Quackity couldn't remember a time when he'd been so happy in his work. He'd been motivated before, of course, motivated to show everyone exactly what he could do, how valuable he was. Maybe for a while with Schlatt, before Schlatt became an abusive a-hole, but that motherf-er never saw his f-ing value, never considered Quackity as an equal or even better than he ever was.
But Wilbur! Wilbur was a f-ing master manipulator! And it was f-ing glorious! He seemed to instinctively know how to get the most out of Quackity and showed no trace of any f-ing doubt that Quackity could do it. Not that Quackity minded when he felt the strings being pulled, it was a marvel to let Wilbur work his magic on him. An hour working with Wilbur and Quackity felt like he could conquer the whole f-ing world. It helped that Wilbur clearly believed he actually could, even occasionally seeming a bit afraid of Quackity's ambition, afraid and turned on by it.
And damn did Wilbur look good in that suit.
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"My partners and I would like to make you an offer on your land," Quackity said as Sam and Charlie stood slightly behind him, making it clear who the boss was. "I think you'll find it more than fair." He slid a check across the desk.
Sam's head snapped at Quackity's words. Even out of the side of his eye he could see the deep furrows in Sam's brow.
The man on the other side of the desk stared only at Quackity, the positive side of being both famous and infamous, no one gave anyone else in the room a second glance. He was either the former Vice-President of L'Manberg, the one who stood up against the egg, or the f-ing maniac who was perfectly happy to use dynamite to achieve his ends. It really didn't matter how this man saw him, as long as he gave up his land for Phase II.
The man scrabbled for the check, he didn't even read the amount on it; though he probably would have been pleased if he did, Quackity wanted this on the up and up. "Thank you, sir." He looked absolutely f-ing terrified. He rushed from the room. Quackity folded his arms and smiled, nodding at the empty doorway.
"Quackity, can we talk for a moment? Alone." Sam said, looking pointedly at Charlie.
"Of course," Quackity said. "Charlie, go get the next person."
Charlie nodded, smiling his off-putting not-quite-human smile. At least it felt off-putting to Quackity, others seemed to find it pleasant. "Right away, Quackity from Las Nevadas."
Quackity rounded on Sam who jumped slightly at the swiftness of his movement. "What is it, Sam?"
"I was wondering, you've been saying partners a lot. I thought I was your only partner. I know it's not Charlie."
"It's really not your concern," Quackity bared his teeth in an insincere smile.
"Then why aren't they here? Why haven't I met them?"
"That's none of your f-ing business, Sam."
Sam started, he probably wasn't expecting Quackity to be so f-ing direct. But with some people that was the only way to get them to shut the f-ck up and stop asking questions, and the last f-ing person he wanted asking questions was Sam. That part of Sam that was The Warden who fancied himself some sort of law authority might kick in and that would be annoying. Sh-t, the first f-ing rule of having a business empire was getting the cops on your side.
Still, he had to make it look good. Quackity put an arm around Sam's shoulders. "Look Sam, the reason I'm not telling you is I want Phase II to go smoothly with everyone knowing they're making the deals with us, that they're investing in us. Our silent partner, well, let's say they've got a bit of a reputation and influence and I'd hate for that to... let's say confuse people on who they're dealing with. But rest assured, they're essential to Phase II."
"What the hell is Phase II, anyway? What are we buying up all this land for?"
"We're going to double the size of Las Nevadas. Come on, Sam, I thought that was f-ing obvious."
"Double it?! But we just finished construction!"
"Show a little faith in Las Nevadas. Our partner has it, they've invested heavily into it. If you build it they will come, you know that saying, right, Sam? We're going to make Las Nevadas the biggest f-ing country that's ever been seen! We'll be rich beyond our wildest f-ing dreams!"
Like all corrupt prison guards, the promise of money made Sam's ears perk up and shut his mouth. Quackity smiled in satisfaction.
