Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a scorching day in the Splatlands. Even hotter in Splatsville. But It was way better than the tropical heat. Desert heat was hot and dry. But tropical heat makes you feel like you’re in an oven. One thing is for sure; Big Man, Shiver, and Frye won’t miss living with the tropical heat. Or the island for that fact. After spending 6 months trapped with no communication, they finally made it back to the Splatlands. It was hell. Having to forge for food, making your own shelter, worrying about the weather conditions, it was too much. But now they can finally live with the comfort of their home. With a new roommate of course. Deep Cut decided to take the Mechanic who was on the helicopter with them in and take care of them since they had nowhere to go. Which was..ok..for the Mechanic since they didn’t have a home before. But it feels weird not defending for themselves.

“Sooo this is our apartment! We have a spare room you can use. Make yourself at home!” Frye says. The Mechanic nods and signs “thank you”. They then look around but a little cautiously. They didn’t want to ruin anything they touched.

“You can relax, ya know. We aren’t gonna get mad if you mess anything up.” Shiver says with a reassuring smile. The Mechanic nods and puts their bag down near the room. They look at the spare room and sigh. The room they’re gonna stay in. The home they’re gonna stay in. The thought of all that was a lot to process. It’s not that they didn’t want to. But the fact that 3 of the city idols took a random stranger in was shocking enough.

“So.” Shiver starts.

“I know you’re probably still shaken up from..everything. But since you’re gonna be with us, we’re gonna to get you through the ropes of life. So no need to worry!”

The Mechanic relaxes a little and sits on the couch that’s across from Shiver, Frye, and Big Man. They try to process the words going through their head. “You’re gonna be fine..” They think. They try to believe it. But after everything they’ve been through the past 6 months..are they really? They were all stuck on an island for that long. They zone out a bit on the couch but then cam back to reality. The 3 idols were discussing their plans for the next splatfest. Something about seabunnies. The mechanic doesn’t pay too much attention and instead, focuses on the fact that they haven’t had a proper shower in 6 months. “Ugh. I’m disgusting.” They thought, rubbing their forearm, disgusted. It became unbearable. They needed to shower right now. The Mechanic then interrupted the convo by signing.

“Bathroom?” They signed awkwardly. The 3 idols stopped talking and looked at the Mechanic.

“Oh. Yeah.” Shiver says and points to a door.

“It’s in there.” The Mechanic nods and stands up before walking to the restroom.
The mechanic closes the door behind them and turns on the water. It warms up rather quickly. They take off their clothes and get in. The hot water is a blessing from whoever was the creator of this world to the Mechanic. All their stress gets washed away the longer they shower. And it feels so good being clean now. After about 15 minutes, they step out of the shower and wrap a towel around their body. They then look in the mirror. They grimace at their body. They were..pretty skinny. 6 months of eating only food you gather and hunt for doesn’t help with putting on weight. They look at their other features. Scars all over their body, pale skin, messy hair, bags under their eyes. They felt disgusted with their looks. They didn’t feel like they were good enough for their new…homemates. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. “Ay Ay?(You ok in there?)” It was Big Man. The Mechanic was caught off guard.

“M-Yeah.” They say, cringing at the sound of their raspy voice. It’s been a while since they’ve actually talked.

“Ay.(Just makin sure.)” Big Man says from the other side of the door. The Mechanic then sees a new set of clothes waiting for them on the counter. They guess that was Deep Cut’s doing. They walk over to the clothes: A oversized T-shirt and some sweatpants. After putting on the clothes and grabbing their dirty clothes, they walk out of the bathroom and close the door behind them. As soon as they walk out, Big Man walks up to them.

“Ay Ay?(Better?)”

The Mechanic nods and signs “Thank you”. Big Man smiles in response. The other two were on the couch chatting. Once they notice the Mechanic, they stop and turn to them. “Oh. You cleaned up.” Frye says. The Mechanic nods and awkwardly rubs the back of their neck. The 3 idols all seem to be analyzing their appearance..which makes the Mechanic even more uncomfortable.

“I’m going to bed” the Mechanic signs.

“Alright.” Shiver says with a nod.

