[A/N] So, here's chapter 5. This one is going to detail Tori's stay at Grace's home, after which Cole and Adam will follow, respectively. I'm so sorry that it took so long, but I suffer from a lack of motivation (and a bit of writer's block).

I haven't really described any of my Inklings yet, so here you go.

Jake is light blue, and wears an Orange Cardigan, Studio Headphones, and White Seahorses. He wields the N-ZAP '89.

Grace is green, with a White Inky Rider, Bobble Hat, and Banana Basics. She uses a Krak-On Splat Roller.

Cole is orange, with a Retro Gamer Jersey, 18K Aviators, and Zombie Hi-Horses. He prefers the Aerospray RG.

Adam is yellow, with a Grape Tee, Fake Contacts, and Orange Lo-Tops. His weapon of choice is the Slosher.

None of them really care about fashion sense, instead opting for whatever skills are most useful with their weapons.

All of them, except Jake, have eyes that are the same colour as their tentacles.

In addition, Tori doesn't have that little "slit" around her eyes like most Octolings, so Jake can always tell when it's her. She also hates wearing the goggles, and only does it if she absolutely has to.

I was going to add that InsomniousNights, a reviewer, has drawn some art of Jake and Tori, and post it, but for SOME reason, it isn't formatting right in here, so if you want to see it, PM me.

Neither Jake nor Tori got much sleep the previous night, despite Jake having comforted her after her nightmare. Both of them got up at around the same time, and very early. They still had their arms around one another, with Tori's head buried in Jake's chest.

As she awoke, having forgotten what had happened the previous night, Tori pulled Jake even closer, not really realizing what she was doing. Jake was fully awake at this point, but he didn't really mind.

A moment later, Tori woke fully, realized what she was hugging, and jerked away, her cheeks quickly turning a deep crimson. She could barely look Jake in the eye.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "It was just a cuddle. Nothing major."

"Y-You…" Tori stammered. "And me… I… w-was hugging you and… It almost felt like we had… Um… Oh, just forget it! I'm going back to sleep." She started to make her way to the guest room when Jake grabbed her shoulder.

"Whoa there," he said. "I gotta get you to Grace's, like, now."

"Aw, why? It's so early…"

"Exactly. The earlier I get you there, the fewer Inklings we'll run into on the way. With any luck, no one'll be out at this time. Let's go."

Tori grumbled something under her breath, and they left the apartment. True to his word, they didn't see anyone else on the way. When they arrived, Jake quietly knocked on the door.

"Grace!" he hissed. "Open up! It's Jake!"

After a moment, the door opened, revealing Grace, wearing nothing but a nightshirt and rubbing her eyes. Jake looked away pointedly.

She looked at Tori. "Oh, right," she yawned. "Come on in."

The two entered Grace's apartment and she closed the door behind them. Tori looked around.

Jake was hardly messy, but Grace's apartment was spotless. There was a kitchen and a living room that she could see, and she deduced that since the four friends lived in the same building, the apartments they lived in probably all had the same layout. The living room had a fancy-looking couch facing a small table, with a bookshelf and computer monitor behind it. A hallway connected the living room to what she assumed would be the bathroom, closet, and two bedrooms.

"Do you have her room ready?" Jake asked Grace. Grace nodded. "Good." He turned to Tori. "Are you gonna be okay? I'll be checking in this evening, probably."

"Don't worry about me," she replied. "Just go. Her and I aren't gonna get used to each other if you stand around here."

"Alright," he said, and left. Grace closed the door behind him before turning back to Tori.

"Want me to show you to your room?"

"Sure!"

Grace led Tori down the hallway to the bedroom.

As she predicted, it looked virtually identical in layout to the room she stayed in at Jake's apartment, with a large bed, bedside table, and three empty closets. But it was a lot brighter; the walls were neon green and the bedsheets were hot pink. Tori turned back to Grace, who was watching her expectantly.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"It's a bit… loud," Tori replied. Grace sprinted out of the room. Tori could hear some shuffling around, and what sounded like a few items being dropped on the floor. A moment later, she came back with her roller.

"I can change the colour if you want!" Grace said, a bit too enthusiastically.

