Chapter Text
~~~Frye's POV~~~
Today was finally the day: White Day. Frye was so nervous. Was her gift gonna be good enough? Would Shiver even like the flavors? The more she questioned, the more her anxiety was getting to her, and it wasn't like her to get so nervous about something like this. C'mon, Frye! She smacks both her cheeks to snap out of it. It's just returning the favor. Yeah, just think of it like that. She felt a little better, but now it stayed in the back of her mind. Should I give it to her when it's break time or after school? She stares into her open locker where the White Day gift for Shiver was. Thank Cod her mother helped make it look pretty.
"Is something wrong, Frye?" Suddenly the octoling of her affection appeared at her side and it startled her enough to slam the locker door which in turn scared Shiver.
"NOPE! Nothing's wrong! Haha. A-Anyway, what's up with you?" Frye was hoping she wasn't sweating bullets and looking like she was having a heatstroke.
Shiver just looked at her confused with a hint of worry, but brushed it off. "Okay? Well, nothing much has been happening as of late, but I do have a test coming up. Do you have anything like that?"
"Uh- Yes! Actually, tomorrow I have a test but I still feel like I'm gonna fail it. Do you think we can study? Together at lunchtime maybe?" This was her chance. She could give Shiver the gift and maybe… Frye could tell her how she feels? What?!? No! She's just a friend!
"Of course! You don't have to ask me that. I'm always here for you, y'know," and Shiver gives her that smile she always loves.
*BRRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGG* The bell rings and the touching moment is over, and they have to go their separate ways until the third period.
~~~Shiver's POV~~~
"Big Man," Shiver stands in front of her manta friend's desk. Since he was a big guy, the desk was larger than the others (well, it was more so two desks and two chairs stuck together), and it seemed like he was working on some homework. "How've you been this morning?"
"Ay! Ay, ay, (Pretty good! I've been working on the instrumentals for those lyrics Frye gave me, but I think it needs a bit more,)" he pulls out a few pages of music and hands it to the octoling. "Ay. (See if it looks good so far.)"
Shiver takes the sheets and scans over them. She was always amazed by Big Man's musical talents, and this time was no different. The way he was able to match rhythms with lyrics in such a short amount of time, the way he was able to find the right genre for them. It's a no brainer that he's the music club's prized member. "Wow. This is really good! I think you've outdone yourself this time!"
"Ay… (Aw shucks…)" Big Man gets embarrassed and blushes. "A-Ay, Ay. Ay. (I-If anything, Frye's the one that came up with the whole thing. I just came up with the instrumentals.)"
"Well, lyrics without instrumentals are just poems. Don't sell yourself short, Biggie," and pats him on the shoulder. Shiver re-reads the sheets again before blushing, and holds them closer to her face. "S-Speaking of Frye-"
Ay. (Oh boy.)
"Uhm… did you by chance, uhm, see anything she was holding today? Like m-maybe… A White gift?" Shiver's whole face was a light shade of blue and she hid behind the sheet music.
"Ay? Ay, Ay. (White gift? No, but she could be hiding it in her locker maybe.)"
"Locker…" Shiver whispers to herself. Could that be why Frye was acting so strange today? Who is she kidding, of course that's the reason! Why else would the inkling slam her locker door the moment Shiver showed up? Realizing this, she can't help but smile. I'm going to get a White gift from Frye! Her mind starts to race with whatever the inkling might have in store for her, but then she also realized that maybe that was why Frye wanted her to come during lunch break. "Oh, here," she gives Big Man back his sheet music and he thanks her before putting it away. "Thanks for sharing. This one is definitely going to be a hit!" And gives the manta ray two thumbs up.
"Ay! (Thanks!)" Big Man smiles, but he starts to look behind her, as if someone else was walking towards them. "Ay… (He's back…)"
Ugh! Not him! Shiver didn't even have to turn around to know who Big Man was talking about. And she knew exactly what he was coming over to her for.
"Hey Shiver," a tall octoling boy was behind Shiver tapping on her shoulder to get her attention. His name was Kody and he, well, to say he liked Shiver was an understatement. He would always flirt with her and try to be around her as much as possible. He does respect her personal space and knows when to back off, but he always tries to ask her out on dates, which Shiver has declined in the past. "You excited for today?" He would always ask her that. Kody was also very popular like Shiver. Many believed that those two were made for each other, much to her dismay.
