Road to Splatsville

I didn’t leave the apartment for a week.

Eventually, CQ had to return to the metro, but most of my pain subsided, so his absence wasn’t too stifling. I knew indulging in turf wars or even just spectating was too much for my head, so I used it as an excuse to hide from everyone. I tried to sleep in our bedroom, but all I could do was stare at the ceiling fan for hours in the dark.

My new bed became the living room couch, and even that wasn’t sufficient.

On some level, I thought he’d eventually return. Maybe he was only waiting until I left so he could grab his remaining things without having to talk to me.

CQ would visit each evening either to cook me something or just make sure I was alive. Even though we had nothing to talk about, I wanted him to stay forever. It was less about wanting him to take care of me—I just wanted someone to look at. Someone to talk to, someone to make me feel normal, to fill the empty space that followed me around.

Alas, his visits were no more than thirty minutes. I never begged him to stay. Honestly, I begged him to leave and spend his time doing something better, but he always came back the next day.

Or at least that’s what I thought.

It was another Friday night. A full week without Stewart. Seven days without his voice, his smells, his smile—everything.

I dragged myself out of the bathroom after finally taking a shower, making sure not to put on anything that was previously his. I wandered into the kitchen and stared into the fridge for a while. I desperately needed a change of scenery, but I was scared. Sure, Rav taught me everything about Inkopolis ages ago and now I had my own understanding, but it didn’t feel right without him by my side.

I scratched my nose, rubbing off the bandage that had lost its adhesive in the shower. Luckily, the pain from that had lessened, and CQ was right; it wasn’t crooked. There was still a discolored bruise, but I didn’t look like a gremlin.

As I closed the fridge, someone knocked on the door, and I flinched. I grabbed my phone off the counter to check the time, forgetting that I hadn’t charged it since last week. My sleep schedule was jacked, mainly because that’s all I could bring myself to do these past few days. Still, I didn’t necessarily care. I’d just bury myself in blankets on the couch with the blinds down.

They knocked again.

I stood in front of the door, considering checking the peephole as the sound continued.

CQ didn’t need to come pamper me again.

He didn’t need to see how my dark circles worsened, or how my motivation and will to live just seeped out of my body, into the floorboards, and out of my reach.

After about the fourth or fifth knock, I opened the door, surprised. I wasn’t sure if it was a pleasant surprise or not, as my introversion had increased these past few days, but there stood Wyatt on my doorstep with a worried, but positive smile.

“Hey!” He beamed awkwardly as I stood before him, half-dead in mismatched Squidforce pajamas. Meanwhile, he was wearing that red Annaki sweater his boyfriend gifted him because it matched his eyes.

“Uh, hey.”

The pale boy dug into his pocket. “I hadn’t heard from you in a while, so I figured I’d stop by, though when I was waiting, I found your earring out here on the ground,” He went on and eventually pulled out my ravioli earring.

But I was already wearing mine.

“Or I guess it could be Rav’s!” The boy shrugged and placed it in my hand. “Anyway, uh, how’ve been? You haven’t responded to any of my texts. Or calls. Or any of Alaias’.”

I avoided his gaze, staring at his leather boots. “Ah, sorry. My phone’s been dead.”

“Nah, it’s cool! If your charger broke or something, I have tons of extras.”

I nodded and eventually Wyatt ducked down so he could see my face.

“Well, Alaias and I were gonna go out to eat and then do some league battles on the hour. We wanted to know if you and Rav wanted to join, but he didn’t reply either.” He chuckled. “No pressure, though. If you’re in the mood for a guy’s night in, don’t fret.”

“Oh. Um…” I squeezed the earring in my hand. My mind was running at a hundred miles per hour, and I couldn’t muster a believable lie or excuse and just kept tripping over my words.

I started overheating, and eventually Wyatt touched my face, bringing me back to reality.

“Whoa, wait a minute—what happened to your nose? And your eyebrow?”

“I uh, fell.”

The Octoling raised an eyebrow. “What?! From how high? That’s not a normal bruise from falling.”

I waved him away. “D-Don’t worry about it. I’m uh, I’m busy. I’ll hang out with you and Alaias another day, sorry.” I started closing the door, but he pushed it back open.

