Chapter Text
He tried not to get too close in his absent minded drifting, with his subtle shuffles that grew closer to her side as their conversation carried on.
The subjects they awkwardly worked their way through was something that Spyke hardly paid attention to. But he remembered that it was, at first, talking more about the Splatnet Shop and Murch.
Then it devolved into small talk. Or rather, pointing out the partygoers below.
Seeing as the dramatic affair he stared in had pulled away from the festival at that point, of course.
It was between bouts of silence where one of them would point out a character of interest. Sharing a huff of amusement as they disregarded whatever comment Moe blurted out afterwards.
A pattern of exchanges that eventually grew brighter with their reactions, their huffs being replaced with an endeared chuckle or giggle.
"Oi, look at that bloke--" A smile tugged at his lips when he pointed at a particularly outlandish looking jellyfish. "Dancin' around like they're hot stuff!"
"The…" Annie's voice trailed off, her eyes trying to follow where he had pointed. "The one with the glowsticks? In their head?"
"Yeah love, that one!"
She giggled. "They look so--"
"THEY LOOK STUPID!" Moe barked out from her head of hair, leaning over her bangs.
"Nah, Nah, mate. If they looked stupid, they'd act it too." Spyke's pointed finger fanned out into an upwards facing palm. "That bloke knows wot they're doin, yeah? Wish I could be that bold wif me style."
She glanced over at Spyke as he addressed the jellyfish. His body leaning over the roof's short walls as he addressed the vibrant jellyfish flailing about. And couldn't help but to smile a bit at this more enthusiastic side of him.
His lifted voice. His laughter.
It was bizarre to think that just a while ago he wanted nothing to do with the splatfest-- that he was miserable and had a clenched fist. That his eye was lidded and hollow as opposed to the dim light that flickered in it now.
It was an unusual sight. One she didn’t mind seeing.
To see that, beneath the surface, there was a coin with two sides-- one depicted a seething face, burning with a passionate fury, and the other, a bright, jovial, and talkative face. And she had seen them both within the amount of time spent with him.
About an hour, to be exact.
He eventually leaned back into his original position, and her eyes followed him as he propped himself back up on his elbows.
"Y'fink I can pull somefing like that off, Annie?"
He posed a question at her, turning his head to meet her line of sight.
"Bein' the resident fashionista, v'course."
An action that made her realize that she had been staring at him that whole time.
"O-oh--! U-Um…" Her eyes Immediately tore away from him, her face going beet red from the eye contact. "I… I-I wasn't listening… sorry…" She rubbed the back of her neck. "I was spacing out… n'stuff."
"Don't sweat it. I ain't losing sleep over it or anyfing." He shrugged. "Just wondering if I should invest in some bioluminescent algae for the spines. T'dye me tips, n'wotnot."
"Oh, well… Maybe? I mean, you'd look…"
She paused, hesitating as her eyes darted back to him for a brief moment.
"... pretty cool regardless. Like, whether you use that kind of algae or… not."
"Noted." He gave her a subtle smile. "Don't fink I can be as cool as that jellyfish-- or as cool as you, for wot it's worth."
Annie flinched. "M-Me?"
"Well, I mean…" He gestured to the mass of tentacles on her head. "Look at ya, love! I could look at your tentacles for hours wif how they are!"
Her blushing grew more intense. "... Th… Thanks…"
Silence fell between them once more, and now it was Spyke's turn to stare.
Stare at the hot pink glow that accented her hair; the azure eyes that glimmered no matter what time of day it was. Take in the swoop of her profile and the bags under her eyes. Note every small fidget she made as she tried to calm herself down, to rid herself of her rosy cheeks.
Only to start herself up once more with each glance at him she took.
And it didn't help her one bit as his left elbow was practically grazing her hip now.
So much for subtlety on his end.
"And, um… for 'what it's worth', as you put it… you…" She shuffled nervously in her spot. "... You look pretty cool tonight too… black suits you."
He glanced down at his sleeves, moving his arms off the wall so he could get a better look at them.
"A-And your eye… the way it glows is… pretty cool, as well."
He returned his arms into their folding position as he looked back at her. "Got anyfing else but 'pretty cool' t'say there, love?"
