Authors Note
Thanks you guys so much for the support on ch1!! This is the first 'x reader' I've written in a few years, so bear with me on some parts. I'm very proud of the storyline I have so far and how I'm setting it up at the moment.
I'm going to be including trigger warnings in chapters beforehand when triggering stuff happens, but overall, trigger warning for smoking, drinking, mentions of torture, mentions of divorce and domestic abuse, and abuse in general. Your mental health comes before anything!!
My twitter is @luvrjoys. I post writing snippets and updates frequently on there if you guys wanted to spare a follow :)
Apologies if it's a bit of a shorter chapter, and if updates are a lil spaced out. I've started school and I do also have a job - I don't have as much free time to write as I did during the summer :( But I hope you like the story so far :D
Enjoy this chapter!
-
You slept peacefully in Las Nevadas that night.
The bed was comfortable, your room was warm, and the clothes that were dropped off for you were cozy. You took a shower before you got into them, and while you let the water run over you, you pretended you were home. When you fell asleep, you pretended you were in your own bed.
But you woke up in the casino.
You weren't homesick or anything. In fact, this suite was better than your bedroom back in your little home. It was big and the window had the same view as Quackity's office, with a big low sitting couch in front of it. It was like you had scored a free room in a five star hotel, except the room was locked from the outside and you were being held like a hostage with no end in sight.
You watched as the sun came over Las Nevadas, your legs curled up beside you on the couch. The view was as gorgeous in the morning as it was at night. You were distracted from the view by the threats Quackity gave last night in his office, but now that you were alone, you were able to take in the beauty of the city in full. It was a nation that was just waking up, just as you did. You wondered if Quackity was awake yet, or either of the scary bodyguards from last night.
Your question was answered when you heard a knock on the door.
"Are you decent?"
You looked down at the pajamas you were still wearing. For a split second, you caught yourself feeling a bit embarrassed at how Quackity would see you in a state like this, but shut down that embarrassment immediately. There was no reason to be embarrassed. Plus, you haven't been given anything else to wear yet, and Sam had taken your clothes to dry clean.
Oddly hospitable.
"Yeah. You can come in," You responded, turning around to look behind you as the door opened.
Quackity came in with a cup of coffee and a set of clothing draped over his arm. He was donning the same clothes as last night, but obviously a new set. The shirt he was wearing last night had light pink blotches while this one was a crisp new white.
"Goodmorning, Y/n. How'd you sleep?" he asked and came around the couch, sitting beside you and handing you the cup of coffee.
"I slept okay," You responded as you took the mug, holding it and giving it a tentative and suspicious sniff.
Quackity smiled at you. "You don't have to be scared. It's not poisoned," he chuckled quietly.
You took his word and took a drink, savoring the sip. The coffee was rich and creamy, and matched the expensiveness the casino and it's founder wore.
Silence stretched between you two for a moment. You weren't sure what to say or where to look, so you just looked out the window at the sunrise. The glass was tinted, so it didn't hurt to look at and made the room a soft golden glow instead of drowning it in bright yellow sunshine. You drank your coffee quietly, hyper aware of the man beside you.
"I want to apologize for my behaviour last night," Quackity started. The sentence caught you off guard, and you turned to look at him as he continued.
"I want to make sure you know that what you did last night was wrong and against the laws in my country. I don't want you to think that this apology is me saying you're off the hook, but it's clear that my actions and attitude was uncalled for. Some of it was warranted, but a lot of it wasn't, and I feel guilty for taking out the stress of my day on you. I've been told by people in the past that I abuse my power and that I take advantage of situations in which people wrong me to exert said power. I'm trying to get better on that, and the fact that I did that to you last night was just wrong," Quackity spoke, looking down at you for a moment before shrugging with a chuckle. "I'm also trying to get better at apologizing, so sorry if this is rough."
You weren't sure about what to say in response, so you laughed, shaking your head a bit and looking away from him.
