[summary]
↳ the second part of the lore headcanons with c!quackity!

[warning/s]
↳ curses? angst? sorry if it feels like i'm pretty much erasing the canon but then again this is fanfiction!!

[notes]
↳ i felt very inspired today

***

The weeks passed by after the disaster that was the Red Banquet. The SMP was quiet for a while, or maybe that was just Y/N because she was now currently residing outside of the mainland, somewhere near a shore.

Her hair grew up to the point where she can tie it in a low and short ponytail, accompanied by a kerchief (one that covers the top of her head). She still wears clothes that she is comfortable with, but also ones that she can wear in case she had to defend herself on the spot.

With all the time on her lonesome, she learned how to build structures beautifully by herself. After venturing through the outskirts of the Dream SMP, she discovered new building materials and crafting recipes. She went back to her land seeming like a new person with so much experience.

She successfully built her home. It looked professionally made with the technicality of the block placements and how the new elements mixed beautifully with one another.

Even the interior of the house was organized splendidly. She was proud of her creation.

Y/n and Sam are still close friends, who meet every once in a while. One of the two visits each other and bring updates and this time, she was at Sam's place, currently enjoying a bottle with him as they watched the waves afar.

She glanced at Sam as he spoke about him, which was kinda sad since she thought about how this crowned, masked man is the only connection she has with him and the only way she knows what he is currently up to.

"Man, he's always buried with work. The bags in his eyes are getting darker and prominent, his hair is all messy... I honestly don't know how to help him without him constantly pushing me away."

She let out a short chuckle and flashed Sam a smirk. "Welcome to my world," she raised a glass. Y/n then shook her head. "I just hope... he lets me in again. I missed him so much, Sam." She hung her head as she sighed in exhaustion.

***

Y/n was journeying home from Sam's island when she meets a slimy fellow.

When the creature heard a rustle of leaves behind him, he snapped to the sound with an alerted expression, but soon relaxed. Yet she still reassured that she's not planning to hurt him.

"I know who you are, Y/n from El Rapids."

She winced at the name and memories flooded her mind like a dam breaking. But she kept it from distracting her. She instead admired his shiny, lime skin.

"I'm... not in any nation. Just call me, Y/n," she reminded him.

"Okay, Y/n." The enthusiastic tone in his voice was the same as before.

"Wait," she snapped out of her thoughts and a question was yearning to escape. "How do you know me?"

"I might be slow because, well, I'm slime, but I've seen a lot of people, and I've heard about them! Including you! I know you're the kindest person in the whole land!"

"Oh-"

"Dap me up!"

She let out an amused chuckle and continued to watch as he interacted with nature. He left marks of ooze on the lush leaves along with the wooden planks. He turned to her with a small smile and said, "I'm slimy."

"Yeah. You are."

He began rambling about the things he discovered around him while Y/n was also adding new information that Slime was nodding to. When he mentioned to dap him up once more, this time raising his slimy hand.

Y/n risked it all, smacking her fleshy hand against his, and it was a mistake, but it felt so weird and funny. As she was washing her hands off on a nearby river with Slime watching him, she thought of using disposable gloves next time.

She stood up after completely washing the neon element off, looking up at the sky and seeing the sun sinking down the horizon. She then turned to Slime who was already looking at her with the same smile as before.

Y/n began to walk on the path leading to the exit of the forest and grinned when her new friend followed her. "Where do you live, Slime?"

"I... don't know." He hung his head down.

"Oh. Well, you can just stay at my place for a while," she offered.

"Really?" The smile was back on Slime's face, and it was so infectious that it made her smile as well.

That evening, she looked at Slime who was admiring the interior of her house. She let out a short chuckle at him being easily entertained at everything.

It was quite difficult to think of a spot where Slime could sleep because of his... yeah. And when she told him that he stay there and she'd be back, she just went to her animal farm and took out shears to clip the wool off and easily made a new bed.

"Okay, Slime, I even made the blankets green to match! I assume that's your favorite color -"

She froze when the room was empty. Where did he go?

***

Slime woke up and he found himself standing in a hole. He guessed this is the punishment for sticking through the walls of a random fast-food restaurant he saw!

He stared at a figure standing in the shadows, and he couldn't recognize who it was until the person took out a torch from his inventory and Slime could already identify who it was from the scar on his left eye.

After Quackity found out that Slime has been existing for centuries now, there was an idea forming in his mind. But before he could completely formulate it, Slime uttered something that brought tremor within his body.

"I've met Y/n before you!"

"...what?"

"Y/n! The kindest person in the whole land!"

"She... uh, n-no- she..." Quackity was a stuttering mess, his memories overwhelming him. He cleared his throat after some time and thought that it's better to not talk about it for now. "Who else have you met?"

As Slime lists off the descriptions of every people he met, he still can't get the image of Y/n out of his mind. He shook his head and told Slime that he could be a potential spy.

"A spy?"

"Yeah!" Quackity tried to sound a bit enthusiastic to encourage Slime to join his country.

***

Slime accepted the offer without asking about anything else. He knows that he is currently residing within the walls of Las Nevadas but he still wanted to come back to Y/n.

He was proud of himself when he managed to find his way towards the cabin near a beach. Slime already sees her there, chopping up a nearby tree and planting the fallen saplings immediately.

"Y/n!" Slime exclaimed, and she turned around and saw him waving at her. He was crawling slowly like he had informed her before so she took it upon her to come to him instead with a relieved expression on her face.

"Slime! I got so worried! You were gone so suddenly and I don't know where to find you!" She wanted to pull him into an embrace but she didn't her clothes to be completely covered with goo.

"I-" Slime stopped himself before he could tell her that he lives in Las Nevadas now. He remembered Quackity advising him not to tell Y/n about their first meeting. "I was everywhere!"

"Wanna go inside? What do you drink? Or do you wanna do something fun?"

"Fun?"