"No, that's okay!" Tori said quickly. "Can I have some… duller sheets, though?"

Grace sprinted out of the room again, and came back with the roller replaced by a set of plain blue bedsheets.

"Thanks," Tori said, reaching out for them.

Grace jerked them away. "No!" she exclaimed. "Don't bother yourself with this. I'll do it! You just make yourself at home! Wherever you want! You can even go in my room if you want to!"

"Okay…" Tori said slowly, and made her way back to the living room. A few minutes later, Grace came out, fully dressed now.

"Sorry if I seem a bit crazy!" she said. "I don't really have any female friends. It's just the guys. I'm really excited to have you staying here. Once I got past the whole Octoling… thing…" Her voice trailed off, and she bowed her head and started sniffling.

Tori could see tears dripping onto Grace's clothes. "Whoa, are you crying?" Tori asked. "Please don't cry!"

"I-I'm so sorry…" Grace said quietly. "We were so terrible to you, a-and I don't d-deserve to have you stay here…"

Tori was reminded of her nightmare, and shuddered. They sat in an awkward silence for a moment, as Tori desperately tried to think of something to say.

"Hey," Tori said. Grace looked up.

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm still a bit scared of you guys. But, I don't need to be. I can push past this, and forgive you, because I get why you acted like that. And you don't need to cry. I forgive you, I promise."

"R-Really?" Grace asked, tears staining her face.

"Really," Tori said with a grin.

Grace brushed away her tears and smiled back.

"Alright!" Tori said, clapping her hands together. "Do you have any food here? I'm starving."

Grace got up, walked into the kitchen, and pulled out a small package of crabby cakes. "Here, you can munch on one of these while I make you something. Anything in particular?"

"Ooh, can you make pancakes?!" Tori asked excitedly. "Jake made me some on my first day here and I absolutely LOVED them."

"One stack of pancakes, coming right up!" Grace cheered.

A few minutes later, they were ready. Grace's pancakes weren't quite as good as Jake's, but that didn't stop them from being delicious. Tori devoured them in a matter of minutes.

Once everything was put away, the two returned to the couch and sat for a moment in silence.

"So!" Tori said. "What do you do around here?"

"Well, I do a lot of things," Grace replied. "What did you do while you were living with Jake?"

"Routine. We played games, read books. …Danced a little."

"You danced with him?!" Grace asked incredulously. "That… That's impossible! I've never seen him dance before! He'll sing to his heart's content, but he never dances a single step."

"Well, it wasn't really dancing," Tori said. "We just kind of jumped around. It'd be a bit of a stretch to say it was actual dancing."

"Then I'll show you some real moves," Grace said, getting up. "Any songs you like?"

"I don't know the name, but it goes like this…" Tori said, before beginning to sing her song.

"Oh, I know that song!" Grace said. "Alright, watch and learn."

Grace typed away on her computer, plugged in some speakers, and let the music play as she danced along.

Tori was mesmerized. Grace moved perfectly with the beat of the music, swaying and moving gracefully, expertly keeping time. It was as if she had become one with the song flowing around them. Tori was almost sad when the song ended, and found herself applauding.

Grace blushed and gave a short bow. "Thanks. But there's a lot better than me out there."

"I wouldn't know," Tori replied. "I haven't seen them. And I think that was amazing."

Grace blushed harder and sat back down. "I'm not used to getting compliments like that, thanks."

"Seriously?" Tori asked. "I don't believe a word of that."

"It's all true," Grace said. "Like I said, there's a lot better than me."

"Hmm…" Tori mulled that over for a moment. "Hey, do you think you could teach me how to dance like that? Maybe I could show Jake when I get the chance."

Grace got a devious smirk on her face. "Ooh, trying to impress your man, huh?"

Tori blushed furiously. "What? N-no! It's not like that, I just…" She trailed off, hiding her face.

Grace nodded knowingly. "Don't worry, I get it. Believe me, I get it."

"I-I don't like him l-like that! We're just f-friends!" Tori said, blushing even harder.

Grace laughed. "I'd be happy to teach you. C'mon, no time like the present."