Quackity smiled and laughed a bit as well before looking back out the window. "Pretty view, huh?" he asked. You couldn't see the smile from this side, considering you were on the side of his scar, but you could envision the small tilt he wore last night at the poker table. It was a much different smile than the one he had in his office.
This was confusing. He went from threatening and violent to awkward and apologetic. You felt weird about accepting an apology like this so suddenly when you were still being forced to stay here.
"Can I go home?" You asked.
Quackity was quiet for a moment before shrugging. "I was harsh last night with my terms. The technical rules of my casino is that if you're caught cheating, you have to pay back twice of whatever you 'won' plus a seven hundred dollar fee, and then after that, you'll be barred from playing here for about two months," he told you, reaching up and adjusting his beanie. "If you're able to pay that debt off right now, you can leave. Do you have enough to pay?"
You were quiet for a moment and looked away, letting him take the silence as a response.
"Guess that answers that."
"What do we do from here on out?"
Quackity sighed and put down the clothes he brought in between you two. "Here's the Las Nevadas uniform that you'll wear when you're around the casino or anywhere else in my nation. If you've chosen to work as a prison guard, Sam will give you a good set of armor and some clothes to keep the heat from the lava out, but otherwise, this is what you'll be wearing," he explained, watching you as you picked up the white button up. "I've chosen a dark blue tie for you. Hope you don't mind. It was the only color we have left between the other people who work here."
"I don't mind at all," You said quietly, accepting the fact that there was no way you were gonna get out of this job. You still hadn't decided on what you were gonna do, but whatever. At least this guy wasn't threatening to cut your hand off anymore. "What does each job entail?"
Quackity was quiet for a moment, presumably lost in thought before he responded. "Explaining the prison guard situation is more of Sam's forte, but, uh... basically you'd be, uh, guarding, I guess. Make sure the security of his prisoner isn't ever compromised, investigate mishaps that happen around the prison, keep this guy named Tommy away, and keep my business in there private," he explained, looking down at his hands and admiring the flashy rings on his fingers.
"And the spy job?"
Quackity sighed and adjusted his hat again. For dressing so formal, the navy embroidered hat looked very out of place. You could practically hear the cogs turning in his head as he thought of how to explain the job to you.
"This one is... a bit more complicated. I already have a spy - his name is Slime - and he's... he's a slime. Literally. A fucking slime. And he's bad, too. Keeps saying he's meat and bones when he's slime. He thinks everyone thinks he's a human when it's evident he's a mob, and just..." Quackity trailed off and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head.
You smiled a bit. "He sounds sweet."
"He means well, don't get me wrong, but he blew his cover the first time I sent him out. Did what I wanted, yes, but I can't send him back out there. He doesn't have anonymity anymore, and the people I'm worried about know him or know the people who know them. I need a new person with an unfamiliar face to keep an eye on me," Quackity spoke, his hands fiddling with the rings on his fingers. You couldn't tell because you were facing the side of his face that remained still, but he almost felt... nervous.
Why was he nervous around you?
"Who would I be keeping an eye on?" You asked, taking another sip of your coffee that he made for you. It was the best coffee you've had in a long time.
"Mainly this guy named Wilbur and his buddy Ranboo. We're in a burger competition-"
You sputtered out a laugh, covering your mouth before it could get out of control. "A burger competition?" You asked incredulously, leaning forward to put your cup down on the coffee table so it wouldn't spill. "You made it sound like I would be spying on some nuclear data base or something."
Quackity didn't find that humorous. He shook his head as you laughed, standing up and going over to the large window you guys were sitting in front of. You watched him open it, and he stood in front of it for a moment before turning and leaning against the sill.