"Hello, Kody," Shiver's voice sounded monotone, which seemed like only Big Man caught it. "And yes, today's going to seem exciting since it's White Day," Crap! I shouldn't have said that!
"That's right! Everyone is gonna give reciprocal gifts too! Speaking of gifts-"
Oh Cod! Shiver thinks back to when she incinerated those letters and she didn't check if Kody also gave her one. If he did then-
"There's something I wanna give you," Kody starts to blush. "I-I was a bit nervous to give it to you on Valentine's Day. Would lunchtime be a good time?"
"Oh, uhm. Actually I'm having a quick study session with one of my friends during that time, so-"
"I-It'll be quick. I promise. I just want to give it to you and I'll be on my way."
There was no getting out of this one. She'll just have to throw it away when she gets home. "Okay Kody. But it better be quick, please."
"Of course! I wouldn't want to waste your time!"
Understatement.
~~~Start of Lunchtime - Frye's POV~~~
"Okay, Frye. You can do this," Frye takes a deep breath in and out her nose. She's gonna do it, give her White gift to Shiver. Cute Shiver, pretty Shiv- Stop thinking like that! She shakes her head to rid her thoughts. She's your friend! She… There was no denying it, no matter how hard she tried to hide it or brush it off. She really did like, love, Shiver. And she blushes at it. Mama and Papa were right. I need to be honest. Frye looks at the gift in her hand: it was similar in size to what Shiver gave her on Valentine's, but the packaging was blue and it held different contents (obviously). But in the back of her mind, she can't help but worry if the octoling will really like it. No. She will. Even if she doesn't like you back, she's still your friend. She's almost to the library where the two said to meet up. The closer she got, the more confident she felt in giving this gift. All she had to do now was turn this corner and-
"Shiver! You're here!"
"Of course I am. I told you to meet me here, didn't I?"
Shiver? And that sounds like Kody. Frye was confused as to why Shiver wanted to meet him at the library. She thinks she'll have to wait until the two are done talking, so she stays behind the corner.
"So. What is it you wanted to give me?" Shiver looked around to see if Frye was here, but not even her little braid was peaking out anywhere. She did see, however, were some students, and their eyes were starting to focus on her and Kody.
"U-Uhm, well. Y-You know how I've liked you for quite awhile now and," Kody was starting to get nervous as the students around them got closer to see what was going on. He took a deep breath and spoke again. "Shiver. I'm in love with you," somehow he was able to stop stuttering, "and I want to be with you. I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world," he finally pulls out the gift for Shiver from behind his back: a small bouquet of blue flowers and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. "Shiver. Will you go out with me?"
All of the students that saw came crowded around and talked amongst themselves about the moment, blocking Frye from seeing what was happening. Some of the girls were giggling and going 'aww', one of them even going up to Shiver. "Isn't he so sweet? You two would definitely be a great couple!" A few of the girls audibly agreed. “Yeah! You guys are perfect for each other!” Shiver gives them an awkward smile.
A great couple, huh? Frye looks back down at the gift, and she has the same doubt crawling back to shroud her rationality. All these negative thoughts coming back to scratch at her soul; she can't help but feel that maybe they're right. Shiver should be with someone that's perfect for her, and I'm not that someone. She wants to hide away and forget all about today. Frye can skip studying with her, she can lie and say a teacher was holding her back. Yeah, that sounds believable. So she pulls out her phone and begins to type the message, walking away from everything around the library. She wasn't paying attention and bumped into a familiar manta ray.
"Ay? Ay? Ay. (Frye? Where are you going? I thought you were meeting with Shiver for lunch.)"
"Oh, uh, well. Uhm," Frye couldn't think of a good reason, no point in lying to Big Man because he can keep a secret. "I… I changed my mind."
"Ay? (Did you at least tell Shiver?)"
"Kinda. She's busy speaking with someone, and…" Frye trails off and focuses on the gift in her hands.
"Ay? (Are you okay?)" Big Man places a fin on her shoulder, but it just seems to make her more sad.
"I-I gotta go!" And rushes passed him, heading to who knows where.
~~~Shiver's POV~~~
"Shiver. Will you go out with me?"