He huffed with a grin as Annie's hands fell to her lap. Patiently waiting for her answer as her tiny fingers twiddled with one another.
"Well… I…" She folded her hands together. "... not… without coming off as… weird. Uh…"
"Weird?"
"W-well--!" She tensed up. "I-- uhm… I think… uhm--"
"SHE THINKS YOU'RE HOT!"
His eye widened at Moe's interruption. Granted, not as wide as Annie's grew. Her pupils constricting at the interjection, her blush reaching every corner of her pale skin at that point.
"… Hot?" He blinked.
"Wha-- N-No I--" She glared up at the clownfish who had already quickly retreated under the tiara she borrowed for the event. "M-MOE!"
"WHAT? YOU WANTED TO SAY IT!"
"NOT LIKE--" She abruptly fell silent. Feeling the urchin's astonished gaze. Letting out a shaky sigh, she slowly turned to face him.
"... S-sorry."
“It’s--”
“It’s just… you look so fresh… and mysterious. It's mesmerizing.”
Spyke could feel his own cheek heat up a bit. She… found him attractive?
Well, a lot of people did-- it was normal to have people be drawn to him ever since he first updated his wardrobe. Having them stare but be too afraid to approach him, and those who did didn't leave much of an impact when they complimented him, even using a line or two if they were brave.
But, to hear that from Annie? It felt…
“A-again… sorry…”
Different.
"Y-You're…"
Did he just stutter?
"... Fine. You're fine, love."
"I… am?"
He took a finger to his chin, giving it a gentle rub to try and calm his own nerves. "... yeah."
A sigh of relief on her end. "Thank god…"
"And… well… iffit makes ya feel any better…"
He hesitated.
"I… fink you're rather cute, meself." He reluctantly placed the hand that was on his chin onto the smaller digits that had, once again, rested in her lap after she had floundered about trying to scold Moe.
"R-really?" She glanced over at him. Her gaze met with his warmer one.
He hummed, his hand wrapped itself around hers. Loosely gripping them.
"... Yeah, love. You're pretty. Like a flower."
She shrugged, clicking her shoes together as her eyes briefly shied away. "You're… too kind."
And when their eyes met once more, he couldn't help but to fall into a trance.
The world faded around him and the only thing he could manage to focus on was her. Namely, her eyes.
They twitched nervously, but managed to hold their contact with him. Those blue, enchanting irises bespeckled with a bokeh of three, it was something that gave off the most subtle of twinkles on a night like this.
Accentuated with her pink pupils, and the lavender lidding of her eyes, they were truly a calming sight for him, easing his nerves and slowly killing his inhibitions the longer he stared.
They were addicting to look at. Soothing. Like a drug.
And as a drug would, he felt rather intoxicated by her gaze.
"S-Spyke…?"
It has been a while since he stirred awake like this, feeling the dried drool on his skin and the overall grogginess of a deep, satisfying slumber.
The overnight stay in a bed had also been foreign to him for a while.
For a handful of months, actually.
He had forgotten what it was even like to crash on one of these things. How comfortable and cathartic it was to have his body supported by something so soft in comparison to his usual method of curling up into a ball as he slept.
The thing felt like a cloud to him. And it showed by how he grimaced at the idea of being awake now.
And the feeble knocking didn't help him one bit, either.
"Spyke…?"
He groaned. Her voice was almost impossible to hear from the other side of that door.
"Spyke…? Are you awake?"
He blinked, wiping whatever drool he could from the corners of his mouth.
"Mmmngh…" He slurred. "Five more… Five moreminutes, love …"
The knocking ceased.
" But it's… already… noon… "
Already noon…?
Was he out for that long?
It didn't seem to phase him that much, if he was, judging by the way he groggily rolled over, his eye shutting once more as he muttered out another plea for five extra minutes of rest.
And within a few more seconds, he exhaled, relaxing back into the mattress once more.
…
"WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD!"
An abrupt, large thump resounded from the door, sending the urchin up into a sitting position in almost an instant, lanky limbs almost flailing about as he yelped.