"Y-yeah, you..." She glanced down at the ground when she thought about how Slime didn't know what it's like to have fun since he has been dwelling underground for a hundred years.

So, for the whole afternoon, Y/n showed her lime friend all the entertainment she picked up from L'manberg and the games she has played with her friends. All the time, she wore these rubber gloves so the slime would effectively slide down within contact.

Tag was a pretty difficult game to play. Hopscotch was as well. But then she thought of just playing games that would only require them standing up.

The sun was covered by the thick clouds so it wasn't that sizzling of weather. They were currently trying to execute a new handshake that they would use whenever they would meet.

"Did you get it?" Y/n asked Slime, who nodded impatiently. She shook off the excess slime she got on her gloves as though preparing for an ultimate move. "Okay, here it goes. 'The Supreme Dap Me Up Handshake!"

Albeit it took long because of Slime's slow movements, the two of them managed to get through it. They cheered because of this achievement, running around the patch of grass with their arms up.

***

"What information have you gathered?"

Slime told Quackity everything as if he was an ATM; one click and everything comes out. He even included all the interactions he had with Y/n and how he learned the meaning of fun with her.

Every second of him hearing her name brings a pang to his heart, but he hid it with a neutral look. He's excellent at hiding his emotions with a blank facadè. But when he spoke, his slightly shaky voice almost betrayed him. "I... Good work, Slime. I'll see you tomorrow."

Quackity retreated to his Needle, the water carrying him up to the top where his comforts lie. He loosened the tie in his shirt before grabbing the nearest bottle of whiskey and glass. He poured himself a generous amount of the alcohol, downed it, poured again, and trudged towards the balcony, placing his arms on the metal casing.

He looked down upon his developing nation. Everything has been going smoothly, with his member's additional help in building multiple tourist attractions that would be good for the economy.

Yet, as he stood there, he felt like something is missing.

Quackity sighed, drinking a bit, the whiskey sending a hot sensation down his throat. "Y/n..." He whispered her name to the wind, his face stricken with longing. "I... miss you." He admitted. "I miss your smile, your touch, your hugs.I miss-"

His sobs were uncomfortably mixed with emotionless laughter as his form hunched over the railing.

***

Her entire farm was ready to harvest so she wore protection against the hot blazing sun. Slime was beside her, wearing a straw hat of his own because he began melting when the sun was sweltering hot.

"You can go inside, Slime. I don't mind," she reminded him as she looked at her netherite hoe that was slowly losing its durability.

He was playing with the loose straws. "I want to stay here, miss Y/n. I like the farming and getting food from the ground!"

He started calling her that because he wants to be polite. She tried to correct him but honestly, it's better than linking her name with the name of the place where she got hurt very heavily.

"Well, you're in luck, I'm about to make something good with these."

Eventually, the sun was soon covered with dark clouds, indicating a rain shower about burst soon, so Y/n gestured for Slime to follow her inside.

It was a thunderstorm, and it comforted her since she loved the rain. But she noticed that every time it thunders, Slime's body jerks in all the places as though he's being poked.

"Are you alright?" She asked as she was organizing the inventory in her kitchen.

"Vibration is funny. Thunder sends my slimy body into vibration."

"Do you feel fear?"

"I don't... know how to... feel. You were the first real friend I have ever... met.."

She felt immense sympathy towards her slimy friend, but instead of giving him a sad look, her lips turned up into a reassuring smile.

"I'm glad you know that we're friends. It's a start. I'm sure you'll get to meet... my other... friends." She trailed off, her mind taking her down memory lane. Flashes of laughter and chasing each other around the green plains and hiding behind trees. Karl, Sapnap, George, Q-

A shaky breath escaped her lips as she was brought back to the harsh reality where they don't do those things anymore. Everything changed in a blink of an eye. It was as if a film strip quickly presented itself in a millisecond.

"Miss Y/n?"

Slime's voice brought her out of her stupor. She blinked when she felt hot tears threatening to escape and she quickly wiped it away, quietly sniffling as her back remained facing Slime. She grabbed the wheat, bucket of milk, and a sugar cube.

Walking towards the crafting bench, Y/n was silent, yet she knew she shouldn't be or she'd be helplessly trapped inside her dangerous mind.

She quickly crafted herself a cake and showed the product to Slime, who was looking at it with great interest. "Cake?" She offered.

"Yes, please!"

***

It was a routine that Slime is willing to obey. He gains consciousness from his room at Las Nevadas then has a brief meeting with Quackity. Quackity gives him some sort of reminder to stay safe. Wandering around the country to meet other people he's seen before.

Come noon, he's already on his way to Y/n's house, where it was quite near (but not as near as the Kinoko Kingdom). An hour later, he arrives and sees the kindest person in the land, either tending to her plants or relaxing up at the top of her balcony, which reminded Slime of The Needle where Quackity from Las Nevadas reside.

She meets him halfway and they talk for hours. Slime likes talking with Y/n more than Quackity, but he can't not be grateful for Quackity's decision to let him stay at Las Nevadas

The values and lessons he receives from Miss Y/n made him recall the same advice from Quackity every morning. Before he could stop his mouth from moving, it slipped so effortlessly.

"You know, miss Y/n, you remind me of Quackity from Las Nevadas!"

He didn't feel like he did anything wrong when he said that. He's been thinking about the similarities from the day he met both of them and it just really needed to be said.

Y/n stopped in her tracks. Her breath hitched as her heartbeat escalated. "You... You met Quackity?"

"Yeah! Quackity from Las Nevadas!"

She wanted to lash out. She felt dread spreading across her torso when she thought about Slime telling Quackity everything about her.

But she didn't want to take out her anger on this poor, innocent creature, who was uncaringly presenting a smile. Her anger subsided a bit, and she remembered how she does the same thing with Sam, who is keeping tabs on Quackity for her.

