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ika tako gamer: Yes, Perry will eventually find out who his mother is! That's all I can say on it for now. As for the new shoes, he may wear it in some circumstances, but for the most part, he's going to keep wearing the shoes he has on right now (Black Dakroniks). And cool fact! Thanks for telling me that. Anyways, thank you reading, and stay fresh.
Onto the story. I should note that this takes place the day after the first half of the previous chapter. The second half of that chapter happens after this one. It's the same case for the next chapter. Now, have fun reading!
Roy's PoV
At Starfish Drinks, Roy's shift was near its end. He swept the floor around the coffee makers, ridding it of any messes his fellow employees may have caused. Once he finished with this simple task, he could leave at last. The fact that the shop was slow today only made his willingness to leave even greater—he would do anything to free himself from this boredom!
The only good thing about this shift was that Oscar was working today, too. From time to time, the red-haired boy glanced over at the octoling, hoping to get a glance of his smile or his lovely orange eyes. It was a habit he developed over the last few months, especially as his crush on Oscar grew. Yet, something was off today. Worry etched his features, and he seemed less enthusiastic than normal. Roy couldn't help but wonder why.
He had his own worries, too. Inigo didn't come to school today, and he hadn't responded to any of his texts since the day before. Speaking of yesterday, when he last showed up at school, he did seem rather sullen. When Roy and Octavia tried asking him what was wrong, he didn't give an answer, instead pulling the hoodie he had been wearing over his eyes and eating in silence. Ever since he went home, he hadn't been heard from since.
He didn't want to assume the worst, but with how quiet Inigo has been, he didn't want to rule it out.
Roy dumped the tray of dirt into the trash can and set the broom next to it, wiping his forehead. Finally, he was done. He took one last look over at Oscar. His shift should be ending, too. They always ended their shifts at the same time. Shrugging, he disappeared behind the employees only door, where he could check out and finally get to leave this place.
He took off the apron he wore and hung it up, then putting his varsity jacket back on. Just as he started to leave, Oscar entered the room, covering his mouth to hide a yawn. Roy stepped out of the way to let the octoling pass, watching him as he hung up his own apron. He messed with his bracelet for a few seconds before turning around, staring right at the tan-skinned inkling.
They didn't speak, instead just staring at each other. Roy rubbed the back of his head, feeling heat arise in his cheeks.
"...You have somethin' you wanna say?" he muttered, looking away from him.
"Actually, yes," Oscar admitted. "I...am not sure who else to be telling it to."
He lowered his hand, surprised as he returned Oscar's gaze. Was he going to try to ask him out again? His heart fluttered at the thought. After the disaster that was the last time he asked him out, he wouldn't let history repeat itself. He won't run away this time!
"Outside, though," he requested.
"Outside," the red-haired boy repeated. He put his hand in the pockets of his jacket and looked over at the octoling. "Well? Let's go."
"R-Right!" He bowed, and the two proceeded to leave the building, walking a few feet away from the entrance before stopping. The orange-haired boy turned to face him, seemingly nervous. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Clearing his throat, he began to read it. "'Oscar. Come to Cephalon HQ at 7:00 PM on November 2nd. I want to talk.'" He lowered the paper. "It is signed by my brother."
He stared at him, puzzled. "...Why're you tellin' me?" He shook his head. "And are you seriously considering going?" he scolded him. "Y'know what happened last time!"
"I know," he acknowledged. "Also, I..." He rubbed his shoulder, blushing. "I tell you because...I am wanting you to come with me."
Speechless, Roy's eyes widened. Did he really just hear that? Was he dreaming? He proceeded to pinch himself, trying to wake himself up from a dream. But of course, nothing happened. Oscar continued to stand in front of him, waiting for an answer as he nervously fidgeted.
"...Do you not-"
"I'm coming," Roy interrupted before the octoling could finish his sentence. "But try to be quick, aight?"
"I cannot promise quick," he admitted, "but I will trying."
"At least you're making an effort," he remarked. "C'mon. Let's go."
"OK."
