Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Redd looked into the horizon as he stood over the balcony. The sky was filled with clouds, and the surroundings were just at the right temperature. Not too warm, not too cold.
Ever since the… situation that happened yesterday– Redd had been hanging around in his base ever since. Not because he's scared, not because he's embarrassed. He just wanted to spend time with himself, all alone, for now. He needed some time to process what happened, after all.

He needed some time to process that he has a clone now. An identical duplicate person of himself. If that even makes sense.
…he also needed to process the fact that he kissed his own clone–

No, wait– fuck. He wanted to forget about that. Crap. There's no way that even happened in the first place, right? Was he going insane? Redd didn't kiss Doons right? He never will. He's not like Derapchu. He's not like them. Maybe he just got possessed by something– maybe the clone put a love spell on him– he just didn't want to admit he did that. Never in a million years.

He let out a tired groan, then combed through his red hair with his hand. Regret– and perhaps denial– was rushing through his entire body. Does that make sense? Redd looked down at the green nature below him. Some flowers were slowly blooming, since it's about to be spring. The cold wind gently blew through his hair. Wow, why is it that when he's stressed, the world and the server looks ten times better than before?

Redd sensed a figure steadily entering the balcony. Then in the corner of his eyes, he saw his clone- no, Doons– looking at the sky too. The guy immediately turned his gaze away, since the sun seemed to be blinding his eyes. It's weird seeing himself sit with him. That same face, same body, same clothes, same sunglasses, same blue eyes. It's cute.

No- no, hell no. He's not cute. Doons’ not cute. What was he thinking?

Redd could feel the silence fall between them, and it was heavy. He didn't like that whatsoever. Redd tried muttering at least something.
“Good morning, dude.”

That was stupid. Good morning? He could've said something way better.

Doons tapped his fingers onto the balcony bars for a moment before hesitantly answering. “Good …. Good morning?” oh, great. He made the clone hella confused.

“Are you bored too?” Redd says, turning his body around to face him properly.

Doons nodded. “What can you really do as a clone anyway?”

“Pft, yeah, you can't do anything, do you?” The clone was pathetic after all. He didn't look like he would be good at scamming or some shit like that.
Thankfully, he still remembers how much of a loser Doons is, so even when Doons seemed like he was trying to imitate him properly, he'll forever know that this clone had failed from the start.

Doons looked around the spot for a moment, then his voice dropped to a slight whisper. “Uhm… about… about yesterday… why did you–”

He puts up a hand onto his mouth. “Dont. Bring. That. Up. Okay?”

Doons nodded repeatedly. It's like seeing a deer get scared seeing a gun pointed at it. Redd lets go of his face and sighed.
“That was an accident, okay? Just- just don't talk about it unless I want you to.” Redd insisted, “Besides, I don't even like you that much.”

“Why not? I- im you.”

“Y-you’re not me. You're just… my clone. Some alter ego. You're not my mirror. Just a twin that's not blood related.”

“...I see.”

“I also feel weird talking to myself like this. Everything except your way of talking? All the same as me.”

“... so you want me to wear something else or..?”

Huh. He got a point. Redd does have the other pair of clothes he got when he was back in the maze. Actually lets not talk about that–
“Wow. That's something smart that you just said. I didn't know you could do that.” Redd says. Then he turns back around, facing the view of the landscape yet again.

He let the silence fill in the air this time, as he was sure neither of them knew what to say next. Of course Redd knows, Doons has the same brain as his. Same amount of wrinkles (which is almost none) and same amount of brain cells (also almost none)

Redd sees the other disappearing from the corner of his eye, and at first he thought the clone wanted to leave the balcony at first– but then it seemed that Doons stopped briefly. He spoke up again.
“... So, do you… do you just hate me now or..?”

Redd sighed, “Sorta. You kinda ruined me a little.” He replied, turning around once again to face him.

“... But… I mean… Well, sorry about that whole situation, but–” Doons locked eyes with him. “– But, well, y-you were the one who went and kissed me in the first place, that was your action, not mine. I-i know I'm your clone and all but, I don't know, I just find it unfair to blame your own quirks onto me.”

For the first time in ever, Redd could see a short, tiny glimpse of some sort of stupid bravery in Doons’ eyes. And that alone felt terrifying.

His eyebrows furrowed. “I'm not blaming you, dumb-head. I'm saying that it was an accident– actually, let's pretend I never did any of that. That was fake, an imagination.”

“... Huh. Okay. So you… So you don't want to admit you did that?”

This guy is talking a bit too much like him. Is he saying all these simply as an attempt to imitate Redd?

Redd takes a deep breath, and then tries to calm down a bit.

“Yes, exactly. How about we steer our focus away from that situation as far as possible? I don't care what you do, but if it's ruining you and me both, it'll become a problem. So don't go around telling people stuff. Okay?”

Doons blinked a few times, then chuckled to himself. “Sure, okay. Will do that.”

His eyes narrowed, it's barely visible, especially with his sunglasses.
“What's so funny, Doons?”

“Nothing, nothing. Sorry. Bye, Redd.”

The clone finally left the spot, heading over to another room. Thank God, he's finally alone. Redd huffed a sigh of relief, and dug his head into his hands.

He can't live normally anymore now, since he has a clone now, and that whole situation still lingers around his mind. He does admit that he's sort of great at kissing–

Well, he can admit that one, maybe. Just maybe. Or maybe not. He just knows that he will never admit that Doons is good enough for him. That's his own clone. There's no way he'll do anything like that to Doons. Even drunkenness and any love spells won't force him onto falling head over heels to Doons.

He swore it on his life. Maybe his heart. Wait, not the hearts, that's too valuable.

Oh, who even gives a fuck anymore.

Chapter Text

Two days prior, Redd had finally decided to get out of his bed-rotting activities and take a step into the outside world. He preferred sleeping in there, but at the same time, he needed to balance it by looking at nature– after all, Reddoons didn't want to get called a loner.

So he decided to take a little walk! Just a walk. Wandering around the whole server, it's basically like a mini tour, except he slightly doesn't care about the builds around Spawn.

The redhead did keep an eye out for anyone who might interfere, though. Especially Zam. And his clone! Don't forget about him. Doons might ruin his day if he let that guy take over his mind again.

Zam on the other hand, had his secrets. The only one who witnessed him disgustingly doing lip-to-lip action with his own clone. He didn't want to call that a kiss. It's more like an oxygen exchange! A business deal to trade their breaths! That makes sense, right?

Well, since that stupid, evil prince saw him doing that with Doons, and Redd saw him hanging out with Derap and Pangi– there's no denying that Zam had definitely told them about that situation. Though, he did sense some sort of doubt in their faces, so at least that's good news.

As he was roaming around the slightly less visited part of Spawn, he heard some footsteps. It's quiet and barely noticeable. He could narrow it down on which person it was, according to that information. Maybe it's just Doons (bad news), maybe it's his brother Spep (also bad news), or–

His thoughts were interrupted as a hand was placed on his shoulders hardly, and he flinched a little at the action. When he turned his head to the side, he saw–

Huh. Ashswag?

Oh, that's fine. It's just Ash! Just a good friend who doesn't know anything, right? It's been a long time since he's spoken a word to the man.

He grinned ear to ear and spoke first. “Hey, Ash. Long time no see, huh?”

While he gave Ash a nice smile, Ash responded with narrowed eyes, and a face of curiosity. A face that is searching for answers.

… a face… searching for answers.

There's no way the news got to him, right–

“Hi, Redd.” He looked away as he said that. Ash's voice was usually quiet, but this time it felt like a whisper.

That was concerning.

“What's up, Ash? Anything wrong? How's your girlfriend doing?” His heart was beating faster. It's fine, Ash was just in a bad mood and needed to see Redd because he's lonely, right?

Ash sighed. “... Squiddo is alright. Pretty as always. But I came here to talk to you about something.”

No way.

Something– oh, silly him! Redd is just overthinking all this. Maybe he wants to recruit Redd into a team. Maybe he wants relationship advice. Maybe somebody built an orbital strike cannon again. Maybe war is happening.

He fixed his sunglasses a bit, then said, “Oh, you… you wanna talk, huh? What happened? War again?”

“It's not about war. Nor is it about anything related to the server,” Ash explained, “... It's about you.”

At that moment, he froze.

When Ash saw Redd speechless and impatiently waiting for him to say something, he continued. “Squiddo heard something from her teammate Pili– and Pili heard from Pangi, that Zam–” He paused, frowning as he was trying to form the next words carefully.

“That..?”

“... Zam said that he cloned you, is that right?” Ash asked, gripping his shoulders tight.

Fuck.

“Oh, yeah, that's right. Crazy, right? Pft, that clone was a loser.” He faked a chuckle.

But Ash of course saw through it.

Of course he does.

If he's talking about Doons, then he's gonna talk about that.

Ash locked eyes with him, glaring at him like he committed a crime. “... Redd.”

“Yeah?”

“Did you kiss the clone?”

Fuck.

FUCK.

“WH-what?! What are you saying dude? Pft- why- wh-why would I do that?” He tried pulling his hands away from his shoulders, but he just couldn't escape from this confrontation.

“Redd, don't lie to me. I know you did. I have seen those eyes before. I know you're lying.”

Shit. Oh God. Why did this happen? Why can't he just be peaceful for at least once?!

He attempted to lie again, “Come on, man. Why do you not trust your closest buddy? I'm not lying. Besides, why would I even kiss my clone in the first place? That's very out of character for me, and you know that.”

Ash frowned. “... You're ‘my closest buddy’, yes. And yes I know that's out of character for you to do that.” He exclaimed, “But still, I just needed an honest answer. Did you kiss your clone?”

Redd was running out of words. Running out of ways to make Ash believe him.

If he admitted that, it'll make Redd look weird.

He's already known to be a weird loner enough, he didn't need this to be added to the insults list!

“Come on, Redd, answer me, dude.”

Redd cursed under his breath, then groaned annoyance.
“Fine, goddamnit! I did that. I- no, I didn't- okay, I did that, but it was an accident– but no- I actually- no, well actually yes but I don't like Doons that way! That was- that was a breath exchange–”

Ash let go of his shoulders, then chuckled a few moments later. Redd felt offended a bit.
“What, am I weird now?! Are you just gonna use this info against me or something?”

“No, no. I'll keep that a secret if you want. But well, Zam is already on a mission to spread that around, so good luck, man.” He patted him on the back.

“Why are you so chill about this? I literally just confirmed to you that I ki- no, I mean, made lip contact with– with Doons- no, I mean, my clone.”

Ash snickered once again. “What, you gave him a name now? Doons? Seriously? Okay, man. You might have a little something wrong inside your head.”

“What else am I supposed to call him?! Besides, that's what you would probably also do if Zam cloned you.” He said, glaring at him.

The other nudged his shoulders. “Hey, if you don't want anyone on this server, and you think you're handsome and kissable, then go on and marry that clone, man. Or was it Doons?”

Redd rolled his eyes. “I'll never do that. I will not marry myself. That's something Derap or Pangi would do.”

“So you don't want to admit you made out with your clone because you don't want to be seen as the same level as Derapchu?”

“Exactly. I'm normal. I'm normal, average, sane, safe, and will stay without a partner.”

Ash poked a finger at his head. “Denial is a river, Redd. Soon enough, you're probably gonna start going crazy because you find yourself handsome or something.”

“My clone is not handsome, he's cute.” He widened his eyes when he realised what he blurted out.

He did not just say that out loud did he.

HE DIDN'T.

Ash's chuckles turned into a full on laugh. “Cute? Seriously? God, Redd, you weren't like this. Why did you turn gay out of nowhere?”

Redd was speechless. Frozen. Where the fuck did that come from? How and why did his mind suddenly betray him out of nowhere? Cute? Seriously? Even Redd was shocked at what he just said.

“That… that was an accident.”

