Chapter Text
It was not immediately that Fit discovered Pac and Mike were a package deal in ways he wasn't expecting.
Dating Pac was amazing. He was so happy that they could finally be together after the long months of pining and taking it slow. Some part of his brain chided him for taking so long to get to this point, knowing he could have had an amazing boyfriend for months already. But the wait was worth it. Pac was worth it. He was worth so much. How he smiled at him, held his hand, and said his name. How wonderful it felt when they kissed. Kissing Pac was one of the best things he could do, Fit discovered. He wanted to do it all the time when he could. They were so sweet and affectionate with one another that even Ramón rolled his eyes at the way they couldn't keep their hands off of each other despite how happy he was they were finally dating. Richarlyson wasn't so nice about it, but he was happy for them, too. As long as they kept most of it to themselves.
Fit really couldn't have asked for more despite the countdown to his mission getting closer and closer. Building a new home at the new part of the island was made all the better by having Pac so close. Maybe one day, they could build an actual home together for the four of them. Fit, Pac, Ramón, and Richarlyson.
Except, well. It might end up being for five of them.
Fit had never really called into question about Pac's and Mike's relationship. They were close, closer than most people, but Fit knew their background. How they only really had each other growing up. How they were platonic soulmates. Fit never felt jealous about it because he never saw a reason to. It felt natural that the two of them were so close that sometimes he joked they were the same person. Sometimes, it felt like they could read each other's minds. No. Maybe more than that. They could see inside the other's head, communicating in a way they couldn't with anyone else. Fit knew that Pac liked him and wanted to be with him, and Mike was always supportive and friendly, teasing them alongside everyone else. If Richarlyson was a part of his family now, then Mike was, too. It felt odd to think of him as an outsider.
He just didn't know exactly what was going on. Pac had mentioned at the start of their relationship that he had a discussion with Mike about things but never specified what that meant—just that he made sure to do it as soon as possible. Fit might have been too distracted by the sight of Pac stretching out on the couch in his home, the skin of his stomach showing. Some part of his brain rationalized it away by assuming Pac and Mike just talked about spending less time together so that Pac could spend more with Fit. Something simple like that. Fit never wanted to be in the way of their relationship, knowing it was one of the most important ones that Pac had, so if they had to discuss things about spending time together, then that made sense. Everyone seemed happy. Everyone was happy. There was no doubt in his mind before and after the reveal. What happened didn't change that fact, but it definitely complicated some things. That was true.
Something happened a week and a half into their new life on the new part of the island. Fit and Pac were together, both of their sons having been put to bed. They were in Pac's home, cuddled up on the couch and talking between kisses. It felt nice, domestic even, a word that Fit would have never thought to describe his life. He was almost unnerved by the thought that he could have something so domestic. Like he shouldn't be allowed to. There was the part of his mind that never forgot about why he was here, what was looming in the distance, and what domesticity could mean in relation to that, but damn. Fit wanted this so badly. He wanted to be able to be happy and at peace with his boyfriend and their sons. After all of this time, he wanted the warmth of Pac in his arms and the sweetness of his laughter between kisses. Phrases in English and Porteguese interwoven as he excitedly tells Fit about some new project he wants to work on.
It happened when they kissed. Something shifted, changed. If Fit wasn't so attentive, he might not have noticed the small shift in the way that Pac kissed him. It was bizarre. Like something overtook Pac for a moment before releasing him. When Fit pulled away, he stared at Pac in confusion. He thought maybe he was imagining it and would have been more than willing to let it go, but there was a look on Pac's face that made him pause. He looked alarmed, blinking and pushing himself back away from Fit.
"Pac?"
"Sorry, I- I'm sorry, Fit, I didn't mean to. I'm-" Pac started to stumble over his words, and for another brief moment, it felt like something was overtaking Pac, speaking through him. Fit sat up straighter, suddenly concerned. What was going on with Pac? He didn't think he had done something, but he had no idea what else could have happened to suddenly have the mood change. "We're sorry. I didn't think you were- I should have warned him before- I never wanted to-"
Yes, it was like two people were speaking through Pac's mouth. Both trying to explain and apologize for something. Not telling him something? Kissing him? Fit was feeling more and more concerned but also uncomfortable. He didn't like not knowing what was happening, especially with Pac.