She wasn't mad at Slime at all for not telling her that she was being spied on. She was more furious in Quackity at the fact that he was using Slime as a spy.

So, she felt bold.

She accompanied Slime to get to Las Nevadas safely. Slime gave her a tour of everything he knows of Las Nevadas. "This is a casino! Gambling is good!"

"I'm guessing Quackity taught you that?" She muttered grimly.

"Yeah! He always says that the winner takes it all."

Slime lead the way until the two of them arrived in a random spot of grass with a hole somewhere. Ladders were the way down, and she sees a bit of light with the obvious green goo decorating the interiors.

"This is where I close my eyes and feel like I'm floating for a while!"

"It's called 'sleep', Slime."

"Sleep," he repeated after her.

Someone cleared their throat behind the two of them. Y/n whipped around so quickly to see Quackity appearing neutral. He had his hands behind his back as he stood straighter as if greeting a formal guest.

"Quackity from Las Nevadas! This is miss Y/n!"

The suspenders-wearing man almost let a chuckle escape his lips. The nickname Slime gave her was kinda cute, and her flushed cheeks were a bonus. He decided to just gaze at the ground to distract himself from breaking.

"Good evening, Miss. Y/n."

Meanwhile, she wasn't having any of it. "Please, drop the act. I'm here to talk about you spying on me."

Quackity seemed unnerved about Y/n finding out, but she scrutinized his gaze that switched from blank to glaring when he looked at Slime, who was slightly cowering behind her.

"I wasn't spying on you. I was simply keeping tabs on the people that have potential." He easily lied through his teeth, his form not relaxing. But she can see right through him.

"Don't lie. You've been using Slime as your pretty little spy thinking I wouldn't have noticed. He's an innocent slime creature that you shouldn't take advantage of!"

Quackity scoffed. "Don't think I don't see you and Sam secretly talking about me. You used Sam to your advantage."

"Sam is my friend and he's worried about you! I'm worried about you!"

His heart skipped a beat upon hearing her admission. "You shouldn't be. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Y/n falters for a bit. "Then, you shouldn't meet with Slime anymore just so you can't use him."

"I can't allow that. He lives in my country, therefore he should obey my demands."

Slime watched as though it was his mom and dad fighting for the custody of their child. He could almost hear Quackity telling him to go to his room.

He shouldn't feel giddy that these might be his mother and father figures...

But he does.

Yet the sight of them fighting just doesn't feel good.

"Stop! Please!" His voice cuts through them. Y/n and Quackity turned to him. "Don't fight. I don't like fighting. I want you guys to be together."

They suddenly felt rigid, the atmosphere turning awkward and uncomfortable. "Slime?" Quackity was the one who broke the ice first. "Where do you want to stay?"

"I want to stay at Las Nevadas."

She felt disappointed.

"But with miss Y/n."

He felt anxiety.

"I..." She spoke up but doesn't really know how to form the next sentence. "I can't leave the house I built for myself. I'm sorry, Slime."

That was the lamest excuse ever, but she'll take anything. As much as Y/n wanted to have closure with him, she doesn't want it to be this way.

When the conversation was leading to nowhere, she simply backed up from the two and began, "Feel free to come back to my place, Slime. But I want you to go without any intentions of spying on me. I'm disappointed in you but I am willing to forgive you."

She didn't know whether the last sentence was directed at either Slime or the other person standing, but that was the last thing she said before retreating.

Quackity watched her shadow getting smaller until it was gone and he let out a quiet breath that he didn't know he was holding.

"Quackity from Las Nevadas, I hope you and miss Y/n will be happy again."

He reverted his gaze to the slimy fellow.

"Slime, go to sleep."

"I know how you and miss Y/n hang out all the time. I've been watching you guys. I wonder when the time comes when you finally accept miss Y/n into your nation. I bet she will be a good addition!"

"Slime. Go to sleep." Quackity repeated.

"Okay!"

As Slime descended the ladders, Quackity's feet strolled along the pavement, his hands still on the lower back of his body.

He looks deep in thought.

"I bet she will be a good addition!"

He simply shook his head. He doesn't know Y/n and I's history so he doesn't have the right to decide.

Well, what even was the history between them?

They didn't do heinous crimes against the other. They didn't plan on killing each other. She didn't build a new fucking country behind his back-

Oh, wait.

He did.

But that's different. The Kinoko Kingdom was built because they just fucking felt like it, and they didn't even invite him. Did they build it just to spite him?

He built Las Nevadas as an escape from everything that tries to hurt him. Las Nevadas is supposed to be a safe space that provides fun and entertainment.

That's what one would always say about their country.

And isn't that what the others are doing? Building a new country to hang around with their friends as they have fun and-

Shut up.

If it's supposed to be a 'safe space' like you said, why is Y/n not allowed to be a part of it? Don't you want to keep her safe?

"I just want to protect you,"

Her voice resonated within the confines of his mind. He got thrown back to the first huge argument they had. Quackity was angry at Y/n for not trusting him enough with his plans to hunt down Technoblade and kill him.

He had walked away after officially saying goodbye, and they had never talked again. She hadn't seen the tears falling down his face because she couldn't see with her own tears blurring her vision.

Quackity had awfully wanted to just turn around and embrace her tightly, take back what he said, and tell her to run away with him, stay beside him, and build Las Nevadas with him, but it was the spur of the moment, and his pride got ahead of him.

For the entire time of planning and building Las Nevadas, his thoughts were of her. How she would have looked perfect standing beside him and holding a blueprint of her own, analyzing the stability of the structure and just sharing ideas with one another.

He had yearned for the long nights where he gets to stay up with her, until eventually the fatigue caught on to her and she gets to lay on his chest, his heartbeat lulling her to sleep. And even then, he would help swipe away the hair that had fallen on her face.

Quackity blinked as though he woke up. He was still standing on the tiled ground nearby the main casino. He's been roaming around while drowning in his fantasies filled with ideas of what could've been if she joined the country if the two of them didn't have a fallout if they were still together...