"It's much more than a burger competition, Y/n. Wilbur is a special case. He was the founder of L'manburg in its early days, one of the nations that existed on this SMP. He was exiled after he lost an election and fought to get that president out of his seat. I fought alongside him during that war and watched his downfall. I watched as he blew it up because he didn't get what he wanted," Quackity told you, the grisly history of Wilbur making his jaw visibly clench. "He died after that blast, and was brought back to life by the prisoner Sam is watching. He's now building a new nation across the river from Las Nevadas with a kid and centering it around a burger van. Him and the kid blew up a part of my own burger restaurant, so now we have a bit of... 'friendly competition' going on. It's a lot, and I need to have someone make sure that they don't have any alternative motives."
So it wasn't just a burger competition. There was more.
"Were you and Wilbur friends before this?" You asked quietly. He seemed defensive all of a sudden. There was more than what he just told you.
Quackity was quiet for a moment before shrugging. "Can we not talk about this right now?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest. He wasn't doing so in an angry way. It was done in a defensive way. Like he was cold. Trying to protect himself, maybe. You couldn't tell the difference. It could be either, considering he was standing next to an open window, and the breeze coming in was a bit chilly for a desert.
"Was he the person you divorced?" You asked, recalling the divorce papers you saw on the desk last night.
Quackity looked at you for a moment before shaking his head again. "Too personal. Don't forget where you are and who I am," he replied. The sentence was threatening, but his tone was tired.
Your cheeks heated up a bit and you nodded, pausing for a moment before looking at the clothes and flipping through them. "I think I want to do the prison job. If I want to change careers, though, can I? I'm not sure what one is more fit for me as I don't know the specifics of the surroundings I'd be in."
Quackity shrugged, turning and closing the window. "Yeah. Get dressed and get downstairs in about twenty minutes or so. I'll have breakfast for you ready at the bar, and once you're done, I'll meet you by the fountains with my horse. We'll do a quick run around of the SMP so I can give you a brief history and tell you about Dream's crimes, and then I'll take you to the prison. Sam can get you set up with our comm system, get you some armor, and then you'll be in his hands until whatever shift he has set up for you is over," he spoke, walking behind the couch and to the door. You heard it open before turning to see if he had gone to find him standing in the doorway, looking back at you. He blinked when you two made eye contact and cleared his throat.
"Y/n, I wanna let you know that I don't hate you, nor do I wanna kill you or hurt you. From this point on, we go forward on the right foot as long as you remain loyal and play fairly - both in my casino and on this server. Alright?" Quackity asked, raising an eyebrow at you.
You paused for a moment before smiling, turning around and holding onto the back of the couch. "So you're saying we can be friends? Maybe?" You asked, trying to get the friendly Quackity that you briefly caught a glimpse of back. It was so much better than the violent and terrifying Quackity you saw last night, and you were almost desprate to keep this lighter side of him. In this new light, he seemed like he didn't mean any wrong, really. And you kinda had nothing better to do than work for him - if you went home, you would just lay around until you attempted to rob another casino. Maybe the next one wouldn't be so forgiving...
Quackity smiled a bit before shrugging. "Maybe, Y/n. Just get dressed, alright?"
-
Breakfast was as delicious as the coffee. Fluffy eggs with toast and fresh avocados on the side, as well as another cup of coffee. You didn't expect anything less, though. It was evident that this nation was centered around its riches and extravagance. The clothes he gave you were soft, too, and they fit perfectly. Everything was comfortable and cute - even the shoes. You didn't think that the suspenders and dark brown dress up pants would look good, but the Las Nevadas uniform made you feel good. Confidence in yourself. Just like that dress last night did.
You walked out of the empty casino and squinted your eyes at the bright sun. You raised your hand to block it as you stepped down the stairs and kept it there until it was hidden by the Las Nevadas sign. Without the sun assaulting your eyes, you were able to see Quackity saddling up a skeleton horse while talking to a kid in a purple hoodie. You couldn't see his front, but you saw purple antennas poking out and bending at an angle from his blonde hair. He sounded annoyed as you approached, and his frustration became clear when you saw his hand move out of his pocket and wave towards the entrance to Las Nevadas. The conversation ended when Quackity saw you and held up a hand to pause this kid's sentence.
