[This fanfiction takes place in Realm 88: Aqua Centauri. Frank has escaped the Ricefields and searched for Pink Guy and Red Dick for millions of chromosomes. He has summoned Red Dick to Pink Guy's location and is currently tracking them with the scent of his gourmet sriracha shrimp. He is not yet aware that there is an impostor Frank in the same realm as Red and Pink. Nor is he aware that they are in Nairobi Desert]
Frank and Salamander Man had been travelling and fighting alongside for millions of chromosomes. Although they used to be enemies, he grew to respect the salamander. He never really contemplated his personal feelings for him, however. Frank was unaware of whether or not he really cared for him. It wasn't until the evening after meeting the Gatekeeper and summoning Red Dick that things began to change.
The two comrades were travelling through Aqua Centauri, headed towards an unknown realm from which the sriracha shrimp smell originated. Neither of them said much. They walked together and spoke about directions when it was necessary, but they had no personal conversations. Frank looked over at Salamander Man. He remembered all the moments they had shared, all the hardships they had overcome.
"I suppose there's no doubt that he's my friend. He's pretty chill. Maybe we should get to know each other", Frank thought to himself.
He began to speak out loud. "You doin' good over there, Salamander?"
"NYES! [I'm good. What's up with you?]", he responded.
"Nothing, I... I was just trying to start a conversation. Anyway, it's late. Should we rest soon?"
"Nyes. [Perhaps. But we must move swiftly. Time is of the essence.]"
Frank noticed how quickly the salamander's tone changed, and how serious he could be. It was kind of cute- Frank blushed. Why were these thoughts entering his head? If he were gay or anything, he would've known long before. He'd known this friend so long. Why did he have to have these thoughts now? He decided to interrupt his own thoughts by speaking.
"There's an abandoned building there which looks pretty nice. Should we stop there, Salamander?"
Salamander Man agreed and the two walked inside. It was a small, cozy residence. It was well furnished, but it had only the necessities; one bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and a few others.
Frank removed his disguise and the two made themselves at home. The human made dinner while his reptile companion took a suspiciously long shower.
While cooking, Frank began to have more strange feelings. He noticed his reflection in a mirror in the next room. Thoughts of self-consciousness entered his head.
"Why do I suddenly care about how I look? I never gave a fuck. It's not like there are any bitches around, so I can't expect to get laid."
Deciding not to question himself, he smoothed his hair back and took off his glasses. He could still see well enough and looked better without them. Hopefully Salamander wouldn't think anything of it. But there was nothing for Salamander to be suspicious of, so it didn't matter. He decided to think about recent events to get his mind off of things.
There was an unusal amount of unspoiled food for an abondoned building. It had been forever since things were normal. When the omniverse only one universe. Mortal lifeforms had mostly dissapeared since then. Powerful dieties and gods had wiped them out. Maybe Aqua Centauri had remained peaceful for a long time. The Gatekeeper was friendly for an omnipotent being. Maybe it protected some humans here? If that were the case, something had chased them out very recently. Frank could only hope that it wasn't the Peace^Lords.
Frank had already finished dinner and was thinking about this while waiting for Salamander Man. The former finally came out and interrupted Frank's train of thought. They both sat down to eat. Things felt relatively normal. As long as Frank kept his thoughts to himself, no one would have to be uncomfortable.
"Nyeees? [You wanna watch some anime later?]" the salamander suggested.
"You sound lke a fucking weeaboo. I suppose a few episodes of Boku no Pico wouldn't hurt though".
"NYEES!"
The two finished eating and sat down to watch Boku no Pico. Frank was glad to have yet another way to get his mind off of everything. He certainly needed one. He became immersed in the show and practically unconsciouss of his surroundings. That was until an episode ended and he looked at their position. Salamander Man's head was against his companions shoulder, and their hands were almost touching. Frank blushed furiously. He didn't want to bring attention to it, so he got up and excused himself to pretend to go to the restroom.
When he got back, he decided that they ought to go to sleep. As Salamander had mentioned, they didn't have much time. The two discussed sleeping arrangements. Their was only one bed and a futon. Frank took the latter.