“And Rav?”

“I’m…not sure what he’s doing.” I shoved the earring in my pocket. “He’s not here though.”

“Oh, well…okay, I guess.” I gave him a half smile, but as I tried to fade back into my dark apartment, Wyatt stuck his foot in the door.

“Ravi, wait.”

I hastily reopened it. “What?”

He flinched at my tone, and I immediately felt awful, as if I didn’t already feel bad enough.

“C-Can I come in?”

“Why?” The place was a mess. It looked like it had been obliterated by some natural disaster, though the only disaster was me. I stopped cleaning up after myself, folding my clothes, and picking up my shirts when I tried to dunk them from across the room, only for them to end up on the floor. And as if I could battle with a concussion, I didn’t even know where my dualies were. I misplaced weapons, keys, controllers, shoes, and pretty much anything that wasn’t tied down.

“I’m just… I wanna talk to you.” Wyatt looked around the hall. “And not out here. Please.”

He looked so anxious. I gulped and eventually stepped back from the door so he could come inside, and I shielded myself from his reaction as I flicked on the lights.

“Sorry, it’s kind of a hot mess in here.” I closed the door back.

“Holy shit dude, I thought cleaning was your thing.” He turned back to face me, though all I could do was roll my eyes.

“What do you want?” I mumbled.

Wyatt proceeded to scan the apartment, which only worsened my nerves. I was definitely on his radar now. Ravi, the clean freak, let his looks and home go to shit, and there wasn’t even evidence of Rav’s stuff in here anymore. It was still present but was buried under my notebooks, laundry, and dismantled weapons.

“C’mon, isn’t Alaias waiting for you?”

The violet Octoling continued to examine my mess. “Eh, he’s just in the lobby. He’s good at busying himself.” Eventually, my friend turned around and caught me glaring at him. “S-Sorry for barging in, it’s just…you look…sad.”

“What?”

Wyatt frowned. “You look sad. I’ve never seen you look so down before.”

I shrugged. “Okay. Well, if that’s all, can you leave?”

“Well, no…I just—”

I rubbed my face. “Goddammit, Wyatt! Just get to the point or get out!” I yelled. “I don’t need you to tell me I look like a depressed freakshow—I have a mirror! You asked if I wanted to hang out, and I said no, so can you go now?!”

Wyatt jumped at my outburst, and with each sentence, my voice only cracked more and more. I knew if I didn’t shut up, I was gonna fall apart in front of him.

Despite my vulgar outbursts, Wyatt stood his ground and grabbed my hands.

“Ravi, tell me what happened.”

I tried to pull back, but he only tightened his grasp. “Nothing happened, okay? I’m fine. Just go.”

“You’re not fine. You know I’m here for you dude…please talk to me.” He whispered.

I held my tongue, and he scoffed.

“You’ve been gone for a whole week. Maybe that doesn’t seem long, but Inkopolis doesn’t feel right without you around. Usually, it’s me who’s reluctant to leave the house or whatever but…you wouldn’t even text me. I was afraid something happened to you.” The Octoling sighed, staring at my nose. “And clearly something did.”

He looked me over. “I’ve seen that sea cucumber guy come in and out of here a few times, but I never got a chance to ask him what was up. Does Rav know, at least? Just…if you won’t tell me, I want someone to.”

I gulped as the knot in my stomach grew. “Rav’s gone,” I muttered.

“What? What do you mean gone?”

I quickly started sobbing. “He’s gone! I don’t know where he is!” I cried. “We got in a fight, and then he just left! I haven’t seen him since last week!”

“Holy shit!”

Wyatt tried to wipe my face, but I pushed him away. I couldn’t tolerate having another person see me like this. CQ was more than enough.

“I-I mistakenly stumbled upon a ton of his shit, and he caught me snooping and got pissed!” I hiccupped. “And then he started yelling, and it got physical and nothing I said made him understand or calm down and then he punched me in the nose a-and I fell and cut my head on the dresser…”

I sat on the floor and placed my head on my knees, cowering as Wyatt tried to console me. “I don’t know where he went. I thought he left to get a breath of fresh air…but he never came back. He didn’t even say bye.” I whined. “I passed out and woke up with CQ attending to my wounds, and I’ve spent all week trying to sleep off this concussion and forget everything that happened, but I just…can’t.”