The two boys began walking down the sidewalk, towards Inkopolis Square, where they could enter the manhole that led to Octo Canyon. It didn't take long for them to arrive, and immediately, they began walking over to the manhole. Roy glanced over at the Crust Bucket in the distance, searching for his friends. Unusually, no inkling sat at the table they usually sat at, instead being occupied by a jellyfish at the moment. He couldn't spot anyone from Octa Prisma either. Oscar cleared his throat, grabbing his attention. The two proceeded to transform into their cephalopod forms and slipped through the grate, traveling towards Octo Canyon.
Their arrival caught the residents of Tentakeel Outpost off-guard, with the entirety of the New Squidbeak Splatoon looking up from the bonfire they had created in the center of the clearing. Agent 3 stood up from where she was sitting, eyes wide. She wore her hero suit as expected, though the reflective vest was unzipped. At the end of the metal rod she held was a marshmallow.
"Roy!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"Oscar, too," Agent 8 commented. Some s'mores were in her hands.
"Must be for some reason," Marie sneered, smirking as she ate her hot dog.
"These buckos are yer friends, right?" Cap'n Cuttlefish then asked the newer agents, sitting down on a bench as he watched the group eat. Someone had moved the snow globe DJ Octavio was encased in next to him, allowing the giant octopus to watch, too. At Roy and Oscar's arrival, he merely glanced over at them and rolled his eyes as he returned his attention to the bonfire.
"Yeah, yeah," Three confirmed.
"Weird that they'd come here," Agent 4 noted, eating half of a hot dog.
"There's not much time to explain," Roy spoke up at last, clenching his fist, "but we need to get to Cephalon HQ."
"Cephalon HQ?" Callie started. The marshmallow she was roasting caught on fire, so she quickly raised it out of the bonfire, blowing on it as hard as she could to extinguish it. She frowned momentarily at the now-charred sweet, quickly perking back up as she continued. "Just super-jump there! Easy-peasy!"
"You two on a date?" the grey-haired inkling inquired. "I guess it could be romantic."
"No, no!" the red-haired boy frantically denied, shaking his head rapidly. "O-Oscar just wanted me to come with him! That's all! No dating at all!"
"That does be sound like the date," Eight noted. She leaned over to the green-haired inkling and whispered something in her ear. Three mouthed an 'oh' and proceeded to nod, lips turning upward into a smile.
They're still convinced that, huh, he thought, his face red with shame. He gave a light punch on Oscar's shoulder to grab his attention and said, "Let's just go. Don't want to keep him waiting."
"Right," the octoling boy agreed. Once they transformed, the New Squidbeak Splatoon began to wave goodbye, and seconds later, the two flew into the air, red and orange ink trailing behind them as they darted towards the opening of a dark cave, light just barely seeping into it.
They landed on a metal platform with glowing edges in the middle of the area, a lake of magenta ink surrounding them. More platforms floated in the air, with similarly glowing lifts allowing transport between them. Poles with glowing orbs on top of them marked where the lifts stopped, though no one was getting on there. All was calm in Cephalon HQ.
"Well, we're here," Roy proclaimed. "He say anywhere specific?"
"Actually, yes," Oscar revealed. He pulled out the note from earlier and began reading over it again. His eyes glanced over at a platform that was coming their way. "Follow me."
They hopped onto the lift, and not long later, the platform began to fly through the air, the platform they arrived on becoming smaller and smaller. With how he was farther from the lake now, he could get a clear look at the rock formations in this cave from here, overall giving it a menacing look. But, from what he knew about Octarians, perhaps some were living in places that weren't obvious.
They stopped next to a block-like platform, this one more narrow than usual. They hopped off of it, being careful so that they wouldn't fall. The platform was barely wide enough to allow the two of them to stand side-by-side, ready to face whatever challenges may lie ahead of them. Oscar took the lead, while Roy trailed behind him.
They arrived at the end of the platform. At first, Roy couldn't really see anything, but the octoling proceeded to pull out an Inkbrush, swiping it back-and-forth to reveal a kettle in front of him. The inkling stepped back at the creaking sound it made, surprised.
"How...?"
"It is Octarian technology," he explained. "This allows...them to keep hiding."
"Oh," he muttered. "That's fresh."
