up.
“Can I at least go get you some water or something?” He tried one last time. Multi didn’t reply.
He just crept a shaking hand blindly up to Quackity’s shoulder and then felt his way down until he reached Quackity’s wrist. Then he tucked the bird hybrid’s hand against his chest.
Quackity wiggled his fingers in Multi’s loose grip experimentally from where they were now trapped between warm hands and collarbones. His fingertips brushed skin much softer and colder than Multi’s calloused and fevered touch, and he locked eyes with Katie across their companion. Her eyes crinkled in a playful smile as she wiggled her fingers back against Quackity’s.
So close to Multi’s neck, he could smell Katie’s scent of smoked pine and fresh roses coating his skin. The pheromones shouldn’t be able to affect him without physical contact, yet Quackity felt himself growing more and more tired. His eyelids slipped shut of their own accord, and he slumped completely into the pillows. Maybe it was the warmth of Multi’s breath against his hair or the comforting squeeze of Katie’s hand against his own, but Quackity was lulled to sleep.