Lmao ik the love plot is everyone's fave part of the story ;) i rlly don't blame u guys tbh
also I'M WRITING A CHRISTMAS SPINOFF COMING OUT AFTER HALLOWEEN! STAY TUNED!
Quartz was at his local library. After Haru showed the place to him, it became his favorite place to go to. It was quiet, and the octoling boy found himself enjoying books. While he was resting in a comfortable chair with the average book a 14 year old would like, he felt a boy sit next to him.
"Kai?"
"I didn't know you read!" smiled Kai. "Y-Yeah, my dad told me about this place." said Quartz, feeling his face burn up. "What book you got?" asked the lavender-pink octoling. "It's about these talking eagles in clans with magic. I know, it's embarrassing..." sighed Quartz.
In Kai's eyes, Quartz was being so unbelievably cute that he couldn't help but giggle. "It's not! I like reading manga about fighting sailors, and it's not like you need to hide these things around me." said the lavender-pink octoling. "Right." nodded Quartz, briefly remembering his little panic attack at Wahoo World. "How's Bay?" asked Quartz. "He's good, but he's busy with our school's football team." replied Kai. The lavender-pink octoling looked at the watch he was wearing. "If you run down to Eel Street, you might catch him!"
"He can find us here." shrugged Quartz. The urge to make a move came into Quartz's head, but he was too nervous to act on it. "Kai…" he muttered. "What do you like in someone, like romantically?" he asked. Kai smiled and blushed a bit. "I like the cute guys I can smother in affection!"
What happened next was completely uncalled for– Kai got closer to Quartz and put his hand on one of his cheeks, then began to gently caress it. "You kinda fit that bill, you know…" he said. Quartz jumped back, his cheeks burning up like a campfire. "I'm not cute though." mumbled Quartz. Kai just smiled at him, not helping the dark purple octoling's burning face.
Meanwhile, Bay was heading to the library to meet up with Kai. On his way out of the school, he felt someone tap his shoulder. "Bay Stone, am I right?" asked the girl. "S-SUNSET!" he shouted in panic. "I m-mean MISS STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT!" he shouted again to correct himself.
"You and Kai attracted someone very special, so don't fuck up your confession or else it'll make me feel terrible!" she stated.
"President, how the heck do you know about Quartz and the fact there were plans to confess?!"
"Quartz told me about you, and then I heard you and Kai talking very loudly about him in the cafeteria. It wasn't too hard to connect the dots, Bay. I met Quartz in the countryside over the summer, and while he puts on a bitter exterior, he's a very sweet man."
Bay nodded. Sunset shook her head. "By the way, I don't think Quartz is the type to want anything very flashy. I overheard your plans about a romantic song for him at the front door. I must say, what a silly idea!"
At the library, Quartz fell asleep on one of the comfy chairs while Kai got invested in his manga. "Sorry I'm late, ran into the president!" Bay sighed in exhaustion from running. "What did I tell you about drawing on desks?" chuckled Kai.
"AND HELLO TO YOU, QUARTZ!" sang Bay, shaking the dark purple octoling awake, startling Quartz in the process. Quartz groaned and got up from his seat, then gave Bay a light smack on the head. The inkling was unfazed though. "You got any plans tonight?" he asked, smugly. "Not that I can think of." answered Quartz.
"How would you like to check out Kai-ster and I's big mansion tonight?" added Bay, as Kai quietly blushed at the nickname in the background. Quartz rolled his eyes. "I doubt it's actually a mansion, but I'll go."
"YES!" shouted Bay and Kai. "Is 6 a good time for my stunning guest?" Bay winked. Quartz looked away. "Don't call me that!" he gasped. "You didn't answer my question!" said Bay. The dark purple octoling groaned and gave him a "mhm."
"OUR LITTLE BOY IS FINALLY GETTING BITCHES!" cheered Ember and Celeste after Quartz got home. "Don't worry Quartz! I'm an expert on this stuff!" exclaimed Ember. "When Ceru and Haru met, that first sleepover changed things forever!"
Cerulean walked into the room, and overheard them. "Quartz is staying with WHO?" he shouted. "Chill out dude!" shrugged Ember. "If someone tries to kill him then I'll run down there and kick their ass!"
"You better." mumbled the blue inkling.
Meanwhile, Kai and Bay were talking about Quartz. "We've been thinking of confession ideas for TWO WHOLE MONTHS, and nothing!" sighed Bay. "I've been thinking about that a lot." said Kai. "I think we should just tell him tonight. Besides, didn't Sunset tell you that Quartz doesn't need a grand spectacle of a confession?" he asked. "Yeah." replied Bay.
"I've also been thinking…What about our relationship?" asked Kai. "I know we're going to hopefully be in a polycule with Quartz, but I'm nervous about our friendship." He was trying so hard to not tear up.