"Y/n. I'd like to introduce you to my good friend here."
The kid turned around to face you. His eyes caught you off guard - they were bright purple with no white and... glowing?
"Name's Purpled. Why are you here?" the teenager asked, putting his hands back in his hoodie pocket; He was obviously disgruntled at the fact that you interrupted whatever conversation they were having.
"I'm gonna work for Sam and Quackity as a prison guard. I'm in need of some money, and Quackity is generous enough to give me a job," You half lied through your teeth, giving the new acquaintance a small smile.
Purpled laughed. It was short and almost sarcastic. He pointed at you and looked at Quackity, raising an eyebrow. "You gonna tell them everything, then? From what he did to you? From what you're doing to him? You gonna tell them about what his friend did to you, too? How he doesn't know?"
"You work for me, Purpled. Don't forget your place," Quackity replied, keeping his tone light, although you could see his jaw clench.
"Don't forget that you have a looooot of history to explain if they're gonna be guarding the most fucked up man on the server," Purpled snarked back before turning to you and giving you a cheesy and forced grin. He reached out and clapped you on the shoulder. "Good luck, Y/n. You'll do great."
With that, Purpled turned and walked into the casino.
Quackity sighed, putting the bridle into the horse's mouth. "He's a dick. Only seventeen, but he's a dick. Sorry about him," he apologized, adjusting the saddle a bit before turning to you. "Can you get on by yourself, or do you need help?"
"I got it," You replied, stepping up to the skeleton horse and lightly touching it's boney white snout. "What's his name?"
Quackity giggled.
Fucking Quackity fucking giggled.
It was adorable. High pitched and contagious, forcing a smile of your own to form.
"His name is Boner," Quackity told you through his giggles, stepping up to the horse and effortlessly mounting it through his laughs. He gathered the reins in his hands, clearing his throat once his giggles ceased, but his smile still lingering. "An old friend of mine named him."
You smiled at the childish name and the laughter, stepping up to Boner to mount him. You reached up to grab the saddle, but Quackity held his hand down for you to grab and hoist yourself up instead. Within seconds, you were on the saddle behind him, hyper aware of the closeness. It made your cheeks heat, and you put your hands at your sides awkwardly.
Quackity was still for a moment before looking back at you, his eyebrow raised. "Do you want to fall off? Hold onto me for fucks sake," he chuckled a bit, scooting forward. "Hands around my waist would be best. Boner likes to go fast."
You nodded and wrapped your arms around his waist, chuckling a bit at the name of the horse and the innuendo you could make with that sentence. You pulled yourself close against his back, and you felt a lump under his shirt. It wasn't noticeable when you looked, but you could feel whatever it was pressing against your stomach as your grip tightened. The lump under his shirt moved with his muscle as he turned back to look away from you and spur his heels against the bone flank of the horse. Within seconds, the horse took off at a great speed, and you immediately hugged yourself to Quackity's back.
It was the fastest horse you had ever been on, because it was an undead horse. Didn't have a heart or lungs. Unlimited endurance. Made sense.
You could hear Quackity laugh at your iron grip. "We'll slow down when we get back to spawn, I promise. It's a short ride at his speed."
You just clutched tighter, your cheek pressed against his back as you nodded.
He was warm, too.
The ride was short, just as Quackity promised. Maybe ten minutes at the least. It stopped abruptly when he yanked on the reins and the horse reared, making you hold on tighter than ever so you wouldn't be thrown right off the back. When Boner landed down on its front feet, Quackity directed him into a light trot and chuckled again.
"You don't have to hold onto me so tight, now, Y/n. Still hold on though, just in case."
You nodded and leaned off of him, loosening your grip so your hands were resting on his waist.