“Okay, dude. Accidents. That's fine. It happened to me once with my girlfriend. She's now my girlfriend.”

“Shut up about your girlfriend. Fuck off.” He looked away. Out of both embarrassment, and that kind of feeling where he felt like he was better off somewhere else. Not in a suicidal way, he just wished he didn't go here or something.

“Alright, alright, I'll leave now, Redd. Have fun with your fantasies, man. I'm not judging you.” Ash playfully nudged his shoulders again, before running off into a distance.

After he was sure that Ash was far, far away from the spot, he let out a frustrated noise. Not quite a scream, not quite a groan. What that is, he didn't know.

He huffed out a sigh. God. He regretted everything. Doons might be the next reason he wanted to kill himself.

Chapter Text

This was the most terrible week Reddoons had ever had in his entire life. He regretted everything he had done so far. It's just so embarrassing how he even thought of Doons that way in the first place. But, well, he at least survived, kinda. So that's at least one win.

It was almost midnight, and he was getting bored and running out of things he could do. So Redd decided to finally sleep early. He went upstairs and headed to his bedroom,then immediately plummets himself onto the soft bed. He pulled the blankets up and covered himself with it. He didn't bother changing into his pajamas nor did he bother about his clone being in the room standing in front of a mirror weirdly. That did make him a bit curious, but he's tired at the moment, so he'll ask tomorrow morning.

He closed his eyes, then let his mind swallow him whole as he tried to fall asleep.

Tried.

Usually, when he closes his eyes when he's laying on a bed like this, he'll immediately fall asleep. This was a bit strange. Maybe he didn't try hard enough? Eh, it'll probably take a few minutes or so, right? He waited patiently.

The clock was ticking.

Slowly.

Just a few seconds now.

…

…

Well, okay then. He can't sleep for some reason. Great. He can't sleep. He groaned tiredly, then turned his body around and stared into the ceiling. This is so awful. Life is the worst. Redd glanced at Doons, who's still sitting in front of the mirror staring into something he couldn't figure out what. It's getting suspicious. Then, he let out a sigh, intentionally loud to make the clone look at him. Doons, as expected– immediately turned his face towards him. Looking curious, and concerned.

“Doons.” He calls out, and the other guy tenses up.

He hummed, “Yeah..?”

“Come here.” Redd gestured to him. He pushed himself off the bed into a sitting position as Doons approached him slowly and hesitantly.

“I can't sleep.”

The clone lowers his mask down to his chin. “.... Oh. Okay… do you want me out of the room?” Doons offered.

“... Eh. No. I don't know, just do something that makes me sleep.” He leaned onto the bed's frame behind him, then took off his sunglasses and put it aside.

Doons’ eyes darted around the room for a moment, then let out a quiet gasp. “... You… Do you want me to, maybe, read a story for you?”

He furrowed his eyebrows, then sneered. “Who do you think I am? A child? I don't need any fairytales to make me sleep.”

“... Well, it looks like there's not much options anyway. And it's not like I'll tell you something like Cinderella.” Doons fidgets with the edge of his sleeve.

“What? You're just gonna come up with somethin’? I don't know if that'll work but okay.”

Redd chuckled a little bit. This clone is so damn funny for some reason. He makes him laugh.
Not because he's funny in a good way! Doons is simply a joke himself. A loser.

Redd laid down on the bed then wrapped the blanket over his body. “Come on. Spill some tea.”

Doons tapped his fingers on his knees, eyes gazing through nothing and everything at the same time. It seems like it'll take some time. Redd just watched as Doons started looking more nervous as the silence went on. He saw doubt in his eyes. Those cute blue eyes.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵- no, nevermind, he didn't mean to say that. No way.

Doons finally spoke up again after a few moments. “I figured it out. I think you'll like this one.”

“Sure, sure. Whatever. Tell the tale.” He put both his hands under his head.

Doons grinned ear to ear, and his cheeks flushed red a little. That's a bad sign. He's probably not gonna enjoy this shitty story. Oh God, he's doomed. So doomed.
Redd closes his eyes, getting ready to hear whatever the fuck Doons wanted to tell him.

“So, uh… once… once upon a time… right? Once upon a time, there was a– a brave, courageous and tough guy in a- 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬- a place called Lifesteal. H-his- his name was Reddoons. Right?”

Oh great. Well, he can accept being complimented like that, at least. He hummed, gesturing to him to continue.

“So- uhm… you see, he's- great, okay? So, one day, when it was a cloudy day, birds were chirping, and- uhm… it's really peaceful, right?”

“Uh huh.”

“You see, on that day, Reddoons found a big, dark cave, right? Dark and massive. And he went on to check it, like the brave man he is.” Doons said, chuckling under his breath.

Suspicious.

Redd was getting suspicious on how much compliments he's been getting from this story… Well, at least it's in character.

Doons continued, “After walking deep into the depths of the- the cave… Redd found a single mirror, framed with gold, carved onto the cave's wall, like it belonged there. So- so he was getting curious, and decided to look at his own reflection on the m-mirror.”

… too original…

“And, and then suddenly– uh, the mirror… uhhm..”

“What, it broke?” He asked, encouraging him to continue.

“No, no, it showed the exact reflection of Redd, but the reflection suddenly moved when he was just standing there.”

“Wow. Horrific. I'd totally scream if that happened.” Redd added, sarcastically.

“Well- uh, then Reddoons took some steps back away from the mirror, and then suddenly the- the reflection… well..”

“The reflection?”

“Suddenly, the reflection- the reflection went 𝘰𝘶𝘵 of the mirror.” Is this a horror movie or something? Redd felt like this clone just wanted to scare him.
“So then, Redd was shocked, but since he's so brave and strong, he didn't get scared.”

Too many compliments…

“Then the other- the mirror reflection, the clone, if you could call it that–” 𝘶𝘩 𝘰𝘩. “– it suddenly 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥.” 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨.

“Wow. Really? What did it say?” He tried playing along.

Doons let out a quiet giggle to himself. 𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯. “Uhh… it- the reflection said…–” He paused for a moment. A bit too long.

Redd opened his eyes and looked towards Doons, who looked like he was reconsidering the whole plot. It was probably a bad one. Well, whatever. He's not good at telling tales in the first place, maybe it's Redd's fault.

“What did it say?” Redd repeated.

“... I just realized, you probably wouldn't like this part.”

“Goddamnit. You're a prick.” Redd rolled his eyes. “Just continue. I'll criticise later.”

“O-okay…” Doons took a deep breath, then continued. “I… so… the clone said– uhh.. Something like… ‘you've walked into a place you shouldn't have walked into, and thus now you're-’...”

“I'm what? Trapped in there?”

“Yes! Y-yeah. You're trapped in there now.”

At least he guessed that one right.

Redd snickered, “That's bullshit, but okay.”

“But, uh, the guy offered Reddoons two options, though, depending on whether Redd wants to get out of that cave or not.” He added.

“What's the offer?” Redd asked. Why is he even playing along with this stupid clone anymore? It's so funny.

“Well… it's either you get trapped in that cave forever in the mirror… Or…” Doons suddenly lean in a bit too close. His face was 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 in front of him.

Redd locks eyes with him. “.. Or what? Do favors? Lure people in? Get out with a curse?” He was starting to get a tad bit nervous. Especially with how close their faces were.

“Marry me,” Doons insisted, “That's what he offered. To get out of the cave.”

Silence fell between them. Redd couldn't tell whether this clone was serious or not. He was piercing his eyes right through his soul. He felt 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮? The fuck?

“... Wh-what did I choose?”

“This is where the story gets interactive. What would you do?” Doons said, tilting his head to the side. Grinning ear to ear like he has some sort of malicious intent.

What, is this clone going to kill him right now? Is that why he's been in this room staring into the mirror? Is this clone going to– ah, 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬.

“I don't like this story…” Redd looks away, pushing Doons’ face away from him with his hand. But Doons resisted and leaned closer again. Why is he trying to pin him down? Weirdo… fucking… weirdo..

“One question… who's the clone.. In the story…?” Redd asked. It's just to make sure.

“Me.” Doons said, playing with Redd's hair.
Ah. Right. Of course.

Why does the clone want to marry him all of the sudden? This is a very bad character interpretation. Redd wouldn't do that. The heck?

Redd tried pushing him away again, but well, it still didn't work. This clone really just wanted to invade his personal space. He sighed, “Wh-why are you suddenly asking to marry me? That's like… not… not something I'd do… y'know that right?”

“Yes it is, “ Doons argued, "Y'know, Redd… I asked Zam a few days ago about how I- I'm able to be so… so… different… from you..”

The topic suddenly changed. Well, that's a bit great. “Oh! He figured it out? What's the answer?”

“... Basically he said that… I'm- I'm your clone, but at the same time, my existence is created by actual, real feelings and personality from yours, ones that you keep in the back of your mind… abandoned, basically.”

“... So… you're saying that..?”

“I'm saying that you kissing me a few days ago was probably because you thought of doing that to your clone way before I existed. Maybe.” Doons explained.

Bullshit. Fucking bullshit. Redd tried to sit up from the bed, but Doons was quick to stop him and push him back.

“I thought you wanted to sleep?” The clone asked, adding 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 fuel to the fire. “Or did you change your mind?”

Redd was getting pissed off. “Where are you getting all this ego and courage from? And you really thought I'm gonna fall for that?”

Doons frowned a little. He fidgeted with his sleeves as he said, “Well… I mean… I don't know. I kinda got it from you. And others, I guess…”

“You literally just told me a bedtime story where you proposed to me. Since when was I this desperate for myself?”

“I just– I don't know…” Doons looked around the room, then locked eyes with him again. Redd's face flush red. Because of embarrassment and anger, obviously.

“Redd… well… I just– I just kinda missed that kiss, you know?” Doons admitted.

His eyes widened out of shock. He even flinched.

The fuck.

Miss? Kiss? Oh God. Oh he's gonna 𝘥𝘪𝘦. This clone seriously wants to kiss 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯? He'd promised him to never do that again. To never bring that up again.

But now Doons suddenly is so down bad for him? Nonsense.

Redd didn't know what to do. He can't try to sit up and escape, since Doons would just push him back (Sounds like he wants to do something). Redd didn't know what he could do. Will he get killed if he says no? Sounds like he would be. Doons did gain some sort of intelligence for some reason.

Ah… great. He can't do anything.

… Okay, maybe he can, but… he wouldn't like the choice. 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘱.

Redd sighed. “You– you're saying that you want to marry me? Or you just w-want to kiss?”

Doons gazed into his eyes as he thought deeply, then he muttered, “Well. Marrying sounds kind of a hassle… I was sort of joking, anyway. I just… wanted to.. Kiss again.”

“You're a dumbass.” Redd spat out, "You're really, really a dumbass. Don't you know that?”

“I know.”

Redd raised one brow. This clone is getting more and more weirder as the days pass. He really hated this. He hated this feeling.
“... Look, I– I just want to sleep. Can you just like, go away for a few hours? I'll think about it when I wake up. Okay?”

Thankfully, Doons is very easy to control. “Oh. Okay. Sure. Goodnight, then.”

“... Goodnight…” He murmured under his breath. He's not sure if Doons could hear it or not. Not that he cares, though.

Redd glanced at the clone, who finally decided to get off the bed and head out into another room. After making sure Doons was far away from the room, his shoulders fell limp and he let out a tired groan.

Oh, who gives a fuck anymore. It's all bullshit. Marry him? Sounds like total nonsense. Redd didn't have any sort of idea how this could've happened. Sure, maybe it's his fault, he did lip contact (kissed) the clone, but Doons didn't have to just.. Fall head over heels like that.

After all, no matter how hard Doons will try, no matter how cute or handsome Doons will become, he'll never do that. He's not weird. Redd isn't a weirdo. He's not like that.

Right? Right.

He huffed out a sigh, then closed his eyes again. Attempting to sleep again after that happened will be difficult, but he really was tired and sleepy from all this. All these stupid things. Maybe It'll work out.