For the next few hours, they listened to the song on repeat, as Grace attempted to teach Tori how to dance to it. She was fairly clumsy at first, but under Grace's direction, quickly learned the dance. After a few extra practices, she was almost as good as Grace.

"Wow, you're a real quick study," Grace noted. "You could probably top me, with enough practice."

"You really think so?" Tori asked.

"You bet I do! You've got some real talent. Jake'll be impressed when you show him. Maybe he'll return the favour with some… moves of his own."

"Oh, shut up!" Tori said. "How long will it take to convince you that it's not like that?!"

"I'll believe you when I see Jake with another girl-"

"Don't even joke about that!" Tori interrupted. "He wouldn't do that to me- EEP!" She quickly covered her mouth with her hands and blushed.

"Ah-ha!" Grace cried triumphantly. "So you do like him!"

Tori shushed her quickly. "Don't tell the whole city! It's just a… a crush. It's not like I'm in love with him or anything."

"Oh, don't worry," Grace said, winking. "I won't tell a soul. Can I ask you a question, though?"

"What is it?"

"Why Jake? He's not really… I don't know. I mean, he's a great friend and all, and a cool guy to hang out with. But he doesn't seem like he could really be much more than a friend to anyone. That's how I see him, anyway. What do you see in him?"

Tori thought about that for a moment. "Hmm… He took me in, for one thing. No one else would've done that. And then I got to know him a bit more, and… he seemed like a really great guy. He's kind, and he's funny, and he's easy to talk to… I just kind of… like him. I know that doesn't really answer your question, but…"

Grace nodded. "No, I get it. You like him for the same reason he's our friend." She paused. "Good luck trying to make it work, though."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know if it's come up yet, but he hates it when anyone tries to touch him. If someone so much as taps his shoulder without permission, he'll usually try to run and hide."

"Seriously? Why?"

"I dunno…" Grace replied with a shrug. "I guess he's just not really used to it. You'd be better off asking him."

"Yeah, I'll have to do that."

Over the next several hours, the girls engaged one another in conversation, getting to know each other a bit more. Grace didn't stop teasing Tori about her crush once.

They didn't keep track of the time, so when Tori finally looked at the clock, she wasn't really surprised to see that it read 5:12.

"Wow. We missed lunch," she noted.

"That doesn't happen very often around here," Grace said.

"On that note, I'm getting hungry again. Whatcha got?"

"How about some catfish burgers?"

"Sure, why not?"

Grace dug a couple of burgers out of the freezer, and got to work cooking. They were done about fifteen minutes later, and they sat down to eat.

They had just finished when there was a knock at the door. "Grace? It's Jake."

Grace opened the door, and he came into the apartment. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," Grace replied. "Do you want me to leave you two alone, or…?"

"That isn't necessary-"

"Actually," Tori spoke up. "Could you, please? I'd like to talk to Jake in private."

Grace smirked at her and nodded. "Certainly. I'll be in my room if you need me." She disappeared down the hall.

Jake watched her leave, before turning to Tori. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing much. We just got to know each other for most of the day. But eventually we started talking about you…"

"Oh boy," Jake sighed. He took a seat. "What kind of horror stories did she tell you?"

"Well, no stories," Tori replied. "But she said that you hate being touched."

Jake visibly paled, and raised an eyebrow. "How did that topic come up?"

Thinking quickly, Tori replied. "She was talking about how hard it was for you to make friends. So, is that true?"

Jake nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, it's true."

Tori could see he was getting uncomfortable. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to…"

"No, it's fine," Jake replied. He was almost shaking. "Ask whatever you want. I don't mind."

Tori was unsure, but pressed on anyway. "Why do you hate touch so much?"

"Well, when I was younger…" he began, taking a deep breath. "I didn't like the idea of Turf War as much as I do now. I thought it was too much like real war, and I didn't want to participate. And I was the kid who liked reading books more than playing outside. So when I actually left my house, I got picked on. A lot. There was name calling, and the kids who lived just down the street, they hated me. They'd hit me, to the point where there was more of me bruised than not. I didn't go out of the house if I could avoid it, but they'd catch me on the way to school. I even contemplated suicide for a while. Then my family moved, and I didn't have to worry about them anymore, but… well, that's what happened. And I don't like anyone to touch me. I just get scared it'll happen again."

