Goggles' POV

Rider stood in front of me. 

It was unbelievable that he was at the same time as I was alone, around my environment and my body begun to shake. It was apparently not seenable from the outside but I felt it. My several sweat pearls rolled down my skin and I couldn't control my nervousness. From his sight I acted for sure pretty normally and that's why he kept being mute.. 

I assumed he waited for a reaction from me but I was stubborn, still staring at the ground like a pretty rude inkling. I wasn't known as a rude dude, but as a talkative one too. I lost too much force from the salmon run shifts before and therefore I couldn't speak.

As always he had his nice looking tight black inky rider leather jacket on, with the fake contacs and the octoling boots. That was his classic gear set and he never changed it as far as I know about him.

 Meanwhile my crush stood in front of me, without making a single move, around five minutes or even more. He didn't want to leave me alone, so I was forced to talk to him again. I breathed deep in and tried to act normal, because at least he's my best friend. Of course I didn't say anything about the crush thing yet, because otherwise the friendship would be already broken.

I did never have the courage for this so far, and that's why I hated myself for it. Slowly I raised my head up to him and gave a fake smile. 

"Hey.. Rider" I spoke so motivated as I could do and successfully he didn't figure out my real mood, with smiling brightly back.

"Hey Goggles. What are you doing here so lonely?" he asked interested and looked around, as he placed the golden dynamo roller onto the ground. 

"Nothing to be honest. My team and I were playing before salmon run but then we had enough. My team splitted up and I'm the only one left, who has no idea what to do" I said the full truth, because lying to him would make it even worse. 

"Well, I'm lonely too but you know me. We should make some turf wars together. I just realized that you have no weapon by you tho. Uhmm, are you in?" he asked nicely and offered me a hand. Yeah, he was acting really nicely, but I knew in the back of my mind, that he's still the Rider who I knew since the friendship begun for the two of us.  I remembered what I said about myself, that I should find out if he feels the same as like me, so I HAD to accept his request. I stood up and the fake smile got erased. 

"Heh, thank you Ridey" I beamed and clutched my arms around his legs. Keep being on the ground, I looked up to him and watched, how he rolled his eyes. "Ugh, don't thank me because of that. Come on, Goggles. Let's get your weapon" he said and shook me off. I wanted to stay by his legs tho, so I kept staying stubborn on the ground. 

"Goggles! Don't be so childish" he begged embarresed and blushed at the same time. Rider looked nervous around and hoped that nobody saw us, but in the middle of the inkopolis square was that actually an impossible wish. 

I didn't want to make him upset, that he would even dare to kick me, so I stood up. Almost as like a shot from an E-Liter we were at the same hight again, and I smiled to him. I felt really bad that I didn't take his offered hand, because somehow he didn't feel like doing this anymore. Clinching my arms around his legs was apparently a mistake and now I was kinda sad, as he rejected my offer with the hand. I was too late with it, but nevertheless it didn't let me down. It was my first attempt to proof my love physically but nope, of course I forgot, that even this little thing was a chance for getting to my goal closer. 

Oh well ... another time I won't forget. Hopefully...

Side by side we left the inkopolis square and with slow steps we headed towards my house, getting my weapon so quickly as possible. Rider already knew where my home was, so he suddenly increased his speed. I don't know why he did that, but I assumed he didn't want to lose too much time for only walking. 

I kinda enjoyed this walk tho, because I was by my crush. By him. By Rider. To get to know his feelings towards me better, was definitely to stay close to him. Because I didn't have the guts, to just ask him, this was one of the best ways. I wanted to make an effort, because I wanted to find it ou as soon as possible. The earlier, the better, but I was aware of the fact, that it won't go so fast, as I would wish. 

Reading Rider's emotions is quite difficult and that's why I wanted to do things with him, that he'll show them to me, by doing unexpecting actions. 

As soon as this will happen, I will ask him. I was supposed to wait for the perfect moment and I had to tell myself, that the time until this moment could be even several weeks. Normally I'm not that patiance, but because I saw a goal in front of me, I could wait forever.