Bay hugged him, letting Kai rest his head on his chest. "Hey, even if we're together, you're always going to be my best friend. We've gone through a lot together." smiled the inkling. The two gazed into each other's eyes, and the two's mouths slowly moved closer to the other's. Butterflies rushed through their stomachs as they were about to kiss.
"Morgan and Ariel are calling!" shouted Daisy, Bay's older sister, from the living room. "Coming." sighed Kai. "Why are they calling at this time though?" Bay picked up the phone. "Sup MG?"
"I know this is a short notice, but my family surprised me with a vacation and Ari's coming with me." explained Morgan. "For how long?" asked Bay. "3 weeks." said Morgan. "Crap, I see…" sighed Bay. "Hey, don't be like that!" said Ariel. "Don't you two have a boyfriend and his sister who can play with you?!" snickered Morgan.
"I guess." chuckled Bay. "We'll win every battle for you guys!" smiled Kai. "AWESOME!" shouted Morgan. "We'll have the greatest battle ever when we get back!" exclaimed Ariel, before the four said their goodbyes and ended the call. "Well, there goes half our team." sighed Bay. "At least there's no big tournaments coming up." shrugged Kai.
Later in the evening, Haru drove Quartz to the house. "Quartz." smiled Haru. "Just be yourself, okay? You've met some very nice boys." Quartz nodded, Haru's words were enough to make him smile. He knocked on the door, amazed by how big the house was. It really was a mansion! "He wasn't kidding…"
"QUARTZ!" grinned Bay, flinging the door open. He took Quartz's hand and led him to the kitchen. Quartz was instantly met with a hug from Kai that almost ended up with them falling on the floor. "What are we doing first?" asked Quartz. "What everyone does at a sleepover!" smirked Bay. "MARIO KART!" cheered him and Kai.
Four races in, and it was clear that Quartz was kicking his friends' butts. On the 5th and final round, Quartz began to space out a bit, thinking about the two. "I wish I could just say it…" he sighed silently. Quartz quickly snapped back into reality when he felt a pair of hands on his controller– And those hands weren't his own. "You keep driving into a wall." commented Kai, correcting Quartz's kart. The dark purple octoling blushed, Kai's hands were pleasantly warm. Bay put his hands on the controller too, wanting to get in on the action. "I think the real Mario Kart expert should help."
"Uh-huh, the guy I keep destroying is totally an expert." remarked Quartz. The two didn't take their hands off of Quartz's, and rested their heads on each shoulder. The whole game was forgotten about, and the race only ended because they all had auto accelerate on. "W-Why aren't you getting off of me?" stuttered the dark purple octoling.
Bay's expression became a bit more serious, maybe even a bit suggestive. Unfortunately, he couldn't say a word. "DINNER'S READY!" called Mrs. Stone. "AND YOUR FATHER WON'T BE AROUND BECAUSE HE HAS TO WORK LATE!" she added.
The three went down to the dinner table, and Daisy was already sitting there. "Oh, what's your name?" Mrs. Stone asked Quartz. "Quartz." answered the dark purple octoling. "You're a bit of a celebrity in this house!" laughed the middle-aged woman. "The boys are always talking about how good-looking you are!"
Quartz hid his face in embarrassment. The other two were a bit embarrassed too, but not to the same extent. "Right?!" replied Daisy. "I remember when Bay began going on about him and how he was on a team with The Squid Sisters!" she laughed. "SQUID SISTERS?!" gasped the mother. "You're truly something else, Quartz!" she chuckled.
"What the hell is good looking about me? I'm covered in scratches and scars, I scare off children, and I don't care about fashion!" thought Quartz. On a nicer note, he really liked the burgers Mrs. Stone made. They made Cerulean's burgers taste like dirt!
"We should go somewhere after this!" suggested Bay. "How do you guys feel about a nice walk in the park?" he asked. Kai happily agreed to it. "Yeah. That's nice, I guess." mumbled Quartz. As they ran to the front door to get their jackets on, Haru's words came back into his mind. "Just be yourself, okay? You've met some very nice boys." His dad was right. Confessing his love to the two should be a good idea, at worst both of them would just politely reject him, right?
Since it's close to the winter months, not only was it colder outside but it was also already dark. It was barely 6, and the sky was almost pitch black. It was as if they were going out for a romantic park date in some crappy Squidmas romcom. "The moon is so big and lovely tonight." smiled Kai, particularly at Quartz. "Not the loveliest thing though." smirked Bay. They both looked at Quartz. "S-Shut up!" shouted the dark purple octoling.
As the three walked to the park together, Quartz remembered how he met his two friends.
When I first met that blue idiot, I assumed the worst. I believed he just wanted to get on my good side for some awful reason, and that he was just a condescending jerk. At the time, it was difficult for me to trust anyone. I didn't know why he was so desperate to befriend me, and I still don't know why he stuck around…But I'm glad.
I remember meeting the cutest man on earth right after one of the most horrific experiences I had in Splatsville. My own kind terrified me because all I could think about was my abusers, but when I saw him, for the first time those thoughts didn't cross my mind. I don't think I've ever met anyone so understanding and patient, or cute.