“If ya need anything just let us know.” The other idols nod in response. The Mechanic nods again before walking over to their room and going inside. They close the door and walk over to the bed. They let out a sigh before getting under the covers. They were starting to feel tired. But the thought of drifting off to sleep made them feel a little uneasy. They tried to push the feeling down and just close their eyes. They could hear the sounds of the other idols in the living room. It was pretty comforting. It made them feel safe. They feel their eyes heavy, drifting off to sleep. They feel..safe. For once.

Chapter Text

“And this is where you do turf wars and all the good stuff!” Frye exclaimed. Deep Cut was showing the Mechanic around Splatsville. The Mechanic looks around in awe. It's only been a week since they’ve been here but it was a long week. They’ve been adjusting to having actual food and sleeping in an actual bed. And they started to feel comfortable. As they walked around Splatsville, people kept looking in the Mechanic’s direction. It’s clear that everyone is shocked to see Deep Cut with a 4th person with them. The Mechanic couldn’t blame them. It was awkward for them to be getting so much attention. They never expected so many stares from random people.

“So, what do you think?” Frye asked, turning to the Mechanic. The Mechanic looked at Frye and gave a small smile. They then sign “Pretty cool!”.

“I know right!” Frye says excitedly. “It’s so much better than the island.” Shiver chimes in. “ Ay! (Definitely.)” Big Man adds. The Mechanic nods in agreement. The group continues to walk around before they make it to the battle lobby.
An inkling walks out and looks up from their phone. Once they saw Deep Cut they ran up to them and hugged them. Deep Cut hugs them back. Once they all let go they started to talk to each other. It seemed like they knew this inkling for years. The Mechanic stands there awkwardly. After a couple of minutes, the inkling turns to the Mechanic.

“Oh. Who’s this?” The inkling questions, pointing to the Mechanic. Big Man puts their hand on the Mechanic’s shoulder.

“Ay Ay (This is Atlas)” He says, making introductions. Atlas awkwardly waves. The inkling gives Atlas a soft look.

“They don’t talk?” Deep Cut shakes their heads.

“Selective mutism.” Shiver says. The inkling’s expression softens even more, now realizing that they’re having a hard time talking.

“It’s ok.” The Inkling signs to Atlas. Atlas’s eyes widened. Did that inkling really just use sign language? They’ve only seen a handful of inklings even attempt to sign. They started to feel something but they didn’t know what it was. So they just ignored it.

Well, I gotta get going. It was good seeing you guys.” The inkling says. “Same here.” Shiver says. The inkling then pats Atlas’s shoulder before walking off. The trio turns their attention to Atlas.

“You good?” Frye asks.

“Who was that?” Atlas says softly.

“Oh that’s Sophia” Frye explains. “She’s part of the New Squid Beak Splatoon”

“WHAT” Atlas squeaks. Shiver and Big Man snicker.

“Yep. Girl is dangerous too.” Shiver replies.

“Ay ay (She’s good in turf wars too.)” Big Man chimes in. Atlas’s eyes widened. The girl they just met could be in danger any time and is good at turf war?! Their mind started to think about the worst case scenarios. But why were they thinking about that? They barely knew this inkling.

“Atlas” Shiver says, interrupting their thoughts. They look at Shiver, signaling that they’re listening. “You ok? You’re looking a bit out of it.” Shiver asked. Atlas snaps back to reality, embarrassed that they zoned out. They give a thumbs up and smiled awkwardly.

“Alrighty, we can get you some clothes and stuff and-“

“You don’t have to!” Atlas signs quickly.

“Nah, it's ok. You need some clothes.” Frye says. Atlas sighs and nods.

“ Ay! (Alright let’s go!)” Big Man exclaims.
Altas looks one last time to where Sophia went and follows DeepCut.

Chapter Text

Sophia would often visit Deep Cut. Atlas would get really nervous and awkward but the more Sophia talked to them, the more Atlas would warm up to her. Despite the awkward moments, they still enjoyed Sophia’s company. She was really nice and understanding which made it easier to get comfortable around her. Her presence was always comforting..and very confusing for Atlas. Every time Atlas started to think about why they were getting this feeling, they’d push it down and just enjoyed being in Sophia’s presence. Deep down, they knew they were starting to get feelings. But they didn’t want to admit it. It would just complicate things.

