Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In Inkopolis Square’s restaurant, Rider was about to leave with his drink. It seemed like another peaceful day, but then he spotted two squids walking into the restaurant–Goggles and Gloves–Together. The green squid’s eyes met with the yellow-green one’s, Gloves gave Rider a smug smile, which pissed him off. The blue squid looked over to see what Gloves was looking at. “Rider!” Goggles called out. “Come sit with us!” Goggles had a huge smile on his face, as usual. Not that he had a choice anyway, since the blue squid began to tug at his black inky rider.

“Hey dude.” greeted Gloves, with a passive-aggressive smirk. “Hey.” grumbled Rider. “What brings you here?” he asked. “Goggles and I ran into eachother, and naturally he’d want to hang around a cool guy like me!” Gloves smirked. “Yeah, sure.” replied Rider. “You guys seem like good friends!” remarked an oblivious Goggles. “Gloves, can I get the pickled plum flavored soda?” he asked innocently. “That’s a thing?” Rider asked under his breath. “Of course!” smiled Gloves. “Anything for my favorite squid in the world!” He smirked as he went to go order.

“Idiot.” breathed the yellow-green inkling. “Rider, remember the deep sea metro?” asked Goggles. “Yeah, why?” Rider didn’t remember it as well though, since he was sanitized by Tartar for most of the time. “Here ya go!” sang Gloves, giving Goggles his soda and cutting off the conversation. “N-nevermind!” Goggles laughed awkwardly. His two friends were a bit confused but decided not to ask. “You know, we should’ve invited Hachi along too!” smiled the blue inkling. “He’s cool.” said Gloves. “Hachi?” Rider thought.

“I’ll be back, just gotta use the bathroom!” Goggles ran into the men’s room. “He’s cute.” said the green inkling. “I know.” Rider glared at him, and Gloves glared back. “That’s why he’s gonna date me.” they accidentally said in unison. “YOU?” they shouted, at the same time again. “I’ve known Goggles for a long time, I’ve cheered him on for so many battles.” the yellow-green inkling stated. “Cheer on? Don’t make me laugh, you just always look annoyed by him!” shot back Gloves. “You’re going to take that adorable smile off his face someday!” he yelled. “I’m going to protect that smile!” shouted Rider, who punched his face. “You’re just being a COLD, UGLY-”

Goggles walked out and saw the two fighting. “What are ya fighting about?” he asked with a big smile on his face. “Nothing.” assured Rider. “Say Goggles, what do you say to a date?” Gloves asked boldly. “HEY!” shouted Rider. “He’s being an idiot, Goggles. I say you come over to my house and watch a movie with me instead.” offered Rider, who had a small smile on his face. Goggles smiled widely again. “Guys…I’d love to! But tonight is Bobble Hat’s birthday party, sorry! You’re free to come though!”

“That sounds-” Gloves was interrupted by a wide-eyed Goggles. “I know!” the blue inkling exclaimed. “All three of us can have a slumber party tomorrow night!” His eyes sparkled. “You two aren’t busy tomorrow night, right? We can have it tomorrow? There’s no issues with-” Rider was ever so slightly annoyed. “YES!” he groaned. “...Yes. It sounds fun.” he added in a calmer tone. “Sounds cool!” added Gloves. “Yay!” cheered Goggles. “See ya! I gotta go help set up the party now! Headphones wanted me to help set up her love confession!” Realization hit the blue inkling. “Whoops! I wasn’t supposed to say that! Keep it a secret!” He laughed as he went through the doors. “He invited me to a sleepover…” mumbled Gloves, who’s face was glowing with joy. “Correction, he invited us to a sleepover.” muttered Rider. The green squid rolled his eyes. “Shut up man! I’m gonna go fix my hair for the party.”

Meanwhile, Goggles was at his best friend’s birthday party, which had just begun. “Chocolate!” cheered Bobble. “HEY! We have to wait until the others arrive!” Specs called out, running over to shield the cake from her. “You’re so lame!” Aloha commented. In the other room, Headphones was holding a bouquet of roses, feeling nervous. Goggles came into the room. “You’ll do great out there!” he smiled. “What if she doesn’t feel the same way?” asked Headphones, anxiously. “Why wouldn’t she? You’re one of the best teammates and charger users a squid could ever ask for!” Goggles cheered. “Thank you.” smiled Headphones. “You’re a great friend.”

“Have you seen Goggles?” asked Gloves, who just arrived at the party. “I don’t know, he might be talking to Rider.” answered Specs. “Thanks man!” Gloves went over to where Rider was, but Goggles wasn’t there. “Can I help you?” asked Rider, who looked annoyed. “Where’s Goggles at?” he asked. “Like hell I know.” Rider replied, also unsure. “Dude, we’re at a party, loosen up a bit!” Gloves winked. “Otherwise I’ll be the one who’s confessing to Goggles first!” The others watched the two argue. “Cod, they’re annooooying.” sighed Mask. “It’s always Goggles this, Goggles that. It’s irritating.” Army commented, also annoyed. Skull just ignored the fighting while eating a bunch of candy. “I have an idea~” smirked Aloha. “What?” asked Army, not liking where this was going. “Army dear, don’t give me that tone~” Army blushed and looked away, he hated it when he called him things like “dear” and “honey.”

Goggles was leaving the room Headphones was in. “I think now’s good!” he whispered to her. Headphones nodded and went out to the party as well. “I can do this.” she said to herself. “Everyone, I-” A mischievous Aloha then stepped in front of her. “Hey everybody, who wants to play a big game of truth or dare?” he smirked as he loudly and proudly asked the room. Naturally, almost everyone was quick to shout “Yes!” A few, like Rider, rolled their eyes. “HEY WAIT!” shouted Goggles. “W-we should play Mario Party first!” he said awkwardly. Before Aloha could say anything, Mask ran and grabbed a controller. “Oh, alright!~” sighed the pink squid.

“Headphones, you have to confess!” Goggles whispered to her. She nodded in response. Goggles went to grab a drink from the fridge, but a hand held out the exact drink he wanted to him. “Here.” said Rider, blushing. “Thanks!” chirped Goggles, chugging the glass of water. “You having fun?” asked the blue inkling. “Of course, but Gloves is being annoying.” he replied. “Am not!” Gloves shouted, but he was ignored (poor guy). “You two are always poking fun at each other.” said Goggles. “I wish I was that close to someone!” The blue inkling’s comment confused the two. “Goggles, we aren’t-”

“Everyone, I have something I want to confess!” announced Headphones, holding a large bouquet of blue roses. Specs was holding a spotlight above her, and everyone else turned their attention to the blue inkling girl. Goggles was excited. “Bobble, your smile is really cute, and your constant cheery outlook inspires me! If I had to choose one person to spend the rest of my life with, it’d be you…” Headphones was blushing deeply as the smiling inkling walked up to her. “Bobbles, I’m in love with you…W-would you go out with me sometime?” she asked nervously. The room was in complete silence, except Goggles, who was clapping and cheering. “Headphones…” Bobble Hat was surprised. “Yes! Yes! I’d love to be your girlfriend!” she smiled, laughing as she jumped into her for a hug. Headphones kissed her forehead.

Shortly after things died down, two pink octolings walked in, one boy and one girl. “I hope we didn’t miss anything important.” said Nana. “The cake’s still in one piece, I think we’re fine.” replied Hachi. In the kitchen, which is near the front door, Goggles was talking to Gloves. “The way you hit all four of us at once with your splashdown, it was really cool!” said Gloves. He went on about the battle him and Goggles’ teams had in the morning, but the blue inkling’s eyes wandered off. Gloves soon noticed this. “Goggles? You with me?” He wasn’t sure what had caught his attention.

“What?! I missed the big confession?!” gasped Nana. “You did!” smiled Bobble Hat. “Sorry.” sighed Headphones. “It’s fine, really! You two look really happy together!” Nana said, smiling. “What else did we miss?” asked Hachi. “Eh, nothing. I think I saw Aloha sneak a kiss on Army’s cheek though.” giggled Headphones. “Hey, why is Goggles looking at you like that?” asked Bobble Hat, still wearing that iconic smile. “Me?” asked Hachi. “Yeah, you!” answered Bobble. Hachi looked at Goggles behind him, who quickly averted his gaze while blushing.

“Goggles!” called out Hachi, making his way over to the kitchen. “Hachi!” responded the blue squid. “Hello to you too, Gloves.” Hachi added, waving at Gloves, who gave him a thumbs up to look cool. “It’s been a while.” smiled the octoling. “Yeah.” replied Goggles, blushing. “Sorry I’m late, I was fixing the TV at home.” Instead of simply saying something back, Goggles hugged him. “It’s okay!” he said. “Specs broke my jar of pickled plums once!” They then heard a distant “Don’t tell him that!” from Specs.

“OKAY EVERYBODY, NOW THAT I HAVE BEATEN MASK’S ASS IN MARIO PARTY, LET’S ALL PLAY A BIG GAME OF TRUTH OR DARE!” Aloha shouted. Mask slapped him on the face. “Fuck yooou!” he grumbled. “Gee, sorry!” Aloha laughed. The same people were excited to play. “EVERYONE, GET IN A BIG CIRCLE ON THE FLOOR WITH ME! NO EXCEPTIONS! YOU’RE ALL PLAYING!” Everyone gathered around. “We’ll go counter-clockwise~” Aloha smirked. “Army, truth or dare?~” he asked. “Truth.” replied Army. “You’re no fun~” whispered Aloha. 