You were quiet as you looked around the spruce forest you were in. It smelt like ash and gunpowder, though. It was pungent enough to overpower the pine that you wished you were smelling. "Why does it stink so bad?" You asked, wiping your nose a bit as if that would make the smell go away.
Quackity dramatically sniffed the air before shrugging. "I don't smell anything. You're probably smelling the crater, though.. It's a scent everyone here is blind to, know. I've lived through multiple explosions and even caused some myself. It's something you'll get used to if you stick around," he replied as the horse continued its trot through the woods.
"Ah."
Silence stretched on between you and Quackity, the only noise between you two being Boner's hooves against the ground. Soon enough, you broke through the shadowed forest and emerged into the sun near a Nether portal. From the portal, there was a path that lead to a house over the water. You could see a deep crater under the depths, but the house looked untouched. This place stunk of the gunpowder you smelt in the forest, but the harshness made you wince this time.
"Was this place blown up?" You asked, the horse coming to a stop at the top of the stairs that lead to the path.
Quackity nodded, looking at the building for a moment before stirring the reins and continuing the trot. "No one is one hundred percent sure about it, but we're all pretty certain it's Dream. He's never admitted to it and I doubt he ever will, but there's more theories on who else it could have been," he spoke, leading the horse through the doorless home to reach the other side of the path.
"Dream is the one in the prison, right? Is that what he's in for?" You asked, moving your hands from Quackity's waist to his shoulders. This was more comfortable, and it made it harder for you to lean against him again, which you so desperately wanted to do.
Quackity shrugged. "Sorta. There's more. I'll explain when we get to L'manburg."
You nodded and remained silent for the rest of the ride, just taking in the structures as you passed them. There were a few builds in particular that caught your eye, but the biggest one that stuck out was a big black building with glowing towers that stood out in an ocean. The windows had bars, and behind the bars were lava. You could only assume that it was the prison, where you would be spending most of your working days from here on out.
Quackity turned the horse down a path and took you through a tunnel. When you emerged from it, it became clear what crater he was talking about, and the sight of it made your stomach drop.
"Holy shit," You whispered, your eyes wide.
The horse was pulled to a stop, and you and Quackity sat in silence as you took in the massive hole before you.
It was fucking huge.
You couldn't tell if it was horrifying to think of the people the explosion hurt, or beautiful at how the land reclaimed the hole and grew over and around it. You looked up to see the grid built above the hole, admiring how the sun caught the ivy and moss that was growing down from the obsidian. Looking down below, the waterfalls that spilled over the edge covered the bedrock in a gorgous lake. In the middle of the lake stood a three striped flag with three X's in the middle of the white stripe. You wondered if this was the flag of the nation that once stood here before being blown down to bedrock.
Quackity slid off his horse, and with his help, you slid off, too, your feet soundlessly hitting the mossy ground. He waited until you regained your balance before leading you to the edge of the hole, still holding onto your hand. You stopped a couple inches from it, and after looking at you for a second, he sat down and dangled his legs over the crater. You joined him, keeping your own legs folded into a pretzel. The height made you dizzy, so you just looked at him instead of down.
Quackity pulled out a box of cigarettes and a lighter. He pulled out a couple sticks and offered one to you. After shaking your head, he shrugged and lit one for himself, putting it in his mouth before turning back to the destroyed L'manburg.
"It's rude to stare, Y/n. I thought Niki told you that last night," he spoke after a few minutes of silence.
"I'm not usually scared of heights, but that's bedrock down there. I don't need to think about how one wrong move sends me down there, so I'm not gonna look," You replied, almost scooting back a bit but resisting the urge.
Quackity glanced at you after taking a drag, letting the smoke curl out from the gap in his cheek. "And I'm better to look at?"
You hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Quackity nodded and looked back out ahead of him for a moment.
The silence stretched on, and he eventually cleared his throat, waiting for a moment before he began to explain the history of the nation that once stood there.