"Alright, if you say so." Sam said. "But if I find out the investment is a giant pyramid-"
"Don't worry, it's better than that." Quackity said. So Sam suspected Eret. It was a good guess, wrong, but reasonable. Eret had wealth and power and a reputation that would be... distracting if investments weren't finalized before he was revealed.
There was a knock on the door.
"Send the next one in, Charlie," Quackity called.
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"Sam's asking questions," Quackity said as he walked into the suite.
"Do you want to tell him?" Wilbur asked from his place on the bed, he closed the book he was reading and put it on the bedside table, placing his reading glasses on top of it. He raised his arms to receive Quackity who sunk right into them. "Mi amor."
Quackity always seemed to melt whenever he said those words. He'd asked Quackity why he never used those words for him, and he'd said he'd used them for someone else and it had forever poisoned them. But he didn't seem to mind hearing them. So it was probably the ghost of Schlatt rearing its ugly horned head in his mind again.
"F-ck no! It's bad enough we had to tell Charlie. I don't want to have to share you yet." Big Q kissed him passionately, the same way he always did after a particularly tedious day.
Charlie couldn't be avoided, they'd needed a third person to handle the accounting and banking - that and he'd walked in on them so it was either bring him in on the secret or kill him. Charlie wasn't many things, but he was singularly devoted to Quackity from Las Nevadas, as he called him - he wouldn't talk, Quackity assured him.
"Another long day?" Wilbur said, kissing up his neck as he rubbed his shoulders.
"Mmm... thank you." Quackity leaned into him.
His lips traveled up to Quackity's earlobe. "Hey, Big Q," he whispered. He felt Quackity's entire body stiffen in his arms and then shudder. There were no three words that had a greater effect on him than those.
"You did that on purpose!"
Wilbur grinned. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I will seriously make you pay for that!" Quackity cried, tackling him as he laughed. It was the happiest he could ever remember being.
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It was quite a change going from having almost nothing in a sh-tty hamburger truck to spending every night in a penthouse suite in Las Nevadas with unlimited credit to buy whatever he wanted. He was consulted on every decision, they spent hours drawing up plans and blueprints. After over a decade of work, he was finally in the room where it happens.
Well, where more than one "it" happened. But it wasn't as though sex had gotten him here, he sometimes had to remind himself, their attraction had merely been a product of their immense regard for each other. It was simple combustion; all the components had already been there, waiting for the catalyst. And since then it had been a chain reaction.
It all felt so easy. As a business partner, Quackity complimented him in ways Tommy never had; his ambition and drive seemed limitless. Their empire grew around them like grass sprouting up from the ground. But, every so often, when he was alone, there was that nagging sensation of unfinished business. While he was living it up in Las Nevadas happier than he'd ever thought he could be, the man who'd revived him, who'd given him this precious second chance, was languishing in a jail cell. He pushed the thought aside, he tried to focus on business, on Big Q, but it always wormed its way back into his thoughts.
Wilbur blinked awake on the couch, the old book he'd been reading covered his face. He breathed deeply the smell. He should be at the burger stand, he was going to go after he'd finished the chapter but he must've fallen asleep. Ranboo could handle it. It might be time to talk to the half-Enderman about selling him the stand; afterall, there wasn't much point in Wilbur keeping it. He heard the sound of rustling on Quackity's desk.
"Big Q?" he asked, pulling the book from his face.
"No, sorry, just me," Charlie said, nervously. "Just looking for something."
The sentient slime who wanted to be a real boy. Best to get rid of him as quickly as possible. Wilbur stood and walked over, peering over Charlie's shoulder. "What do you need?"
"I just need to find a copy of Quackity's bank account statement," Charlie said as he quickly rifled through the papers.
"Oh, we keep those in here." Wilbur deftly opened the bottom drawer.
Charlie took a quick look. "No, not the joint account. I mean his other account."
"His other account?" Wilbur repeated. Big Q had never told him of a second bank account.
Charlie looked suddenly greener than usual. "You knew about it, right?"
Wilbur pasted on a charming smile. "Of course I did."