“Okay then, are you in love with me?~” Aloha asked out loud, smirking. The orange inkling’s face burned up. “Give me a proper question!” demanded Army. “No!” laughed Aloha. “M-maybe.” mumbled Army. “Now move on!” This only made Aloha laugh more. “Goggles, truth or dare?” Army asked the blue squid. “Dare!” replied Goggles happily. “I dare you to punch Aloha in the face.” smiled Army. “Uh, okay!” Goggles got up and punched the pink squid so hard his nose began to bleed. “Is that good?” he asked. “P-perfect.” answered Army, who wasn’t expecting him to go that hard on Aloha. Next to Goggles was Rider. He was hoping Goggles would dare him to kiss him or something, but didn’t say anything. “Rider!” Goggles smiled. “Truth or dare?” he asked. “Dare.” answered the yellow-green inkling.

“I dare you to kiss Gloves!” Goggles laughed. Rider and Gloves looked at each other in disgust. “Repeat that?” asked Rider. “You heard me–Kiss Gloves!” he smirked. Goggles then began to push him toward the green inkling, and Bobble Hat helped by doing the same with Gloves. The two were now in the middle of the circle. “For Goggles.” thought Rider. “Okay Rider! Let’s just get this over w…with…” Gloves blushed madly as Rider wrapped his arms around his waist. He didn’t even notice the fact he was blushing. Gloves also found himself really enjoying the kiss, specifically the taste of Rider’s lips. “Done.” grumbled the yellow-green inkling, letting go of Gloves and sitting back down. Gloves quickly went back to his spot on the floor, thinking about what just happened. Goggles and Aloha winked at each other. The rest of the game wasn’t as spicy.

“Goggles, w-what got you to give Rider s-such a dare?” Gloves asked nervously. “GOGGLES, THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!” shouted Rider. “You two have unresolved tension!” laughed the blue inkling. “Aloha told me that kissing would help!” he smiled. “Of course that was Aloha’s idea.” groaned Rider. “ALOHA! WHAT THE HELL MAN?!” shouted Gloves to Aloha. “What?~ What did I do?” he snickered. “Well, that didn’t mean anything anyway!” Gloves shouted at Rider. “I know, quit yelling!” shot back the yellow-green inkling. Hachi came over to where the three were talking. “What’s gotten into those two?” he asked Goggles. “I dunno!” said the blue inkling. “I also dunno if Aloha’s idea was actually good.” As Hachi was talking to him, Goggles found himself lost in his eyes. A faint blush crept onto his cheeks.

“Hey guys, how was it?~” Aloha asked Gloves and Rider, smirking. “SHUT UP!” yelled both of them, before punching him to the ground in embarrassment together.

To be continued!

Chapter Text

Yesterday evening, Goggles invited Rider and Gloves over for a sleepover tomorrow night, which is now… now. Rider was running a bit late, and walked in on Goggles and Gloves playing Mario Kart, they looked like they were having tons of fun. The yellow-green inkling was obviously very jealous. “I’m here.” he grumbled. “Hi Rider! Come play with us!” Goggles happily waved. He sat down and grabbed the third pro controller. Goggles exited out of the race and back to the title screen, then went into 3 player mode.

Random headcanon time! Goggles mains Daisy, Gloves mains Waluigi and Rider 100% mains Bowser.

“WE ARE NOT PLAYING ELECTRODROME!” shouted Rider. “Why not?” smirked Gloves. “Cause I always win on it?” Rider hated the green inkling’s condescending smirk. “We should play on-” Goggles was cut off by the two storming into the kitchen, to talk privately. “Whoever wins gets to sleep with Goggles!” said Gloves, smiling confidently. “Okay, sounds easy enough.” replied Rider, who didn’t seem intimidated by his friend’s challenge. They then ran back to their controllers.

“What was that all about?” asked Goggles. “We had to get the wifi password, it’s written on your fridge right?” answered Gloves, covering up what actually happened. “It’s there?” asked Goggles. “I-is it not?” asked Gloves nervously. “I don’t even know my wifi password!” grinned the blue inkling, as if it’s something to be proud of. Thinking Goggles isn’t suspicious of anything, Rider and Gloves sighed in relief. Then the green inkling grabbed Goggles’ controller and slammed the A button on electrodrome. “GLOVES YOU DUMBASS!” yelled Rider. “May the coolest squid win!” laughed the green squid.

“So, what did ya think of Headphones’ big confession?” asked Goggles. “I helped!” he added as he hit Peach with a red shell. “Pretty cool, now I want to confess that I-” Rider slapped Gloves before he could finish confessing his love, mouthing a “Remember the challenge you idiot!” Goggles didn’t notice anything, he was too focused on the race. As predicted, Gloves won. He was so far in 1st that he almost fell asleep waiting for the others to finish. “Cool! Now let’s play-” Rider grabbed his hand to stop him from grabbing Goggles’ controller. The two inklings of different shades of green looked at eachother, and didn’t realize that it turned into them staring at each other. “You guys are staring at each other!” laughed Goggles, who was picking snes rainbow road.

The two quickly looked away and pulled their hands back. Gloves was blushing, similar to the incident from yesterday. Rider didn’t notice it, but he was blushing too. The second race began, and “the score” between them was 1 Gloves and 0 Rider. The two began the race with the biggest rocket starts possible. “Wow, we’re getting competitive!” remarked Goggles, who didn’t know about the challenge but enjoyed feeling the passion of the competition. On the third lap, the two green squids were neck and neck, but Rider knocked Gloves off of the track with a well-aimed green shell, giving him the victory. “We’re even now.” smirked Rider. “Not cool dude!” scoffed Gloves. “It’s all about fun in the end though, right?” Goggles smiled. “Yeah.” said the other two in unison, awkwardly. They knew Goggles was right, but both wanted to win a night in the blue squid’s bed.

Rider’s mind wandered to the controller incident from a few minutes ago. “I felt…like how I feel when I’m around Goggles…But why? Gloves is my biggest rival, I’d rather die than fall for him!...But…Saying that sounds harsh for some reason.”

Gloves was thinking about the same thing. “COD DAMN IT, I BLUSHED OVER THAT JERK AGAIN! …Keep your cool Gloves, it’s probably just…Just…Just what? What the heck WAS I feeling back there?”

“I win!” cheered Goggles. The two quickly realized they were spaced out, and rushed for 2nd and 3rd place. Gloves was better at Hyrule circuit than Rider, allowing him to get 2nd, which is a win as far as the challenge is concerned. It’s now 2 Gloves and 1 Rider! The two glanced at each other, and quickly looked away when their eyes met. “I’ll let you pick this one.” said Gloves. “Wait! I WASN’T PAYING ATTENTION WHY DID I SAY THAT?!” Rider picked Bowser’s Castle, of course he did. “You really want me to win.” remarked the yellow-green inkling, which caused the flustered green squid to involuntarily blush.

“You’re blushing.” commented Goggles. “It’s from the heat of the competition!” retorted Gloves. “I gotta win this! Forget about Rider, just keep cool!” he said to himself. Gloves, in fact, did not keep his cool. Rider smirked as he crossed the finish line in 1st place, and their “score” was now tied. “It’s the deciding round!” exclaimed the two. “SHUT UP!” they shouted to each other, mad that “their line was copied.” Goggles was confused. “Deciding round?” he asked. “What are we deciding?”

The two weren’t sure how to answer, and they looked at each other expecting one of them to come up with something. “Are we deciding what movie to watch?” asked the blue inkling innocently. “Exactly.” lied Rider. “It’s either the Squid Sisters movie or the Pearlina one!” added Gloves. “Pearlina? Since when were you into sappy love st-” Gloves quickly covered Rider’s mouth, and gave Goggles a reassuring smile. “Okay, let’s decide the movie on rainbow road! The Nintendo 64 one!” announced the blue inkling, with a determined smile.

The two were being extra sweaty for the final round, sometimes they’d cover the other’s eyes or poke them in the back to distract them. “Hey Rider!” Gloves exclaimed before he tackled him onto the floor. “Woah.” Goggles commented in his head. In reality, this wasn’t too out of the ordinary, they fought all the time, but the incident from yesterday changed the way a lot of people thought about it. “IDIOT!” shouted Rider. “That was my ultimate distraction technique!” winked the green inkling. “I’LL CRUSH YOU!” Rider yelled. “I’ll dodge it!” shot back Gloves.

They were lost in a petty back and forth argument, and forgot about the race entirely. They didn’t even hear the “I won!” from Goggles. The blue inkling turned off the game. “It’s getting too toxic in here, so I’m turning it off!” he said. Gloves and Rider’s eyes widened. “Carp! The race!” they both thought. “Which means I automatically win!” cheered Goggles. “Let’s watch the Pearlina movie!” He began to look for the movie on the TV. “We’ll…Get the popcorn.” sighed Rider.

The two went back into the kitchen. “The hell do we do now?” asked the yellow-green squid angrily. “We let Goggles decide. We’ll ask him after the movie” answered Gloves with confidence. “You’re on.” smirked Rider. They came back into the living room with popcorn. All three sat on the couch together, and the movie began. It’s basically a dramatized version of how Off the Hook began dating, based on the story they told to journalists. Rider wrapped his arm around Goggles’ shoulder. “Rider, what are you-” The blue inkling felt an arm pull him toward Gloves. “Yeah Rider , what are you doing?” he smirked. Rider shot back by pulling Goggles toward him, and then Gloves pulled him right back. It kept going back and forth, until Goggles went into squid form to slip off of the couch, causing the two to accidentally pull each other in.

