✍︎Rᴇǫᴜᴇsᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ  Tntduofanss☕︎

It's been 3 months since they met.
The visits of Karl and Sapnap to the abandoned villa have become more and more frequent,from monthly they became weekly and now once every 2 days they spent a whole day there.

Quackity was delighted with their company,he had spent so many years alone,and now he could finally have someone to talk to and have fun with.
There was only one think that was buggin him,unfortunately.

His feeling of alienation.

At first he hadn't given it much weight,he just felt like he was too much because Sapnap and Karl had known each other for longer,so it was normal.

It took a while to understand that that feeling,however,was not due to the fact that it could happen,sometimes,that he felt a little bit marginalized in their friendship.
This feeling went away relatively soon eventually,so that wasn't it.

It was during one of their chats that he understood the reason for this feeling.

Both Karl and Sapnap had arrived a little exhausted and shattered at the villa,looking like someone who hadn't slept for 2 days in a row and let loose.

When they arrived he was reading,resting on the sofa,a book taken from the library. It was one they had given to him on one of their initial visits,it was an informative text about how the world had proceeded in recent years,from that of his death to the recurring one. At first he was surprised at how many things had changed yet remained the same,it was refreshing to see how the world was evolving.

At least the content was different from all the others he had already read three hundred million times and that he remember by heart and mind.

"What happened to you? Looks like a car hit you"
he commented,closing his book to give them attention.

Karl threw himself on the sofa as soon as he had the opportunity and Sapnap directly decided to lie down on the floor groaning.

"You have no idea....I feel like I can die there,on this floor"
Sapnap told him with his face down.

"You are the one who drives,die after you bring me back home"
Karl commented as he rested his head on the pillow,getting a grimace from Sapnap.

Quackity shifted his gaze between the two,failing to understand what could have exhausted them so much. It was the first time he had seen them like this…

"So? A penny for your thoughts?"
He asked again.

"Nothing much,one of our friend,Eret,held a party tonight,for the 10th anniversary of his agency. Alcohol,a lot of alcohol,music,loud music and people,a lot of people,so much people."
Sapnap explained,remembering the place of the party.

They were in a club that Eret had booked just for them,it was supposed to be a little celebration between close friends,at least from what his best friend had said....
But instead it had turned into a real party with more than 70 people,some they didn't even know.
It was a miracle they'd managed to get out of the club without getting lost in the crowd.

"We are pretty much out of it,you know,the chaos,the alcohol,and the people. The people are the worst of the worst"
Karl shivered at the thought.

He wasn't a fan of clubs for that reason,there were too many people in a confined space,cramped as if they were sardines,and deafening music in the background as a side dish. Not his favorite place. For this reason at the first chance he had,he had dragged Sapnap out of there to come here,a much more silent and pleasant place.
And he clearly didn't see it like that just because of Quackity's presence or because he wanted to spend time with him instead of stay there.
Noooo....
Ok,maybe yes,but don't tell him.

"They aren't that bad. Get used to them,we have 3 more parties to attend this week,not to mention next month as the conventions and birthdays,and festival begin. Punz already asked me whether or not I want to come with him on his trip to Paris,which he has to do in 2 months.We will be dragged along at any party possible at least,knowing them..."
Sapnap said,knowing their group of friends was almost full of people who loved to travel and attend every party possible. Hard times were coming.

Karl whimpered as he repeatedly banged his head on the pillow,cursing himself for accepting so many invitations.

"Why did I–"
Quackity's ears blocked out any other sound. In front of him Karl and Sapnap kept talking,moving their lips and sometimes gesturing,but he couldn't hear anything else.

Parties. Travels. New places to see. Festivals. Conventions. Birthdays. Trips. Friends.

These were the words buzzing in his head. And that feeling was starting to come back like a bitter aftertaste.

The feeling of wanting to be alive,not a francisism or a metaphor but in the literal sense,it was starting to make itself felt more and more. The more he spent time with them,the more he wanted to have a physical body again.

Contrary to popular belief,he had never done all these things. He had started having relationships at the age of 15 and was already married at 21. He remembered how his classmates were so excited about the christmas and summer holidays,so they could go anywhere they wanted or do all sorts of different activities. While they planned their fun,he was always focused on planning the perfect wedding and finishing school as quickly as possible for it. There hadn't been much fun in his life. And those few friends he had,they had distanced themselves from him since he did nothing but reject them to spend time with his boyfriend.

Most of the time,Schlatt forbade him from talking to his friends,especially the male ones,but instead of thinking it was toxic he agreed. After all,his boyfriend came first,right? Wrong.

And if he thought that once married,he could travel wherever he pleased in company,his hopes were dashed after the first few months of marriage. Because he was trapped in his own house,with no possibility of escape,until the end of his days. Only to be killed by the same man he had loved. Poetic...and Ironic.

And now that he was watching his friends talk about everything they're going to do these last few months,he felt that he lost so many things. If only I hadn't obsessed over getting in relationships so soon...

The desire to come back to life pulsed in his soul more and more. But he knew it was all in vain,as there was nothing that could grant his desire.
He was dead,he would never come back to life. He had to put his mind at ease about this.

"Don't you think Quackity has been acting weird lately?"
Karl asked,thinking back to their friend's strange behavior over the past 2 weeks.

"How weird are we talking about?"
Sapnap asked. After all,the ghost was one of the weirdest people he had met in his life.....which made him more interesting,he liked his energy.

"A little....melancholic? Sad?"
Karl tried to formulate,finding it difficult to find the right words.

For the last 2 weeks,the ghost had a wrinkled face and seemed to sigh more than usual,looking out the window at the landscape with his eyes turned to the sky.

"Mhm?...Maybe is an important date approaching? His wedding anniversary? The day of his death most likely...or his birthday...or maybe some other event.."
Sapnap murmured,his voice lost in thought as he counted on his fingers what the right reason might be for someone like Quackity,always energetic and happy,to be sad.

"....What do you think about asking him? Maybe we can do something to cheer him up."
Karl proposed,while looking at the ground to avoid putting his foot in a hole

Like every weekend they were heading towards their ghost's villa,and the ruined dirt road didn't make their walk any easier. But sooner or later they would arrive, there was only a few meters of walking to go. They could already see the building nearby.

"It's seems a good idea. We can ask him today,we have nothing to do anyway,we can keep him company for the whole weekend."

"That sounds good for me,maybe we could do a sleepover,or something fun together. We can't let our ghost sad"

The two arrived in front of the villa and Sapnap used the bunch of keys, which Quackity had given him,to open the door and enter the building.
They were so familiar with the place,that if it weren't for the ruined and decaying air, hey would find it a decent home. Maybe a place where all 3 can live together so Quackity won't feel alone.

Karl put his tunnel-shaped hands in front of his mouth
"Q? We are there!"
He yelled,hopping that the ghost heard it.

A light wind rose and the ghost with whom they had recently spent their free time appeared before them.

"Hey guys! You came earlier than usual"
Quackity he says as he flies around the two and inspects their clothing:winter coats,gloves,scarves and hats....the cold was coming and the winter season was upon them.
He always liked winter,it was so refreshing. Damn,he was feeling nostalgic again.

"Yeah,it will raining in a couple of hours,we came first so we wouldn't get soaked on the way"
Karl said as he put down his coat and rubbed his hands together.

Contrary to popular beliefs,the interior of the villa were warm. He didn't know how,or what did Quackity do for have heat,but he was grateful for it.

"Uhm...I see...well,If you're looking for me I'll be upstairs reading,see you later"
The ghost said and then disappeared in the middle of the room,leaving the two with their mouths open.

"Did he just-"
"Yeah"

It was the first time he had behaved like this and they didn't understand what was causing all this. They were confused.

"Do you think it's always related to his latest mood?"
Sapnap asked,sitting on the couch,Karl followed him by sitting on the other end.

"Maybe? I don't really know....but I don't like it,I don't want to see him sad,I want him happy...."
Karl sadly said,bowing his head and watching his feet.

They remained like that in silence for a while, contemplating what they could do at the moment. After a while Sapnap sighs in defeat.

"Come one,we won't solve anything like this,let's go look for him so we can talk to him"
Sapnap said,getting up from the couch and holding out his hand to the brunette.

"...ok"
Karl grabbed his hand and stood up offering him a smile,walking towards the stairs.

Quackity had said he was upstairs,so there was no point in checking the floors and the rooms below,the first place they would look was the library at the first floor. It wasn't a very large room,but it was full of shelves,and bookcases full of written texts.

Quackity had confided to them that when he was alive he loved to read,it was as if he could use the imagination to get out of that cage he was locked in and see the world,everything he wanted to see but that he never had the chance to visit.

Their blood still boils thinking about all the pain Q had to go through just for loving a person that was pretending to be someone else. That fucking asshole will pay for everything he caused him,karma will get to him sooner or later. Maybe more sooner than later.

"Q? Are you there?"
Karl opened the door of the room,leaning out a little to check if the ravenette was there. Behind him,Sapnap was looking at the bellows,having noticed a strange movement.

"Up there!"
Karl looked up and saw Quackity on the chandelier,lying relaxed on his stomach,while reading a novel. On the chandelier. Like some sorta of spiderman.

"Do you guys need anything?"
Quackity asked,closing his book for a moment,not forgetting to bookmark it first,resting his gaze on them.

"Uhm..yeah,we would like to ask you something. You may or may not answer it,especially if you don't feel like it or don't want to,you don't have to feel obligated. Ok?"
Karl told him,and Quackity nodded with a puzzled look. It seemed like something serious that they had to tell him about...

"These days we've seen you a little down...and we wanted to know why. Has something bad happened or is there an important day coming up? If you say so,we can try to help you out"
Sapnap asked and if Quackity still had a body he would feel his cheeks burning with shame and embarrassment.

Fortunately he was a disembodied spirit and therefore he had no colors,so no red or pink that dyed his cheeks and could give him out.

He thought he was being discreet,but apparently not because they noticed. And now he felt so embarrassed to have to explain his recent behavior,because there was a really stupid reason behind all this.

