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“Ugh.” Rider grumbled in discomfort, wishing he could escape the feeling of damp clothes on his skin. He shivered from the cold, hunching over himself slightly with his arms wrapped around his torso. “You didn’t have to invite me in, y’know. I would’ve been- fine,” He muttered through clenched teeth, only half true. He would’ve been fine, sure, but he was definitely grateful that he didn’t have to walk home in the pouring rain anymore.
“Hey, I’m not just gonna let my friend walk home in the rain! What kind of squid do you take me for?” Goggles fake pouted before giggling. “Jokes aside, it’s fine, really! Didn’t interrupt anything! I don’t mind having you around,” He grinned, patting the other inkling on the shoulder. He felt the cold dampness from his t-shirt on his hand, pulling back and wiping the residual water onto his pant leg. “I have extra clothes if you want ‘em. Feel free to use my shower too,” He offered.
“I- uh, sure, I guess. Thanks.” Rider shrugged, taking a couple steps further inside the other’s house now that he was less worried about getting water all over the place. He figured it had dried up enough that it wouldn’t be an issue. Goggles gestured for him to follow the other squid, walking behind him as he was shown to the bathroom. The blue inkling handed him a towel and spare clothes, explaining briefly how the faucet to the shower works before closing the door behind him and leaving Rider alone.
The lime squid sighed, propping his hands on the counter and scowling at the mirror. Ugh, I look pathetic. He figured he might as well clean off, at least so that he wouldn’t be cold anymore.
“Why would he get clothes so fucking big…? This shit’s oversized even on me,” He mumbled, rinsing off his face in the sink. Didn’t quite make sense to him why the spares he got were so baggy on him. After all, Goggles was shorter than him, so if it's oversized on Rider the blue inkling would practically be swimming in them. “At least they’re comfortable…” The long sleeved shirt and pants were definitely a step up from his wet t-shirt, that’s for sure.
“Well that didn’t take you long! I usually take like an hour or two,” The blue squid on the couch giggled as Rider walked into the living room, rolling his eyes as he hesitantly sat down next to him. “Maybe i should start taking colder showers to keep myself from staying too long… Waste less water too.” Rider shrugged at the comment. Didn’t really matter to him.
Rider sat in suffocating silence for a moment. He was never one for starting conversation, and Goggles seemed to have immersed himself in his own thoughts. The rain made for some decent white noise, somewhat calming as it fell onto the roof and sent droplets tumbling down the windows. Rider absent-mindedly stared at the repetitive pattern of the raindrops, thankful that he didn’t have to be out there like he was earlier.
Goggles broke the silence with a quiet chuckle. “Sorry about how big the spares are. Grandma misheard my mom when she said what sizes I wore. It was a gift.” The lime squid smiled slightly in amusement. “Well, anything’s better than wet clothes, I guess.”
“Yeah, you can say that again…” The inkling yawned, feeling drowsy. Whether it was from the rain or the relieving warmth of clean clothes and being inside he wasn’t sure. Weird for him to get tired so early too; he was practically an insomniac. Rubbing his eyes, he sighed and leaned back on the couch. “Rain isn’t letting up… Sorry for freeloading,” He joked, hearing the blue inkling giggle at the remark.
“Nah, it's fine! Figured you’d end up being stuck here. It’s like a sleepover!” Goggles grinned before suddenly yawning. “Geez… I’m all tired now too. We should go to bed…” The inkling stretched before standing up, reaching out a hand to the other, who hesitated before taking it and standing up with him.
“I-I’m fine sleeping here, y’know…” Rider gestured to the couch.
“Nope! I’m not gonna let you be stuck on the couch! You deserve better after being stuck in the rain all night.” Goggles tugged on his arm as he walked, leading him towards his room.
Goggles’ room was a lot tidier than Rider expected from the energetic boy; a couple stray things around the floor and a half-empty glass of water on the nightstand but not much else in terms of mess. Goggles lead him to sit down on the bed with him, pulling off the sheets on the other end as Rider sat on the side across from him. A pill bottle on the nightstand next to the glass caught his eye, which the blue squid seemed to notice as he mindlessly stared at it.
“Just multivitamins. Keep them there so I don’t forget in the morning,” He said quietly, sinking under the covers. “C’mon… get some sleep…” He patted the space next to him, encouraging the other to lay down.
Rider didn’t say anything, carefully doing the same as Goggles, curling up on the edge of the bed to keep some distance. The situation was kind of flustering him, especially considering those… feelings for the other squid that he refused to acknowledge. The blue inkling seemed to fall asleep in an instant, while Rider was wide awake. While his body begged for sleep, eyes trying to close themselves, his mind was racing. He wasn’t even sure what he was thinking about, but he knew that the inkling sleeping next to him had him on edge. If Goggles was awake, he most likely would’ve noticed the other’s cheeks and ears stained in a bright green blush.
Rider was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the feeling of the other shifting next to him, before a pair of arms wrapping around him snapped him out of it. The other inkling pulled his back against his chest, arms wrapped around his torso as Rider’s body tensed from a combination of surprise and embarrassment. The other inkling sighed, still fast asleep as he nuzzled against the other’s shoulder. Rider was frozen, unsure whether he should wake the other up or leave him be.
He figured he should wake him up or at least wiggle out of his grasp to save face, but his body refused to move. At first it was out of borderline fear and embarrassment, but as his body untensed from the feeling of being held he was starting to feel comfortable. He couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten affection like this, and the fact that it was Goggles holding him made him even less willing to move.
He felt sleep tug at him as he slowly welcomed the embrace, shifting to be closer to him and curling up in the other’s arms. The drowsiness grew stronger and stronger as he laid there, Goggles moving to hold him closer against his chest. Eventually the other’s warmth sent the inkling right to sleep, snuggled against him.
Goggles woke up to the feeling of something in his arms, soft breathing on his chest. Did I grab him in my sleep? He thought, before looking down to see his suspicions be confirmed. The other inkling was curled up in his arms, purring softly in his sleep. The sight made Goggles smile. Cute… He held him a bit closer, closing his eyes again and sighing quietly, feeling the other nuzzle against him in his sleep.
I think I’m gonna sleep in a bit longer…