Salamander Man drifted to sleep very quickly. He never seemed to worry about anything. Meanwhile, Frank had trouble sleeping. He couldn't help but think about his new feelings, with nothing to distract him. He didn't want to think about the Peace^Lords, because that was too worrying of a topic to sleep on. Eventually he fell asleep because of how exhausted he was. He had a long day after all. Summoning Red Dick, travelling through Aqua Centauri, and hiding from his enemies were all very exhausting.
The two eventually woke up. Frank had a clear head and was prepared for another long day of travelling. All the wars he had fought had trained him to never be lazy about anything physical. His thoughts were lighthearted and he forgot about all the emotional turmoil of yesterday.
After Frank put his disguise on, he and Salamander Man set out to continue their journey. The smell of sriracha shrimp grew stronger as they grew closer to their destination. All the while, they knew the Peace^Lords were actively searching for them. This should have lowered their spirits, but they were more energized than before. It was probably the smell that was exciting them, but Frank couldn't help but think that it was something more. He didn't worry about it though.
Several days passed and nothing eventful happened. Their days became more routine. After walking further down the roads of Aqua Centauri, they would retire to some abandoned building. All the while, Frank had strange emotions and thoughts in the back of his head, while Salamander seemed worriless.
Eventually they found themselves far away from any civilization when they needed to rest. They would have to sleep outside, since there were no buildings to be seen. They had not expected this, so they had not prepared. They had some food on them, but no blankets.
Frank and Salamander settled in a small clearing in the woods, about 20 meters away from the road. It would be unlikely for anyone to find them.
After eating, they were to decide on sleeping arrangements. When the topic came up, a fluttering sensation arose in Frank's stomach. The two had both come to the conclusion that they would be sharing the cloak. Aqua Centauri experience strong wind currents from the ocean, making the nights especially cold, in contrast to the temperate climate during the day.
Salamander removed Frank's cloak and laid it out on the ground for the two to lay on it. They then laid down in it and wrapped it around their bodies. Frank was thankful for the lack of sunlight to show how furiously he was blushing. The salamander man was half-lycra, so he was warm-blooded. His body heat further excited his human companion.
Sleep seemed to be impossible for Frank. He was calm, but his heart beat furiously. Although he was a fucking horndog, this was different from sexual arousal. Was this what was called love? All he knew for sure was that he couldn't bottle up his feelings any longer.
Frank decided to promise himself that he would confess to Salamander Man in the morning. For now, he would enjoy this blissful moment silently. He let their hands touch, and let the salamander's sweet scent fill his nostrils. He almost immediately fell asleep knowing that everything would be settle in the morning.
The two finally woke up. Frank was halfway between sleep and wakefulness until he found the position they were in. He was curled up with his back against the other's abdomen. Salamander Man's arm was wrapped around him. Embarrased, Frank jumped onto his feet and moved away from Salamander Man. Thankfully, the salamander hadn't noticed.
It was late in the morning, so both of them naturally knew that they should get moving soon. They split a cup of ramen, packed, and got on the road. Having overslept, it was safe to assume that the Peace^Lords were cloer to finding them. This fact looming over the travellers made the atmosphere less peaceful than before.
An hour or so had passed when Frank remembered what he promised himself he would do. There was no turning back now. A combination of dread and excitement overcame him.
"Salamander Man... there's something I want to tell you. I won't draw this out... I- I think I'm in love with you".
His only response was a facial expression that Frank couldn't read. Was he going to be rejected? Regret began to overcome him until Salamander Man responded. "nyEEEEEsssssss [That's pretty fucking gay. No, not that there's anything wrong with that. I never expected it to be mutual, but I love you too.]"
Without thinking, the two men embraced eachother. As they passionately kissed, Frank fell into the salamander's arms and entrusted him with his body. After what seemed like an eternity, they broke apart.
"Nyeees [We don't have time now. Once we return to Realm 6.2 and find Pink Guy and Red Dick, we can live together. Even get married! For now, we must move swiftly and escape the Peace^Lords. We may even have to fight yet another war. All of this would only distract us. I hope you understand]".
"I understand. I know that you love me and that we'll be together through this".
The two lovers returned to working as normal. Neither of them knew when they would be able to go home and get married. Regardless, they would be together and that made everything worthwhile.