Charlie breathed a sigh of relief, as much as a slime could breath that was. "Good. I'd hate to upset the boss."
Wilbur placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder and steered him away from the desk towards the door. "You don't need to worry about that. But, I don't think he keeps those records here."
"Ok, I'll just stop by the bank. I just figured I might find it faster here. Thanks, Wilbur Soot from Las Nevadas."
Wilbur shut the door behind the slime and wiped off his hand. Wilbur Soot from Las Nevadas, was it now? Five minutes ago that would have made him so glad to hear, like he'd finally found a home, but now it left him cold. So Quackity had been hiding a secret bank account from him? Of course, it was sensible he might keep his own account, that was... that was not the problem. The problem was he'd led Wilbur to believe their joint account was his only source of funds. It had made him feel like Quackity was all in on this, but now he saw his lover was holding a few chips back. But were they white or black? Was he merely prepared for a rainy day or was he prepared to cut Wilbur loose?
He needed to know more about just what Big Q was keeping from him.
Considering things that were black and white, wasn't Ranboo married to Tubbo? For tax reasons, as he recalled, but, perhaps he might be able to use that connection to his advantage. He put on his coat and boots and slipped out the service elevator.
The evening felt like it was moving both too fast and too slow as he waited to find a moment to speak to his only employee. Of course they would be busy the one time he needed it to be slow! He took a deep breath to calm himself as he fried up three more Wilburgers while Ranboo chatted with the customers. As strange as Ranboo's mannerisms were, he did seem to have a way with people, a lack of pretension that could be disarming.
At this moment, it was far better it was Ranboo in front of them and not Wilbur as his mind swam with hundreds of scenarios and possibilities. He wasn't ready to admit he'd been played for a fool yet, Big Q had put a lot on the line for him - but was it really as much as he thought? Was he just as expendable as Tubbo or Foolish?
"Ope, Wilbur! The burgers!" Ranboo cried.
"Oh sorry! Sorry!" he quickly flipped the burgers which now had thick black lines. A little cheese would cover that up. He finished them and handed them to Ranboo. "Three flame-grilled Wilburgers."
As Ranboo took them he whispered to Wilbur, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure," Wilbur said, glad for the excuse. "Just finish with them and we can have a little chat."
A few minutes later, they sat in the storage room/occasional bedroom on two old wooden chairs. Wilbur couldn't help glancing at the sagging mattress that leaned against one of the walls. He could still remember clearly every moment of that night. He could still smell the scent of shaving cream on Quackity's cheek when he kissed him.
He didn't have to go down this path, he could go back to Las Nevadas, pretend he'd never learned of the secret bank account and let the chips fall where they may. Or he could simply ask Quackity about it. But Quackity would never tell him the full truth. If there was one thing he could trust about Quackity, it was that.
He needed to know!
Ranboo gave a nervous smile. "I just wanted to make sure it was ok if I left early tonight," he said.
"Of course, of course," Wilbur smiled indulgently. A favor for a favor.
"Are you sure? Because you've been kinda off all day."
"No, it's not a problem." Wilbur steepled his fingers. "Actually, I was wondering if you might be able to do something for me."
The corners of Ranboo's mouth tugged nervously. "Maybe. What do you need?"
"Not much. I've heard Quackity's been buying up the land around our little Paradise. As I recall, you're married to one of his managers, Tubbo, I believe."
Ranboo nodded. His eyes darted to the door. So Tubbo was close by. Maybe the relationship wasn't as platonic as they claimed. Good. That would make things go faster.
"I've heard he's acquired a new business partner as well. Don't worry, I'm only curious what plans they have for Paradise Burgers and, you know, if he knows anything about this new partner. That's all. Of course, if you aren't comfortable asking..."
Ranboo appeared visibly relieved at the request. "No, I'll ask when I see him."
"Thank you, my good Enderman. I do really appreciate this," Wilbur said with a smile.
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"Ranboo!" Tubbo cried, running up and giving Ranboo a hug.
Ranboo smiled his slightly unsure smile. "Hey, Tubbo," he said, patting Tubbo's fluff of brown hair.