Chapter Text

When Redd woke up from his slumber, the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was his empty ceiling. Pretty normal at first, but then a few seconds later– just as he was about to process his existence, out of nowhere– he saw his own face, looking down at him. Doons simply just stared down without his usual sunglasses and mask. He was still in the process of trying to exist in the real world, so they ended up locking eyes together.

After a while, Redd finally managed to find his voice again and spoke first. “... Why.. Why are you s…staring at me like that?”
Redd rubbed his eyes as he waited for an answer.

It took longer than expected, for some reason. Which is concerning.
“Nothing… good morning, Redd.” Doons adjusted his position, and sat up beside the redhead. Oh God, finally, the guy is off his face.

Redd sits up, then heaps off from the bed. He stretched his arms a bit, yawned, then turned back around on Doons. This guy is just staring at him this whole time.

“You look like you didn't sleep.”

“You’re right. I didn't.” Doons admitted. It's shocking, to say the least.

He was getting weirded out by this clone. This is so weird. So fucking weird.

Redd tried his best to continue living like normal. Tried ignoring Doons. But the clone just… followed him around the house. Around the base. Not in the bathroom, of course. But when he got out he just stood there, looking like he was waiting. Which is still weird.

Seriously, though. It was getting concerning. Every little step he takes, Doons always ends up closer again. To the kitchen, to his farm, to his storage room, to his living room, to literally everywhere.

Redd made a bold decision and went outside. He thought the clone would stop following him, but guess what– Doons kept doing that. He turned around, and the clone stopped.

“Why are you following me?” Redd asked, annoyed by his actions.

“I'm not.” Doons said, obviously lying.

Well, maybe it's better to ignore this guy. He wasn't worth his attention in the first place. Redd walked over all the way from his base to Spawn. And, yes, Doons was still walking close behind him. It's like a clingy puppy. A puppy that wasn't his, yet still wanted him, as if he was his owner.

It's cute.
Wait, no, fuck it isn't. Shit.

Redd shakes his head at the thought, then continues walking. He roamed around the spot for quite some time– occasionally greeting some people to help his mind steer away from Doons. Even though he was literally right beside him. Either beside or behind.

Then… Well, here comes chaos. He was in a slightly quieter place, close to a forest. And yes, Doons was behind him. Not that he cared. Not in the slightest. Redd then stopped walking, and stood still in the middle of the grass grounds to bless his eyes with some green nature. It was peaceful. Kind of nice.

Then, he was reminded that Doons was behind him, and his frown returned.
He turned around, and Doons immediately looked up at him. Almost looking a bit too excited that he gave the slightest bit of attention.

“Why are you following me, Doons?” It's been a while since Redd had muttered that name. It felt wrong in his mouth, for some reason.

He could see the eyes beneath the sunglasses darting around the forest, trying to think of an answer. A proper lie. It's bullshit, honestly.

Redd sighed, “Come on. I know you're following me. Why are you following me right now?”

Doons fidgeted with his sleeves.
“... I… I feel like you’re… forgetting s-something. That's why.”

“Ah. Right. You could've just said that way earlier, ya know?” Redd chuckled, “What am I forgetting, huh?”

“... My… my request. Last night.”

… request?

Ah. Right. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 one.

Redd rolled his eyes and sneered, “Oh, please. You're seriously reminding me of that? You're unbelievable.”

“I-i just… I wanted to know your answer. You said… you were gonna think about it..” Doons said, smiling.

He wants that grin 𝘰𝘧𝘧 that fucking face. Freak.
“You basically asked to marry me. Even tried to convince me that your feelings are the same as mine. This is so pathetic.”

“Ash said you told him that I was cute though.”

𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘵. Did Ash seriously tell him that? Maybe Doons was stalking him at that time and heard it, then he pretended he heard it from Ash. Ah, who even cares anymore?

He flushed red (out of embarrassment, totally) and groaned. “Why are you like this? This isn't how I act.”

“Well, you're probably right,” Doons attempted to step closer, “But you– I mean… I don't care if Zam was wrong about me based on your personality or something… because I just… I may or may not like you. Basically.”

“So what?! And we both know I'll hate you forever. What's your goddamn point you're trying to make?” Redd argued. “Besides, I was just joking when I said you were cute.”

“Was that kiss a joke too?”

“Stop bringing that up.”

“I-”

Redd cuts him off, “God, can't you just move on from that? Get that stupid feeling outta your head? You know I want to forget that. You should do the same. You should move on, maybe even try being your own person instead.”

Doons went quiet. Good. Finally, he was getting overwhelmed from hearing his own voice argue at him. Argue over Redd's genuineness. The kiss. Whatever.

Redd sighed tiredly. Then, he finally proceeded on his walking journey. Doons seemed to hesitate on following at first, but did it anyway.

It's fine. He can just ignore the clone. Completely forget he's there. It's easy, after all. Very easy.

Redd roamed around the forest, carefully observing the trees that surrounded him. The sun was brighter today. Maybe it's summer. He forgot what month it was. Which– he's not sure if that's a bad thing or not. Probably bad, only if someone asks him what date today is though.

Ahead of him, outside of the forest, appears to be a massive beach. Since he was now on a part of the server that almost nobody visits, maybe it's best to linger around here for a while. He headed towards the beach, then tensed up a bit at the wind that blew harshly towards him. Well, that's weird, but at least he wouldn't be sweating too much.

Redd stopped by at the beach, looking out into the horizon as the sound of the ocean waves echoed through his ear. It was quite peaceful. It's unbelievable that he could still feel this way even when Doons was right behind him. He stood tall on the sand field as he glanced over his shoulders to observe the clone closely.

He's still acting all odd. That nervous expression he does whenever Redd stares him down, suddenly always fidgeting with his sleeves… and so much more. Seeing himself act so out of character felt offending. Upsetting. Embarrassing.

“Doons, one question.” He calls out.
As expected, Doons immediately focused on him.

“Why do you like me that much? There's a chance you'll disappear since you're.. Well.. You're just a clone.”

Doons opened his mouth, but was quick to close it again. Hesitance and doubt was visible on his face. Redd sighed.
“Come on. You can be honest. Nobody's here to interrupt.”

The clone looked at the ocean, then back at him. He hesitantly admitted, “I… I'm not.. I'm not sure either. It's just… ever since I saw you, you- I don't know. When you called me cute and… Did that.. I just felt flattered.”

Redd couldn't help but laugh. “Flattered? Seriously?”

“Well, not just flattered,” Doons added, “I felt sort of… I don't know. Aroused? I don't know how to describe it. The way you decided to kiss me that day. It was nice. It felt good. And… uhm.. The way you kept denying me over and over again even though there's… no denying… over that.”
“The way you just… stare me down… like I'm a pathetic prey… which I probably am… God, Redd, you're– you're also really handsome too, which- I mean… It's stupid, but I'm telling the truth.”

Then, the clone stopped. Which means he was done.

That's it?

… That's… that's the reason? Him existing alone made his own clone fall in love with him?
It was so stupid. Doons didn't act the same as him, and that's what pissed him off for some reason. For… For some reason.
Well, Doons was…

Huh. The clone was right. Now that he thought about it, it's weird how he kept trying to force himself to hate his clone, simply because he didn't want to admit he kissed him. Simply because he cares about his own reputation. Even though some people on this server were probably way worse.

… Huh.

It's like his vision was opened to a completely new direction. Him? Being the one at fault? Doons? Cute? Was Doons cute? Huh. It's weird. Was he? Was Doons cute? He did say he was cute. But did he admit it? Is Doons cute?

He's going insane. Redd sensed the man's eyes on him. God damn it. That stupid feeling– it's back again. His heart was racing. Crap. This is getting bad. So bad…

“You're so weird.” He muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Doons nervously laughed, “I- I know. I know I am. I- I'm just being honest, okay? I.. I like you. And I just… wanted to kiss again. I thought last night will be the night I'll feel your lips again. Have that moment again. But welp, guess… guess that's fine.”

Redd was going insane. His mind was split on two decisions. He didn't know what to do– if he gives in, he'll just get called a weirdo by everyone, if he doesn't give in, the clone will keep pushing him on. Or maybe it wouldn't? If he gives in but doesn't tell anybody, is that okay?

No- no… everything feels so wrong… Redd was getting overwhelmed. He scratches his head over and over again, as if it'll help his brain think of a decision. An answer.

Okay– hold on.

He has an idea… but… oh.. Oh God. This is weird.
Redd clears his throat, then speaks up again, “You… you just want to kiss, alright. Not a date, right? Just kiss. One time. No boyfriends. Just a kiss. Right?”

“Y-yeah. Well I mean I'd love to be your partner, but, well, I'm- I'm fine with anything.”

Okay. Okay. He's going to regret this decision, isn't he?
“I… well… how about a deal, huh?” Redd offered, “O-okay, well, we can- we can.. We can kiss- no, make lip to lip contact when we're both ready, and- well, a-after that, we can just.. Chill… just ignore it. We both go separate ways, or something. Maybe give me money after that.”

Doons hummed thoughtfully, darting his eyes around as Redd waited patiently for an answer. Then, he chuckled, and finally replied. “Th-that sounds nice… well… wow. I- I just.. I never expected you to give up like that…”

“Oh, shut up. I'm doing this because you're annoying me.” Redd said, unsure of himself.

Was it true? Did Redd really give up only because he's getting overwhelmed by this stupidity, or does he actually have a thing for himself?

He would admit he's handsome, yeah, but having his clone– who's basically himself– tell exactly that… Oh. Oh God. It's like his ego was doubled. He's so proud, for some reason.

Kissing himself? Well. That's weird. It's weird. But he's only gonna do that twice. No more. Right? And he's doing it for a deal. Besides, Redd can get money out of this if he asks Doons. It's… a… win win. Triple win. Oh… Wait…

He might've hit the jackpot. Holy shit.

This was so painful. Yet so nice. He just realised how lucky he is right now. Getting validation from his clone 𝘢𝘯𝘥 getting money out of it. Holy shit.
Redd laughed, “Okay, buddy. Kissing on the beach now, hm?”

Doons raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything further. Maybe he already figured it out. Oh, who cares anyway? He's gonna get 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 lucky today.
Redd approached him, getting closer and closer until their faces were only inches away. Doons looked like he was in a panicky and confused state.

“Give me money after this?” He insisted, tilting his head. He gripped the other's shoulders tight.

“S-sure.”

Redd grinned widely. He carefully takes the other's mask off, then both their sunglasses. He stared deep into his blue eyes. His own blue eyes. It's cute. 𝘏𝘦𝘴 cute. Both him and his clone.

He nudged the other's hood off his face, then, not letting him react to the action, he leaned in forwards– and their lips once again met. Harsh. Rough.

Wait– hold on, maybe the clone was right– he 𝘸𝘢𝘴 good at this sorta thing. The way he does it just feels so 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. So good. How does a beginner like him feel this great? His ego can't stop rising every second that passes in this moment.

Redd was observing the clone closely. He opened his eyes slightly. Staring at him. Wondering how he managed to be this handsome. He's acting like a narcissist today. But it's self love. Redd deepened the kiss, tilting his head slightly. The clone seemed to almost fall down. Cute.

He didn't know why he gave up on his hatred so easily like this. Maybe because he realised that calling his clone cute means he's calling himself cute. It's a win-win.

A few seconds pass, and Redd pulls away. A bit hesitantly. Oh, that was so good.
He stared deep into his eyes, his soul. Doons was blushing so hard. Is he also doing that? Doesn't matter. At least he knows what he tastes like.
“Ten diamonds.” He whispered.

“... Are you asking for more?”

“No, no, no. I'm just saying that you're gonna pay me ten diamonds for that. Good deal?”

Doons looked away embarrassed. “.. G-good deal.”

“This evening?” He asked once again.

“Yes.”

