Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rider had decided to train with the S4 that day - well, not so much decided as he was practically dragged to the lobby by a certain pink squid. As much as Rider loves the pink squid, he was rather annoying at times.

Rider raises a brow, “So, why are we going to recon?”

Aloha gives an exaggerated sigh, hands on his hips. “Becauuuuse! We want to see how well we fight against each-other, one-on-one!” He ends the statement with a mischievous grin, and Rider can already feel a headache start to form. What shenanigans was Aloha planning?

He looks towards the other members of the S4 - Army is writing something down in his manuals, Skull is looking off into the distance like the airhead he is, and Mask is playing some game on his phone. It isn’t until the orange inkling closes his book that he addresses what Aloha said.

“It was mostly my plan,” Army says in a proper tone. “I want to write more in my manuals to see what our weaknesses and strengths are, and see what to improve and such.”

Rider simply gives a small “Tch.” It’s actually a pretty good idea, but he’s not the type to compliment people. It’s not exactly his forte. So instead, he crosses his arm and nods, hoping it drives the point across.

It seems to do so, since Army brightens up the slightest bit and continues talking. “I even made a list of who would battle first, and then I can write down what to improve and such.”

Mask shuts his phone off, looking over at them with droopy eyes. “Who’s firssssst?”

The orange squid flips through his notebook, brows furrowed, before letting out a small “Aha!” He looks up, and brown eyes dart between Rider and Aloha. “You two are up.”

Rider gives Army a deadpan stare, and Aloha laughs. The carefree inkling wraps an arm around Rider’s shoulders, pulling him in for a side hug.

“Looks like we’re up, huh, big guy?” He winks at him. Rider scoffs, pushing the strawberry pink squid away. “Which map, Sarge?”

Army flushes a faint orange at the nickname, before clearing his throat. “Wahoo World.”

Rider would’ve super-jumped away if he could.

But instead, he’s positioned on the opposite side of the map, a death grip on his Dynamo. He doesn’t particularly like Wahoo World - maybe it was after Goggles accidentally revealed him that one time he was dressed up as a knight. Or maybe it was because of the annoying moving platform in the middle of the stage. Whatever it was, it had Rider biting back a grumble.

Suddenly, a whistle rang out, and the match had started.

Rider flicked his Dynamo, painting the floor a bright lime color. He alternated between flicking and slamming his roller down. In the distance, he could see a flurry of pink ink flung around.

It was a struggle trying to ink his side of the map, especially with only himself to do so. But before he knew it, he was toe-to-toe with Aloha, dodging the inkling’s attacks.

It was rather fun, he wouldn’t lie. Rider could see Aloha grinning at him, pressing the trigger on his .52 gal, trying to splat him. The lime inkling dodged and jumped, flicking his Dynamo at the other.

But then all of a sudden, Aloha targeted him almost effortlessly, and Rider yelped as he was thrown to the floor. He was covered in enemy ink, rendering him sluggish. His Dynamo clattered to the floor, just out of reach. Before he could even attempt to grab it, however, a foot pressed down on his chest, into the floor.

Rider looked up, staring into rosy eyes. Aloha smiled at him, but there was a glint of mischief in his eyes. The lime inkling felt his cheeks burn up, and he grumbled at the squid above him.

“Y’know, you’re pretty like this,” Aloha pointed out. “Being held down, struggling. I’d like to see you like that at home.” Those simple words had Rider’s face flaming up a bright green, and he stammered, trying to find a response.

Aloha never even gave him the chance to reply, splatting him before he could find the words.

The rest of the battle seemed like a hazy dream, and it kind of was, since Rider was too distracted afterwards to even properly play. Aloha easily beat him at the match, much to Rider’s chagrin.

“What happened?” Army asked once the duo returned to the lobby, a concerned look flashing across his face. “You became distracted during the second half of the match…”

Rider’s cheeks and ears flushed, and he avoided Army’s piercing gaze. “Just wasn’t as concentrated.”

The orange inkling could tell it was a lie, but he didn’t press. Instead, he turned to Mask and Skull, telling them they were up next.

Rider sat down on a bench nearby, carefully placing his Dynamo against the wall. Then, someone sat next to him. He turned, just to be face-to-face with Aloha. The pink inkling was smirking impishly at him.