Tubbo's long goat ears twitched. "What's wrong, Ranboo?" he asked.
Ranboo sat against the tree trunk, Tubbo cuddled up beside him, and he wrapped his long black arm around him. He wasn't sure how to even broach the topic. At first, he'd just been relieved that Wilbur wasn't asking him to burn anything down or steal anything, but something didn't feel right. How had Wilbur heard about the land sales and the new partner when he hadn't?
"How's Michael?" Ranboo asked, delaying the inevitable.
"Michael? He's good. He's been drawing more lately." Tubbo pulled out a folded piece of paper and straightened it out for him. On it was a pair of tall, thin, black and white lines that looked like they had an arm and a leg each with boxy black clothes over them and a yellow crown on top. Large, shaky letters spelled out Faboo.
"Awww!" Ranboo cried, taking the picture. "I love him so much!"
Tubbo chuckled. "I thought you'd say that."
"He even gave me a little crown! We should make him a golden carrot cake. This weekend?" He turned to Tubbo, his two sharp canines flashed in his giant smile.
"I wish! Big Q's got me working the whole weekend, he wants my input on something he's calling Phase II."
"Phase II?" Ranboo asked.
"Yeah. He's planning to expand Las Nevadas. I heard from Sam he wants to double its size. He got some big new secret partner or investor or something."
Ranboo was stunned, that had been easier than he'd imagined. "Secret partner?"
"Yeah." Tubbo stretched out, laying his head on Ranboo's stomach. "Some big shot, apparently. Sam thinks it might be Eret. That'd be something, Big Q and Eret working together again."
"I don't really know Eret..."
"Oh, yeah, they don't come around much but they used to be engaged to Quackity. They were supposed to get married on the night of the election, but, you know... things didn't work out. I mean, they're ok enough for a traitor."
"Oh! From the song!"
"Yeah! That's Eret." Tubbo frowned. "Not the best legacy, I guess. But they must've patched things up cause Quackity gave the partner a 23% share in Las Nevadas."
"A what?"
"It's a business thing. People involved in a business have shares. Like we have a 5% share in Las Nevadas."
"We do?"
"Yeah, I got it for the outpost, you know, with the job and all. I mean Quackity scares me, but I'm not stupid. I'm not going to just take a job with no say in how things are run. That's why I have to be there this weekend, because we're having a board meeting. Sam's got 24%, and Big Q's got 48%. You know, majority percent makes the decisions but we all get to weigh in."
Ranboo did the math in his head. "But if both partners wanted something, they'd still be 1% less than Quackity..."
"That's Big Q for you, he makes it look like it's fair, even when its not. But all that means is in that situation we'd have the deciding vote."
"We?"
Tubbo's cheeks reddened and he pressed the end tips of his two forefingers together. "Yeah, I put it in both our names. You know, things can be dangerous out here. I want to make sure you and Michael are provided for in case... in case anything happens to me."
Ranboo scrunched down, kissing the tip of Tubbo's nose. "Nothing's going to happen to you." His glare fell on the tower of Las Nevadas. "I won't let it."
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Wilbur lay on the bed in Quackity's room thinking on everything Ranboo told him that day when he'd come to work. He'd contemplated not even coming to Las Nevadas at all, letting Quackity go after him. But he knew where that would end. He had almost no resistance to Quackity as it was, and the horrible aching in his chest would take it down to nothing. The simple act of coming to find him might cause him to forgive everything. He had to keep what little power he had, not use it up in silly games.
And he still had an important question for Big Q.
Quackity wasn't all in. He wasn't even partially in. This wasn't a bet, it was an ante; he'd put just enough in so he could play. And he'd set it up so well, he could turn the tables on Wilbur at any time and force him out. A part of Wilbur tried to reason with himself: he owned an unsuccessful burger truck, no one trusted him, but Big Q had given him so much. He'd given him a partnership, money, a say in the business - he'd invested so much in him! Wasn't he being ungrateful? And yet, he couldn't see it that way no matter how hard he tried. It was just a set up to have the rug pulled out from under him, to control him. He'd just be a figurehead, a puppet, while Quackity pulled the strings!