“Dont snitch.”

“I wouldn't.”

“Good.” Redd then pushes him away, ignoring how Doons almost fell down. Redd wipes his own lips. “If I hear something fishy, I'm stabbing you.”

Doons seemed to whisper something under his breath, but he couldn't quite hear it. Doons just nodded and hummed, agreeing.

Redd stretches his arms, then runs a hand through his red hair. He chuckled at a random idea. Doons is gonna love this next sentence.
“See you in the evening, baby.”

… okay, he immediately regretted that. But if it's to mess with the clone, he'll gladly do that. Anything for his entertainment. For money. Not out of love, not lust, just entertainment. A joke.

Redd quickly headed off into the distance, leaving Doons baffled alone with himself. Who even cares? At least he will be getting ten diamonds out of that. And he knows Doons wasn't lying.

Huh. Surprisingly this was the only good day he had for a while. Strange. Was he really this weird? Was he this bad? He still didn't know the answers.

Chapter Text

The wind gently blew against his hair softly as he stared down into the grass below him. Redd sat on a wood trunk as his thoughts wander off into the distance. Redd brings a finger to feel his lips, and immediately pulls it away. He's not sure if he regretted kissing Doons like that yesterday, maybe he did regret it, but he got a few diamonds from it, so that's one win. The sweet taste of his own lips still felt… weird. It was very weird to kiss himself twice. It felt wrong. Especially doing it for diamonds.

This was turning into an unbreakable cycle– have some sort of hatred towards Doons, starts to reconsider everything, does some weird thing with him, then regrets it again. It's frustrating, to be honest. Redd plays around with his hair, then his tie. Today was hotter than usual, so he was sweating a bit.

He heard footsteps, and he already knew who it was just by looking at the shadows. The clone needs to seriously stop getting into his mind and life every single time. Doons stopped abruptly in front of him. Redd didn't bother to look up at him, since it'll just make his mind worse. Redd continued being silent.

Doons hummed quietly, “Regretting your decisions again?” He asked, almost a bit too confidently. Redd only nodded, as he was too tired to get his voice out. He hears another soft, thoughtful hum. “Sorry, Redd.” He.. apologised? That's weird. Redd sensed the man slowly heading to sit beside him, not too far, but not too close. Redd lets his mind wander off again, but at the same time keeps his guard and attention up in case Doons try to do anything weird.

He felt a small, gentle pat on his shoulders, and he took a glance at Doons. His mask wasn't there to cover up half his face. His hands were held out to him with a single piece of bread on his palm. “Want one?” He offered, his mouth stretching into a strangely comforting smile. The kind that makes him wonder if he was truly the one to blame.

Redd didn't say anything, nor make a noise– instead, he silently accepted the offer, taking the bread from his hand and staring at the piece of loaf before his eyes. It seemed new and fresh, as if Doons had only toasted it just now. After a few seconds, he finally took a bite at the piece of bread. It wasn't anything special, it's just bread, a nice, small bread. But the way he got it from his clone,along with that weird smile of his that messes with his brain, it was sort of special. He glanced to the side, seeing Doons peacefully enjoying his own bread. The clone was starting to move more like him– moved freely without any serious worries in his mind. Spreading his legs out to have him know that he's no longer as pathetic as he is before.

It was tempting, honestly. In his whole stupid life, Redd would've never thought to see himself sitting with him. It was abnormal, and he still hasn't fully figured out if he likes his clone or not. Whether his heart beats faster because of love, or pure hatred. Whether there were butterflies in his stomach or a big chunk of acid melting his guts slowly.
He took another bite, then yet another one. The bread was nice, sort of delicious, but nothing more, he quickly finished in under a minute. He swallowed them down his throat like there was no tomorrow. It's been a while since he's eaten anything, so it's nice to have something go down his throat after ages. It's been… probably almost a week or so. Well, he'd been starved longer than that, but whatever.

Redd sneaked a glance at Doons again, carefully observing the man play with his scarf and using it as a fan. It's cute. Or maybe it isn't. Redd noticed how the clone seems to have a slightly more hunched back than him, and there were also dark eyebags beneath his eyes. There’s no way this clone managed to get a bad sleeping schedule from him too, right?
“Did you sleep last night?” He asked. Doons was quick to shake his head, confirming his suspicions even more. He added, “When was the last time you slept?”

Doons hummed, thinking to himself quietly. He muttered, “Probably 3 days ago. Why?”

Redd sighed with annoyance. Okay, this clone needs to stop stealing his bad habit from him. “Why didn't you sleep?”

“... I don't know. I just didn't want to sleep on the floor everyday, so every night I just explored the base and tried to find something to do.” Doons explained.

“You can just sleep on the couch. Or maybe make your own bed, I can teach you.” Redd said, but then was quick to take his words back. “Actually, you probably don't have energy to do that. Ah, fuck.”

“I was about to say that.” Doons smiled yet again, his tired demeanor starting to feel more obvious.

Redd wasn't sure why he's so determined to help his clone sleep. Maybe he just didn't want to see himself be weak. Whatever. “Do you.. Do you want to sleep right now or something?” He didn't know what he was doing. It's like he was getting possessed by his own emotions. Controlled by this strange feeling.

“I’d love to, really. I don't know how I can do that, though.”

Redd stares into his eyes for a couple more moments, before an idea strikes his head like lightning. It was a bit of a bad idea, however, there's no more options left. Which means he has to do this one. He huffed a sigh. “I'm gonna regret this so much…” he mumbled under his breath.
He shifted his position on the trunk, then patted his thighs gently, like a gesture. “You can sleep here. If you want to.” He offered, still unsure whether he was still sane or not.

Doons flushed red a little, then looked away. He muttered, "I didn't expect you to suggest that…”

“This will only get weird when you think of it as weird. Come on, have some sleep, don't you wanna head to dreamland?” Those words are how he figured out that he was going batshit insane. There's no way he just said that casually, right?

It took a few moments at first. Some hesitance and doubtful glances were shared between them, mutual uncertainty, perhaps guilt. It was like their brains were synchronized. Well, it probably is, since Doons was his clone. Then, after that, Doons hesitantly shifted his body, then leaned closer. A sign of acceptance. Doons finally laid his head on his thigh. Their eyes locked together for a moment, but the eye contact was broken after the clone turned his body to the side, possibly wanting to break the awkwardness. He sees his eyes closing, and their shoulders getting light.

Redd just watched as Doons slowly fell into a deep slumber, quietly snoring to himself. He looked weirdly cute at this moment, like he was tired of trying to act like him and finally returned to his pathetic self. Like a puppy. He patted his shoulders gently, ensuring that they're having a nice sleep. For the first time in this month, he never thought he would willingly accept to have Doons sleeping on him so cutely. He'll have a bad time if someone notices this, surely. Well, maybe he shouldn't worry too much about a third party.

As he stared them down, his hand reached over to Doons’ face and carefully took off his sunglasses. Then, he gently played around with his hair. It was soft and crimson, just like his own hair. He got a strange feeling gnawing at his stomach as he looked down upon his clone. Maybe it's just a stomachache and he's overthinking all this, but the more he looked at Doons, the more he felt…

Tempted.

Maybe it's just his narcissistic self, maybe he's just talking nonsense. But the way Doons almost captured his personality, his traits, everything– it was so arousing. He never knew how he truly looked at others, but now that he's seeing himself sleep on his thighs, suddenly he felt a strange sense of desire just by his clone’s existence. Those blue eyes reminded him of the ocean. He was definitely not sane and normal right now.

Now that he's thinking about it, did he really kiss his clone solely for ten diamonds, or because he liked himself that way?

Getting called handsome and charming by his own clone definitely made him go insane. Knowing this guy is pathetically obsessed with him made him insane. Knowing Doons wants to kiss him made him go crazy. It was stupid, foolish, even. Maybe it's weird to think this while having his clone sleeping in front of him. But he truly can't figure out whether or not he thinks he's cute.

Is Redd really that cute?

Redd doesnt think that hes cute nor handsome.

His clone is, though.

Chapter Text

~ 𝘈𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 ~

Redd's legs were getting sore. He knew he could just leave him here, maybe carry him back to a proper bedroom– but for some reason, Redd couldn't bring himself to have Doons move a single inch. He's been sitting on this trunk for an hour now. His legs hurt. His arms and fingers also hurt because it stood perfectly still on Doons’ hair.

It's fine. It would only be once. These types of scenarios only happen once in life. Next time, he knows that he shouldn't just willingly offer his clone to sleep on his lap like that. Redd just kept wishing that Doons would wake up any moment now, so that he could run away. Can he even run? His legs are sore as hell.

Redd sighed quietly, staring over at the clone's face and observing it closely. At least now he knows that's how he looks when he deprives himself of sleep. Or whatever it's called.

He looked at his watch– it's afternoon now. Is it really good to be sleeping in the afternoon? Probably not, but he couldn't bring himself to bother anymore. It's his clone sleeping, not him. Well, technically still him, but you get the point.

He turned his eyes towards Doons’ hands. It looked the same as his, obviously. He hesitantly reached out and held it. Is this the first time he held the clone's hand? Maybe. He didn't remember much about doing that, so it might be that only now he held it.

It was… it was kind of nice, holding his hand like this. Intertwining his own fingers like this. It felt soothing, for some reason. Heck, he was starting to lose his usual hatred for Doons. He's suddenly so interested in this guy.

As he held his hands, all of a sudden– Doons stirred a bit and pulled his hands away to rub at his eyes. Oh. He's waking up. Well, let's pray he wouldn't ask him about that. He watched as Doons started slowly processing his existence at first. Upon realising Redd was right there, close to his face, his face went red.

God. That's weird. He needs to stop doing that…

Redd was the first to speak, “Good morning- I mean, afternoon. Oh, God. You finally woke up.” He chuckled.

Doons immediately shot up from his lap and turned to face him. His face was still red as heck. “D-did you- did you seriously- did you seriously sit there waiting for m-me to wake up???”

“Well duh. Oh God, my legs are sore as heck. Thank goodness you finally headed outta dreamland, huh, Doons?” He uttered mockingly, stretching his legs and arms tiredly. “Had a good dream?”

Doons cleared his throat, then combed his hair using his fingers. “Uh, y-yeah. Definitely. It was… very nice!”

Redd spotted some sort of deceit in his look, and his eyes narrowed into a slit. Doons immediately figured out that he knew, and sighed.
“... Uh, not really. I don't wanna talk about it.”

“Okay, baby. We won't talk about it.” He muttered.

Redd was wondering why Doons flinched at his words, that was until he realised what he even said in the first place.
‘𝘉𝘢𝘣𝘺’??? Is he serious right now? Redd did not just call him that, right?

Redd nervously let out a forced laugh, “Oh, oh God, well- uhm, that's a bit awkward, uh… forget about that. That was an accident.”

“... Baby?” Doons smiled gently.

“Shut up.”

Redd pushed himself up from the tree trunk, gesturing to Doons to follow him. Doons was quick to follow his orders, obviously. Redd didn't bother to look at him out of embarrassment.

… baby.. Hm. Cant believe he managed to call his clone baby twice. Two nickels granted, at the very least. The two had left the massive forest a few moments later, and ended up coming to Spawn. Well, it was mainly Redd that decided to do that. He knew Doons would just follow like a puppy.

Redd looked around the place for a moment, perhaps trying to find something to do. Something entertaining. Then, he spotted something– or rather, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦. He saw a yellow-haired prince, Zam–jumping from fences to fences with a face full of boredom. He could work with that. He should play around with him a little. That's entertainment, surely.

Redd cautiously approached the man, and as expected– Zam immediately noticed the redhead. Or redheads. There's two of him after all. Zam flinched, but was quick to act like nothing happened and greeted him.
“Hey! What is up, Redd?.. And your clone.. I guess.”

That felt offending for some reason…
“‘Sup Zam. What're you doing?”