"Eh..." Oscar rubbed the back of his head. "Let us wait." He took out his phone to check the time. "It should not be long."
Roy took out his phone to check the time, too. Seven o'clock was in 10 minutes. It seemed that his definition of not long was quite different from Oscar's definition of not long. Groaning, he put his phone away and started looking around. There was nothing to lean on, other than the pole back where they had gotten off the lift. Of course, the bronze-skinned octoling was standing in front of him, but he figured that he wouldn't be happy if he suddenly started to lean on him.
It was then that Roy got an idea. "Hey, Oscar." He took out his phone as his friend turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Wanna take a selfie?"
"Why?" he puzzled. "It is dark."
"Well, um, the lights could make it look cool?"
Oscar simply smiled with a shrug. "Okay, okay." He stepped next to Roy, their shoulders touching, and proceeded to grin. Roy then proceeded to hold his phone out with one shaky hand, making a victory sign with his other hand. He snapped the picture, the screen flashing white before showing the result of the picture. He brought the phone back to his face, studying the photograph. Though it was a little blurry, he was overall happy with the result and saved the picture.
"Could you send me the picture?" the octoling requested.
"Mhm." Within a few seconds, he sent the picture to him, Oscar's phone vibrating a minute later, signifying that he had received the text. He proceeded to stare at the picture, a smile growing on his face. He stepped back out in front of him and continued to wait.
Seeing as he was able to successfully send the picture, Roy tried opening up Squidsagram to pass the time. It was only because it took a long time to load that he checked the corner of his phone screen. No wonder it took forever to send the picture—the service was terrible in here! He figured that the Octarians would at least have good service in here with all the advanced technology they had. Maybe it was because they were in a cave? He got tired of waiting for Squidsagram to load that he put his phone away. There wasn't much time now.
Suddenly, a magenta blob emerged from the kettle in front of them, growing larger until it took the form of a familiar bronze-skinned octoling. Oscar's brother, also known as Angel. He looked the same as he did when he last saw him, though obviously he lacked the bloody nose he had been given at their last encounter. Angel proceeded to examine them, and upon sight of Roy, he scowled.
"Not alone," he simply muttered in Inkling.
"The letter you send did not say to come alone," Oscar pointed out.
The octoling with the curtain cut dug his face into his hand, groaning. "Come with me." He glanced over at Roy. "You, too." With that, he turned into an octopus, disappearing into the kettle. The two boys looked at each other and nodded. Oscar stepped on top of the kettle and turned into an octopus as well, orange droplets of ink flying through the air as he slipped through the grate. Roy then followed him, turning into a squid and disappearing.
After a few brief moments of total darkness, his eyes met light again, the sky around him purple to match the twilight outside. They had landed on some metal beams, which overlooked a city beneath them. He wished he could stop and marvel at them, but Oscar had grabbed his hand, tugging him forward to keep up with Angel. The three were walking along the metal beams, which seemed to lead nowhere.
"You...know what happened...Octo Valley, correct?" Angel started, not bothering to look over his shoulder.
"...The Octarians were driven out," the boy with the afro muttered.
"What?" he asked.
"The Octarians were driven out," Oscar repeated himself, louder this time.
"Yes," he confirmed. "Now, our territory...small."
"Smaller, you mean," the younger brother corrected.
"Correct," the older brother said. "Because of the inklings, we...in danger."
"Why should I care?" he grumbled. "We are much happier in Inkopolis."
Angel snorted. "Your boyfriend poisons you, I see."
"He is not my boyfriend," Oscar insisted. "I swear." At his words, Roy lowered his head, blushing. He pushed up his skull bandana over his nose again in an attempt to hide it.
"You swear?" The octoling with the curtain cut laughed. "He come for you back then! You still with the inklings because of him!"
"I made the choice a long time ago, Angel," he remarked. "You know that."
"The Calamari Inkantation make the choice. With no song like that, you be here, happy." They stopped, and Angel turned around to face the two of them, fists clenched. "You could be great, Oscar. But the Calamari Inkantaion ruins everything."
At that last sentence, Roy lifted his head, furrowing his eyebrows as he stepped up in front of Oscar. He wouldn't take this nonsense Angel was spewing any longer.
