Chapter Text
Eating those Golden Pik Pik carrots was probably the best decision Louie had ever made, not just because of how delicious they were- but because of the consequences.
Consequences was something Louie was all too familiar with, it wasn't like he actively got himself into trouble- more so trouble followed him. Growing up he would get in trouble for tracking mud into the house or getting his overalls dirty, as a teen he would get in trouble for stealing food from the school cafeteria, as an adult he would get in trouble at his jobs and inevitably get fired.
Now though, he was recently in trouble because ‘Space rabbits’ ate his truckload of golden pik pik carrots-
He did not expect himself to enjoy this as much as he should have, after all he was alone with another person on a planet that had hostile creatures ready to consume you whole. Though as the days went by Louie found himself appreciating his impulsive actions a lot more.
Approximately fifteen days had gone by, and if Louie was with anyone else he probably would have gone insane by now.
But Olimar wasn't someone else anymore.
The two had grown close, closer than Louie had ever been with someone before. Perhaps he should have felt intimidated by the fact he was infatuated with a married man, but he wasn't- he couldn't find it within himself to truly care about that label- because that was all it was wasn't it?, a label- one that was fragile and breaking.
Louie was always good at breaking things..
Waking up in the same room with Olimar would never grow old to Louie, at first he had done everything in his power to stay under those covers for as long as he could until either the ship or Olimar dragged him out from underneath them. But now he found himself waking up alongside Olimar- Found himself walking alongside him to brush their teeth together…
…Almost like a married couple.. That thought alone made bugs scratch the inner walls of his stomach.
Louie would always sneak a glance over at Olimar's bed hair, no doubt he also had his own share of it- but oddly enough in Louie's opinion it looked better on Olimar. It was a sight only a few had the pleasure of seeing- Louie tried his best not to get jealous over the fact someone else has seen Olimar like this, it would be so easy to let jealousy hold him though, to let it caress him and make his heart clench.
He did his best not to hate Olimar's wife- he didn't know her besides the emails she has sent (a very poor first impression Louie thinks) from how much Olimar had rambled about her at first, he would have assumed she was an alright woman- caring for her children and a good housewife. Well.. if a housewife did everything Olimar's wife did then Louie didn't think he wanted one.. Maybe he would be a better one though- he could see himself cooking for himself and Olimar- along with the children of course-
Louie never really thought about children before- he still isn't too sure what to think about them..
Shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts, Louie continued what he was previously doing, cooking. The sound of bacon sizzling was oddly comforting to Louie. One that he would never grow tired of. Now, Louie didn't do this with everyone, but recently he found himself cooking for Olimar. He wasn't too sure if it was because every single time he made something, Olimar would seem shocked at the food before him, stunned almost in a way that made Louie's lips twitch- and then the man would smile, a smile that put the stars they were currently floating bedside to shame. It made Louie yearn for more, to hear his food being appreciated by the man he cared about.
Currently, he was making something with the local fauna, Surprisingly there was a part of the Bulborb that acted a lot like bacon when sliced properly. If it wasn't for the vibrant red spots and white meat one would say it was exactly like bacon. This planet has a lot of local fauna ready for the picking, besides the pikmin, (even if he COULD Olimar wouldn't allow him.. Besides they made too much noise when they perished- Olimar would hear it a mile away-) it was a gourmet's dream, an alien planet ready to explore, new tastes only Louie would taste.. A taste that he would share with the one he currently cared about- said one now walking into the small dining room that fitted inside of the ship- a yawn escaping his lips as the man stretched his arms over his head.
Louie did his best not to burn the food.
"..Morn'n"
Olimar's voice was groggy with sleep still despite the fact they had brushed their teeth just moments prior, the man probably didn't have a good night's sleep.. Despite the other man's distracting voice, Louie was able to concentrate on his work at hand. With a Small grunt Louie shrugged his shoulders in a greeting- or at least an acknowledgement of the other being in the room. He would have waved if it wasn't for one hand holding onto the handle of the pan and the other cradling the spatula that was flipping the bacon onto a plate.