“... Uh, nothing! Nothing. I'm just… doing.. Random stuff.” Zam replied, a bit suspiciously.

Redd raised a brow in curiosity, then glanced over to his shoulders. Doons was fiddling around with a flower. Well, thank goodness he's distracted. “... You sound suspicious right now, Zam.”

Zam was quick to laugh at his statement, “What are you trying to say? I'm just hanging around. Come on, you know I sound suspicious every time I speak. It's a habit.”

“What, you're gonna make a clone out of yourself next? Bitch.” He teased sarcastically.

Zam's shoulders tensed up, and he sighs, "You're not over that, aren't you?”

He sneered, “Of course. Duh. It's obvious. I just got my reputation ruined by you.” Redd was a bit relieved that he could finally say these words to Zam out loud.

Zam lowered his head, “... Sorry… Sorry… sorry about that, Reddoons… I'll- well, I can try to make everyone forget about that, if you wanna…”

“No need to. It's already over.”

Zam then reverted his attention towards the clone, who, this entire time– was just staring at Redd. “Is your clone okay?”

“Mentally? No.”
Redd looked over at Doons, who was holding two pairs of dandelion flowers in his hands for some reason. Out of nowhere, he had the instinct to go over to him and take one of the flowers.

Zam raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything further. He cleared his throat. “So, I heard you're calling the clone ‘Doons’, right?”

He hummed, confirming Zam's question.

“You guys are always together for some reason.”

He coughed, glancing over at Doons, who was biting his lip. Why is he just making themselves look even weirder? Stupid bitch.
“Blame the guy, man. Doons cannot stop following me like some sort of puppy.”

Zam laughed, “That sounds silly. Kinda cute too.”

“Cute? Seriously?” Redd grumbled in annoyance. He still kept his attention on Doons at all times. Doons suddenly stood up from crouching on the ground and went over to him. He gestured to tell Redd he wanted to whisper something. He hummed.

Doons covered his ears from Zam and quietly whispered, “Are we gonna tell him about the ten diamond kiss offer?”

He 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘥 out of shock. There's no way he just said that to him, right? Holy crap. Redd bit his lip out of frustration, then a laugh escaped him. “Wow, youre so fucking funny, Doons. I knew I had some comedy potential!” He patted the other guy's back a few times, a bit hard, like a threat.

Then, he tugged at his scarf then whispered back, “I'm gonna kill you if you do that.”

Zam just stared at both of them with confusion and suspicion. He looked like he was getting overwhelmed by something in the air. Tension? Maybe not, maybe yes.
“... Hey, so… like… why are we just gatekeeping now, huh?”

“No, no, I'm not gatekeeping. Doons just said something funny. Hah. Funny. Right? Doons, you should attend Pangi's stand up comedy event. Maybe then you'll be worth something.” Redd grinned ear to ear, piercing his eyes through his soul. Doons was fucking 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 though, which is really bad if Zam sees it.

Zam's nose scrunched up, perhaps a sign of uncomfort. Shit. “Uhh… well, that's great! You sound kinda mean at the end, though. Don't do that to your clone, man.”

“Oh, this guy's endured many backhanded compliments from me, I'm sure he'll be fine!”

“I'm not.” Doons mumbled.

Redd almost snapped his neck when he quickly turned his head to him. Fuck– what is this guy's problem? He literally 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 considered this clone to be an interesting guy. Now he's just pissing him off.

Zam chuckled a little, “See? He doesn't like it. Maybe you should start giving him genuine compliments, like how cute he is, how handsome he is, how I want to date him–”

Redd glared at him, and Zam thankfully stopped. “... What?”
Redd glanced at his clone, and for some reason, even with that flirting attempt, Doons just didn't flush red at that. 𝘖𝘩, so when Redd's doing the flirting suddenly he's so flustered, what a gay bitch.

“Oh, that was a joke! After all, I know you've thought of Doons like that too.”

Redd groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose hard. “Zam, how do you manage to always piss me off?”

“By being charismatic!”

“Fuck you.”
Redd glanced over to his shoulders, seeing that Doons, of course, still had his attention all on Redd. It was getting a bit too tempting with this guy. “I'm just gonna leave now, I have work to do. Bye…”

“... Uh huh. Okay. I'll believe that one. Okay Redd. Goodbye” Zam teased.

He rolled his eyes, then gestured to Doons to follow him yet again. Zam definitely saw that, as his eyebrows were raised once again. Redd chose to ignore it, and continued walking and walking until they're out of Zam's sight.

After they're far enough, Redd turns to the clone. “That guy always gets on my nerves. Can't live peacefully without that prince.”

Doons took a glance at the Spawn, seeing Zam still jumping from fence to fence. Then, Doons added, “... I like Zam. Zam seems interesting.”

“... Uh huh.”

“I like his hair too. It's really bouncy.”

“... Mhm.”

“Are you jealous?” Doons asked, tilting his head to the side.

Redd was about to say no to that, but quickly stopped to think about it. Is he jealous? Surely not. No. He knows this clone is really only obsessed with Redd, since he didn't look like he got flustered by Zam… saying all that.

Doons sighed, “Redd, can I be honest about something?”

“Oh, sure. What is it?” Redd tried to stop himself from smiling. (And looking at his lips)

“... When you called me baby.. Twice..? I kinda liked that… I really liked that.” Doons admitted.

“Of course you do.” Redd said, “You're weird.”

“And the way you looked like you were teasing me the first time you said it… it's been on my mind since then… Yeah.”

“Is that all?”

“... I think I might want you to do that again?” He requested, looking away flusteredly.

He sighed. Redd still can't figure out what's wrong about this clone. He liked getting called that? Seriously? Goddamnit.

… Maybe he also has something to admit to.

“Before that, I also want to say something.”

“Y-yeah?”

Redd gulped. This doesn't feel like a good thing to do. “I'm still not sure if I like you or not but I do think you are a bit cute, and I kinda liked seeing you sleep like that, and you also remind me of pathetic homeless people in need of food, which kinda turns me on too.”

“... Oh. Okay then. Sure.” He said, flushing red again. Fuck. He over-shared.

“Wow! We just shared our opinions with each other, isn't that wonderful?” Redd attempted to steer the weird tension away from the conversion. It didn't really work well, though.

Doons didn't respond. “... Doons, forget that I said that. Actually, pretend I just told you how I think bread tastes better when soaked in tea.”

Doons smiled softly. “I also think bread tastes better when soaked in tea.”

“That's so awesome, wow, we're bonding very closely today, huh?” Redd lets out a slightly forced laugh, “Oh, wow. That's a way to lighten up the mood. Now let's go back home. I wanna check on my farm.”

Doons nodded, “Okay.”

Redd slings an arm around the other's neck, then walks them through to his base slowly. Not giving a crap about how Doons was blushing the entire time. Well, he was getting used to the weirdness, definitely.

… Or maybe the weirdness is slowly affecting him too.

Depends.

Chapter Text

The two stayed at their base, peacefully minding their own business. Redd was relieved that the clone finally decided to quit following around, it was almost unbelievable. Well, he better spends his time wisely, of course. He'll come back soon anyway. Redd was silently working on some of his farms, and also talked with Spep for a while too. His little brother was really hard to hold a conversation with, but it's all fine, since he was sort of getting used to the weird personality. Especially considering he had the clone by his side. Compared to Doons, Spep seems like a misunderstood homeless child who just wants food.

After around half an hour sitting under the mines looking at his farms, he decided to take a small rest. Plus, it's getting late, he'd love to see his couch again. He headed out of the place, hurryingly walking to his base. The sun was slowly setting in the sky, indicating that the night is about to come. He finally reached his base, immediately settling down on the couch before his eyes.

Redd stared into the ceiling, letting his mind wander off into nothingness as the soft material consumed him. He saw the clone come out of somewhere in the corner of his eyes, and he quickly glanced over to him. Doons went over to sit not too far away from him on the couch, eating… bread. He's eating bread again. It may become a problem at this point…

The redhead decided to hold a fun little conversation with him yet again. A little teasing won't hurt, right?
“Hey, Doons. Eating bread again?”

Doons looked at him, then back at the piece of bread. “... Yeah. Why? You want one?”

“Nah. But you've been eatin’ only that for a week now. Kinda weird, y'know?"

“Well… there's not much to eat anyway.”

“Our loss.” Redd sighed, crossing his legs as he continued observing the clone. He simply just stared– no other actions, perfectly sitting still at his spot, his eyes fully on Doons, who was just eating his loaf peacefully. Ah, the urge to just snatch it away from his hands and watch him get mad. Truly tempting.

Doons had finished the single piece of bread in under a minute. The clone looked at him, seemingly weirded out by his constant stares. “Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked.

Redd shrugged, “I don't know.” 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. He wanted to say those words next, but quickly pushed it away from his mind.

“I'm bored.” Redd says, shifting his body a little closer to him. Doons straightened his posture as he did so.

“Same, I guess.”

He's not sure why, but he just can't stop looking at Doons. Looking into the face that also belonged to him. He'd gotten used to it– since they've been living together for a while now. Maybe a month. But it's been a long time since he's paid full attention to his face. There's no longer any eyebags, nor those familiar tired eyes– which was relieving. On the other hand, his movements were starting to feel more similar to his. He started to talk like him.

He didn't look like the pathetic loser he once was. Doons had changed so much after only a month. Doons had started to become a real clone, a literal mirror.

And it was a tad bit attractive, not gonna lie.

An idea struck his mind, and he smirked. “Hey, wanna play chess? I have a board somewhere.” He offered.

Doons looked at him like a confused child. “Why do you want to play chess all of a sudden?”

“I'm just bored, man. I really need to do something right now. Plus, I had an idea, a theory.” He explained, pushing himself off the couch. “So? Are you in or not?”

The clone darted his eyes around the room for a moment, then he nodded slowly and hesitantly. “Sure, I guess. I'd play a little game of chess.”

His grin widened. He gestured to the clone to sit on one of the chairs on the kitchen counter, and of course, the clone followed his orders as usual. He checked inside his shulker boxes and chests inside his storage room, and after a while, he stepped out of it holding a slightly dusty chess board along with the pieces. He puts it in front of Doons.

“What color do you want?”

“... Uh. White.”

“Okay.”

He started putting the pieces together, noticing Doons silently watching over him. He didn't care if he was helping or not, this is just chess, it's nothing important.
Redd had finished putting the pieces in place, and finally sat down in front of Doons.

“Wait, before we play, I have an idea, Doons.” He said, reaching over the shelf near him. He pulls out two bags of candy.

Doons had the confused expression on his face once again. “... Let me guess, whoever wins gets candy?”

“Yup. Correct.”

“I thought you'd be annoyed by that kind of stuff–” Doons paused himself, then sighed heavily. “Whatever. Find. Free food I guess.”

“That's the spirit, pretty boy! I'm gonna start first.”
He's just gonna ignore how he accidentally called Doons pretty boy. Actually, was it even accidental at all? He felt like it was on purpose.

Well, a little bit of teasing here and there won't hurt, right? Plus, he's joking when he does it, so it's not that it'll affect his life or anything.

Redd moved the first piece. Now that he's thinking about it, he probably should've moved a pawn first before the… the… horse.. Horse thing. What's it called again? Ah, he didn't remember. It's been a while since he's seen this chess board.

For a while, the chess game just… continued normally. It went on a bit longer than he expected. Well, it's probably because their minds thought alike, and literally every move just gets calculated easily. The same amount of brain cells fighting in a chess game, wow, he wondered what would happen.

Since that was happening, he thought they were gonna get a stalemate, and he had to figure out about the candy situation. But somehow, with only a few pieces left, he won against his clone and put him in checkmate. Wonderful. Life is good.

“Loser.” He teased him, taking one candy from the pack.

“... That was so fucking unnecessary.” Doons groaned. This time, Doons was the one to put the pieces in their place.

