Inigo's PoV
The Vigilante looked down at the alleyway from the top of the fire escape, watching as a burly shark approached an inkling girl about his age. His red tentacles blew in the wind as he slung the 'Hero' Roller over his shoulders. He had a bad feeling about what was going to happen...
"Hand over the sea bunny," the shark demanded, his voice gravelly, "and no one gets hurt."
"No!" the girl cried, holding back a large, white nudibranch. "You can't just take Fluffy-chan!"
"Of course I can," he sneered. "Ya know, they go for a lot of money..."
"Nooo!" she shrieked.
He clenched a fist, his eyes narrowing under his tinted shades. I have to do something! Without a second thought, he leaped from the fire escape, roller in hand. He slammed it down on the shark's head, stunning him.
"Agh..." he moaned, rubbing his head. The large figure then shook his head and studied the two inklings. "Huh?! Not the Vigilante!" He scurried off, leaving the two alone.
"You..." The girl trailed off. "You saved Fluffy-chan! Thank you!"
The Vigilante turned around and bowed. "I couldn't just let an innocent civilian get robbed out of squid's best friend."
The inkling girl set the sea bunny down. It slithered towards the boy with the ponytail and rested on his shoe. While his back was still bent, he smiled at the pet nudibranch. He straightened and pushed his shades back up the bridge of his nose.
"I think she likes you," she commented.
"Yeah," he agreed, putting his roller away. "I think she does."
The Vigilante proceeded to study the girl whose pet he had saved. Wait a moment... She had olive skin, yellow-green eyes, and long hair that had been thrown back. On her head was a yellow-green backwards cap that matched her ink color, and she also wore a layered Vector LS and athletic arrows. That's Wyatt's girlfriend. I didn't know she had a pet.
"Uh... You there?" she asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, sorry," he replied. "I was just thinking..."
"Oh?"
"Would you..." He hesitated. He didn't want to propose to her outright, seeing as her relationship with Roy's cousin seemed stable. It never stopped him, but things were different when it was someone he actually knew. Instead, he tried a different approach. "...Like to go to Coral Rings with me?"
"Coral Rings?" She blinked. "That's in the Reef, right?"
He nodded. "It allows pets, so you can bring Fluffy-chan, too."
"Well..."
"Please?"
She smiled. "Sure." She grabbed Fluffy's leash, and the two inklings started to travel towards the Reef. Considering that the Vigilante was still wearing a hero costume, he expected people to take notice of him. But, to his surprise, no one batted an eye.
That's weird, he noted to himself. Not even a fan ran up to me. He put a hand on his chest, frowning. Am I losing my popularity?
He didn't ponder on it much longer, as they were quick to arrive to Coral Rings. He pushed the door open and was met by the comforting green walls of the café. He had only been here a few times ever since his blind date with Fable. Though it didn't have his favorite drinks here, it did feel rather homely.
Unfortunately, his confidence began to drop when he spotted a few familiar faces at the back of the room. Roy, Yuri, Perry, and Wyatt were all sitting at the same table, talking among themselves. Thankfully, Wyatt had his back to the Vigilante and the girl he was with, so he would be safe...for now. Roy was directly across from his cousin, his arms crossed as he talked about something the boy with the ponytail couldn't make out.
His indigo eyes fell on the table closest to the entrance. He had an idea.
"Uh, Vigilante?" she asked. "Are you sure we can be here?"
"Sit there," he instructed, pointing at the chair leaning up against the wall. The fair-skinned inkling himself sat down in the chair opposite of it. "I'll sit here."
"OK." She did as instructed, putting Fluffy in her lap as well.
"So," he started, "what's your name?"
"Naomi," she replied. "I know you're the Vigilante, but could you tell me your name?"
"No," he replied. "My identity must remain a secret."
She sighed, disappointed. "I see."
A sea anemone waitress approached them. The Vigilante recognized her from the time he came here with Fable.
"Welcome to Coral Rings! What drinks would you like to start off with today?"
"Tea," the boy with the ponytail simply requested. "Like how you usually make it."
"I'll have the same tea as him," Naomi responded.
"Two orders of our specialty tea..." The waitress wrote down the order on a slip of paper and stored it away in the pocket of her apron. "It'll be here soon!" She sped away, leaving the two alone once more.
"Hey..." the olive-skinned girl started, looking past him. "My boyfriend's back there," she told him. "And you seated me here, not knowing that."
The Vigilante gulped. "Well..."
"Did you know already?"
He looked away and nodded. "Yes. I didn't want him to get mad at me."
She blinked. "Sounds like you know him."
He straightened and crossed his arms with a huff. "Who I know is my business."
"Well, whoever you may be, I guess I should thank you." She continued stroking her pet sea bunny. "I...don't love him anymore, but I don't want to leave him. I'd hate to see him upset."