What could he tell them? 'I'm jealous that you're alive and I'm not'? For the love of God that was ridiculous,they would laugh at him and his stupidity.
He felt enormous shame at even thinking or feeling such a thing. It was an objective fact,they were alive,he was not,that's it. He didn't need to be jealous.

But the problem was that he is jealous.

He is jealous of all the things they can do that have always been denied to him,he is jealous of all the new acquaintances they can have when he will be alone for life,he is jealous that they can continue to live when his heartbeat was stolen from him and his body became of ice. He was jealous,and as much as he would like it,he couldn't deny it because that was the truth.

"Q? Are you ok?"
Oh yeah,he needs to give an answer. Ok,he could do that,no problem.

"Uhm...yeah,I am. I'm sorry for my behavior early...it's just that....I miss being alive. You know,people think that being a ghost can do anything. This is true,but it's not as fun as everyone thinks. You can't do anything because you're bodiless,you can't know anyone because everyone is scared of you,you can't eat,drink,or sleep because you don't need it. We are just empty presences floating for eternity. We are always linked to the place where we died due to some unfinished business when we were alive,and therefore we cannot even go where we want. Ghosts are not free as everyone thinks,but only relegated for the rest of their lives to haunt a pre-established place...I miss being alive...I want to be alive again,but I know it's impossible. I just feel like that I lost so much before even trying."
He told them,avoiding their gaze feeling in awe.

"Oh Q....I'm so so sorry,we didn't know you felt this way...."
Karl tried to console him. His mind blank from their ghost talk and guilt creeping into his heart. How long ago had he started feeling this way? And they were just finding out now? They were terrible friends...

"It's ok Karl,don't worry. It's not that important anyway,I'll live with it....wait-"

"You don't need to invalidate your feelings...they metter. It isn't ok that you have to go through this,for all the eternity..."
Sapnap told him,hating how he was trying to make those feelings null.

"And you think I don't know? For the love of God,I fucking know that I will carry these feelings with me for all my eternity! You don't need to remember me that,but thank you very much for remind me all of the pain I will continue to feel."
Quackity screamed before disappearing again,this time piercing through the ceiling of the room.

The boys watched his figure disappear again,and once they were alone Karl hit Sapnap's arm.

"Ouch–what did I do?"
"You are an idiot"

A couple of days had passed since their discussion,Karl and Sapnap had decided not to visit Quackity for a couple of days so that they could clear their minds. They didn't know what their friend was doing,but they hoped he was having a good time...especially after what happened last time.

"I thought about what Quackity said,about wanting to feel alive,and what do you think to ask Dream?"
Sapnap asked playing with the hem of his white and black hoodie.

Don't get him wrong,he loves his best friend,but there are a few times when his speeches get lost in something sinister....Even though he had never hurt anyone. But some of them were really too strange even for him,and hardly credible.

"You mean when he started ranting about a book that could bring the dead back to life?...I think he drank too much that night"
Karl said as he thought back to that episode.

They were in the midst of their work,inspecting an abandoned house that according to the neighbors had some sorta of strange auras and activity at night,when Dream called them,all excited,talking about a book –Revaival Book he had called it– that could bring back the people from the death. His speech was sloppy and he stammered much more than he should,it seemed strange that he was able to create a complete sentence. They had thought he was simply drunk and that it was the effect of alcohol.

But ghosts and paranormal activity exists. What can even deny the existence of a Revaival Book? Maybe it could be their answer to all this and help Quackity once and for all. They just need to ask.

"Well,yeah...what if it's actually true? That would find a solution for all of this mess."
"Mhm....I don't really know,try talking to him,maybe he can help us if it's actually real"
And that was what Sapnap did 2 days later.

He had texted to his best friend to meet in a café not far from the centre,so they could discuss something important.
Once they had arrived and settled at a table,ordering,they started talking about the topic.

"So? What did you want to meet me for?"
Dream asked as he sipped his hot drink.

"Do you remember that time that you told me about a book that could bring dead people back to life?"
Dream wrinkled his nose at his best friend's question.

"Yeah,I think you told me I should drink less and then you hung up in my face. I thought you weren't interested in it."
Sapnap grimaced at the memory. Most likely now he will be the one to be taken for crazy between the two.

"Yeeaah....does it works?"
He asked as he sweetened his coffee.

"Why do you wonna know?"
The other asked as he narrowed his eyes looking at him sideways.

"I need it for....a person. Yeah a g-friend of my."
The raven haired boy almost cursed for almost slipping. Unfortunately though,he knew the blond had noticed. He noticed everything down to the smallest details.

"Mhm...and tell me,is this friend of yours alive? You know,it's works only on death people. So? Spill it Sapnap"
Dream emphasized the 'death people' part gesticulating and with a sharper tone of voice.

Sapnap looked left and then right,noticing that they were the only ones who had taken a table outside,in the cold almost winter wind,rather than inside,in the heat of the air conditioning. Maybe they were both really crazy for the people who were eating their meals inside and the workers......

"So?"
"Ok...This may seem a little strange to you but....do you believe in ghosts?"
Silence fell the two at that question.

"W-what?"
Dream asked in disbelief. It's true that he couldn't be shocked,given the nature of the book he had found,but...it was too surreal even for him.

"Ghosts. Do you think they are real?"
Sapnap insisted,hoping that he would believe him and not call him a drunk.

Apparently his desperation was evident in his eyes and voice since his best friend remained silent for a while,pondering an answer.

"I.....maybe? I don't really believe in ghosts or paranormal activities. My book brings the dead back to life,not ghosts...I-I never tried on them."
He explained.

"So you don't know right? You don't know whether or not it can work"
"I....yeah,I don't know....why? Do you need to revive a ghost?"

Sapnap sighed,mentally preparing to explain the whole situation to the blond sitting in front of him.
"I'll explain,but please don't think I'm crazy,everything I'm about to tell you is true. It happened a while ago,Karl and I were supposed to investigate a villa......"

Sapnap launched into a detailed explanation:he started from how they got there,how they met Quackity and his story,how they established a bond of deep friendship in this months,everything that had happened in recent times and their idea.

"....So we were thinking of using your book to help him live again.I don't want to see him suffer in this state forever,he deserves to be happy. And if this will guarantee his happiness Karl and I will take full responsibility for this action."
Sapnap finished his speech.

Dream looked at him with an unreadable look,weighing every single word he said. Did his best friend realize he was talking about this ghost boy with the heart eyes? The same way he talks about Karl? And with a really soft voice?
Swearing by his expression he didn't think in the slightest. Interesting...

"Alright...I don't guarantee you anything. I don't know if it can work and guarantee your friend a second chance,or if nothing will change and he will remain a ghost. In the worst case scenario it could even complicate your situation...But! I'll try my best to see what I can do for you. When's the next time you go to see him?"
He asked as he got up to pack his stuff since he would be leaving soon.

"Next week,Thursday afternoon"
The boy in front of the blond said,starting to prepare his stuff too,since the conversation was now almost over.

"Thursday...Thursday...Thursday...ah ha! I'm free from 5pm to 6.30pm. Take me with you so I can see the place and we can start to see how to organize ourselves. I won't deny that it will be a long process,but if all goes well your friend will live again."
Dream told him,picking up the last of his things and then starting to walk away with Sapnap behind him. Luckily they had already paid the bill.

"You sure about it?"
"Pretty much. I will call you if I find something,ok?"

"Ok. Thank you so much Dream,you don't know how much this means to us. If there is anything I can repay you with,tell me and I will definitely help you"
Sapnap thanked him,feeling as if a boulder had just been lifted from his heart and he could breathe deeply again.

"Don't worry about anything, I'll do it with pleasure. That's what best friends are for,right?"
Dream told him before saying goodbye and each going their own way.

However,as soon as he turned down another street,a smile appeared on his face.
"Oh this is gonna be so much fun...."
Who knows if his best friend will ever realize that the way he talked about the ghost wasn't friendly at all. Who knows.....

Truth to his words,Dream accompanied Karl and Sapnap on their visit to Quackity on Thursday afternoon.

The building looked exactly like his best friend had described,which was strange to him. It was as if he knew this place like the back of his head,but it was actually the first time he had put foot in there.

"Where is your ghost?"
He asked as he looked around the living room.

"It should be here somewhere. I'll go look for him,maybe he's upstairs. When he's upset he's usually in the attic. It's a good opportunity to say sorry to him..."
Sapnap said before disappearing from their sight and walking up the stairs.

"What do you think about it? Sapnap told me what you talked about. Do you think there is hope?"
Karl asked him now that they were alone,as he sat on a chair as if he was at his home.

"Mhm...I haven't found much in this period of time,but today I'm just here to inspect and know. From next time we start thinking about how to find a real solution."
Dream reasoned and the brunette haired boy nodded.

"I hope we can actually help him. I don't like seeing someone so energetic and lively this sad...."
Karl whispered softly,but the words still reached the blond who was not far from him.

So they are both down bad for him and they don't realize it? Damn.
And here he was thinking that it was just his best friend....this is getting more interesting.

After a couple of minutes they both heard noises coming from the stairs,Dream slowly turned his head in the direction they were coming from,while Karl literally jumped out of the chair excitedly,apparently he really missed his friend.

Ahead of them they entered the room Sapnap and behind him stood a translucent figure,almost transparent if not a light white color,who looked at him strangely. Drem cocked his head to the side not understanding why he was looking at him that way,but there was a strange sense of familiarity about him.

"A-are you...Clay?"
"Yeah?"
The ghost asked uncertainly. From what Sapnap had told him he was quite outgoing,even with people he just met or strangers. So why was he acting like this now? And did he even know his name? Maybe Sapnap had told him.

Apparently it was strange for both Sapnap and Karl because they were looking questioningly at their friend.
Ok...maybe he didn't told him. It was starting to get creepy.

The ghost moved away from behind Sapnap and moved a little closer to him. The blonde's eyes widened as he got a better look at his facial features.
Fuck,of course he was familiar and he knows his name.

"As in Clay my cousin's boyfriend? That Clay?"
"WHAT?!"
"EH?!"
Shit,this will be a little complicated to explain.