They went on for at least half an hour. Quarter of him winning against Doons, quarter of him falling back down to failure somehow. Well, that's fine. Totally fine.

“Doons,” He called out, “You like me right?”

“... W-well, yeah, I mean, that's obvious.”

He snickered to himself. “Ah… I have a mysterious offer for you for this round. If I lose, I have to do a certain thing. Are you in?” Redd says, holding out his pinky finger. As if they're making a promise or so.

“Okay then. I am not sure if I should be scared or not but uh, whatever. Let's start.” Doons sealed the promise, the deal, the offer, by intertwining their pinky fingers.

Welp.

This time Redd has to focus 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 on winning. He had to be 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤, on point, more calculated– using all his brainpower to checkmate this man. Because the offer was…

… The offer was that if Redd lost he would have to make out with Doons...

Listen, he wanted to be more 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦. More observant– this time he really had to win. He had to use every skill he had, even including his skill to trap people on Lifesteal. He had to win this. He really had to.

It was stupid, plus, he can just make a back up fake offer if he lost. But he couldn't think of anything that would affect Doons 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. Genuinely. He huffed a quiet sigh to himself, fortunately quiet enough that it wasn't audible for Doons to hear.

Then they started the round yet again. Doons seemed like he didn't really care about the offer, possibly thinking it was something dumb that wouldn't do any damage to him.

But it would. It definitely would.

He was regretting his actions the more the game went on. Doons was just moving his pieces around, devouring his pawns, with little to no care in the world– while Redd was desperately trying to find a way to get out of this. Doons didn't have any idea. Oh, God– if he told Doons about what the offer was about, Doons would get more focused, and thus make it harder… This is already too difficult for him.
He bet that the clone is just mindlessly wondering what could the offer possibly be, probably thinking it was something amateur and mediocore…

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Oh God. Why is everything being eaten? No. No way. There's no way. Actually, there is a way for him to win even with little to no pieces right? Of course. He'd done that a few times before this round. Of course. He'd win–

“Checkmate.” Doons mumbled softly.

…

Silence filled the room. The air was getting thick for him. Regret rushing through his entire being. His veins. His blood. His vessel.

“I… I uhm. I won, Redd. So what's the offer, exactly?” Doons said, tilting his head slightly to the side. A sign of confusion, curiosity, and possibly excitement.

Redd took a piece of candy from the pack and stared into it for a while. Doons simply waited patiently for him to do something. To answer his question.

And so, he did. “... Doons.”

“Yeah?”

“Let's… let's.. Make out. Or something.”

Doons’ eyes widened. He let out a loud gasp and immediately brought a hand to his mouth. He was immediately blushing hard. Of course he would. Fuck, of course he would…

“Wha- you? What- make out? What? Is- no, there's no way right? Wh-what- is this what you had to do wh-when you- i- huh?” Doons seemed confused. Panicked. He was stuttering over and over again, his eyes kept darting around from the board to him.

Redd sighed. “Listen, I'm only doing this because I wanted to tease you, okay? Just.. Just wanna mess around.”

“What- 𝘸𝘩𝘺 are you trying to mess around with me like that in the first place? What? I-”

“Shut up, Doons.” For once, the clone finally managed to stop talking. He smiled softly, a bit forcefully.

He stood up from his chair. “Want lipstick?”

“What the freak? Since when did we have lipstick?”

“Since the homosexuals existed.” Redd replied sarcastically. He headed upstairs into his bedroom, then came back down with an actual lipstick. To be fair, he did steal that from Jumper. There's also some others that he stole from Squiddo. And Hannah. And.. And also Pangi too, apparently. Weird.

“...i-im not even going to question things anymore…”

Redd sat right next to him, then turned the man's body to face him with full force. Redd started trying to apply the lipstick. Tried. He didn't know how to use this thing. Doons seemed like he wanted to offer help, but just stayed still.
“Do you even hate me anymore? I feel like you're just trying to make things worse instead of me.” Doons asked.

Redd threw the lipstick away. Hard. It made a slight thud sound against the kitchen counter. Well, not that he cared. That wasn't his. That was Jumper's.

“I'm just trying to figure out my actual feelings, man. Shut up now will you?”

Doons grumbled. He really tried so hard to act like he didn't care. Acting like he's fed up by Redd. Truth is, it was the opposite. Doons is definitely doing a wonderful job at keeping his face so straight like that.

Well– It's not gonna be so straight anymore.

Redd pulls down the other's hood. He touched his lips, and Doons shivered at the action. Then, after a few seconds of nothingness, Redd finally gave in– pulling him closer until their lips met for the third time.

At first, it was a bit tender. Gentle. Soothing– until Redd decided that if he wants to mess with his clone, he really had to 𝘨𝘦𝘵 in the zone. He held the other's chin, softly opening up his mouth. Like a pleasant entrance. He wasn't sure if he's gonna do this right, but…Well.

He started to 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 the other's tongues. Doons. Him… his own… his own mouth. Doons was just sitting there, taking it like he accepted his fate. He had done that already from the start, anyways. He tasted every single fucking corner in his mouth– tasted the slighty irritating part (his 𝘋𝘐𝘚𝘎𝘜𝘚𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎 spit) and even got to feel how his tongue actually felt like…

God… oh God… is this real… this must be a dream, a nightmare, something illegal, this is too much for him yet he couldn't stop–

Doons pulled his tie hard. He's not sure whether it was some sort of signal at first, but then he just tugged it harder. Maybe he wanted to be more rough with it. Okay. That's weird. No…

Was he enjoying or regretting this? Fuck… oh… Oh he's not sure. The small, helpless sounds (whimpers?) Doons let out whenever he deepened the kiss… the… oh… holy shit…

He can't think straight anymore. Well, was he even straight in the first place? Redd brought the man closer, closer until there's only a few inches between them. Held him so tight he swore Doons would've exploded right there if he could. Redd felt so awesome right now for some reason…

He finally managed to pull away. Just as he thought they were gonna get glued with the harsh kiss. But Redd applied that fucking lipstick for a 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯. He gave a peck at his cheeks. Forehead. And… hm… does he want to kiss his neck… that would seem weird… eh…
Whatever! One big kiss wouldn't hurt!

At first, he only kissed his collarbone, but then suddenly it just turned into a whole ass bite. He pulled away out of shock. For his own actions.

Redd saw the helpless, pathetic look on Doons’ face and laughed. “Oh.. Oh God… cute… oh.. Okay… right… let's stop… okay?”
He couldn't form perfect sentences. Holy shit, his mind is 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱.

The redhead finally let Doons off from his grasp. He fixed his tie and his hair, then his suit. When he looked up at the clone again, Redd noticed a tiny bit of blood pouring down his nose.

He laughed. “That seriously made your nose bleed?” He teased him, “What's next? You're gonna pass out if I call you a pet name?”

“... Pl… Please.. Do…”

“Baby?”

Redd was just joking at first, but then Doons genuinely started shaking, and then suddenly collapsed to the floor along with the chair. Confusion rises within him.

“Wha- Holy shit, you actually passed out?”

“... Leave… leave me.. Alone…”

Redd smirked, “Okay, baby, I'll let you lay on this floor.”

He found out how fun it actually was to tease Doons like this. How weak he was to the slightest compliment, the slightest flirt. And then when he actually does something way more than just a flirt, oh, he'll just fucking die on the spot. It's so funny, so…

So…

He didn't even know anymore.

Ah… well, guess he needs to clean up the table…

Chapter Text

For the whole night, all that Redd could only think about was about how he fucking made out with Doons. Was it even okay to do that? He literally just tasted his own mouth. His own tongue. His– everything. Redd stopped thinking about it after a while and managed to fall asleep successfully, but the next morning he found himself still thinking about that situation. He still remembered the taste, the savoury, the sweetness when he kissed him in a certain way— God, this is so painful.

Redd tried to push those thoughts away by working on his farms, expanding his land, perhaps trying to kill someone today, but it didn't work whatsoever, instead it just made it worse, he imagined worse, regret filled up in his entire being. It even made him dizzy. Lightheaded. Fuck, this was getting bad, if only he didn’t try being a brat and tease Doons in that way, if only he didn’t come up with that stupid idea just to mess with the clone… oh, this is just the bad ending at this point. The redhead was walking around the server in full circles. He can't stop thinking about it for God's sake.

Then, there was a sliver of hope that came. The tiny light at the end of a tunnel.

The hope being Ashswag.

He spotted the man talking to Squiddo (his girlfriend), they seemed like they were only goofing around as they laughed together. Being happy. Having joy and hopes in their eyes. Right, okay, that definitely offended him slightly– but well, who even cares? It's just a couple having fun. Plus, him being there would just make it worse.

He's torn between two options now. Whether to keep being a lonely dumbass and get invaded by his clone again, or to reach into the hands of hope and approach them two, thus making it less likely for Doons to come.

… Y’know what they say, if Redd cant see him, then he cant see Redd either.

He huffed out a sigh, then slowly made his way to the two of them. Squiddo was the only one facing the direction where he came from, so she saw him first and greeted him immediately.
“Look, Ash. It's Redd. Hey Redd!”

“... Hey.” He responded, a bit tiredly.

Ash turned around to face him. “Finally came out of your nest, buddy?” He joked.

“Yeah, Redd, we were kinda worried. You've been inside your house longer than before. What's wrong?”

Well fuck. They just had to immediately see through him, huh? Redd fixed his hair for a moment before answering, “Nothing much, really. Just , uhm, been a bit busy.” That was both a lie and a factual statement. Yes, he was busy. Yes, he's also not busy, and was just too lazy to get up from his couch. And he's also trying to handle his stupid clone.

Squiddo seemed to squint her eyes, perhaps out of suspicion. Or maybe the sun was just blinding her. “Just busy? Nothing else?” She asked again. He nodded slowly.

Ash snickered, "How's your clone, man? Is he doing well?”

Fuck. he really just had to mention him, huh? “I don't give a crap about him, to be honest. I– i .. well… i don't know. He's good I guess.” He was stuttering. Too much.

Ash and Squiddo looked at each other briefly, exchanging some sort of telepathic communication and synchronized glances. Well, if they're doing that, then he's far from doomed.

“You didn't do anything to the clone again right?”

He almost choked on his own spit. “Pfft— me?? Doing something? What, you're accusing me of being weird again? Come on now. Even if I did, you have no right to judge my ass.” He argued.

Squiddo laughed to herself. “We didn't say we would judge you, Redd.”

God, this is so confusing. “You probably will.”

Ash nudged his shoulders with his hands, “Redd, literally nobody said anything bad about you when Zam told everyone you kissed your clone. They just got shocked. They even found it funny.”

That seemed like a lie. Even if there was obvious evidence, he just can't blatantly believe there wasn't at least one person that got disgusted, felt weird. And it's not like he'll ever tell anyone about what he did to Doons last night.

This is so stupid…

Squiddo snapped him out of his thoughts as she said, “Wait, you gave him a nickname right?”

Redd sighed. Well, there's no point in lying any more. “... Yeah. I like to call him Doons.”

“Aww, that's so cute.” Well that is one unexpected reaction.

Ash sneered again, “I know right? Never thought you'd be this sweet with yourself.”

“What does that even mean?”

Ash didn't respond, but just grinned widely. Well that's great. This was getting so bad… Redd needs to leave.
“I… uhh… I'm gonna head off. To… emm.. Work.”

Squiddo raised a brow at him, but quickly brushed it off and smiled. “Okay then. Tell us if you need any help. Bye!”

Redd turned his back to them, heading off into another direction as his mind started to get messy again. The distraction talk only worked temporarily, it seems. He still cannot stop thinking about Doons.

Welp. Maybe it's time he tries to give in.

Redd walked all the way from that place to his base. It was a pretty long journey, not that he cares or anything. Then, he finally reached his base, quickly stepping inside as soon as possible. He saw Doons quietly laying on the couch staring at the ceiling. His attention was quickly on him, and Doons looked up at him.