Wyatt pulled me into an embrace and rubbed my back as I sobbed onto his shoulder.

“I-I feel like such an idiot. He was my first friend after losing my memories—I never thought he’d leave over something so minor.” I sniffled. “I miss him so much, and I hate it. I hate crying, I hate myself—I hate everything. I don’t know what to do.” I dug my face into his sweater. “Out of all the people I’ve met, I thought he’d be the last to leave, but now I’m worried about who I’m gonna lose next.”

I laughed harshly. “How long until I’m all alone again, huh? Lost within Inkopolis and my own mind with no real connection to anyone anymore, not even myself.”

“Ravi…I’m so sorry. You should’ve told me sooner. If I had known you were suffering here in the dark all this time, I would’ve run to your side in an instant! I can’t…believe he did that to you.”

I leaned back and wiped my face. “It wasn’t a problem you needed to bear.”

“But Ravioli’s my friend too! We were all neighbors! He didn’t just abandon you—he left me, you, Alaias, Milo, River—we all have the right to be pissed! God…” Wyatt cautiously ran his fingers across my eyebrow. “What did you tell him?”

“Huh?”

“That made him leave and do…all this.” He took a deep breath. “From what I could tell, he was never a hostile person. He was such a sweetheart, especially to you.”

I gulped. That only made my new solitude worse. He was always sweet to me. Considerate of my feelings, worried about my well-being—he put me above everyone else, and somehow, I fucked all of that up.

“Did you tell him you love him?” Wyatt asked softly and I jumped, my face instantly heating up at the thought.

“W-What?”

“You did…love him, didn’t you?” The Octoling smiled a little. “No offense, but you weren’t very good at hiding it. We could all tell. Except him, I guess.”

I rubbed my hands. Just hearing that sent me over the edge again. I couldn’t get his stupid face out of my head. His uneven smile, his pointy ears, his weird haircut that only he could rock—I couldn’t not look at him all the damn time. But if I had told him that truth, I wonder how he would’ve reacted.

Then again, he had no problem with Alaias and Wyatt’s relationship, but it’s not like I could do anything about it now.

While me and Wyatt were close, I hadn’t told him about the Deepsea Metro. If I knew he had experienced the same treatment, I happily would’ve opened up about it, but he was your basic Octoling.

He grew up underground and joined the Octarian army, though he was discharged because of his health and eventually moved here. He hadn’t been walking around with his life in his hands.

I assumed everything that happened within Kamabo Co. was confidential, but sometimes I’d return to the metro and catch Agent 3 hitching a ride while writing reports about what happened down there.

But at this point, I trusted Wyatt more than Stewart and didn’t fear his potential reaction. Countless Octolings flooded Inkopolis after hearing Calamari Inkantation, but so far, I was the only one to arrive without any recollection of my past life.

While I had no way to prove it, I knew I was in the army. Sure, almost every Octoling is enlisted, but it was the only explanation for many of my mem cakes and my quick understanding of battle mechanics and weapon blueprints. I don’t know what rank I was, but I’m willing to bet half the things I encountered underground seemed so easy because I helped assemble them when I was younger.

Although, my military life wasn’t a huge worry of mine. Instead, I wanted to know where my parents were. Did I have any siblings? If so, what happened to them? Did they join the army with me? Did I have any friends before meeting Rav? And why did Rav feel so familiar in the first place? Is there a chance he knew everything and decided to withhold it all for some sick reason?

I didn’t think figuring out my birth name would be too much to ask.

“Yeah…” I finally said. “I loved him, but since he never picked up on it, I never came clean. Especially since he’s not into guys.” I smiled a little. “I liked to imagine that I’d get a pass given how close we were, but given his response regarding my past, I’m glad I didn’t act on it.”

I rubbed my face. “And what’s stupid is that my dumbass still loves him somehow, but at this point, I doubt he’s coming back. He won’t answer my calls or texts or…anything.”