"Right then mate-- I'm up-- I'm up! "
He clambered out of bed, fumbling around with the blanket around him as he attempted to secure it around his waist.
"Me arse is outta bed now, alright?"
He marched over to the door, rubbing his eye with his free hand before using it to fumble with the doorknob.
"Wot's--"
He lost his train of thought the moment the door swung open. His eye immediately met with the anemone who was knocking at it, and soon after, the clownfish who didn't hesitate with throwing himself at it.
"... happenin'..."
Dramatically sprawled out as far as his pudgy body could allow it to be, motionless outside of his breathing, was Moe, laying at the foot of the door.
And all Spyke could do was watch the fish in a rather confused silence, not noticing that Annie was holding a pile of clothing out to him until she spoke.
“Um…”
Her voice was soft, almost too quiet for the urchin to notice. But it was enough to catch his attention, making him glance back up at the anemone.
Her head ducked down the moment he looked up at her, a mass of tentacles gently swayed as she attempted to further stretch out her arms.
“... Y-your clothes. Take them…”
Spyke’s eye slightly widened, an instinctive “oh” fell from his lips as he took his free hand and lifted the small pile from her hands.
“Thanks, love.”
His eye blankly stared down at the pile he now held in his once free hand. Slowly blinking at it as Annie bent down, scooping Moe up into her hands with a light sigh.
“It's nothing… just get dressed quick… if you can... We have a train to catch…”
“Right then, love.” He took a step back, hooking his foot behind the open door. “I'll take these duds and be out in a jiffy.”
“A-alright…” Annie nodded as she began to make her way to the kitchen. “I'm gonna make some coffee in the meantime… feel free to have some… if you want.”
Spyke hummed in acknowledgement, nudging the door shut before turning to his bed, tossing the pile of clothing on to it before slumping down next to them.
In slipping his briefs up past his ankles, he couldn't help but to shudder at the awkward silence that hung in the room now that Annie had left.
Her partner just had to make a scene of himself to pry him from his cloud of comfort, huh?
Typical Moe.
“Right love, wot’s the plan?”
It was the first thing he uttered when he snuck out beneath the doorframe, pulling down the hem of his tank top as he turned to the Anemone scrolling through her phone.
A scoff and a drag from her chair eventually led to the pair taking a small detour from their original plan of visiting the booyah base first thing; finding themselves on the outskirts of town and at the doorstep of Sheldon's newer apartment.
See, the crab was already late to his shift, and the traffic on Hammerhead Bridge only made matters worse. He had no time to take something to the booyah base himself.
That “something”, being his own children… Apparently.
Spyke never knew about this side of Annie’s friend until they arrived at the place, watching her fumble the door open with the spare key she was given before swinging it open, calling out their names.
“... Shelly! Donny!” She leaned her head through the doorway. “I-It’s time for work, you two!”
… Work?
He’d be a hypocrite to say that it was, at least, a bit strange that the young children had a job. After all, he had only met Murch when he was on the cusp of being held within the chokehold of puberty. Roughly 12 or 13 when the man decided to take the kid in and essentially raise him.
But when Annie talked about the children Sheldon’s raising, they sounded younger than how old Murch was.
Much younger.
And when they came to the doorway, he couldn't help but to stare at the two. With their adorably large backpacks that would drag across the ground with each of their steps, coupled with their big eyes and rosy cheeks?
Oh yeah, they were definitely younger than Murch was. Much younger.
And those much younger kids immediately noticed the second, taller person Annie had with her; their bright curious eyes staring right at him without hesitation.
Leaving the air a bit tense with an impending ice breaker, Annie awkwardly chuckled, gesturing to the urchin.
“Ah, sorry… this is Spyke. He’s… uh… a friend of mine…”
“Spuh-eye-ke?” The twins tilted their heads to the side.
“Oh, yeah--” Spyke squatted down in an attempt to meet them at eye level. “I figured I'd visit the ol’ splattin’ grounds, as it were, for old times sake. Pleasure’s all mine t’meet you lot!”
He held his hand out to the two, slightly forcing a smile as he watched them stare rather blankly at the extended digit.
“Mister?” One of them spoke up, causing Spyke to hum.
“Yes?”