Hm…

He does admit, he looks a bit cute.

Redd went closer, sitting on the floor, facing Doons. The clone seemed to have figured out that he wanted to have a serious talk, and shifted his position to look at him.

“Hey,” Redd breaks the silence.

“...Hey..?”

Redd looked down at the floor, breathing heavily. He didn't know what to do… other than talking to his clone. It was getting painful. Worse.
“Sorry about yesterday, by the way. I was kinda high. Or something.”

Doons seemed surprised at the sudden apology. He smiled in confusion. “Uhm… it's fine? It's nothing wrong. It's… you don't have to apologize.”

“Well, I feel like I had to. You were panicking and shivering and all that.”

“Haha, well, it was fun regardless.”

Redd couldn't keep his eyes off the clone. He looked tempting, too cute to look away.

Maybe it's time he admitted that.
“Y’know, I've been trying to deny this for a long time now, but… well… you're very cute, to be honest with you.”

Doons was flabbergasted, hell, he almost gasped from the looks of it. Today was the day he admitted it for so long. After a whole month of trying to avoid it like blinding sunlight.

“O-oh…. Well.. thats– well, i guess youre kinda cute too. Also attractive.”

He chuckled softly, and the other man did the same.

Huh. somehow, admitting that Doons was cute was more… freeing. More nicer than being in denial. Maybe he did like the clone. Maybe he does find himself cute and attractive. Maybe he did enjoy the kiss they shared when they first met. Maybe he did the whole chess game offer simply to disgustingly taste his own mouth like there was no tomorrow.

Maybe, just maybe, he could love himself.

“Doons, do you still like me?” he asked, just to make sure.

“Thats like asking if apples were still considered a fruit,” He joked. “Yes, I still do. Very much. What about it?”

He took Doons’ hand, holding it tightly. For the first time, he felt how soothing it was to just hold his own hand like this, to feel the same warmth. To cherish the skin that once belonged to him.
“I don't know, honestly. Maybe I'm starting to like you back?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Or maybe I had liked you from the start, but was too scared to admit it.” He leaned closer, “I thought everyone would think of me as a weirdo for having romantic feelings for myself, but then I realised everyone else just didn't care. They only found it funny, Ash said. He looked like he meant it in a positive way, too.”

Doons brings his other hand to his mouth, possibly trying to hide his flustered look or because he's holding in a scream. Maybe even both.
“Redd, you have no idea how many times I've been waiting for this conversation to come.”

“Pfft, of course you do.” Redd said, “But hey, I guess it's just finally time, you know?”

Doons seemed so flustered right now. He bet on his ten diamonds that his heart was beating fast as heck. The clone curled himself up into a ball, still gazing at his eyes.
“N-now that you're talking about it, i- i… uhm… I have an idea.”

He already knows just what the idea would be…

Redd smiled sluggishly, then nodded. “What’s the idea?”

Doons took a deep breath, tightening his grip on his hands as the time slowly passed by.

Then, he finally speaks again,

“I want to be your partner.”

Chapter Text

Redd couldn't process what he was saying. Him? Partners? With the clone? 𝘏𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧? Was he just hearing things? No… no way.

He bit onto his lip, harder than he should've. “... I-... Like.. You?... Me?”

“Yes. Together.”

Redd blinked a few times. He didn't know what to say next… Is it really okay for him to be dating.. Doons of all people? It's his clone… it's… it's him. Himself. Is that acceptable? Is it really true that nobody will judge him if he does this?

“... We'll… uhmm… I'm- fuck, I don't know, Doons. I– I'd really love th-that- but, I mean… I don't want to just tell people I'm–”

The man cuts him off. “It's fine, we can keep it a secret. Consider me as a practice date.”

“Practice date?”

“Yeah. Dating yourself is not a thing people do. Plus, your real soulmate can't exactly be me, unfortunately, so I'm just like a temporary date…” He explained, “Did that make sense?”

“... Eh, now that you said it that way, it sounds kinda fun.”

The other man cackled at his response. “Well… if you don't want to do it now… we can just be together later… whatever you want…”

“Oh, yeah, I was about to ask about that. Thank God you understand.”

Doons smiled softly, “Of course I do.” Then, he suddenly leans in closer until their faces are barely apart, then says, “I'm you, and you're me.”

He flinched a bit. That was a bit unexpected, since when did this clone gain confidence to just… do that? To just flirt like that? This is too tempting for him.

“A-ah, well… well I mean, I'm not that ready to… to like… actually date.. Y'know? I don't know man, it's weird, but like, I am fine with kisses and all that but like actually meaning it felt… I don't know…”

“I already told you, we can just wait. I said it was an idea. Nothing more. It'll be fine.” He assured him. Doons pushed himself up from the couch, still keeping his gaze on Redd.

Redd stood up along with the man. “...I'll show you if I'm ready then, I guess.”

“Show? Can you j-just like, tell me? How are you gonna ‘show’ me?”
“Well, uhhm…” He looks around the house
Redd pondered to himself quietly, keeping his eyes on the clone. Observing the face that was shadowed by his hood, his eyes that were covered in his own shades. As he thought and thought, he had a great idea strike through his mind. Maybe this'll work, maybe it will not, it depends.

“Doons, one question,”

“Yes?”

Hesitance was crystal clear on his face. He was getting a bit too nervous. “...U-uhmm… well… you see… i have this little idea on how to show you when I'm ready but–” He paused, taking a deep, heavy breath before continuing, “i– do- would you… uhh.. Would you get embarrassed if I just kissed you in public out of nowhere?”

Doons seemed startled at first, but laughed quietly to himself. He had only noticed now how cute he sounds when he laughs like that… this kind of feeling is definitely out of this world.
The clone nudged his shoulders playfully. “I definitely won't get embarrassed. That sounds so fun.”

“Ah, right, okay then… I don't know why I thought you'd say otherwise.” Redd scratches his head for a moment. “... Uhm. I guess I'll go uhh… I'll go to my room. Bye, Doons.”

The clone simply smiled and returned his farewell with a little wave. That was so cute.

He slowly turns around and makes his way into his bedroom upstairs. Upon reaching, his first immediate action was to throw himself on the bed. Redd stared into the ceiling, his thoughts going crazy over what just happened. He curls himself up into a ball. Redd just made Doons request him to be partners now, and yet he still hasn't even figured out if he did like him or not. Fuck. he shouldnt be this dumb. Ah, shit…

He usually would say he regretted kissing the clone when they first popped up, but now he's rethinking his whole life. It was his own actions after all, it's not like he was those kinda species that can't restrain themselves, he was a human with a stable brain– and his soul, his heart, his mind, even his body– they all decided one thing. To kiss that goddamn clone.

He'd admit Doons was cute, but at the same time, it felt really egotistic. But even then, if he couldn't resist even himself, then maybe he is just that attractive at all. Actually, what was he even thinking? Oh God, he's just going insane at this point.

So… was the solution really just to admit he wants to date the clone?

Being in denial had proved to him that it would make things worse… plus, everyone just seemed to…not care? Life didn't bat an eye? He's not considered weirder than a certain someone?

He dug his face into a pillow and groaned. Fuck. he just had no other decisions at all, has he? Making out with yourself was a life-changing experience now, apparently.
Actually, Zam was the one that cloned him, so maybe it's partially his fault. Zam made him think he liked the clone. He found that sort of funny.

Who even fucking cares anymore?

Redd was getting too curious about the whole relationship thing after all. So maybe, just maybe, he can give his clone a try. He can be lovers with Doons.

And showing the clone that he was ready meant kissing him in public. Which sounds pretty embarrassing at first, but if he tries hard enough, perhaps come out with an excuse– maybe he'll pass. Just a little curiosity, perhaps maybe get Doons to do the ten diamonds offer too. Then he could get both that taste of his own lips again AND some shiny diamonds.

Wow. That just sounded like an amazing idea– wait, maybe he could increase the price. Maybe making out will cost like twenty. Which means, if Redd kissed Doons on the lips ten times a day, hed get 100 fucking diamonds. And making out with him five times meant 100 more. He'd get 200 diamonds a day! Holy crap, now that's what business is for…

He chuckled to himself, smiling like a psychopath. Good lord… this is insane. He could seriously profit from being weird?

Well. Guess it's just how Lifesteal works.

Redd shifted his position on the bed, and slowly closed his eyes. He wondered if tomorrow would be the day. Maybe he can kiss Doons tomorrow. Maybe. Just a thought, just a random thought. Nothing else. Well, maybe he can, heck– maybe, for the first time ever, he'll be open about it.

Dating himself didn't sound bad at all…

Maybe he should try it.

Chapter Text

Redd must've been really tired yesterday, because when he woke up this morning– he realised it was almost afternoon. He overslept. Well, is it really oversleeping if he doesn't have anything important to do in the first place? Probably not. At least he got some extra hours of sleep, he's been sleeping for so little time these past days.

He ate one single piece of cookie as his first meal. His breakfast. Is a cookie considered breakfast? Well, anything can be a breakfast meal, at least to him. After a few minutes of trying to make himself look intact and stable, he finally got out of the base. A thought occurred to him when he stepped out the door.

Where is Doons?

He's probably somewhere in the house, and he somehow didn't notice him– but it's currently afternoon. Surely Doons wouldn't just stay inside for so long right? Plus, he didn't see any signs of Doons being in the house.

Weird.

Maybe he's out for a walk. He does that sometimes, possibly getting the habit from Redd himself. Of course, of course. The clone also knows well on how to not ruin their reputation, and it didn't seem like Doons was out to do something malicious, so maybe he can just not bother about him.

Was he worried about him? Probably. Either because Doons has a chance of being in a dangerous situation for his stupidity or he simply just likes Doons. It depends, honestly. Ah, he shouldn't worry too much. Besides, a day without seeing his own face being other than in a mirror seems nice.

Redd didn't know what to do today, though. Either he can just go back to sleep again, or just lay in bed all day. Maybe he can talk to his brother. Talk to Ashswag. But then, Ash seems a bit busy hanging around Squiddo, so maybe he shouldn't interrupt the two. He could take a walk, but that's just boring. He did that many times.

… ah, fuck. He didn't know what to do, huh?

Redd learned against a fence nearby, sighing to himself as he frowned. He can't just sleep all day, he had done that a few times days prior. If he slept all day today then some people would notice and start asking him overwhelming questions.

…

Hm. Maybe he could try to find Doons. Sounds fun, right? Like a game of hide and seek.

Perhaps, when he finds Doons… He can kiss him. For ten diamonds.

Redd cackled at the thought. He already imagined how flustered, nervous, panicked, and confused Doons would become when that happened. It's like a one-sided hide and seek. Or tag. That was a childish thought, but he still found it pretty funny.

He went inside the base to get some of his weapons, then headed out again.

He searched through Spawn carefully, peeking at every single corner that exists. Digging at places that seemed like a hiding place. Redd asked some other people about Doons’ whereabouts, but none of them gave the answer he wanted. Maybe he's not in Spawn? Well, Spawn was a really, really massive district. He just needed to look more closely.

He went down small ravines and caves, hoping to see Doons somehow getting his way there. But there was no clone to be found. He started to get really impatient. His heart was beating fast. Where is this guy? He can't just disappear after being so lovey-dovey with him last night. That's unfair.

Redd grumbled in annoyance. Maybe he needed to look more closely.

The man continued searching almost everywhere, every single corner. No places left unseen– he looked at every part of Spawn, inside out. And yet, Redd still couldn't find the existence of his clone.

He felt dizzy at the thought. Doons suddenly disappear out of nowhere? It was gut wrenching. Twisting his insides in many possible ways. The anxiety started to get to him– surely Redd didn't just lose him, right? Right after sleeping until it was afternoon?