“Ravi, I’m so sorry,” Wyatt whispered. “I mean, I know I’m not him, but I’m here for you if you need anything, I promise. Even though I met him first, you’ve always been my favorite Ravioli.”

I felt my face heat up, but it was a nice feeling after being cold for so long.

“Yeah?”

He grinned. “Yeah.”

I couldn’t seem to pull my eyes away from his smile, and I almost started crying again. I suppose that’s what differentiated him from CQ—despite Wyatt’s shy demeanor, his expressions always showed what he was thinking.

CQ was a workaholic and spent more time alone on that train or with those weird deep-sea passengers. I knew he cared about me, sure, but I never knew until I saw his humanoid form. However, Wyatt didn’t have to spend an entire week mothering me for me to know he cared.

All he had to do was smile.

With CQ, everything was awkward. He was a good friend of mine, but despite all the time we spent together under Kamabo Co., we never clicked in the same way.

At this point, I had nothing left to hide.

I left Wyatt’s side for a bit to dig through my bedroom and find the miscellaneous keepsakes I had from those days. Of course, they were hidden under all my other mess, but after a few minutes, I gathered everything and showed it to the other Octoling.

Even though I knew he wouldn’t visibly judge me, I still avoided his gaze.

“All I wanted was to talk to Rav. I found some old stuff from what seemed like a double life of his, and I…wondered if his past would help me figure out mine.” I handed him all my mem cakes, and it was kinda funny to see him surrounded by them on the floor.

“I always felt close to him, even after we first met. I assumed there had to be a reason for it, but he didn’t wanna talk and immediately turned on me.” I went on.

“What are these? Can I eat them?” Wyatt asked and examined one resembling a Rainmaker, quite amused.

“Uh, no. I’ve tried, and they taste awful.” I laughed. “I assumed eating them would bring my memories back. That being said, most of them are my memories in physical form, which also means I had visited Inkopolis before losing my memories.”

“Can we put these back into your head?” Wyatt chuckled.

I shrugged. “Dunno. I mean, eating them didn’t work, so I’m not sure what other options are available.”

“Which one did you eat?”

I rubbed my neck, grinning. “There was one that resembled an octoling tentacle. I mean—I have notes on each one, which are probably more valuable than the items themselves.”

I could tell Wyatt was trying to hold in his laugh, and his expression made me crack up.

“A-Anyway,” I continued. “I uh...got them underground.”

“Like where we grew up?”

“No, um…when I left the military, I never made it to Inkopolis after I left. I was roaming Octo Canyon, got attacked, and fell unconscious. When I came to, I was in a metro station in the ocean, and I couldn’t remember a damn thing.”

“Holy shit.” Wyatt fiddled with his sweater. “How…did you get out? How did you even get down there in the first place?”

Although I hadn’t interacted with Rav in an entire week, it was nice to talk to someone levelheaded. Especially since Wyatt wasn't upset when he heard the truth—he was concerned. I was the only one who had a right to be upset over any of this.

The Octoling proceeded to sit on my living room floor and listen to me talk despite already having plans for the rest of the day. We had no clue what Alaias was up to, but I enjoyed having Wyatt to myself. At this point, attention from anyone was great. I never noticed how much of my time I would spend with Rav.

I explained each of my poems to the other Octoling, which eventually had me reminiscing about the tests I’d passed, the people I met, and the information I learned about the entire corporation.

While it was the most interesting phase of my life, I was reluctant to tell others, so it was nice to get it off my chest, especially to someone who cared.

“So,” Wyatt began. “Since you have a mem cake of Rav, you’re pretty convinced you knew him before losing your memories.” He nodded. “Makes sense.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Now he’s MIA,” The boy finished for me. “Well,” He returned my mem cakes and leaned against the couch. “I’m sure we can still figure something out, even without him.”

“I sure hope so,” I mumbled while cleaning up my trinkets.

Eventually, Alaias knocked on my door to retrieve his boyfriend, and we gave him the recent rundown. Nonetheless, I still declined their offer to dinner and Rainmaker. While I was sure some sunlight would do me good, I still needed to catch up on sleep.