“Why are you so big?”
Spyke slightly retracted his hand, scrunching his brow line.
“W… wot?”
The other of the two giggled. “You're so tawl!”
Oh God, they can't even fully enunciate words. “Oh, yeah… I guess I am.” He huffed, finding himself beginning to humor the tykes. “Guess it's the ol’ genetics.”
They both lunged forward, grabbing a hold of his hand.
“I'm Shelly!”
“And I'm Donny!”
“Ish so nice to meet you!”
Spyke blinked at their wide eyed enthusiasm, tilting his head to the side inquisitively. “you lot… ain't scared?”
“Scawed?”
“Any fwend of Annie's is a fwend of ours!”
Oh, okay then.
He stood back up, being careful as to maintain his balance on the small stairway.
“Well, as your ‘fwend’, as you two put it, I uh… noticed that those bags are a bit too big for you two. Fink I can help wif that?”
The identical twins lit up at the proposal. “You’wd do that for us, miwster Spyke!?”
He smiled. “It's the least I can do for me new chums, yeah?”
The children squealed, giggling as they slipped their arms out from behind their bag straps before stepping aside to allow the sea urchin to lift the two bags up with ease. A sight that made Annie smile a little.
“Thank you.” She muttered out, causing Spyke to hum.
“Wot’s that?”
“Thank you... For… uhm… taking care of their bags for me…” Annie fidgeted. “... I usually take care of their bags and… well… it's not that easy so uhm--”
“Oh, ptch.” He swatted the air. “Bags like these ain't nuffing for a bloke like me. Now c’mon, we all got a train to the plaza to catch, yeah?”
“Y-Yeah…” She waved at the twins, gesturing to them to follow her. “C’mon you two… the train won't wait for us, y’know.”
The twins stuck to him like glue since they left Sheldon’s home behind them, leaning on him and playing with the handmade jewelry that adorned his hands and wrists; asking him question after question.
“Mr. Spyke, how old are you?”
29. He was pushing 30 at this point of this age though.
“Mr. Spyke, where did you get these?”
They were referring to his jewelry, of course, as one of them continuously flicked the two brass bangles he wore together. He just simply said he made them with a shrug, throwing in a side comment about their meaning in hopes of quelling their curiosity about them.
“Who do they repwesent?”
Who? Well, Murch and him, of course. He could go on and on about how important Murch was to him, frankly.
And he was important to himself because of, well, existing , quite frankly. He needed his self assurance to get through his life no matter how tough things got, showing confidence at even his worst of states.
His throat tensed up. Like now .
“Are there othwer people who mean someting to you?”
Well…
“That's enough…” Annie nudged the twin next to her. “Spyke’s still a bit tired this afternoon… Moe… woke him up earlier and uh… well, you know how he is…”
“Sowwy auntie Annie…” The twin she nudged, Shelly, pouted. “We just wanted to get to know our new fwiend…”
“Y-You’ll get more time to know him…” she glanced up at the urchin, who seemed rather unphased by the twins’ poking and prodding. “... R-right Spyke?”
Spyke glanced back at Annie, huffing out a sigh. “I ain't plannin’ on leavin’ this town again, if that's any reassurance.”
“What made you weave?” Donny piped up, causing Spyke to hitch his breath.
Why… did he originally leave Inkopolis? Not just the plaza but the entire city altogether-- he didn't really have a good reason to actually leave outside of taking care of Murch.
Was it to follow trends? No, he usually hated doing that, if he did it would be just to fit in with social norms. And the only person who genuinely liked him at the time was, well, Murch.
Was it out of impulse? No… but he came to the city out of it, though…
Then what…
“That’s… none of your business, kid.” He breathed out, patting the tyke on their head. “It's nuffin’ important, anyways. Don't worry about it.”
“Otay!~”
He stole another glance from Annie as the child nudged their head into his hand. Ah, right.
He couldn't believe he forgot why he left this city, for a moment. But, it was probably for the best that he didn't say it either.
After all, she called him her friend earlier. Something that he considered an honor, despite feeling like he didn't deserve it.
“Attention passengers: we will be arriving at Inkopolis Plaza in: five minutes.”