“Sorry, I like my personal space!” laughed the blue inkling. “Guys?” he saw the two, both were blushing like mad, but neither were getting out of the position. “Hellooooo?” asked Goggles. “Are you sleeping?” he asked again. Both then realized Goggles was talking to them. “He’s been acting REAL weird today!” laughed Gloves, pointing at Rider. “ME? LOOK AT YOU! You’re blushing all over!” he shouted. “You are too, dummy!” shot back the green inkling. “Shut up!” scoffed Rider, blushing even more. Gloves took a picture of him and showed it to him. “You totally are!” he laughed. Rider did the exact same thing back. “You are too.” he said. “Why are we even blushing anyway?” he asked. Both realized that they couldn’t answer the question. The two sat next to each other in awkward silence for the next hour.

“Woah! They’re kissing!” Goggles exclaimed, pointing at the TV, and breaking the tension. “It was so beautiful!” The blue inkling cried exaggerated tears. “Say Goggles,” smirked Gloves. “Do you want someone who loves you that much?” asked the green inkling. “Of course!” smiled Goggles. “Shut up Gloves.” groaned Rider. “Goggles, we were wondering if you wanted to sleep with one of us tonight.” said Rider. “Uh, sure! Why not?” replied Goggles. “Well, who are you choosing?” Rider and Gloves were anxious to hear his answer. “Both of you!” Goggles answered. “You should all fit, so why should I choose?”

Goggles managed to outsmart them, not even knowing that he outsmarted anyone! The blue inkling seemed to have no suspicions about anything either, he seems oblivious! After getting ready for bed, Goggles jumped onto the huge bed he had. “Are you sure you want the both of us to sleep here?” asked Rider. “I’m not choosing and that’s final!” answered Goggles, who seemed mildly annoyed by something. “Why are they so insistent on me choosing one over the other? I don’t wanna exclude anyone!” he thought.

Both were thinking about how the night was going to go, feeling excited at first. But a scenario flew into Gloves’ head. “What if I wake up in Rider’s arms? Like one of those rivals to lovers stories?” he asked himself. The green inkling blushed a bit. “What a dumb thought, Goggles is gonna be in the middle anyway!” He then looked over at Rider, somewhat sad. “Cod, am I really starting to LIKE him? THIS ISN’T COOL! I’M GOGGLES’ MAN!” Shortly after, the three went to bed.

Goggles, however, snuck into his kitchen to think. The past few days have made him think about a lot of things. He recalled things like Gloves and Rider’s fight during the movie, and how if one asked him to do anything, the other would get mad. “Holy carp, they must be fighting over me!” he concluded. The blue inkling sighed, and called someone special to him on the phone. “Hey Hachi, sorry for calling you so late.” he said. “It’s fine, really! My team is having an all-nighter party. How are things?” answered the octoling.

“Um, I think both Rider and Gloves are in love with me.” said Goggles. “I think that’s why they’ve been so competitive lately.”

“Well, who do you like?” replied Hachi.

“That’s the thing! I don’t like either of them, I like…” Goggles quickly stopped himself from revealing the person’s name.

“You don’t have to tell me.” said Hachi. “I’m not an expert on this sort of thing, but I think you should tell them that you aren’t interested.”

“But I don’t want to hurt their feelings!”

“It’s difficult Goggles, but you have to tell them sooner or later. Besides, they’ll find someone else. There’s plenty of cephalopods in Inkopolis, right?”

“Right! I’ll tell them tomorrow! See ya!”

“Wait! Goggles!” shouted Hachi.

“Yeah?” asked the inkling.

“I…was wondering if you wanted to get ice cream together. Maybe tomorrow after your friends leave?”

Goggles blushed. “I’d love to!”

The two hung up, and Goggles ran back to his room, and saw his friends… sleeping together. He didn’t want to disturb the two, so he decided to sleep on the couch downstairs. Not too long after, Gloves began to toss and turn in his sleep. He wasn’t having a nightmare, but his dream definitely wasn’t an ideal one.

In the dream…

Gloves was standing in front of an ocean, the only thing in the water was a blue boat in the distance that was floating further away. Other than that, there was nothing there, except the ocean, the beach, and Gloves himself. “Hey." said a new voice, who put his hand on the green inkling’s shoulder. “Rider?” asked Gloves. The other inkling, who was indeed Rider, nodded. Gloves blushed, and hastily kissed him on the lips. The two kissed each other passionately, as the wind picked up and carried a slew of rose petals in the air.

Gloves quickly woke up, his face completely burning. “I hate myself.” he sighed. “Why him of all people? Even if I really am in love with Rider, he’d see me as weak if I told him! He’s also in love with Goggles anyways, I thought I was too. I hope I still am, Goggles is a very cute squid who’s always so nice to everyone…Rider’s just a jerk…Right?” The green inkling was growing very frustrated with himself. Rider then woke up, planning to ask Gloves to stop breathing so loudly. The yellow-green inkling noticed that he seemed distressed. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked sleepily. “R-rider…” mumbled Gloves. “What?” asked Rider in his usual grumpy tone.

“It’s nothing.” answered Gloves, obviously lying. “I’ve never seen you so anxious before.” Rider commented. “I’m not anxious.” replied Gloves. “But you are.” said Rider. “I shouldn’t care, but I do. What’s bothering you?” he asked again. “Fine.” sighed Gloves. “Rider, I had a dream where neither of us were dating Goggles, but we were instead dating…I can’t say it, I t-think we should just go back to sleep!” Gloves didn’t even notice that he had gotten up from sleeping in the other’s arms, nor did he notice Goggles’ absence.

“We were dating who?” asked Rider. “Rider, I don’t want you to tell anyone about this.” whispered Gloves. The green inkling then hugged him and fell asleep in his embrace. Usually something like this would piss Rider off, nor would Gloves do anything like this in the first place. But the yellow-green inkling was too tired to even move. “He’s sort of cute…Kind of.” thought Rider as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, the two woke up, and didn’t say anything about last night. “WHERE’S GOGGLES?!” panicked the two. “I’M DOWN HERE!” answered the blue inkling, who sounded very happy. Goggles is definitely a morning person, after all. The two went downstairs, and there was no breakfast on the table. “I can’t cook!” laughed Goggles. “I can.” smiled Rider, who took some ingredients out of the fridge. A little while later, the table had the most delicious breakfast the other two inklings had ever seen. “I had a lotta fun last night!” smiled the blue inkling. “But don’t get so angry over Mario Kart next time!” he added. Gloves and Rider just looked at each other awkwardly. They both wondered what last night meant.

To be continued!

Chapter Text

Shortly after Gloves and Rider left Goggles’ house, the blue inkling went out to the ice cream shop to meet up with Hachi. “Hachi!” called the blue inkling, running into the octoling for a big hug. “Goggles!” Hachi smiled back, returning the hug. “What flavor are you getting?” he asked. “I want chocolate!” Goggles replied enthusiastically. “I want a hundred scoops of it!”

Meanwhile, Gloves and his team just won a close turf war by 0.1%. “Hey, you seemed off while battling.” said Half-Rim to Gloves. “I was?” asked the cool inkling. “You were all spaced out, did something happen at Goggles’ place?” asked a concerned Clip-Ons. “He was probably just upset that he couldn’t share a bed with Goggles!” laughed Straps. Her remark definitely got Gloves talking. “Geez, can a guy have one night where he can’t sleep well?!” he shot back, unusually irritated.

“Okay, something is off.” said Half-Rim. “What happened at Goggles’ house?” he asked. “Nothing.” replied Gloves, cooling off. “We should give him space guys.” cut in Clip-Ons. Gloves sighed in relief. “Thank cod for nice people like her.” The team decided to get food from the Crust Bucket. He usually ordered for the team, but this time Gloves sat at the table while the other three got the food. “Do I really like that jerk? Should I just keep pursuing Goggles? I can’t make up my cod damn mind!”

Half-Rim put the food on the table. “Food’s here.” But Gloves didn’t hear him. “I think he’s spaced out.” commented Half-Rim, who looked at Clip-Ons. Both knew something was wrong. “Earth to Gloves! We got the food!!” called Straps. Gloves noticed what was going on and pretended to shrug his thoughts off. “Finally!” he smiled.

Everything seemed fine now, the team eating and talking about normal stuff like the latest trends. Around ten minutes later, Gloves caught someone in the corner of his eye. “Squit, that can’t be him!” he mumbled. “Who?” asked Clip-Ons. Gloves didn’t answer, he kept staring at the inkling. “Hey, isn’t that the gold dynamo guy you keep fighting with?” asked Straps. “HUH?!” Just mentioning Rider startled Gloves a bit. “Yeah, something happened at that sleepover.” remarked Half-Rim.

“Wait a sec! The party incident, the sleepover, the constant spacing out, getting startled like that, the blushing…” smirked Straps.

“I see what you mean.” Half-Rim smirked back. “What?” asked Gloves, confused.

“You know Gloves, you can tell us anything.” smiled Clip-Ons, who looked innocent but she definitely knew as well.