Before Rider could say anything, the rose squid sidled up next to him, whispering into his ear.

“I wasn’t lying when I said you looked cute underneath me,” he mumbled into Rider’s ear. The lime inkling blushed for possibly the fifth time that day, before grunting.

“Shut. Up.” He growled lowly, shoving Aloha away.

The pink inkling simply cackled, throwing his head back.

Rider sighed internally, covering his face.

So much for training.

Chapter Text

It’s too hot.

Rider groans, shifting uncomfortably on the couch. He can feel his shirt sticking to his skin, sweat rolling down his temple.

He hates summer. Despises it, even. Aloha seems to like it well enough, but only because he likes going to the beach to surf during the season.

But Rider? He’s more of an autumn type of squid. Spring brings allergies, winter is too cold, summer is too hot, but autumn is just right. Cool temperatures, orange leaves. It’s his favorite season.

Unfortunately, it’s not autumn yet. There’s still a ways to go before it is. For now, he’s stuck suffering in the blistering heat, and even the air conditioning doesn’t help much.

Distantly, he hears someone step into the living room. He opens his eyes blearily, finding a certain purple inkling staring back at him.

“Huh?” Rider murmurs, raising a brow. He sits up correctly, wincing as his back unsticks from the cushions. “What’s up?”

Skull tilts his head, blinking. It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking, sometimes. Both him and Rider are stoic, sure, but they’re different kinds of stoic. Rider is the intimidating kind, and Skull is… well, he is too, but he isn’t as hotheaded as the lime inkling. In fact, he’s more air-headed. It’s endearing, though.

“…Wanna get ice-cream?” Skull says quietly from underneath his bandana. He awaits Rider’s reply patiently, never looking away.

Rider blinks once, twice, and then laughs. Even during scorching temperatures was Skull thinking about sweets. “Sure, big guy. Let me just get ready.”

The lime inkling decided against wearing his leather jacket; instead, he wore his usual red shirt and black shorts. Only an idiot would wear leather during the summer.

Soon enough, both were walking down the street towards the nearest cafe. Rider could see cephalings all around, either drinking cold beverages, fanning their faces with their hands, or shielding themselves from the blinding sun. In the distance, he saw young squids playing around with water guns, giggling and shrieking.

“We’re here,” Skull mumbled, and though he wore an aloof expression, Rider could see the sparkle of excitement in his eyes. The violet squid didn’t hesitate to order right away, running up to the counter of the cafe.

Rider waits outside, letting his thoughts drift away. He never thought he’d be in a relationship, let alone in one with four other squids. It was difficult at first, considering he was never good at opening up. But so far, everything’s been going great. He’d never think he’d be compatible with anyone, yet here he was, grabbing snacks with Skull.

A tap on his shoulder startles him, and he looks up to see Skull staring at him. There’s two cones in his hand - one is chocolate, while the other is mint chocolate chip. Rider feels his chest warm up; looks like Skull did remember his favorite.

“Thanks,” he quirks his lips up, smiling faintly at Skull. There’s telltale signs of a blush spreading across Skull’s cheeks and ears, but he looks away before Rider can take a better look.

Both begin their trek back home, enjoying the fresh snack on the way there. Skull practically stuffs himself with the dessert, a laugh bubbling out of Rider at the ridiculous display.

It isn’t until they reach the front door of their apartment that Skull does the unexpected. Before Rider can even reach for the doorknob, a hand grabs his shoulder and stops him. He turns to look at the purple inkling, furrowing his brow in confusion.

“What?” He asks, puzzled. Skull doesn’t say anything, of course he doesn’t. He simply reached a thumb up to wipe at the corner of his mouth. Rider feels himself tense up as Skull wipes away at something.

When he brings his hand away, Rider can see melted chocolate smeared on his thumb. Oh, it must’ve been from his cone-

Skull raises his hand to lick at his thumb, and Rider can feel his hearts stop. He doesn’t know why he feels so rattled by the action - maybe because it feels like an indirect kiss? Ugh, stop being sappy, Rider!

Once Skull cleans the melted chocolate from his finger, he leans in the slightest bit to speak. “…you had something on your face.”

