♡ goggles x rider ♡

Chapter 4: Inkopolis Square Café

[Yes, I skipped the fight against Skull. But it's not like you guys are here for that so...]

A sweet victory had made its arrival. All that training had really payed off. Goggles-kun, Glasses-kun, Bobble-chan, and Headphone-chan succeeded in beating Skull, the best member of the S4, and his team. The crowd who had witnessed this triumph all had different opinions they kept shouting. Some called the blue team idiotic, others praised them for having won against someone like Skull, and the rest were simply shocked. All the inklings, including the match's viewers, returned to Inkpolis Plaza shortly afterward. Rider stood outside the entrance to the lobby room and waited for the team he had trained to come out.
"Guys, look, it's Rider!" Glasses-kun pointed out to his team. Him and Headphone-chan casually walked up to him, but Bobble-chan and Goggles-kun ran happily.
"Rider, thanks for everything!" Goggles-kun and Bobble-chan both exclaimed. The two of them jumped around cheerfully.
"It's nothing, really," Rider assured the blue inklings. The expression on his face was neutral, but it was better than his usual angry look. That look was about to change, though, as he felt a pair of arms tackle and wrap around him. He struggled to keep his balance, but somehow remained standing. Goggles hugged him tightly, his face nuzzling Rider's neck. The yellow-green inkling felt his face get warm and his hands sweaty as he stood there, unable to do anything.
"What d'ya think you're doing!?" he growled. Even though he acted as if this bothered him, there was nothing he did against it. Goggles continued to hold on. He didn't see anything wrong with it.
"You didn't complain last time." He finally let go of Rider with a big smile, not noticing that his face was slightly redder than usual. The rest of the blue team caught up at last. They greeted Rider and talked about the match. All of them agreed that battling together helped them win. "We should all celebrate! Let's go eat some food!" Goggles proposed excitedly. He checked his hero jacket's pocket for his jar of pickled plums. One of his hands held the jar while he unscrewed the lid, and he placed a plum in his mouth. Tastes so good!
"I mean, why not? Rider, you should come as well," Glasses suggested. He was the one that trained the four blue inklings anyways. There was no harm in having him come to eat. It also was polite to do such a thing. He thought about it for a second before answering.
"Hm, sure." A simple response was all it took.
The group agreed to go to the Inkopolis Square Café. They took the subway train and got there in no time. Blue team and Rider were all in line to order something to eat. Everyone got something of a reasonable size to drink, but Goggles ordered a large chocolate latte. It might have not been too good of an idea. One table near the windows was empty, and it had just enough seats for all of them. Bobble-chan sat down first, Headphone-chan sat second, then Glasses-kun, Rider, and Goggles-kun. No one really spoke up for some time because they were too busy eating. Goggles slurped his drink loudly, and fortunately not loud enough to cause a disturbance.
"So what do we do now?" Headphone-chan asked the group, taking a good-sized bite out of her croissant. "I mean, we already beat S4... What else is there to do?" She took a sip of her vanilla bean Frappuccino.
While Goggles-kun and Bobble-chan blew bubbles with their straws, Glasses-kun gave an actual response. "I would say we should look for more opponents, elsewhere, to battle against in turf war," he stated. His finger pushed his glasses upwards and positioned them correctly.
"That's not a bad idea," Rider said. A tan napkin helped him wipe biscuit crumbs off the corners of his mouth. "People around Inkopolis Square can be very competitive. I heard there's a special rank called Rank X-"
"I HAVE TO PEE!" Goggles jumped out of his seat. He ran around in small circles trying to find the restroom. "WHERE'S THE BATHROOM?!"
Everyone but Bobble-chan, since she always stood there smiling, had a similar reaction. Headphone-chan facepalmed, Glasses-kun shook his head, and Rider pinched the bridge of his nose. The group laughed it off. This moment seemed quite familiar, didn't it?
"I'll show you," Rider offered, sighing. The blue inkling ran towards him at lightning speed and was ready to follow him. They made their way to the back and took a left turn. This turn revealed a small hallway with restrooms. Goggles quickly ran into one and was able to calm down. While he used the bathroom, Rider had some time to think as he waited outside.
As tiring as Goggles could be sometimes, there was something in him that made him quite the interesting, not your average inkling. He was quite amusing, since he often did ridiculous things. Whatever he was up to, whether it be turf wars or eating food, could always put the rest of the group in a good mood. His bubbly personality could even be considered adorable. It was pretty enjoyable to have him around. An adorable personality... Rider thought. It was odd of him to think something like that. There were very few times he brought up that word, yet this thought just slipped past him?
"Ahh... I feel better now," Goggles spoke as he stepped out of the bathroom with one hand out to hold the door. Rider snapped back into reality, realizing the inkling he thought had an 'adorable personality' was right in front of him. He turned his head away from Goggles and put his hands inside his pockets. The two walked back to the table. The blue team continued their conversation from earlier as they finished their food and drinks, with Rider bringing up things occasionally. That wasn't his main concern, though. His feelings towards Goggles were changing, and he wanted to know why.