He scoffed and kicked a random pebble out of the way. He should snap out of it. He can't just turn back time or hit the rewind button. He forces himself to focus on the present where the two of them are still on ice, but can now talk to one another. Albeit the air is still awkward and full of tension, at least there isn't any red hot anger lingering around them.

Slime can be the mediator all he wants, but when it comes to winning her over again, Quackity would prefer for him not to step in on their moment.

***

Y/n and Slime were still hanging out.

She doesn't want to raise her front anymore as she is tired of everything that is happening around her. When Slimecicle assured her that he's not going to tell anything about her, she felt a bit of relief, yet at the same time, she doubts that Slime would be able to get through it without Quackity. He might just force the information out of him.

Which reminded her of the events of last night. "Slime, why did you want to stay at Las Nevadas?"

"Quackity from Las Nevadas is a good person." He heard a scoff but he continued. "He gave me a home to live in."

"It's a hole. In the ground."

"I love holes in grounds! It makes me happy! And I want you to be happy, that's why I wanted you to stay with me and Quackity in Las Nevadas!"

She didn't say anything after that. Is she actually considering taking up on that offer? Y/n shook her head.

***

Nothing happened.

Expectations weren't met, and it was the same as before.

Quackity went on with managing the casino, Y/n enjoys her solitude with friends visiting every once in a while, and Slime is like a kid of a divorced couple, still going through the same routine for himself. His father in the midnight until morning, and his mother in the noon until evening.

Without asking for it, Slime would cautiously update the other about the other.

Slime would always want to force Y/n to take him back to Las Nevadas in the evening. Sometimes she refuses because she's not in the mood, but with Slime's charms, it's no use resisting a cute face like him.

And every time she's there, Quackity is also there.

Small talks befall as Slime watches with a huge grin on his face. Their expressions are calm and dull, but Slime will take it instead of them not talking at all.

***

"Miss Y/n, look how dapper I look! Hehe! Get it? Dap-per?"

She chuckled in amusement as Slime showed up again. This time, he wears the same outfit as Quackity, suspenders and all, but the only piece different is his green tie and his slimy bits are still seeking through.

"You look very cool, Slime."

"I'm Slime, but I am also Quackity from Las Nevadas!" He beamed.

"Huh?" She got confused.

"Quackity from Las Nevadas says that he's about to embark on a journey so he wants to leave me in charge!"

He said it so easily that Y/n almost didn't catch what he said. "Where is he going?"

"He said he's about to meet his old friends! Do you know his old friends, Miss Y/n?"

"I..." She began, but she doesn't know what to say.

"Anyway! Quackity from Las Nevadas wanted to teach me lessons for a few months and maybe you should come with me!"

She pursed her lips. "I'm afraid it's gonna have to be a private session between the two of you, Slime."

"Oh. It is."

The following week was the next time he got to see Y/n again, sharing with her the new lesson he learned from Quackity.

"Humans are assholes and they are going to gatekeep at any chance," Quackity emphasized.

Slime suddenly thought of someone as he hung his head. "But... Miss Y/n isn't a bad person. She's the kindest!"

"Well, I'm gonna tell you the story about when I first got here. Do you see that massive hole? That used to be L'manberg. And when I tried to join, I was grossly rejected because I wasn't British! That's why I created Las Nevadas so people couldn't shoo us away."

"I have to believe in myself or everyone will hate me."

Week 2

"Politics are the way to power. You will get to find friends, make... relationships." Quackity coughed ."I did it once, and made a political party-"

"Ooh, I love parties! Miss Y/n and I have parties and we dance all night!"

"That's... cool, Slime, but focus. You gotta focus. Power is what you need. Power is what you want."

"Do I need to want power, miss Y/n?"

In which she disagreed. Power isn't everything, she told him. Starting then, she began to grow suspicious of Quackity's teachings.

Week 5

"Create no emotional attachments to anything. Everything gets destroyed."

Quackity guided Slime around the place where El Rapids used to be. "Quackity; wanted to build a nation for him and his best friends until... they abandoned him."

"But... Miss Y/n didn't abandon you, Quackity from Las Nevadas." Slime strongly corrected him.

"Why are you so eager to stand up for her every time? You have a crush on her or something?" Quackity turned to him with his eyes narrowed. "Okay, you might be right that she didn't abandon me, but she still didn't trust me with my choices, so I was the one who left. Are you happy?"

Quackity walked faster.

"I'm not happy."

He halted in his steps.

"I'm not happy, because I know that you and Miss Y/n aren't happy being apart."

"I advise you to stop mentioning her every time, Slime. I would want us to move forward with our lessons."

"Miss Y/n says that we should let go of our grudges and be willing to forgive the people who hurt us."

Quackity didn't say anything.

"She..." Slime paused. "I think- no. I know she's willing to forgive you, Quackity from Las Nevadas, because she's the kindest person in the land-!"

"SLIME." He snapped and whipped around to look Slime exactly in the eyes. "STOP. Please."

When he saw Slime go quiet, Quackity cleared his throat. "I'm... sorry. I'm sorry."

Slime flashed him a smile, "I've learned a lot today." He glided forward and closer. "Thank you for teaching me all this. Maybe one day I'll teach you something."

Quackity only stared at him, remembering Slime's words from before.

"You have."

***

"Quackity from Las Nevadas told me to trust nobody, but... Miss Y/n, I trust you."

She looked up at him at his confession. "I'm glad you trust me." I hope it's the same with Quackity.

"Do you... trust me, Miss Y/n?"

"Of course I do," she said without missing a beat.

"Promise me you won't do what you say you weren't going to like I saw other people do."

"I promise, but you also have to promise me something, Slime. Promise me to remember the values I taught you... promise me that you can always come to me if you need help."

"I promise, Miss Y/n."