“YOU LIKE RIDER!!!” exclaimed Straps. “W-what?” Gloves blushed harder than ever. “Don’t be silly! He’s my rival!” he laughed nervously. “Ooh, let’s ask Goggles then!” Straps snickered. “It’s not like he knows anything.” shrugged Gloves as Straps began to type in the phone number. The other two inklings crowded around her phone. “Not you guys too!” sighed their leader.

Goggles was waiting for Hachi, who was using the bathroom. The blue inkling’s phone rang, and he answered it. “Straps? Why are you calling me?” he asked, confused. The green inkling girl never calls him, he doesn’t even know why she has his number!

“Goggles, did Gloves and Rider have any funny business going on last night?” she asked with a huge smirk.

“Huh?” Goggles was confused.

“Did they do anything unusual together?” she reiterated.

“Well, they were sleeping together, and they looked really cozy!”

“WOAH WAIT WHAT?! REALLY?!”

“Yeah! I couldn’t disturb them like that, so I slept on the couch!” Goggles also explained a few more details about last night.

“Thank you Goggles! See ya!” she smirked as she hung up. The three teammates all turned their attention to Gloves, smirking.

“...What?” Gloves grew a bit nervous after hearing Straps’ reaction to something Goggles said. “Did you guys really sleep together so closely like that?” asked Clip-Ons, amazed. “It’s not like that!” Gloves laughed, sweating. “Oh really? Would two enemies sleep in each other’s arms so peacefully?” Straps snickered. “Well, I guess that’s why you’ve been so off lately.” remarked Half-Rim. “Hey, we can help you confess if you want!” chirped Clip-Ons.

“I don’t like Rider!” shouted Gloves. “I KNOW!” yelled an irritated Rider, who was still where Gloves first spotted him. “R-RIDER?!” gasped the green inkling as the yellow-green one began approaching the gang. “Honestly, I’m glad you didn’t think too deeply about last night.” added Rider. “Yeah, it didn’t mean anything anyways!” replied Gloves, repressing his thoughts. “It didn’t sound that way to me.” muttered Half-Rim. Gloves shoved some of his deep-fried shwaffle into his friend’s mouth, whispering a quick “Shut up!” to him. “So Rider,” laughed Gloves nervously. “What brings you here?”

“I got bored.” answered the yellow-green squid. “Hey!” exclaimed Straps. “Ya know, Gloves was actually meaning to ask you something!” she smiled. “What?” asked Rider.

Gloves silently panicked. “I actually wasn’t-”

“He wants to know if you wanna get ice cream with him!” cheered Straps. “...Ice cream?” questioned an unimpressed Rider. Team Gloves anxiously watched him think, including Gloves himself. “Sure, whatever.” sighed Rider. “Straps, you…” Gloves whispered, not finishing the sentence in order to catch up with Rider. He was going to call her something very mean anyways. The two went off to the ice cream shop, and the rest of Gloves’ team stayed back and began giggling, as well as doing things like singing wedding music.

Goggles and Hachi were at the park nearby the shop, they found themselves lost in conversation. “We should have a big turf war party!” said Goggles, who had a huge smile and was amazed as he pictured all of his friends having turf wars. “Like a tournament?” asked Hachi. “Yeah!” replied Goggles. “We’ll all fight for a giant pickled plum flavored cake!” The blue inkling didn’t notice that he was blushing, he was just so happy to talk to Hachi. The octoling, however, noticed it. He just smiled. “Hachi, I think we should talk about the whole thing with Rider and Gloves…” said Goggles, who looked a bit serious.

The other two boys had just walked into the parlor. “You’re so weird sometimes.” sighed Rider. “You should loosen up!” shrugged Gloves. “I will once I finally confess to Goggles.” said the yellow-green squid. “Well he’ll be going out with me, so I guess you’ll never find peace!” Gloves laughed. “YOU LITTLE-”

“What are you two ordering?” asked the cashier, who was clearly tired of the two already. “I’ll have mint chocolate on a cone!” replied Gloves. Rider sighed. “Vanilla.” The cashier nodded, and the two got their cones after a few moments. “So, you two are confessing to Goggles?” asked the cashier. “Shell yeah!” said Gloves. “And he’ll choose ME!” he added. Rider was pissed. “You?” he growled quietly.

“It’s funny,” began the cashier. “Because that boy was in here just ten minutes ago with this octoling in red.” The two inklings’ felt their jaws drop. “Yup.” said the cashier. “He looked pretty into him too.”

“H-Hachi?”

“Don’t get too upset about it. I got no idea if they’re dating, I just thought I’d tell you boys.” said the cashier as she handed Rider the change. The two went to sit down, both a bit miserable after hearing about that. “Carp, there’s no seats left.” muttered Rider. “Let’s go outside then.” said Gloves. “Besides, you should touch grass anyway!” he laughed. “Shut the fuck up.” sighed the other inkling boy.

They went into the local park, and sat down on the first bench they could find. “It’s pretty nice out!” commented Gloves, who saw a butterfly fly by. “I guess.” replied Rider. “Why were your teammates laughing about me?” Rider suddenly asked. Gloves stammered, which confused Rider a bit. “They…found out about last night.” said the green squid. “As much as I love them, my team really thinks I have a thing for you.” he added. “Funny, right?” he laughed.

“What idiots.” scoffed Rider. “Why would you have feelings for your worst enemy?” he asked. “Haha, exactly!” replied Gloves. “Yeah, why would I?” A small frown snuck onto Gloves’ face. “You good?” asked Rider, oblivious to the obvious Gloves. The green inkling finished his ice cream and put his usual smug smile on. “How about we walk around a bit? Sitting is boring.”

“Uh…Okay.” replied Rider. Not too long after getting up, the two saw exactly what the cashier told them about: Goggles with Hachi. Gloves and Rider looked at each other, both a bit worried about their chances. Feeling confident, Rider went to make the first move. He didn’t notice Gloves being unusually quiet. “Hey Goggles.” Rider smiled. “Oh, hi Rider!” waved the blue inkling. “I’m with Hachi!” he added. Rider and Hachi waved to each other. The octoling also waved to Gloves, who awkwardly waved back instead of his usual thumbs-up or something.

“I got two tickets to the movies.” said Rider. “They’re for the new Diss-pair film tonight, you wanna go?” he asked. “Sure!” smiled Goggles, who saw this as a platonic hang-out despite knowing exactly what the yellow-green squid intended. “Rider, is Gloves okay? He’s usually confident and, well, cool.” asked Hachi. Rider shook his head. “No idea. He’s been acting weird lately.” The yellow-green inkling turned around, and Gloves was gone. “Very weird…”

“Gloves?!” gasped Clip-Ons. The three green inklings saw their team leader burst through the door, if they looked a bit closer they may have even caught tears forming in his eyes. “You’re right, I like Rider, but you’re crazy if you think I have a shot!” Gloves shouted. “What makes you think that?” asked Clip-Ons, concerned. “Ain’t it obvious?!” he replied. “He’s been into Goggles for the past five years!” he shouted before sighing. “Like how I was for the past three…How the hell did I get here?”

Half-Rim put his hand on Gloves’ shoulder. “You have a shot, don’t doubt yourself.” The usually reserved inkling smiled at him. Their moment was cut short by a fired-up Straps. “HOLD UP MAN!” she shouted. “GLOVES, the COOLEST and MOST CONFIDENT inkling I know thinks he couldn’t win that jerk Rider’s heart?!” she yelled. “Straps, I-” Gloves was cut off by the inkling girl covering his mouth. “NUH-UH! DON’T TRY TO ARGUE WITH ME YOUNG MAN!” she even wagged her index finger. “The Gloves I know doesn’t give up so damn easily, you must be Jared!”

“...Jared?” asked the other inklings, who were very confused. “Jared is Gloves’ evil doppelganger!” explained Straps. “We don’t get it.” muttered Half-Rim. “You see, Gloves is cool, confident, optimistic and would never give up when pursuing a good looking guy!”

“Or girl since he’s bi.” added Clip-Ons.

“You get the point!” said Straps. “Jared on the other hand, however, is pathetic, always doubting himself and he thinks some bitch like RIDER is too cool for him! Jared is the polar opposite of cool, which means he’s definitely not the Gloves I know!”

“...Weird way of putting it, but I get it.” replied Half-Rim. “Gloves, I understand love is an uncertain thing, trust me…” Half-Rim looked at his friend, remembering how he had a crush on Gloves during their childhood. “But you can’t lose that confidence. You can’t lose that fire you’ve had for so long now.” sighed Half-Rim.

“Gloves,” said Clip-Ons. “We don’t want to lose you.”

Gloves looked at his team. “Guys…I think you’re right!” he smiled. “Let’s woo Rider the cool way!”

In the evening, Goggles and Rider walked into the movie theater. “Let’s watch the Diss-Pair movie!” cheered the blue inkling. “Wait, who’s Diss-Pair again?” In response, Rider sighed. “You live under a rock?” he asked as the two went to line up for popcorn. “Rider, Gloves looked sad earlier.” said Goggles. “Look, I don’t know what’s up with him.” answered Rider, in a slightly aggressive tone. “Maybe the incident from last night made him uncomfortable or something.”

“Then you should apologize to him.” Goggles replied. “I don’t know.” mumbled Rider. “Why?” asked Goggles, which surprised Rider since the blue inkling wasn’t meant to hear that. “The truth is, I don’t know if I’m his rival anymore.” answered the yellow-green inkling. “The more I insist last night meant nothing, the more I believe it did…I guess it’s painful, because if Gloves is uncomfortable then…” Rider stopped. “Nothing. It’s…Whatever.”