Over the weekend, Alaias and Wyatt insisted on cleaning my apartment since it only worsened with each passing day. I didn’t want to touch anything of Rav’s, but I still grabbed the belongings he lent me, and the three of us packed up his remaining stuff. We didn't have a guest room, so we stored the bins in the corner of the bedroom by the closet. It was nice not having to stare at everything, and if he came back by some slim chance, he’d easily be able to take what he needed.

Frankly, it was weird to finally see the floor. While I was ashamed of all the mess I managed to make in only a week, it was impressive.

Still, cleaning my apartment, talking to my friends, opening the blinds, and moving his stuff out of my eyesight didn’t fix much.

I felt a bit more alive, sure, and once my concussion disappeared, I spent most of my time battling, but it wasn’t the same.

We started asking if anyone had seen him but had no luck throughout the week. We stalked his social media, but nothing new was ever posted, and eventually, he must have deactivated his account. Anyone who had his number tried calling and texting him with no response. And since he was so secretive, we couldn't try contacting his family. No one knew anything about his home life. Hell, his parents could be dead for all we knew.

I considered filing a missing person's report, but I doubt Rav had been kidnapped. His absence was voluntary.

And that's what hurt the most.

It was never gonna be the same.

At the end of the day, I’d still lay alone in that king-size bed, staring at the ceiling fan in the dark.

I probably seemed better to Wyatt, CQ, and Alaias, but I was far from it. I hadn’t gotten a full eight hours in weeks, and with each day, it only seemed to get worse. My luck was only slightly better on the couch since four hours were better than none.

I was reluctant to bring it up to anyone since Alias was always at Wyatt’s place or vice versa, and I didn’t wanna be a third wheel. To no one's surprise, CQ was always working, and when he visited, he didn’t seem too keen on staying the night since he always showed up in a suit and vest. It made me wonder if he even had any casual clothes or just slept in dress shirts.

I had never seen where he lived before. I was also curious about him and could occasionally muster up some small talk, but ever since Rav left, I couldn’t fake a smile around anyone anymore. When I was down, Wyatt always tackled me with hugs, but CQ never knew what to do aside from giving me pep talks, which my pessimistic brain often disregarded.

Shit like that made me think I was better off alone.

I had become exhausting to be around.

I feared my friends would eventually feel the same way, so whenever I had the chance, I would keep to myself. Most of my time in Inkopolis was leisurely and laid-back, like the lives of Inklings around me, so I could not only blend in but take time to understand my surroundings. However, that kind of lifestyle grew unsatisfactory.

While I often played ranked modes with Alaias, Wyatt, and the others, I started straying from the group and over several months, made it to X. I had already been S+, but now seemed like a perfect time to close it out. I experimented with different weapons and splurged on gear that I didn’t need, but wanted as a collector.

And when regular battles got old, I somehow turned to Salmon Run.

I had always been terrified of the Salmonids and would only indulge in Mr. Grizz’s requests if I had friends in my crew. Usually Rav. I barely managed to get to Profreshional thanks to him, and then backed out and returned to indulging in turf wars.

Maybe part of me wanted to prove I didn’t need him to level up anymore. Not as a person, not within battles or regarding ranks—I was a bad bitch and didn’t need him holding my hand.

Surprisingly, reaching Profreshional 999 took longer than getting to X in Rainmaker, Tower Control, Splat Zones, and Clam Blitz, although it’s probably because I had no inexplicable fears regarding them. I was always worried about being blown up by the Rainmaker’s shield, but only massive hordes of Flyfish, Cohocks, and glowfly swarms gave me panic attacks.

Still, it was another pass time checked off the list.

I gained a ton of weird hobbies to busy myself when I wasn’t with Wyatt and the others—illegally modifying weapons, obliterating my gear with ability chunks, teaching myself to cook and breakdance…I could go on.

Eventually, I took a moment to stare at my calendar, feeling accomplished after my months of work. Or...coping disguised as work. Everything was great, aside from my irreparable sleep schedule. My dark circles still worsened until I'd occasionally pass out and sleep for two days straight.

Everyone was under the impression that I was fixed.

