i forgot to explain a hc last chapter lmao: the rain isn't lethal to cephalopods but for most of them it's harmful for their skin
and may i give u some barrelshady on the side with your lengthy chapter sir?
originally published on january 3rd~
A powerful looking orange inkling towered over the purple octoling, neither wearing clothes. "I'll have to punish you for trying to overpower me, Ocho." winked the inkling. "Oh, Wire…" sighed the octoling.
Ocho woke up completely flushed, but he felt like he had the best sleep ever. "Wait, this isn't my bed…" He yawned, stretched then looked around. The realization hit him when he saw various awards with Wireglasses' name on them along with several family photos. "I forgot I was here. Wait…Didn't I fall asleep on the couch in my clothes?"
The octoling left the room, following the scent of pancakes. "WIRE YOU IDIOT!" he shouted. "You were itching the tag on your shirt in your sleep, I had to get you into something more comfortable." shrugged Wireglasses. "I promise I didn't look at anything."
"Okay, but I WAS ALSO IN YOUR BED!" yelled Ocho. "I carried you from the couch, so what?" replied Wire. "So what? That's all you can say dumbass? WHEN WE SLEPT IN THE SAME BED?" growled Ocho. "Cod, quit being overdramatic!" sighed Wireglasses. "Sit down, the pancakes are almost ready."
The octoling watched the other give the pancakes a few last flips. They smelled really good, Ocho felt himself having to prevent his mouth from watering. "I guess you didn't have a good sleep last night." said Wire. "Well duh, no shit!" scoffed Ocho. The inkling rolled his eyes and set a plate of pancakes down in front of Ocho. "My mom taught me how to make them."
"Didn't know he cooked." thought Ocho as he reluctantly reached for a pancake. "You're so damn petty." grumbled Wireglasses, shoving the pancake into Ocho's mouth. To the octoling's surprise, it was probably one of the greatest things he's ever tasted. They were fluffy but smooth, and were cooked to perfection– Neither burnt or undercooked. Ocho didn't want to admit it though.
"I know you like them, you're just not gonna tell me." remarked Wire. "Shut up." muttered Ocho. Wire didn't hear him, and answered the knock on the door. It was Shady. "Hey, since I was in the area I came to-" He saw the two at the kitchen table. "Married life already?" asked the cyan inkling, innocently.
"W-WHAT?" barked Ocho while Wireglasses just calmly shook his head. "New roommates, perhaps?" wondered Shady. "We're nothing!" groaned Ocho. "Go get Barreleye to sweep you off your feet or something!"
Shady shyly looked down and blushed. "Don't act like we're all unaware of what you sent Mitsuami." he retorted quietly. "What text?" asked Wire. "Oh, for some reason Ocho asked her if you were g-" The octoling was extremely quick to slap Shady's mouth shut. "SHUT UP!"
"Whatever." sighed Wire. "Shady, there's extra pancakes if you want some." he said. Before the cyan inkling could respond, his phone went off. It was a message from Barreleye. "Hey! 8-Bit said she'd take us to breakfast!" it read. "I'm actually getting breakfast with Barreleye." Shady told Wireglasses as he messaged a reply. "...See you at the reception party." snickered Ocho. The cyan inkling pretended to not hear that.
A red inkling waved at Shady as he got closer to his table at the restaurant. "OOH! IT'S TIME TO GIVE THE DIRT!" cackled 8-Bit. "You seriously think telling my brother's a good idea?" groaned Polpo. "Shady!" waved Barreleye, smiling. The cyan squid blushed, the octoling boy had such a grand presence in his eyes. "He's just shy!" snickered 8-Bit.
"So, what's the big scandal?" asked Barreleye. "OCHO'S DOWN BAD FOR WIRE!" shouted 8-Bit. "REALLY?!" yelled the octoling boy in excitement. "Damn you bro, everyone's looking at us!" whisper-shouted Polpo while Shady quickly covered 8-Bit's mouth. "We're gonna get kicked out!"
After the excitement died down, Polpo just continued having her french toast while 8-Bit got order after order of chocolate chip waffles. This left Shady looking at Barreleye when he wasn't paying attention, wishing he was confident enough to start a conversation.
"I like your eyes." Barreleye said out of nowhere, making the cyan squid blush. "T-Thanks." smiled Shady. "Come on, don't be shy!" laughed Barreleye. "You're even a little cute!" he smirked. "So freaking bold." thought Polpo as she watched Shady's face burn off at her brother's compliment.
