im not in some cool overseas country for this chapter rip LMAOO ooh and u guys seemed to rlly like how i included pearlina so i gave them another scene here!

ok its been a while actually- i've been rlly busy irl and im slowly finding time to write again! also its been two years since i began posting fanfics so yaaaaay :3

"Emperor?" Marina asked, walking through the door. "Are you okay? You look very pensive…" she frowned. "I'm actually feeling quite eager." answered the yellow inkling. "My training services are a success!"

"Dude, one customer is not a success!" shrugged Pearl. "Well, my only customer just so happens to be my only love~" smirked Emperor. The short inkling gave her younger brother a look of pure disappointment. "Whatever lets you sleep at night, I guess!"

Pearl ran over to Marina to give her a hug, and Emperor had nothing else to do other than watch them tease and laugh with each other. Suddenly, Pearl's eyes widened. "Wait, did you say love?"

"Yep." smirked Emperor. "That's what I said!"

"WOOOO! HELL YEAH!" cheered Pearl jumping out of Marina's arms and startling the octoling. "MY LIL' BOY IS GROWIN' UP!"

Emperor scoffed. "Don't embarrass me like that." Then, the doorbell sounded and Pearl ran to the door. "I'll get it!"

"Hey, Emperor told me to come here at 1." greeted Gloves. Pearl examined him quickly and looked back at Emperor. "Dude, this your man?"

"Yes, he is~" smiled Emperor. "Yeah, that'll be the day we get Squid Sisters gear!" replied Gloves with a scowl, blushing. "Someone's got quite the attitude there!" cackled Pearl, who began to laugh uncontrollably at Gloves' outburst. "No need to get so defensive over a silly misjudgement!"

"Don't forget, you win a guy over by showing how cool and unstoppable you are!" Pearl whispered to Emperor, smiling. "Aight boys, Rina and I are going out to perform now! Don't burn the house down…Or do because I can easily afford to build a new replica of it!"

After Off The Hook left, the boys were left alone in the house. Prince was out battling with him and Emperor's teammates. "Okay, what's your first tip?" asked Gloves, unenthusiastically. "You're not hungry for some lunch?" asked Emperor. "Laceless has some leftover fairy bread~"

"O-Of course not! I didn't come here for your cooking!" scoffed Gloves. "Are you still riled up after what Pearl said?" questioned the yellow inkling, knowingly. "What makes you think THAT?" shot back Gloves. "It was just a misunderstanding…"

"You've been blushing nonstop for the past ten minutes." answered Emperor, with a hint of smugness in his tone. "S-So what?" responded Gloves, trying to play it cool. "Hmm…Nevermind. Tell me what you want for lunch." shrugged Emperor. "I already told you, I don't want lunch!" groaned Gloves.

Boldly, Emperor cupped the green inkling's cheek gently, forcing his attention towards the taller, yellow inkling. "Your well-being comes first. I'd be the worst coach in Inkopolis if I let you starve out there…"

"C-Calm down man! You're overreacting!" panicked Gloves, secretly not opposed to the position he's in but still annoyed. "Why do you suddenly care? You were so cruel, but suddenly you tell me how you love my company and play the brave knight against the guys who harassed me last night?!"

The taller inkling sighed, and pulled away from Gloves. "I mean it all…But I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you won't believe me. I know what I said both now and back then, Gloves. I only regret the past…"

The green inkling stared at him intensely. "He sounds legit, but I really don't know…"

"Taking in my glory, are we?~" teased Emperor. Gloves sighed. "J-Just make me some ramen or something, I really don't care!"

The yellow inkling nodded and got ready to cook. An awkward silence surrounded the two as Gloves would subconsciously sneak glances at him and Emperor almost always catching him. He used to be one of the greatest battlers of all time, so it made sense that he could sense anyone eyeing him. "Is there something you'd like to say? There's no need to be shy."