"So....let me explain,he he"
"We are listening"
Why had a cold area descended on the room? Before everything was nice and now he feels like his life was in danger. Both boys were looking him up from head to toe like he ended their bloodline,it didn't help that Quackity was standing next to him,fluttering around him as he smiled at him.

"Well...I didn't know you were talking about Alexis when you told me you wanted to bring a ghost back to life. You didn't tell me much about his family life,so I thought it was just a similarity. After all,there are many people who are killed by their crazy partners in this times....."
He began,glancing sideways at the ghost who was looking at him bitterly.

"Anyway,I have attended many festivities with George's family,sometimes we spent them with my family,sometimes with his,birthdays,special occasions and so on. I met Alex during the George's first birthday since we got together,he's one of his cousin."
Dream explained,remembering how anxious he had been when he found out his boyfriend had a huge family. Alex was just one of his many cousins and uncles,which seemed endless.

"Long distance cousin,I lived in Mexico most of my life before moving here during my...uhm–married life. It was currently rare that I was able to come for the various holidays since the distance...."
Quackity corrected him,clarifying,already sensing Sapnap and Karl ready to ask why they had never seen him before.

"Yeah,I've only seen you maybe 5 times. We never interacted much,but George always told me a lot about you. You are his favorite an–"
"I know right? He is also my favorite.Nothing to take away from the others,but George and then the rest of the family. It's just how the world works."
"-nd he was so devastated when the police reported you missing. Your body has never been found–Schlatt is still living his best life. He made it look like you just ran away,but your family thinks he killed you. B–"
"And they thinks right!"
"–ut now I can see the truth. And I feel like punching your ex-husband for making George cry so much when he found out you were missing"
"I'm in!"
Dream ended,being interrupted by Quackity several times during his story.

"If we had known all this before,we could have done something instead of acting only now....."
Karl said with his head down. If only they could be useful–

"Hey! Not bad throughs! Those don't get you anywhere."
Quackity said flicking his forehead.
Karl he shook his head,his thoughts errant by the words of the ghost in front of him.

"Besides,it's not your fault,you didn't know,I never told you after all and you never even asked. And it's ok. We can't always know everything,we get to know each other little by little. And even if you had known it before,I don't think it would have been any different. We would have gotten to this point anyway,it's not that bad,no?"
Quackity said as he floated around them.

Both boys looked at him indecipherably before smiling.
"You are right. Right now we can only improve things"
"There is always something positive in the negative. No bad throughs anymore!"
The depressed and heavy atmosphere of the room changed into a lighter and more pleasant one.

"I still want to kill Schlatt."
"Don't worry,I have like the perfect plan."
"Oh really? I bet it–"

"Q always had that ability to make my day,if I was sad or upset I just called him and he always made me laugh. Every time he entered a place it was as if he was the spotlight everyone gravitated towards him. He always managed to read the room and act accordingly to entertain us in the saddest moments.....I miss him so fucking much"
George had told him during one of those sleepless nights while remembering the past and crying his heart loud only for him and the stars to listen.

And now that he was watching the scene before him,he could currently tell that his boyfriend was right. The blond glanced at his bag containing his book,thinking about the ancient runes and rituals written in it. Maybe there was something that could really help his friends find peace. He hoped.

"Are you sure it can work?"

They were all gathered in the attic, the place where they had met for the first time. The room had been completely cleared of every object in it:it had been organized a circle with candles and oils,suitable for a ritual,in the center of the room,runes were painted everywhere on the floor and on the walls,in the middle of the circle there was also a silver chalice placed on a small shelf a couple of centimeters high,vials containing animal blood,dead herbs and flowers fell from the ceiling. The full moon high in the sky was almost at its highest point of the night.

"Why does it seem like a sacrificial ritual?"
"No,why it seems like a room suitable for a cult? Dream are you part of a cult? George won't like to hear that his boyfriend is screwing with demons"
"Ew!"
Karl made a disgusted face at the thought,while Sapnap inspected the attic. The room was more decorated for a satanic ritual and than anything else they had to do.

"Both of you shut up and help me with his body. It's heavy!"
"I'm not heavy you dipshit!"
Both boys turned to watch their friend drag a battered,lifeless body up the stairs. Behind him,a ghost was haunting him.

"I'm telling George that you are mean to me!"
"No you won't"
"I will"
"Please,don't. I don't want to sleep on the couch"
"That's a you problem"

The situation was quite strange.

2 months had passed since the first meeting that Quackity and Dream had,since the former had become a ghost. And in these 2 months they had managed to find a way that could work to bring Alex back to life. It had taken time to find all the elements needed,especially the body which had been the most difficult thing to do,but it had been worth it. Today they would find out the truth.

"Here we are!"
Dream exclaimed finally freeing himself from the weight of Quackity's body,now positioned in the center of the circle in front of the chalice.

"Hey! That's me! Treat me gently! Karl and Sapnap would never do something like that to my body."
The ghost pouted as he turned to the side,under the gaze of Karl and Sapnap who were currently finding him adorable,and Dream who just wanted to jump off the highest balcony in the house no matter how stupid they were.

"Well,sorry,last time I checked I wasn't a confused gay. I–ok,you know what? Let's just–I'll explain what we have to do for the ritual to work. Ok? Good."
Dream said exasperated,wanting to put an end to his misfortune.

He launched into a detailed explanation of what they were going to do. His friends listened to him carefully,wanting to be as successful as possible in the ritual and to avoid problems. But Quackity had his mind elsewhere.

All of them had mixed feelings about the rituals but they hoped it would actually work.
Quackity wasn't so sure about this,being skeptical about it,but he didn't want all the effort put in to go to waste. He really hoped it could work and that it wasn't just a fantasy they had. Returning to his normal life now seemed like an unattainable dream,he had become so accustomed to his life as a ghost that he was partly sad to abandon it–if the ritual would succeed. If instead he had remained an incorporeal being he would have made peace with it and continued to live like this,suffering of an unbridgeable void for the rest of eternity.

"All clear? Good. Let's begin."
Wait–what? Oh God,he missed the explanation. And now what the hell was he supposed to do?

Karl must have seen his confused look because he pointed to the center of the circle and told him to stand in front of the chalice,the ghost nodded in thanks and did as instructed.

"We'll start now the chant,if it works,the moment the circle lights up so much that you can't see anything anymore,take the chalice and drink it. Your soul will then be chained back to your body and you should return to it. Ok? Do you understand?"
Dream explained quickly as they positioned themselves on the sides of the circle,creating a sort of triangle.

"Ok. I got this,don't worry"
Quackity said,now ready for the big step.

All 3 boys closed their eyes,and kneeling in front of the circle they began their chant. Quackity watched them for a couple of seconds,before realizing that the circle was starting to respond with a dim white light,which slowly increased. The runes that had been drawn on the floor and on the relatives responded to the light and circle,and slowly each of them illuminated. The vials containing animal blood,hanging from the ceiling,were starting to boil and emit strange reactions. He didn't know what was happening,but the reaction was the one they wanted to have,so he assumed it was something positive.

Or so he thought until he heard the cracks of one of the vials,the next few seconds were total chaos.

The light became more and more intense,it seemed to face the sun on a clear 40 degree summer day,the glass of the ampoules broke and the blood flowed out.However,they had a flow that went upwards,instead of falling to the floor like any normal liquid,with the result that there were numerous vertical columns of blood in the room. The walls began to shake and a minor tremor was felt –like a small earthquake– which spread throughout the villa. The voices of the 3 friends became more and more intense and loud as the ghost began to feel sick and disoriented,it felt like they were pounding on his head with an heavy hammer. In the midst of all this,he could hear Sapnap yelling at him to drink the chalice,which he did because he wanted this to end as soon as possible.

Once he drank the contents of the chalice,he dropped it to the floor now devoid of any liquid. Time slows down and Quackity's life passes before his eyes again. The chanting became more and more oppressive and his soul heavier,gray chains grab him,making him let out a cry of surprise,and drag him towards his dead body,that was placed nearby. His soul was once again linked to his dead body,which absorbed it and integrated it again with the organism. Now only the vital processes were missing and he could breathe again.

And then silence. It was as if everything had stopped and as if nothing had ever happened. The symbols no longer shone,the circle was no longer bright,and the blood had fallen to the ground,getting their clothes dirty. Even the voices were no longer there and he couldn't hear anything even though he saw Karl,Sapnap and Dream still continuing. He didn't know what was happening. Had the ritual gone wrong? Had they done something wrong? Was he trapped somewhere? This was so fucking confused.

And then the room exploded with white light that engulfed his body and gripped him,obscuring his vision for a couple of minutes,before switching to a pitch black.

When Karl,Sapnap and Dream reopened their eyes once they had finished their part of the ritual,they were perplexed to see that Quackity's incorporeal form had completely disappeared.

"Dream? Is this normal?"
Karl asked him,fear starting to creep into his gut accompanied by feelings of guilt.

"Oh? Yeah,don't worry. He'll recover in a couple of minutes,it's as if he just fainted,it's ok. The effort he made to be able to return to his body was insignificant so it will take a while before he can wake up. We also have to think about the rehabilitation he needs to follow,after all he hasn't moved his body for years."
He explained as he picked up his book from the ground.

"We will think about this later,one step at a time. He needs to get used to it at his own pace,and only then we will think about helping him and facing any difficulty. Together."
Sapnap said as he looked at Quackity's body lying on the floor.

"Can we do something for him? I don't want him to lay in the floor,he can get a cold or even back pain. The ritual is complete right? We can touch him,no? Nothing will happens if we move him to a warmer room for a better comfort?"
Karl asked Dream,worried for his friend's safety.

The blond thought about it carefully,trying to remember if there was something about it,but shaking his head once he couldn't recall anything.

"There should be no restrictions or rules,the ritual is complete so the body is ok. You just have to wait for him to wake up,the rest is done."
He said as he got up from the floor and dusted off his trousers,followed by the other two,and looked around the ruined room.

"It will take a while for him to wake up and come to his senses,until then,let's clean up the mess we made here."