Not this again… Shiver can't believe she has to repeat herself; over and over and over again he always asks her out, she'll give him points for trying, but that's about it. She especially didn't like how there was now a crowd surrounding them. All the girls going 'aw' and 'how cute' while the guys were cheering Kody on. This will be an awkward turn of events. Suddenly, Shiver feels someone put their hands on her shoulders.
"Isn't he so sweet? You two would definitely be a great couple!" And all the others started agreeing with her. “Yeah! You guys are perfect for each other!”
"I…" How was Shiver going to word this now? Too many people were watching, but she held Frye close to her heart. And that inkling, she just knew, was the one for her. "Listen, Kody," she needs to let him down gently, "I think you're a nice guy. You're good looking, you're kind, and you're popular-"
Kody looks stunned and blushes even harder. "W-Wow… I didn't know you felt that way. Does that mean y-"
"But I don't feel the same way."
Silence. A very awkward silence.
"W-What?"
"I have someone else I love. I've told you many times in the past that I wasn't interested, and you continued to ask me. My heart belongs to them, and I was planning on confessing to them today," a bunch of audible shock from the crowd erupts.
Who does Shiver love? Do they go to this school? Are they a boy or a girl? Inkling or Octoling? They talked amongst each other before Shiver continued.
"Kody. You're a great guy, but I'm not the one for you. I'm sorry."
"Oh…" He is disheartened by the answer and his arms drop to his sides. "I… *Sigh* I understand…" Kody sounded so heartbroken that it made Shiver feel a bit guilty, but she had to do it. "I'm sorry. I thought if I persevered, maybe you would be my girlfriend." And now he felt ashamed of his behavior.
"Well there's nothing wrong with fighting for what you want. It's just that, well, just know when to take 'no' for an answer, okay?" She pats him on the shoulder, "You'll find someone who'll feel the same way, don't worry."
After a while, things started to die down. The crowd left, Kody gave one last apology before he left as well, and now finally, Shiver can meet up with Frye. She goes into the library room and sits at a table. Waiting, and waiting… and waiting…… but Frye never came. She waited so long that there was only five minutes left until lunch was over. Why isn't she here? Shiver thinks. This wasn't like Frye, so what gives? Shiver checks her phone to see if she missed anything, and sees a text from her.
—
Frye: Teacher kept me after class
Can't come sorry
—
"Oh…" and Shiver packs up her belongings and starts to leave, seeing Big Man out in the hallway. "Hey! Big Man!"
"Ay, Ay. Ay? (Oh, hey Shiver. What's up?)" He turns around to face his friend and sees she looks a little discouraged. "Ay? (Is everything alright?)"
"Hm? O-Oh yeah. Everything's good. It's just-" Shiver looks at her phone, "I'm just a little bummed out that Frye wasn't able to come, that's all."
"Ay? (Did she tell you why?)" Big Man already knew, he just wanted to hear the excuse.
"Something about her teacher holding her back."
"Ay. Ay, (I see. Well I'm sorry she didn't show up,)" he places a fin on her shoulder, a bit of deja vu but this time his friend felt a bit better. "Ay. (I know you were excited for it.)"
"Well it can't be helped. Maybe I can just meet her after school," the bell rings and lunchtime is over. "See you around Big Man," Shiver waves goodbye before walking in the opposite direction.
"Ay, (See ya later,)" The manta ray starts walking to his class, thinking of how to help his friends out. Ay? (How can I make them realize they both like each other?) It was hard to think of anything when the trio only had a couple classes together but not with all three in the same class. The only times were before school, breaks, and after school…… Ay, Ay! (Wait, I've got an idea!)
~~~After School~~~
I wonder what Big Man came up with? Frye was walking down a hall that led to the music room. She got a text from the manta ray that read he might've come up with some great instrumentals and wants her help with the lyrics. She doesn't know how much she can help her friend since today hasn't been the best for her, but Frye will do her best. She reaches the door and knocks before entering. "Hey, Biggie. I got your text. What was it you got-" Big Man wasn't here. Instead it was Shiver, on her phone and most likely waiting for Big Man too. "Oh, uh, hey Shiv."
"Hi Frye," She waves back and seems a bit confused like the other was. "Did Big Man tell you to come here as well?"
"Yeah. Why didn't he tell me you were coming as well?"
"Same for me. Maybe he just forgot?"
