Outside of Turf (Coroika Apartment AU)

Sleepless

This is an "au" where all the teams live together with their teammates in one apartment in the city. I say au because I actually don't hc all the teams to live together, but for the sake of this fic and to create different situations and shenanigans they all do now.

Some ships will be included (what can I say I'm shipping trash), but most of the time I'll be focusing on team dynamics/character interactions.

x

For reference (may change in later chapters):

(Three bedroom unit. Vintage and Omega have their own rooms while Red and Double "share" a room.)

Omega yawned as she shuffled into the kitchen, eyes blinking wearily from lack of sleep. She was used to waking up in the middle of the night for no reason, and going back to sleep was a daily chore.

She opened the refrigerator door, wincing slightly at the loud squeak it made. The inkling glanced around out of habit, despite knowing that no one else was usually up at this unholy hour. After making sure the noise didn't attract a ghost or whatever she expected, she grabbed a jug of milk from the side, one with a "Do Not Drink" sticky note slapped on it.

Omega closed the refrigerator door and grabbed a glass near the sink before seating herself at the kitchen table, pulling the chair out as quietly as she could. She pulled the jar stopper out with a slight pop, pouring in about half a cup of milk before setting down the jug on the table.

She swirled the milk around the cup, watching the dimly lit white liquid slosh around the glass, before taking a sip of it. Creamy and tasty, with a hint of vanilla; just how she liked it.

Omega sipped a bit more as she looked out the large window above the sink, the clear glass showing her the view of the outside world. Neon colors and building lights lit up the dark sky of Inkopolis, the nearest ones reaching far enough into the apartment that she could navigate the area without having to turn on the lights. It was a somewhat comforting feeling, being alone in the quiet darkness surrounded by bright lights.

"Yo, Mega-"

She whipped her head around quickly towards the voice, muscles tensing up at the unexpected company.

"Hey, chill." Double Egg raised his arms up in surrender. "It's just me. I live here too, ya know."

Her body relaxed, shoulders slumping downwards. "Double, what are you doing at this hour?"

"I could ask the same to you." He pulled a chair out with a loud whine as it's legs scraped against the tiled floor, letting his body fall onto the seat lazily. "Well, I just couldn't seem to fall asleep. I'm guessing the same for you?"

She nodded her head in response, taking another sip of her drink as she glanced at her late night companion. His signature shades were missing, and she could make out the contrasting red and blue colors of his eyes. His heterochromia was old news, but she never did get close enough to him before now to notice the purple markings underneath his eyes, or the fact that he seemed to be missing the black eye mask inklings usually had. They made eye contact for a second, Omega breaking it by averting her gaze with a slight flush on her face.

"It's a bit odd how I didn't hear you coming out of your room." She brought up, trying to distract him from her embarrassment. "You aren't exactly the stealthy type."

"Oh, I wasn't in my room; I was on the couch." He scratched his head. "Probably why I couldn't fall asleep in the first place. I'm surprised you didn't notice me."

She shook her head. "I always go straight to the kitchen from my room. The couch is facing away from it, so I wouldn't have seen you unless I walked over."

She took another sip of her milk. "If the couch isn't comfortable, why don't you sleep in your room?"

"Red's always kicking me out. Says she needs her beauty nap, locks the door and doesn't let me in till the morning."

Omega cracked a small smile, holding in a laugh. "I didn't know she did that, but it sounds exactly like her."

"Well I wish she didn't, my back is sore from sleeping on the couch so often." He grumbled. "Her reasons are complete bullshit too, I don't even snore, I swear!"

She chuckled softly, taking a gulp of the milk to stop any laughter from escaping her lips. Double cocked his head to the side, eyeing the drink.

"So, is that your favorite drink or something?"

"Sort of. I'm always waking up in the middle of the night, so I guess I drink it often." She pushed the jug of milk towards him. "Want to try? Maybe you'll be able to fall asleep too."

He accepted the offer and popped the lid open, not bothering with a glass and drinking straight from the jug, making the girl frown at his lack of manners.

"Mm, holy shit, this stuff is good." He tilted the bottle down and licked the liquid off his lips. "Really creamy, but I don't think it's gonna make me sleepy anytime soon."

"Well yeah, it's not exactly a sleeping agent. It's just comforting to drink."

"Well, is it working for you?" Double tilted the jug back up to his lips, swallowing the last of the liquid with a contented sigh.

"Not really." Her mind was more active due to her conversation with Double, and with her body no longer tired from a lack of sleep, milk wasn't going to help anytime soon.

"Well hey, if you can't make yourself sleep, why not tire you body out a bit?" He grinned at her.

"It's only, what, 2am? Let's go and grab a midnight snack! There's a really dope noodle bar nearby that should still be open."

"I'm not sure." She appeared hesitant to accept the offer. "I'd still need to change to go out...."

Her oversized shirt and basketball shorts weren't exactly the best things to wear while going out, especially in the cold of the night.

"Pfft, no need for that, the night doesn't judge! Just throw on a jacket and let's go!" He stood up from his seat and went over to the couch, grabbing his jacket hanging on the headrest and throwing it on in one quick move.

"Cmon, it'll be fun! I'll even pay." He tugged at her hand expectantly, eyes bright and filled with excitement.

She weighed her options. She could stay home and try to get a few hours of sleep before having to wake up for training tomorrow, or she could spend the rest of the night with Double, eating and chatting the night away to either of their hearts' content.

"....Alright, let's go."