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Rider sighed as he closed the gear shop for the day and took a mop in his hand. He was going to work on some stuff, then he’d shut the lights off probably.
He liked it here, so he didn’t mind the overtime. No people in sight either so…it was a win-win for him and the store itself.
He had been working in Ammo Knights in the plaza for years and Sheldon still hadn’t promoted him yet. Rider thought he could do much more than whatever he was doing now. (Also the guy needed to retire for fuck’s sake, he was probably at that age at this point. Rider himself could take over and he could get some rest.)
The yellow-green inkling mopped the floors quietly. He didn’t really like to listen to music, the peaceful silence was already like a lullaby to his ears.
Speaking of lullabies…he was so, so exhausted. If his muscles could speak they would probably sock him in the face for overworking them. (He liked working though…)
He grumbled as he noticed an oil stain mixed with ink on the floors, right next to a broken roller.
Reckless Dynamo mains…of fucking course, he thought as he scrubbed the floor in annoyance. He would never treat his beloved weapon like that.
After wiping the floor clean, he packed the dark colored Dynamo away to repair it. Stretching his arms while standing still, he shook in his place slightly. A yawn escaped him with his good eye closing on its own, and that’s when he heard the door knock.
He rolled his eye with a grumble and turned around.
“It says closed for a reason, you–”
His words were cut short when he saw a familiar blue inkling on the other side of the door. A blue inkling with glasses, to be specific.
Specs waved at him with a smile, Rider let out a tired smile as he waved back. Thank Cod it was just him.
…
……
………
…oh FUCK it was him–
All of his hearts started beating rapidly as he opened the door to let the other guy in, the cool breeze from outside hitting the scar on his eye. The blue inkling scurried in as the other inkling noticed he didn’t have any weapon with him.
“Hey Rider.”
“H-hey,” Rider said with a stammer, immediately cursing internally after. “What’s up?”
“Nothing really. I just wanted to check in on you, since you haven’t been on any matches lately.”
“Really– I mean, uh, thanks,” Rider said while scratching the back of his neck. “That’s– that’s very nice of you.”
Specs wandered around in the store, looking at the small weapon parts visible through the counter glass while Rider tried to calm his hearts down.
The yellow-green inkling decided to break the silence. “Are you going to get something or?..”
“Huh– no, I just wanted to take a peek,” Specs muttered, looking at the counter mindlessly for a few seconds before perking up, his eyes wide as dinner plates.
“WAIT I FORGOT YOU WERE CLOSED– fuck man I-I’m really sorry– I’ll just find my way out don’t worry!”
As the blue inkling scurried back out of Rider’s way and to the entrance of the store, the yellow-green inkling rushed forward in an impulse and grabbed the other’s wrist.
“Hold up! You can stay–” Rider avoided Specs’ stare when the nerd turned his head back at him confused, as he could feel his hearts going up full speed again. Then he realized his hold and let go of him as if his wrist was made out of fire.
…fuck I’m so sTUPID–
“I– I mean we can close the store– together. How’s that?”
“Um– What about Sheldon though?”
Rider shrugged, scratching the back of his neck with a glance aside. “H-he isn’t here right now. Old man needs some rest anyway.”
“Whatever you say, I guess,” Specs said in a slightly quiet tone, opposite to the one he used when he lectured his team. He went over to his previous place and resumed his staring at the counter, while Rider couldn’t help but form a small smile on his face. A few moments of quiet passed, with Rider organizing some stuff while Specs looked around.
He turned to the back of the store.
“I’ll be at the back,” he turned around to announce, the blue inkling looking up from the Brella he was checking out. “Need to fix some stuff. If you need anything just let me know.”
“Actually,” Specs’ voice made Rider stop in his tracks. “Would you mind if I come over there as well? I’m kinda curious on how you operate stuff back there. If it’s okay for you, of course.”
“Uh. Yeah. Sure. W-why not.”
Damn it, why do I keep stuttering… Rider thought while the blue inkling snuck his way into the other side of the counter. He asked it in such an…endearing way, Rider couldn’t help it but find it quite cute–
Hold it there, Rider.
…although the way he tilted his head was also very cute–
I SAID HOLD IT.
He shook his thoughts as he got a key to a backdoor in the shop. Turning the lock and hearing it click, Rider heard Specs let out an awe when he turned the lights on.
The yellow-green inkling couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. Juuuuust a little.
The room was nothing special, just a tiny repair room mostly used for quick check ups. There were tools either hung on the walls or on the table in the center of the room. Different types of weapons were either blueprints rolled up in a basket at the corner or -still- hung up on walls. There was an Aerospray on the table, waiting to be worked on as well as some other weapons laid on the wall in a corner. It was not exactly a ‘fun’ space, some might say.
Although for Rider, someone who was heavily interested towards this stuff, it was a small heaven. Where he can work on some weapons and nobody could get in and bother him.