Gloves said nothing as he watched Emperor finish up and bring the bowl to him. "You didn't answer my question." said Emperor, a hint of firmness in his tone. "This is dumb, can't we just get outside and train already?!" sighed Gloves. "I've already made you something nice, may as well try it." smirked the yellow inkling.

The green squid was reluctant to try it, he liked Emperor a lot more than he did just a couple of days ago, but didn't want to look like the type who'd mindlessly obey him. "Fine…" he muttered, finally caving in and trying it.

"So, what do you think?"

Gloves took in a deep breath, blushing a bit. "It's actually really good…"

Emperor couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Watching Gloves start downing his cooking felt heartwarming, he couldn't stop smiling. "Adorable~"

"Now that I'm full, can we finally get training?" asked Gloves, impatiently. Instead of properly answering, Emperor suddenly took a step forward and gave the green inkling a warm hug. Gloves' face burned brightly. "W-What the hell are you doing?!"

"I can't stop thinking about how much I've hurt you…" whispered Emperor. "I was cold during my days as the champion of the square, and crushed so many inklings' dreams. You were one of the few who continued pushing onwards despite everything, and I admire that so much…"

"Emperor…" muttered Gloves, unsure of how to respond. "I saved you yesterday because I wanted to show you how much I've changed, and how much I really care about you…" finished Emperor, giving the green squid a gentle hair ruffle before pulling back a bit to look at him.

The two's eyes locked together when they met, and neither knew how long they were going to stay that way for.

"B-Brother?" mumbled Prince, breaking the tension. "Dang, you got game Emp!" laughed Eging Jr. Gloves wanted to push Emperor away, but strangely didn't. "We're not dating!" he said in a panic. "I dunno, you guys looked pretty passionate as you looked into each other's eyes!" replied Eging. Emperor didn't say anything, secretly agreeing with his teammate.

Prince sat at the kitchen table, resting his cheek on his hand. "What are you thinking about?" asked N-Pacer. "Goggles, I guess. Every time I see him, I get this warm and fuzzy feeling…"

"Are you in love?" asked Laceless, innocently. Prince blushed a bit. "Maybe." he replied. "It sure sounds like it." added N-Pacer. "Goggles would definitely go out with you though. He always seems to make room to talk to you whenever you're around."

"Thank you…" smiled Prince. "I'll shoot my shot when I see him!"

"WE'RE FINALLY GONNA TRAIN?!" asked Gloves, as impatient as ever about training. "Yep." smiled Emperor, taking the green inkling's hand. "I'll show you to the training grounds."

Eging was a bit suspicious. "Gloves tends to push Emperor away a lot, but ever since we saw those in an embrace, he's been awful quiet…Guys, we gotta spy on them!"

"That's ridiculous!" groaned N-Pacer. "Wouldn't that be invading his privacy?" asked Prince. "Yeah, it would be!" answered Laceless. "Hey, Emperor is important to us! Don't see this as invading their privacy, but rather keeping a close eye on a loved one!" responded Eging. "TO THE WINDOW NEAR THE TRAINING GROUNDS!"

"First, you'd want to hold your dualies optimally." explained Emperor. The yellow inkling took Gloves' hands and moved them into the position he was referring to. "It's important to keep your fingers on the triggers."

"O-Of course…" replied Gloves, feeling his heart flutter at the touch of Emperor's warm hands. "You gotta point there…"

"Oh, do I?~" smirked Emperor, not helping the green inkling's case. "He's finally warming up to me." he said to himself. He felt two ways about it– Relieved and confident. Confident in wooing him, relieved that he might just be able to make amends with him. "Show me a dodge roll."

Gloves nodded and began to attempt a dodge roll. Before he fully rolled over, he felt the yellow inkling grab him by the waist. "You could improve your dodge roll greatly." said Emperor. Gloves had no words left. "O-Okay?"

"Oh, that's Emp snatching him…" commented Eging from the team's secret spying window. "Gloves was quite red at times too, there's no way they're just friends…" added Prince. "You're right, they're totally more than friends!" laughed Eging.