"And...?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I guess if I cheat on him, then maybe I can finally break up with him."
The Vigilante put a hand on his head to search his memory. How long have they been dating? He knew they weren't together back when he just started high school, but they were together by the time he and Geneva started dating. As the realization settled in, he blinked. Wow. That's a long time.
"But didn't you just say you'd 'hate to see him upset?'" he questioned. "That would make him furious."
"Trust me, he's nothing compared to his cousin," Naomi dismissed with a smile. "Dude's terrifying when he's angry. I heard he can turn into a kraken, and he used it to destroy his enemies, even after it was banned."
That's not true! the boy with the ponytail thought, bewildered. Who would even say that?
"...Vigilante?" the olive-skinned inkling asked. "Are you OK?"
He nodded. "Yeah, yeah..." He looked off to the side, bothered by the rumors regarding Roy.
It was then the sea anemone waitress returned, holding two cups of tea, alongside some other drinks. She placed the tea cups down in front of them and dashed off to the next occupied table, the one that held Roy, Yuri, Perry, and Wyatt.
Naomi took a sip of her tea and smiled. "Ah... Green tea. My favorite." She took another sip of it. "So, who's paying?" she asked suddenly.
"Why, me, of course," he replied without hesitation. "It's my treat."
The Vigilante picked up the menu and scanned its contents. He wasn't hungry, so he told Naomi that he wasn't ordering anything else. She decided to order ice cream, much to his surprise. When he asked, she simply shrugged. The sea anemone waitress came by a few minutes later and took their order, dashing off to behind the counter to make it.
While they waited, the Vigilante's phone suddenly started to play the intro to Split & Splat by Chirpy Chips. He took it out of his pocket to see that Yuri was calling him. Yuri? He looked him behind to see the dark-skinned inkling with his phone out. He sighed and looked down at the phone.
"I have to take this," he told Naomi. "Wait here." She simply nodded in understanding.
He rose from his seat and walked towards the bathroom, almost bumping into the side of the doorway. He repositioned himself after entering it and looked down at his phone. He had been too late—his phone had stopped ringing.
"Dang it," he swore. He was about to turn around when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back. The Vigilante turned to see Roy, staring down at him with narrowed red eyes. "What do you want?" he grumbled, crossing his arms.
"What are you doing?" he asked calmly, his voice low.
"What do ya think?"
"That's Wyatt's girlfriend," he reminded him. "Wyatt!"
"So?" He raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't like him."
"I know. I can see it." The boy with his hair swept to the side frowned. "But that doesn't mean it's OK."
"Can't you just let me do what I want?" He stomped a foot on the ceramic floor, echoing through the hall. "I like this. I like the attention; I like getting all the girls I want.
"Inigo-"
"So stop bothering me about it!"
Roy flinched, taking a few steps back. Before he could say anything further, the Vigilante pushed him out of his way and walked back to his seat in the café. Naomi had turned into a squid, but once he sat back down, she transformed back, concern lining her features. Gripping the edges of his shorts, he took a deep breath and looked her in the eye.
"Vigilante? Are you OK?" she asked. She took a bite out of her ice cream, which was sitting in a bowl on the table.
"It was a prank," he explained. "It wasn't funny, though."
She nodded as she stuffed more ice cream into her face. The boy with the ponytail tried to talk to her further, but she was busy eating the sweet treat. After she finished, she wiped her mouth clean and stood up, placing Fluffy on the floor. Naomi grabbed his hands and dragged him outside. As they walked, the Vigilante noticed that his friends had finished, too. Right after they exited the café, they stepped in front of the window. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Yuri pushing the doors open.
What is she doing? He didn't have to ponder on it further when the olive-skinned inkling suddenly brought her lips to his. Though surprised, he closed his eyes and kissed her back. When they finished, he opened his eyes to see Wyatt with his mouth hanging open, his expression filled with complete disbelief.
"What?!" he sputtered out. "I- How- Why- No!"
"Wow," Perry snickered. "Judd's got yer tongue, Wyatt?"
"I think I'd be the same way if the Vigilante stole my girlfriend," Yuri remarked.
"Ya don't have one," the purple-haired inkling noted.
"I know," he acknowledged with a smile.
Wyatt regained his composure and snapped, "Naomi!" She turned around, facing him with yellow-green eyes. "We've been dating for two years, and now you just run off with some stranger?"
The girl picked up Fluffy and began stroking the sea bunny once more. "I know, but the Vigilante saved Fluffy-chan from a thug. Isn't that admirable?"
"I would've done the same thing," he huffed.
"Yeah...but the Vigilante's more fresh."
"What?!" he exclaimed. "You really just said that?!"
"Back off," the boy with the ponytail demanded, throwing a hand in front of Naomi. "She doesn't like you anymore. Let her go."
