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It was a long day, their shift had barely ended and they were on their way to start their second, more secret shift. While many others settled down in the Green Room to relax or grab a drink at Ramb’s, Jongler passed by them on their way to the backstage rooms, only stopping for a quick chat every so often. They waved towards some Pippinses rushing past them, who didn’t seem to pay too much attention to them. And who could blame them, to them, Jongler was just an ordinary Zapper, not much different from the others. Additionally, the two groups usually didn’t get along well, with a few exceptions of course. This fact didn’t deter them from at least being polite towards their colleagues.
Their gaze lingered on two particular figures they’d seen from time to time in the red carpet room, a fellow Zapper and his little Pippins buddy. The two were always close, and this moment was no exception, far from it to be exact. The Pippins was placed on the other’s shoulder, leaning into him with a warm expression. It wasn’t long until he found the courage to place a shy kiss against the Zapper’s cheek, giggling into his little hand at the other’s startled reaction.
Jongler couldn’t help but smile at the display. Ever since they got together with their fellow Mike impostors, they’d notice the many different displays of affection happening all around them even more. Be it flirtatious teasing, innocent hand-holding, or hesitant kisses, the way those involved felt about each other was always apparent, not just in their actions and reactions, but their body language as well. Even the most confident would suddenly get nervous and stumble over their words when their significant other entered the room. They found it quite cute.
With a slight flutter in their chest, the Zapper passed the weather duo next, both too focused on each other to really notice them. Lanino took their partner’s hand in theirs and raised it up to their face, before leaving a trail of light kisses on the back of her hand. Chuckling softly to herself, Elnina used her free hand to lay it on the other’s cheek, caressing it lightly.
Jongler continued on, leaving their coworkers to themselves as they finally exited the Green Room and headed straight to the backstage. Not many would head in this direction after their shifts ended, but the Zapper still made sure nobody would be near them when they entered the secret pin on the door.
With a quiet hiss, the door slid open, and Jongler stepped inside, the soft fluttery feeling in their chest still lingering. Sometimes they wished they could properly show their partners how they felt, but with a distinct lack of a mouth, or a face as a whole for that matter, there wasn’t much they could really do.
They passed the big cat-like statues, and dug inside the pocket of their suit jacket to find a little piece of paper with barely legible words written on it. Their hand writing wasn’t really the best, but at least they could identify it themselves. After clearing their throat, they quietly spoke the words into the microphone shaped receiver next to the second door, which then opened shortly after with a click. Why two password-locked doors were really necessary for a single room, they didn’t quite know, but as long as their secret was kept secure, it didn’t matter too much.
“Yellow, boss. Sorry fer bein’ late dere.” The Pippins they spoke to barely reacted, just gave back a short grunt as an answer. He seemed a little distracted by the board he stood before, red string loosely hanging down from it. Jongler went to get one of their favorite accessories, the red bandanna Battat forbid them to wear during their non-Mike related shifts. He kept saying that the risk would be too high that others might catch on to their secret identities. Although, the Zapper had already worn it outside a few times by accident, and as far as they remembered, nobody had said or even noticed anything.
“You seen Pluey anywhere?”, the little green die then spoke up as he turned to look at his colleague, holding a pencil up to his face and lightly chewing on its end. Jongler just hummed and lowered their head a bit, holding their index finger up to their face. “Nope”, they shrugged, “haven’t seen nothin’ of ‘em-”
As if the mere mention had summoned it, the door opened once more and through came an ordinary looking, yet familiar Shadowguy, whose expression instantly lightened when it spotted its two partners. A joyous few saxophone notes sounded, and Pluey fell right into the Zapper’s arms, hugging them tightly.
“Aww, Plues… Glad ta see ya too, bud.”
The shadow nuzzled into their side, emitting a low, purr-like sound it usually made when happy or content. But just a few moments later, he broke away again to approach his other boyfriend and greet him as well. Without hesitation, he picked Battat up from behind, who let out a quick yelp of surprise at the sudden contact. He twirled him around a few times, cuddling into him a bit more.
“Hey, stop that!”, he demanded, unable to hide the color creeping up on his face, “I told you not to pick me up while I’m working!”
Pluey chuckled, pressing a quick kiss on the side of the Pippins’ face before setting him down again, watching his face turn nearly the same shade of green as his suit, all the while he desperately tried to hide behind his hands.
As Jongler watched the spectacle from behind, they couldn’t help but notice that fluttery feeling returning once more, their cheeks warming up. If they had a mouth, the wideness of their grin would simply be immeasurable. They sighed softly, tilting their head to the side as they watched Pluey pat the smaller one’s head, who had meanwhile sat down on the floor and buried his face in his hands, quietly groaning and mumbling to himself. It was a shame they weren’t able to express their feelings the same way as these two did, they thought. Sure, they could pick them up, hug them, or hold their hands, but beyond that? Their options for showing physical affection were sadly very limited.
An alarm sounded and the smallest of the three jumped to his feet, seeming almost glad he could escape the situation, heading straight to the wardrobe and coming out in his Mike disguise shortly after. Now the three’s secret shift had officially started.
---
While Battat was busy attending a meeting with the big boss, Jongler and Pluey stayed behind in their shared room, relaxing on the large bed as they cuddled into one another. The Zapper’s thoughts kept wandering back to various scenes they’d experienced today. From the Pippins and Zapper pair, over to the weather duo, and lastly to their own two partners, their little shared moments circled around in their mind, and finally they sighed. Would they ever be able to do these same things for their boyfriends?
Pluey lifted their head, their gaze meeting the other’s as they hummed a short sequence of notes in a questioning tone.