Rider simply scrunches his eyes shut, nodding mutely. His face feels like it’s burning up, and by the way Skull is tilting his head curiously, it looks like it shows.

“…you okay?” Skull asks quietly, in that stupid low voice of him with that stupid confused look on his face-

“Yep,” Rider squeaks out pathetically. “Let’s just-let’s just go inside, yeah?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, pushing the door open before the purple inkling can respond.

He leaves behind a bewildered violet inkling, wondering what he did that caused Rider to act like that.

Chapter Text

Rider could feel his muscles ache, arms cramping up and shoulders throbbing. He had been holed up in one of the rest rooms behind Sheldon’s shop, practicing with his Dynamo roller. Since he worked part-time, Sheldon allowed him to use the test rooms whenever as long as he cleaned up afterwards.

Beads of sweat roll down his temple, and his chest burns with exertion. The inkling sighs, wincing as he rotated his arms, a dull burn shooting throughout his limbs.

Everyone kind of knew he was a workaholic, never resting until he perfected something. It’s what he was currently doing, trying to perfect a new technique he had come up with, but not quite getting it yet. Frustration bubbled up inside him.

“You’re going to collapse if you keep practicing.”

Rider startles, snaps his head behind him to see a familiar orange inkling.

He lets out a dry chuckle. “Hey, Army. Didn’t hear you walk in.”

Army was wearing his usual attire, but he also had a bag hanging off his shoulder. Rider tilts his head at the fact, but dismisses it.

The inkling hums, before walking over to one of the benches pressed up against the wall. He looks up at Rider, patting the spot next to him.

“I-I can’t, I still need to-“

“You can perfect that technique of yours some other time. You’ll end up collapsing if you keep going,” Army scolds, brows furrowed in concern. His hand taps the spot next to him once more, and Rider sighs, giving in.

He walks over and slumps down next to Army, letting out a sigh of relief. Closing his eyes, he focuses on the sounds of the air conditioning whirring and a hand rummaging in a bag.

It’s peaceful, and the past three hours finally catch up to him, muscles sagging with exhaustion.

He can feel himself drift off…

…

Something cold presses up against his side.

“What the-!” Rider yelps, jumping up at the freezing touch. It’s just a cold water bottle, and he looks up to see Army biting back a mischievous smile. Even though the orange inkling was the most serious out of all of them, he still had his moments.

The lime inkling grumbles and snatched the water bottle. His hearts skip a beat when he hears Army let out a tiny laugh.

“Asshole,” Rider mumbles, though there’s no bite to it. They sit in comfortable silence, Rider gulping down the water, before Army cuts in.

“Your tie’s falling off,” he points out. Rider shakes his tentacles a bit, and it looks like Army’s right - his ponytail does feel a bit loose.

“I’ll fix it right now,” he mumbles out, but before he can lean against the bench, a hand stops him. “What the- hey!”

Army clicks his tongue, shaking his head. “Let me fix it for you.” He barely even lets Rider reply before he’s turning Rider so his back faces him.

“Uh, I mean-“ Rider stammers out. He mentally facepalms. He’s not opposed to his partners touching his tentacles, there’s nothing wrong with it. But he’s just not used to it.

Army slips the tie off gently, runs his soft hands across lime tentacles. Rider resists the urge to shiver at the touch. It feels nice. He lets his eyes fall shut, leans into the touch. It’s not his fault he’s so tired… okay, it is, but he has the urge to sleep and Army really isn’t helping.

Army’s thumb grazes over old scars, and he purses his lips. They all know Rider is an agent of the Squidbeak Splatoon, they know what he’s been through. Still, to see reminders of his past injuries… It grips Army’s hearts in an unusual way.

He leans down to press a chaste kiss on the faded scars.

Rider’s eyes snap open, and he can feel his cheeks flush hotly at the sensation. “What are you doing.”

Army looks up, smirking at the others reaction. While Aloha and Mask were the ones more prone to teasing Rider, that didn’t mean Army didn’t like to do it, either.

“Nothing,” he replies innocently. Rider lets out a low growl, which tapers off into a gasp when Army kisses his tentacle again.

“OKAY, time to go home,” Rider blurts out. He tries to stand up, but Army grabs his shoulders, pulling him down.