It wasn't long until Emperor decided to call it a break. "How about you rest in my room for a bit?" he asked Gloves. The green inkling reluctantly nodded. Emperor's touch definitely had an effect on him. "Damn it, am I going soft?!"

The yellow inkling led him into his large, expensive room. "You can rest here."

"In the bed with your germs on it?"

"Where else, silly?" chuckled Emperor. "I'd never do anything sketchy, you know." he added. "Yeah, I'd rather sleep on the floor!" scoffed Gloves. He quickly made another decision– That it wasn't worth arguing with him, so he just sighed. "Fine, I'll have a quick nap…"

Emperor nodded. "Make yourself comfy. I'll be sitting on the edge of the bed, polishing my dualies." he smiled. The two spent the next few minutes in complete silence, Gloves not wanting anything to do with him in this position.

"I'll show you how cool and unstoppable I am by letting you rest in the softest bed in Inkopolis." smiled Emperor, thinking to himself as if Gloves could hear him. "Anything else I could get you, my Emerald?"

Gloves looked away in complete embarrassment. "Nothing. Let me sleep."

"Of course~" replied Emperor. It wasn't long until the green inkling fell asleep, and by then Emperor felt himself getting drowsy by just looking at him all comfortable in his bed. It wasn't long before the yellow inkling subconsciously began to make himself comfortable too.

…And both were fast asleep in the bed, completely knocked out for a few hours.

"Um, Pearlie? Your brother and his boyfriend are snoring really loudly…" spoke Marina, standing next to her girlfriend at Emperor's door. "Oh, he does that!" laughed Pearl. "But not with Mr. Defensive over here~"

Gloves faintly heard them, slowly beginning to regain consciousness and wake up. "What the hell is crushing me?" he asked himself as his eyes were still opening. That's when he noticed the taller inkling right next to him, still asleep and hogging almost all of his space.

"YO MR. DEFENSIVE, HOW WAS TRAINING?" greeted Pearl. "IT WAS FINE, THANK YOU!" retorted Gloves with similar sarcasm. Unsurprisingly, this woke Emperor up. "What's all this ruckus for?"

Then he noticed where he was. "I guess I got tired earlier, didn't I?" he laughed. "I suppose we both needed a break, didn't we dear?"

"Don't call me that." muttered Gloves, who wouldn't care if it came from anyone else. "I'm overstaying my welcome so just tell me when I'll be back."

"5PM tomorrow." smiled Emperor. "I have an interview soon, so I'll get my brother to escort you home." he said. Gloves didn't need that at all, but at least Prince is much nicer and isn't flirting with him to the point of his face overheating. "I'll wait by the door."

Gloves sighed as he walked next to Prince. "You really don't have to do this…" he said. "My brother loves you very much, so we want to make sure you get home safely, since you got attacked that one time…" replied Prince, giving him a nervous smile.

"Loves me?" scoffed Gloves. "I'm still kinda suspicious of him."

"But why, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Prince, he's your bro right?" asked the green inkling. "Tell me the truth– Is he plotting something and using me? I won't totally ruin your family name if you say yes, you know."

Prince shook his head. "He's really not! I k-know it may not sound like much coming from me, but you should really give him a chance…"

Gloves didn't say much back, focusing on unlocking his front door. "I'll see you tomorrow, man. This time, I'm locking in!" The yellow squid frowned as he watched Gloves head inside. "If I was that good with my crush, I would make sure he knows I care about him…"

"Who's your crush, Prince?" asked a blue inkling, surprising the rich squid out of nowhere. "Goggles!" gasped Prince, blushing. "You didn't hear anything, I s-s-swear!"

"Why so nervous?" asked Goggles. "I just wanted to ask about the movies tonight!"

"Is t-that all?" chuckled Prince, sheepishly. "I'd love to go!" The blue squid grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's go see The Blues Inklings!"