Quartz smiled under his mask. The other two were holding his hands, at first he found it embarrassing, but they began doing it every time they went somewhere with him so he eventually accepted it as something normal. Tonight, their hands felt extra warm against the cold weather.
The park looked very different at night. The place bustled with life in the daytime, but was dead silent aside from a few owls after dark. The darkness made the park feel much more mysterious, as it was hard to see anything with the lack of lights. Kai shot Bay a look that said "We can't hold off this confession any longer."
The two let go of Quartz's hands and stopped walking to get his attention. "Are you okay?" asked Quartz, in a dry but slightly concerned tone. "Quartz, there's something we've been meaning to tell you." began Bay, as the wind began to really pick up. "You're a really sweet boy." continued Kai. "And we-"
SNAP! Quartz's eyes widened in horror– His mask broke.
He stared at his friends for a moment, his face full of nothing but shock and fear. The fact he knew they wouldn't be judgemental didn't matter to his mind anymore, he quickly covered the bottom half of his face by pulling up the front of his jacket, then ran behind a tree to try and fix the broken loop on his mask…Somehow.
He panicked as the shadowy space in front of him grew darker. "I can get Bay's mom to try and sew it back." said the shadow looming above him– Kai. "Don't look." mumbled Quartz, who didn't dare look up at Kai and reveal his face. "Let's go home for now, being here isn't a good idea if you need to hide your face." said Bay, lifting Quartz up. "That's not necessary…" whispered Quartz, flustered. However, neither heard him.
As they made their journey back to Bay's place, him and Kai thought about their first meetings with Quartz.
"I liked him from the moment he crushed us in battle! Kai and I were passing the idea of polyamory around a lot, and when I saw Quartz I knew he was the one. I love the way he gets grumpy, and his hard exterior paired with a soft heart. His cuteness is otherworldly. Nothing is more painful than having to resist the urge to kiss that face of his…" thought Bay.
"I remember seeing Bay pick Quartz up and rushing to get him bandages, and the way he cutely stuttered when we first met. When Bay told me that was the Quartz he was telling me about, I instantly understood why he was so attracted to him. Something tells me he suffered a lot throughout his life, and I wish I could melt his pain away with my affection…" thought Kai.
The two brought Quartz back to their room. The dark purple octoling was in tears. "I'm hideous…" The two felt absolutely horrible for him, the nasty scar Quartz hid was now on full display. They could instantly tell he ties that scar to a traumatic event. "You're not." said Kai with a comforting smile. "There isn't anything wrong with having scars, and I understand how it feels to be insecure about your body..." To Quartz, he wasn't entirely sure if he was telling the truth or just being nice. "In fact…I think the fact you're standing here with them is a sign of how strong you are." smiled the lavender-pink octoling.
Quartz was surprised, and at a loss for words. What Kai said meant so much to him. "Quartz, I don't think you've realized we would never leave you over things like this. We both know you're really sweet under your exterior, and we like you too much to judge you for anything. We love you…" Kai blushed, realizing he was about to confess.
Blush lit up Quartz's face, he couldn't believe what he just heard. "You…You really like me that much?" he asked, looking at both of them.
"We really love you. " Kai hugged him tightly from the side. Quartz pushed him away after a few seconds and stood up. "But why?" asked Quartz. "I'm really just a huge jerk who's always pushing others away, I'm covered in horrendous scars, and all I do is act cold because I'm an insecure mess." he said miserably, ignoring Bay slowly getting closer to him.
"I shot down Bay when he tried talking to me, I can never react to compliments well, I bottled up my feelings at Wahoo World and embarrassed you when I couldn't, and-"
Bay gently held Quartz's face, and slowly brought their lips together, cutting off the octoling with a sweet kiss.
"You're also going to marry us." said Bay, winking. Quartz collapsed back onto the bed where he was sitting, completely flushed and stunned. "Is that a yes?" smirked the inkling. Without saying a word, Quartz pulled both of them in for a hug, his tears becoming emotional rather than sad ones. "I love you guys…So much…" he smiled.
They spent the next few hours just enjoying each other's presence. After getting ready for bed, they all cuddled up together in Bay's bed. Him and Kai's warm embraces were one of the nicest things Quartz ever felt, and he couldn't believe they were all officially together now.
"Guess the president was right, Quartz didn't need a spectacle, he just needed love and comfort." thought Bay as he drifted off to sleep with the two octolings in his arms.
To be continued...
IT FINALLY HAPPENED! BOOYAH! I CAN FINALLY WRITE ABT THEM GOING ON DATES! :D other than the next chapter (coming out on the 31), i'm gonna be taking a lil break to work on other fics like shark river high and the upcoming christmas fic with quartz!
(the boys playing mario kart was totally not a reference to my glovrai fic where rider, gloves and goggles play it at their sleepover lmao)