Well, at least that’s what I thought. I had even convinced myself until I looked ahead to the next month and realized it had almost been a year without my best friend. I’d been through every season and major holiday. I enjoyed Squidmas, but Final Fest was the best event I was by his side for.

We were on different teams, but that made it better. I remember how much glitter was stuck to us both and the Splatfest tee he ripped into a crop top and refused to return. I loved how he tried to mimic Off the Hook’s dancing despite his lack of rhythm, but my favorite part was how he dragged me around the whole city.

It was the last Splatfest, and while I had been present for many others, he wanted to ensure I’d experience the finale from every possible angle.

God, I missed Splatfests.

Losing something to look forward to each month probably took a toll on me too.

I dragged myself away from the calendar and threw on my hi-tops to meet Wyatt in the lobby. Now and then, he’d host private battles to use me, his boyfriend, or his other acquaintances as target practice, but I never minded. Hell, I often used it to practice other weapons before making a fool out of myself in public lobbies.

But despite the time of day, I was the only one present.

The two of us sat in the middle of Humpback Pump Track as Wyatt reorganized some of the stickers on his E-Liter. I fiddled with my skateboard, which I had bought months prior and sucked at riding, but I still brought it with me any chance I got.

“I’m surprised your other half isn’t here,” I teased, and the Octoling looked up.

“Who, Alaias?” He chuckled. “Eh yeah, he’s just having one of those days.” He glanced to the side. “That usually involves getting high and refusing to leave the house.”

“And you didn’t want to join him?”

Wyatt aimed the charger at my face, fidgeting with the scope as I leaned back awkwardly.

He smirked. “Nah, I prefer alcohol to weed.”

I laughed. “Still, why host if you don’t have a decent amount of test dummies?”

“I mean, nowadays I don’t need test dummies.” He took one of my splat bombs, tossed it in the air, and quickly shot it. “I’m literally a charger main,” He snickered. “I just wanted a change of scenery. And to see you.” He wiped some ink off his face.

“Me? Why, I stopped hiding inside ages ago. You see me at least once a week.”

He smiled. “Well, yeah… We’re just always in a group, though. I like checking in on you.”

We made awkward eye contact, and his face flushed purple as he shifted his attention back to the weapon.

“I um...had a question, actually.”

I raised an eyebrow, assuming it would be odd or personal thanks to his timid body language. “Yeah?”

“What team did you pick for Final Fest?”

I pulled at my sweatshirt. “Uh, order. Yeah. Why? We were on the same team, right?”

Wyatt stood up, oddly busying himself by shooting my collection of bombs that went with my Dualie Squelchers. “Yeah, I was just thinking… Everyone thought Inkopolis would become apocalyptic thanks to chaos winning the Splatfest, but no doubt it wouldn’t affect society’s outcome.”

“Well, no, life’s not a movie.” I chuckled. “What? Did you want a chaotic city? If so, I think you voted for the wrong team.”

“No, I wanted order…I guess. Most Octolings did—maybe that’s part of our DNA,” He laughed. “I guess…life’s just become grey, y’know? Rinse and repeat. Overdone. There isn’t shit to do anymore.”

I smirked at my friend. “You should get to X rank.”

He aimed his gun at my head. “No way in hell!”

“Stop waving that giant thing around!” I laughed. “Still, you could come work at that record shop I occasionally help out at. Then we can both spend all our money on Toni Kensa gear we don’t need.”

“Yeah…” Wyatt finally sat his E-Liter down, only to start punting my bombs just for shits and giggles.

I covered my face. “Dude, you’re gonna blow yourself up!” I snorted. “Why are you fidgeting so much!”

His blush worsened. “I-I don’t know, I’m sorry!”

I squinted at him, and he rolled up the sleeves of his flannel, now rubbing his arms. He looked around the skatepark for a while as I waited for him to explain himself, but when he finally opened his mouth, I wasn’t ready.

“D-Do you wanna move in with me?” He smiled weirdly.

I coughed. “What?!”

“I mean, don’t you wanna get outta here? Outta Inkopolis? We’ve been here for about the same time…maybe four years or so.” He sighed. “I was just thinking, y’know, you don’t have a roommate anymore, and I’ve never had one to begin with. I assumed you’d want some company or something.”