"Calma, calma, calma. Pac. What's going on? What is happening?"
Fit felt a sudden ache in his chest when Pac froze, and there was a look of fear in his eyes. Fit never wanted to see Pac look at him like that. He almost looked like he might start crying. Fit reached out, taking his hands in his own, unable to stop himself from wanting to comfort his boyfriend despite confusion and apprehension buzzing around his thoughts.
"We need to tell you something."
"We?"
"Yes." Pac paused for a moment as if he was waiting for a response to a question Fit couldn't hear. He still looked afraid, but there was shame there too. "Mike and I. We have to tell you something we've been keeping from you."
"Mike?"
Fit wasn't sure if he was surprised to hear his name or not. Out of everyone who could have been a part of the 'we' Pac mentioned, Mike made the most sense, but Fit still didn't know what was happening. What did they have to tell him that involved Pac kissing him and then getting upset about it?
"Can you tell me now?"
Pac shook his head. "No. I think it's better if we both tell you together. He wants to be there."
Fit nodded, not sure what else to do. He squeezed Pac's hand, giving him a small smile. "You can tell me anything, okay? Whatever you two need to tell me, it'll be okay. I just want to understand." Fit paused, frowning when Pac didn't meet his eyes. "I... care about you, Pac. I don't want to see you like this. Whatever it is, as long as you're happy."
"You're too good to me," Pac replied after a moment, finally looking at him and giving his own small smile. He looked like he wanted to kiss Fit again but instead pulled himself free, standing up. "Mike says we should meet him at the Ranch. It's best to do this now."
"Pac." Fit stood, knowing that whatever this was, whatever was going to happen next, it was going to change things. But he meant what he told Pac, too. Things would be okay. They had to be. It couldn't be that bad, right? "How do you know this?"
Pac didn't turn back, freezing at the door. "You'll find out."
He was out the door without another word. Fit followed, trying to ignore the sense of dread in his chest.
The feeling of dread did go away pretty quickly once Fit was informed of what was happening, but the feeling of confusion only grew.
They both arrived at Mike's ranch one after the other. Fit saw that Mike was waiting for them both at the entrance to his place. He seemed to be looking at Fit as he approached, but there was the feeling that he and Pac were having a silent conversation with one another. Fit nodded, giving his friend an uneasy smile.
"Fit. I'm sorry about what happened."
"I'm... sure it's fine? I think I'd rather understand what happened just now and then decide how I feel."
Mike and Pac both nodded. It was almost a little funny the way they synced up at that moment, but it also felt like perhaps Fit was finally taking note that things between the two of them were weirder than he had noticed before. Or wanted to admit to. He followed them both inside, taking a seat in the living room area, but noting that neither of them did.
"I want to start by saying we wanted to tell you eventually-"
"-we just know that people usually get weirded out by it and-"
"-I didn't want to scare you away or anything. I've been so happy, and I just didn't want to lose you, but-"
"-it's not right to keep this from you when things like that were bound to happen and-"
"Hold on." Fit raised his hands up, feeling a little dizzy by how the two of them were speaking. He knew that they sometimes finished each other's sentences in a way that only someone who knew someone well could, but this was another level. They were both alternating who was speaking, but it felt like it was coming from both of them. "You can't just. You can't explain it like this. One at a time. I need to know what's happening."
Pac and Mike nodded before exchanging a look. Fit could tell they were silently discussing things again. He waited for them to finish. It looked like Pac was the one who was going to tell him.
"Mike and I, we're... connected."
"Connected?"
"Psychically. We have a psychic link with one another. It's not just mind speak, but..." Pac paused, trying to find the words to explain it. Already, Fit felt like some things made more sense in context. A psychic link. So they really were talking to one another in their minds. Yet he knew that this wasn't all of it. "We share each other's bodies."
"What?"
Mike stepped in now. "We can sort of push our consciousness into the other's body whenever we want. Not just bodies. We can share each other's memories and emotions if we want to. We usually only do that with the other's permission on both sides. And I've been trying not to go into Pac's body without warning, but I made a mistake. I'm not used to... waiting."
It wasn't as if a lightbulb lit up in his head. No, it was more like the light came on and then suddenly shattered with the way that Fit immediately understood now why Pac freaked out.
"You! You were kissing me! In Pac's body!"