"You're the one ruining everything," he growled. "You're making all of this effort just to get one person back. And guess what? That person doesn't even want to be here! He's made that clear! Why can't you just accept that?"
"You not understand, do you?" Oscar's brother jeered. In a flash, he disappeared, much to Roy's surprise. Moments later, he felt his arms being pushed behind his back, a hand clamping around his wrists as he was pulled towards his captor, the other arm pressed against his chest, pressing the barrel of a weapon against his temples. His red eyes glanced over at the captor. The red eye of the shades Angel wore seemed to glow brighter as he pushed the Octo Shot he held against the inkling, his finger inches away from the trigger of the weapon. The two stepped back, pressing against a vertical metal beam as they now faced a horrified Oscar. He could feel Angel's hot breath on his neck, seething with rage.
"A-Angel!" the boy with the afro fretted. "What are you doing?"
"When you leave, the officials placed their...anger...on me," he began to explain. "With no you, they...punish me...instead. I was so good, yet they deemed me never to...promote. I and my descendants will forever be stuck in my ranking. And sooner or later, I will deem...useless." He furrowed his brows. "But if I bring you, I not be useless. The Margina name be...restored."
"So t-this is some honor thing," Roy realized, heart pounding his chest. "If you b-bring Oscar back to the Octarian army, your honor will be restored. If you don't, you'll die once you're out of your prime."
"Precisely," he confirmed, his tone still hostile. "Time flies fast ever since that day." He then lifted his head, staring straight out at his brother. "Oscar. Surrender..." He rolled the Octo Shot around, reminding Roy of its presence. "...Or he falls."
He wasn't connected to a spawn point. If Angel managed to splat him, he would be gone forever.
But he couldn't let Oscar surrender to the Octarians. Even if they weren't dating, even if they weren't coworkers, Oscar was still his friend, rival team or not. He couldn't let him give up his chance of freedom, even if it meant his own life.
He wasn't ready to die, though. There had to be a way out of this. Unfortunately, he found himself useless at the moment, with how much of a grip Angel had on him.
Oscar still gaped at them, his entire body shaking. He looked behind him for a few moments before returning his attention to the two boys. Admittedly, Roy wouldn't be surprised if he ran. But he also knew him well enough that he wouldn't leave him behind. In the end, he had to hope that he would make the right choice.
"What will it be?" Angel reminded him. "I waiting."
The red-haired inkling met the orange-haired octoling's gaze. A few seconds later, Oscar took a deep breath and exhaled, relaxing his body and closing his eyes.
Terror seizing him, words finally escaped his lips. "Oscar, please," he pleaded. "You don't have to do this!"
"I'm sorry, Roy, but I cannot let you die." He opened his eyes, "I surrender."
Releasing the inkling, Angel smiled and put his Octo Shot away, watching as his brother approached him. He stopped just in front of him, and the octoling with the curtain cut extended a hand, beckoning him to take it. Oscar raised his hand and slowly inched his towards it.
Just when Roy thought he would take it, Oscar's hand shot back, and at the same speed his arm went, he lifted his leg, dealing a swift strike to Angel's crotch. His brother slammed into the wall, gritting his teeth as he fell to the floor, curling up as tears stung his eyes. He proceeded to shout out various curses in Octarian towards the boy with the afro, though he was in too much pain to do anything.
"C'mon!" Oscar shouted, grabbing Roy's hand and running away. "Before he gets up!"
As they ran down the metal strip, his red eyes drifted down to their hands. He was actually holding hands with Oscar! Even if they had both narrowly escaped a terrible fate, he still couldn't help but feel giddy. They stopped at the place they entered the dome at, and Oscar turned into an octopus, still gripping onto Roy's hand. Roy turned into a squid, and they plopped to the ground. Oscar's body expanded as he prepared for a super-jump, and a few seconds later, they flew through the air, the octoling's arm still wrapped around the inkling's.