"There,little step,you can do it Big Q"
George said as he helped his cousin walk. The boy held on to horizontal white bars as he took small steps,straining despite the pain. Rehab really sucked.

Two months had passed since his revaival. The day after their ritual he woke up on the sofa of his ruined villa with incredible muscle pain,it seemed as if his muscles were being torn apart and cutting into the bones.
He couldn't move any muscles except his eyeballs and mouth,everything else was as still as ice.

He remembered how panicked Karl and Sapnap were,so much so that they wanted to go and find Dream wherever he was holed up to drag him there and do another ritual,since there was something wrong with the previous one. He had to use his vocal cords to the maximum to prevent him from doing so.

None of them had currently thought about the consequences of waking up after years of eternal sleep. He hadn't moved a muscle in a very long time –literally– so it was normal that his whole body was numb and that he needed help to start functioning again.

So it was that the same day he found himself admitted to the hospital admitted into the physical and mental rehabilitation system. Karl and Sapnap were fast when it came to finding efficient solutions....

During the first period of his stay,Dream had revealed everything to George –he himself had asked him to tell his cousin about what had happened– and got a slap in the face and screams about 'How can you be so stupid as to keep this from me?! You fucking idiot!',George had bolted out the door of their apartment to go crying to his cousin. And Dream had spent at least 2 weeks sleeping outside their front door. Poor boy.

From then on he had been by his side during his rehabilitation into the world of the living. Sapnap and Karl often came to visit him too,but they couldn't always due to new jobs or schedules,Dream would come to check on him every once in a while and then disappear for the rest of the week doing who knows what. He hoped not another satanic ritual or cult leader works.

None of his family except his cousin knew he was alive,or back in the country since his ex-husband told them that he runned away,because he wanted to prevent the news from spreading and reaching unsolicited ears. He would reveal it once he knew nothing would happen and he was safe,until then he needs to stay low.

Truth to be told,when Dream told him  that his shit of an ex had lied to his family,the fucking police,and was also having the time of his live while he was dead,he didn't know how to react. That was a lot to take in,in just 2 minutes,but he wasn't just upset,he was raging.

That bitch just has to wait until he feels better,and as soon as he is out of here and has everything in order,he will go to the police to report his murder–attempted murder. Given that he was now alive and would have been strange if he had told them:'Sup,my husband killed me some time ago and lied to you. But now I'm alive again and I want him in jail. You wonna help me in that?'
Yeah...that wasn't gonna work,they would have taken him for madness and would have imprisoned him.

"Here you go. We are done for today"
"Thanks for helping me"
"You don't have to thanks me you idiot,I'm just happy that you are alive and are recovering"
Yup,that was one of the many reasons that George was the favorite.

"The doctors said that given the speed at which I'm improving,maybe I'll be out in a couple of weeks. I just have to pass the last exams,If everything is in order I can say goodbye to this place. If not,they said I'll have to stay for another month."
The resurrected boy told him as he sat down in his wheelchair.

"REALLY?! Oh God,I'm so excited,I might cry"
George began to move his hands,like a fan dramatically,next to his face as he smiled.

"Yeah,yeah,I think that's enough. This chair won't move on its own."
Quackity said,hiding a smile at his cousin's reaction.

To tell the truth,he too was excited to finally be able to get out of here,after 2 months of staying. Only he couldn't celebrate yet because he knew there was a possibility of staying longer,for another month.

"How are you getting used to being among us again? It's been a while since...you know what"
His death had become a taboo,it was rare that they spoke about it openly since they were always surrounded by people in the hospital.

"I'm gonna be honest,it's a pain having to learn what happened in the last years in the world. The first few weeks I did nothing but cry because my head was exploding from too much information. And I had a couple of panic attacks as well. But you guys make it bearable. You are always with me,helping me in everything I do and giving me all kinds of support. And I'm very grateful for it"
Quackity said,thinking back to how difficult the beginning of his stay had been.

The sense of panic he had every time he spoke to someone,the triggers he had regarding his trauma –the nurses had started to stop using certain words to prevent him from have some panic attacks– the non-existent desire to eat,which had almost pushed him to be skin and bones if it hadn't been for Sapnap and Karl who had convinced him to eat,the difficulty in sleeping,he could never fall asleep because he was afraid that he would wake up inside the villa,thinking it was all a dream–Karl and Sapnap had been close to him in those moments and had held him close to them to calm him. The following day,when these episodes happened,the nurses would found all 3 of them sleeping in the small hospital bed. It was a mess.

But now he had improved a lot. He was able to eat and sleep without problems and was making up for everything he had lost. And it was all thanks to them.

"I'm happy about it,but you don't need to thanks us. All of this is just thanks to your progress and effort....and with them? How are the things going?"
George smirked noticing from behind how his cousin's ears turned red. Bingo.

"I-I don't know what are you even talking about Gogy. Them who? I know n-nothing"
Quackity quickly responded in panic,red as a tomato.

"Yeah,yeah,if you weren't having this reaction I would believe you. Spill the tea bro,I wonna know. We all know you have a crush on them...except them." maybe.
George encouraged his cousin to speak,leaving the last part unsaid.

He had noticed the way his cousin looked at his friends –as if they were the most precious thing in this world. But...he also noticed that Karl and Sapnap had a similar expression every time they talked about him–as if he were their entire universe. And he certainly hadn't missed the way they were defensive and protective of Quackity,maybe even to much...
The only problem is that Quackity had never noticed this,too busy with everything else and trying to not feel overwhelmed,which he failed most of the time.

"W-well...I think I like them. Ok? You are happy now Mr.'I want to know everything about your love life and privacy'? What are you? Cupid? I hope for all the couple of the Earth no. Rather than creating relationships,you are capable of destroying them."
He said,changing the subject.

"You're rambling. Please continue"
And his tactic hadn't worked at all because George had noticed it. Yeeey.

"Do I really have to?"
He turned his head back, to ask his cousin if he could escape from the interrogation,but his gaze of 'talk or I'll push you with the whole wheelchair down the stairs' made him turn it again without objecting and giving in.

"Ok,ok... it's not really my fault you know? At first I didn't have the slightest intention of falling for them. I saw them as friends–best friends–who I could trust. They helped me so much,fuck,I can continue with my life just because of them. And they are always so kind to me,it's true we have our moments where we argue,but once it's resolved and as if nothing had ever happened. You know that I had problems during the first days of my stay,and they were the ones who helped me the most. I think it was in those days that I realized I love them."
Quackity explained,burying his face in his hands at how embarrassed he was.

George didn't say anything,feeling that the boy still had to finish speaking,continuing to listen to him in silence.

"There was one time I had a really bad meltdown after I woke up from a turbulent nightmare. I don't know how they were already there by my side–the doctors told me they stayed all night to watch over me–and they held me trying to calm me down. But the way they hugged me,It was like I was the most delicate thing in the world,like I could break at any moment. They reassured me the whole time,it didn't matter if I told them they could go,once it was all over,they insisted on staying until the next day. The next morning I woke up among them,crushed in an embrace. Fuck Gogy–it was so so so embarrassing,I thought I was going to die again. And the nurse that was taking photos of us and saying: 'oh my god,they are so cute togheter!' didn't really helped. But it was that time that I found out my feeling for them.....so,yeah...end of the story"
He finished,noting that they had finally arrived at his hospital room.

"Mhm...I'm glad you realized how you feel about them. I know it can be difficult or scary to accept that you like 2 people,but I see that you are doing well. Remember that it is nothing abnormal or strange,it is something totally normal. And if someone says something to you,tell me that I'm ready to commit a crime"
George reassured him,opening the door to the room and entering,dragging the wheelchair before closing it.

"Then,we are going to commit it together. Anyway,thanks for your support,it's mean so much for me. You have no idea than you mean to me,you are my best friend,confidant and partner in crime. You are like the best cousin I could ever ask for"
Quackity told him,slowly getting up from the chair and walking towards him to hug him.

"Aww,thanks...anyway,Karl and Sapnap are going to be with you for the rest of the day because I have to go with Dream to his parents house."
George said and Quackity almost fell,good thing they were still hugging.

"What-you! You should have told me before! I'm a complete mess,I just got out of therapy! Oh lord,I need a shower"
Quackity began to fidget,pacing back and forth in the room while mumbling.

George laughed at the other boy's reaction,getting a pillow thrown in his face and an: 'That's not funny,help me you idiot!' Oh god,he would have fun in this.

Half an hour later,Quackity had finally freshened up and put on one of the new pairs of clothes his cousin recently bought for him as a recovery gift–a baby blue oversize hoodie without hood,flared denim trousers,white sneakers and a denim jacket.

Karl and Sapnap were arriving in a couple of minutes and he was anxious. It was the first time he wore things like that without a beanie. George had forbidden him to wear one because his hair are really soft and fluffy,and the beanie could ruin them. Quackity thought it was just bullshit,but try to make that boy understand.

"Q? We are here"
"Come in"
Karl's voice came from behind the door,announcing their entrance before it was opened.

The first thing he noticed was that Sapnap had a huge green gift box in his arms,the second thing he noticed was that both of the boys were standing on the doorstep as they watched him,without moving or entering.

Quackity tilts his head to the side looking curiously, trying to figure out why they weren't moving. Until...

"Oh my god,you are so frickin pretty! Look at you! You are so cute!"
Karl squealed throwing himself on the boy,who was sitting on the bed,to hug him.

Sapnap placed the gift package next to the bed,approaching the two boys squashed on the bed–Quackity with his back against the mattress and his face red,while Karl was on top of him and filled him with compliments and appreciation.

He chuckled a little as he shifted Karl's weight from the boy onto the bed.

"That's enough,you are going to kill him like that. He hasn't fully recovered yet"
He received a pout for the other boy but despite this he decided to cooperate,making the third boy breathe again.

Not for long though because Sapnap decided to sit next to him without any warning,and his breathing trailed off again due to the closeness.

"So? How are you feeling?"
He asked examining his body to find anything wrong,cheered once he understands that everything was fine with the other.