"Smells nice"
Compliments. Olimar seemed to never grow tired of throwing them his way- whether it be something so small and simple- Olimar always seemed to make a big deal out of it. Praise wasn't something Louie got often, so if those words made him fluster inwardly then so be it.
"Hm."
Dishing up the meal and placing it before Olimar was a routine Louie had grown embarrassingly used to- it was so bizarre that it felt so natural- he tried not to think too hard about those implications. The captain of this ship opened his eyes just a tad wider at the sight, two eggs and a few slices of bacon, that alone wasn't what was what caught his eye. It was the fact Louie had made his meal into a smiley face.
Louie's ears twitched when he heard a soft snort, his gaze locking onto Olimar in a questioning matter- the other simply waved his hand up and down, a soft smile on his lips.
"Nothing nothing.. it looks good Louie, thank you"
Again with the praise…
Louie huffed as he allowed himself to sit in silence beside his captain, it was a natural silence, one that wasn't suffocating. Occasionally utensils would clink together in a steady rhythm- it was almost like music-
“I'm thinking of heading over towards The Valley of Repose-” Olimar was the first to speak, he always was. The man had stopped in his actions to allow himself to talk- more than likely not wanting to speak while eating- always the polite one. “I know we already finished that area, but I feel like we could be missing something, there's no harm in double checking either way.. We can also gather more purple pikmin too! So if we don't find anything it won't be as much of a waste”
The Valley of Repose was an alright area, it was cold although Louie ultimately didn't mind too much about it- it beat being hot and sweaty anyday- it also allowed him to get closer to Olimar with the excuse that ‘he was warm’ and ‘it was cold’ a win win situation in his opinion.
Louie stopped his eating, sharp fangs chomping down onto the meal below before he directed his head in Olimar's general direction- giving him his devoted attention. Or atleast showing Olimar he was listening.
Olimar seemed to look away from him, perhaps he had something on his face from the food- Olimar was always the polite type.
“Hm. alright.. Snowy place it is”
Olimar snorted, though Louie isn't too sure what was so funny.
______
They didn't do much that day, a few treasures were found but other than that not much- the pikmin had been helpful- as they usually were. In a way they reminded Louie of ants, with the way they coordinated and such.
They had returned back to the ship when the sun of this world began to set, said ship now orbiting the planet from above alongside the stars as their bodies were cleaned of the filth of today's endeavour's and ready for bed.
Recently however.. Louie had begun to do.. less of an adequate job. It had started small, like Louie ‘accidentally’ leaving all of his pikmin behind, or Louie getting distracted, or Louie distracting the pikmin with games like hide and seek. He had his reasons of course, despite the dire situation their job was in Louie wanted to take his time with finding treasure- it allowed him to be alone with Olimar more. Allowed him to be stuck on this planet longer with the other man.
He tried not to think about the end of this job, what it would mean for the two men. After all whilst he went back to his Nana, Olimar would go back to his kids…
To his Wife..
Louie didn't even know her and yet thinking about her made something gross squirm in his gut.
"Louie?"
Ears twitching at his name being spoken, the blonde turned his head slightly towards the only other person on this planet.
"Are you doing okay? You've been.. off.. lately"
Caring.. Olimar was a caring type- how the other male was able to find out how he was feeling was beyond him, had he been acting too out of character? How did Olimar know this wasn't just his character?- perhaps Olimar was good at reading him- perhaps the man was not only studying this planet but also Louie himself..
"Fine. Thinking" short and quick, Louie didn't particularly feel like talking about what was bothering him, alot was bothering him. Olimar was bothering him, not in a bad sense, more that the man would never leave his mind, he hoped he wasn't obsessing..