“I didn’t tie your hair up yet,” the orange inkling claims, but despite his innocent tone, Rider just knows he’s not done yet. Begrudgingly, he lets himself be manhandled.

It seems like Army’s done teasing him, because he ties his tentacles up into a ponytail. Before he can stand up, however, another kiss is pressed to the back of his neck.

His face burns a bright lime color, and he growls. “Dumbass!” He stands up, gathering his things in a hurry.

Army can only watch the flustered squid with adoration.

It really was too easy to tease him.

Chapter Text

Out of all the things Rider’s learned about each of his partners, the one thing that baffled him the most was that that Mask acted like… well, like a cat.

Not an actual cat, mind you. He didn’t go around meowing or whatever. But he had certain characteristics that reminded Rider of the feline creatures.

Mask never liked being touched unless he initiated it first. He napped [all] the time. He liked to fall asleep on top of others, therefore trapping them with no way to escape unless they wanted to wake him up.

It was rather strange at first, considering Mask seemed intimidating the first time they met (then again… all of them seemed intimidating at first). To see Mask was just an inkling version of a house cat made Rider snicker.

Though there was one characteristic cats had that Rider had forgotten…

They were all watching some game show, shouting out the answers and laughing when they got it wrong. Rider and Aloha were sat on the couch, Mask splayed over them lazily. Army sat properly on the floor, while Skull was laying down on his chest, holding a pillow.

“This show is totally rigged!” Aloha complained, pouting at the television. “I totally had that answer right…”

Army shook his head, let’s out a scoff. “You always say that…”

Aloha grumbled, sticking his tongue out childishly. The orange inkling simply shook his head once again, before returning his gaze towards the screen. A comfortable silence settled, draping over them like a blanket, with the occasional blurb said by Aloha or Army.

Rider let his mind drift off, thinking about different things he had to do. Groceries, clean his Dynamo, what else…

It seemed Mask noticed the concentrated furrow in his brow, because he sat up from where he was draped over both Rider and Skull, plopping himself down on the lime inkling’s lap.

Rider snapped out of his thoughts, looked down at the cyan squid. The corners of his lips quirked up, and he leaned down to press a kiss against Mask’s forehead, earning a half-hearted grumble.

Mask simply nuzzled into the others neck, and if he were a cat, Rider was sure he would be purring. The lime inkling returned his attention to the television, rolling his eyes as Army and Aloha bickered, with Skull cutting in at times.

It wasn’t until he felt sharp fangs graze against his neck that he froze.

“What the- ACK!” Rider choked out when Mask bit down on his neck. “MASK-!”

It seemed the commotion attracted the attention of the others, and Aloha began cackling. “Oh, cod, I was wondering when he would do that to you!”

Rider stared at him incredulously, letting out a gasp when Mask bit down a bit harder. His hands held the cynical inklings shoulders, but made no effort to push him away. It’s not like the sensation hurt, it just felt… weird, but he wasn’t opposed to it.

He snapped his eyes towards Skull, who had a faint smile on his lips. Even Army was laughing quietly at him!

Rider growled, the blush on his face becoming brighter by the second. “Why are you- why is he-?”

Aloha snickered, turned around to face the two inklings. “He likes to do that to show affection. Remember how we always say he’s like a cat?”

Rider nods slowly, not quite getting the picture, before slowly piecing it together. Mentally, he facepalms. Of course, that’s another characteristic, affectionate biting!

“Oh, shell,” Rider groans out, causing the rest of his partners to laugh. Even Mask lets out a breathless laugh, hot against his skin, causing a shiver to run down Rider’s spine. He can feel the cyan inkling smirk against his neck, and he growls. “Stop being so smug, idiot.”

Mask finally unclamped his mouth, grinning sleazily at Rider. The lime inkling flushed hotly, trying his best to ignore cyan eyes staring at him. His hands felt clammy, and butterflies fluttered in his stomach.

“I hate you,” Rider grit out, earning a raspy laugh from Mask. The cyan inkling pressed a kiss against Rider’s cheek, snuggling against him once more.

In the morning, if anyone noticed a bruise in the shape of a bite mark forming on Rider’s neck, they paid no attention to it at all.

Chapter Text

“The winners are… the Yellow-Green team!”