"Come on, get it together! He was likely joking, or doesn't see cute as an exclusively romantic compliment. He's Barreleye, after all. If anyone doesn't know what they're saying, it's him."
8-Bit noticed her friend muttering. "Yo Shady, I think you're overthinking again." she called, snapping him back into reality. "You didn't hear me, right?" asked Shady. "Nope." answered the red inkling. He sighed in relief.
Back in Wire's kitchen, the orange inkling finished getting dressed into his iconic gear. "I guess I should take you home, unless you want to buy groceries with me." he said to Ocho, dryly. "I could go with you." replied Ocho. "It's just because you'll probably forget an ingredient for your pancakes." he added rudely.
"Damn, just admit you like my cooking already!" groaned Wireglasses as he slid his wallet into his pocket. "Whatever, dumbass! Hurry up!" shot back the octoling. "You hurry up!" retorted Wire, grabbing Ocho's hand impatiently and bringing him out the door. "Cod, he's holding it." thought Ocho.
"I'm not letting go in case you get lost." smirked Wire, giving the octoling's hand a slight squeeze. "What? WHY?" shouted Ocho. "If you think I'm too stupid to remember pancake ingredients, then how can I trust you with directions?" snickered the inkling. "I don't think that!" shouted Ocho. "Then why did you say that?" replied Wire, getting nothing for an answer.
"OCHO! HI!" waved a familiar yellow inkling. "Mitsu, get me out of here!" he pleaded. The orange inkling didn't add anything to the conversation, he actually felt a bit disappointed that Ocho might leave him. "Grocery shopping? Can I go?!" grinned Mitsuami. "YES!" replied Wireglasses. "What the hell are you so excited for?" Ocho scowled.
"Come on guys." said Wire in a dry tone, giving Ocho a mildly annoyed side eye. While Mitsuami happily walked alongside them, Ocho quietly sulked as he held Wire's hand. "Wait a sec, are you guys a thing?!" asked Mitsuami. "NO! I already told Shady that!" growled the octoling. "Sorry!" laughed the yellow inkling. "But if you're gonna hold hands then you gotta expect people to think that!"
The orange inkling opened the shop's door for the two, and they went to get the first item on the list– a loaf of bread. That wasn't too difficult, and neither were the next few things. "This is boring." thought Ocho.
"Hey there! I'm looking for some volunteers!" greeted an older employee, he was an inkling in a green apron with the store's logo on it. The boys were not interested, but that didn't matter because Mitsuami very much was. "We'll help you sir!" she smiled.
"Great!" replied the employee. "I need to organize the back before the manager gets back, or else he'll kill me!" he added. "So you're getting kids to do your mundane task? Isn't that child labor?" grumbled Ocho. "Ocho, it's not child labor!" responded Mitsuami. "It's called helping others because you have a pure heart!"
"I don't think he has a pure heart." snickered Wireglasses. "Shut up!" shouted the octoling. "The hell do you want?" he asked the employee in a rude tone. "Oh, there's some boxes laying around the store that just need to go in certain places." explained the employee. "I can fetch the boxes while you guys stay in the back and wait to organize them!" exclaimed Mitsuami.
Waiting around in the storage room quickly got very boring when Mitsuami wasn't there to hand the two another stack of boxes. "So, how's battling been going?" asked Wire in an attempt to make small talk. "My team left me because I stopped paying them." sighed Ocho. "That's tough." shrugged Wire. "Yeah, no shit." muttered the octoling.
After a while, the inkling's mind drifted off and he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. Ocho looked over at Wire, but couldn't take his eyes off of him. Once again, he found himself completely love-struck.
"Delivery for Mr. Staring-At-Wire!" called Mitsuami with a large box of chip bags. "W-What? No!" shouted the octoling as he struggled to snap back into reality. "Goggles told me how he used to look at Hachi like that all the time." whispered the yellow inkling.
Meanwhile at the restaurant, 8-Bit and the others were getting ready to leave. "Ah, time to prove that stupid Horn Helmet that I can beat her in a turf war blindfolded!" sighed 8-Bit as she stretched. "Sometimes you're as dumb as my bro." said Polpo. "I need to watch this."
"Don't make fun of me! Shady, you coming to CHEER me on?!" barked 8-Bit. "I was thinking of taking a walk after this, I need to clear my mind." replied the cyan inkling. "I get it." shrugged 8-Bit. "Your head's full of gay thoughts!" Shady covered her mouth while repeatedly whispering "Shut up!" at her.