“Atlas” Sophia said. Atlas jumped and looked at Sophia nervously. Sophia chuckled.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. I was calling your name but you weren’t responding” she explained. Atlas awkwardly rubbed the back of their neck. “Oh. Sorry. Was zoning out.” They muttered.

“It’s alright. But I noticed you’ve been talking more around me and I’m really happy about that.” Sophia said. A small smile spread across Atlas’s face. Hearing that they made someone happy by talking more made them feel good. But hearing it coming from Sophia made their heart flutter a bit. They tried to suppress it.

“I..uh..” They stuttered. “Thanks”. Sophia smiled warmly and pats their head. Every time she does this, Atlas feels like they’re on cloud 9. It was a simple touch, but it felt like the world to them.

“You’re cute” Sophia giggled. Atlas felt their cheeks get warm and turned their head away, embarrassed. Sophia chuckled.

“No need to be embarrassed. I’m just being honest” she teased. Atlas groaned and rubbed their face with their hands, trying to stop the blush from spreading. Sophia laughs.

“Anyyywaaaayysssss. I think I should start heading back home.” Atlas’s smile faltered. They didn’t want Sophia to leave. Just one more minute with her would be great.

“Oh..ok.” They said, unable to hide the disappointment in their voice. Sophia picked up on the disappointment.

“Hey.” She said softly, putting a hand on their shoulder.

“We’ll hang out again soon. I promise.” Atlas looked up at her and the eye contact made their heart flutter again. They quickly looked away with a nod.

“I’ll see you later, kay?” Sophia said, giving them one last pat on the head before leaving. Once she was out of sight, Atlas felt an empty feeling in their chest. They wanted to spend more time with her. As they walked back to Deep Cut‘s apartment, they started to think more about their feelings. They realized how much they like Sophia. They wanted to be around her more. Be closer to her. They wanted…her. But they were scared. What if she didn’t feel the same? Those thoughts filled their brain as they made it back to the apartment. They walked in and closed the door behind them and leaned against it. They let out a sigh. How were they going to handle their feelings? Deep Cut looked at Atlas as they walked in and noticed something was wrong.

“Ay? (You good?)” Big Man asks, tilting his head in concern. Atlas snapped out of their thoughts and nodded, plastering a smile on their face.

“I’m fine.” They signed, waving off the concern.

“You don’t look fine.” Shiver said bluntly. Atlas’s smile faltered a bit at her words. They couldn’t avoid the truth, but they didn’t want to tell Deep Cut about their feelings.

“Ay Ay. (Cmon, just tell us what’s wrong)” Big Man said, putting a hand on their shoulder. Atlas sighed in defeat. They knew they weren’t going to get out of this easily.

“I…I just..” They stuttered, trying to find the words to say. They took a deep breath and looked at the three idols.

“How..how do you..tell if you..have feelings for someone?” The idols looked at them, realizing what was going on. They all shared a look before looking back at Atlas.

“Well…” Frye started

“It’s kinda like..a feeling in your chest. You want to be around that person a lot. And you feel all warm and fuzzy around them”

Fuck

Atlas nodded, taking in every word, and tried to understand it.

“What if…what if they don’t feel the same way?” They ask, looking at the idols, worried.

“What if they reject me?”

The idols soften their expression. They knew how hard it was, especially for Atlas, to be vulnerable like this.

“If they reject you, then they don’t know what they’re missing out on.” Shiver says, a small smile on her face.

“Ay (Exactly.)” Big Man chimes in.

“Ay Ay Ay (If that person rejects you then they’re just blind to see how awesome you are.)” Atlas felt a little better hearing their words of reassurance. They knew deep down that they had to tell Sophia how they felt. But they were going to wait. They had to.

“Anyway.” Shiver says, breaking the moment.

“Are you gonna tell us who you like?” Atlas froze. They didn’t expect that question. The idols noticed their reaction and started to give them a knowing look.

“It’s Sophia, isn't it.” Frye said bluntly. They didn’t even question it. They just knew. Atlas looked away, confirming their suspicion. The idols all shared a look again before looking back at Atlas, smiling.

“You have good taste.” Shiver chuckled. Despite feeling embarrassed, Atlas couldn’t help but crack a small smile. They were glad that the idols accepted their feelings. But the thought of confessing was still nagging at the back of their mind.