Wyatt took a step back, blinking. "What...?"
"Let. Her. Go." The Vigilante lowered his arm and approached his friend's cousin.
Wyatt's sea green eyes narrowed as they made eye contact. He clenched his trembling hand into a fist and then proceeded to punch the fair-skinned inkling in the gut. The Vigilante let out a cry of pain and stumbled backwards, wrapping his arm around his stomach as pain throbbed through it.
"You bottom-feeder," he growled. "Takin' away my dignity."
"You didn't have to punch him!" Roy scolded at his cousin.
"Why do you care?" he jeered. "You're already beneath me."
"Because..." the Vigilante started, but then he trailed off and let out a groan of pain instead. Because he's my friend. With a realization of horror, he dropped to his knees, his tinted shades sliding down the bridge of his nose. I was pushing him away... His hand started to tremble. I yelled at him to go away. And yet he's still defending me. He collapsed to the floor, unwilling to hold himself up anymore, his ink shifting from a deep red to his usual indigo.
I'm not a good friend.
As Roy and Wyatt argued about who is better, Yuri and Perry looked at each other nervously. "...Should we call an ambulance?" the yellow-haired boy asked the purple-haired boy.
"Nah." Perry started to stretch his arms over his head. "That won't kill 'em."
"Wyatt," Naomi spoke up, bringing the cousins out of their debate. "Can't we just be friends?" The Vigilante lifted his head to look up at her. She reached out a hand to her now-ex-boyfriend.
The boy with sea green eyes relaxed, his eyelids drooping. "I just want to embrace you...one last time, if that's how you really feel."
The olive-skinned girl grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, much to his surprise. Wyatt smiled and hugged her back, where they remained for a few seconds. They let go, looking at each other again.
"If the Vigilante doesn't work out, I bet you'll just come running back to me," he declared, his moment of vulnerability vanishing into thin air.
"I've already made my choice," she reaffirmed. "It was fun, Wyatt, but not even we can last."
The sea bunny prodded the Vigilante's face, causing his shades to fall off. It stared into his indigo eyes with large, beady ones, as if expecting something. His hand traced along the pet's silky skin, his lips turning upward in a smile. With a grunt, he sat up and put his shades back on, continuing to pet Fluffy.
Naomi turned back to the boy with the ponytail. "Geez, Fluffy-chan, I'm your owner, not him." The sea bunny looked over at her and jumped off of the fair-skinned boy's lap, slithering towards her. She took a few moments to pet her before looking back at the Vigilante. "Hey... Your ink color's different."
"Huh?" He got out his phone and turned on the camera, using it as a mirror to look at himself. "...You're right," he admitted.
She helped him to his feet. "It's really pretty."
At the compliment, a blush bloomed across his face. "I-It is?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "It's refreshing to see you without red ink."
His blush only grew, and then he gave a weak laugh. "I guess not everyone likes red."
"C'mon." She offered her hand to him. "Let's go."
"I can't." He frowned. "Not now."
"Then could I have your number?" He nodded and pulled up his phone number, showing the screen to Naomi. She typed it into her phone, sticking out her tongue. After she finished, she put it away and chirped, "Well, laters."
"Later." She walked away, causing the warmth in his cheeks to fade. He put a hand on his chest, surprised. This feeling... He hadn't felt it in a long time. I...like...her. I really like her.
He gave one last look at the group of boys. Yuri rose his hand and gave a simple wave. He smiled and turned into a squid, super-jumping back to Inkopolis Square. He nearly tripped when he landed, but luckily, he regained his balance. He dashed into the Deca Tower, towards the changing rooms. Making sure no one was around, he darted inside and took off the hero headset replica, followed by his tinted shades. Staring back him in the mirror was Inigo.
Himself.
He took off the rest of the hero costume, his persona as the Vigilante ceasing to exist for now. Instead of putting his normal clothes back on immediately afterwards, he sat down on the bench, only wearing a black undershirt and his shorts. Inigo looked down at his hands, frowning as his earlier argument with Roy popped back into his mind.
I'm the Vigilante. I'm supposed to be a mystery. He dug his face into his hands and let out a sob. But I'm still just Inigo underneath. And Roy knows that.
"I'm sorry," he muttered to no one. "I don't deserve to be your friend."
A single tear rolled down his cheek, dripping onto the floor. He cursed to himself, but he continued to cry anyways, in a room where no one could hear him.
A/N: Inigo's finally thinking that he should stop being the Vigilante. But he's not willing to let that go very easily. It's going to take a while before he can. You think with most of the sad chapters being about Inigo, you would think I'd give him a break. Unfortunately, I think the next Inigo chapter where he's for sure happy won't be until the end of the season. As for you, the reader, the very next chapter is considerably more light-hearted. I think it'll be refreshing after all of these heavy-hitters. Branchwing, out!