Prince grew bashful as he was pulled away by Goggles, feeling like a sheltered princess whisked off by a mysterious hero of the night. The blue inkling trailed off about all kinds of things on the way to the theatre, from the movie itself to random battle strategies he came up with.

As expected, Goggles ordered several large buckets of popcorn and finished all of it before the movie even started. He had one piece of it left in the bucket. "Want the last one?"

"Huuh?" asked Prince sleepily, bored of the previews. Before he could answer, the blue inkling fed him the last one. Both of them were a bit flustered. "Thanks, it was getting boring sitting here with nothing…"

Afterwards, the two inkling boys sat at the bus stop together, as Goggles wanted Prince to not have to walk all the way home. "Didja like it?!"

"It wasn't my cup of tea, but it was pretty funny." nodded Prince. Goggles smiled. "Want to do this again? Maybe forever?"

"F-Forever?" The yellow inkling was caught off-guard. He remembered the last time they were hanging out like this. Everyone mistook them for a couple, and Goggles was playing along. Maybe Prince was the oblivious one here.

"Prince, I've been in love with you for a while now." answered the blue inkling. "If you're interested, would you like to start going out?"

"Y…Y…" Prince struggled to get his words out. "Y-Yes! Of course! I've been in love with you since I first saw you at the Square King Cup…"

Goggles blushed. "That far back?"

"I-Is that creepy?"

"Not at all." smiled Goggles. "Just a bit surprised!"

Things weren't as nice with Gloves. The moment he stepped into his house, he was immediately bombarded by his teammates. "WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY?" asked Straps, practically shouting. "LOVE OR HATE?!"

Gloves gently pushed her off. "Just neutral feelings." he sighed.

"MUTUAL?!"

"No, NEUTRAL!" groaned the green inkling. "He was real annoying like always though!"

"Is his training at least helpful?" asked Clip-Ons. Her team captain shook his head. "Honestly, not really. He kept judging my style."

"Then quit." said Half-Rim.

Surprisingly, Gloves was a bit conflicted about the idea. "I think I'll give it another chance tomorrow."

"You're going to let that asshole control you after everything?" asked Half-Rim. "If you don't quit now, there will be no escape from him."

"H-Hey!" responded Gloves. "He's not as bad as he used to be, even if we still kinda don't like the guy!"

"Not as BAD?" growled Half-Rim. "Do you hear yourself right now?"

"Look, I'm still suspicious of him but I can see a nice friendship or something! Maybe!" laughed Gloves, nervously. "Point is, I'm giving him one chance to redeem himself. Is that so bad?"

"Yes Gloves, it is." said Half-Rim. "I'm just looking out for you, but if you want to willingly hurt yourself again, then sure. Go ahead and marry the damn idiot. See if I care."

Before Gloves could explain, Half-Rim slammed the basement door on him. "I'm sure he'll understand eventually." said Clip-Ons, trying to comfort him. "What were you trying to say?"

"No, I get it. I was hiding the truth anyway." sighed Gloves. "What's the truth?" asked Clip-Ons.

"I think I'm in love with Emperor." answered the green inkling boy. "I didn't want to fall for him, but he's got game that I saw first-hand…I just have to stop embarrassing myself!"

Straps secretly smirked at the sight of her captain blushing. "Oh, you're in love with your worst enemy? Like all of the stories inkfish read?~"

"Yeah, don't rub it in!" he groaned. "Girls, help me get my act together so I can sweep him off his feet!"

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" grinned Straps. "Being a happy couple, we can give you some tips~"

For the first time in the past few days, Gloves finally felt like himself again…

Almost. He was worried about his friendship with Half-Rim.

Emperor was also having his own thoughts as he drove off from where his interview took place. "Was coming off strong really the best idea?"

To be continued!

my dad and i watched the blues brothers during our lil road trip to a small town gaming store so i referenced it in this chapter (it was a fever dream LMAO)

that's all for today~