Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Deep Cut was the sensation of the past year. The idol group quickly rose the ranks in just a few months, gaining gold record after gold record. They became world renowned and even recently had gained their own radio show, Anarchy Splatcast. It was as if anything they did skyrocketed them more and more into stardom.

In the few months it took Deep Cut to rise the ranks, two particular members grew to appreciate each other more and more, in many more ways than just friends would. For example, Shiver would begin to notice the cute little movements that Frye would make on a secondly basis, which she’d later learned was because of the inkling's ADHD. Frye would happen to spot how adorable Shiver looked when she burst out laughing, sneaking peeks every time she would crack a joke.

But the biggest detail they both picked up was how fast their hearts would beat when they would so much as glance at each other. They’d begin to observe how bright their cheeks would glow when they suddenly looked away from one another, swearing that the other also seemed a bit cherry. And they surely noticed when the other wouldn’t talk to them for days on end, the pair oblivious that their pining for each other was the cause of their radio silence.

Big Man took notice of these little… ah… ‘hiccups’ when their embarrassment around each other had caused their show to be unorganized and messy. While having scripted little banters, the two would sometimes realize who they were talking to and fumble a line or entirely clam up in self-consciousness. More than once they had to pause the show to go cool down in their dressing rooms. The first time was an unexpected slip-up, Big Man presumed. This notion quickly changed after the 4th mishap that same week. He was determined to figure out what the cause of this discord was. Sure, their performances were a bit chaotic, but this was a tad out of the ordinary.

After finally getting a usable take for the broadcast, Shiver and Frye practically ran back to their fitting rooms, slamming the doors quickly and loudly. Sighing, Big Man decided to go interview Shiver first. She always seemed like the more collected one of the pair, maintaining a calm and cool demeanor all the time.

After knocking a couple times, Big Man heard some muffled rapid footsteps and a clothing rack falling to the floor. He also could’ve sworn he heard some Octoling cursing, but that was neither here nor there. Shiver seemed to fumble the door handle before opening it quick and wide.

Big Man noted how disheveled she looked, despite the show having only wrapped a little under 10 minutes ago. Her hair was more in her face than usual and her shimenawa was thrown onto the bench to her left. She seemed to have changed into a more casual look of blue jeans and a Off The Hook t-shirt that dropped down to her knees, as if it were the first thing she grabbed before opening the door seconds later. The fit was completed with red and black sneakers, tiny octopi scattered over the top. Though, Big Man did mentally note that they were on the wrong feet.

Her tense face contorted into many expressions. First it seemed like excitement, as if Shiver had been waiting for the knock since slamming her door. When she recognized the figure at the door as Big Man there was a twinge of sadness in her face, though she quickly corrected it into a more content look. Even with this front, Big Man still did see the unease hidden.

“Oh, hey Big Man. What brings you to this side of the studio?” Shiver motioned him to step inside. He turned his body to fit the door frame and slid in, sitting down on the bench that her performance clothes were scattered across. He had to move her shoes to make a spot for himself.

The floor had a few different outfits strewn about. Many clothes racks were barren and stripped, a couple even splayed against the ground. Shoes haphazardly placed all over the place, as if Shiver had been trying on every pair and just leaving them there until she found a right fit.

“Ay, ay? (Well, I just wanted to ask a couple questions. Like, for example, what happened today during the show)?”

Shiver choked and perked up. Forcing a smile on, she said “W-what ever do you mean, my main man… ta”

Big Man sighed. He wasn’t stupid, and he knew Shiver knew he wasn’t either. He pushed a teeny bit further.

“Ay ayay. Ay (Maybe I’ve just been taking too much of the spotlight, but it seems that you have been lackluster with your segments. You have been pausing randomly. It’s also very strange how it seems to usually be whenever there is a dialogue between you and Frye…)”

At the sound of Frye’s name, Shiver slammed her door hard again and made numerous loud shushing noises, accentuating the point by lifting her finger across her lips. A beat later and she was glancing around as if Big Man had summoned a ghost. Once she concluded the coast was clear, she let out a heavy sigh and slumped down onto Big Man’s shoulder.

“Can you keep a secret, Big Man? Promise not to tell anyone?” She glanced up at him to which he nodded, swearing on his entire fat stack of cash. Relaxing a bit, Shiver breathed in and continued.

“Honestly, I… I’m scared of Frye. But not in a frightened way, like I have nightmares about her, though I do tend to have dreams of her leaving me.” She whispered that last part. “But I mean scared in a way that, like, I get nervous when she walks into the studio. My stomach feels all funny like I’m gonna hurl, yet my body won’t let me move until she goes to her changing room. I catch myself not breathing and shaking uncontrollably until we wrap. My legs turn all wobbly when she smiles at me during her reading. I constantly find myself hanging onto every word she says, even if I know what she’s gonna say. It’s just the way that she says it that makes it so pretty and elegant. Even answering her texts and calls feel like a challenge, trying not to embarrass myself or say something that I can’t take back. I just feel so intimidated by her, yet I get the feeling that I want her by my side, forever. Just me and her.”

Shiver’s little rant ended with a small “Is that weird?”.

Big Man was a little too stunned to answer automatically. How had he failed to notice his friend's feelings? Was he that oblivious? Though, it did click. No wonder Shiver couldn’t focus on the show. It seemed like…

“Ay (I believe you are in love with Frye).”

The Octoling just stared at the ground, eyes darting around frantically. It took her a minute, but she composed herself. A sigh.

“I figured that.” Her head fell down into her lap and she groaned out “And I was terrified of that.”

Big Man wanted to reassure his friend. He desperately wanted to make her feel better, but he knew this wasn’t an easy fix at all. Nothing he could say would be a quick fix. She’d just have to sort it out on her own.

He patted Shiver on the back and stood up. “Ay (I gotta go, Shiver. I promise you will be okay. I will check on you soon).”

And with that, he headed out the door and closed it behind him. He knew where he had to go now.

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Big Man did a lot of thinking on the short walk to Frye’s room. What could he say to her that wouldn’t expose Shiver? How could he approach the conversation now that he knew that Shiver was in love with Frye?

He decided that he’d just stick to the same line of questioning that he followed with Shiver, however brief it was. It wasn’t just Shiver who was fumbling up her lines, Frye fell victim, too. Now he just had to figure out why.

Even before turning the left corner, Big Man heard Frye in her room bouncing around. The clacks and thuds were a telltale sign that Frye was agitated about something. Perhaps it was what was causing her slip ups? He could only hope.

There was no need to knock on the door. It was opened a quarter way, just enough for the lights to seep out of the door and to hear Frye’s noise clear as day. Big Man still did courtesy knock as he opened the door fully.

Shiver’s mess was a tiny stain compared to the damage in Frye’s room. It was as if an Inkstrike had slammed its way right into the room. All of the various lockers lining the walls were opened with their compartments spilled out. Halves of many pants were absolutely everywhere, with separate sleeves of shirts following the example. In the middle of the mess was Frye, wearing only her yellow turtleneck and the leggings that were hidden underneath her baggy pants. She had discarded one of her socks as well. She was crouching around a white dress shirt and a pair of slacks. They seemed to not fit her quota, as she promptly ripped them apart and howled in anger.

When she turned around, she was greeted with the sight of Big Man. Frye’s eyes widened up and she quickly scrambled to her feet to greet her friend.

“Hiya, Big Man! Sorry for the… mess!” She gestured all around her. “You can sit on the chair in the back while I clean this up.” Frye said, pointing to a foldable camping chair stationed in the far back of the room. There was still a pile of clothes residing on the seat.

“Oh, yeah you can just dump that onto the ground.” Frye went to pick up all the articles of clothes, however many pieces there were.

Big Man did as told and got comfortable. He watched Frye uneasily, as if she were going to burst at any moment and splat him. He knew she meant no harm, but her constant twitching and howls were alarming to say the least.

“Ay (So, uh, what’s with all these clothes? They seem to be in tatters).” Big Man said, picking up a pant leg. Frye chuckled in response.

“Oh, y'know. Just… organizing. Yeah, organizing!” She seemed a bit proud of her response. Big Man didn’t want to push any further lest he hurt her feelings. “What brings you here, anyway? Your dressing room is so far from here!”

“Ayy (I came to talk to you about something, actually).”

The inkling perked up and ran to Big Man, scaring him enough to make him jump. “Ooo, tell me! Whatcha bringing to the table tonight, Big Man? Family News? Drama with your friends. Oh, is it a new restaurant opening up???”

Her excitement was palpable to Big Man. A side effect of ADHD he had gotten used to.

“Ay (Actually it’s about your stage acts. You, uh, seem to be lagging a bit, which isn’t like you).”

Frye’s grin dropped suddenly as her eyes began to lose focus. Her eyes looked anywhere but at Big Man, grasping for something to say. For once in his life, Big Man saw Frye at a loss for words. But as suddenly as she slumped, she rose and focused back onto the manta ray. Her eyes looked uncertain.

“What are you even talking about, Big Man? I’ve been killing it on that show! The people love me! Have you even seen Splatstagram?” Yes, the fans on social media were raving about Frye’s performances and energy, but that was only because the production team had cut out the bad bits.

“Ay (Are you sure you’re not occupied at all during the Splatcast)?”

“Psht, you’re talking crazy, Big Man. Are you sure you’re okay?” The anxiety in her eyes was painfully obvious.

“Ayyy (Frye, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You rush through your lines sometimes and completely zone out other times. You’re more distracted than usual).”

Frye’s grin fell again and this time it didn’t seem to want to return. She knew Big Man was right and she knew she was cornered. She had to confess now.

“Okay, maybe something is on my mind.”

Finally, a breakthrough.

“Ay (Well, I’m all ears.)” A deep breath in from Frye.

“Okay, so like is it just me or does Shiver seem cuter than usual? Er, maybe more beautiful? No, no, definitely gorgeous! Drop dead gorgeous! Maybe it’s her shampoo, or has she changed her outfit? No, surely that would’ve been obvious, even to me. Guh, I swear she has changed somehow! There’s just something about her. It’s not even just those bomb looks, either. The way she giggles at my jokes makes me want to scream and cry at how utterly adorable it is. Have you noticed that, too? Her laugh fills me with so much warmth it feels like I was put in an oven. Or, or the way that the light reflects off of her glare, threatening yet so alluring. Gosh, it is so amazing staring into those eyes, I can get lost for hours navigating around in that stare. And don’t even get me started about those hands, so soft and cushy. Last week, Shiver held onto my hand for a moment after I told her a joke about my last Turf War. Ahh, the way I nearly squealed my head off as she squeezed my hand ever so slightly. Ooo, ooo, and her hair is just so perfect across her hair, I swear she’s been customizing…”

And Big Man listened to Frye ramble about every single bit of Shiver, from the way her sarashi accented her hips to how her shoes made her walking look so graceful. Each minute Frye spent complimenting Shiver, Big Man soaked in the conclusion he came to. The reason that both of his groupmates had recently been stalling and freezing up on air. It seemed so painfully obvious to him now.

“...and she just says it's so cool, too! I mean, the line is pretty dope, but the way she says it? I get shivers every time, get it?” Only then did Frye notice Big Man’s concentrated look downwards. At first, she thought that something had slivered its way under the pair, but there was nothing there when she looked. “Hey, what’s on your mind?”

“Ay… (You are in love with Shiver…)”

Frye’s expression was a mixture of shock and fear, with a twinge of defeat.

“...okay, so maybe I am. Maybe I came to this conclusion a week ago. What about it?”

Big Man slowly composed himself, enough to tell Frye “Ay (There's nothing wrong with that. Not at all).”

Frye frowned and looked down with a pout.

“Isn’t it weird? To have a crush on your best friend? Wouldn’t it just mess up the group? Plus, she probably doesn’t even like me. She’s too cool to ever consider someone like me as a potential partner. I’d be kidding myself if I said I had any chance.” The inkling brought her knees up to her chest and hugged herself, rocking back and forth.

Big Man didn’t know what to say. He wanted to tell Frye to go ask her out since he knew Shiver liked her back. But she couldn’t exactly just spill the beans like that, he’d promised Shiver not to tell a soul. What could he say? Big Man struggled to find anything else to say that wouldn’t just straight up reveal Shiver’s feelings, so he elected to just stand up and leave. Before he left, however, he said one last parting statement.

“Ay (Well, I know that you do have a chance. I don’t think it’s wise to give up that easily).”

A scowl was still displayed across Frye’s face, but she at least looked up as Big Man spoke to her. She cleared her throat.

“Please… don’t tell anyone about this. Especially n-not Shiver. Please.”

And that was the last thing he heard before closing the door behind him.

Chapter Text

Big Man was conflicted.

Yes, both of his friends had told him they liked each other. Sure, if one of them garnered enough confidence to just ask the other out there was no possible way that they wouldn’t get together. There was little to no risk in just asking each other out.

But he knew his friends. They were much too nervous and pessimistic to take the leap. He confirmed that with his last conversations with the two, where they both expressed a certain distrust in their ability to please the other. And it’s not like he could spill his guts to either of them about the other's affection, since he made individual promises not to say anything. It was just so frustrating, he felt so stuck.

Laying in bed that night, Big Man tried his hardest to think of a strategy on how to get the two hopeless romantics together. One that wouldn’t conflict with his promises. One that let the two come to their own conclusions. He just had to think. This focus proved to be his downfall, however, as he shortly nodded off thinking so hard on a plan.

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Luckily, he had the next day off.

Big Man awoke with a sudden start, ripped out of a vivid dream of his two friends sadly walking away from each other, Frye’s face full of despair and confusion while Shiver had more of an aggravated expression. He’d wanted to hold out his hand and reach the two, to assure them they did love each other. But he was too late. Big Man wanted to avoid that at all costs.