"Pretty g-good,thanks...the doctors they told me that if everything goes well,I will be able to go out in a couple of weeks"
He said while avoiding the other's pressing gaze.

"Is that so? Well then...I think it's time to talk about something important then"
Sapnap said,moving a little closer to his face and then pulling back completely in a serious manner,unaware of the reaction of the boy still lying on the bed.

"Y-yeah? What it is?"
Quackity asked confused,feeling his checks heat up.

"Since you have nowhere to go,and you don't want to alert your family of your return–"
"–We want you to live with us!"
Karl intervened,speaking over the other,finishing the sentence for him. The annoyed look he received was totally ignored.

Quackity felt his soul slowly slip away from his body. His face was starting to burn and he felt himself almost ascending to the sky again.
Am I becoming a ghost again? It feels like it.
He remained contemplating the void for a couple of minutes while a thousand emotions and thoughts ran through his head,too many to analyze.

"Q? You ok?"
Karl waved his hand in front of his eyes,receiving no reaction.
"Look what you did,you totally broke him. I told you he was recovering"
Sapnap told him as he tried to move him a little,getting no reaction again.

"Look,if you don't want to,it's not a probl–"
"No! I want to! I really do!"
Sapnap was interrupted for the second time,but this time he felt satisfied with the other's reaction.

It was as if those words had snapped Quackity away from whatever trance he was having,and he had responded in an embarrassingly fast and almost screaming way with his pink face.

"I told you he would say yes! And you say that:'he would never have accepted' bha,such a pessimist you are. You know nothing about Q."
Karl complained,receiving another glare from the boy.

"Anyway,we are happy that you accepted. Our house is large,so there is room for everyone,we have already started preparing your room. Obviously when you come,you can customize it with whatever you want. We will help you get your life back on its feet,don't worry,you are not alone in this."
Sapnap reassured him,stroking his hair.

"Also,this is for you. It's a gift we want to give you,for thank you for all the improvements you're making. It can't be easy to endure all this,so we want to make sure that you feel appreciated for it. We are so happy that you can continue to move forward despite everything and that you are healing. I hope that once you get out of here I can see you always happy and healthy. We will make sure of it because you deverse it all."
Karl said as he placed the huge gift on his lap.

"Open it later,when you're alone. I hope you like it,it took us a long time to make it"
Sapnap told him,but Quackity only focused on a specific part of the speech.

Make it.
They had made the gift. For him.
He thought they had bought it,but they had made it themselves,it must have take a lot of work and time....
And all this just to give him an gift because they wanted to,because they wanted him to feel appreciated.
Fuck,he was crying.

These two would be the end of him.

"I-thank you,I don't know what to say-thank you from the bottom of my heart. Really,I love it so much. But you really didn't have to,you could have avoided waste your time–"
"Na-na,don't you dare to say that"
Before Quackity could finish the sentence,Sapnap had leaned over and lifted his chin,so that their eyes were at the same level.

"But-"
"No. We love spend time for you,really,you deverse so much more than this. And we want to give it to you,so don't think or say that. You understand?"
Quackity nodded under the other's intense gaze,being aware that Karl was also watching them. His face felt like it was on fire again.

"Good boy"
Sapnap patted his head again and Quackity looked down,embarrassed.

"Anyway,now that we are here,what do you want to do?"
Karl asked him,sitting down on one of the very uncomfortable white chairs in the hospital room.

"Well,I through we could–"
Ring ring

Oh
Quackity turned his head suddenly once that Karl's began to ring,and the owner with a bitter face had answered.

"Yes? Uhm.... Alright,we are going to be there in 30 minutes....Ok,thanks. We will see you later"
Karl ended the call looking at both boys with sad eyes.

"Sap,work is being a bitch again. I want be thereeee"
The brunett complained, already sad that he couldn't be with their favorite person.

Sapnap sighed at his behavior and got up from the bed.
"We can't do anything about it,come on."
He said then started to grab their things.

"Q,we are really sorry that we can't stay longer,but–"
"We will make up to you! Don't worry,after you get out of there we are going to spend soooo much time together"
Karl continued Sapnap's sentence excited,wanting to spend as much time as possible with each other.

"Don't worry about it,it's ok,you don't need to apologize. Hope you have a good day"
He said trying to avoid making them feel his disappointed.

In the last period they had almost never managed to see each other,and those times when they were there someone always called them to go who knows where. It was as if their job was keeping them away from him.
Hell,it wasn't even the first time something like this had happened,now every time they came he was always terrified of hearing that phone ring. And when he thought the danger was over,that sound came to him when he least expected it.

"You too,see you later!"
Karl told him,after hugging him in an almost bone-breaking grip.

Sapnap smiled warmly at him, opening the door to the room, letting the other pass first. Before closing the door though,he said something that made Quackity's face heat up.

"You look lovely in that outfit,maybe George is right when he says that we are sucker for cute little things like you."
And then the door closed,leaving him alone in the room with his face on fire,and on the other side of the door Sapnap was laughing pleased with the reaction he had.

Yes,those guys would have been the end of him.

What if he had cried when he saw their gift –a sky blue beanie,a big teddy bear and a photo album in which there were some of the photos that portrayed the most important moments since they met– it's not something we should know.

Truth to their words,once he was out of the hospital Quackity had moved all his belongings and luggage to Karl and Sapnap's house. He remembered when they told him the house was big,but he didn't think it was that big.

It was a 3 floor building with an architecture similar to a nineteenth-century villa,it was surrounded by a green space with a garden full of well-kept plants,flowers and trees. To delimit the border of the house there was a 2 meter high iron fence,with a gate colored in gold.

What the hell....

He didn't think that being a ghost hunter you could earn so much....or maybe they had other jobs,or left much more profitable previous jobs and decided to dedicate theirself o the paranormal. Or maybe the house was a gift or property of some relative which had bequeathed to them.

Neither of them had ever mentioned their house before,but now that it was in front of it,he felt terribly out of place. He was used to living in a normal house,with one floor and 5 rooms,since there were few of them in the family. And when he and Schlatt got married,even though they bought a mansion,it wasn't as big as everyone thought. And now he was supposed to live here? With only 2 people? And all of this space?
Oh lord,have mercy on him.

All of his things had already been organized inside the villa–courtesy of Sapnap and Karl since they didn't want to make him strain himself too much once he left the hospital. They had even started preparations a week earlier before he left....
He just had to ring the bell and enter his new home. It was strange to refer to the new building like that,but it was just a matter of habit. Sooner or later he would warm to the thought of living here and nothing will seems to be out of place. Or he hoped it will be like that.

He rang the doorbell,noticing that it was one of those facial and vocal recognition intercoms,waiting to be opened.

When the automatic gate opened a few seconds later,he could see Karl running towards him with a dazzling smile. What he didn't expect,however,was to be literally picked up and thrown into the air,like a leaf,and then hugged. Karl was always intense in his affections....

"I'm so so excited that you are finally at home precious. I'll show you around the villa,there are so many things we can do here that I think you will like"
Karl said excitedly,taking him by the hand and starting to lead him around the outside of the villa.

Quackity decided not to dwell too much on the double meaning that the phrase had and to follow the resident.
Screw his crush on him.

The ride lasted for almost an hour despite their speed.
Karl had shown him the back garden:a greenhouse full of exotic and rare plants,a small area that had a maze made of English-style hedges,there was also a pond with some carp and fish with a little wooden bridge passing over it.
The front garden however was full of flowerbeds and trees,with plants here and there making for a picturesque area.

As for the villa,the first floor was occupied by:an entrance that had 2 flights of stairs each leaning against the wall. The living room was huge and has an L-shaped sofa,a plasma TV with a huge screen and a glass table in between,a gray carpet covered the wooden parquet,and there was a little bar area near the wall where there were liquors,wines and alcohol.
Moving forward,there was the dining room,overlooking the pond,which was equally spacious with a huge wooden table and chairs in the center of the room,from the window you could also go out onto the veranda where you could rest on one of the single sofas,or puff chairs.
Then there was the kitchen,the room most likely the largest on the floor,from which you could access the basement to get the stored food and drinks,it was all full of tools of various sizes and uses. There was also the presence of 3 bathrooms,with identical furnishings and notable size,present on the floor.

The second floor,however,was dedicated to their bedrooms: There were at least 7 rooms that were unused –"Those are for the guests,or friends that want to have a sleepover and crush at the night." had said Karl– with also the presence of a games room where there was also a projector to see movies. He couldn't see either of the boys' rooms,but he took a quick look at his own.
The walls were all white and the furnishings were all sophisticated,but of the same neutral color. His belongings had all been arranged in an orderly manner,and there was even a walk-in closet where he can put his clothes. There was also a door on the right wall of the room that led to a private bathroom. A huge window with a small shelf where you could sit,full of pillows and peluches,shaded the bed.

"We're sorry if it's not much,but we wanted you to personalize it,we wanted you to feel part of the house and not like a stranger,which is why we made it basic....."
Karl told him nervously,biting his lip wondering whether or not it was enough.

"I hope you are joking because this is the best thing in the world! I'm so glad that you had this idea,I would love to decorate it."
Quackity said,touched by the thought they had.

"Then let's go and buy everything you want afterwards. As soon as Sapnap gets home though,we'll use his credit card of course."
Karl said,clapping an high five with Quackity.

Somewhere,Sapnap's wallet felt it's life in danger,but it isn't a problem we need face now.

The third floor,however,was full of stuff that they used for their work,or for their passions:they had managed to create small soundproof gaming studios,there was also a small library–where Karl spent most of his time,a room full of ghost-hunting gear that he hadn't even understood the use of,a recording room,and so on. It was like living in a paradise. And from today he would live here.

Damn,he was lucky. He didn't know he scored some rich rich guys to live with. But there he was. And it was real. Maybe this time he could finally live the life he had always dreamed of.

His gaze fell on Karl,who was smiling kindly at him as he softly spoke to him about one of the many paintings that decorated the villa,lost in his world.

He thought about Sapnap,who always had a calming and protective presence,how even if he wasn't there he could feel like he was with him

And maybe this time he would do it alongside them. If they want him like he want them....