They emerged back in Cephalon HQ moments later, plopping onto the metal platform in front of them. Not wasting a single second, Oscar super-jumped again, this one to leave the cave. Moments later, they flew through the air again, fresh air hitting Roy's body as faint stars shimmered in the night sky. Tentakeel Outpost came into view, smoke lifting from the bonfire as it glowed next to the Cuttlefish Cabin. They turned into their kids forms and skidded across the ground, the grass seeming to burn Roy's skin. The two of them got to their feet, their hands and knees bloody from the landing.
"Welcome back," Marie's voice remarked. Roy turned around to see the New Squidbeak Splatoon, still roasting hot dogs and marshmallows like they had done when Roy and Oscar arrived. Even Cap'n Cuttlefish had a hot dog in his hand this time.
"You did what you needed to do, right?" Callie asked them.
"You two look rough..." Eight commented, the tips of her tentacles still shaking from the surprise.
"It was rough," Roy admitted, "but we made it." He looked over at Oscar. "Right?"
"Y-Yes," he agreed, blushing himself. "We made it."
The two idols looked at each other. The black-haired idol whispered something to her cousin, and the grey-haired idol shrugged, whispering something back to her. The two giggled. Whatever they were talking about, Roy didn't want to ask.
"I guess you're going back now," Agent 3 presumed.
Roy nodded. "Yeah. No other reason to stay here." And I still have to check up with Inigo.
"And I'm guessing you're going to Inigo's house?" Agent 4 theorized, seemingly reading his thoughts. At the mention of his name, Three rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Via and Bonnie went over there, last time I checked."
"Yeah, yeah," he confirmed. "I was gonna do that until Oscar asked me to come with him."
"Well, what're you waiting for?" Four challenged. "I bet he's waiting!"
"Aight, aight," he grumbled. He looked over at Oscar. "Let's go."
The octoling nodded, and they then stepped onto the manhole, turning into their cephalopod forms and disappearing from Octo Canyon, with the New Squidbeak Splatoon waving goodbye as they left. They emerged at Inkopolis Square, night falling over the land. It was less populated compared to when they arrived here, though he could still spot inklings walking in-and-out of the Deca Tower. Now that their journey had come to an end, Roy and Oscar turned to face each other.
"I am guessing that now is goodbye," the bronze-skinned boy said.
"Yeah," he revealed. Sighing, he began to rub his arms. "Thanks for, uh, saving me back there." He met his orange gaze once more, eyes narrowed. "That was both the smartest and dumbest thing you've ever done."
"What else was I suppose to be doing?" he pointed out. "If I do anything else, you die! I..." He frowned, lowering his voice. "...I would not forgive myself if you die."
"And I wouldn't forgive myself if I let you surrender!" he countered. "Yeah, I'd be dead in that scenario, but at least you would be free!"
"Inkopolis would not be same without you, Roy," Oscar confessed. "...You must know I like you by now, correct?"
"Oscar..."
Before he could say anything else, the bronze-skinned octoling hugged him, digging his face into his jacket. "...Please do not leave."
Flustered, Roy began to look around, trying to see if anyone was watching. What would happen if someone found out? Would it be a repeat of what happened to him all those years ago? Or would it be worse? He shuddered at the thought.
...No one was watching, it seemed like. Besides, if someone had noticed, they probably would've acted by now. He looked down at Oscar again. Closing his eyes, he hugged him back, lowered his head.
"...Please don't leave, either," he whispered into his ear. "I like you too."
Their embrace tightened, and from there, it seemed like time had slowed to a stop, the two alone in Inkopolis Square without anyone to disturb them.
...He didn't want to let go. Not when he finally a moment of peace to himself, being together with his new boyfriend.
But all good things must come to an end eventually. They let go of each other, staring into each other's eyes as their fingers interlocked.
"See you tomorrow?" he asked.
Oscar nodded. "See you tomorrow."
The octoling's hands slipped away from Roy's, and he walked away, disappearing into the darkness.
A/N: Finally, Roy and Oscar are together! It's been long enough. I was excited to write this chapter, and it's here at last. How is Inigo doing? Find out next week! It's weird to think that we're in the final stretch of Season 4... Things are going to get more intense from Alexis's chapter (three chapters from now) onward. Happy Halloween, and Branchwing, out!