(OUTDATED) Sweet Spikes (hot date x endurian)

Playing Detective

Another week passed. Hot Date had been thinking about Endurian and that interaction with Witch Hazel. All week. When Witch Hazel was teasing him about the thought that he liked Endurian, Endurian didn't seem to acknowledge it. Was he playing dumb? Was he not saying anything out of embarrassment? Was he repulsed by the mere thought? Was he trying to act different around his friend? He needed some sort of answer, or at least a lead or a hint.

Or at least that's what he said. That he wanted to find a "lead". But he knew, deep down, that he just wanted to see some behavior from Endurian that could tell him that he didn't secretly hate him.

He decided to text Endurian again; but this time he asked Endurian to come over to his house instead.

When Endurian got the text from Hot Date asking him to come over, he didn't show it but he was elated. To him, that told him that Hot Date was comfortable enough with him to invite him over to his house, despite his less than good reputation among other plants who had around Hot Date's influence. Endurian accepted the offer, and once Hot Date sent his address he was off.

Endurian got there in about 20 minutes. He knocked on the door, and almost immediately the door opened.

"Hey, Endurian! I've been waiting." Hot Date beamed, letting Endurian in.

"Oh, it's... it's roomy in here." said Endurian, slightly taken aback by actually stepping into what someone would call a "rich" house.

"Haha, yeah... do you want anything to eat? Or a glass of water?" Hot Date asked, already making his way to his kitchen.

Endurian thought for a moment, then said "I guess some water would be nice."

"Alright, make yourself comfortable!" said Hot Date as he went to get a glass.

Endurian nodded, and went over to Hot Date's living room, which was right next to the kitchen. He decided to sit on the carpet, so as to not poke any holes in the couch.

A few moments later, Hot Date returned with two glasses of water, having poured a glass for both Endurian and himself. "...What are you doing on the floor? Y'know there's a couch right behind you." Hot Date let out a small laugh upon seeing Endurian on the carpet.

"I didn't want to poke holes in it." explained Endurian.

"I don't mind." replied Hot Date.

"Alright..." Endurian said reluctantly, settling himself on the couch. Hot Date sat himself next to him and handed him one of the glasses. "Is there a reason you invited me over?"

"Eh, not particularly; I just wanted to hang out!"

"Ah. Well, what do you usually do for fun around here?"

"Hm... well, I read occasionally, play video games, go shopping, listen to music... just generic stuff, y'know?"

"You play video games? What kind?"

"Well, it's mostly just strategy or rhythm games, like osu, for example. But I also like Mario Kart. Why, do you wanna play something?"

He didn't know why exactly, but Endurian was shocked to figure out that Hot Date liked Mario Kart. To him, Hot Date didn't seem like the type to even play video games in the first place. "You—... how about Mario Kart? I love that game."

And with that, they were playing Mario Kart 8 (and even though it's not important, Hot Date's playing as Princess Peach and Endurian's playing as Dry Bowser; again, no real plot significance but I just thought I'd mention it for fun).

Hot Date mostly just played casually, and not often, but Endurian was a master at the game. Mario Kart is one of the main things he played while sitting around bored at home. It's not like he had friends to hang out with before Hypno-shroom started talking to him a few weeks ago, so he resorted to Mario Kart to occupy him when he wasn't lurking around social media. With the game as a main source of entertainment for him, he soon mastered the tips and tricks of the game.

"And another win for you! Good game, Endurian!" Hot Date said, the two having gone through multiple rounds, with Endurian ending up in the top 3 each time.

"Yeah, good game," Endurian agreed, taking a sip of water after focusing on the game for a while, "but I'm a little surprised you haven't gotten pissed at all because you keep getting hit by stuff. It gets on Doom-Shroom's last nerve every time we play."

"I like to think I'm pretty patient most of the time. Believe me, if my temper was anything like my dad's, my reputation would be down the drain." Hot Date laughed, also taking a sip of water while the game was still on the home screen.

"Oh, I see. Anyways, are you up for another few games?"

"Sure thing!"

They played for another one or two hours before Endurian decided to leave. After he left, Hot Date decided to reflect. Endurian had been a lot more social than the first time they talked. That made him happy, since that told him Endurian was getting comfortable and liked his company. He was also considerate enough to not want to poke holes in his couch at first. He could finally tell himself that Endurian did not, in fact, hate him. Along with that, he found something they could bond over. That night, he slept happy, knowing that he might actually have a chance.