***

2 Days Before The Prison Visit

A series of knocks on Y/n's door resounded throughout the whole house. She stood up and went to open it. Her knees almost buckled on the spot when Quackity appeared behind the door. She had to hold to the door like it was her lifeline.

"Y/n. Calm down."

"I-I - you... wh-why- n-" she sputtered, her words scrambling to get out. She swallowed the saliva forming in her mouth. "Why are you here? Where's Slime?" She finally said with a steady voice.

It was an unusual sight. Y/n was used to Quackity in his blue sweater surprising her with a bouquet of dandelions, but she didn't expect the suspender-wearing Quackity to be carrying the same set of flowers. What the fuck.

"I can explain. After teaching Slime everything he has to know, I told him that I will do everything he asks in return." He let out a sigh as he sheepishly rubbed the nape of his neck, looking like he doesn't want to be there. "And Slime wanted me to give you your favorite flowers, and take you on a proper tour around Las Nevadas and just- and I quote- 'give miss Y/n a good time'."

She wanted to laugh at his poor impression of Slime, but she was too shocked to feel anything. She saw Quackity's hand outstretched towards her, still holding the bouquet. She took it with a suspicious look. "Are these poisoned or something? Or if I smell this will I die? Is there an ulterior motive?"

"It's just normal flowers. Chill the fuck out." Quackity placed his hands inside the pockets of his pants. "Let's go and get this over with."

"Let me place this in a pot first... you're welcome to come in if you'd like." She averted her gaze and went to her inventory to find a random container. She exited out of the chest and plucked out a pot and placed it on the table near the window.

Quackity looked around and secretly admired the interior and how the house looked- "Cool."

"Huh?" Y/n snapped when his voice cut the silence between them.

"Your house is cool. When did you learn how to build?"

She playfully rolled her eyes but appreciated when he was the first to break the ice. "I taught myself how to build. PVP was the only thing I'm good at so I thought I could improve on other things..." she trailed off when she felt like the conversation was getting lame.

Quackity nodded and began to walk out. "Let's go. Las Nevadas is waiting."

The last time she went there, she didn't get a good look at it. But now she could admire it with Quackity's permission.

"This is..." He gestured to the marriage booth in front of them. "My own version of The White House."

"Those dandelions are pretty." She noticed the yellow petals surrounding the structure. It looked too flowery for a White House, but he said that it's his depiction, so she didn't complain.

"Yeah. What a good coincidence that those are your favorite flowers huh? Plenty of dandelions when I found this area so instead of throwing it away, I used it here."

She nodded, albeit confused with the sudden info dump about dandelions and this particular building.

He showed her around, even told stories about the reason why he built it, and it was like she was falling in love again. The way he spoke about his projects was so passionate and it reminded her of the Quackity she was with years ago when he wanted to run as President. But she had to remember that this isn't the same Quackity who easily makes her laugh, who spreads positivity around his friends... maybe it still was, but it was clear that his guard is so high up that it won't go down any time soon.

He looked like he went through so much and the thought of him going through it alone made her want to punch herself for not being there for him, being persistent even if he pushes her away.

"You okay?" Quackity's voice brought her down to the ground and stared at him before reverting to the Needle he told about, fascinated with the composition and complexity of the building.

Y/n pursed her lips as her heart pounded in her chest. Quackity watched her lips form into a sad smile. "You never fail to amaze me, Quackity." She breathed, and he was speechless. "I know you might think these words are empty because it's coming from me, but I'm really proud of you."

Quackity didn't say anything, and that was her signal to leave because it seemed that the tour is over. But she was hindered when he grabbed her wrist. Her head turned to look at him and he stared back, both with wondering eyes, unaware who's the one leaning closer. She sees Quackity's stare flicker to her lips and her heart jumped.

"Quackity? Y/n?"

The two stood straighter and turned to the voice that belonged to Sapnap. He still bears the same set of netherite armor.

"Sapnap," Quackity blinked for a moment. "It's so good to see you!" Y/n watched Quackity's expression form into one of excitement. "How-how have you been, man? As Sapnap chattered about how this place looks amazing, she sees that his welcoming smile unmatching his cloudy eyes.

"Dude, you gotta give me a tour of this place!"

Quackity glanced beside him where Y/n silently stood. "The touring session is closed for now. You can come back tomorrow?"

"Ooh," Sapnap seemed to get the wrong idea. "I get it. I can leave the two of you alone then." Y/n recoiled as Quackity turned frozen. None of them spoke even when Sapnap had his hands on his hips and continued, "I can't believe the two of you are still together. You really had each other through thick and thin, never really knew-"

"Sapnap," Y/n finally spoke up, cutting him off. Every word is like a knife twisting inside where their hearts lie. He tilted his head, completely oblivious to the whole icy atmosphere that returned between the two of them. Quackity turned to look afar and Y/n had her eyes trained on Sapnap and subtly shook her head. "How's Kinoko Kingdom?" She didn't know how to divert the subject so she opted to pick one about his nation.

"Oh! You guys have to come with me to Kinoko! Especially Quackity, you need to see Karl, and-and George- but Y/n also has to come to see the updates, ya know?"

"I can go," Y/n shrugged, "But you still can't convince me to join your country."

"Ugh, you're such an idiot, Y/n. You don't know what you're missing out on." He spun to Quackity who still had a far-off look on his face, "Come on, Q! To Kinoko!"

Quackity lets out a weary laugh, "Um, ah- I, uh I've been- It's been pretty busy, I- heh. I still have to do this grand opening thing in the main casino, and I've been teaching someone all these lessons... I don't know, I'm kinda busy..."

Y/n found out through Quackity that he wasn't invited by Karl and now she understood how hurt he feels. She was welcomed by the three of them and even asked for her to join the group to which she politely declined, saying that she would prefer to be in her lonesome as she didn't want to risk another useless war with other countries and all the complicated stuff, like what had happened in Manberg, El Rapids, and Pogtopia.