"Nah. That doesn't sound like him," Frye's phone vibrates in her hand and she checks. Another text from Big Man saying he got caught up in something and he might be late. Hmmm.
"Well. It seems like it will just be us for a while then," Shiver grabs her bag and pulls out a textbook. "You said you needed help studying and couldn't make it for the lunch break. Wanna study while we wait?"
"Oh. Uhm…" Frye nervously scratched the back of her head. "A-Actually I did a little bit of studying once I had some free time."
"Oh… Well, then would you want to try and come up with some lyrics then?"
"I don't know. Big Man did say he had instrumentals. Maybe we should wait-" not even able to finish her sentence when she saw how heartbroken Shiver looked that was quickly masked by a smile.
"That's okay. You're right, m-maybe we should wait," It’s not true, hopefully, but it felt like Frye was avoiding her. Did she do something to upset her?
Did she sound like she was on the verge of tears? Oh no! "Uh, actually! Maybe we should. Just a few lines or four! Y'know, to see where we can go with it!" Never would Frye ever want to make her cry, she cared about her too much to ever do that. Even if they wouldn't be together together, she still wanted to keep Shiver close.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Heck, we might even come up with something good for Biggie!" Frye goes to sit down next to her and places her bag on the table. Roughly pulling out some loose line paper that accidentally pulls out the gift along with it. Crap! Before lunch was over, Frye was gonna throw it away but stopped herself, so instead she was gonna leave it in her locker until school was over and bring it back home. Thankfully, the whole week had nice cool temperatures, so the chocolates didn't melt.
"What's that?" Shiver saw some of the gift, unaware that it was for her until she saw how Frye reacted. "Is it," a closer look and she sees blue, just like her tentacles, "for me?" Her voice started to raise in pitch a bit.
"Uh, uhm…" well no use in hiding it now. "Yeah. Yeah it's yours," Frye pulls out the gift, it being a little less pretty than when she first brought it, and gives it to Shiver who happily accepts it. "I messed up and thought maybe I shouldn't give it to you now," she chuckles a little bit. "Heh, I bet your boyfriend gave you something a whole lot better than me," Frye was expecting some kind of laugh or joke from Shiver, but all she got was a confused octoling.
"Boyfriend? What are you talking about?"
"Huh? But I thought-" Frye was dumbfounded, she could've sworn she thought Shiver said yes to Kody.
"Why would you think I had a boyfriend?" Shiver tries to remember any moment that would make the inkling assume she was in a relationship, but none came to mind.
"I-I thought and Kody were together. Y'know, two of the most popular kids in school. It makes sense, and I saw he asked you out earli-" Oops. She wasn't supposed to say that, not even covering her own mouth could stop her from revealing what she knew. And now, Shiver looked upset.
"You saw? You lied to me?!"
"No! I would never lie to you. I-I just thought that maybe you two-" there was no way to get out of this without Frye digging a deeper hole for herself. "I just, uhm, I thought-"
"Hmph! Well, you are going to have to pay me back!" Shiver puffs her cheeks and crosses her arms, "I don't like being lied to, y'know!"
"I said I'm sorry! What is it you want me to do then?"
Shiver turns her angry face into a devious smirk. She opens the gift and pulls out a dark, very dark, chocolate and makes sure Frye doesn't see it. "Eat some of this with me."
"That's it?" Frye was a bit skeptical.
"Mhm. Nothing else, just eat some of this and I'll forgive you for lying… maybe."
"Okay, deal," and goes to pick out a chocolate before being stopped.
"Ah ah. I get to pick."
"What?!?" Since Frye had help from her Mama, there were some chocolates that she knew the octoling would like. Mainly being bitter dark chocolate, which Frye hated. The inkling thought that she could avoid them if she ate the sweeter ones she knew about but no, this was Shiver's plan. "C'mon! You know I don't like dark chocolate!"
"I'm sorry, I just assumed you might like them," and brings the near black "sweet" closer to Frye's face.
Touché, Shiver… "Fine, but I'm spitting it out if you think I'm- mmph!" She couldn't finish her sentence as Shiver put the piece in her mouth. It was way too bitter! How can any cephalopod even eat something like that?!? "Blegh!" She drops the piece into her hand. "How can you eat this stuff?!"
"Oh, grow up! It's not that bad," she takes the chocolate from Frye and eats it.
