Work Text:
Louie isn’t sure what to make of it as he hears the ship announce that they’ve paid off 90% of the company debt. It’s good news, sure. This little blip in Hocotate Freights history will be done, and the company will remain in good standing until their boss inevitably makes some sort of terrible financial decision: not that their current predicament was really his bosses fault, but that’s neither here nor there.
It’s a bit unfortunate in his eyes, though. Louie likes this planet. He wouldn’t call himself selfish, but rather… strongly motivated by himself and not much else. This place was perfect for that. The lack of rules and regulation, the presence of so many unique plants and insects to eat - it’s really his ideal, if he’s being honest. He’s not exactly well liked on Hocotate either, and he knows this. Most people who meet him are very prone to being off-put and attempting to leave any interaction. Fine by him.
There’s only been one exception to this, and it’s Olimar. Louie likes Olimar, which isn’t something he’s exactly proud of. Not because of any inherent negative quality of Olimars, but rather because he had tried incredibly hard to avoid liking Olimar. He’d tried to be quiet, and borderline ignorant, and displayed all the parts of himself which tended to draw people away.
They only seemed to draw Olimar in. Louie can’t help but feel far too good about the fact that Olimar is able to tell how he’s feeling or what he thinks far better than anyone else he’s met before. It’s very considerate of him to have learned Louies little… quirks. It’s too considerate. Olimar is nothing short of kind. He seems to remember everything Louie tells him, he’s willing to entertain Louies cooking, and he looks at Louie with such a genuine warmth it could drive him up the wall.
The issue with this that Louie has begrudgingly come to terms with is that Louie likes Olimar in a way that goes beyond them being coworkers or even friends. He had guessed something was up when he felt nauseous whenever he heard Olimar mention his wife. He was certain of this when he checked the ships emails, saw Olimar and his wife having issues, and his first reaction was one akin to relief.
Well, issues was a strong word. Louie didn’t read all the emails, but from what he could gather Olimar bringing home more money had led to his wife just spending an insane amount of money. It definitely seemed to be stressing Olimar out though. He wasn’t the type to actually bring up that anything was bothering him, but Louie has spent so much time with the other man he can tell when somethings wrong.
Olimar seemed to be getting more stressed as they approached the end of their debt, too. A selfish part of Louie had to wonder if he didn’t want to leave the planet either and wanted to stay with him. An even more selfish part of him wanted Olimar to just stay with him, to be around him, to stop talking about his wife and to just look at him with the kind of loving adoration he could only imagine Olimar looked at his wife with.
As the ship announced their closeness to the debt being paid off, Louie could see Olimars face tense up. It was very slight, but Louie was far more observant about Olimar than he’d like to admit. Normally Louie wasn’t the type to… ask someone if they’re okay. He supposed he could make an exception just this once.
“…Are you okay?” Louie asks as they walk into the ship together. It sounds a bit flatter than he would’ve liked, but Olimar seems to appreciate it nonetheless. He looks up at Louie for a minute, before shrugging.
“It’s a bit difficult, Louie. I miss my family quite a bit. I want to see them more than anything. Yet, I worry that things have changed at home since I’ve been away..” Olimar trails off, before shaking his head. He takes off his helmet and sets it down besides him.
“Sorry, I probably shouldn’t bother you with my family dilemma.” Olimar says apologetically, smiling half heartedly at Louie. “Are you looking forward to going back to Hocotate?”
What a great question. The answer is a definitive no.
“…No. Like it more here, with you.” Louie replies, finally taking off his helmet and sitting down next to Olimar. The last part is a bit more forward than Louie would’ve usually gone for. He’s just feeling a bit more… inclined, than usual. So to speak. He could swear he sees Olimar blush a little at this.
“I… well, I like it here with you too. This has been a pleasant experience with you, even given the circumstances.” Olimar says softly.
“It’s going to be lonely.” Louie states awkwardly. Not for Olimar, he imagines, but decides to keep that comment to himself on the off-chance his wife is secretly filing for divorce in those emails. It’s a bit hard to get a read on the situation.
Olimar looks at Louie with an expression Louie can’t quite place. It’s like pity, mixed with… sympathy? No idea.
“I could always visit you sometime! I’m not sure how much my wife wants me at home right now anyways.” Olimar laughs a little, but it’s a bit forced.
Louies ears perk up. Maybe that secret divorce email was real. This is terrible, to be secretly hoping for a man’s marriage to fall apart. Doesn’t really stop him though.
“Huh?” Is all Louie decides to say. It’s not a great response, but it leaves the conversation open to continue. Olimar doesn’t respond, staring down at his hands. It’s a bit funny to Louie considering that Olimar is normally the only one talking out of the two of them, but it’s not exactly the right time to mention that observation.
“I’ll be lonely too, I think. Not entirely! I’ll be with my family, and I truly love them more than anything. They’re really the world to me.” Olimar says.
“It’s just… it’s been different while we’ve been here. I like getting to adventure with you, and trying the unique dishes you make.” He continues. Louie is definitely certain in the blush on Olimars face at this point, which brings him far too much joy. It’s a bit sick to be actively hoping a married man would rather be with you than with his wife, but he wasn’t exactly disproving that. “Things continue to change around me. You don’t. You’re still just you, and what we have right now stays the same.”
Louie spends a minute debating if he should, but he moves closer to Olimar and wraps an arm around him. They aren’t this close very often - beyond Olimars occasional physical touches, they never have contact. Getting to touch Olimar and be this close to him is nice. Louie would rather step on nails than initiate physical contact with anyone else, but Olimar was proving to be an exception to quite a few things.
He has to hide a smile when Olimar ends up putting an arm around him as well. A smile which would’ve probably bordered on a smirk. Olimar is such an unwavering beacon of a man, it’s almost like winning a little game for Louie when he gets to see Olimar do something uncharacteristic. It’s like the time they were exploring and Olimar asked Louie to cook a creature specifically for him (a request he fulfilled gladly!)
“Do you ever wish you could stay on this planet?” Louie murmurs. “With me. I meant. You’ve been stuck here alone before.” He’s being far too much right now, but he has a sneaking suspicion if he’s ever going to get anywhere with Olimar it’ll be tonight.
Olimar is quiet.
“…It’s not right of me to answer that.” He begins. “I can’t say I’d be against it, though.”
Louie can’t help but grin at this point. It’s a shit-eating grin, the type that would cause the average person to want to slap him. Olimar looks at his face and seems to furrow his brow for a minute, lightly blushing.
“What are you smiling at?” He asks. They really are so close right now, and it’s all Louie can think about. Olimar is an incredibly warm presence in the literal sense as well. Warm enough for Louie to want to lay on him and have the world disappear. Another time.
“…Nothing.” Is all Louie says. Truthfully, it is nothing. This little moment won’t change anything in the future. They could have a massive emotional conversation right now, and Olimar would still go home to his wife. It’s a meaningless struggle that Louie can’t help but partake in with the never-ending belief that somehow he’ll get what he wants.