After getting their snacks, Goggles ran over to their seats, with Rider following behind. As the film began, Rider was trying to quietly flirt with the blue inkling by doing things such as sneaking an arm around his shoulder. Goggles didn’t mind it too much, he may only see Rider as a friend but he also doesn’t think gestures like that need to be exclusively romantic. The blue inkling just enjoyed the movie while probably enjoying the popcorn even more.

However, after a little while into the film, something began to feel off…Off to Rider, at least. He suddenly moved his arm away from Goggles, and even slightly leaned in the opposite direction. In fact, he never blushed around the blue inkling once today, and even began to think that his offer for a movie date felt…forced? When he looked at Goggles, he wasn’t getting the same warm and fuzzy feeling he usually got.

The movie ended two hours later. “Wow! Warabi is so cool!” grinned the blue squid. “Yeah, it was nice.” smiled Rider. But while Goggles left feeling happy to have seen such a good movie, Rider left feeling a bit…different about Goggles, a somewhat sad feeling he couldn’t describe. He hopes that it was just a passing thought, but he also doubts that…

To be continued!

Chapter Text

A few days after Rider went to see that movie with Goggles, Gloves surprisingly wasn’t thinking much about it, as those few days in-between were full of turf wars and ranked battles. The green inkling was a bit exhausted, but still feeling fired up. “It’s a nice and boring day, perfect for trying to rizz up Rider!” exclaimed Gloves. Half-Rim sighed. “Don’t ever say rizz again.”

Gloves didn’t care about his best friend’s remark though, he was already happily making his way out the door. “Gloves is so back!” cheered Straps. “JARED IS DEEEEEAD!!!”

While he looked around for Rider, he ran into a familiar pink squid. “Sup Aloha?” he greeted in a cool manner. “Hey buddy!” waved Aloha. “What are ya up to?” asked Gloves. “I’m on my way to go bug Army~” winked the pink inkling. “Aloha, how do you flirt so well?” asked the green inkling. “You wanna find out? I could give you a few lessons~” he smirked, before blowing a kiss to Army. The orange inkling hid his face.

Meanwhile, Rider was in the middle of an intense training session with his team. “My aim is just fine!” groaned Bamboo. “AIM BETTER!” shouted Rider. “You can’t just say that and expect it to get better.” replied the inkling girl, rolling her eyes. “They’re at it again.” sighed Stealth. “Oh no!” laughed Blazer, unsurprised by it.

“YOU HAVE TO CHARGE IT FASTER BY-” There was a knock on Rider’s backyard gate. “Who is it?” he asked in a quiet and dry tone, completely opposite to the way he was yelling at Bamboo. Gloves let himself in and flung the gate open. “It’s me~”

“Yeah, I know. What’s gotten into you this morning?” groaned Rider. “Just thought I’d drop by and see my favorite squid.” winked Gloves. “W-WHO INVITED THIS GUY?!” Rider shouted at his teammates, blushing like mad. “Uh, w-well, he was really polite on the phone…” laughed Stealth, nervously. “Of course.” muttered Rider in annoyance.

“You wanna head out to The Shoal?” asked Gloves, still wearing a flirtatious smile. “No.” groaned Rider. “I think you should go!” said Blazer. “Why?” sighed Rider. “It’s clear you two are slowly becoming friends, so you should spend time together to get closer!” she smiled. “She makes a good point.” smirked Gloves. Rider sighed. “Fine.”

Meanwhile, Goggles was waiting for someone in a shadier area of Inkopolis Square. “Nana!” he waved. “You’re here!” he smiled brightly. “So, you wanted to know how to ask Hachi out?” she asked. “I’ve known him for all my life, so I know exactly how to help!”

“Yay!” cheered Goggles.

“First of all, he enjoys fun turf wars!”

“That’s easy!”

Gloves got a message from Straps on his phone as him and Rider were walking to The Shoal. “Goggles is having a turf war nearby!! DON’T LET RIDER GET DISTRACTED BY HIM!!!” it read.

“I think I hear Goggles from Blackbelly Skatepark.” muttered Rider. “UH, NO YOU DON’T!” blurted out Gloves. “THAT’S…UH…MY COUSIN ON THE PHONE!”

“Your cousin?” he asked.

“Y-Yeeeah! Her name is…” Gloves looked at the current turf war stages to look normal or something, the stages being Manta Maria and Blackbelly Skatepark. “MARIA! HER NAME IS MARIA PARK!” he shouted nervously.

“Uh, okay…No need to yell.” replied Rider.

“Look, we’re here!” The two went into The Shoal, and instantly ran to their favorite arcade games inside.

“Gloves looks so dashing playing that…” thought Rider. “Wait, WHAT?”

“Ah, Rider looks so hot.” sighed Gloves, smiling. Rider didn’t notice and kept playing Squid Jump. A few minutes later, he felt someone looming over his seat. “You need help with that?” asked Gloves.

“UH, NO? I’M AT THE TOP OF THE LEADERBOARD!” Rider yelled, not noticing his blushing face. Gloves decided to “help” him anyways, putting his hands on Rider’s to guide them. “You can stop now!” shouted the yellow-green inkling. “Alright.” Gloves shrugged, smirking and letting go of his hands. “Your hands are warm.” he added. “Say, we should have another sleepover!”

“Aloha must have encouraged him to bully me or something!” thought Rider, angrily. “His flirting has Aloha written all over it!”

“You good?” asked Gloves. “Yes.” sighed Rider. “I can’t believe I like this version of Gloves…Not that I like him. He’s just popular with everyone for a reason. Even me, but it’s not like I-”

“Uh, you lost the level dude. I think you need help!” laughed Gloves. “SQUIT!” shouted Rider, finally noticing the game. “Thank cod you have me , the greatest Squid Jump player ever!” Gloves winked.

After Rider got bored of the game and went to a different one, Gloves stopped to text Straps again. “HOWS IT GOING BRO” read her text. “I got to touch his hands ;)” Gloves replied. “OO GLOVES U TUMBLR SEXYMAN” replied Straps. The green inkling boy put away his phone smiling, and went to another arcade cabinet.

Meanwhile, Rider was having a little crisis in his head. “He switched games…Why do I feel like I need to make a move? If I do, I’ll never hear the end of everyone teasing me! But…UGH, SHOULD I? Should I do it and just trust that Gloves will somehow not tell anyone?”

Gloves was playing a game similar to DDR, but the game was different from Squid Beatz 2. Like Rider with Squid Jump, Gloves was very skilled at this game…When the other wasn’t making a very romantic move on him. “Rider, you gotta get off. You’re messing up the game!” said Gloves, doing his best to not get frustrated.

The yellow-green inkling took the other’s hands “Tch. This is revenge.” he whispered. Nana and Goggles actually passed by and saw them through the window. All they could see was Rider and Gloves dancing a romantic tango. “I don’t remember that level!” commented Goggles.

Gloves and Rider noticed the two glancing at them, and their faces grew red in embarrassment. “You know, that might be a good move on Hachi too…” added Nana. The two inklings in different shades of green watched their friends walk away, still blushing.

The octoling girl and blue inkling continued their walk, until they ran into Hachi. “There you are!” he smiled. Goggles was quick to run up to him for a hug. “I was wondering where you two went. Afro and Pony ran off to Headspace for a sale.” said the octoling boy, who became visibly nervous. “Goggles, I was actually wondering if you wanted to go to Aloha’s party tomorrow. I heard this one’s more sophisticated.” A small blush found itself on Goggles’ cheeks. “Of course!” he grinned. Nana smiled at the two, happy that they’re a step closer to confessing.

Back to Rider and Gloves, the green inkling ran into the bathroom to call his wingwoman. “Hey.” he said in a low voice before struggling to speak. “You good bro?” asked Straps on the phone.

“R-RIDER!” shouted Gloves. “TANGO!” he added. “ARCADE GAME!” he added.

“Gloves, you gotta speak coherent inklish if you want help!” shrugged Straps. “Unless you’re JARED!”

“Quit it with the Jared joke! No one finds it funny!”

“Who’s this no one ?”

“Argh!” snapped Gloves. “Please Straps, help a guy out!”

“Fine, fine!” she laughed. “I think you just need to get it together and go back to your handsome prince once you’re good!”

“Did you have to call him that?” grumbled the inkling boy, blushing. Straps didn’t hear him though, because she hung up. “Damn it.” he sighed.

A few minutes later, he stepped out of the bathroom. “Now what?” asked Rider. “You wanna keep hanging out?” asked Gloves, his eyes lighting up. “I g-guess.” muttered Rider. “Let’s go back to my place!” smiled Gloves.

The yellow-green inkling got a reminder on his phone, and his eyes widened. “I was supposed to confess to Goggles today…” he read. “Rider?” asked Gloves, a bit confused. “I’ll be back later!” he replied, running out of The Shoal. “Oh.” mumbled Gloves.

Goggles just finished winning a Turf War on The Manta Maria, Rider caught him in the square with his team and Hachi’s. “Goggles.” he said. “Come with me.”

Rider was taking Goggles somewhere private to talk, but a familiar feeling came back- The one he had after the movie theater. After all the courage he built up for this over the past few years…Were they for nothing? Rider didn’t want to believe it, but he didn’t want this.

When the two stopped near Grizzco, Rider felt a bit…sick. That’s the best way he could put it. “Hey.” he said in his usual low voice. “You wanted to talk?” asked Goggles. “Goggles…” began Rider.