Sapnap narrowed his gaze at the sight before him.Lips closed to the straw of the milkshake he was drinking,hard face and one hand closed in a fist.

He and Quackity went out eating lunch togheter,while Karl was visiting one of his siblings across town.

They had spent the whole morning outside,walking among nature and enjoying the good weather,before they noticed that their stomachs were growling with hunger.

Sapnap then offered him his hand to get up from the ground –Quackity sitting on the lawn surrounded by flowers while he looked at him with an innocent look and was dressed in a sweatshirt that almost swallowed him was a blow to the heart,so fucking pretty– and took him to a nearby restaurant.

It had only been 2 weeks since he moved in,so he wasn't yet familiar with the area or its residents,but he had started to get into the habit of going out more now that he had fully recovered. It was just a baby step,but it was a step towards his normality.

They had lunch and then took their time to immerse themselves in the art of the city before stopping at an ice cream shop for dessert and sweets.

Now,the guy knows that Quackity was adorable,he always was,but today more than usual and a part of him was also happy to have his undivided attention,but he never expected the fucking owner of the shop would go his way just to hit on him.

Now,Sapnap and Karl knew the person in question,he was a friend they had in common,but due to his narcissistic character,they had kept their distance. Except for his superiority complex about the entire world and the fact that he believed he could have anyone and anything he wanted,he was a decent guy. Not the best for sure,but not even the worst.

But he didn't like the fact that he had taken an interest in Quackity.

The stupid fucker was saying shit that weren't even funny,but the other boy was laughing at it,like he was actually having fun with a complete stranger.

His self-control was becoming more and more non-existent. He felt his skin tingle from how much he was holding back from punching the guy in the face. Fuck his friendship,he couldn't stand the view.

And he had seen red when he saw the guy moving his face closer to Quackity and using petnames.

"So pretty i was thinking that maybe we could hang out sometime. You know,me and you alone. I can take you to-"
Sapnap stood up from his chair,ready to make a scene upon hearing those words,but Quackity beat him to it.

"I'm really sorry,but I'm not interested. Thank you for the offer though"
And oh,the satisfaction he felt when he saw the other's face fall was immense and so good,he almost laughed at his face. Rejection burn.

"I-what? But–hahah. now now,love,don't go around joking like that. I almost fell for it"
Someone hadn't taken his anti-delulu pills this morning.
"It wasn't a joke,I really meant it"
Quackity replied,getting up from his chair once he finished his ice cream. Even if no one had noticed it,in his tone there was a lingering of discomfort.

But Sapnap did. Another reason to punch the guy.

"Sap? Can we go now?"
Quackity asked,bringing his full attention back to him. In his eyes it was clear thet he wanted to get away from the dude as soon as possible.

The boy next to him seemed to be awakened from a trance because he looked at his friend –ex friend in a couple of minutes– as if he had never been there in first place.

"Yo Nick,what are you doing here?"
He said,acting like he just got there.

Fucker,I was here way before you.

"Well you see,I was on a lovely date with my boyfriend right here,before someone interrupted us"
He said through gritted teeth,blatantly lying. Receiving a shocked white face from the fucker and a very cute reaction from Quackity. He always turned red whenever they said something to him.

Now,Sapnap wasn't stupid. He had understood that over the past months,since they had had the idea of revaiving Quackity,he had adopted a completely different behavior towards him. It had taken him a while to understand why –and a Dream banging his head against a pole,yelling at him that he and Karl love their former ghost friend,because he was apparently too blind in love to actually see he was in love– but he had reached the right conclusion about it. And he had started to act on it. They had begun to act on it. Because he wasn't alone in this,Karl also felt something for Quackity.

Karl's realization had been more peaceful than his though,no Dream banging his head to a pole and yelling. He had only asked his older sister for advice–Niki was always ready for this. And during the chat he had channeled and analyzed his feelings for the boy,arriving to discover that the feelings he felt every time he saw him:happiness,excitement,protectiveness and much more,were there because he was down bad for the former ghost. And he too had started to have a different attitude,although still with the same vibe.

They didn't know if Quackity had noticed. How they always kept an eye on him in everything he did to help him in case of problems,how every time they were in public they held his hand and brought him as close to their bodies as possible,not wanting anything to happen to him,how every time he talked to some guy who was flirting with him their faces would darkener,how they had become more protective because they don't want to see him hurt. They wanted his happiness,to always see his beautiful smile on his cute face,his crystalline laughter,and to live happily. If possible with them.

They hoped that he want them the same way they want him.

"Come on doll,we shouldn't waste our time with scum"
He said almost spitting out the word with hate as he glared at the owner,taking Quackity's delicate hand and getting out of that ice cream shop as soon as possible.

Quackity still didn't say a word and was completely red,he almost seemed to faint...

"I-you,why,do,uhm-I...this is so difficult. Why did you even said that?! And the pet name?! Hello?!"
Quackity asked,after coming out of the shock and the confusion.

"I wasn't thinking okay? I saw that you were uncomfortable and I wantend to help you out,so I lied about being a couple. That's it."
That was definitely not it but he'll roll with that because Karl will try to kill him if he fuck up their confession before time.

And also because Sapnap was embarrassed for having called him that,but it wasn't his fault! The pet name had come out like a reflex,as if it were the right thing to say in the entire world.

"Beside,you could have also avoided encouraging him"
Sapnap muttered,kicking a can on the ground.

"Encouraging? I was just being polite! It's not my fault if that fucker through of something more. That dude needs a brain check if he thinks I'm into him"
Quackity pulled away,crossing his arms and pouting.

"Yeah yeah,whatever...came on,we still have some time left before Karl arrives,where do you want to go?"
Sapnap said,in his heart feeling relieved by the other answer,changing the topic.

"Mhm...I heard that there is a mall here. Can we go? I wonna buy a lot of things for my room"
Quackity asked excitedly.

"As you wish"
Sapnap smiled at him, taking his hand and heading towards their destination.

And if that day his wallet and his credit card were almost drained it's not our problem.
He would do everything just to see the boy's smile.

Quackity stroled happily among the main streets of the city,in his hand he had a bag containing lunch for Karl.

It had been a month since he had been living with them and he could say that he had finally gotten used to the new lifestyle without any problems.

He had met new people and even made a couple of friends –Wilbur,their neighbor,and Charlie,an employee at his favorite coffee shop were his favorites,but he has many more– and he had started to take back the reins of his life,in fact he would soon begin to reintegrate into his previous profession.

Before abandoning everything and being trapped in abusive domestic life he was a lawyer. He had graduated from his law school with honors and was believed by many to have a bright future in the field,too bad that then someone decided to trap him and tear off his wings. Maybe he could reconnect with some of his old friends who were still working on the scenes to find an opening....hoping that none of them will ask more questions than necessary,about how he hadn't contacted them in years. Yeah...he hoped so.

"The address should be....this!"
He exclaimed once he arrived at his destination.

Apparently,ghost hunters operated in groups,except for some of them who preferred to go solo or in teams of 2 or 3,having as their headquarters an 8-story building in the middle of the city's busiest streets.

Karl woke up late today and had to get ready for work quickly,forgetting to eat breakfast or bring his lunch. Sapnap had asked him if he could deliver it to him,since he couldn't because he was going to the grocery store. Quackity had happily nodded and quickly got ready,wanting to avoid being too late and to see the place where they work. He even decided to wear some make up that he had previously brought,nothing too dark,just a light smokey baby blue make up with some lipbam.

Unfortunately,however,his good mood was immediately shattered by the receptionist who worked in the building's lobby.

"Hello! My name is Emily,how can I help you?"
The girl told him,while glaring at him from head to toe,judging him.

Quackity frowned at this. Was there something wrong with his clothes? Maybe he had worn a dirty shirt? No...he had rechecked himself in the mirror several times before going out,everything was perfect. But then why was she glaring at him like that?

"Hi! My name is Quackity,I'm here to see a...friend of mine. He forgot his lunch this morning and asked me to bring it to him"
He explained,slightly nervous under the cold and sharp judgmental gaze.

"and what's his name?"
"Karl...Karl Jacobs"
"....ah yes,he's on the third floor,give me the bag and I'll take it to him"
The girl said,taking the bag away.

Something in him snapped and he decided to take the bag back,not liking her attitude.

"Miss,with all due respect,I was asked to carry it,not you. So,I would like if you don't try to take it away,thanks"

"What th-listen here you fagot,I can't tolerate a disgrace like you talking to me like this. I'll call security if you don't leave and give me the envelope."
Emily gritted her teeth as she yanked his arm into an iron grip.

"So that's the problem mhm? Just because I'm wearing a fucking make-up you think you can define my entire person? Get real,at least I'm basing on your bitchy behavior."
Quackity struggled to get out of the grip,shaking his arm,feeling a twinge of pain in his wrist.

Before the woman could do anything else there was the sound of quick footsteps and they both turned towards where they came from.

"What the hell is going on?!"
The familiar voice made Quackity breathe a sigh of relief before ranning towards Karl to hide behind him.
Next to Karl,2 security guards had gotten out with him.

"Well,as you can see,th–"
"She hurt me. I came here to deliver your lunch since you forgot about it. But as soon as I arrived here she acted in a rude way,and she even tried to steal the lunch away from me. When I took it back and told her I would bring it to you,she grabbed me and insulted me...."
He explained quickly as he watched Emily's reaction.

The receptionist had a red face contorted with anger while looking at him as if she wanted to drown him,and was ready to do so if the guards weren't there.

"But he–"
"I don't need to hear anything else. Guys,you know what to do.....people always forget that we have cameras monitoring everything."
Karl said as he muttered the last part under his breath at the scene before them.

The two security guards escorted the girl away,but she began to squirm a little and hurl more insults in their hold,fortunately her voice was slowly fading until they couldn't hear her anymore. Behind him,Quackity watched the scene smugly,happy to no longer have to deal with her.

Once he realized that they were alone,Karl turned towards the other and took his left arm gently.

"Can I?"
"....you can"

He lifted the sleeve of Quackity dark shirt to look at the damage done:
The wrist had deep purple marks on some fingers,while on the upper arm there were some small bruises that adorned the milky white skin that only recently had begun to regain its original color.