He went about his morning routine, starting by grooming himself. He entered his small apartment's bathroom and flipped on the lights. He looked a little messy, with deep eyebags and floppier fins, but that would be a quick fix with a nice warm bath. As he started the tap, his mind once again drifted to the plight of his groupmates. He thought and thought, not stopping even when he stepped into the tub. Scrubbing his body, brushing his teeth and applying a light amount of makeup, he continued to ponder some semblance of a scheme.

Big Man continued to wander when he left the bathroom and started making his breakfast. He’d nearly burned his eggs getting so distracted. Sitting down and eating gave him even more time to think. But despite going through his entire morning routine, he still couldn’t come up with a concise plan that wouldn’t compromise him. He sighed in defeat and turned on his mini TV.

They were playing some jellyfish sitcom show. Big Man had never found the appeal in the genre, though it didn’t really bother him, so he just enjoyed the entertainment.

The episode revolved around this one jellyfish, Jella, developing feelings for the secondary jellyfish, Jelonzo. Jella made continuous efforts to get Jelonzo to notice her so she’d eventually ask her out, yet he never seemed to give her the time of day. Eventually tired of pining, she sought out the help of her friend, Gel. Gel would give Jella a piece of advice, as he hated seeing his best friend like this. Jella would go and test out Gel’s plan with Jelonzo, each time getting rejected by the jock. Big Man thought he was a jerk, but continued watching in hopes that he’d get what was coming. The episode ended on a cliffhanger, as Jella tried one more piece of advice from Gel. This backfires, as right when Jella was to go and test it out, Jelonzo tells her he was skipping towns. Heartbroken and now more scared to ask him out, Jella leaves in tears as the “To Be Continued!” rolled on screen.

Big Man frowned at the awful conclusion of the episode. Who watches this garbage? He turned off his TV and went to his bedroom to read some tips on the Internet about getting two pining lovers to just go for it. Yet, as he thought this, the scene sounded familiar. He pondered a moment, finding the connection between his own plight and the sitcom. The sitcom seemed to mirror the situation Big Man found himself in, with himself as Gel. Then it hit him.

Why doesn’t he just nudge the two group mates in the right direction with little tips and advice, just like Gel?

He was elated at this novel idea. He quickly went online to search up Gel’s advice, fully ready to help Shiver and Frye get their happy ending.

Chapter Text

Big Man walked into the studio that Monday with his chest buffed up and his confidence through the roof. He’d spent the weekend studying every piece of advice Gel gave to Jella about Jelonzo and was ready to drop some knowledge on these two lovesick fools! 

As usual, he was first to arrive. It didn’t take him long to unpack and get changed, only needing to put on his bone hat. Once performance ready, he walked out to the main stage, where he saw Shiver walk through the doors. The octoling was taking glances around as if expecting someone to pop up out of nowhere and stab her.

“Ay (Hey Shiver! How was your weekend?)”

Shiver perked up at the sound of her name, but settled down a bit when she saw Big Man across the room. She looked a lot better since Friday, when they had their little chat. She looked more casual and natural, sporting a white tank top with bright blue joggers, finished off with a pure black hat and darkened glasses. Her posture still gave an aura of foreboding. Stepping over to him, Shiver gave him a soft high five.

“I’m doing okay. Ready to read that news, I guess” She wasn't forcing her chipper tone anymore, and Big Man was happy about that. Her voice lowered. 

“Um, Big Man? I hate to mention it, but can you do me a huge favor and, um, pretend you… don’t know that I like Frye? I just feel so embarrassed and ashamed of the situation.” Shiver threw her blushing face into her hands. Big Man put his hand on Shiver’s shoulder to comfort her.

“Ay ay (There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Shiver. But if that is what you wish, I will comply).” Shiver looked up and smiled.

“Thanks, Big Man. You really are the best friend I could ask for.” 

Shiver went in to hug him, and who was he to disobey? He gently embraced his octoling bandmate as her head fell onto his shoulders. The poor girl was shaking, as if on the verge of tears. This had to have been eating her up all weekend. Big Man felt guilty, partially responsible for opening up the wound.

Big Man was ripped out of his self pity as he heard a loud thunk behind him. Turning around, he was met with the sight of Frye, a small tank of what looked to be krill shattered across the floor in front of her. Her face was easy to read: disbelief and jealousy. Big Man’s eyes widened as it sank in. Frye had just witnessed him hugging her crush, after their conversation about her feelings. In her head, she had to have felt betrayed.

He let go of Shiver, but it was too late. Frye was already sprinting to her room. She had to push past the pair, but she did reach her room, slamming the door loud and hard. 

Shiver looked like she just got punched in the gut. Her stare looked a million miles past Big Man, even if her eyes were pointed directly at his head. Big Man was genuinely afraid he was about to be decked. But instead, Shiver panicked and paced around the room.

“Oh my Cod, Big Man!! Why did I do that?? It was just supposed to be a simple hug, but Frye just  had to walk in then. What if Frye thinks I don’t like her, or I like you? Not that there’s anything wrong with you, Big Man, it’s just that… ugh! I feel so dumb!”

It was hushed, but Big Man could tell she was rambling. He gripped her to steady her and pointed her towards himself. 

Although a bit earlier than anticipated (he’d hoped he could tell Shiver after the broadcast), Big Man told Shiver his first piece of advice. It did seem like the perfect chance anyway. 

“Ay ayyy ay (“Shiver, I have an idea. If you’re so worried that she thinks you like me because of a hug, then why don’t you do the same to her? If you hug her, it’ll be like confessing your feelings without saying a word! Plus, you’d clear up this little misunderstanding).”

Shiver paused to really contemplate the plan, which gave Big Man the green light to let his grip on her slack. Her eyes darted around trying to deduce what could potentially go wrong. After processing all outcomes, Shiver slowly and unsurely nodded. She was on board. Additionally, there wasn’t a lot of time to think about it. Anarchy Splatcast went live in 3 minutes.

They decided that Shiver should hug Frye after the show, when it would minimize the chances of the show going haywire. It would also give them more time to gauge Frye’s reaction, since there would be ample time to talk after finishing the show. Though it made Shiver nervous the entire time, she had to agree with Big Man’s logic. She had to just suck up all that nervous jitteriness and try her best to stay focused on her lines. Plus, she would get to hug Frye, which was a huge benefit, even if the thought made Shiver’s knees shake and her stomach flip. 

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“... and those are your stages! That is about it, I think.” Shiver’s lines were being read better than last week, but she was still on edge. The pit in her stomach grew every second, hoping that they could somehow delay the end of the broadcast. She was excited yet so very anxious. She briefly looked to her left to attempt to calm herself down by looking at Big Man for guidance, though she briefly caught eye contact with Frye and ripped her head forward again.

“F-from Splatsville, that’s a wrap!” The trio all got up. “Catch ya later!”

The bells started to ring and the background lights went on. The crew all let out a collective breath, thankful for another successful show. They all went about their routines, ready for the workday to end. 

Shiver, Frye and Big Man all stretched. Sitting down on the floor and talking the news for an hour made your body sore. There was a very apparent awkward silence as the three idols cooled off. Each of them were holding their breath, hoping to bounce off of whatever the first person said or did. No one moved.

Big Man had a tiny conversation with Shiver, communicating to her via his looks. He seemed to be conveying the message that she should talk to Frye already!

Her lips quivered and she let out a tiny whimper, shaking her head ever so slightly. I don’t wanna!  

Big Man took initiative. He stretched so wide his fin tips nearly touched the ceiling of the set. After a hefty sigh, he said “Ayyy (Well, I’m off to my room. You two enjoy the rest of your day).” Then he just strutted away.

Frye scrambled to her feet, hoping to leave the awkwardness behind and just go home and contemplate her life. And Shiver. She couldn’t get Shiver out of her mind.

“Hey, uh, Frye? Can I talk to you real quick?” 

Frye felt like she just got Crab Tanked. Her anxiety shot through the roofs and she paused mid step. Unsure whether to turn around or bolt to her dressing room, she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. Frye snapped around and was met with Shiver’s face mere inches away from her own. They both quickly pulled away, red cheeks glowing on their faces.

“Y-you did a great p-performance today, Frye. Just like you usually do.” Shiver talked to Frye, though she was staring down at the ground as she spoke. Frye found it so adorable and she began to zone out just staring at the young octoling. She quickly focused back in, worried that Shiver would notice her staring and think she was creepy.

“Yeah, t-thanks, Shiv! I do learn from the best. T-that’s you by the way. You always perform so well.” she cursed herself in her head. Curse her ADHD for speaking unnecessary thoughts! Though Shiver’s blushing from her flattering did make her heart ache.

Next thing the inkling knew, she was being squeezed across the chest by the shorter girl. Shiver’s warmth was spreading across her entire body, from the chest to the small of her back. Maybe Shiver was squeezing a bit tight. Maybe Shiver’s shaking was distracting her a bit. Maybe her legs felt like they would buckle because of the pressure of Shiver leaning and pushing onto her. 

But she knew she didn’t want this moment to end. She wanted to keep this feeling forever.

Unfortunately, the moment didn’t last more than a few seconds, even if Frye felt like she was stuck like that for days. Gingerly, Shiver bowed, muttered an apology and speed walked away to her room, leaving Frye to have a mini panic attack in her mind. 

Was that real? Was Shiver even really here? Did Shiver really just touch her, even giving her so much as a hug? Did she die and go to heaven?

Thousands of thoughts raced through her mind at the same time, each more incoherent than the last. When she did manage to calm herself down (it took her 10 minutes), she only had a single thought cross her mind, concerning yet realistic:

Did the hug really mean anything?

Chapter Text

Big Man had been watching from behind a few set pieces. He gasped when Shiver called out to Frye. He watched anxiously as they had their short conversation because he couldn’t hear a word they said to each other. He squealed in glee when Shiver went in for the hug and grinned widely when Shiver walked away while Frye stood in panic. Surely they had to have come to an understanding by now. He walked up to Frye in the middle of the set.

Frye didn’t notice him until he touched her shoulder, in which she promptly yanked her arm away and whipped her head to glance at Big Man. Her eyes were frantic, though when she focused her eyes and connected the touch to Big Man she settled down. At least, she settled down for a couple seconds, before Big Manasked simply, “What happened, Frye?”. She started to hyperventilate and fan herself, walking herself in circles. Had things not gone well? Had they gone too well, and Frye was just bracing herself? He was confused as all hell. So he followed her to question her when she stopped her circling and walked to her room. 

Anxiety plagued the Inkling the entire walk to her dressing room, though it simmered down by the time they entered and she closed the door. She seemed exhausted almost, quickly ushering Big Man in. After closing the door behind herself, she slumped against the frame. 

“Ayyyy (So, did it go well?)” Frye looked like she’d just seen a corpse.

“You were watching? Well, I guess it doesn't matter. You just saw me make a huge idiot of myself.” She slapped her face and dragged them down repeatedly. 

What had gone wrong? To Big Man, it just looked like Shiver and Frye had a nice conversation and then hugged. Sure, Frye looked a bit stunned, but anyone would react like that when hugged by their crush! 

“Ay? Ayy! (What was so wrong about it? It was a hug from the girl you like!)”

“ But what if it didn’t mean anything ”, Frye whispered. Big Man frowned a bit, asking her to repeat herself.

“It’s just, yknow, what if…” she pauses.

“What if the hug didn’t mean anything! I mean, she gave you a hug earlier today, so what makes mine so special?”

Big Man had to stop himself from saying the difference is that she doesn’t have a crush on me! , but he knew he couldn’t. He bit his tongue and thought of what to say. Then it hit him: the second piece of advice! This was the best opportunity!

“AY (Why don’t you talk to her about it?)” He was giddy seeing how seamless the advice fit. Frye looked up despairingly.

“How can I just go up and talk to her about that? What do I even say? ‘Hey, your hug made me get butterflies in my stomach and made me think of my future with you, growing old and bitter by your side, so I would greatly appreciate it if you would make out with me aggressively’.”

Big Man was stumped a little, trying to recall what exactly Gel said in the episode to Jella. He only remembered bits and pieces, so he attempted to piece it together.

“Ay ay ayyy ay (Well, why don’t you just talk to her casually? Speak whatever is on your mind. Eventually you’ll roll around to the hug, and you can gauge if she actually meant anything by it!)”. Big Man knew Shiver did like Frye, though he had to refrain from saying anything. He’d justy have to let it happen fluently.

A sniffle came from Frye, followed by “Are you sure? Most of the time I can’t control my thoughts. If I speak straight from the dome, I feel like I’d say something stupid and embarrass myself.” 

That was a challenge, Big Man thought. Being ADHD was rough, huh? 

“Ay (Well, you had good and casual conversations with Shiver before you realized you like her! Just try and think back to that! I promise it’ll work out.)”

This seemed to relax the inkling a bit, though she was evidently still hesitant. But it was her only option. She wanted to get closer to Shiver, so dammit she was gonna have the best damn conversation anyone has ever heard! 

“Should I go talk to her now?” 

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Big Man was ecstatic that Frye was hyped to go through with the plan. He followed her down the halls and listened as she babbled on and on about what she would tell her crush and how Shiver might possibly respond, which she’d tie it into the hug. She was fully ready for anything that could happen!

Big Man followed until about 10 feet from Shiver’s door. He figured it would be weird and awkward if he sat there while they had a heart to heart, so he wanted to stay out of this. He hid behind the corner and Frye stopped in her tracks a couple steps ahead.

“Ayy (Alright, just go up and knock. I’ll be here cheering you on!)”