Both Mike and Pac looked ashamed, which was all the admittance he needed. Fit sat there, stunned. So much made sense; so many moments between the two of them. The way they were in sync sometimes or how they sometimes knew something about the other without having to ask. So many fucking things lined up. Fit felt like he finally understood the relationship between the two of them and his earlier jokes about them being the same person sometimes; he knew why they always laughed about it in a certain way. In some ways, they were the same person. Not exactly, not completely, but they weren't entirely separate either.
"Are you angry?"
Fit looked at Pac, looked at his boyfriend. Who seemed so scared, so ashamed of himself. Fit knew that if he told Pac he was, that he couldn't accept this, couldn't forgive being kept in the dark about something so big like this, Pac would understand and wouldn't try to stop him from leaving. Fit wasn't sure if he wasn't going to do just that. He felt betrayed in some ways. This felt too important to keep from him, and after what he had told Pac. He told him a secret he had been keeping from everyone, afraid that it would change the way that Pac looked at him. That he'd be afraid of him or hate him for it. And Pac didn't do the same. He kept this from him. Perhaps... perhaps it wasn't just his secret to keep, but why didn't they both talk to him?
"No. I'm not angry. I'm disappointed and hurt, and I don't know why you didn't tell me before, but I'm not angry. And I'm not leaving. Yet." There was hope there and Fit didn't want to squash it, but it was dependent on how this conversation continued. "Why didn't you tell me? How long were you going to keep this from me? Until you were forced to like tonight?"
"It's my fault," Mike spoke up. "I told Pac that it might be better if we tried to separate more. Once you two got together, it was the perfect time to put up some more walls between the two of us. In the past we could get pretty... blended with one another. I didn't want to interfere with your relationship, and we thought... we thought that if we spent more time apart, it would be easier and maybe-"
"Wait. Like you were going to stop sharing bodies and minds and all of that?"
"I don't think we can. Completely. It's too late to fully break our connection."
"But we can do it to a certain degree. We talked a lot about boundaries and what was okay and not. Mike was never present for any of the time we've been together alone. Or doing anything. And I've never shared anything from our time together either."
"I mean, that's the decent thing to do. No offense, Mike, but I don't think I could stay if I knew he was creeping on our private time."
"No offense taken. Any creeping should be consensual."
"We'll circle back to that statement later." Fit shifted, trying to sort through his thoughts. This was complicated. All of it. From what was going on with his boyfriend and his platonic soulmate to how Fit felt about all of this. In his mind, he wasn't sure if he would have cared that much, especially knowing that the two of them were doing their bests to make sure that Fit was always with Pac 100% of the time and with Mike 0%. But it still hurt that they didn't tell him from the get-go. They had been together for a month. They celebrated Fit's birthday together, and now Valentine's Day was creeping up. How long would it have gone on? "When would you have told me?"
"Soon. We were talking about what we should do before any accidents happened. So you'd know right away if Mike accidentally joined in."
"But instead, I got to, what, psychically kiss Mike in your body? What a fucking statement that is."
"If it makes you feel better, I didn't want to kiss you."
"I don't think it does."
"We know it was wrong to keep it from you. Even if we had been successful in truly separating our lives to that degree, you deserved to know. We were just afraid you'd reject us."
"Reject you?"
"No one wants to be with someone who shares themselves with someone else, even if things between me and Pac aren't exactly romantic or anything."
"What is your relationship?" To be fair to them both, Fit didn't think Pac was cheating, but he was curious. If they were finally discussing this openly. Why not ask?
"That's difficult to explain. In any language. We are soulmates."
Fit nodded. "I guess I can't say that that doesn't work in your case. I don't know anyone else who is, and I know even less who share the kind of bond you two do." Fit sighed, rubbing his forehead. "So you wanted to tell me, but you thought if I knew, I'd never ask out Pac. I would be too weirded out or something."
"Sim. Yes. I thought you might hate me."
"I could never hate you, Pac. Even now. You were protecting yourselves, but you were in the wrong. This could have gone much worse. I trust you, Pac, you know I do, but this is not something I can easily forgive being kept from me." It hurt. Even knowing that he was in the right for being upset about this and not being able to quickly forgive them for hiding it, it hurt to see the look of pain on Pac's face. He nodded, trying to hold it together. Fit wanted to comfort him, wanted to reassure him, but he stopped himself. For his own sake.