".....I'm going to kill her..."
Karl hissed as he looked at the purple stains on the arm. He was pissed,really pissed.

"No,you won't....let the guards take care of it,she's for the street either way"
Quackity tried joking to lighten the mood but seeing the other gloomy face he knew he wasn't making good progress.

"Are you ok? What's wro-"
"What's wrong? And you are asking me what's wrong? You're the one who got hurt,not me. And–fuck,I'm so so so sorry. I should have been here. If I was here now you wouldn't have these bruises"
Karl walked away and sat down on one of the chairs inside the hall,Quackity followed him as he rolled down his sleeve.

"Hey,it's not your fault..or mine,but hers. She had no right to react or talk to me that way,it's not your fault you weren't here to intervene....at first."
He sat next to him trying to give him comfort.

"But-"
"You came here before things could get ugly,who knows what else she could have done but she didn't. And you know why? Because you came and stopped everything helping me. You weren't here at the beginning,but you came when I needed it most. Thank you."
Quackity told as he hugged him.

"Mhm...promise one thing. Whatever happens,even if it seems the smallest,call me–call us. I never want to see you in danger or with wounds on you again. Your pretty skin shouldn't be ruined."
The brunett said as he took the arm again and kissed each bruises over the sleeve.

"I...you–ok...I just–uhm...it's fine...."
For the rest of the conversation Quackity was no longer able to function properly. Karl smiled when he saw the state he had sent him into:embarrassed and shy as he tried to form confusing words. So cute.

The conversation with his sister had long ago opened his eyes.
He still remembered when he hesitantly came to her and talked about his feelings,wondering if they were a good or bad thing. In short,everyone knew that he and Sapnap were together,it wasn't the most obvious thing in the world but it was known. And the fact that he now had feelings for someone else made him feel strange. He didn't know if that was considered cheating or not,not when Sapnap felt the same way.

It had taken them a while to admit it and step out of their normal comfort zone,but now that they had made peace with their feelings they were determined to act. And he had only recently begun to realize how Quackity reacted to the smallest things they did,he was always so cute and pretty. This gave him confidence that he felt the same way too.

When he saw those wounds he felt his heart stop in his throat,the shame was too much. He had failed to protect him and now he was paying the consequences,but from today on things would be different. With Quackity in his arms he promised himself that something like this would never happen again,no one would hurt him as long as he was around.

And if Karl spent the rest of the day unable to work because Quackity was a chaotic little thing and his office was in turmoil,well,that's not our interest to know.
He would do anything to give him comfort.

"You sure you want to do this?"

5 months. 5 months was how long he had waited since he moved into Sapnap and Karl's mansion. 7 since they brought him back to life if we count his stay was spent in hospital. Almost a year and a half since he met Karl and Sapnap.

"....yeah,I'm sure."

It had taken some time to reintegrate into his working environment,make a name for himself and gain clients again,but thanks to his connections he was able to pull some strings to have a faster process.

All this time,however,he had not been idle. Between getting his life back and moving on,and the fluttering heart he had every time Karl or Sapnap did something special for him,there was always a thought in the back of his head. Something he had never stopped thinking about and was finally ready to do.

Revenge.

Over the past 7 months he had gathered as much information as he could about his shitty ex's whereabouts,what he did,where he lived,and all the evidence of his crime–plus a little extra for backup.

Schlatt had never had a clean criminal record after all. Even before he became domestically abusive he had had his fair share of run-ins with the law gone wrong.

He was arrested 6 times for driving while drunk,2 whle he was going over the speed limit on a municipal road,a couple of fines here and there for speeding that he had never paid,a few warnings from neighbors....yeah,the list went on. And in recent years it had become more and more. How was this man not already in prison? The incompetent corrupt police were always a thorn in the side.

But at least if they wouldn't believe that he had tried to kill him,at least he could provide evidence of how problematic he was as a subject for society.

And now there he was,in front of the police station,in a car. Both Dream and George wanted to come,so there were 5 of them in the car: his cousin and his boyfriend in front –Dream was driving since the car was his– while he,Sapnap and Karl sat in the back. He was in the middle of the 2,while Karl was on the right and Sapnap was on the left.

They had arrived 15 minutes ago and they hadn't even gotten out of the car yet because they kept asking him question after question about how he felt.

"I'm ok guys,I promise. If I can't take it anymore I'll let you know,ok? Don't worry too much....Now let's go,I'm ready to kick some ass"
Quackity said,making them smile and get out of the car.

Before getting out he checked whether everything was in order in the files he had brought with him,and once he had confirmed that everything was there,he got out of the car.

He joined the others in front of the station entrance and took the first step inside.
"Ready or not here I come"

This police station was no different from any other he had seen,but ultimately they were all similar in some way.

"Can I help you?"
A policewoman,once she saw the small group approaching.

"Actually yes,I need to report a crime"
Quackity said,while the other nodded.

"What type of crime? Who is the suspect? Do you have any proofs or reliable testimonies?"
She said,already taking the papers to fill.

"It's an attempted murder. My ex-husband tried to kill me and I got all the proofs in there"
Quackity handed her the various sheets containing all the information he had managed to obtain over the months.

The next few minutes were a blur in his mind,mostly spent talking about his old life before he died,the limitations he had had from Schlatt,all the things he did or said to him,the mental and physical abuse,how he lied to the authority and his family,his job,his criminal report and of that fateful day.

Quackity eventually found himself emotionally and mentally exhausted after telling his life story again. Only now actually accepting that he had a pretty shitty life and that the red flags were always here,he just didn't saw them. But if it meant he could finally throw someone he hated in prison,then it was worth it.

"Alright,we got all of the information that we needed,thanks for your collaboration.We'll call if something happens....and you should rest,you don't look good....thanks again and have a great day guys"
The policewoman said,leaving the room after saying goodbye to them.

"Thank God it's over"
Quackity sighed and put his head on the table to rest,a headache had been starting to develop for a couple of minutes.

"You did so good Q,it's done now,you don't need to worry about him anymore."
Karl told him as he sat next to him and patted his head.

"I'm so proud of you,seriously,not everyone has the courage to do what you just did,you're amazing."
Sapnap told him as he sat on his other side.

Quackity found himself crushed between the 2 boys,but he didn't really mind that much...his ears were already red with embarrassment.

"How about going to celebrate? It's on me of course."
Dream proposed while holding George who had burst into tears halfway through the story.

"I-I'm in. Just...need some time....time to calm...down"
He said between sobs as he rubbed his red eyes.

"Awww Gogy,come here. You don't have to cry,it's true everything that happened is horrible but now I'm here,with you,and this time no crazy husband can take me away."
The two cousins ​​hugged each other while the other 3 stepped aside to give them some space.

A couple of minutes later all 5 were outside the police station and headed to an ice cream shop. This time George decided he wanted to sit next to Quackity and so Sapnap had to move forward,with Dream,in the passenger seat,Karl was sitting in the same place as before.

All 5 conversed calmly during the journey,shifting from an heavy to a light mood. It didn't take long before they arrived at the ice cream shop,Dream,Karl and Sapnap had gone to order for everyone while Quackity and George went to get the table. They decided to sit at a table next to a window.

"Sooooo....how's it going with your crushes?"
George asked in a low voice,so that none of the boys nearby could hear them.

"....I don't know. We are getting close,that's for sure,but I think they only saw me as a friend...."
Quackity said sadly.

Next to him George looked at him as if he had said the biggest bullshit of the century.

"What? It's true. Don't look at me with that face"
The boy said once he noticed the other's facial change.

"....are you stupid? Do you have a brain damage? I know you were oblivious,but damn,I didn't think you are that much."
His cousin said while looking at him without changing his expression.

"What are you even talking about?"
Quackity asked him with a huff,crossing his arms. He wasn't stupid,so why was his cousin acting like he was a fool?

"Because they literally lo–"
"We are here!"
Karl's cheerful voice stopped him from continuing and they both decided to drop the conversation now that the others were there.

"Here you go. We took our favorite flavors."
Karl handed him his order as he slid into a seat next to him.

"Thanks"
He picked up his ice cream cone–he'd only told them once what his favorite flavor of ice cream was,but his heart warmed just at the thought of them remembering it.

They remained inside the ice cream shop for some time,eating and joking,until it was late afternoon.

Quackity hadn't felt so peaceful in a while,now that he had finally completed everything he had left unfinished,he could finally feel himself breathing. He could start the new chapter of his life without fear and also reunite with his family.
Who knew their faces once they saw him healthy and well and what Schlatt had done...oh the hell that would break loose would be flawless.
He couldn't wait to be part of it.
And maybe.....

Quackity glanced slightly at Karl and Sapnap who were talking to each other.
And maybe he could have gotten something more....

"Guys, if it's not a problem we should start going....Karl and I have a surprise for Quackity"
Sapnap suddenly announced.

Quackity turned his head towards them in surprise,not expecting something like that at all. He observed both Karl and Sapnap smiling at him,and when he turned his head he could observe that both Dream and George had a similar expression. Did they already know? His cousin's 'I told you so' face made him roll his eyes.

"For us it's not a problem,go before it gets too late,the sun is already starting to set."
Dream said,nodding towards the window: the sun had taken on an intense red color and the sky had started to get darker.

"Eh? Oh–shit,I didn't think it was already so late"
Karl muttered,starting to grab their things to leave.

"Mhm,better leave now,the place is still far away and you have also to go home. I hope you arrive on time"
George said chuckling.

"Don't worry Gogy,we got this"
Sapnap told him as he pulled on his jacket.

"Bye"
"Byee"
They quickly said goodbye and started running towards their house – 20 minutes away,fortunately the ice cream shop was nearby– dragging a very confused Quackity who didn't know what was happening.

"Uhm-guys? Where are we going?"
Quackity asked after shaking off the confusion.

"First,we need to go home and change our clothes. I'll tell you later the rest."
Sapnap replied.

"I hope you'll like it,George and Dream helped us find the place."
Karl smiled at him.