Frye didn’t respond. 

“Ay (Frye?)”

Again, radio silence. 

“Ay ay (Frye? Are you good?)” 

She murmured, “I lost what I was gonna say.”

Big Man had been worried about Frye breaking down, but he didn’t expect it to be this early! She hadn’t even seen Shiver yet! 

He nudged her slightly towards the door, with a “Ay (You can do it!)” 

It took a minute, but Frye breathed in deep and banged on the door. Big Man clambered to hide. He and Frye waited for the door to open. And then they waited. And then waited some more. It grew a bit concerning, enough for Big Man to shy away from his spot and knock on the door himself, twice. He even called Shiver’s name to no avail. Finally, he took his chances and opened the door. 

Behind that stage door was a dark empty room. No Shiver in sight.

Chapter Text

So maybe that was a bust. But they always had tomorrow, right? She probably had some business to attend, no biggie. Well, it was a little difficult convincing a panicked Frye that much.

“No, she hates me, I just know it! She left because she is disgusted by me and wants to forget even touching me in the slightest. She probably regrets ever meeting me.” Frye was choking herself up with her words.

“AY ay ay ayyy (I promise there is no way that is possible. Do you think she has hated you the entire time you’ve known her? Her life was terrible before meeting us, you know that!)”.

“She probably picked up on my crush on her when she hugged me. I don’t know, do Octolings have the ability to read thoughts during hugs? Either way, I am certain Shiver regrets meeting me and sure as hell doesn’t love me!” 

It was so frustrating to have this argument when Big Man knew the other side. More likely, Shiver just felt embarrassed that she went through with the hug and ran away to avoid any potential feedback it would garner from Frye. But how could he convey that to Frye without flat out telling her Shiver loved her so much she had trouble saying her name without stuttering?

“Ayy ay ayyy ay (“You don’t know that. You just need to calm down and collect yourself. You’re being irrational. This is nothing to cry over, Frye. You must stay strong. There will be another chance tomorrow. It just gives you more time to practice.”).

Shiver choked back more sobs in an attempt to think about what Big Man was saying. Perhaps she was being a bit irrational. Crying wouldn’t fix this situation at all, she knew that. But she just couldn’t see Shiver actually wanting to talk to her. I mean, if she wanted to, why had she left right after their hug?

“...fine. I’ll talk to her tomorrow. But if she acts like I’m a moldy piece of Shwaffle, you have to spend a whole night with my eels. Deal?”

Big Man was at least happy that Frye was semi back to her joking silly self. At least, he hoped she was joking about the eels. Either way, he agreed hastily. Frye got up to pack her things, talking to Big Man while she moved quickly around the room. 

“I’m gonna come in a half hour early so I can prep myself mentally. I’ll be in this room until a couple minutes before we go live since I can think more while we report. It’ll also help me keep focused prior to broadcast. You’re welcome to come in and help, but please do it secretly so Shiver doesn’t get suspicious. On top of that, I’m counting on you to distract her for me, okay?”

Big Man was always surprised to see how competent Frye was at times. He didn’t see her as stupid, it’s just that she tended to be scatterbrained and all over the place. It made those times that she wasn’t all the more shocking. 

“Ay ay (Aye, aye!)”. 

And with a goodbye, the two members of Deep Cut left to their own apartments. 

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Big Man had it all planned out in his head. After the show, Frye would strike up a conversation with Shiver, who would be more than pleased that her crush would want to talk to her. In true Frye fashion, she’d talk her ear off and the chemistry between the two would be palpable. And then, at the peak of the conversation, Frye would briskly and shyly tell Shiver just how much of an impact that hug had on her. Eyes shining with newfound light, Shiver would confess all of her feelings for her cephalopod friend and they’d kiss under the moonlight shining through the set window. Boom, Big Man is the best wingman!

So, as any manta ray would do, Big Man prepped some decorations and congratulatory items for when their relationship succeeded. By the time he got to the studio the next day, Big Man had a backpack full of every sort of party paraphernalia, including confetti poppers, party blowers, bags upon bags of confetti and balloons, and many more items he could snag from the party store across the street. Big Man was ready to see his two best friends happy. 

There was a little pep in his step as he walked through the station doors. He walked with a victorious grin as he blew up balloons in his room, hiding them around the stage, behind much of the set. It was apparent Big Man was joyous by the way he recited his lines, loud and proud, fully ready for the broadcast. 

10 minutes before they went live, Big Man ballet walked (or more so strutted ) over to Frye’s door, knocking thrice. The door crawled open to reveal Frye in all her panic attack glory.

To Big Man, she looked, for lack of a better term, pathetic. It looked as if she hadn’t left her dressing room all night, even if Big Man walked out with her. Her clothes were the same as yesterday’s, a yellow tank top covered by a large light brown trench coat and denim jeans. Though the clothes were noticeably more wrinkly, and the tank top had a large brown stain plastered across the chest. As for Frye herself, she didn’t look much better. Her eyes looked bloodshot with heavy eye bags under them, as if she had stayed up all night crying. Her hands were fiddling with a piece of fabric, tying it over and over again. When she did look up at Big Man, it was very slowly, turning as if she wasn’t all there. There was apparent pain Big Man detected with their eye contact, a silent plea. Do I have to go through with this?

Big Man felt more than a little guilty. He knew that his plan would work, but the strain this was putting on both of his best friends was more than a little bit painful to witness. Frye had probably broken herself up last night about a simple chat with Shiver, caused by something Big Man had recommended to the other party. He wanted to be the emotional support pillar, the advice giver that would solve their problems for them. Was what he was doing actually beneficial?

“Ayy (What’s wrong, Frye? What’s on your mind?)”. He spoke as softly as possible, gently closing the door and holding Frye in his arms in one swift motion. Frye leaned back into Big Man.

“I can’t help but shake the feeling that I’m only gonna make things worse. I should just leave Shiver alone, there’s a reason she doesn’t even text me back or answer my calls or averts eye contact with me all the time. Or that she avoids me completely in the halls. Or always has something to do when I ask to hang out…”

These two are so obviously in love, Big Man thought to himself. It would be cute if he wasn’t so sad. 

“Ay ay (I think you’re overthinking it all, just stressed from what you’re gonna do today. Don’t worry about it, Shiver enjoys your company, I can assure you that.)”. 

It made Frye feel a little better, enough to let go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Just remember that deal was made last night”, she smiled at Big Man. He gave her a tense smile in return. He really didn’t like those eels.

Frye’s alarm began to sound, signaling only a couple minutes until showtime. Frye stood up and turned it off, inhaling and exhaling repeatedly while doing stretches. Big Man took that as his cue to go back to his room and freshen up. 

“I’ve got this, I’ve got this, I’ve got this…” She repeated her mantra as she waved Big Man out. 

-------------

Lights, camera, action! Anarchy Splatcast went live, speaking about the current maps general news, occasionally bantering on and off with each other. Each member added their own flare to their separate stories, although nothing was too significant. It was a pretty exemplary broadcast, especially after the recent string of flubs from Deep Cut. The show lasted an hour and a half, after which the trio signed off with their iconic “Catch ya later!”.

Cue the stretches and groans from the entire team, having finished another work day. Wrap it up so we can go home!

However, no one moved faster to leave than the trio. Big Man wanted to leave his two compatriots to their conversation, as long as Frye stuck to the script. Frye, however, wanted to leave as soon as possible. She needed more prep time. She just couldn’t do it. Shiver moved to get closer to Big Man, a few choice words crossing her mind about his ‘brilliant idea’ yesterday. 

“Hey, Big Man! I needa talk with you for a min…” Shiver was cut off from her call out as Frye slid herself between the two, arms wide and a manic expression across her gorgeous face. 

“HEYSHIVINEEDATALKTOYOULIKERIGHTNOW!” It came out rushed, but Frye pushed it out. Hearing Shiver call out to Big Man filled her stomach with a particular feeling, something nasty. She couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it felt like, but she did recognize the hatred she felt for Big Man in that moment. She felt like she wanted to push him into a box and sit on it. Frye felt as if Big Man didn’t deserve to listen to Shiver’s angelic voice, let alone talk to her. She knew she would do anything to get him out of here. Frye loved Big Man with all of her heart, but she couldn’t stop the jealousy from seeping out. 

Shiver didn’t understand a word Frye said. To her, it sounded like Frye had seized up. Meanwhile, Shiver noticed that Big Man had slid out of the room, so she was stuck with Frye for the time being. What was the nicest way to say that she didn’t really feel comfortable being here? But she stayed, fearing that leaving Frye here would strain their friendship more, and she didn’t want to let go that easily. 

“H-hey, Frye. What have… you been up to?”

Frye had to ignore her own shaking, trying to steady her legs and stop her hands from fidgeting too much. 

“Haha, you know. Just doing idol things. I’m sure you get it, since you’re also an idol. In the same band. Since we’re groupmates, and we have been for the past 10 months… ” The end came out as more of a sad whisper. Frye was trying her best not to overthink and humiliate herself, but letting her brain roam free was a mistake. 

“I do know, I guess. I am an idol of Deep Cut.” 

Awkward silence. 

She dared to look up at Shiver but couldn’t quite read her expression. There were a thousand glares that all told her different things, most of them being annoyed at her. She didn’t know if that was true or her brain was just being stupid and bullying her. Shiver seemed to be giving that look that read ‘I’m so confused right now but I’ll pity you since it seems like you’re really trying’ . It made Frye’s blush deepen and caused her to fumble over her words more. 

“S-so, you go to, er, eat at any nice or fancy food place… walk in… visit thingies, ah, what’s the word?”

“Do you mean restaurants?”

“YES! Those!” Frye’s leap of excitement startled Shiver, making her jump back slightly. Frye blushed. “Have… have you been to any nice ones recently?” 

“Um, I don’t think so. Just this one sandwich place near Crush Station, down Anarchy Row.” Frye noticed Shiver’s little hand movements, barely noticeable but so very clear to the ADHD inkling. It was amazing how something so minute was so cute to her. Cod, she was in love. 

“That sounds good! What do they have? Any crab options? Or do they have shrimp? Ooo do they have any oysters? Cod, I could really go for some oysters right about now! They are so soft and salty, though the quick pang of sweetness really does finish off the taste. Oh, oh, and if you add a bit of mushroom? I could eat that for days without stopping! Though, I would miss the taste of salmon eggs. Now those I can destroy in a matter of seconds. I like to see how many I can fit in my mouth at once, I think my record is like 14. Well, it has been a couple months, I feel like my mouth has grown since then. I wanna try again soon, maybe I can drop by the store tomorrow? Actually, what do I have going on tomorrow? Photoshoots, no. Ads, no. I have the broadcast, but…” It only then occurred to Frye that she had been talking the entire time. To Shiver. Just rambling about anything. To Shiver. Saying very very embarrassing stuff. To Shiver . She clammed up, forcing her lips together. “Sorry, uh, what do you usually like to eat?”

Shiver was thoroughly entertained watching the inkling just talk and talk herself into a frenzy. It was adorable and educational, learning tiny details about her crush that made her fawn over her more and more. She could just imagine the small girl stuffing her face with eggs, happily grinning about reaching a new record. It made her want to squeal, how adorable was that? It took her a moment to even register that she’d been asked a question.

“Oh, I usually just get the Crab Trap Sandwich. It’s pretty good and nutritious, I eat it at least once a week. Can’t really get enough recently.”

“Oh my Cod! I love that sandwich, too! I love to go to the Crab-N-Go to pick up a quick snack before comin’ down to the studio. Marigold is such a sweetheart. Oh let me tell you, this one time I was running late for the show…” 

The conversation moved organically from there. The pair talked about a whole myriad of topics, from food to old jobs to favorite clothing brands. Frye would usually ramble 10 minutes worth of random thoughts at a time and Shiver would answer what she could, most of the time being interrupted by Frye expressing how that reminded her of her gramps or a story from her past that she found somewhat similar (by the end, Shiver was still wondering what the connection was at all). Fits of laughter later, the girls forgot all about their crushes and mixed up emotions and feelings, just reveling in the comforting presence of each other. It took them a whole hour and a half to finally begin to rear down.

“... yeah so, do NOT try to reform from ink while your hand is stuck in the oven. It took me days to heal those burns. It’s like I can still feel it.”

Shiver’s laugh after her anecdote was enough to make her smile herself, wide and proud. “You’re such a weirdo, Frye.” They giggled together. 

“Oh, yeah! What did you mean to say when you called out to me earlier? I didn’t catch it.”

Frye froze. She had forgotten all about her mission. Mentally, she noted that she needed to write things down more often. Her initial reaction was to just lie and say she just wanted to talk to the Octoling and avoid the inevitable awkwardness that would follow her actual reason for talking to Shiver. But after wasting almost 2 hours of her time, Shiver deserved to know the truth. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Frye rubbed her neck nervously and addressed the girl in front of her. 

“Haha, it’s kinda funny and a bit embarrassing, I guess. You’re gonna get a kick out of it. Or you’ll hate me for all eternity and never wanna talk to me again…” Frye’s words unnerved Shiver to the core. 

What could she say that would cause her to hate the Inkling? Had she figured out her crush and was repulsed by the notion? No, there was no way she would’ve known. Unless it had something to do with… 

“That hug you gave me yesterday?” It was as if Frye could read her mind. She hit the nail on the head. Shiver gulped hard. 

“Y-yeah? W-what about it..?” A wave of dread and turmoil washed over her as she spoke, fearing her friends' next words. It didn’t help that Frye seemed to be glancing around everywhere, a worried expression plastered across her face, as if reaching around for the right way to phrase what she was about to say next. What if this was it? What if this was where their friendship ended?