"I got no plans, so I could totally join you!" smiled Barreleye. Shady gave him a softer, shyer smile back. "Oh, that would be nice."
"I think my brother likes him." said Polpo to 8-Bit. "As if that wasn't obvious!" replied the red inkling, walking over to the lobby with the octoling girl. "Uh, what were they talking about?" asked Barreleye. "Um, I'm sure it's just…girl talk or something." chuckled Shady, who heard them.
"BOX DELIVERY!" grinned Mitsuami at the store, throwing a light box of chocolate bars at them. "The boss said we're on break for 20 minutes!" she added, happily slamming the door behind her. "At least she's having fun, this is boring." sighed Ocho. "Maybe that's because I'm the one putting the boxes away while the little octoling boy stands around doing nothing!" remarked Wireglasses.
"It's not my fault I'm too short to reach some shelves!" Ocho shot back. "Aren't you ripped as hell?! You could totally get those lower shelves done!" replied Wire. "You know what? I'm going to hang out with Mitsu, she'd never make fun of me!" scoffed the octoling. The inkling shrugged calmly. "Knock yourself out." As expected, his response ticked the octoling off a little more. "Don't act all smug!" shouted Ocho, reaching for the door.
He turned the knob and pushed, but it wouldn't budge. "Piece of junk." he muttered, trying to open it again with more force. "COME ON!" he shouted, aggressively trying to get the door to open. He kept trying for a few more minutes before groaning in defeat. "IT'S LOCKED!" Wire's eyes widened in horror, but only slightly. He knew someone will probably realize the door is locked and come get them. "I get alone time with Ocho while we're stuck in here…" he thought. "If we're stuck together, maybe we could put an end to this crap between us."
"Well, I finally get some more alone time with him, but why did it have to be in the back of a grocery store?" sighed Ocho, internally. "Alright, we gotta get out of here!" he barked at the inkling. "How? Through that tiny window near the ceiling?" asked Wire. "Of course not, dumbass." sighed the octoling. "Whatever. I'm going to sleep for the next 20 minutes." yawned Wireglasses, grabbing a sack of flour for a pillow and laying down on the floor. Ocho gave him a look of disapproval before taking out his phone to call for help.
"Damn, it's dead!" snapped the octoling. "You can use mine." responded Wire. "But you've been such an asshole so maybe not." he shrugged. "YOU DORK, WE'RE STUCK HERE WITH NOTHING!" shouted Ocho. "Except each other." replied Wire, getting an annoyed glare from the octoling.
"Even if you're a huge jerk to me, I can't bring myself to hate you. You're strong and maybe there's something to you I find endearing." said the inkling, forming a very small smile in his usual resting bitch face. The octoling looked away to blush hard and feel himself getting all warm and fuzzy inside. "Thanks or whatever." he mumbled.
"I'll text the group chat." nodded Wireglasses, turning his phone on. "And quickly, the phone's gonna die in 30 seconds." He frantically tapped on his messaging app and began typing.
"at grocery store, ocho and i are stu"
"CRAP, IT DIED!" yelled Wire in anger. "Good going." scoffed Ocho. "Hey, being stuck back here wasn't on my bingo card today!" shot back the inkling. "Geez, let's just get out the hard way. Give me some boxes to stand on." growled Ocho. Unable to think of another option, Wire agreed to help.
In the visually breathtaking trail near Eeltail Alley, Shady walked alongside Barreleye, unable to keep his cool. "I've never fallen this hard for someone before." he muttered very quietly. "You say something?" asked Barreleye. "No, you must've heard the wind." replied Shady, stammering. "There isn't even a breeze outside though…" said the yellow octoling.
"Barreleye, have you ever been in love?" asked Shady. "I mean, someone like you has probably at least flirted with someone once." he added. "Yeah!" smiled Barreleye. "I'm a flirt but my sis says I suck at it!"
"I see." nodded the inkling. His phone went off. "Wire and Ocho are what?" he asked himself. "Stu…dying? Stubborn? Stupid?" Barreleye noticed the cyan inkling looking visibly confused at his phone. "Is stu slang for banging?" laughed the octoling. "Barrel! No!" panicked Shady. "Aww, he called me Barrel." chuckled the range blaster main.
"I guess I'll tell you now…" began Shady, intriguing the other boy. "I'm in love with-" The sound of a new notification stopped him from confessing his love. "I think he meant stuck, they're stuck somewhere in the store" texted Shellmet, someone who rarely talked in the Best 8's group chat.