"Wha-" Frye couldn't believe that just happened. Shiver ate the piece! That was just in her mouth! Did the octoling even realize? A blush was starting to creep its way.
"Hmm, but maybe you're right. It might be a bit too bitter," Shiver leans in closer, "Needs a little sweetness to it," and plants a kiss on Frye's lips.
Frye's brain was… well, fried when their lips made contact. Never in a million years would she believe that Shiver, SHIVER, would kiss her. She doesn't even know exactly why. Is she teasing me? Is this some kind of punishment? ……… DOES SHE LIKE ME?????? So many questions ran through her mind, and when they broke apart and saw the faint blush on the octoling's face grow deeper, she just had even more. "I- Wha- Did- HUH?!?!"
Shiver sounded like she was screaming, muffled by her hands covering her face, and kicked her feet around. "I can't believe I just did that! That was so weird!" And couldn't look at Frye at all.
"Sh-Sh-" Frye touched her lips, the sense of the octoling's own still lingered. "Do… A-Are you…" she slowly turns to the octoling and reaches for her hands still covering her face. When she opened to see Shiver's face, she couldn't help but think of how cute she looked. Blushing and avoiding Frye's gaze but still have that adorable smile. "Do… D-Do you like me?"
Shiver blushed harder at the question, words escaping her so all she could do was nod in affirmation.
………
"You do…?"
"Yes…"
"As in, you wanna go out with me?"
Shiver nods.
"You wanna be my girlfriend?"
Shiver nods again with more force.
"You don't care that I'm not popular?"
"I don't care about that," Shiver's hands were still being held, but she moved them around so that her fingers were interlocked with Frye's. "I like being with you. I feel so happy and so relaxed when I'm with you. I could just be myself whenever you're around. I…" she looks up at the inkling, her smile wide just like the golden eyes she was staring into. "I love you, Frye."
Frye sighed a breath of relief she didn't even know she was holding in. The girl that she likes, likes her back. Even more when she said 'I love you', and it made her laugh. All that anxiety, all that self-doubt, it all went away, a weight being lifted off of her. She felt like crying tears of joy. "Hah. I-I like you too."
"Aww, not love?"
"Wait no! I do love you-"
Shiver giggles, "I'm just teasing you, silly!" She lets go of Frye’s hands and scoots her chair closer to the inkling and leans into her shoulder. "Hmhm~."
~~~Big Man's PoV- Before the confession~~~
"Ay, (I hope I was believable enough,)" Big Man was hurrying down the hall to the music room. He knows Shiver and Frye like each other, more than like actually. They just couldn't confess because they assumed the other only saw them as friends, so it was up to him (self appointed wingman) to help get those two together.
"C'mon! You know I don't like dark chocolate!" Although a bit muffled, what sounded like Frye's voice could be heard from inside the music room.
Ay? (Huh?) The manta ray was right outside the door, pressing his head against the frame to get a better listen in on the conversation. Despite his size, he kept low enough to stay out of sight from the door's small horizontal window. Ay? (Wonder what they're talking about?) Seemed like they were still talking about chocolates, meaning Shiver was right and Frye did give her a gift. Big Man lifts his head up a tiny bit to see what would happen next. What he saw caught him completely by surprise. Shiver kissed Frye! AY?!?! (WHAT?!?!) The manta ray's jaw dropped and he quickly moved away from the door to process. He didn't think his plan would work this well, much less they would actually kiss! Big Man hears some muffled screaming and goes to peak again.
Frye and Shiver were now just looking at each other, heavy blushes on their face and ears. Frye said something and Shiver nodded. It kind of went like that for a moment until Frye looked more relaxed. And now the octoling was leaning into the inkling's shoulder.
"Aaaay, (Aaaaw,)" it warmed Big Man knowing that the two would be happy now. And as much as he wanted to give them a moment, if he waited any longer, they might get suspicious. So he backs up from the door to make it seem like he just arrived, knocking on the door to let them know he's here.
The two jump when they hear the knocking, and Frye gets up to let him in. "H-Hey, big guy! You wanted to show us something?"
"Ay! Ay, Ay, (Yes! I already showed Shiver and she said it was good, so I wanted to show you as well and see what the three of us can come up with,)" he places his backpack on the table and gets out the sheet music. The three start to work on some lyrics together, with Shiver and Frye seeming more fired up than usual in the brainstorming process.