Training (Agent 38 M/M Splatoon)

Chapter 2

Ever since Agent 8's experience with Agent 3 on the testing grounds a few days ago, it had been slowly been plaguing his mind. It quickly began to approach the point where it was difficult for him to think about much of anything else. For the first time for as long as he was capable of remembering, he began to see his body as something more than merely a vessel necessary for survival. It was like the first time that he tasted food above ground; Inklings regularly consumed delicious foods purely for pleasure rather than for the sake of sustenance. Maybe what he had discovered now was similar to that...?

Agent 8 decided that he couldn't stand it any longer to find out.

~

Agent 3 and Agent 8 had just arrived back to their apartment after a particularly exhausting series of missions with the New Squidbeak Splatoon. They had been out nearly all day, and it was around 7:00 PM when they were finally set to leave. It was nearly impossible for Agent 8 to focus during any part of it. He couldn't stop staring at Agent 3, and the strange feeling inside of him only began to swell whenever he did. He was relieved to be back home, but not for the same reasons as Agent 3. Upon entering, they both kicked their shoes off at the front door and placed their weapons on the table.

"Man, today really took a lot out of me. I need a shower," Agent 3 ceremoniously announced with an exaggerated stretch before placing his Hero Headset on the counter. He hastily threw off his Hero Jacket and shirt, leaving him in his black short-sleeve undershirt and his usual athletic black shorts.

Agent 8 watched for a moment as the Inkling boy made his way to his bedroom where the bathroom was connected, before quietly following behind him.

Agent 3 was in front of his dresser picking out some loose, comfortable clothes to put on so that he could relax for the evening. He had planned to show Agent 8 some fun boardgames he thought the other might enjoy later on, and happily sighed as he thought about how the other's face would light up at the dumb objectives.

"...Agent 3–"

Agent 3 nearly jumped out of his skin, his blithe thoughts suddenly interrupted by the Octoling who had managed to sneak up on him. He craned his head around to meet the other's gaze, intending to joke about how he had caught him off guard, but was even more surprised to find that the other wore an unreadable expression on his face. It slightly unnerved him.

"Oh, hey, is something wrong...?" he looked up at Agent 8 with curious eyes.

"I need to talk to you about something."

That certainly confirmed Agent 3's worrying thoughts. Agent 8's tone of voice wasn't reassuring at all, but it was important that they came to each other to talk when they were troubled. The squid hesitated for a few seconds before standing up and motioning to the bed, before sitting on it and waiting for Agent 8 to follow.

"Of course, let's talk. What's on your mind?" Agent 3 watched Agent 8's face closely, trying to figure out what might be bothering the Octoling before he spoke.

"Agent 3... It made me feel weird when you were showing me how to use the E-Liter in the training facility a few days ago."

Agent 3's stomach dropped. So that's what he wanted to talk about. He placed his hand behind his neck and forced out an uneasy laugh before starting to apologize. He had sort of forgotten about the whole thing, but deeply regretted it now after seeing how it had affected the Octoling, feeling pretty stupid about the way he had acted. He didn't realize that the other would take it so seriously, and now he probably seriously risked messing up this special thing they had... Great. Add that to the ever-growing list of times he's screwed up by acting without thinking.