No– he needed to get that thought out of his mind. He couldn't just conclude that Doons vanished to thin air. In the past, Reddoons always hoped that the clone would finally be gone, leaving almost no signs that he existed. But right now he wanted to take that back.

He felt sick. Being alone without Doons for more than a minute suddenly made him go down a painful spiral.

God… he hated it so much.

He shouldn't be thinking all this.

Redd slaps himself in the face, an attempt to push away those unnerving thoughts. Then, he continued to search. And search. And search. And search…

He finished looking all over Spawn. Still no traces of Doons. No signs of him. Maybe he's just out somewhere in the Nether, maybe somewhere in the forest where they used to just quietly walk in. Even then, the thought that Doons wanted to go there without him feels sort of upsetting. Disappointing.

This is getting annoying…

This little hide and seek is getting really annoying. Frustrating.

Maybe he can pay Zam a little visit, after all, the clone seemed to be weirdly attached to him (He didn't like that). Zam would be the first one Doons will go to when Redd isn't available.

And so, equipping his elytra after a long time of not wearing it– he ascended and flew steadily towards Zam's base. Fast. It's been days since he's used this elytra to travel.

Eventually, Redd reached the base. It was not that special, at least to him. Just a simple base you can find in Lifesteal. Zam shared his base with his current team, so perhaps if he didn't see Zam, he can see the others. Maybe Jumper.

As he descended down into the base using the ladder and the small, tight hole– he seemed to notice the signs of the base seemingly… Not used that much. Everything seemed dusty. Oh, he swore to God, if it turns out that they have another base he didn't know, he's just gonna stab himself in the stomach.

When he reached the floor, at first, he noticed how dark it was, even with the few torches put up. But there was one hallway that seemed interesting, it was the brightest one. What, did he find himself in a situation where everything is just gonna crumble apart? Ugh, whatever.

He quickly approached the hallway, opening each door. Yet no figure. No Zam. No team.
No nothing. He let out a frustrated grumble, almost turning into a whole ass screech. He's gonna kill somebody at this point–

“Redd?”

He hears a voice from behind, and his eyes light up. Being a bit too excited, he turns around quickly. At first he thought it was Doons, but, well, it was the second person that he wanted to find– Zam.

“Oh, God, oh my… holy shit, finally, I finally fucking found you, dude.” Redd laughed to himself. Zam just looked at him like he was crazy. To be fair, he was gonna go psychotic at first with the thought of Doons being gone, but whatever.

“Why are you in me and my team's base?” Zam asked, his eyebrows furrow in confusion and suspicion.

Redd sighed loudly, “I was trying to find my goddamn clone, dude. I overslept ‘til it was afternoon and the guy was just gone.”

Zam smiled mockingly, crossing his arms. “Ah, right, but you're seriously just going through my base just to find that guy?” He looked around the base, his gaze constantly avoiding Redd.

“Of course,” Redd admitted, walking closer to the prince, “Of course I will. I don't really care right now, man. I just wanted to find that stupid guy.”

“What, you two had a deal or something?”

“More like… a promised date.”

Zam, who was still looking away at the time– instantly snapped his eyes towards him. It was widened, he was indeed in shock. Of course he would…

“Pr- what? Promised date? What- what do you mean?”

“You'll find out soon.” Redd gave a vague answer. “Speaking of, have you seen Doons anywhere? Any signs of him?”

Zam looked at him up and down, a bit judgemental, too.
“I don't think I did. Well, I did see a glimpse of some red looking guy somewhere in a forest, but it's probably either your brother Spep or someone else. Pentar, maybe.”

Redd grinned widely. “Which forest?”

“Man, I don't know. If that was Doons, he'll probably go to a forest he's familiar with.”

Ah. So he was right– Doons was in fact walking around in a forest. The special forest that they always visit. The one that he could name the trees of, even the flowers.

Zam clapped his hands, seemingly looking like he remembered a thought. “Wait, I also saw, like, a glimpse of Pangi somewhere close, but I could be mistaken and it was actually just a random tree or something.”

The redhead glared at his eyes, and Zam shivered at the action, and also looked at him up and down yet again. Those judgemental stares.

Doons? With Pangi?

He didn't know why, but he felt offended at that.

Usually his clone would just stay in the house, waiting for him to wake up– perhaps laying on the couch, maybe eating that stupid bread again. But suddenly he's out with someone like Pangi.

And someone like Pangi hanging around someone like Doons… it's… offending him.

Even threatening him.

Ah, was he seriously jealous right now? He shook his head, then patted both his hands on Zam's shoulders.
“Thanks Zam. I'll keep that in my mind.”

“... You're not gonna do anything aren't you?”

“What?” He tilted his head, confused.

Zam lowered his gaze on the floor, then raised it at Redd again. “Nevermind. You wouldn't do that. Uhm, uh… you're welcome, I guess. Bye, Redd.”

His response was a smile. Just a smile. A bit harsh looking, like it was forced. Well, he didn't care. He didn't care about anything. He just wanted to see Doons safe, that's all.

He headed out of the base pretty quickly, then flew over to the said forest at a pretty fast pace. He didn't know why he felt like this. Why he felt kinda jealous. They haven't even dated yet.

… or maybe they will. Not sure.

Redd landed on a soft, sandy ground. His eyes darted around the forest. He looked like a hungry animal right now, to be honest. Seeking for the guy whose entire existence was based on him. Whose body belonged to him.

He searched the forest thoroughly– no Doons. No Pangi. Whenever he sees something red like a flower or a mushroom, he gets excited, only to sigh disappointment upon realising it wasn't Doons.

He swore he was going fucking insane.

… if he saw that clone… if he found that stupid… cute… pathetic… cute… guy…

He's gonna kiss him on the spot. Definitely. Without a care in the world. Without bothering about Pangi seeing it.

Sounds fun, to be honest. That means he would have kissed Doons in front of someone known to be a nasty homosexual twice. He'll wear that title proudly.

While he was looking through the forest– almost giving up on the search, almost giving up on seeking the hider–

There was a beach, far, far away. It stretches out longer than normal beaches. It was the same one where he first made that ten diamonds deal with Doons. When he first started considering the clone.

And… without a doubt, Doons was there. Along with Pangi, yeah, but that didn't fucking matter at all. His vision has erased Pangi from his own eyes, his focus was entirely on the clone, and only the clone.

A big, stupid grin appears on his face. Ear to ear. He felt that abnormal feeling again– it was gnawing at him, telling him to run towards the two. No, run towards 𝘋𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘴.

And he did! Redd got a little bit too excited, almost ecstatic, he finally found the clone– finally won this stupid one-sided game of hide and seek. With the tired body of his, he managed to find himself chasing towards the clone, faster than he expected. Faster than he thought he could.

And then… When he finally reached the edge of the beach.. When Pangi turned around upon hearing the loud footsteps, he turned Doons’ attention towards him… and without a single fuck given to the world, to Pangi–

He ignored their voices, and grabbed Doons, pulled his mask down, and pulling him into yet another kiss.
Doons seemed shocked, hell, even startled. But he just stood still, probably already understanding the situation he's in. He hoped so.

His lips were somehow better than ever before– the knowledge that no matter how far Doons go, he'll still find him–... It was hot, really. Knowing he can just do that. The kiss was tender, sweet, less rough than the other kisses they shared. It didn't feel forced, it didn't feel wrong. Instead, it was way more awesome.

Then, with a bit of hesitance, he pulled away. After that he just started laughing like mentally unstable child. Redd looked over at Pangi, who seemed a bit traumatized just now.

Ignoring the baffled expression, he calls out to him, “Hey Pangi! What a wonder-fucking-ful beach you have here, hm?”

Pangi blinked his eyes. Repeatedly. Confusion was clear on his face. He definitely didn't expect to see that view today.
Then, somehow, he managed to hear Pangi speak. “What the fuck did you just do in front of me?”

“I don't know, man. Seems pretty sick though right?”

Doons just stared (lovingly?) at Redd. He seemed a bit confused, but still had the ability to think. He giggled quietly.
“Uh- u-uhm… ignore… that…”

He snapped his neck towards him, seeming offended. His neck is gonna hurt so mad. “No, we're not gonna ignore that, Doons.”

Pangi seemed even more confused, perhaps panicky. “What- what the fuck did I miss? Wha- holy crap. You didn't just do that in front of me right?”

“... I did.” Somehow, he's gaining confidence in admitting whatever weird things he's doing… huh. Strange.

“No you didn't.”

“Yes I did.”

“This isn't you, you're not the type to just admit this outta nowhere right? Oh fuck, God, why did this happen to me of all people?”
Pangi brought his hands to his head. He may or may not have accidentally traumatised the pangolin…

“Sorry man, I just couldn't resist it. I'm too handsome.”

“You make me sick to death. Holy shit. You– oh my fucking… what kinda thing do you and your fuckass clone have right now?”

Redd and Doons both just shrugged. A bit differently, but still, the way Doons just did the same thing as he did made him crazy.
“Not sure… I mean… I uhh… uhm… well we're not–”

Doons cuts him off. “I wanted to be his boyfriend. N-not sure if he accepted just now though..”

Usually, his past self would get mad and try to deny it. But… uhm… well, people change. He simply just grinned at Pangi smugly, who still seemed scared at what he had seen. At this point, he really needed to pay Pangi and Zam for their therapy.

Pangi sighed, his voice shaky. “Uhm… well, I don't care I guess… i- I don't know, man. Just do whatever you're gonna do next. I don't give a fuck anymore…”

“Ah, so you're not judging, right?” Redd asked, just to make sure.

“No. Not… not really… but I'm… I might need to pour my eyes with bleach later.”

Redd gave him a thumbs up. “Good! Now can you like, leave for a second? I wanted to talk to Doons privately.”

“Okay bro. I don't care. Shut up. I'm- I'm leaving. Goodbye, dumbass.” Pangi rolled his eyes, gave a not-so-sincere wave at them, then quickly ran away towards the opposite direction.

He looked at Doons. Staring into the eyes under those shades. “I kinda missed you too much for some reason, sorry about that.”

“No, it's- it's fine. Im… I'm… I guess I liked that.” Doons fiddled with his scarf, looking into the horizon before them.
Then, he looked back, and they locked eyes again. “... Does- was that a public kiss? I mean, you kissed me in front of Pangi.”

“Yes.” He confirmed.

“... So does that mean you're..?”

“Yes,” He said, confidently. “Not gonna lie, you seem fun to play around with. Tease around… whenever I compliment you, I always see you blushing like crazy. The smallest basic compliments from me make you flustered, and knowing that was kinda awesome…” He stated.”
“Youre kinda tasty too.”

“Pft- well, okay then. You're also tasty, then.” Doons chuckled to himself, and he couldn't help but think– oh my, he looks so cute when laughing like that. He himself looked cute.

He stretched his arms forward. He was getting a bit tired. “I was searching for you everywhere, by the way.”

“Ah… sorry. I uhm… I just kinda felt bored, then Pangi offered to hang out with me…” He explained, then paused for a moment at his realization. “Are you jealous?”

“Sort of. No need to say sorry though.”

“Pft. I… I never knew you'd become as weird as me somehow.”

Redd wrapped his arm around the other's neck. Like an armrest. Comfy. “Come on. Be a little happy. Your dream just came true.”

“I am happy. Very happy.”

Redd stared at his face for a moment, before leaning in to give a little kiss on the cheeks. “You're my fucking boyfriend now?”

Doons nodded. He bursts out into a laugh. “Oh, okay then. Wow. Sure… okay…” Redd purposefully made the sentence sound unfinished. Then Doons gazed at him again.

Redd squinted his eyes. “... Huh. That means I'm calling you baby now.”

“Please do.”

“Okay…” He paused briefly. “... Ba… baby?”

He could feel the other just melting at this moment. That was a nice feeling. It was nice… awesome. Amazing, even.

Silence fell between them for a moment. To be fair, he didn't have any problems with it.

Guess all those hateful stares were actually just him being in love, huh?