“I…I like you.” he said reluctantly, not using the stronger wording as originally planned.

“Rider…” said Goggles, who’s surprised face turned into a smile. “You’re a good friend.” he smiled. “But I can’t see us dating. I like someone else.” he said, sounding positive. “I know you’ll find someone though, you are Rider after all!” he added optimistically.

The yellow-green inkling felt…at peace, for some reason. A few months ago, he would have been heartbroken, but today he felt like a weight was lifted off of him. He didn’t understand it, but the feeling caused a soft smile to creep onto his face.

“See? You’re already smiling!” grinned Goggles.

“Goggles! The next battle’s starting soon!” called Specs from the distance.

“I gotta get going Rider!” smiled the blue inkling. “We should battle really soon!” He then ran off to catch up with his team.

The yellow-green squid’s smile grew a bit bigger as he watched Goggles run off. However, it didn’t last long. While he felt free after that, a crisis hit him. He was still yearning for love, and wasn’t sure where to find someone who would like him back. Aloha had Army, Skull has Aviators, Mask is aromantic, and he wasn’t interested in any girls.

A feeling of sadness hit him, he then remembered that Gloves is waiting for him. He hoped that the visit to his house might distract him for the afternoon. He found the green squid waiting outside of The Shoal. “Sorry for the wait.” said Rider. “Let’s go.”

Rider was impressed when he stepped into Gloves’ house. “Wasn’t expecting it to be so clean.” he commented. “Half-Rim cleans the place!” said Gloves. Someone noticed the two walk in, and it was none other than Straps. “It’s so nice to see you Rider!” she greeted, frantically shaking his hand.

Straps sent a text to Clip-Ons and Half-Rim. It said “GLOVES BROUGHT RIDER HOME! they need sum alone time~”

The other two gloves team members came to the door, greeting Rider. “You two have fun.” said Half-Rim. “We have to go grocery shopping.” he lied. “Didn’t we do that last week?” questioned Gloves. “Well you see, we just really like grocery shopping!” answered Clip-Ons, wondering what the hell she just said. “Uh…Okay.” shrugged Gloves as his team left the house.

“Your team is weird.” said Rider. “Yeah, that was weird…” replied Gloves.

Rider sat down on the couch, trying to hide his feelings- That indescribable feeling of sadness from earlier. He looked over at Gloves, who was taking his shoes off. “You okay man?” asked Gloves, his eyes meeting Rider’s. The yellow-green inkling didn’t answer. “Answer me!” pouted Gloves.

“I…Goggles rejected me, but I’m left conflicted about it.” mumbled Rider. “Sorry that happened to you.” replied Gloves. “If it makes you feel better, I’ve lost interest in him.” he said, trying to reassure him. “Wait, what?” asked Rider. Gloves only nodded.

“I see. Anyways, I’m conflicted. It’s stressing me out. I don’t know what to do.” said Rider, in a series of short sentences. “I just want to feel love on a deeper level.” He then realized what he said and blushed harder than ever before. “That was corny…”

“No Rider, I get it. Sort of.” smiled Gloves, about to make his boldest move yet. “You know, if you’re that starved of intimacy…” he began. “What the hell are you suggesting?” Rider questioned, moving a bit further away when Gloves sat next to him.

“Rider.” husked Gloves. “I’m right here if your hands need something to touch. No homo.” His words caused Rider to quickly move to the opposite side of the couch. “GLOVES WHAT THE HELL?!” he shouted, covering his hot and blushing face.

Gloves sighed. “I knew this was way too bold.”

“Whatever. It’s only because I’m desperate. This shouldn’t mean anything!” yelled Rider, a bit defensively. “Okay.” smirked Gloves, slowly making his way on top of Rider. He leaned closer to the yellow-green inkling’s face.

“This is your last chance to back out.” whispered the green inkling, his lips almost touching the other’s. He was only met with silence. “I guess we’re doing this then, no homo.” Gloves held both cheeks on Rider’s face and kissed him on the mouth, slowly intensifying it. The green inkling blushed when the other made a few suggestive sounds, pretending he didn’t hear them. 

Despite it being his idea, he still felt a bit dirty doing this, but it felt oh-so good. The two broke the kiss when the need for air kicked in. The green inkling wasn’t finished though, he made sure to plant a few kisses on Rider’s face before getting off of him.

Both were red in the face, processing what just happened. “I’m gonna go see what snacks are in the kitchen.” said Gloves, chuckling sheepishly. “Okay.” said Rider, hiding his face in his hands.

Both were quite flustered after that, but Rider’s feelings were stronger. “I can’t deny I love him anymore…That felt so right.”

To be continued!

Chapter Text

“YOU’RE INVITED TO MY BIG BIRTHDAY BASH! 7PM TONIGHT! AT NEW ALBACORE HOTEL! DRESS FANCY! ARMY YOU’RE REQUIRED TO COME OR ELSE!” cheered Aloha in a video he sent the group chat with literally everyone in it.

“Yay!” cheered Goggles and Bobble Hat. “Let’s go dress shopping, my sunshine.” smiled Headphones to Bobble. “What about us?! We need suits!” sighed Specs. “Bobble and I wanted to make this a date.” replied Headphones, sympathetically. “It’s okay Specs! We can go together!” grinned Goggles, shortly before someone rang the doorbell.

“Hi, is Goggles free? I wanted to go shopping with him.” asked Hachi. “I am!” smiled Goggles. “Sorry Specs, maybe Emperor will join you!” he said, happily waving as he ran off with Hachi. Specs fell to the ground. “Forever alone.”

Meanwhile, Rider finished drinking his coffee for the morning. “Cod, did I really agree to that?” he asked himself, referring to last night’s events. “The hell did he mean by that anyway? Knowing Gloves, he probably just needed a friend with benefits. Our feud goes way too far back for him to like me.” After putting his mug in the sink, he turned on his phone and saw Aloha’s video. “Fuck. Time to go suit shopping.”

“WOW! This place is so shiny my eyes are gonna burn off!” smiled Goggles, standing with Hachi in front of the formal clothing store. “LET’S GO!” he exclaimed, taking the octoling’s hand and running inside. “His hand is warm.” smiled Hachi, blushing. They quickly began trying on anything that fit them, since neither knew anything about fashion. A little while later, Hachi walked out in a red suit with a small black top hat clipped on his tentacle. “PERFECT!” exclaimed the blue inkling. “I’m gonna try on this one!” he grinned as he went to change.

Goggles left the fitting room wearing a sparkling blue tuxedo, and struck a few poses for a dramatic effect. “How do I look?” he winked, flustering the octoling. “Handsome.” replied Hachi. Feeling bold, the blue inkling helped him up off of the bench and kissed his hand before letting go.

Gloves just finished watching Aloha’s video while he was waiting for his pajamas to finish up in the dryer. He smiled, still thinking about last night. He couldn’t get over the taste of Rider’s skin, lips and everything! If he could just tell the guy how he feels, there’d be more of where that came from. Just thinking about how close they were sent pleasant shivers down his spine, there was a reason why he had to wash out a stain in his PJs.

“Laundry this early?” asked Half-Rim. “Yeah.” Gloves answered confidently, taking his stuff out of the dryer. “You got Aloha’s video?” he asked, getting a nod from his friend. “That might be the perfect time to confess to Rider.” said Half-Rim. “HE’S RIGHT!” grinned Straps, appearing out of nowhere, confusing Half-Rim in particular “How…How did you?-”

“RIDER TEXTED ME!” exclaimed Gloves, opening the message.

“hey. wanna buy suits?” messaged Rider.

“HECK YEAH” texted Gloves.

“CATCH YA LATER BROS!” waved the green inkling, leaving his teammates behind. “They grow up so fast.” sighed Half-Rim. “I know!” cried Straps, shedding a tear. Clip-Ons came down to join them. “Our boy’s a real man now.” she added, saluting.

“Hey man!” waved Gloves, stepping into Rider’s house. “Hey.” replied the yellow-green inkling. “So, why’d you call me here first?” asked the green squid. Rider hid his face in shame for a moment before looking back at Gloves’ eyes. “I want that again…” he mumbled. “Gloves…”

He paused for a moment before finishing with a whisper. “I want my turn.”

Gloves blushed, but allowed Rider to do what he wanted because he wouldn’t be caught dead resisting this. The yellow-green inkling let out a low, hot sigh as he took the other’s chin and brought his lips close. “F-Fuck…” sighed Gloves, silenced by the aggressive force of Rider’s mouth. His tongue made itself comfortable in the green squid’s mouth, feeling it out.

Rider pulled back and kissed Gloves’ jaw. “Damn, you taste good.” he whispered, before picking up the flushed green inkling and pinning him to the wall. The visible bulge in his shorts made Rider curious. “He likely just sees me as a friend with benefits.” the dynamo main told himself. Gloves wanted to quiver at the feeling of their parts lightly touching each other. As Rider got more intense with his mouth while sensually stroking his body, Gloves couldn’t help but let out some loud moans. He wasn’t used to being on the more receiving end.

Stealth opened the door. “Hello Ri- Oh. OH. Sorry.” he laughed awkwardly. “STEALTH?!” yelled Rider, still holding Gloves. “Dude.” snickered Bamboo, while Blazer insisted they all give the two privacy. “It’s fine.” groaned Rider. “I just remembered I have to go out anyway.”