“Ah, ‘s nothin, really. Jus’ thinkin bout things, ya know.”
The Shadowguy didn’t seem too convinced however, now turning over to lay on its stomach and facing its partner. They stiffened up a little in response, before another sigh escaped them.
“Ya knows. Da whole uh. Havin ‘n not havin of mouths. Cos youse two can like, kiss each otha an’ allat”, they paused for a moment, turning their head to the side in what seemed like shame, “…‘n I can’t.”
Pluey furrowed his brow, carefully reaching for the other’s face and turning it back to make them look at him again. Even with his partner’s lack of facial features, he instantly knew when something was bothering them. He then smiled warmly, lovingly caressing their cheek as he gave them an answer in the form of a few notes.
“Youse don’t?”, Jongler questioned as they perked up a little, their head tilting to the side a bit, “But ain’t couples s’posed ta-”
They got interrupted by Pluey placing its finger in the middle of their face while shaking its head. A little softer than before, it played another, longer string of notes, to which the Zapper hesitated to answer, pressing their index fingers together. “...But I wants to.”
The room fell silent for a few moments, the two of them just staring at each other as if completely stunned.
“Ah, sorry. Dat was weird, was it?” Jongler sat up a little, looking the other way as they flushed in a light pink hue, attempting to move away a bit. They didn’t get very far, as their boyfriend placed a hand on their shoulder, effectively keeping them seated where they were. He inched closer again, this time slowly laying on top of them, careful not to press the buttons on their chest by accident. He knew how sensitive they were, and he didn’t want to unintentionally raise or lower their volume too much without warning.
The Zapper didn’t resist, instead wrapped their arms around their partner, assuming it just wanted to continue snuggling. After another second of silence that felt like hours to them both, Pluey finally shuffled ever so slightly closer, placing a quick kiss on the other’s cheek. And then another, and another. Many, many more followed, until it cupped Jongler’s head in its hands and, with a smitten smile, leaned forward to softly press its lips against the other.
Despite the initial strange feeling, the taller quickly relaxed into the sensation, tilting their head further sideways. They gave off a deep, low hum, low enough to make their entire head vibrate lightly, which made the other giggle and smile into the kiss even more.
They parted for a moment, Pluey cocking their head to the side in a questioning manner, as the both of them flushed in a soft red hue. The other let out a short chuckle, holding their index finger up to their face.
“Dat was, uh. Real nice.”, the Zapper spoke softly, “Can we’s... do dat again?”
The Shadowguy happily obliged, pleased that their partner seemed to have enjoyed it. The moment their lips touched the other’s face once more, they both couldn’t help but giggle, happy they get to share such a gesture with one another. Jongler leaned in ever further, breaking away for a moment to rest their foreheads together, until they started nuzzling against the other in pure joy, humming in that low tone again. When they were about to break away again, a small static shock caught the shadow off guard, and they jumped up in surprise, accidentally smashing the buttons on the other’s chest.
Jongler nervously gestured around with their hands, now blushing a little more than before as they tried to apologize to their partner, who only looked at them with a puzzled expression. When its only response was a confused head tilt, the Zapper quickly realized what seemed to be the issue, and promptly pressed a few of their own buttons.
“Ah, dere we are. Must’a muted me.”, they spoke as they redirected their attention back to Pluey, who had in the meantime calmed down again. “Sorry bout dat right dere, Plue”, they gently patted his head, “did I’s hurt’cha?”
Pluey hesitantly shook its head, still a little perplexed. That came from them? Not that it bothered it too much, the zap tickled more than anything, but it came so suddenly and out of left field that it had startled it. Heck, it didn’t even know Zappers could do that to begin with!
“Dunno why I dids dat”, they looked away again in embarrassment, scratching the back of their head, “but, uh, ya mind if… we’s try dat again? If it’s okay wif ya, I mean.”
The Shadowguy just chuckled lightly, his partner could be so adorable when nervous. Usually they were the most casual and confident in their polycule when it came to giving and receiving affection, but seeing them so flustered all of a sudden was just so endearing to him, he simply couldn’t stop smiling at them.
When Pluey slowly leaned forward again and let the tip of their nose touch the other, Jongler was the one to close the gap once more, nuzzling into their partner and holding them as close to their body as they feasibly could. The shadow happily let them take the initiative, and soon their lips started to tingle with every tiny electrical zap that hit them. It felt a little strange at first, but Pluey quickly got used to the sensation. This is what people must have meant when they said there was a spark between two other people.
Jongler pulled away again, face flushed in a bright red, “Was dat… okay?” Their boyfriend smiled widely, emitting a low purr and nuzzling close into their chest, placing one more little kiss onto their cheek to emphasize that, indeed, it had been more than okay to him. The Zapper breathed a short sigh, which sounded like a mix of relief and satisfaction. They were glad they could finally show how much they loved their significant others, even if it wasn’t in the most conventional way.
“Love ya, Plues”, they spoke softly as the other leaned in further, a quiet note following right after.
“Am I interrupting something?”
Their shared bedroom door opened, revealing their third member standing in the doorway, an utterly exhausted look on his face. That meeting must have been exceptionally unpleasant today. Without a word, Jongler scooted ever so slightly to the side, patting the space next to them invitingly, to which the smallest released a groan, but then quickly joined the cuddle pile. Even if he usually resisted quite a bit more, the shift he came from right now was incredibly frustrating, and he knew he needed to vent to somebody before he either exploded or lost his mind completely.
Battat let himself get scooped up and placed into the tallest one’s lap together with Pluey, who instantly wrapped their arms around him and nudged his head with their own. Jongler meanwhile started patting his head, waiting for him to get comfortable enough to air out his anger.
“Okay, so get this...”