Cheers erupt around the stadium, cephalopods jumping and whistling.

Rider’s frozen, leather boots stuck to the ground. They… won? They won the Nationals? He can’t believe it. Behind him, Bamboo Hat and Stealth are laughing, whooping in disbelief. Blazer comes up beside him, poking him. The lime inkling snaps out of his thoughts, looking up at her.

She smiles at him. “Can’t believe it?”

Rider blinks once, then twice, and then chuckles. Sweat clings to his forehead, to his chest and back. The stadium lights don’t do anything to help. It was a difficult match, but they managed to win the National Finals. They were so close to losing, barely managing to win all because of a plan Rider had made up last minute.

The team walk up to accept their trophy, grinning proudly as the audience explodes into a cacophony of noise. There’s a few peculiar cheers, however, that catch Rider’s attention. They sound oddly familiar… almost like-

“RIDERRR!”

Rider’s eyes widen as he spots none other than his boyfriends.

Aloha’s screaming and cheering, waving at Rider with a joyful expression. Mask and Skull hold up a banner that reads ‘GO RIDER!’, and even though they’re a bit far away, Rider just knows Mask is wearing a shit-eating grin. He can’t know for certain, not with the gas mask covering Mask’s face. Army is sitting beside them, but Rider can see a small smile on his face.

Behind him, Bamboo makes kissy noises, making Stealth and Blazer laugh. Rider lets out a ‘tch’, ignoring them despite the way his face and neck heat up.

It’s a long night of interviews, photos, and speaking to other teams. After everything finally ends, and people go home, Rider can finally search for his partners. Cephalopods filter out of the stadium seats, but his boyfriends were in the exact same spot.

Aloha runs over to him, crashing into him with a tight hug. Rider almost loses his balance, but fortunately doesn’t fall.

“Rideeeerr!” Aloha wails dramatically. “I’m so prouuuud!” 

The tanned inkling huffs, but hugs Aloha back nonetheless. Mask, Skull and Army come up beside him, congratulating him on his win.

“I told you guys not to bring signs,” Rider grits out, cheeks darkening. Mask lets out a raspy chuckle, slugging Rider’s shoulder.

“It was Aloha’s idea,” Mask croaks out, eyes crinkling. He slips his mask off, giving Rider a lazy smile.

“Of course it was,” he mumbled. Aloha keeps praising him, smiling with pinkened cheeks. Rider raises a brow. “Is he drunk?”

Army steps in, clearing his throat. “He insisted on buying drinks. He drank all four cups.” Army says it in such an exasperated way that Rider can’t help and laugh.

Skull tilts his head. ‘We should head home. You’re probably exhausted from the match.”

Rider nodded with a sigh, rolling his aching shoulders. “I’d like that.”

As they walked out of the giant stadium, Aloha spotted a group of Inklings, and much to Rider’s horror, began yelling at them.

“Hey! You see this guy? He won the championship!” Aloha shouted gleefully, stumbling. “He’s my boyfriend!”

The inklings simply laughed, paying him no mind. But Rider’s face heated up, and he shushed Aloha.

“Aloha! Be quiet!” Rider growled, simply earning a tipsy laugh.

“We love our boyfriend!” Mask joined in, yelling monotonously. He had a shit-eating grin on his face, much to Rider’s dismay. He just loved torturing him, huh?

“Mask!” Rider scolded. Soon enough, Skull joined in on their antics, all three of them hollering and shouting into the semi-empty parking lot. A few cephalopods turned and looked, but Rider didn’t notice with the way he buried his face in his hands. All the while, the five of them walked towards their car, ready to head home and celebrate Rider’s win.

Army laughs, standing beside him. “I’m proud of you.”

Rider stifles a grin, failing.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s just go home, you saps.”

It takes a while for Skull and Mask to help Aloha into the car, the pink inkling giggling drunkenly. Once they’re all in the car, however, with Rider in the passenger seat, Army in the driver’s seat, and the others sitting in the back, they begin the drive home. Rider closes his eyes, exhaustion settling into his muscles. He can hear Mask and Aloha bickering in the back, Army scolding them, Skull simply laughing at their antics. They're chaotic and loud but Rider loves them all either-way. 

Rider smiles.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.