So both George and Dream knew about all this,and they had also been accomplices....

"When I'll catch you George...."
Quackity muttered under his breath.

Half an hour later they returned home and finished to take a shower and changing. Sapnap had recommended him to wear something comfortable and pretty,since the place they are going to is nothing too fancy.

He had therefore decided to opt for a white turtleneck t-shirt with a v-neck blue sweatshirt over it,black jeans with a belt and a white chain hanging down and white sneakers. Since he was in a good mood,he had also decided to wear a very light lavender makeup with matching gloss. Last but not least the sky blue beanie they gave him.

He skipped down the stairs excitedly and noticed that Karl and Sapnap were already downstairs waiting for him.

"I hope I didn't take too long"
"Nope,it's–wow"

When they turned around they stood with their mouths open looking at him in awe.

"Mhm? Something wrong?"
Quackity asked seeing their state,it was like they had seen a ghost.
Oh wait-nevermind.

"Eh? No no,nothing wrong–Sap! Isn't it time to go?"
"Eh–Oh yeah! Yeah it is,let's go! Up up we go"
They both said in panic as their minds drifted to other types of unspeakable thoughts,as they headed to the garage to get into the car.

"Mhm? Ok...."
Quackity said,watching the strange reaction of the two.

He felt a little sad seeing they hadn't even commented on the outfit,not even a 'it looks good on you' or 'you look pretty'. But oh well,maybe one day....

"Q you're coming?"
"Coming!"

He didn't know how long they traveled,by now the sky had become completely dark and the sun had given way to the moon along with the stars. The landscape had also changed,from the buildings of the city to pieces of green aesthetic land with trees and plants on both sides of the car.

Where are we going....

"Are we almost there?"
He had asked for the twentieth time while looking at the landscape outside.

"We are almost there,don't worry we won't take long."
"If you say so"
Quackity replied placidly as he continued to look at the view boredly.

Suddenly the landscape changed again. Now they were no longer surrounded by just plants,but there was a huge expanse of ocean next to them. The moon shone its light on the crystalline dark waters that shone with a thousand white and golden lights. Even if from afar you could still hear the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks and the relaxing sound of the sea.

"Waaa!"
Quackity said in awe at the panorama. It was sure a beautiful spectacle for the eyes.

"And you haven't seen it all yet"
Karl told him,making him more curious than before.

What was more spectacular than this beautiful place?

He had to change his mind when shortly afterwards they stopped in front of a hill and after walking for a quarter of an hour they reached the top. It was wonderful.

On the hill where they were there were small flying lights that moved in all directions,slightly illuminating the flowers on which they rested.
Fireflies...
The white light of the moon illuminated the night showing a blanket spread on the ground with a large...picnic basket on top?
Around there were various types of nocturnal flowers that were blooming with the coming of the night.
Below them,the sea illuminated at night was the master of the moment.
The view was practically heavenly.

"This is–this is.....so beautiful...I don't even have the words to express it. And you did all this for me? Because you want to surprise me? I–I....I love it. This is breath-taking....thank you"
Quackity turned to the two boys once he had taken a quick look at everything with his mouth open.

What he didn't expect,however,was to find them kneeling behind him,looking at him as if he were the most precious thing in the world.

What the–oh god,don't tell me–

"There is actually a special reason why we took you here."
Sapnap began.

"You see, we have known each other for almost a year and half and although for many it isn't much,for us it was fundamental."
The boy continued.

"We have learned to know you in all your facets,in your strengths and weaknesses,in the bad moments and in the good moments. And we're really honored by that."
Now it was Karl's turn to speak.

"And we wanted to tell you that this year has made us realize that even if we had never considered seeing someone else in that light before...now we do. We do because of you,we do because it's you"
Sapnap spoke again.

"These 5 months of living together have also made us understand that we would no longer be able to carry on with our lives without you in it. We want you in our lives and not just as a friend...."
Karl spoke again.

If the situation weren't so sentimental he would feel dizzy every time he turned his head to the person speaking. It was like watching a ping pong match. But now there was no time to lighten up because internally he was freaking out.

He had dreamed of this moment for a long time,yet he had never thought it would actually happen. All those sleepless nights...all those hopeful dreams...now it was coming true.
His stomach felt queasy from the many emotions he was feeling.

"What are we trying to tell you and what we like you–no,screw that–we love you. We had for a while actually. How could we not fall for you...Your joyful and fun personality,your bright smile,the way you exercise your passions and the commitment you put into it...."
Sapnap continued,finally getting to the point.

Quackity couldn't believe what he was hearing–he was blushing harder and harder with every compliment he was receiving. His brain was completely fucked out,if he would die here again,he wouldn't mind. Especially after this.

"Your kindness,the way you care about others,your beauty too –you are one of the most heavenly people I have ever seen– your desire to do things and not let people get in your way,your determination and fragility... these are all elements that have led us to want you with us more and more."
Karl continued the list of his compliments,worsening the situation of Quackity who was now barely standing with his legs–turned to jelly from emotions.

"So baby,what we want to tell you is that...do you want to become part of our relationship?"
Sapnap asked him,watching him intently for his reaction.

Quackity almost fainted on the spot wanting to collapsed to the ground,but by some miracle he didn't. Strange. The full moon illuminated his face,highlighting his blush and his sparkling eyes full of emotion. He was silent for a couple of seconds trying to process it all before answering them.

"Fuck–yes! Yes! I want to be with you! I thought you'd never ask me!"
He said before throwing himself at them,all 3 falling to the ground, fortunately on the blanket.

"I love you too. I have loved you since I was hospitalized after being brought back to life. I thought you would never return my feelings...."
Quackity said,finally confessing to them.

"Oh darling,we could never not love you. We have fallen since the first time we met you"
Sapnap reassured him,while Karl wiped away the few tears that he had with his thumb.

"Mhm...now it doesn't matter,we are finally togheter and that's enough for me"
Quackity said as he tenderly rubbed his cheek against the other 2's.

"Awww,you are so precious...."
Karl said in awe while stroking his back.

"I'm no–"
The ringing of his phone stopped him from protesting the other statement. He pulled his phone out of his jeans and noticed there was a notification from an unknown number.

Karl and Sapnap looked at him questioningly as they saw the emotions change on his face,from first confused to shocked.

"Baby what's wrong? How is at the phone?"
Karl asked as he sat composedly on the blanket.

Next to him Sapnap did the same,but positioned Quackity on his lap.

"It's the policewoman from today....she sent me a message."
He said as he reread the lines in shock.

"What did she told you?"
Sapnap asked as he tried to wrap his head around the contents of the message.

"....They arrested Schlatt. Usually there would be a case in court,but since there was all possible evidence of his guilt this practice was not done or even proposed to him....He will have to serve a life sentence behind bars in jail."
He summarized the message.

He gave the policewoman a quick reply, thanking her for their cooperation and helping them,and hung up the phone.

"It's done....he's gone forever...It's finally all over for real...."
Quackity said softly. Slowly his body began to tremble and hot tears ran down his face.

"Guys we finally did it...he's finally gone and he will never destroy me or my life again."
Quackity sobbed,his body began to relax and he slumped against Sapnap's chest.

"No baby,you did it. You worked hard all this time just to be able to throw him in prison. We are so proud of you"
Karl told him as he moved in front of him and took his face in his hands,filling it with kisses.

"Don't cry love,this pretty face is not meant to be sad. Be happy,you finally achieved your goal. We so happy for you"
Sapnap said as he took off the beanie they gifted him and started stroking his hair.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes,until Quackity calmed down from his venting crying and they stood in silence watching the spectacle before them. It was all so peaceful and calm....he was at peace.

Until he remembered a small detail that made him blush. Which was not ignored by his new boyfriends,Heck even just being able to call them that sent his heart pounding crazy.

"Why are you blushing?"
Karl asked him confused.

"It's just that–uhm...we didn't...nevermind,it's nothing"
Quackity said sheepishly with his gaze on the ground not wanting to look at either of them.

"Ah-ha princess,that's not the way to talk to one of your boyfriend isn't it? Be a good boy and tell us what's on your mind"
Quackity shivered to Sapnap's deep tone and warm breath on his neck.

"It's just that–uhm....we never...kissed.."
Quackity admitted as he covered his face with his hands in embarrassment.

"Awww our baby want a kiss. So cute! It's ok,there is nothing wrong in asking don't be embarrassed."
Karl reassured him as he slowly lifted his face and gently removed his hands.

"May I?"
"Please...."
Their lips moved until they collided togheter with each other.
None of his dreams could ever prepared him for this.

Their lips met as if they were crazy about a pazzle,fitting together perfectly. There was no aggression or rushing,just pure love and affection. The soft strawberry lips reminded him of the freshness of spring and cherry blossoms. It was the sweetest taste he had ever tasted,it made him feel calm and safe and bubbly inside.

They separated shortly after to take oxygen and could see how Karl's eyes looked at him in such an intense way that he felt himself on fire. It was as if they were telling him 'I love you' with all the emotions he had in his body. He blushed furiously even more.

"My turn now"
Quackity let out a yelp as he was turned around and came face to face with Sapnap.

"Hi princess"
His intense gaze and deep tone certainly didn't help the situation and he felt the butterflies in his stomach go crazy more.

"Hi"
Quackity shyly said now resigning himself to his fate.

Their lips met and–oh god.
Kissing Sapnap was totally different from kissing Karl.

Their lips joined in an intense dance,Sapnap placed his hands on his hips making him part his lips,the other's tongue entered his mouth and he began to devour it quickly. Quackity was ashamed to admit the noise that came out of him from the actions. If Karl made him feel safe and was his spring,Sapnap was the summer that burned everything with his passion.

They broke apart shortly after to catch their breath and Sapnap smiled sweetly at him. His eyes full of love and admiration.
The duality of this man...

Quackity smiled back and turned to Karl to offer him his hand in an invitation to cuddle together. The other took it and all 3 of them were lying on the blanket again as I looked up at the sky.

The rest of the night was spent looking at the starry sky while they ate the various sweets they had brought in the picnic basket.

It was the best day of his life.