He heard the main door open, the sound of Quackity's footsteps through the living room. He heard the clinking of glass, the sound of a shot glass on the counter. A rough day.
He turned over to his stomach, his head away from the door, looking out the huge window at the city. He didn't want to see his lover's face. Not after a long day with the kiss of expensive alcohol on his lips. His resolve would be gone in a second and he needed that resolve. The bedroom door opened. Quackity walked in.
"What a long f-ing day!" he said. He was probably undoing his suspenders and unbuttoning his shirt. Wilbur could see it in his mind. "At least I get to come home to you."
Wilbur didn't make a sound.
"Are you asleep?" he whispered, sliding into bed beside him.
He refused to look away from the window.
"Wilbur?"
That sweet tremor of uncertainty that always undid him. He closed his eyes.
"Wilbur? What's wrong, baby?" Quackity's hands ran over his back.
F-ck. It was too much! He turned over and took Quackity's hands. "Quackity, I want to visit Dream."
Quackity drew back. "Why do you want to visit Dream? Aren't you happy with the way things are?"
Wilbur swallowed back his anxieties and reached up to stroke Quackity's cheek. Big Q looked so hurt. He couldn't stand to see those dark eyes looking at him that way. "Of course- of course I am," he said soothingly. "But the thing is... the thing is Dream is the one who gave me this second chance, I don't know why, but don't I at least owe him thanks for that?"
Quackity frowned. "I don't think that's smart."
"You've visited him; I saw Sam's sign-in sheet when I tried to see Dream after you told me where he was. Every day for a long time."
"And then I stopped because it wasn't doing me any good. Visiting Dream only made me a worse person. Being around him... it brought out the darkest parts of me. That's all it's ever done to anyone. It messed up your buddy Ranboo so f-ing bad he begged Sam to put him in jail. He f-ing killed Tommy! He beat him to death! Right in that f-ing jail cell! Tommy's blood is literally on those walls and you want to go see him?! You want to f-ing talk to him with your brother's f-ing blood on the goddamned f-ing walls and tell him how he's your f-ing hero?!"
"I was on that platform for thirteen years!"
Quackity looked away. "He wasn't the only one who tried to bring you back, you know."
"But he's the one who did. I owe him for that."
"Wilbur, that part of your life is over! Of both our lives! Dream is in jail where he belongs and you're here, with me." He lay down on Wilbur's body, embracing him. "We need to forget about these ghostly debts and focus on the future."
"Am I your future?" Wilbur asked.
"I think so. I hope so." Quackity kissed him. "I want you to be. Just trust me, no happiness can come from visiting Dream. It can only be destructive."
Wilbur frowned. His need to see Dream only burned brighter now that he'd been told not to. It sounded more like Quackity had something he wanted to hide. What had Tommy said? There was a rumor that Quackity beat the sh-t out of Dream every day. But if he did, was that what he was hiding? Or was it more than that? Why had he done it? He had to know!
But visiting Dream... knowing why Big Q had done what he'd done... maybe there was a good reason Quackity was afraid. If he was telling the truth about their future... maybe what Dream knew was bad enough to mess that up. Thinking about it, he'd been gone for a long time. In many ways, he still saw Quackity as the man he'd known in his first life, but there was a giant gap in his knowledge of the man and he had no idea what filled that space. He never asked and Quackity didn't volunteer it. He'd essentially been sleeping with a stranger who he'd once known in another time, in another life. There might be things about this Big Q that Dream knew that were so bad Quackity was afraid Wilbur might find out and leave him.
Did he want to find out those things? Could he stand not knowing if it meant they could be happy together? He could already feel the questions gnawing at his mind.
He gazed into Quackity's sincere visage. "Fine. I'll leave it go." At least, for now. He'd find a way to see Dream somehow, and then he'd finally get the answers he needed.