"Are you going to leave me?"
"No. I'm not breaking up with you, Pac. I'm not even suggesting we take time apart or anything. I don't want to stop being boyfriends, but I also need to know that I can truly trust you two. That this incident won't happen again."
Mike and Pac both looked relieved. They leaned into each other, having both been standing for this conversation. Fit moved over to the couch and patted it, inviting them both to sit down with him. Pac and Mike hesitantly took their seats. Fit took one of Pac's hands.
"I'm not comfortable with having Mike in our relationship. If you could keep doing what you've already been doing, that's great." Fit waited for them to process this, then continued on, almost surprised by his own words as they were. "I'm not against Mike being more involved as time goes on, though."
"What?"
"I'm glad this is going well," Mike started, sounding surprised and sort of confused but not against the idea, "but you don't need to involve me at all."
"I do. I don't want to force the two of you to change your whole relationship and what you're used to for me. I know these things come with changes and compromises, but can you honestly tell me you'd be happy and whole if you put up all these walls between each other?"
Pac opened his mouth to speak, then shut it, then opened it again. "No. I wouldn't be. Mike is my other half. I don't love him like I love you, but I have always wanted a relationship that could involve him, too. In whatever way the other person wanted." Pac then smiled a little bit. "Maybe you'll end up dating him too."
"Baby steps Pac. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I don't even know if Mike would want to."
"I'm not sure. I don't really date or anything; that's all Pac. I'm not... against it, though, if Pac's partner wanted to be with me too. If you wanted to Fit."
"Okay, good. So we're all in agreement then. No more secrets. We keep things as they are for now. I'll tell you when I'm ready for whatever the next thing entails. If you can prove to me that I can trust you both by keeping these walls up when Pac and I are together, and you tell me if Mike is around or anything, then we'll see where it goes." Fit made sure that they understood this before finally speaking the last part. "If I can't trust you, then we will break up Pac. I'm giving you a second chance to make things right." Fit leaned over and kissed Pac on the forehead, the first intimate contact since Mike's accidental intrusion earlier. "I know you will. I trusted you for a reason."
"Fitch."
Fit stood, taking a shaky breath, before turning to the two of them. They truly were a pair, weren't they? He stepped towards Mike and leaned down, putting a hand under his chin to lift his head towards him. Mike looked at him with confusion and something like hope.
"I want a kiss from your actual body to compensate for earlier."
"You do?"
"Yes. Is that okay?"
Mike looked quickly over at Pac, who nodded in response. Mike nodded back at Fit. He gave him a chaste kiss, not lingering for longer than he needed to, but yes. He could tell that for a moment earlier, Mike had kissed him. Now he had proof and knowledge of the way kissing them both felt. He would never mistake one for the other.
"I should head back and go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, Pac." He shifted over enough to kiss Pac deeper than he had Mike, but not lingering for long, either. "Have a good night, my amazing Brazilian boyfriend. And have a good night, Mike. Remember what we talked about."
He got goodbyes and good nights back before he was out the door and back at the shitshack. Once he was lying in bed, Fit finally let himself process everything.
This was going to be interesting. It was complicated, weird, and possibly a bad idea, but Fit knew there was no going back. He was willing to see where it went.
Things progressed faster than any of the three expected.
Fit meant what he had told them both. He wasn't against the idea of Mike being involved - to a degree. He just wasn't entirely sure what that degree was.
It was strange, if he was being honest with himself that he didn't mind the idea of Mike being their... third? Being around when they were on dates or even when they were cuddling or kissing. If Fit had told himself this even a month ago, he would probably not believe himself. Was being together with Pac already changing him? Or was it the conversation they had had? Being told he was okay with someone else mentally watching him with his boyfriend felt different when he had some experience and knowledge. And he liked Mike! He might have more reservations about being open with this if it was anyone else, absolutely anyone.
Perhaps, just maybe, there was something deeper down that he wasn't ready to admit to himself. Something that involved his mind returning to kissing Mike.
He and Pac retired to Pac's house after a day of adventuring and earning money. It had been only a handful of days since the reveal, but things had mostly returned back to normal. Fit had been a little shy to kiss Pac or even hold his hand, but when they fell onto the couch and Pac leaned in to him, Fit wrapped an arm around him without thinking about it.