He went ahead and looked at the Aero on the table, tinkering with its paint tank while Specs looked at the plans on the walls. Rider quietly worked as the blue inkling pulled out a small notebook and sat on a chair at the corner.
After a few minutes of nothing but pure silence (and bliss that came with it), the yellow-green inkling lifted his head from his work to the chair and stared at the other inkling for a full good minute. He was crouching and had the notebook propped on his knees, from the looks of it he was fully immersed to whatever he was writing or drawing in it.
Rider quietly placed the paint tube on his hand to the table, only making a low tap noise. He made his way over to the blue captain as stealthy as possible, and peeked from his shoulder.
Specs was drawing something identical to the Range Blaster propped up next to the chair, and on the drawing there were some circles around the ink tank area.
Rider decided to break the silence.
“Are there any problems with the tank?”
Specs let out a loud EEK as he closed the notebook with the speed of light.
“HUH– W-what?” He stammered as he unconsciously tried to scoot himself away from Rider, already to no avail because he was on a tiny ass chair propped up to the corner.
“I saw that,” Rider said in a cool tone, “you were circling the ink tank. I haven’t had the chance to look at that one. You figured it out?”
Specs looked aside, death grip still on the notebook. “...Kinda?”
“Kinda?”
“I didn’t wanna touch it without your knowledge so I opted on taking a quick look over it instead.”
Rider didn’t say anything, instead he sat and crossed his legs on the ground, taking the blaster in his hands after. After seeing the jammed tank, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Woah, turns out you were right,” he said as he turned the thing in his hands. “The tank’s busted from a spot inside. And you figured that out by glancing at it?”
“I– I suppose?..It looked a bit strange.”
“That’s pretty cool actually, good job.”
Specs’ entire face went blue. “Uh…thanks, I–I guess.”
Rider stared at the blue inkling for a full minute before his face also did the same flushing blue thing as the other inkling’s.
“YEAH,” he almost screamed and got up quickly to return to the table, this time his back was turned against the other.
Oh my Cod I think I’m actually dying what.
Rider glanced right, and saw the other inkling standing up and stepping towards the door.
“I can go if you wanna?..”
“NO,” Rider’s voice cracked. He coughed into his fist and motioned at the table. “I-I mean I’d like some extra hands on these. Please.”
“I thought you might wanna work alone–”
“Fuck that,” Rider blabbered a curse, “you seem…you’re kinda skilled at this. And it’s nice to work with someone else sometimes. Someone who– who knows what they’re doing,” he said while not being able to look at the nerd’s direction, let alone face.
Rider almost missed the hopeful ‘really?..’ that came out of Specs’ mouth, but he definitely didn’t miss the glint on his eyes.
He came over to the table and put the notebook aside.
Minutes passed while the two worked. After that Rider re-attached the tank of the Aero to put it aside as Specs noted down some info.
Rider did the same thing he did earlier, to stare. He scooted closer to the other captain again, to get a look. A few seconds of silence passed before the yellow green inkling spoke quietly.
“You should make a manual like Army.”
“SHIT– You gotta stop that, man!”
Rider couldn’t help but giggle. To think he managed to get the guy who used to tremble in front of him, actually snap at him.
(He honestly admired that about him, though. No way in hell he would say it outloud but Rider liked the way the nerdy inkling’s thought process worked. How he managed to lead.)
Specs coughed to his fist. “I do have some manuals, they’re just not exactly organized in a way Army does his. It’s organized in my way. I used to do it like him though, so the older ones look like his manuals, for sure.”
“Some?” Rider said, crossing his elbows on the table. “Like, multiple?”
The spectacled inkling sputtered at the sight of the roller main scooting a bit closer to him. “Y-yeah. Multiple.”
Their arms were touching side by side now, Rider’s red shirt against Specs’ white dress shirt.
The yellow green inkling noticed this as he immediately turned his head from the brush main’s face to the wall, the tools hung up on there suddenly being the most interesting thing at that moment.
“That’s…cool. I guess.”
“Thanks,” Specs said with a quieter tone, looking down to glance at the table.
“Would it be fine if I…y’know,” Rider started after a few minutes of silence. “To look over some of them.”
“...yeah, absolutely,” Specs said. “All of them are back home right now, I can bring them–”
“No, no, don’t go all the way back on now,” Rider turned his face to the guy, who was also looking at him. He took an inhale. “I was actually gonna say…I can come over to your place? M-maybe?”
“You…wanna come over?”
“We can close the shop and then– um–” holy shit did Rider get closer? “Maybe we can go there with my bike? If that’s fine, that is.”
It took a full blown minute for Specs to gather his brain and answer (and he was someone who could mass-reply).
Rider was about to change his mind last minute before Specs spoke. “Of course. Let me get my stuff.”
The blue inkling scooted away from him and disappeared behind the door that led to the main shop.
Rider stood there as he packed away some metal parts, still thinking about how they got very much close this time.
(Maybe next time?)