“Wouldn’t you rather move in with Alaias?”

The Octoling shrugged and sat back down in front of me. “I thought people in relationships only moved in together when they’re gonna get married.”

I grinned. “Oh my god, you’re precious.”

“What?!” He whined, scrunching up his nose.

I waved my hand. “Still, where would we even go?”

Wyatt pulled out his phone and showed me a map. “Um, what about here?”

“Splatsville?”

By the looks of it, it was across Hammerhead Bridge.

“Yeah!” He smiled at the screen. “Turns out a lot of people have been flocking there. After the Final Fest, everyone expected chaos, and when they were let down, they took matters into their own hands and started moving to what inklings are calling the 'City of Chaos.’”

He zoomed in on the map. “It’s in the Splatlands, which is ways away from here, yeah, but I figured a change of scenery would be nice. Shit’s gonna be interesting! You can live by your own rules!”

“Don’t we already do that?”

“I-I just figured…there aren’t too many good memories here in Inkadia. Especially for you between the army, the Metro, and Rav—”

I froze, staring at the ground.

“S-Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring him up. I know you don’t even like hearing his name, I—”

“It’s fine,” I sighed, smiling a little. “You make a good point. I’m also running out of stuff to do here. And there’s some shit I don’t think I can leave behind if I don’t just leave altogether,” I laughed. “Splatsville honestly sounds perfect. I don’t know jack about it, but that’s honestly the best part. And if half of our peers have already started moving there, we might as well join the pack.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. The earlier we get there, the better dibs we’ll get on a good apartment or something, right?”

“Yeah!” Wyatt beamed as he ran over and startled me with a giant hug. “I got overexcited and already started looking at some.” He laughed. “I mean, if you weren’t on board, I was just gonna do it by myself, but...” The Octoling flashed me a smile. “I thought it’d be nice to branch out.”

“That and paying to move all your shit on top of paying for rent would surely burn a hole in your pocket.”

“That too.” He snickered.

“I’ve never even bought an apartment. I’m technically still a freeloader…? Cuz I think Rav is still paying rent, so that’s…something.”

The Octoling eventually let go, but I was used to his hugs lingering for several minutes. “Well, if you move out, it’ll be unoccupied, so I guess you’ll have to tell the landlord. But what if he comes back?”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s almost been a fuckin’ year. It’s not my problem anymore.”

“Holy shit, seriously? It’s already been that long?!”

I rubbed my neck. “Mhm…”

“It sounds like you’re kinda over him…right?”

I avoided his gaze.

He huffed. “Ravi, come on.”

“I can get over him if we leave. I-I hope, at least.”

Wyatt sighed. “I hope so too. You at least seem better than many months ago. I like seeing you smile.”

I chuckled softly.

“Are you gonna cut your tentacles, or is that a coping mechanism somehow.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I was tired of seeing the same Octoling in the mirror. It goes with my fucked-up eyebrow, y’know? Kinda punk rock.”

Wyatt laughed. “I can side with that. I wanna switch up my look too, but I have no idea how. Tentacles, clothes—everything.”

“I think that’s a problem for Splatsville.” I stretched and stood up, grabbing my dualies. "I'm sure there'll be countless new drip for you."

“Yeah!” He beamed, quickly retrieving his E-Liter. “Music too, most likely. And stages!" He laughed, shaking his head. "Don't let me get sidetracked. Back on topic! I’ll give you a ten-second head start,” He sneered, aiming at me again.

Despite my grin, I sighed and super jumped back to spawn to entertain his training montage.

I never considered leaving Inkopolis. I guess I never knew where I would go or how, but it’d be nice to get out of here before the first anniversary of Rav bailing on me. What if he comes back claiming to have taken a one-year hiatus?

I couldn’t lie; I was still having trouble coping, and my insomnia was eating away at me, but I could always sleep if someone was in the same room as me. If Wyatt became my roommate, maybe things would finally feel normal again.

I wasn't looking for someone to replace Rav, but hanging around Wyatt was already making me feel better.

Maybe that's all I needed.

An Octoling who understood how I felt.