"You doing okay? Things got dicey towards the tail end of that. If you'd rather I let you rest-"
"No, no. I prefer your company Fitch. I might fall asleep. If that's okay."
"Sure. I can get some reading done or something. You rest."
Pac nodded, before pulling Fit down into a short kiss. Fit watched him curl up against his side, head falling into his lap and sleep quickly taking him. Despite his protests not to have Fit leave, he seemed rather exhausted. Fit just watched him for a few minutes, fingers lightly combing through his hair. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. In the past, there had been a sort of tension in Pac's body, even while unconscious. Something that Fit related too all too well. Being vulnerable like that, he had to be on edge still. It never felt restful, at least not in Fit's experience. Now, he could tell how peaceful and relaxed he was. It made Fit happy to see. He wondered if it was due to his presence or if Pac just felt safer on the island lately than he had been. Fit wanted him to feel safe. To feel comfortable and happy, despite knowing there was still plenty of danger out there. Fit brushed some hair from his forehead. Pac's body shifted, adjusting himself in his sleep. He cuddled closer to Fit's body, face pressing against his stomach.
"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."
Fit distracted himself, reading some book he had managed to download and then going over plans for what he needed to do later. Egg quests were important, and he had to see if Ramon would be up the next day. He had a few more missions to finish to get paid. And there was more to be done, he was sure. He had no idea how much time had passed when Pac pulled back.
"Fit?"
Fit had opened his mouth to say something to his boyfriend but paused. His face didn't look like the familiar confusion of someone who just woke up from a nap. No, there was something else there.
"Mike?"
"Oh. I didn't mean to wake his body. I just noticed his death message earlier and got worried and wanted to check-in. I'm sorry."
"Do you do that often?"
Fit didn't ask it in an accusatory way. Honestly, he understood Mike wanting to be sure that Pac was alright after noticing that he had been knocked down. It had to be a common occurrence with the two of them. Checking in with one another. He was curious how it went when they had their walls up. Did they have to psychically knock on the wall to check if it was okay to enter the other's mind and/or body? Or perhaps just a message in the meatspace. There was still so much that Fit didn't know, but he hadn't asked much then, too startled and confused.
"Yes. It's probably one of the things we do the most without really thinking about it. Besides asking each other for advice or our thoughts on a build or problem." Mike, Pac?, sat up on the couch, putting space between the two of them. Fit reached out and took one of Pac's hands as if quietly signaling that he didn't mind that Mike was here when they had been cuddling. "I should have messaged him and then waited when he didn't respond."
"I feel like there's a reason you didn't."
"It's complicated? I had only meant to check briefly. When I noticed Pac was asleep, I had plans to leave, but it was... comfortable." Yes, Pac's face was blushing now, that familiar sight. Pac always looked cute when he got shy, which is not something that often happens these days. Fit had the impression Mike was cute, too, when he got flustered. He could remember how he looked after their kiss.
"I've been thinking about things. You and him and your whole deal. I know I came across harsh before-"
"No, no. You were right to be upset at the time. Your boundaries were crossed." Mike looked away from him. "I am just glad it didn't go worse. I was afraid I had ruined this relationship for him."
"You haven't ruined anything. You've both been great." Fit adjusted on the couch, running his thumb gently over the back of Pac's - Mike's? - hand. Mike was still not looking at him, but the red on Pac's face only grew brighter. "I've been thinking about it. About what happened. I think the two of us should talk. In person. If you're not busy."
"Sure. That's fine. Should we meet up somewhere?"
"Spawn is fine. We can go from there."
Mike nodded again. "See you there." With that being said, Pac's body collapsed forward, still asleep. Fit caught him easily and picked him up into a bridal carry. He carried Pac down into his bedroom, placing him on his bed. Seeing his body go from sleep to being awake and back to deep sleep was a little weird. It was almost uncomfortable to think about, like Pac had been possessed or puppeted, but he really didn't see it that way. He didn't know their history or experience with this, but he knew that Pac trusted Mike and that Mike cared about Pac. Slipping in and out had to be normal for them by now, right? So, he'd adjust. He pressed a kiss to Pac's temple, leaving a note behind about where he was going when he woke up.
Then Fit was back out the door and on his way to Spawn. He didn't exactly know how this conversation might go, but he knew one thing.
Valentine's Day was probably going to be a lot busier than he initially planned.