Quackity insisted on the idea that all of them left him to go make a new country, but Y/n wanted to ask, "Didn't you also do that?" yet she didn't say anything.

After countless convincing, Sapnap was tenacious himself, Quackity gave in.

"Fine." She suddenly flinched when she felt him grab her wrist like earlier. "We're going. But we won't be there for long. It's just going be a quick greeting and we'll go on our way."

"Okay, let's go." Sapnap lead the way and Quackity loosened his grip, but still had his hand wrapped around hers. He pulled her towards him and she doesn't have a choice but to comply or she could face plant on the floor. Y/n didn't know whether she should hold his hand back, but she knew that Quackity wouldn't let go of her hand so soon from how tight his grip is.

"I still don't think this is a good idea, by the way," Quackity said, walking beside Sapnap who gave him a roll of his eyes. Sapnap gave the two of them a tour around the entrance of the Kinoko Kingdom, taking credit for everything they've built when Y/n knows it wasn't true.

Sapnap took them to the military building he's been boasting about, and this made Quackity tighten his hold on her hand. "You have enemies?"

"Uh," Sapnap tried to recall something. "Not yet, but you never know. Right, Y/n? We could always use some skill around here."

"I'm not gonna join you, Sapnap," she told him again.

"Well, you might have some enemies soon," Quackity said out loud, sending a chill down Y/n's spine at the tone of his voice. It sounded like a threat more than a precaution. "I don't know, it might pop out of nowhere."

The tour continued, and she noticed that every time Quackity spoke, she feels a squeeze from their interlocking hands. "Here," Sapnap gestured to a tall wooden house. "This is the oldest building we made- oh! There's Karl!"

Y/n sees the brown-haired man ascending from the stairs to their basement. She dangerously snuck a glance at the person beside him and it was back to his neutral expression again. The same expression indicates that his front is up. He went silent for a while.

"Karl!" Sapnap was overjoyed. "It's Quackity and Y/n!"

"Karl, hey," Quackity muttered gently.

"Oh, hey man, hey," Karl said to the two of them as he fidgeted with sticks.

"Welcome to our country, guys! Here, some sticks!"

The four of them were "catching up" with one another, yet Y/n felt something was off with Karl today. Ever since they saw him again, he's been acting a bit distant and closed-off. Sapnap wanted to be ecstatic on behalf of Karl but the atmosphere was still awkward, if not, more awkward than earlier.

And when Karl assumed that Y/n and Quackity are planning to move there, Quackity immediately interrupted. "Actually, I've been very busy with... Las Nevadas."

It was as though something tripped over a tripwire. Karl had gone quiet, looking between Sapnap and the two people in front of him. Sapnap, Quackity, and Y/n were very confused but were unaware that the mood is shifting into something... strange.

Quackity tried to explain the reason why Las Nevadas existed, but Karl was very dismissive and rather requested for Sapnap to go upstairs with him. He tried to laugh at the sudden meeting that was happening in front of him. He let go of Y/n's hand to climb up the ladder, curious as to what they might be talking about.

"Sapnap," Karl said, not making any effort to whisper. "Why are you carelessly letting these dangerous people in?" He scolded. "The guy down there was the reason I died, and the person with him left us without another word."

All emotions left Quackity when he heard his accusatory tone. At first, he was confused, doubting if Karl was trolling or not, but from the look of the guy's face, void of any humorous emotions, he seemed to be damn serious about it.

"What are you talking about?!"

Karl insisted that he lost a canon life because of Quackity, to which the other defended that it was all part of their plan and Karl even agreed to do it. They accused each other of doing bad things and from the front lines, Y/n would say that this is all a huge misunderstanding. Sapnap was unsure of what to do in this situation, trying to calm his friends down but they continued to bicker.

Y/n wanted to step in and mediate the whole ordeal, but in all honesty, she wanted Quackity to tell them everything he has been feeling for these past months. God knows he needs this and it might be the last thing he will ever say to them. Y/n believed that Quackity was right to accuse Karl of not inviting them to create an entire country.

But when Karl had revealed that he doesn't know anything about either Y/n and Quackity except for the fact that they did something bad, she knew something was incredibly wrong.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Quackity called after him. Sapnap, Quackity, and Y/n followed Karl with a huge question mark floating above their heads. The accusation that Karl had made was wildly unreasonable as it is, but going so far as not actually remembering him? What sick joke is this?

The volume was increasing. Quackity cried about how he sacrificed everything for his friends, but Karl's expression wasn't changing. He doesn't believe him...

"Guys, guys, calm down please!" Sapnap said, going between his two closest friends who still have something to say. "Karl is joking! Right, Karl? This is a prank, isn't it?"

"Are you just gonna forget the history of El Rapids? The history of our friendship?" Quackity shouted.

"What- WHAT HISTORY?"

And that made Y/n even more taken aback. Quackity was astounded as well, but he hid it with his anger. "'What history'?"

"Come on, Karl, this is a joke! I'm so amazed by your acting skills. We got 'em, buddy!" Y/n didn't know if Sapnap was convincing either Karl or himself.

"Sapnap, please, you're the head of the military. Escort these two fiends out of our peaceful country. I never want to see any of them again," Karl ordered before retreating to his house. Y/n staggered at the realization that Karl had truly changed.

"Fuck you, Karl. FUCK YOU! I don't need you, I don't need anyone! I can do all of these on my own, without any of your help! FUCK YOU!"

It felt like a finality when Quackity yelled those words, turning around and stomping off. One specific sentence had Y/n's chest feel heavy, but she disregarded it. Quackity is more important.

Sapnap called after the two of them. "This wasn't meant to happen, I swear! Karl wasn't-"

Y/n stopped him, placing her hands comfortingly on his shoulders. "I'm gonna take care of him. For now, you should go after Karl and convince him that we're not who he thinks we are."