“Well, just like, I don't know. I have a hard time understanding, I guess just- why?” Frye squeaked out. She felt her throat constrict, quickly realizing how bad they might have come out. Give her a break, she doesn’t work well under pressure.

“W-what?” Shiver felt like she was just punched in the gut, and then stabbed. Was her hug really that unwanted?

“I-I just meant to say that, um, it was a bit confusing, I guess. You ghost me text after text after call. It’s not like I can’t see when you read my messages, can’t you take even 2 minutes out of your day to respond? And when I do see you, you don’t even talk to me for more than 2 minutes at a time! And I’m confused because you avoid me like I have the plague but you talk to Big Man every chance you get! Oh, and don’t get me started on the…” Frye was on a roll, word after word slipping off her tongue. While these may sound like complaints, Frye was genuinely just curious about all these things. Why had Shiver avoided talking to her so often? Why had she confided in Big Man instead of her? Why did she avoid her once she entered the room? Frye wanted to know if Shiver actually hated her.

Shiver, on the other hand, felt like she was getting grilled. Her own crush was breaking apart all of the reasons she hated her, which coincidentally were all caused by her massive crush on the girl. All sparked from the simple gesture of a hug. But it seemed so unfair to her. What right did Frye have to grill her when she was guilty of toying with her just as much? 

“Well, what do you care about? What gives you the right to care about me, what I do?” Shiver interrupted Frye, who immediately tightened her lips together. Shiver slightly hesitated when the girl across her shut up, but she felt her bitterness rise and continued.  “I don’t complain about you clamming up when we make eye contact. You think I didn’t hear you and Big Man in your room last night? Why do you think I left? My two best friends, conspiring against me. You don’t think that hurts me?”

Frye paused, taken aback by what Shiver had spilled. Had she really been that insensitive? It seemed like anything she did hurt Shiver, the one she wanted to protect more than anything. Nothing she did was right, according to the girl yelling at her Her crush on Shiver was ruining her life, her relationship. 

“Well, you treat me like I’m not even your friend! Sometimes, recently, you’ve treated me like I’m nothing but a coworker, someone you’re forced to see everyday. Is that it? Do you just humor me because you have to? Do you feel forced to see me?”

“What if I do?” Shiver rebutted. Frye backed away slightly, which tore the blue haired girl’s heart. “What if you are just a work friend? It’s up to you, anyway, to assume all that? So, what am I to you?”

Shiver’s ear burned with frustration, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She wanted to say a million different things but was not brave enough to push anything out. She oh so desperately wanted to just scream ‘I’m in love with you!’ at the top of her lungs. But she stopped herself, feeling too conflicted on what she was feeling. 

The two breathed heavily after the argument, each with glossy tearful eyes and deep blushes, whether from frustration or their own feelings. They sat there, staring each other down as if wanting to vaporize each other with their eyes. Each remained as still as a statue, hoping the other would speak first. It was Shiver who broke the silence a couple beats later. 

“If you’re not even going to respond, I’ll take the initiative and just leave.” She picked up her discarded shoes, making her way out of the studio. 

Frye tried to call out to her, the desire to beg for her forgiveness filling her entire body, hoping to get another chance. She didn’t want to leave Shiver, especially not after that heated argument. Alas, her throat betrayed her, dry as the desert surrounding Splitsville, not letting any words escape her lips. The most she could muster was a tiny whimper, a silent plea to the girl. I want you so badly, please don’t leave me! I’m sorry!

Shiver didn’t even look back.

Chapter Text

Deep Cut announced they’re hiatus that night. It would last until the following Monday, due to the ‘health issues’ of one of the members. In their stead, it was announced (to much fanfare) that the renowned Squid Sisters would take over the broadcast. 

It took much more convincing on Frye’s part than she anticipated. For idols who had previously been newscasters, the Squid Sisters weren’t all that inclined to continue. After a lot of begging on her knees paired with pouty faces, the pair agreed. She couldn’t thank them enough, going as far as to follow them home yelling ‘THANK YOU!’ every few seconds. 

With all the important business (literally 1 thing) handled, Frye went home and flopped on her bed, convincing herself she was deserving of a break. She was so exhausted and overwhelmed, dealing with the stress of work, the stress of antsy fans requesting the real reason they went on break, and of course, the stress of having had completely made a fool of herself in front of her crush. Their last interaction stuck in her brain like a tumor and she just couldn’t get Shiver’s tone and expression out of her head, the mix of disappointment and frustration apparent across her face. It had obviously been a long time coming for Shiver, and Frye just had to open that can of worms. She let her face sink deeper and deeper into her pillow as she replayed the scene over and over again. 

“Well, what do you care about? What gives you the right to care about me, what I do?” 

Frye screamed and punched the mattress under her. 

“So, what am I to you?”

Why couldn’t she have just spoken the truth? Why couldn’t she speak at all? Frye knew it would’ve fixed everything, if only she just been less of a coward and just told Shiver that she loved h-

Even just thinking of telling the Octoling made Frye so nervous she thrashed around her room in a, for lack of a better term, tantrum. The inkling kicked and whined, the whole 9 yards. The only reason she was able to stop was when the sound (and feeling) of her wall cracking bellowed into her bedroom. 

Frye had kicked a nice little hole into her wall.

Frye frowned. This wasn’t healthy, she knew it. She wouldn’t fix anything by breaking her room, she knew it would only serve to hurt her in the long run. The girl flopped onto her bed again, her head hitting the head of her bed frame. She wracked her brain for a solution as she scratched at the bruise her bed left her. Fortunately, Frye didn’t take long to think of  a method she thought would help better than going on a rampage. 

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The trek to the outskirts of the city was a jumble. Being so exhausted and drained, Frye struggled between her brain being full of thoughts and having a complete purge of any and all thoughts, leading to more than one occasion of running into a pole. Though, as the sun set and the air cooled down, Frye had managed to calm herself enough to narrow her dwelling mind on 2 motivating thoughts: Shiver and her eels. While one made her legs all wobbly and her throat dry, she tried to distract herself with the thought of the other. Still, her heart burned for both, so she tried to clear her mind as often as she could.

The only inkling of a noise anywhere near the crater that hid Alterna were the sounds of machinery underground, bangs and cracks every few seconds resonating out of the pit. Frye breathed in the night air, a mix of petrichor and dew curling around her nose. The hole was a lot deeper than she remembered and looked pretty dangerous as well. She knew she’d be fine, she’d jumped down before. But something about being so drained worried her, like she knew that her exhaustion might just cause injury. Yet, she knew that she had to get down there and visit her eels. She took a few moments to rationalize her dive, but her already tired mind just said screw it and she threw caution to the wind. Without any fanfare, she plunged into the hole, trying her best to move around to avoid any sharp points that might hurt her on her trip down.  

Alterna wasn’t easy to maneuver around, the many islands all meshing together in Frye’s head, leading Frye to lose track of herself many times. Even the map that she was supplied didn’t help, though she did eventually find the pot she was looking for.

The dingy little stadium was just how she left it, or rather how Agent 3 left it, after Frye was defeated. She wouldn’t exactly be telling the truth if she said she didn’t still hold a tiny bit of resentment and frustration, but that was in the past. There were bigger problems in the now. The floor was inked up blue and the electronic screens peppered around the backdrop were all shut off, most likely Agent 3’s fault. It may not have been the most elegant place to stay and calm down, but it was enough. 

Frye had forgotten to bring her own weapon, so she scurried around the place to try and find something to clean the floor. She did end up finding a left over Splattershot, which she used to ink the ground around her. It was therapeutic, actually, to just shut off her brain and ink. The only downside was zoning out too much and walking into the water that surrounded the entire panel, but she came back with relative ease. Once the floor looked good enough, she sat down in the center to cool off. The girl sat for a couple minutes, drinking in the area and breathing in the stale air. She never got a chance to have a good look around, just enough time to prepare for a brawl with the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Even after the fight, she ran straight back to her two friends for comfort. She was disappointed in herself, to say the least, but her friends were all but ready to reassure her it was okay. Frye vividly remembered the way that she laid down, exhausted out of her mind, on Shiver’s lap as the Octoling gently stroked her arm, working to alleviate Frye of any guilt of losing. 

Gah! Get her out of your head! Frye mentally and physically slapped herself. She was here to avoid thinking of all that mess. She exhaled deeply. Not believing she could last any longer alone, Frye reached into her back pocket, presenting a wooden stick that split into two foot long pieces that combined at the top in an uneven sphere. She inhaled deep and blew into the pungi as hard as she could manage, a few uneven notes rushing out of the instrument. A couple beats later, a swarm of yellow inky creatures emerged from the depths of the water below, shooting out to surround the Inkling that called them. Most of the eels just swam around the stadium, happy to stretch their fins. For the others, they swarmed their owner, surrounding her in their affection and gratitude, happy to see their owner again after so long. They took turns brushing up against her, affectionate coos and growls emitting from a select few. She giggled along as they floated around.

“Guys, it’s only been, like, a week since I last saw you!” 

Frye couldn’t blame them honestly. She figured they felt trapped, stuck here hundreds of feet below the surface away from anyone, the only company being the occasional visit whenever Frye needed some comfort, or just to be surrounded by like minded people. Frye felt bad keeping them down here, but she knew it wasn’t exactly easy to keep them on the surface. Where would she put the pack? The oceans and lakes surrounding the city weren’t exactly safe, especially anywhere near Anarchy Bay where salmonoid attacks were frequent. 

She danced around with a group of them, giggling along as they swam around her feet. She basked in the calming presence of her companions. At least they were predictable, easy to read. She always knew what they wanted or meant to say even if they didn’t actually speak to her. She just understood them, yknow? Her eels listened to her and knew what she meant as well. They had a mutual thing going on and she enjoyed the simplicity very much. Of course, her mind had to ruin the moment, as it drifted to that blue haired Octoling that had been plaguing her mind. Why was she so hard to read? Why was it so damn hard just talking to her? No, it went farther than that. Just thinking of the girl was enough to drive Frye nuts! Someone like Big Man or Boss or her assistant were so easy to talk to, so approachable and close. Frye could tell from the minute they stepped into the room how they were feeling, what she could say to start up a conversation and how to function around them. But around Shiver, she forgot how to walk at times. She was so drop dead gorgeous and amazingly talented at everything she did, whether it be singing or dancing or turf war! Frye couldn’t get rid of the butterflies in her stomach that formed at the thought of her crush, nor the pit in her stomach that followed when she imagined Shiver staring back at her from the studio front door, disappointment and anger drawn out so obviously. It made her want to barf, repeating those same words to herself over and over again, punishing herself for being so stupid. 

“What am I to you?”

“What am I to you?”

“What am I to you?”

The yellow girl was knocked out of her thoughts by one of the eels impatiently crashing into her, expecting more attention. Apparently she had been lacking in the petting department, getting lost in her own thoughts. She giggled, happy to oblige, gently stroking the backs of many as they took turns in her arms. The cool feeling of their wrinkly skin was comforting and Frye found herself letting go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

The eels, ever so clever, took notice of their owner’s melancholic looks and mood. They were smart enough to understand that what she was feeling was out of the ordinary. As more and more pieced together that something was wrong with Frye, more and more prodded her with their snouts, eager to please their master.

The girl grinned back at her pets. She figured it was only a matter of time before they knew something was up and this wasn’t just a routine visit. Frye sighed and looked up at the ceiling longingly. 

“Guys, how do you tell someone you love them? Like, really really adore them, enough that you feel antsy being in the same room as them? Love that locks your eyes onto them even in a room full of people? That no matter what you’re feeling or how shitty your day has been, just seeing their smile is enough to forget how bad you’ve had it. How do you just tell someone you feel like that?”

It was a super dumb idea to ask a bunch of eels what they think of love, but Frye was running out of options. This was a last desperate attempt at clearing her head.

“I mean, like how do you seriously even talk to someone you like! I can’t even get through a full sentence without tripping over my own tongue. She just makes me feel so… augh!

Of course, the eels just tilted their heads in confusion, most probably not even understanding what she meant. Others simply ignored Frye’s statement, happily swimming around to stretch their fins. Frye let out a low sigh.

“Yeah, I know. Stupid Frye, asking stupid questions to a bunch of stupid animals.”

Her pack may have not understood a lot of what Frye said most of the time, but they definetly understood ‘stupid’ and ‘animals’ part. Those offended bared their teeth and let out low growls at the Inkling, backing away from her and staring directly into her eyes ready to pounce. Frye scrambled to apologize, saying stuff like “I didn’t mean it!” or “I was just in a mood!”. But they wouldn’t listen, chasing her around the circle they resided on, occasionally letting out an attack that Frye easily dodged. Many of those who were swimming around saw the fight breaking out and joined their comrades. Frye didn’t stay on the defense for long, though, maneuvering around the stadium to get to her Splattershot. Once it was in her hand, she turned around with a mischievous glint in her eyes, much to the fear of the eels. They stopped in their tracks. Frye fearlessly ran at the horde blasting left and right. Some got splatted and others ran for dear life. 

Frye chased them around for what felt like hours before exhaustion started to catch up to her. Her pace slowed and she was too exhausted to aim correctly, missing many of the eels right in front of her. The slimy creatures took notice and began crowding around their owner when she collapsed on the ground. Concern replaced the playfulness, many swimming up to check on Frye. 

Her mind wandered onto Shiver again and she didn’t even fight it. Talking to creatures that couldn’t respond didn’t help as much as she wanted. It was a last ditch effort, but she was hoping to find even a bit of clarity. She knew what she had to do. 

“Eels, if I survive today, I am going to talk to Shiver. I’l call her or something, you got that? I swear on everything good in this world. I want to talk to her. About us. Because I love her. I love Shiver, and I want her to know that.”