"About what are you just thinking? You look kinda depressed..." Rider suddenly murmed, and brung me out of my thoughts in an instant. I looked away, while hiding my blush with my goggles and murmed some weird stuff. Curious and concerned he didn't ask after it more and knew, that I should let be in peace. 

"Anyways. We're home. Should I wait here?" he asked kindly and stood quiet. "No, you can come in" I answered pretty fast and nervous, because I had my disadvantages in my mind, if I would go into my house alone. It wasn't because I didn't want him inside it, no .. it was rather because I didn't want to let him wondering about long I would take, finding my weapon. 

Unfortunately I had no idea where my weapon could be. Maybe inside my room? At the corner where all our weapons actually are? I didn't know, but had to look ... with Rider.

Inside the house, I stood silently in the living room, until Rider stood next to me.

"It's been awhile... now, where is it?" I asked directly and I felt, that he didn't want to lose any time. It scared me and made me feeling even more stressed. 

"Y-yeah ... sure sure" I said without taking breathe and looked around after it like crazy. His look said to me that he didn't care about my changed acting, so I ... lowkey felt tears.

Does he even like me?

SInce that moment on I was more unsure but then I remembered my promise to myself again. I should stay positive. Didn't I just thought some minutes ago, that I could wait forever? Well, I was supposed to deal with good and also bad signs, because who knows, they're perhaps not even meant in this way as I might think at the first place.

I was supposed to forget this, so I threw this negative case into the trash bin. Nevertheless I was still feeling stressed, but luckily I found it then in a random corner. 

Sadly tho, at the same time, Specs came from upstairs and broke the friendship moment with ONLY the two of us. Rider looked to him and smiled, kinda ignoring me. My disappointment into Specs and into myself's luck I hid behind a smile, like I always do, so they knew I was alright. 

Of course I wasn't, but spreading out worries, was a bad idea. Hiding it, was the best option, so I kept pretending to be happy with the grin. 

"Hey Specs, what are you doing here?" Rider asked him, what surprised him and me after a minute of realization. 

"I ... just realized we didn't bring our weapons with us" he said emberassed and made one of me. I lowkey saw myself and would yell at him as well, but I had to remember that Rider was next to me. Seeing my anger would also show another side of myself and that would make him feeling about a unlimited friendship unsure as well. I just ... kept being myself.

"Our weapons are there" I said behind my crush, pointing into the corner where all of our team's weapons were. "Oh .. there they are. Now we can go and make some battles" Specs beamed and then ... Rider felt so slowly as the outsider, what I never wanted to let it happen. 

"I didn't know that Specs wanted to battle with you" Rider mumbled and turned his back to us, slowly leaving the room and at the end, my house. I couldn't believe he just wanted to leave, and because I WISHED then so deeply, to spens some time with him, I chased after him, leaving Specs alone, speechless in the blue team's house. 

"WAIT, RIDER. Why are you leaving already? I-I thought w-we might team up in some turf war battles" I stuttered, showing my emotional side to him. I actually wanted to do this later, but now it was totally necessary. 

"I planned to do a turf war with only the two of us. A 1 vs 1, so to speak. With Specs ... no, just no, so forget it" he spoke his last words and went off stubborn. Another try to get him back would only make him more angry, so I let it be and had to deal with my next loss.

How bad my luck already was, it began to rain.

Several little drops came down from the clouds and made my gear over time a tad wet. I messed it up and was supposed to leave him alone for today. I was mad at myself that I wasn't strong enough to persuade him fully, to get back to me, but especially I was mad at Specs. 

He kinda ruined our moment but at the end it was my fault, because I let him in. 

Another mistake, I guess.

Alone and sad I stood here and thought about my future. I could wait forever I said back then huh, but after this I changed my mind, that I won't survive this forever. This completely confirmed, that I really loved him and wanted so badly to do things with him again, after all these past weeks without him. 

"Can my life actually get worse?" I whispered to myself and sunk my head, staring at the end at the wet, hard ground.