He nodded before running after his friend, calling his name. And Y/n turned around, planning to console the other one. "Quackity," she hollered. She managed to catch up with him, but he was still stomping. "Quackity... Karl- he must be joking. And we both know it's a sick joke-"

"He's not fucking joking, Y/n. Didn't you hear the tone of his voice, how he accused of you leaving first?"

"I mean," that made her avoid his gaze. "He's kinda right. I-"

"Why the fuck are you defending him?" He grasps the side of her arms, forcing her to look at him. "He blamed me for the plan that we worked together. Karl agreed to be a part of the plan and sacrificed his life. I didn't outright steal it from him!"

"But-"

"And no, Y/n, he's wrong. They left first. The last person I saw in El Rapids was you before I completely destroy it. So don't feel like shit when they did the bad thing. They left us."

And you left me, was left unsaid between the two of them. Y/n could only stare at him, her lips slightly wobbling but she sucked it up, striving to look tough.

Feeling anxious under his scrutinizing gaze, Y/n pushed him away and he let go.

"Y/n..."

"Give me a second," she said, out of breath. She placed a shaky hand on her chest to stop her heart from racing. It was because of the close proximity they had and how Quackity's mouth was dangerously close to her, adding to that is the severity of the whole situation. His words echoed throughout Y/n's mind. "Did you mean it when you didn't need anyone?"

"Look, Y/n," Quackity began, placing his hands inside his pockets. "Fuck Karl, and the entirety of the Kinoko Kingdom. They left me. But you.." He sighed. "You didn't. I pushed you away, so I understand why you didn't want anything with me anymore because I might chew you out."

She nodded.

"And for the past months, I've been alone. There might be people like Sam, Foolish, and Purpled, but I've treated them like business partners, not someone who I could just tell about my inner demons so randomly. Waking up alone, enjoying the solace that my nation provides by myself is my daily routine after I have accepted fact that the everyone was gone."

Silence.

"But even if I wanted to convince myself that I should get used to this lifestyle, I'm not. There's always someone missing." Quackity glanced at her for a reaction, but she was already staring at him with tears in her eyes. "I've always thought that I didn't need anyone because I was accustomed to the lonely daily routine but I also knew that I was lying to myself. Slime made me realize that."

He might have not directly admitted it, but she knew what he meant. He needs her.

And she's willing to give him everything.

***

1 Day Before the Prison Visit

"So, are you and Quackity from Las Nevadas fine now?"

Y/n shrugged. Slime could see that her eyes have this light now instead of the dull colors he usually sees. "We still have a long way to go, Slime."

"Are you happy, Miss Y/n? I'm Slime and I help you and Quackity from Las Nevadas sort your problems out! I watched from afar."

She froze when she realized that Slime might've seen them almost leaning forward, but she caught Slime's smile slowly turned down. "But then, I also saw the people Quackity from Las Nevadas has been warning me about. He told me that I shouldn't trust them or make friends with them, saying that they're all gonna leave me and betray me!"

She didn't say anything, trying to be as neutral as possible as she uninterestedly stirred the spoon around her cup of tea.

"I have to go now, Miss Y/n."

"Oh, is it the evening already?" She brought out her clock and the hand indicated that it was indeed the evening. She stood up and escorted Slime out the door. Slime waved her goodbye and she noticed that he still has the cup in his hand, but didn't mention it. "Goodbye, Slime!"

"Farewell, Miss Y/n! I'll see you tomorrow, as usual!"

***

Day of the Prison Visit

Y/n was currently on her way towards Las Nevadas, as per Slime's request to meet. Her heartbeat was slightly escalating at the thought of possibly seeing Quackity again, but that shouldn't be the point of the meeting today. You are here for Slime. Quackity is probably busy.

She could see the huge sign from afar, but she couldn't make out Slime's silhouette at this distance. It was still a long way to go.

She was carefully treading through the sandy biome as to not get the grainy particles through her shoes. She didn't bring anything of need today (except for her OP netherite sword for defense) since she thought it's going to be a normal day of meeting with Slime.

But the sudden blaring of alarms sent her heart into a frenzy. She hadn't heard this kind of sound before, and it was so loud. It sounded like it was coming from the prison.

She completely forgot about the prison visit that Slime told her about. Did something go wrong?

Y/n continued to travel towards Las Nevadas; to make sure Slime is safe and to ask him about the matter, but when she neared the entrance, there was no sign of Slime anywhere. She reassured herself that maybe he was just inside, seeking shelter so she resumed searching for him.

The alarms were still trumpeting and it seemed to be on beat with Y/n's heart quickly beating.

From the large pole of the sign, Y/n could faintly see Purple leading Quackity and Slime towards this lone chest sitting on a floor of naked sand, and she already knew this was a trap. The sick cherry on top of a poisoned dessert was when Purpled withdrew up to a lever device, his fingers inching to grab it.

"Slime!" She shouted, but she knew it would be useless considering the great length from here to there. Y/n could helplessly watch as Purple pulled the lever and the sand collapsed from under them, taking them down into this secret room.

She willed her feet to maneuver their way around the fountains, to the right of the main casino, until she slowed down and crawled around the sand. She wanted to be careful to not blow her cover.

Y/n craned her neck to look over the massive hole the sand had conceived. Inside was a giant floating platform, surrounded by a pool of lava, granting them no escape.

She felt anxiety coursing through her veins as she overheard the conversation between Purpled and Quackity. She barely knew Purpled, but she thought he was a timid, but kind alien. Yet, seeing as he was charging towards Quackity with his sword, her idea of him changed.

Y/n wanted to help but didn't know if it would be a great time to just jump down as things might go unplanned. She knew Quackity could handle himself but she also knew that he's shit at PVP, albeit improving since the last time she taught him.