As it turns out, not sleeping for nearly a whole day wasn’t good for an idol, especially one that just ran around for an hour and a half. She closed her eyes, thoughts of the cute azule colored girl lulling her to rest. 

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Everything up until Thursday was a blur. Shiver didn’t remember much about Tuesday, other than the obvious fight that broke out between her and Frye. Though, most of the specifics of that fight were also sorta mixed up in her head. She couldn’t tell if that was due to her brain trying to scrape the memory from itself in an attempt to lighten her mood or the routine of sleeping and crying that ensued when she got home. The most vivid detail of the day was the walk home, all her feelings of shame and regret welling up until she was on the verge of tears. She was just barely able to suppress the sobs until she was in the comfort of her own room, letting it all loose like a leaky faucet. The crying persisted until she fell asleep shortly after in a puddle of her own tears.

Wednesday was where it was most fuzzy, though she was barely lucid enough to remember the morning. She remembered getting up because of the sun flowing into her room like a laser beam right into her eyes. Once up, she sat in bed for a while, contemplating her own existence and if she really blew it with Frye. Maybe it was all just a horrible nightmare, she thought hopefully. Hesitantly, she brought her phone up to her face to check her notifications. The only messages were from Big Man and Boss, one to apologize and the other to inform her that she was taking on the news until the following week. It was a relief to know that her duties would be covered so that she could sulk all for the next few days. She felt bad that Big Man felt the need to apologize. It was her own screw up that led her to this mess, why was he the one saying sorry?

She remembered the pit in her stomach from not seeing any messages from Frye. Perhaps the night before was real. 

The rest of the day was spent alternating between frequent stops to her fridge, eating any and all food she could get her hands on, and bawling some more. The only deviation from this was a quick call from Big Man about how she was doing, though she wasn’t really feeling the conversation and it was short lived. Her self pity cycle continued and she was fast asleep in bed by 5. 

Shiver woke up on Thursday from a massive stomach ache. The appetite she had festered and bred yesterday was haunting her now. The pain should’ve been enough to keep her awake, but the growling kept her from dozing off again, though she tried relentlessly. Tired of the feeling but too lazy to get up and make something to eat, she grabbed her phone from her nightstand to read the day's news. New maps and modes were announced, which piqued Shiver’s interest. Maybe she could go blow off some steam with a good Rainmaker round. It took all of her willpower to not open up Frye’s contact to reread or call the girl to apologize profusely, but she did manage. 

The hunger did eventually catch up, her stomach lurching enough to no longer ignore. With all energy she could muster, Shiver climbed out of bed and to the dinky little kitchen across the hall. Opening up the fridge she was greeted with the sight of… nothing. Well, nearly nothing, but she didn’t really count a half eaten stick of butter (courtesy of Frye’s last visit… that hurt to remember) and about 3 droplets of orange juice as much substance. So, begrudgingly, she decided that she had to go mosey on over to the store. 

Shiver grabbed whatever she could find off the floor and threw it onto herself. She ended up with a loose fit gray hoodie (some random band imprinted over the chest), a ripped pair of blue jeans and two bright red converse sneakers. She completed her mess with a black mask to cover her face. The fit didn’t look half bad for clothes she found mainly on the floor. Of course, the octoling did ignore the musty smell emanating from her form, convincing herself that it was just a quick trip to the store.

It wouldn’t need to be more than 20 minutes. 

---------

Loud bustling crowds and bright lights surrounded the Plaza, the sounds of people and city work enveloping everywhere. After being shut in her dark desolate room for a day and a half, the city made Shiver anxious. The added pressure of being a celebrity (one supposedly on break, mind you) didn’t help to ease her nerves at all. The idol kept her head down and hood up, not daring to take a glance at anyone in fear that they might recognize her tentacles or height or something. Fans really could get out of hand. She just continued to look down at the pavement as she trudged down the city streets, up and down various sets of stairs and terrains. 

Walking gave her a lot of time to think, lucid thinking. The past few days had been quite chaotic and stressful and she felt more on guard than she ever had in her life. The girl had come to terms with her feelings for her friend, tried to make a small move on her, failed miserably to talk to her and then ran away and isolated, all in the span of a week. She hated everything that was going on and the uncertainty of the future. What would happen when Deep Cut inevitably came back on air? Would she have to pretend everything was normal? Would she have to hide all of her feelings? Would she even get to see Frye again? What if the group breaks up? This drama would be a good reason for the group to crumble, though she absolutely despised the prospect. Her mind spiraled to worse and worse thoughts of not getting to see her friend again. 

Her overthinking backfired on her, as she soon found her stomach ramming into a long white foldable table that was just out of her peripheral. The girl let out a few curses and rubbed her aching stomach, now in pain from hunger and a nasty bruise. Shiver focused on what she had run into, ready to apologize and then leave, but was stopped when she recognized what she had hit. 

The table she had bumped into was covered with a wrinkled colorless sheet, haphazardly thrown on. The midsection of the cloak had a long thick blue line that ran down the center, stopping just before the edge of the table. Splayed across this section was a lengthy cobalt board holding a smaller opaque panel in the middle, tiny squares littered all around the centerpiece. Around the table were scattered blue and orange cubes and a flip scoreboard on the left side. The set was completed with two yellow stools propped up on either side of the table. Next to the table stood a goldfish clad in a beige sweater vest and purple skirt, staring at Shiver with concern in her eyes. It wasn’t long before Marigold recognized Shiver’s distinct diamond eyebrow through her outfit. 

“Oh, hello there, dear! It’s been a while, now hasn’t it!” She brought Shiver in for a tight hug.

Shiver returned the hug, “Hey, Marigold! It’s nice to see you again. It’s really been too long. Weeks at this point, no?” The pair broke apart and continued to chatter together

“Well, I’m not counting the days since my last victory or anything, so I wouldn’t know.” Marigold let out a cheeky smile. 

“Oh yeah? I thought I recalled that last time I smashed you by nearly 20 points?” Shiver shot back. 

“You must be misremembering things, love. If you need, I can show you exactly how you lost last time, hm?” Marigold motioned to the turf table. 

While Shiver did have to go get food (her growling stomach was the clearest sign of that), just 1 game wouldn’t hurt. Plus, it would be a good way to get her mind off of a certain yellow eel lover. 

Shiver had recently discovered the game Tableturf Battle only a few months ago. She had walked in on Frye and Big Man playing together during a broadcast break, immediately intrigued by the designs and little pieces. She had Frye explain the rules while they played, and the Inkling was more than happy to narrate to her friend as she destroyed her opponent. She walked her through all the rules and basic combos, all while Big Man struggled to place any pieces anywhere. After her overwhelming victory (23-87), Frye challenged Shiver to a quick game, promising to go easy on her. Shiver had picked up on the strategies rather quickly and played like she’d known the game for years, narrowly beating Frye, though she did still lose by a couple points. Since then, the game had been a nice hobby for her and she’d even gotten her own card in the game. She’d discovered the little league Marigold had near the Square when her friends told her to go play there, tired of being beaten over and over again. 

Of course, none of the players really rivaled the idol as she swiftly took out many of the best competitors. It was only until Marigold herself had stepped up to the plate that Shiver began to have more fun playing. It was always a back and forth battle for who would win, and the matches would get seriously intense. Most times Shiver won, but that didn’t mean Marigold was bad by any means. But, as Deep Cut grew, Shiver would get to play less frequently due to her growing responsibilities. Still, she tried to make time to go visit the little club and squeak out a victory or two. 

“If I play bad, it’s because I’m rusty, not because you’re any good.” Shiver finished shuffling her cards and began her trash talk. She complimented this diss with a swift placement of her first card, Killer Wail 5.1. It shocked Marigold, a bold and brash move like that on this first turn. It expanded her terrain and gave her a good point advantage, but it isolated her special cube and essentially rendered it unplayable. Marigold herself played her Squid Beakon card, rotating the piece to shoot out of the top and expand across the board a bit. The two competitors drew their next cards and planned out what they were each going to play next. Shiver strategized about her next 4 turns and placed down her Octotrooper while Marigold placed her Takoroka. Drawing again, Marigold started up a light conversation with Shiver.

“So, how’s everything been, dear?” 

Shiver didn’t even glance up from her cards, eyebrows furrowed together in deep thought about the best plan. “Idol life. It’s fun most of the time, but it has its drawbacks. The stress is never ending, I can't even go a day without something going wrong.” She placed her Sploosh-O-Matic, which was blocked and halfway engulfed by Marigold’s Lil’ Judd. The fish smiled as the octoling scowled. 

“Yeah, I bet. Can’t even imagine the life of an idol. I mean, just the lack of privacy alone is a major no-no.” Marigold grinned. She had just drawn a good card, Shiver knew. 

“Speaking of,” Marigold continued, “What’s all this with your hiatus?”

Shiver tried to swallow, but the heavy lump in her throat nearly choked her for attempting as much. “Well, you know, idol stuff. We’re only human, we need breaks, too. Big Man called it, I’m pretty sure. Or maybe Frye did, she’s always so diligent like that.” Shiver lowered her voice as she said that last part. The last thing she wanted to think about was her crush. Tableturf was supposed to calm her down anyway. 

Marigold bought it, throwing down a .96 Gal. Shiver went on the defensive and countered with a Tri-Stinger to block the incoming attack. She slipped out a cheeky grin at her opponent who seemed unfazed. Marigold looked back with a face of superiority, as if she were about to drop a bomb on the young octo. 

“Ah, I hope things are okay for you all. I’ve seen far too many groups break over small things, so be sure to hold those friends close.” Those words made Shiver’s stomach twist. Did Marigold know what was going on behind the scenes? “Speaking of friends, I think you’ll quite enjoy this card, hm?” 

Marigold threw down a long card that extended 9 cards across the board and that took up 5 spaces around her previous cards. It was rotated to the right to fit the space that wasn’t taken up, but Shiver knew which card it was exactly. Marigold had played Frye.

The tiny illustration in the center of the card made Shiver feel queasy, enough to lead Shiver to choke on her spit. As she hacked and coughed, Marigold got up and started patting the girl’s back in an attempt to help. Shiver did steady herself after a few seconds, letting a meek thank you to the helpful goldfish. 

“Are you okay, dear? I didn’t think the play was that good.” Marigold sat back down in her stool and giggled slightly to herself. Her laughter ceased as she saw the look written across Shiver’s face. Shiver’s thoughts were scrambled. She was embarrassed by the reaction she gave to a stupid card game. She had completely forgotten Frye’s card, despite having it herself somewhere in her deck. The shock of seeing her crush after avoiding her for a couple days sobered her up to how stupid she was being. Afraid of a card because some stupid crush? Shiver had lost her edge.

“Yeah, yes. I think I’m okay. It was just a shock to see that card. We… uh…” she hesitated, debating whether or not to vent to Marigold, “haven’t really… talked in a couple days? And the last time we did was sorta a mess.” Not forgetting her own turn, she placed Torpedo and drew another card. 

“Why is that, my dear? Relationship issues?” 

Shiver’s legs buckled and her cheeks glowed. “W-w-what do you mean relationship?!?! Frye and I are just friends! Member of a bang together, that’s all!” Marigold let out a hearty chuckle, wiping a fake tear from her face. It only made Shiver’s blush deepen.

“Sorry, dear, but with the amount of times you’ve talked about her while we play? You can’t fault me for assuming you two were an item. Oh, and the things you do say about her? If I hadn’t known better, I’d think you two were married for years.” Marigold made herself laugh with that last bit, but Shiver took it to heart. She was definitely guilty of rambling about Frye to Marigold. At the time, she hadn’t even realized her true feelings and was just talking about the little things she noticed while hanging with her friends. But, as she looked back, all of their conversation revolved around the cute little movements Frye did while they had eaten out or how Frye’s soft voice was the perfect remedy to a work-stress-induced headache or how positively adorable Frye was when she snored. The list could’ve gone on for ages. Shiver winced at how cringe that might’ve seemed to Marigold.

“Ay, don’t worry, dearie. I never minded the talk of that girl. You got so excited when you talked I couldn’t hate it if I tried. Straight adorable, you two. Plus, she was mighty fine at distracting you from the game. Not too dissimilar to now, actually. So, speak up now. What’s the matter with you two?”

Shiver wanted so desperately to ignore the question for a multitude of reasons, placing a cheeky Splash Wall down across her pieces. She really didn’t want to open that wound again, not sure if she would be able to hold it together enough to talk about it all. On top of that, she didn’t even fully know what was up herself. The whole situation was a mess that she didn’t feel like reliving. Regardless, she knew it was better to speak than bottle it up. 

“We… we had a massive fight. The other night, before our hiatus was announced? Well, actually, I guess it goes farther back than that? Last week, my buddy Big Man walked into my dressing room…” Shiver told the whole story of the talk with Big Man, his advice and their hug and running away. She narrated the whole week while absentmindedly placing cards. Marigold struggled to keep up with Shiver’s fast paced gameplay and even faster ranting. She nodded along most of the time and asked for clarification where she saw fit. 

“... and that eventually leads up to the other day. After our show went live, Frye asked to talk to me. Well, I think she asked to talk to me, what she actually said came out a garbled mess. But, she just started a conversation about something random and I didn’t want to seem rude so I talked along with her, just about whatever came to her mind. Eventually, I found the time slipping by faster and faster, I sorta zoned out or, like, tunnel visioned about our conversation. I wasn’t thinking about my nerves or accidentally making a fool of myself or really anything at all! All that mattered in the moment was keeping the conversation alive.” Shiver noticed the warm feeling spreading around her body as she recalled Frye’s little mannerisms as Shiver spoke or when something would pop into her mind and she would notice the darker girl inadvertently jump up and down slightly, waiting for Shiver to stop so she could talk. Frye really was perfect. 