“What about training?” asked Stealth. “Gloves and I are going shopping, so that’s canceled.” answered the yellow-green inkling. “Shopping like that?” questioned Bamboo, pointing to a weak Gloves melting into Rider’s touch. “Take your shirt off…” he sighed while smiling. “Shut up.” groaned Rider. “Well, we’ll leave you to your date.” smirked Bamboo, leaving with the others. “Jerk.” muttered Rider.

While those two got ready to go to the store, Goggles and Hachi left it and were at the octoling’s house. Unsurprisingly, it was very clean and organized. “After you, my sweet.” smiled Hachi, getting a blush out of Goggles. Hachi smiled when he noticed, and gave the blue inkling a hug.

The moment came and went, now they were in a conversation with Nana in the kitchen as the octoling girl was baking chocolate chip cookies. “I heard Army was caught wearing Aloha’s jacket yesterday!” laughed Nana. “Gloves’ team told me something about him and Rider making out!” smiled Goggles. “WHAT?” exclaimed Nana. “I’M ACTUALLY not surprised. They’re a bit obvious.”

Hachi felt a huge sense of relief knowing neither of those guys have been fighting over Goggles lately, and that they probably won’t be again. Nana felt a bit mischievous. “So, are you in love with anyone, Goggles?” she asked. “W-Well…” chuckled the now flushed inkling. “In all honesty I think I’m a little too silly for him.”

“No way! You and Hac-I MEAN HIM are totally meant to be!” responded Nana. “A little slip-up goes a long way.” Hachi thought to himself, chuckling quietly. “I love how carefree you are, I think he’d love it too.” smiled the octoling boy. “I’m off to find the rest of Hachi and I’s team while the cookies bake.” said Nana, walking out and exchanging waves with the boys. “Don’t burn the house down!”

A small hint of tension filled the air after Nana left. Hachi looked into the inkling’s eyes, while Goggles stared back kind of cluelessly. “Who’s the boy you’re in love with?” asked Hachi. Goggles just nervously looked to the side. “Come on, can we talk about this later?!” he laughed sheepishly, watching the octoling only get closer to him. Hachi kissed the shorter inkling on the nose.

“I dunno, I just assumed you preferred staying friends…” said Goggles. “OH, I MEAN HE!” he quickly “corrected” himself. “Not really.” replied Hachi. “You’re really sweet and energetic, I love the way you zip around the battlefield, and how passionate you are about almost everything.” he smiled and cupped his face. “You’re also r-really cute…I love you, Goggles.”

Goggles felt his face burn up, but couldn’t believe what he just heard. “Wait what?”

Hachi pulled the blue inkling in for a long kiss on the lips, then gently broke away. Goggles brought the two back into an embrace, he found the octoling’s to be very warm. “I love you too!” smiled the inkling. “My sweetheart.” whispered Hachi.

Ten minutes later, Nana came back and smiled at the two. The two were sleeping together on Hachi’s chair. “Aww!” she laughed, taking the cookies out of the oven. The smell instantly caught the boys’ attention and woke them right up. “They’re done!” exclaimed the octoling girl. She chuckled when the new couple began feeding each other her cookies.

Rider was looking around for the best tuxedo in the store, while Gloves mischievously shoved something into a shopping bag. “Heyyyy Rider, try this on man!” he snickered, handing Rider the bag. “If this isn’t a suit then you’re DEAD.” muttered the yellow-green inkling. Gloves got comfy as his friend stepped into the fitting room.

Without looking at it first, Rider left the room in a maid dress made from expensive material, hence why Gloves found it for sale. The green inkling guffawed when Rider finally looked down and blushed furiously. “OH, FUCK YOU!” he groaned, walking back in to change but not before Gloves took a picture of him. “DELETE THAT!”

The yellow-green inkling noticed Gloves still laughing when he came back out. “Whatever. Your laugh’s cute.” he whispered. “Not in the store!” retorted Gloves. “Hey, you just embarrassed me so I think I can say that in public.” smirked Rider.

While Rider continued his search for an outfit, Gloves scrolled on his phone and found a post from Hachi. It was a romantic photo of him kissing Goggles. “Ayy, good for them.” smiled Gloves. “What about this one?” asked Rider, pointing at a simple black suit with a sparkling red tie. “Looks good!” nodded Gloves. “And what about you?” asked Rider. “Oh, I already got one!” answered the dualies main.

“Then why the hell did you agree to come?” questioned the dynamo main. “Cause I like hanging out, I think I like your company best.” answered Gloves. “That’s stupid.” replied Rider. “Damn, cod forbid I compliment you!” laughed the green inkling. Rider blushed. “Well, it was a stupid compliment. Just because I-”

“Stop being such a tsundere and take the compliment!” scoffed Gloves, teasingly. “Tch. Shut up.” grumbled Rider. Gloves began to laugh again. “What? Is the big strong scary man afraid of my endless kindness?”

“Yeah, everlasting kindness . Sure.” mumbled Rider. “Whatever you say, loverboy.” he shrugged. “L-Loverboy?!” gasped Gloves, blushing. Being the cool inkling he is, Gloves quickly recomposed himself. “What an interesting thing to assume.” he winked. “Who’s the one who needed me when he felt touch-starved?” he smirked, paying for Rider’s suit at the register.

“Come on, big guy.” he sang as he tried picking up the yellow-green inkling. “The hell are you doing?” groaned Rider. “Givin’ you a lift.” answered Gloves, smugly. The green inkling successfully lifted him up. “This looks stupid!” complained the dynamo main. “Sorry, can’t hear ya!” replied Gloves.

He brought Rider home to get ready then rushed back to his own house to do the same. The party was starting soon, and despite being a lazy bitch Aloha hated it when his guests didn’t show up on time. They didn’t even know why he was throwing a fancy party for his birthday!

New Albacore hotel was full of familiar faces dressed to the nines, as the sound of romantic music filled the atmosphere. Rider ran into Gloves, who was just wearing a green formal shirt and somewhat decent looking pants. “Lookin’ good!” greeted the green inkling.

“Damn he’s stunning.” thought Rider.

To be continued!

Chapter Text

“WELCOME TO THE PARTY!!!” Aloha shouted to everyone, mic in hand. “THE ONLY RULE IS DON’T LOOK LAME, ‘CAUSE I’M SO RICH I CAN PAY FOR ALL THE DAMAGES!!!”

“Of course you’re rich, how else did you afford renting this place out?” scoffed Army. “Money can’t buy what I really need!” smirked the pink inkling. “Your heart~”

“Thank cod I’m not that bad with another guy.” thought Rider, watching Army get publicly embarrassed by the pink squid. He noticed Goggles and Hachi, and coincidentally Gloves saw them at the same time while getting candy from the table with Skull.

The blue inkling and pink octoling were dancing as if they were two princes in the most luxurious ballroom in the world. Oddly mature for Goggles, but Hachi was with him at every step. “Glad he’s happy.” thought Gloves, walking back to find Rider.

Rider continued watching the blue inkling and his lover, but his concentration was broken by a cold can of soda hitting his bare skin. “Got you a drink!” laughed Gloves. “You could’ve publicly embarrassed me.” scoffed Rider, blushing. He looked at Gloves again, noticing his mischievous smile. “Stupid smile…” His blush became uncontrollable.

“They’re obvious.” said Half-Rim, pointing to Gloves and Rider. “I know a lot of our friends were talking about their tension.” replied Specs. “I always remembered them competing for Goggles though?”

“Haven’t heard either of them talk about him for a while now.” shrugged Half-Rim. Specs sighed. “I wonder how it feels to be desired that badly…” he muttered, getting a very confused look from his green friend. A tall, yellow inkling heard him too. “What’s this about feeling desired?” asked Emperor. Specs blushed. “Why are both of you so concerned?!”

“Sorry, I guess I won’t ask you to dance with me~” sighed Emperor, dramatically. The blush returned to Specs’ face. “N-No! Please ask that!” he pleaded, feeling himself slowly coming closer to the taller yellow inkling. “I’ll start slow, since I’m the king of ballroom dancing.” said Emperor.

“I’m smart with a lot of things…B-But not dancing.” Specs said sheepishly. “I suspected that, don’t worry my dear Specs~” smiled Emperor, giving him a kiss on the head. “The shorter the squid, the easier it is to reach there.” he remarked confidently. “I’m average height!” pouted Specs. “You’re just taller than most of the inkfish here!”

Emperor took Specs’ hands, making the blue inkling blush. “Don’t be so stubborn on our first date. A king must be tall to have a mighty presence.” replied Emperor, smugly. “How else would such a cute inkling desire a dance with me?”

“Hey, looks like Specs found a date!” smirked Gloves. “Humph. Good for him.” replied Rider. “Everyone’s brought their X-Rank dating game tonight!” laughed the green inkling. “I hope I’m next.” he added, secretly eyeing Rider while he wasn’t looking.

“A-ALOHA!” shouted Army, stumbling around as the pink inkling poorly attempted copying Emperor and Hachi’s dancing. The orange inkling blushed, he thought he shouldn’t be enjoying this at all but here he was. “What’s wrong?” asked Aloha in a flirtatious tone.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE I LOVE YOU!” blurted out Army, grabbing everyone’s attention.

Aloha was in shock for a moment, but it soon turned into a smile. “I knew that.” he chuckled. “I took every step to not be obvious though!” huffed Army. Aloha shrugged. “Goes to show your manual is completely useless!”