Tori looked at him, wide-eyed, and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry… Can I give you a hug?"

Jake nodded, and she embraced him. He started crying. When they pulled apart, he wiped his tears away and smiled at her.

"Thanks, Tori. Any more questions?"

"What happens when someone tries to touch you without permission?"

"I run and hide, unless I see it coming and the person happens to be a friend."

"I'm your friend, right?"

"Yes, you are."

She reached out and grabbed his wrist. Jake flinched. "What does that feel like? Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt. I'm just… sensitive. All over."

She poked his neck. "What about that?"

"Same thing. It feels kind of tingly."

She lightly touched his lower back, and he cried out in pain. Tori quickly pulled her hand away. "I thought you said it didn't hurt!"

"It's different around there."

"Can I see?"

He pulled his shirt up a little and turned his back to her. There was a massive bruise that took up almost all of Jake's lower back, all shades of black and blue.

"…What happened?" Tori asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jake turned back towards her. "That was a particularly bad day. A couple of guys who lived next door, they were chasing me toward a hill, and when they caught up to me, they shoved me down, and I curled up into a little ball and bounced all the way down the hill. It was a paved road, too."

"Does it still hurt? Even when I don't touch it?"

"A little. But I can manage."

Tori digested that for a while. "That's terrible."

"Yeah, it was," Jake said bitterly. "I still can't believe I made it through my childhood." He rubbed his face with his hands.

"…I wish I knew what to say to help you."

"Don't worry about it," Jake replied, somewhat sadly. "No one's been able to yet. I'm not sure if anyone ever will. It's nothing to worry about. And as long as I can just put on my happy face, I'll be fine."

"How can you be okay after something like that?" Tori asked. "You said yourself that you contemplated suicide! How'd you bounce back?"

"I didn't. It still kills. If I'm lucky, I can keep my mind off of it for a while, but it always comes back. It never completely goes away. And it definitely doesn't help in… other areas."

"What do you mean? You seem like a great battler."

"That's not what I'm talking about. In a Turf War, it's all reflex. My mind goes totally blank, and I just focus on what I'm doing, and I'm totally fine for an absolutely heavenly three minutes. But I meant in terms of dating. I'm the only one of my friends who's never had a girlfriend, and you just heard why. It's just not something that I can handle."

Tori wanted nothing more than to confess her feelings, right there, right then, tell him that it was possible, and he just had to look closer, but she knew he wouldn't accept it. Jake would think she was just trying to be sympathetic. This wasn't the right time.

"You know, though…" he started. "It's helped a little, talking about it, just now. I know my issues aren't gonna go away like that, but just talking to a friend really helped. I guess I never really thought about doing it before, but thanks, Tori. …You got any more questions?"

"No, you answered them all. I'm glad I helped. Let me know if I can do it again, though."

Jake smiled at her. "Will do." He stood to leave.

"Grace! You can come back out now!" he called.

She emerged from the hallway, with a smirk on her face.

"You heard all that, didn't you?" he asked.

"No, I didn't hear a sound," she replied. "I was in my room."

"Well, it was good to know that you're doing well, Tori," Jake said, smiling at her. He had already returned to his normal persona. Tori couldn't feel the same way.

"…Yeah," she replied, staring at the floor.

"I'll be by tomorrow morning to pick her up," Jake said to Grace.

"Yeah, I got it," Grace replied. "See ya."

"Bye," Jake said with a wave. He left, shutting the door behind him.

Grace immediately sat down next to Tori. "So, what'd you guys talk about?" She took note of Tori's dejected face. "What's wrong? Did you tell him about your crush? Did he turn you down?!"

"No…" Tori said. "No, that's not what happened. I… I need to go lie down…"

"Already?" Grace asked, looking at a clock. "It's barely nine."

"Yeah, I need to think about… some stuff," Tori said, already getting up.

Grace watched her leave, puzzled, but decided not to press the issue.

Tori, meanwhile, flopped down into her bed, shocked beyond words at what she had just heard. It took a long time for her to get to sleep that night.

[A/N] I'll let this chapter speak for itself.