“Your turn, dear.” Marigold snapped Shiver out of her daydreams, the ladder a bit perturbed at her thoughts being interrupted. She placed down a Splat Bomb below her starting cube, making the two specials surrounding the space glow. She continued talking about the incident.

“Nothing can last forever, I guess. She brought up the hug and I stalled. I didn’t know what to say or how to explain it without outing myself. I tried to avoid it and play dumb, but Frye kept pushing and pushing and I just… popped. I got mad at her, for nothing I think. We fought. Eventually, I walked out. My heart couldn’t take it. And… we haven’t talked since.”

Shiver tightened her hood around her head. She didn’t want Marigold to see that she was on the verge of tears. It was all coming back to her, the feelings of guilt and heartbreak too much of a weight on the young octoling. She really fucked it all up this time, huh? She wouldn’t be surprised if Frye never talked to her again. She wouldn’t have if she were in those shoes.

“You see, dear, I think the problem is the lack of communication.” Shiver glanced up.

“You two haven’t talked about yourselves at all up until now, of course you’re not going to know what to say! You rushed all of your feelings in one little argument, every tiny drop of emotion was poured into your little chat. The pair of you took it way too fast! Who told you two it would be a good idea to rush a conversation like that at this point? I think the solution is simple. Do you know the best way to get your true feelings out there? A good ol’ date.”

Shiver nearly fainted. Had she heard her wrong? “A- a date? What good would that do?”

“You’ll have that chat you two are so desperate to have, first of all. And do you really want to miss a chance to go on a date with your beloved.”

“But… there’s no way that she’ll accept anyway. She hates me, I’m sure of it.” The girl gripped herself pathetically. 

“Says who? Your mind is playing tricks on you, love. Just ask, it doesn’t have to be immediately anyway. When you’re ready dear. It will be as easy as beating you is.” 

With that, Marigold put down her last card, a special Shiver that engulfed half of the board.

“I win, love.”

---------

Big Man was more depressed than he had ever been in his life. In just one short evening, he tore his friends apart and nearly broke up their band. With his plan to bring his two pining mates together, he actively pulled them away from each other. He felt hopeless, defeated and guilty. Though, he also did feel as if he shouldn’t have been the one to cry. He wasn’t the one most affected by last night. Pity made the manta ray more guilty.

Big Man had been listening in from his dressing room, a cup placed against the wall being his speaker. He had heard how well the conversation went at first, smiling at the two oblivious of their feelings expressing a sort of relaxation in each other. He’d gotten giddy with anticipation as he heard Frye bring up the hug, however a light tug in his stomach didn’t like the tone she was speaking in. It sounded too… unsure. Too iffy. Too nervous. It made him uncertain of what was to come. From there he listened in as the conversation went south rapidly. From Frye’s ominous intro to Shiver’s fearful dodging to Frye’s incoherent rambling, it just got worse and worse. The cherry on top was hearing Frye say the exact opposite of what she wanted to by complete accident, nervousness influencing her wording. Honestly, Big Man wasn’t surprised that Shiver stormed off after just a couple minutes of hearing Frye’s excruciating retelling of the hug, he would’ve done the same thing. Either way, he felt bad for the pair. 

The real regret and fear kicked in when Big Man saw his nightmare from a couple days ago come true: Shiver stomping away angry with herself for messing everything up, while Frye walked the inverse direction, a guise of puzzlement and pain painted all over her form. The manta ray ran home as quickly as possible when the two left, hoping to video call and comfort the girls after his stupidity backfired. 

He wasn’t able to reach either of them until Wednesday, when Shiver answered. Shiver’s call lasted all of 7 minutes, the Octoling trying her best to avoid the conversation with a series of ‘yeah’s of ‘mhm’s after everything Big Man said. It didn’t help that Big Man wanted to avoid telling Shiver he was spying on them, so anything he tried to feign ignorance and ask her what was wrong, she flat out lied and said she just felt tired. Big Man didn’t take long to get the message that she didn’t want to talk, so he ended the call shortly after starting it. 

Frye had answered Wednesday night, with heavy eye bags and a background that didn’t look like her room. Frye’s call felt like it lasted hours, though truthfully, Big Man lost count after the initial 2 hours, zoning out as the Inkling talked at him, rather than with him. She prattled on and on talking about every tiny detail of her feelings or Shiver’s face or her nervousness or Shiver’s hair or Shiver’s hands or Shiver’s voice. Frye ran in circles over and over again, talking about the same 5 minutes of their conversation numerous times, with the most prevalent topic being that she never got the reason for Shiver’s hug. Big Man was tempted to just tell her it was his idea to shut her up, but he figured he owed it to Shiver to keep quiet. Big Man only zoned back in when there was a long silence, turning back to see that Frye had talked herself to sleep. He knew that Frye needed tons of sleep to compensate for her erratic behavior. He grimaced a bit and hung up, tired himself. It didn’t take long to doze off.

---------

Big Man could afford to sleep-in the next day. He initially woke up hours before he got out of bed, yet he stared at a wall for an hour thinking what went wrong ? By the time he got up, he knew what he did wrong. It was his fault for believing in a stupid sitcom. 

The rapper got up and slowly brushed his teeth, scrubbed face with a towel and applied a light layer of moisturizer. He grunted in approval of himself and trudged over to the little kitchen to make a bowl of cereal. Pouring the multicolored grains into the bowl, he turned on the TV for something to get his mind off of the situation. He nearly spit out all of his food when the same jellyfish sitcom turned on. 

“AY! Ay ay! (How dare you come onto my television! You ruined my life!)” Big Man raged.

The scene had picked up where it last left off, Jella running to Gel crying about Jelonzo leaving. Distraught for his poor friend, Gel tells Jella that the best advice is what she feels in her heart. With this newfound knowledge, Jella goes to chase Jelonzo before he heads off. This leads to an epic chase scene that Big Man figured took half of the budget to shoot. The episode comes to a climax as the star crossed lovers meet at Jelonzo’s train stop. Jella expresses her love for Jelonzo with a dramatic and drawn out scene. Jelonzo, dumbfounded, reciprocates his love for Jella, telling her that he was just too shy and insecure to pick up on her clues. Roll credits as they kiss and you got the cheesiest sitcom ending of all time. 

Big Man wondered why he sat through the whole thing, why it still mesmerized him even if he hated what it did to his friends. Yet, he felt as if this ending was important and pertained to his current predicament. He sat there for a solid 5 minutes, gears turning in his head as he tried to process what this ending meant to him. Then it clicked, what he had failed to do this whole time.

Just confess your feelings.

It was so simple Big Man wondered why it hadn’t crossed his mind before. This entire elaborate plan to use tiny pieces of advice to bridge the gap between friends and lovers was, in retrospect, ridiculous.

But he was getting ahead of himself. Why should he listen to the show again? It had only served to ruin his life and tear everyone he knew up. 

However, this thought was shattered when he received the text from Frye. He grabbed his phone off the counter and read it.

heya, biggity man! i need to call in another favor, por favor. i wanna ask out shiv on a date but i dont know how!! ahhh!!! doya think u could help me out? thx!

In his head, the pieces kept falling into place, left and right. The coincidence was something out of a movie. Of course, he wasn’t going to let this chance slip away from him. You win this time, Gel!

He brainstormed a plan with Frye that night over a video call. The girl seemed to be back home, though her wardrobe indicated that she had been stressing over the idea of a date with Shiver. Big Man also figured her manic energy and lively demeanor was a tell. Part of him was glad to see her like this, though, since it seemed like she’d gotten past the argument. 

The plan was pretty simple. Frye knew that Shiver had a very expensive and exotic pallette, so she wanted to take her out to a nice restaurant for the date. Fortunately, Big Man knew a guy who ran a joint near the upper part of Splatsville, a fine dining establishment called ‘The Crab Shack’. The owner was ecstatic to let Shiver and Frye eat there, free publicity! The plus was that the meal would be free of charge, a favor from one fish to another. 

With the meal covered, the pair had to decide on a date and time.

“I don’t think I'll be able to hold it together for much longer, Big Man. I wanna get this done ASAP!” Big Man figured they could just schedule for the next day, sorta late to give them time to prepare. Frye agreed, still showing signs of anxiety. He couldn’t blame her, the next part was arguably the most stressful.

“Why can’t you ask her, Big Man???” She asked begrudgingly, hands covering her face, burning with embarrassment. “I mean, the last time we so much as talked together, we were at each other’s throats! And you just expect me to pick up my phone and type away, ‘Hey go out with me tomorrow, mkay?’.”

“Ay… (That is exactly what I’m telling you to do, actually).” Frye picked up a pillow to shout into, complimenting the gesture with a few complementary smacks and punches. Big Man never would have thought he would sympathize with a ball of fabric. 

It took much convincing (mostly convincing Frye to not jump out her window or break her TV), but the pair were able to draft a message to Shiver:

hi hi! would u do me the honor of going out to eat dinner with me tmr? 

A message that was short and sweet that didn’t give too much away. Just a simple message from one friend to another asking to eat out together, what was so wrong with that?

“I sound so stupid. I don’t talk like that. I’m not sending that to Shiver, she deserves better.”

“Ayy (Then what do you think she deserves?)”

“Certainly not me…” Big Man felt like he was back to square one. There was nothing he could say to convince the girl to send that message. No matter what he said, Frye just resisted and resisted, though he couldn’t blame her. He could imagine the hurt she was still feeling from the argument. 

“What do I say now?” Frye’s voice sounded shrill and high pitched as she held up her phone to her laptop camera. 

That would be nice. Where would we be going, and when? I have a photoshoot at 7:30.

“AY (YOU SENT THE MESSAGE?)” 

“Of course, why wouldn’t I? Wasn’t the plan to ask her out?”

“Ay… ay ay (Nevermind. Just tell her the plan we made.)” 

---------

we can eat close to 9 if thats ok w/ u? 

if not we can postpone to sunday or sum

No, that sounds good.

I just hope you don’t mind if I’m caked with makeup. 

Where would I be going?

the wharf

it’s down by eeltail alley

jus past crush station

left of that one sports store i think ?

Ah, I think I know what you’re talking about.

Past Crush Station, I believe?

ye thats the one!!

its kinda high end so u can dress up if u want ?

Well, don’t mind if I do. 

Though, I’d expect the same of you. Don’t wanna look out of place compared to you.

See you then, Frye.

see u 2, shiv :)

Chapter Text

Giant metro trains cruised through the city, overlooking the tall buildings as they zoomed past the land. The streets were busy and bustling, people were getting off of work, ready for a weekend with their families. Couples were out looking for places to eat on date night, some squids signing up for late night turf war. Many were already clocking out, content to sleep in tonight and save the energy for the actual weekend. No matter where you looked, there was always at least somebody there.

The Wharf was packed by the time Big Man reached the restaurant, one long line snaking around the entire building and extending down the next street over. Just looking at the large group of Octolings, Inklings, jellyfish and more made Big Man thankful he  and his friends got special treatment. He couldn’t imagine the pair lasting in that line together. He hated pulling strings most of the time, but this was a special occasion. His friends’ love lives were more important than his own personal irks. 

It was about half an hour before Frye and Shiver were set to arrive, and Big Man had come early to survey the area to ensure the date went smoothly. He was planning on reserving a table across the room from the pair as to keep watch in case things went south. He didn’t exactly want to have to defuse the situation, but if the situation arose, he at least wanted to be there quickly. Need be, he had a pack with just about anything the two love birds would need, including (but not limited to) tissues, water bottles, barf bags and a couple sets of clothes for each of them.

The manta ray had already checked in with Chip, the owner of the restaurant. The two went way back, before Deep Cut was even an established and esteemed group.= in society. Big Man initially helped fund the small establishment when it was opened, giving half of what small-time idol work made him. Even when Big Man did rise to fame and was swept away by the responsibilities of being an idol after Deep Cut grew, he still supported his friend. In what seemed like just a few days, The Wharf grew past the shabby little cabin that it was originally rented as. Chip gave huge credit to his manta ray friend, despite Big Man’s best attempts at being humble about it. The whole ordeal made tonight a whole lot easier to work with. 

Chip had agreed to let Shiver and Frye into the VIP restricted area with relative ease, happy to offer a hand to his best friends’ friends. It also wasn’t a bad idea to have THE Deep Cut in his restaurant, for publicity sake. Big Man offered to pay the bill that the pair would rack up, but Chip declined, no matter how hard Big Man pushed. He insisted it would be on the house. It was a bit of a struggle, but Big Man eventually accepted his gratitude. Defeated, Big Man was at least happy to be rid of one worry. 

Currently, Big Man was sitting on a nearby bus stop, just around the back of The Wharf , trying to conceal as much of his huge figure as he could. Being an idol was a full time job, having already dealt with many fans who saw through his not-so-subtle disguise. As fun as the fans and fan interactions were, tonight was a big night and he had to ensure absolutely nothing fell even slightly off path. He’d already told his Inkling companion about how hush-hush their meeting was supposed to be, heavily emphasizing the subtlety of it all. All that was thrown out the window as soon as he saw the squid. 