Almost everyone who witnessed that smirked, some even took photos they’d post to embarrass Army later while he began barking at the pink inkling about how his manual was not useless. “It’s kinda cute when you get all defensive and fiery~” Aloha responded.

Army averted his gaze. “No it’s n-” Before he knew it, Aloha’s lips locked in with his. The orange inkling felt extremely flustered and embarrassed, especially when Aloha’s brother Diver shouted “YOU DID IT BRO!”, but eventually gave into his deepest desires and left his mouth at Aloha’s mercy. That’s when everyone decided it was a good idea to look away.

“I seriously fell for the dumbest idiot ever…” mumbled Army. “And I fell for the cutest~” chuckled Aloha, giving his new lover another kiss on the lips.

Afterwards, no new couples were formed but everyone was having fun partying. A spotlight shone down on the romantic sight that was Goggles and Hachi. “Hey, we should do something funny under it!” smiled Goggles. Hachi had a different idea, and kissed Goggles under the light where all could see the true love between them. “Did you find that funny, my azurite?”

“I’m jealous.” commented Rider.

“But…” replied Gloves. “I thought…”

“I want to be under that light.” said Rider.

Feeling that he was referring to being in Hachi’s place, Gloves felt his heart shatter into one million pieces. “Oh, I see how it is.” he said with a big hint of pain in his voice.

He got closer to Rider…

…To slap him in the face.

“I GUESS NOTHING MATTERED TO YOU AND YOUR AGGRESSIVE, OVERCONFIDENT AND COLD ASS!”

The green inkling rushed off.

“Wait, Gloves!” cried Clip-Ons, getting Straps and Half-Rim before running off to follow him. Rider was left completely confused and heartbroken. He just watched the unlikely love of his dreams run away from him. “I’m so fucking stupid, just saying bullshit without explaining why I’m really jealous…”

“Hey. What the hell did you do to him?” asked Bamboo. “I didn’t mean what I said.” answered Rider in a cold tone. “Leave me the hell alone.”

“You’re going to tell me what you did.” Bamboo said in a tone equally as cold. “I already told you, I didn’t mean what I said. He took my sentence the wrong way, and thinks I’m still into a boy who’s clearly taken.” grumbled Rider.

Outside at the hotel’s poolside, Gloves looked up into the night sky. “I should have known he was a shallow asshole who only cared about Goggles…” he said into the darkness. Remembering everything they’ve recently bonded over and the flirty exchanges they shared hurt more than any loss he’s faced in battle.

Another green inkling crouched down in front of him, and wiped the singular tear from his eye. “Gloves…” Clip-Ons frowned. “I’m so damn mad…” muttered Gloves. “I regret everything and should have never let that jerk in.”

As Clip-Ons sat next to him and comforted her teammate, Straps and Half-Rim also sat by them, hoping they can find out about what happened and help him. “Please tell us what happened.” said Clip-Ons.

Gloves took a deep breath. “When Goggles and Hachi kissed, Rider turned around and told me how jealous he was of Hachi, despite the EVERYTHING WE SHARED TOGETHER AND EVERY DAMN THING WE BONDED OVER SINCE WE STOPPED FIGHTING!” he shouted. “I guess he never cared though, and only toyed with me for some sick reason!”

“Oh, that bitch…” growled Straps, ready to fight Rider herself. “Wait, it’s more important we help Gloves.” responded Clip-Ons, stopping her friend. Half-Rim was completely quiet for a moment before speaking. “Hey, I know what it’s like.”

The other three were surprised. “Half-Rim…You know how heartbreak feels?” asked Gloves. “Why didn’t you ever tell us?!”

“Because Gloves, I didn’t want to worry you.” answered Half-Rim. “I was in love with you for the longest time since we met all those years ago…It took me so long to realize that you would never feel the same, and that realization made me feel completely broken and hopeless.”

Gloves was completely in shock. “T-That’s exactly how I feel about Rider…I wish I fell for you, but-”

Half-Rim cut his childhood friend off. “I got over it, because I also realized that there is always at least one inkfish in Inkopolis that will love me, even if I haven’t met them yet.” The usually stoic inkling smiled. “Besides, I still enjoy your company even if we aren’t lovers.”

Clip-Ons also smiled softly at Gloves. “We’re here for you, and we won’t judge you for crying about these things. Your feelings are valid and we’ll appreciate you for everything Rider failed to see!”

“Hell, we’ll make him jealous by having the greatest time ever at this party as four tight-knit besties!” exclaimed Straps. "YOU'RE OUR BESTIE GLOVES, NOT THAT BITCHASS JARED!”

Gloves wiped another tear from his eye. “I really appreciate you guys. I couldn’t have asked for better pals to team up with!” he smiled. “Rider can go suck a dick, let’s throw our own party right here by the pool!”

In the hotel, Rider sat in-between two vending machines while everyone else was having fun. He pushed his teammates away with a heavy heart, realizing his mistake but unable to process what just happened. “Gloves…I wasn’t jealous of Hachi. I was jealous of both of them, I wanted that to be us…”

He watched Goggles and Hachi flirt at the food table, Aloha pinning Army to the wall, Emperor teaching Specs how to dance, Bobble and Headphones singing karaoke, and other couples made up of cephalopods he knew having the time of their lives at this stupid party.

Rider felt his eyes water, a sensation he hadn’t felt in ages. He hung his head as he let the tears fall. He didn’t have anyone to be there for him, because he pushed anyone who approached him away. He felt the spot on his face that Gloves slapped. “I don’t deserve him.”

His heart ached as he remembered everything, from the slumber party, to their first makeout session, to the shopping trip for fancy suits. At the moment, he needed Gloves more than anything. He knew that the green inkling was his perfect match all along, even if he couldn’t see it for the longest time.

The mood seemed completely different outside with Team Gloves. Straps began playing Off The Hook’s greatest hits, including a demo for an unreleased re-recording of Color Pulse. Her and Gloves were practically embarrassing themselves with their silly dance moves while Clip-Ons sang along and Half-Rim observed the mess.

It was as if Rider hadn’t betrayed his trust, until a pang of sadness hit him. He was doing perfectly fine for a while until something just hit him, and he couldn’t explain why. He turned off the radio for a moment. “Guys…”

“Is this about Rider?” asked Half-Rim. Gloves nodded. “I should’ve known that I can’t just get over such a guy in minutes…I’m still grieving.” he explained. “That feeling is all too familiar to me.” replied Half-Rim. “Heartbreak after feeling so highly in love is the worst.”

“I don’t mean to sound sensitive,” said Clip-Ons. “But it’s really strange how he just suddenly went back to being all over Goggles like that. Are you sure it wasn’t a misunderstanding?” Gloves shook his head. “He didn’t need to specify who he was jealous of, I knew exactly who he was talking about. I bet he’s already shoved Hachi aside for a dance with him!”

“Gloves. You two need to talk about this.” added Half-Rim.

“Rider. You two need to talk this out.” said Bamboo inside of the hotel, where Rider was. Stealth nodded in agreement. “Listen to us, Rider.” spoke Blazer. You’ve come so far in learning about what it means to have friends and having others who care about you…”

Blazer firmly held Rider’s hand. “But most importantly, you learned how to LOVE! Gloves has taught you so much about true love and you’re just gonna throw it all away?! That sounds like the Rider we knew back in Inkopolis Plaza!”

“Yeah Rider!” shouted Bamboo. “DO YOU NOT HEAR WHAT YOU’RE SAYING TO YOURSELF?!” she asked him sternly. “Get out there, find Gloves, and come back holding hands or else I’m quitting on this team!”

Rider’s expression found itself returning to its usual intimidating look. “Right.” He took off to find Gloves, his first idea being outside.

Almost identically, Gloves gave his own team a confident nod.

“GLOVES!”

The green inkling quickly turned his head. “Rider!” The two met on the grates bridging over the pool. “Clip-On and Half-Rim said you might’ve…not meant what you said?”

Rider nodded. “I should’ve been clearer, Gloves…” he said. “It’s not Hachi I’m jealous of. Hell, it’s not even Goggles!”

“Then who was it?” asked Gloves.

“I’m jealous of how they get to just be in love and share a kiss under the spotlight.” Rider gently clutched the fabric covering his heart, and took a deep breath. He paused for a moment.

“BECAUSE I WANT TO LIVE THAT LIFE WITH YOU! I’ve fallen tentacle over roller for you like some idiot…I need you, Gloves, and my own team told me how much you feel the same.”

Gloves had no words, and just gazed into his eyes. It was as if time had stopped, and he never wanted it to move again. “I…I love you too, man!”

Over the course of their exchange, the two naturally inched closer and closer to each other, until their faces were nearly touching. “I’m tired of this friends with benefits thing, Gloves. We’re meant to be more than that.”

Gloves brought the yellow-green inkling’s face down to his level, and at the perfect angle to see the moon reflect on their tentacles, being two different shades of green. Gloves kissed him more genuinely than he ever had before, his hand holding Rider’s flushed cheek.

When they broke away, they continued gazing at each other for another moment, before Gloves broke the tension. He handed Rider the rose from his outfit. “I’m sick of this place, I challenge you to a one-on-one turf war out here!”

“Wow, so romantic you dork.” sighed Rider. “Hey, I think battle’s a great expression of love!” laughed Gloves. “Get your weapon or get WRECKED, MY BELOVED!”

💚 The End 💚