Chapter Text

Atlas was walking alone in Splatsville. It was hot like normal and they didn’t like it. Instead of focusing on the heat, they looked around and noticed Sophia. But she was with three other people. The three other people looked much older. Like they were in their twenties or something. Atlas was curious as to who these people were. They watched as Sophia talked and joked around with them, seemingly enjoying their company. Sophia then noticed Atlas and waved to them. Atlas felt a mix of surprise and joy seeing Sophia waving at them. They awkwardly waved back, not wanting to interrupt her conversation with the other three adults. One of the adults, a tall octoling girl, noticed Atlas and nudged Sophia.

“Is that your friend?” She said, curiously tilting her head in their direction. Sophia turned around and looked at Atlas as well. She smiled warmly.

“Yeah they are. Hey Atlas, come over here! I want you to meet my parents” She called out. Parents? Those were her parents? Atlas hesitantly made their way towards the group, feeling a bit anxious. They didn't expect Sophia's parents to look so intimidating. The tall octoling girl gave her a curious look and the inkling girl was giving them a small smile. But the short inkling girl was…intimidating. Sophia noticed their anxiety and gave them a reassuring look. She knew her parents could be a bit intimidating at first, but she knew they would warm up to Atlas.

"Guys, this is Atlas." She introduced.

"Atlas, these are my parents: Hachi, Surume and Kaori." The three adults looked at Atlas, each with a different expression. Hachi smiled warmly and nodded. "Nice to meet you, Atlas." She said, Surume gave a small wave and a simple "Hey", while Kaori...just stared at them, her gaze piercing. Atlas tried not to let Kaori's intense gaze get to them. They awkwardly waved back to all three and signed "Nice to meet you too" in response. Hachi smiled again.

"I've heard a lot about you from Sophia." She said.

"All good things." She added with a wink. Kaori continued to stare. Atlas felt a mix of relief and embarrassment at hearing that Sophia had been talking about them. They shot a quick glance at her, who just chuckled in response. Kaori still stares. Surume, noticing the tension, decided to cut in.

"Ignore Kaori. She's just a bit...intense sometimes." Kaori scoffed in response. "I'm just being protective." she signed, crossing her arms. Sophia rolled her eyes.

"More like overprotective." She muttered. Wait, Sophia’s mom also speaks sign language? Atlas felt a little more comfortable but was still scared of Kaori. Despite the tense atmosphere, the group continued to have a civil conversation. They conversed about random topics and shared some laughs. However, Kaori's intense gaze never left Atlas. It was as if she was judging every word and move they made. Every time they made eye contact, Kaori would make a small disapproving noise or say something disapproving under her breath. Hachi noticed this behavior and nudged Kaori with her elbow.

"Knock it off." She whispered, giving her a stern look. Kaori rolled her eyes but seemed to back off a little. Sophia, who had also noticed her mother's behavior, gave Atlas an apologetic look. She leaned in and mouthed "Sorry" silently. Atlas nodded in understanding, appreciating Sophia's gesture. They felt comforted knowing that Sophia was aware of the situation and was defending them. But they couldn't help but still feel anxious around Kaori. After a while, the 3 of them say goodbye to Atlas. But Kaori stayed a little back and spoke up to Atlas.

"I need to talk to you." She said, her tone firm. Atlas swallowed hard, their anxiety rising with Kaori's tone. They nodded, signaling for her to continue. Kaori took a deep breath and looked at Atlas directly in the eyes.

"I'm only going to say this once." She started.

"If you hurt Sophia in any way, physically or emotionally, I will hunt you down and make your life a living hell. Do I make myself clear?" Atlas felt a chill run down their spine at Kaori's threat. They could feel the seriousness and the anger behind her words. They nodded quickly, understanding her warning loud and clear. Kaori seemed satisfied with their response and gave a quick nod before turning to leave. She stopped, however, and looked over her shoulder at them.

"Oh, and one more thing." She said, her expression hardening again. Atlas tensed up, expecting another threat or something even worse. They braced themselves for whatever Kaori was going to say next. Instead, Kaori softened her gaze a bit and spoke with a serious tone.

"Take care of her. She cares about you a lot. And...she deserves happiness." She said, surprising Atlas a little. With that, Kaori turned away and left, leaving Atlas to process her words.