It didn’t seem that Frye had got the message, as when she eventually walked up to their designated meeting spot in brilliant and vibrant colors. Big Man had to strain his eyes to look at Frye, her outfit bright enough to blind the poor manta ray. Frye’s shirt was a flowy bright yellow blouse that appeared to be too big on her, the long sleeved rolled up a couple inches up and the hem tucked into her blue jeans. He accurately couldn’t tell how far it extended down her body since Frye wore high waisted jeans up to her lower abdomen. The pair of pants was rolled up just above her black Mary Jane flats, the small heels click-clacking with every step. (He could’ve sworn he saw Frye’s heels bend rather concerningly around as she walked or the occasional trip over herself a couple times, but that was neither here nor there.) The strap across the top was tightened around her socked foot, the end a bright yellow poppy that looked as if glued on by Frye herself. Her face was covered by a thin barely noticeable coat of makeup, a little blush added to her already rosy cheeks and eyeliner penciled on across the top lid. She finishes herself off with a silver necklace, a tiny shark ornament dangling down to her chest above the dip on her blouse. 

It all looked casual, yet unnatural on Frye. This was most likely due to the way she usually carried herself, a style that screamed 12-year-old-that-just-learned-what-ripped-jeans-and-punk was or laidback-mom-who-slept-instead-of-take-care-of-the-kids. All her clothes seemed to have numerous holes from years of use, which Frye would claim were marks of appreciation. And on more than one occasion he would catch her sniffing her laundry pile looking for the least stinky clothes. Seeing her actually sorta dressed up was… a shock. He didn’t know she could look so pretty. 

“What? Were you expecting me to go on a date with a pair of skinny jeans and a half torn crop top?” She acknowledged Big Man’s stunned stares, correctly guessing his thoughts. 

“Ay. ay. Ayy-ay ayyy! (Yeah, exactly actually. It’s a pleasant surprise to see you like this!)”

She slumped down next to Big Man, the deflated Inkling confessing, “It was the Boss. Well, I guess actually more Boss’ assistant? I had to call out on a scavenge they had me scheduled for and told them about the date. Miss Callie squealed and essentially interviewed me about the date.” She scratched at her chin and gazed up at the darkened sky, as if trying to recount the encounter. “When I said I wanted to go in a comfortable pair of slacks and a crop top, she basically yelled at me and invited herself over, bringing along a whole closet's worth of clothes. It was a solid 3 hours of trying out item after item before Boss deemed me worthy enough to go out.” 

The lemon tentacled squid itched and pulled at her costume, clearly not used to the fanciness of her attire. The sight got a small chuckle out of Big Man.

“Ayy (I’m sure Shiver’ll love it).”

Frye shuttered a little, a petite “I hope so” leaving her lips.

--------------------------------------

The plan was to sneak them through the back exit. The media would catch wind of the whole of Deep Cut being at the shack after the whole ordeal was over and done with. The riskiness of getting the press involved in a private date between two idio- I mean star crossed lovers was not what Big Man needed today. It was the day to right his wrongs and finally patch up his bandmates’ relationship, he didn’t need a cameraman taking pictures or raising the pair's anxiety. 

They traversed the back rooms of the restaurant, (rather quickly, mind you, as Frye had arrived a solid 10 minutes after she was supposed to) moving through the kitchens and storage rooms, signing the occasional hat or sleeve of any Inkling or Octoling that recognized them, though they heard many being chastised by the sous chef after they had left the room, silently apologizing for the trouble they inadvertently caused. Eventually, the two had made it to the VIP section of the restaurant, quickly finding a nice isolated table to sit at. 

Though there were other celebrities or high end customers scattered across the many tables, Frye was too nervous to notice if she knew anyone. She focused on one task at a time, first focusing on finding her seat, then trying to sit down without shaking too much. She missed her seat a couple times, but she was able to scoot herself onto the stool. 

Big Man noticed her nerves, supplying a bottle of water from his backpack, which the squid quickly uncapped and chugged, letting out a loud hoarse sigh, followed by an equally loud coughing fit. Her manta friend patted her back reassuringly, worried about how the date would go. If this is how nervous she was now, how would she be when Shiver actually arrived?

“ AY ayy ay? *(Shall we go over this one more time?)” A simple nod from Frye was all he needed. 

“Ay, ay ayay. Ayyyy ay ayya. Ay  *(So, when Shiver gets here, I’ll go through the back and pick her up. I’ll make sure to text you when she arrives, so be on the lookout for that. Once she actually gets here, you should pull out her chair for her and seat her, it’s common courtesy, it’ll give you bonus points with her).” Frye nodded along, hands practicing the gesture of pulling out an imaginary chair in front of her. Her eyes seemed to be glazed over, clearly distracted by what was to come in… shit, 2 minutes! Shiver would be here in just a couple minutes and Big Man had completely forgotten to check the time, engrossed in easing his friend. 

“Ayyyya, ay ay! Ay! (Alright, well I gotta go stand outside and wait for Shiver. Just practice the conversation we talked about last night! You got this!”). And with that, the manta ray stumbled out of the room, his massive frame bumping into many other tables, quick apologies sliding out of him. Before long, he was out of sight, through a pair of double doors to go and get her date.

--------------------------------------

Tap tap tap 

Frye’s anxiety manifested in her unconscious tapping on the table, a noise that only worsened as time went by. It had felt like centuries of waiting, though her phone told her it had only been no more than 20 minutes. Still, though, 20 minutes? To go get someone who was supposed to be out there already 15 minutes ago? What was the holdup?!?

Tap tap tap

Frye regretted her bravery already. The more time went by, the more she wanted to abandon ship and just waltz out the front door. Actually, the more she really thought about it, the more it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. In one fell swoop she could avoid the awkward conversation and confrontation, the stupid pity date she had landed and the embarrassment of rejection (at this point she really had zero confidence in Shiv liking her back). 

Tap tap tap

True, she’d probably have to abandon Deep Cut as a whole, since avoiding Shiver would be a pain while on air or during Splatfests. Her heart ached a little at the prospect, idol life being all she really knew. Maybe she could convince Boss to give her an assistant position for the Splatoon… 

TAP TAP TAP

Bzzzzt

She practically ripped her pants reaching into them for her buzzing phone. 

“Sorry for the holdup! Got carried away chatting, otw now!!”

No, her heart totally didn’t clench at the thought of Big Man and her Shiver talking for nearly half an hour together. It would be so unreasonable to be jealous of something she had done herself literally less than an hour ago! She totally didn’t feel any uncertainty about those thoughts, not shoving them deep into the recesses of her mind.

The seconds leading up to the first encounter were more than a pain. Looking back, Frye couldn’t exactly tell if time was rushing or dragging, all she could recall was the sheer agony that she went through. She re-brushed her tentacles, adjusted her blouse, popped a mint (just in case) and sat up straight. Restless as ever, she kept fidgeting around in her chair, doing anything to appease the anxious energy. Nothing seemed to work.

Yet when Big Man eventually walked her in, Frye was utterly stunned, frozen staring at the Octoling as she walked in. The lights seemed to dim around her form and the room went silent, no sound except the quick beating of Frye’s heart hammering heavily in her ear. She couldn’t help the blush that took over her entire face.

There was so much Frye wanted to just gawk at. Shiver’s face looked to be clear of any cosmetics, save for the small layer of red lipstick painted onto her lips, which to Frye was more than enough to make Shiver’s looks pop out more the usual. Her chest was covered by an obsidian tank top that draped across only one shoulder, cutting off near her armpit. The shirt was cut enough to expose a bit of her stomach so Frye had a clear view of her belly button, though she tried not to make her stares noticeable. Frye gulped hard, pulling her eyes further down to her pants. Shiver donned a simple pair of rocha pants with a white and black striped pattern circling around the item of clothing. These pants just barely draped long enough to cover the ankles, though Frye noticed that she could see a tiny bit of her ankle when Shiver walked, the lift up on steps exposing the skin. Her feet were covered by dark leather heeled ankle boots, tall enough to not reveal how short the idol actually was. Her toes peeked just a bit out of the front, the blue polish clear as day to the admiring Inkling. There was a silver zipper across the side of her shoes that seemed to be tightened halfway. The boots made a loud and distinct click clack as Shiver walked, pulling all attention towards her. Frye finished her examination with the small burgundy purse caught hanging on her wrist.

Frye also noticed the light sheen of sweat that Shiver had around her forehead. This paired with the small pants coming from her companion told Frye that Shiver most likely ran from the studio to here in a rush. Frye only became aware of her forgetting to usher Shiver to her seat once the girl had collapsed into her chair with a huff, pulling out her own water bottle and taking a large swig of the drink. Half of it was gone before she dropped it from her mouth with a satisfied sigh. She deposited in her bag as she struck up a conversation.

“Sorry I’m a little late. The shoot seemed to drag on forever, I swear they brought out an entire store worth of clothes for me to model! Oh Cod, and it didn’t help that I kept getting distracted thinking about… this.” The pair blushed, the statement resonating with both. They were equally embarrassed by the prospect of actually being here on a date with their crush. 

“Yeah, it’s really no problem! I was having fun… uh… picking at the table cloth. It’s been a fun way to pass the time!” Frye tried to lighten the mood, yet her statement sounded more passive aggressive than reassuring. All of the pre-planned conversation starters or topics her and Big Man rehearsed, and even her ability to speak seemed to be stripped away from her brain, overcome by the sheer anxiety of being this close to her crush. her throat tightened and her mouth felt dried out. it took all of her willpower to not pass out then and there.

There was an air of silence that followed the brief introduction, each wanting to talk to the other but afraid of starting the conversation. Sure, there were a couple awkward attempts and a lot of unease glances, but any conversation was usually cut off before anything could actually blossom. Frye continued to pick at the table cloth, eventually moving over to the loose strings on her jeans. She couldn’t focus on much with the sound and feeling of her heartbeat, loud and heavy in her ears. She’d occasionally make eye contact with Shiver, before lightly smiling and dragging her eyes back down to her fingers. 

Shiver wasn’t much better. She would often open her mouth to say something before clamming up and taking a generous slurp of her water bottle. Whether it was the general awkwardness of being one and one on a date or her own regret of their last… 'conversation’ bubbling up in the girl's mind, Shiver just couldn't speak. It didn’t help that all that she could think to say was that she was sorry.

Eventually, their server arrived at the table, much to the relief of the two awkward girls. He was a small jellyfish, dressed in formal attire, a black suit and tie. The small twirled up mustache across his face moved around as he spoke. 

“Good evening, Madames. I hope you are well. I, Stout, will be your server for tonight.” He placed a basket containing two large loaves of bread at the center of the table and pulled out a mini notepad, though his size made it seem pretty large. “Can I get you started with any drinks?” 

Frye looked at Shiver expectedly, obviously wanting the other to order first. In all honesty, Frye hadn’t even looked at the menu yet, distracted trying to figure out a way to strike up a chat, so she had no clue what she wanted to get. But when she met Shiver’s eyes, she saw the same look that she was giving back. Shakily, she picked up her menu and sifted through the pages and landed on the drink choices, trying to ignore the obviously already irritated server’s eyes burning into her forehead. She gave a quick once over and spoke up. 

“Y-yeah, I’ll just get the lemonade, please? No ice in there, if you will.” Stout scribbled away on the notepad before looking at Shiver. “And you, my dear?”

“Just the same, please. Thank you.” 

A quick scribble and nod, followed by a courteous bow was all Stout responded with before walking away to get the idols their drinks. 

A deep growl emanated from Frye’s stomach, a clear sign of her hunger. She hadn’t eaten all day, too anxious to stomach putting anything inside of her. The date plagued her mind and everytime she so much as attempted to take a bite of something, her gut would revolt. The Inkling had noticed the bread as soon as it was placed down, but took it to be impolite to eat before Stout could even ask for their orders. She had concluded on waiting until he was gone to go for the food. Now that he was gone…

Shiver took notice of Frye anxiously swiping for the appetizer, though she didn’t expect her to take the whole loaf and take a nice crunchy bite out of the tip. She wasn’t even sure Frye was aware of the move she just pulled, but it caused Shiver to giggle anyway. Frye ceased her nervous stares around the building, focusing on her date’s giggle. 

“ Wat’s sho funny ?”,the girl spoke despite her mouth being filled with bread. Crumbs and chewed up bits of the bun flew out of her mouth as she talked, which only caused Shiver to laugh out louder. Frye blushed a little, a mixture of embarrassment and shame. Man, she really was making a fool of herself. 

Shiver calmed herself a bit, enough to see Frye’s embarrassment. She cleared her throat, a few more laughs spilling out as she said “I’m not laughing at you, Frye. Well, sorta, I guess. You’re just always so… silly. You never fail to make me laugh”, Frye’s blush only deepened, “Plus, you didn’t even see the amount of crumbs that fell out! It was like a full sloshers worth!” Replaying the moment in her head caused more laughter. Frye couldn’t help but crack a smile at it. She’d take the embarrassment any day, as long as she could see Shiver laugh all the time. She took a deep swallow. 

“Sorry, I was just so hungry, I haven't had a bite to eat all day. The second I saw that bread hit the table I couldn’t help myself.”

“Really? The Frye Onaga, not eating for a full day? You’d have a better chance convincing me Big Man didn’t break the studio couch.”

Frye took another big bite from her loaf, which Shiver smirked at. “Well, you better believe it! I’ve just been so anxious, practically shaking the house from the moment I woke up!”

“And when was that, 2 hours ago?” 

They giggled at the back and forth, finally relaxing as the groove of conversation kicked in. It was familiar, comfortable, like how things were before the fight. The pair took shots at one another a little longer, until they were out of breath from all the laughing. 

“I’m sorry I’ve been so… y’know… dry? I just don’t really know what to say.” Shiver admitted once she was able to stabilize her breathing. 

Frye threw the remainder of her loaf into her mouth and chewed. “Oh, no! No, no I don’t blame you at all, I could’ve started talking too. I just didn’t wanna go with those same formalities, it gets pretty boring. Oh, how’s your day? Are you doing alright? Everything alright at home? How are the kids? Snooze fest, if you ask me!” 