There was a twitch to Olimar's lips, just a small tug that made his dimples go downwards. The older man seemed to want to push more- to pry into whatever was gnawing away within Louie's mind, though he seemed hesitant to do so. Instead he simply sighed in that defeated tone of his. A tone that Louie personally never liked, it meant he did something wrong, something he wasn't too sure of.
"Okay.. would you like to sit with me?"
It wasn't strange or unknown for Olimar to offer things such as this, this planet seemed to affect the man in ways it didn't to Louie. Louie didn't mind, he wouldn't look a gifted horse in the mouth. It made something warm settle within him whenever Olimar would welcome him within his personal space, it meant a lot to Louie- he hoped it meant a lot to Olimar too.
Funny.. perhaps he didn't need to ask to join Olimar in bed after all..
Their beds were the same, slightly stiff and uncomfortable, whilst Olimar's was always kept clean and tidy, Louie's was more of a nest. in a strange way you could grow used to these cheap old beds (Begrudgingly of course), it definitely wasn't the worst thing Louie has ever slept on.. Louie was quick to sit upwards and hop out of his nest of a bed, his body was still cold to the touch from that icy biome- the prospect of being warmed up from Olimar was exhilarating. The bed creaked as Louie sank into it, sitting close to the other man until their shoulders bumped together.
They sat like that, comfortably sitting side by side. Enjoying one another's presence. If Olimar had noticed his low body temperature he hadn't said anything, instead the older man seemed to reach over towards his nightstand, picking up a book along with- funnily enough- a pair of glasses.
Well.. might as well ask now
"Could I stay here tonight?"
Blunt and straightforward, there was no point kicking around the bucket anyway- the thought of sleeping in the same bed hadn't left Louie's mind since he first thought of it. Normally that meant he should simply take it. Selfish- but that was Louie
The other male froze for a second, his chest stopping in its repetitive motions. "..okay.."
It was muttered so softly, hesitantly, as if not entirely sure. His grip on his book never changed "You can stay.."
Perhaps Olimar also wanted this..
That thought thrilled Louie more than he realised it would.
He allowed his eyes to wander for a second, to take in the other’s features. Olimar seemed to be doing the same, glasses that were comically too small sitting atop his nose- there was a bit of awkward shuffling, mainly because both had yet to go underneath the covers in the first place- though Louie was quick to find his spot beside Olimar.
This.. was nice.. Despite the fact Olimar was reading beside him, obviously not yet ready to sleep- Louie enjoyed it- enjoyed this. It felt awfully domestic- Louie let his eyes flicker towards the other’s hand- the hand that had a golden band around it- and faintly, Louie imagined himself with the exact same one around his own finger.
Looking down to his hands showed him of his lacking vow, maybe one day he could get one with Olimar- afterall the man is already having issues back at home, issues that Louie would never put Olimar through. Well.. the financial bit. He's sure he would put Olimar through some struggles.
But not as bad as his wife at least..
Nana always did support whatever his goals were.. she never judged- he's sure she won't mind him going after a married man.
Louie was slow with his action, fingertips flexing the empty space between them. They've held hands before, they've hugged and whatnot- things that can be summed up as a friendly action. Friends hugged, friend's could hold hands.
Louie is pretty sure he wants to be more than friends though.
Might as well take what he wants.
His hand finally reached its target, his cold fingertips softly resting atop warm one's. The action seemed to startle Olimar, given that he jumped and looked down at their hand's. Glasses reflected the light for a fraction of a second, Though the man didn't say anything, he instead re-positioned himself, holding his book with one hand and cradling Louie's hand with the other. Louie kept going until their hands were interlocked- and oddly enough a part of himself felt warm at the act. His hand didn't feel as empty anymore, not when he held onto Olimar.
If Olimar disliked it he would have spoken up about it at this point, or perhaps he would have made an awkward expression- but neither happened. The opposite really. Olimar had squeezed his hand back and went back to reading, occasionally he would even hum- just like he would when they worked. It was cute. Olimar was cute.
He's pretty sure Olimar hummed him to sleep that night.