And even when she wanted to come and save him, the chances of her surviving were slim. She stupidly left her armor the one time she went outside. She cursed mentally as she tried to think of a solution until it went quiet.

She didn't know what they were talking about now, but when Y/n sees Purpled threateningly striding towards Slime, who was situated on the fucking edge of the platform, everything went blank and her instincts came in.

She had to jump down and interfere.

It didn't matter that she doesn't have armor.

She has to save Slime's life or Purpled will take it away.

Y/n jumped down from the hole and landed onto the platform, giving her fall damage because of the height and the addition of not wearing any protection, but she didn't care. She fearlessly faced Purpled with her netherite sword that was very overpowered. She didn't even give him a chance to hit her as she felt her health regenerating from her full hunger.

Purpled was damaged greatly despite his full netherite armor. It wasn't enchanted, so naturally, it would deal a heavy blow. He felt very annoyed with her endless critical hits. His health was dangerously low and she was preparing to finish him off with one last crucial hit.

The moment Y/n swung her sword down at him, Purpled took the chance to knock her back with his own weapon, effectively pushing her off the platform, but not before Y/n fortuitously struck him, and Purpled subsequently died. And at the same, she was falling down to her burning death.

"Miss Y/n!" Slime shouted from Quackity's arms that he ran into the moment she dropped down and interfere.

The two of them rushed to the edge of the platform, avoiding Purpled's things easily. Slime stood there as Quackity kneeled down on the ground and hunched his back over so he could still catch a glimpse of her. Her body was burning as she was slowly being consumed by the red, hot lava.

"Y/n! NO! No, no, no, please-" Quackity pleaded, his fingers clutching the edge of the floor tightly.

She looked up at him, as she tried to memorize his features. "Quackity-"

Her last word was of his name.

Y/n tried to swim in lava to escape Purpled.

"Y/N!" The name escaped his lips, full of anguish. It was raw, harsh, yet sorrowful all the same as it remains an echo of the room. Quackity desperately outstretched his arm towards down below as though he can still grab her hand and hoist her up.

But he closed his eyes deeply to erase the vision of her completely absorbed by the molten magma.

Something within Slime seemed to have broken into two separate pieces. He felt a sting where his eyes were as he carefully caressed it with his hand. Soon, he felt like he was sniffling and something liquid he hadn't felt before. It wasn't sticky like his slime. It reminded him of rain. It reminded him of her feelings this way before.

Was this was she felt like when he can see her crying over Quackity every day?

This new emotion struck him like thunder, the one he saw outside the window from her house that one day. It wasn't fear as she had informed him, alas, it was something much more devastating.

Slime almost loosened his grip on the teacup she had given him as it never left his side. He held it securely against his chest. He stared at Quackity, whose body was still trembling as he sobbed uncontrollably, whispering her name as if he's in a trance.

More than anything, Quackity wanted to jump in the lava himself. He feels regret in every inch of his bones. Why didn't he do anything?

Everything was starting to get clearer. He and Y/n were beginning to talk again. This was his chance on getting her back, but now she was forcibly taken away.

"Y/n..."

He breathed. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he tried to accept the terms that she was truly gone.

"Quackity from Las Nevadas?" He heard a quivering voice from Slime and he looked up at him.

Quackity completely wiped away his tears as he stood up and face him. Slime helped him remember why he built this nation in the first place. It might look like an ordinary casino as one would expect, but they haven't figured out his underlying intentions within this country.

(It correlates to the known theory that Las Nevadas is a place for betting canon lives.)

***

Quackity spent his days feeling more secluded than before. It was only a matter of grieving when he decided to visit her cabin. He strutted along the path she manually designed and he could imagine how she carefully weaved every detail in this place.

A ghost of a smile was placed upon his lips. Every time he thinks of her, it just flashes back to the sight of her burning there...

The moment he and Slime managed to get out, he immediately buried the hole with stone, not sand. He didn't want anyone falling down the same fate as she had.

With a shaky breath, Quackity opened the oak door. Once again, he was welcomed with her scent of nature, some sweet pastries here and there. He opened a few chests to see them organized, and most of the rooms were spotless.

He then ventured upstairs, and the wall beside it was full of framed photos. Most of them were of unusual mobs and plants, but one particular picture stood out among the rest.

'EL RAPIDS SUPREMACY' the caption reads.

Quackity hunched over to see the image clearer. It was the five of them standing in front of the poster for the entrance of El Rapids. They had their hands around each other, but they have their own poses. Some had peace signs, others had their tongues out.

'She still had this photo...'

He eyed the happy smiles they all had when the sudden thought had occured to him. Should he tell them that she had died?

He merely scoffed at this, shaking his head with a glare. They wouldn't bat a single eye with the news. They wanted them gone in the first place.

With hands still inside of his pockets cooly, he continued to ascend up the steps until he reached the second floor, where there were 5 different rooms. He could presume that one of those doors leads to the bathroom, then her main bedroom, the rest are guest bedrooms. Maybe one is a random storage room.

He found closed glass doors that leads to the balcony and walked towards there, his hand on the knob. The moment he opened it, strong gusts of wind greeted him. He went outside and approached the railings. It reminded him of the Needle. Albeit her house was significantly smaller compared to a literal tower, it still felt comforting. He could see the Las Nevadas sign from here, and he averted his gaze.

After a moment of recollecting his thoughts from her balcony, Quackity retreated inside. He closed the door and it shut, locked with a click sound.

His eyes widened when he suddenly heard a noise. He slowly whipped his head towards the door from his left. It must've been the wind, is what he was telling himself, until he heard shuffling from the inside.

Quackity's feet proceeded to the door, his heart hammering in his chest. He doesn't want to get his hopes up, but maybe, just maybe...

The doorknob was all of a sudden cold to his touch.

He silently turned it until the knob was loosened, and he pushed the door open.

The horror-struck look in his face did not match the serene facade she attained as she slept peacefully in her bed.

***