Shiver snickered. “So, you don’t care about how my day has been? Not even a bit? How rude.” 

“N-no! I didn’t mean it like that! I do wanna know about your day, just it can get so repetitive and I didn’t wanna open up any boring conversation because what if you thought I was lame or something or like-'' A clammy yet soft hand reached across the table to sturdy her hand, stopping the unconscious nervous picking of the tablecloth. She tensed up, surprised yet not opposed. 

“You know that I could never find you lame, Frye.” Shiver rubbed her thumb across the top of Frye’s hand, a reassuring gesture that Frye all but wanted to melt into. It was hypnotizing and addicting, she’d never felt anything more heavenly in her life, like Cod himself came down to hold her. She sat there content with the feeling, as she stared into Shiver’s charming blue eyes.

Though, Shiver withdrew her hand as she spoke again, and Frye immediately missed the feeling. “My day was pretty standard, really. I had to wake up pretty early for a quick interview with Clamour, which is always a pain. That interviewer Rita Reedfish? I swear she has it out for me!”

“Oh my Cod, same! Everytime I go over there for an interview it just feels like an excuse for her to berate me for half an hour! Like, no I don't remember the exact point in time where I came up with the melody for a years old song! I don’t remember what I ate last week!” 

Shiver smiled. “Yeah, right? Cod, sometimes I wish we could just tell her she’s stupid. But you know she’d spin that story as if we were the bad guys. No choice but to go along with the stupidity. But, anyway, after that I had time to walk around the plaza, so I was able to visit that one candy shop off 5th. They had only been open for an hour or so, so I was able to get a boatload of those sour pops. Those greens and reds are to die for.” 

“Awwww, no fair, those are my favorites! Didya happen to bring any for your favorite Inkling?” Frye pouted, and Shiver immediately cursed herself for having left the sweets at home. She knew Frye would’ve loved the gift. 

Before she could think of something to appease the Inkling and her sweet tooth, Stout walked back with their drinks, placing both lemonades in front of them. Swiftly, he took out his notebook and pen again, prepared for the two to order. “And have we decided on what to eat this evening, ladies?”

Shiver took the initiative this time, simply ordering a Lobster Lumpia with extra seaweed. Frye fumbled with the menu once more while Shiver ordered, prepared by the time Stout asked her. 

“I’ll take the Crabby Cake Sliders, please? With a side of fried rings, please and thank you! Oh, and a Coral Roll wouldn’t hurt, right? And also a refill on this lemonade would be much appreciated, if you will.” 

The jellyfish grumbled a bit, writing the order down quickly and reaching for the half empty glass. 

“You need to be more considerate to the servers, Frye. Learn some manners! I know for a fact you didn’t grow up in some sty, so act like it!” She playfully swatted Frye’s arm. 

“Oh Cod, you sound exactly like my mother. And that’s not a compliment, mind you!” 

“I’ll be taking it as one, seeing as your mother is such a nice squid. Do I need to text her about your attitude?” She pulled out her phone, which the squid quickly tried to swipe out of her hand. 

“Shiv, don’t do that! You know how seriously she listens to you! I’d get an earful from her if you said anything to her. She just needs an excuse to yell at me at this point.” Stout came back with her glass and was dismissed with a quick ‘thank you’. Frye lowered her tone a bit and said, “Plus, what’d I even do wrong? He asked for my order, and I gave it to ‘em!” Shiver simply laughed at her.

“Cod, Frye, you are a handful. Don’t make me regret agreeing to tonight, I don’t need you embarrassing me.”

Though she knew it was a joke, Frye felt a twinge of sadness at the thought. It wouldn’t be hard for Shiver to be embarrassed by her. Frye always had the kinda aura around her, a silly immature good-for-nothing embarrassment. She had been told it wasn’t true, but she couldn’t help but believe it at times. 

“Frye?”, the inkling snapped out of her trance, looking up from her hands, noticing the serious expression on her face, “I wanted to, y’know, apologize? I’m sorry for the other night, the argument I mean. I-I think I just lost control of myself? I’ve been holding it all in for a while, I guess. I didn’t mean anything that I said. I do seriously enjoy every second I spend with you. A-and I understand that you have your own reasons for what you do, I shouldn’t pry into your personal life.” Shiver looked uneasy, something that made Frye feel queasy herself. 

“No, Shiver! Your feelings and your concerns were all valid! You didn’t bring up anything that wasn’t true. I was the one who started it all anyway, jealous of a stupid little hug. I didn’t wanna look stupid and I felt so ashamed, really I was just trying to dig myself out of the hole I buried myself in. I just wish I could’ve talked to you a little more before you left…” She tried her best to reassure her, though the last statement seemed to have the opposite effect. 

“I’m sorry, Frye. I-I just wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. Frankly, I didn’t wanna let you see me cry or crack anymore than I had. I was just so scared to let you in. I didn’t want you to see that… well it doesn’t matter, I guess.” She raised her drink to the other girl. “Will you accept my apology?” Frye grinned wide and proud, slamming her own drink against her friends. “Only if you accept mine!” They both downed their drinks, laughing along with each other. 

“Hey, Shiv? Y’know, I’m not really… opposed to seeing whatever you’re hiding. You don’t have to feel ashamed to show me what you’re feeling. I’ll accept you no matter what, I hope you know! I don’t even care if you hate my guts, as long as you're honest about it.”

The Octoling smiled lightly. “Thanks, Frye. It means a lot. I just… my feelings… towards you… are complicated? I can’t really tell you much, I’m afraid that you’ll hate me. Are you ever afraid of that? Telling someone something that’ll probably push them away from you?” For a brief moment, Shiver had thought about confessing. The prospect filled her entire being with dread, the fear of being rejected or making Frye feel pressured to go out with her. The last thing she wanted was Frye feeling bad about rejecting her. “I don’t wanna hurt you or make you feel bad about anything, so I usually keep to myself about this stuff.”

Frye felt a wave of nausea shoot through her, her mood slowly deflating like a balloon. The bread felt heavy in her stomach, she felt so queasy she could throw it up. Where was she going with this? “Y-yeah, I guess I feel like that sometimes, too. But what exactly do you mean by that, Shiv?”

“I mean I don’t wanna cause you any pain. The way I feel about you, it’s so confusing. It’s so intense, it feels like it’s burning through my heart as we speak. Cod, I wish I could just be honest. I don’t wanna drag this out any longer.”

Drag what out? A feeling so intense it was like a burning hole? Didn’t wanna cause her any more pain? The hints Shiver was dropping were slowly piecing together in Frye’s mind. To Frye, this could only mean one thing. 

Shiver was about to tell her she hated her. She didn’t know whether to panic or cry. She was beginning to tear up, and it wasn’t like Shiver didn’t notice. She gave a look of confusion and concern. 

“Frye, are you okay? Is there something wrong with your stomach or-”

“No, I’m fine, Shivy. I’m perfectly fine. Absolutely positively fine. More fine than I’ve felt in months. It’s so clear now. Cod, why didn’t I see it before?” Frye didn’t even register her breath quickening. It all clicked together. The avoiding her for weeks, the lack of conversation between them, the argument as a whole. Shiver found out Frye liked her, she had to have. The only reason she accepted this dinner was to finally break things off with her, the guilt finally becoming too much to handle. She was ready for it, but Frye still wanted to speak her peace.

“Are you sure, Frye We can call the waiter back and ask about how long the food’ll take, or…” She blushed as she thought of what to say “...we could ditch this place all together. There’s a nice ice cream shop just across the alley we can stop by.” 

“No, Shiver. You don’t have to keep it up anymore. The charade is over, I get how you really feel now. No need to pretend, is there?” Shiver’s heart skipped a beat. Had she really found out about her crush? And the way she was reacting… perhaps Frye hated her-

“I get it now. I’m sorry for not picking up on the signs earlier, I would’ve respected your boundaries better. You hate me don’t you? You just want to be rid of stupid ol’ Frye, the girl who has pined over you for a good few months now, right? You found out that I maybe wanted to hold your soft, warm hand, all day long until we had to be forced apart by producers or Big Man? Or that I spent days lying awake because I was terrified of dreaming of you, in fear of waking up and feeling that loneliness wash over me? Or that I would read over our entire text threads over and over again just to feel that giddiness again? Or maybe you noticed that I would stare at you from across the studio or while you were getting your makeup done, in such awe of even being in the presence of a coddess! Did you find out that I loved your voice so much, I would ask you to re-record already perfect vocals just so I can hear it again and again? Or that I would jump at any chance to talk to you, even going as far as to wait casually outside your dressing room? Maybe you found out that-that,” It was now or never. Either she spills it now or forever holds her peace. All she had to do was blurt out-

“Found out that I’m in love with you, Shiver! So hopelessly head over heels for you! So irreparably infatuated with you!”

Cod, her ears stung. Her throat burned, her eyes glistened with tears. She could feel herself shaking and held her own arm down in a futile attempt to steady herself. Her body began to ache but begged to get up. If she just ran out now there was no way Shiver would fol-

“Here is the lumpia for you ma’am. Would you like any extra dressing on that?” Stout placed the dish in front of the Octoling, clearly unaware of his awkward timing. Shiver simply shook her head, and Frye noticed that her eyes seemed to be watering up, too. Stout then placed down Frye’s sliders and rings, though a couple of them fell as it slipped off of his hand. “I’m deeply sorry about that, milady.” Stout worked to correct it, picking the rings up with a towel and placing them in their container again. He bowed once more, a meek “Enjoy the meal” following. He was off soon after. 

It was a game of chicken for a minute, neither wanting to make the first move at their food or anything else. Frye had laid everything out on the table and the humiliation of it all was starting to get to her. She was beginning to fully realize what transpired. Shiver opened her mouth to speak, but Frye didn’t give her a chance.

“Excuse me, I’m just going to make my leave. I-I’m sorry.” 

Frye got up, head down in defeat. She’d fucked it up again, just as expected. Frye really didn’t know what she was expecting out of it all, a silly fantasy to want to date an octo as perfect as Shiver. Really, what was she thinking?

She didn’t take more than 2 steps before her wrist was caught by that same reassuring comfort from earlier. Confusion crossed her face as she looked up at the grip, eyes dragging along her entire arm, up her shoulder and neck, until it reached her face. There was a look plastered over Shiver’s face, something Frye couldn’t exactly pinpoint, though she did notice the moistness of her eyes and the small smile she was giving off. Did she really enjoy rejecting Frye that much?

“Frye.”

Such a simple word, just her stupid name, was enough to make her heart beat quicken. No, it wasn’t the actual word, it was the person saying it. Her heart burned so badly. She gave a tight tug, attempting to free herself of Shiver’s fierce grip.

“Frye, hear me out. Please.”

She gave another tug, though weaker than the former. 

“Please, Fry-Fry.” 

Her tug was barely a tug at all. Once the blue tentacled octo noticed the squid’s calm, she continued.

“Frye… I think… I do get you. What you’re saying, I mean. What you’re feeling.” Shiver gulped and Frye slumped in curiosity. “I have this… feeling in my gut. It twists and turns and lunges when I happen to see you enter a room. Or when you giggle at my jokes, I can’t help but stare at your smile! When you call out my name, it wraps around me like a warm comforting blanket that never fails to put me at ease. How I’ve spent hours up at night with my eyes drooping just so I can text you for a second longer, even when I knew the next day's performance would be hell. And when you happen to hold my hand? I feel like I could just about burst. I can only take you in doses, my own brain getting in the way most of the time. It just stops thinking whenever you’re a part of the equation. I feel so much, I’ve felt so much in these past few months! 

Frye, what I’m trying to say is… what if… I love you, too?”

There was a sort of tension between the two in those moments. A stand-off, both still a bit awkward, still trying to register what was just said. It didn’t last very long before Frye threw herself into the smaller girl's arms. 

Tears and laughter flowed from Frye into Shiver’s chest, her body nearly numb with elation. She buried herself deeper into her date- no her girlfriend - as she basked in the warmth and comfort. It felt so natural to her. Shiver couldn’t help but crack a wide smile at the sight and feeling. Obviously she felt more excited than anything, but having her Frye in her arms after so long? There really was no better feeling.

They sat like this for a while, neither caring about the looks from the other customers. All they really cared about was being with each other, taking turns rubbing circles into the other’s arm or back. After so long, it felt so strange to be here, yet also so familiar. It was like they had been dating for years, in this exact position millions of times before. It just felt right.

Shiver was the one to break the silence. “You know, you’re kinda a stalker. Reading over our texts all the time? Dreaming of a girl you’re not even dating?”

“Shut it, Shivy.”

“I mean, staring at me when I’m not watching? You’re such a creep, Fry-Fry.” Shiver giggled out. 

“I said shut it, Shiv! ” She took matters into her own hands, silencing the girl’s giggles and insults with her own lips. It wasn’t a deep kiss, it was clumsy and awkward, though neither cared. It was intimate and it meant the world to them. They leaned into each other and held it until Shiver couldn’t breathe. When they did dethatch, Frye scooted herself onto Shiver’s seat, arms still attached to her. She rested her head on her shoulder and cuddled the squid as she took a bite of her lumpia. She watched the roll rise and fall from her mouth, anything even remotely associated with her girlfriend interesting.

In the corner of her eye, she spotted that familiar gray and black figure a few seats away. Big Man’s face was one of achievement and pride, though she could also see the relief written all over him. When he noticed her stare, he waved. All this really was thanks to him, huh? She couldn’t have done shit without him. 

Frye melted more into Shiver’s neck, holding up a small thumbs up to her wingman.