"Um, I think we should help those two." said Shady to Barreleye. "Why? There's four other people who could easily find them!" shrugged the octoling. "I don't feel like leaving your side tonight."
The cyan inkling's face burned up again, and he could only muster a shy nod. "You're hella cute, we should hang out more." smiled the octoling, suddenly taking hold of the inkling's soft cheek.
"B-Barrel, what are you saying?" asked Shady.
"That I wanna hang out more." replied Barreleye. "And that I love you!"
"What?"
"I love you! I wanna be boyfriends!"
The inkling couldn't believe what he was hearing. To make sure this wasn't a dream, he made the impulsive choice of giving Barreleye a kiss on the lips. It obviously wasn't, and he felt that when he realized what he just did, and as Barreleye began kissing back. The need for air was the only thing that stopped them from going further. "I love you too." smiled Shady.
8-Bit angrily shoved her dynamo roller into her locker. "I hope you'll see me next battle!" laughed Horn Helmet. "Stupid hat bitch!" shouted 8-Bit, getting no response from the pink inkling. The red inkling seethed as she watched her laugh with Polpo.
"I was looking for you." called a purple octoling girl. "I think Ocho and Wireglasses are stuck in the local grocery store." she explained. "Honestly Shellmet, that's something they would do." shrugged 8-Bit. "HORN HELMET! I NEED YOU TOO!" shouted Shellmet. "I caught you laughing at 8-Bit too, that's not very noble of you." remarked the octoling. "YEAH HORNMET!" cackled the red inkling. "SHUT UP!" Horn Helmet growled.
Meanwhile, after what felt like years, Ocho finally felt close to the tiny window in the back room. "Stack them better! I'm gonna fall!" shouted Ocho. "He couldn't balance on solid ground to save his life." thought Wire. "HEY! YOUR BALANCE IS JUST OFF!" replied the inkling. "TRY REPOSITIONING!"
Shellmet, Horn Helmet and 8-Bit kicked the grocery store's door open. "WHERE'S OCHO AND WIREGLASSES?" shouted Horn Helmet, clearly not very interested in being there. "GUYS?" gasped Mitsuami, running over to them. "They're fine, just in the backroom." she smiled. "I think they're stuck." replied Shellmet. "I still have access to the back if you wanna check on them." said the yellow inkling.
"IF YOU PANIC YOU'LL DEFINITELY FALL!" shouted Wire. "I'M NOT PANICKING YOU IDIOT!" yelled Ocho. He didn't loudly freak out or anything, but he was visibly shaking and nervously glancing down at the floor below. Suddenly, he felt gravity pushing down on him, sending him and the tower of boxes flying backwards.
Just after, Mitsuami unlocked the door. "I'M SORRY FOR LOCKING-" She then saw where Ocho landed, without context. To the four girls, it looked like Ocho was about to do something…Intriguing. His face was inches away from the inkling boy's, and his body was right on top of his. Mitsuami and Shellmet instantly looked away, insisting that they respect their privacy, which deeply embarrassed Ocho. "No need to hide it boys, it's not like any of us are straight!" laughed Horn Helmet.
"IT'S NOT WHAT YOU-" Ocho was cut off by 8-Bit loudly laughing in his face as he got up. "Quit laughing! We also need to see where Shady and Barreleye ran off to!" said Shellmet. "Oh, those two went on a romantic walk in the park!" smirked the red inkling. "I'll ask them to meet up with us outside."
"I swear to cod, I'm starting to turn into Shady around Barreleye when I'm around Wire." sighed Ocho. As the girls went ahead of them, he took the orange inkling's hand out of some kind of instinct he couldn't explain. "If you really wanna hold it, then hold it." said Wire. "Why did I do that?" Ocho silently asked himself as Wire opened the main entrance.
"Yo Shady, nice boyfriend!" greeted 8-Bit, noticing him holding hands with the yellow octoling. "T-Thanks…" replied the cyan inkling, shyly. "That's right! Shady and I are official!" announced Barreleye. "Congrats!" smiled Mitsuami. "Finally." muttered the rest.
Wireglasses looked at Ocho, wondering if they could finally be together someday. As he thought of all the ways a confession to him could go wrong, he began to envy Shady and Barreleye. "One day, you cute dork."
To be continued...
1ST UPDATE IN 2024! KEEP ON OCHOWIRING, BARRELSHADYING AND DA LAST SHIP I WON'T SPOIL