Work Text:
It started off with Gloves waking up far too early, before the sun had begun to rise, before anyone was even thinking about getting up. He spent a listless hour or two mindlessly scrolling social media on the couch, not really processing the words or images in front of him.
A feeling of unease settled over him, weighing down on his shoulders and sinking into his skin, soaking through his core. With nothing better to do at seven in the morning, Gloves sat on the couch and thought.
He didn't realize Vintage was calling his name until a hand rested on his shoulder, jolting him out of his mind and back to reality. Vintage's concerned expression hovered into view, brows furrowed and red eyes scanning over him.
"Are you alright?"
Gloves responded with his usual cheer, ignoring that he had to force it to feel natural. "I'm fine! Just thinking about some stuff."
Vintage raised an eyebrow but thankfully let it rest, for now at least.
Breakfast was unusual, Gloves eating only half his food before pushing the plate away, making an excuse that he had practice to get to before the weather got too warm. He was lying, of course, but Vintage didn't press the issue.
The bus ride to Mount Nantai was quiet, not many people going to hike this early in the day. Gloves was grateful for the silence, opting to listen to his own music and hope it would drown out his thoughts.
He didn't really have a destination in mind, just walking on the worn trails, listening to music. Before long, he reached a clearing, a familiar clearing. It was where he met Emperor for the first time.
Even though they were on friendly terms now, Gloves couldn't stop the memory of losing in front of *everyone* from bubbling up to the surface. The memory of humiliation. The memory of someone he looked up to, someone he admired, disregarding him completely.
A wave of nausea swept over Gloves and he swallowed heavily, willing the sick feeling away. He came here to get fresh air, not dwell on the past.
"Oh? Gloves?"
But it seems the past had other plans.
"Hey, Emp." Gloves said lamely, waving at the yellow inkling with less than his usual energy. "What are you doing here?"
"This is where I train. What are you doing here?"
Gloves shrugged, trying to look casual. "Dunno. Just felt like taking a walk and I ended up here."
"Hm."
Gloves leaned against a tree, fishing around in his bag for a water bottle and taking a long drink from it. Still holding the water bottle, he gestured towards Emperor.
"Don't let me get in your way."
Emperor stared at Gloves, longer than he liked and Gloves fidgeted under his gaze, tugging at the cuff of his namesakes.
"Gloves."
"Yeah?"
"What's wrong."
Gloves startled at that, eyes wide like an animal caught in car headlights. The way Emperor spoke made it feel more like a command to speak rather than a question. He was also damn stubborn and most definitely would not let the issue slide by.
Resigning himself to an immensely awkward and uncomfortable conversation, Gloves sighed, ran a hand across his tentacut and stopped.
How the hell was he going to convey the complicated stew of emotions in his brain to someone who had never felt the sting of humiliation? To someone who had been on top for years and never looked down once?
Anger began to seep into Gloves' ink, a feeling of frustration. Distantly, he knew he was making a horrible decision, but right now all he cared about was getting these feelings that had marinated within him for far too long off his chest.
"The problem is you." His voice came out flat. Monotone. Not an edge in sight.
"I see."
No, you don't see, Gloves thought bitterly before saying as much to Emperor. He looked surprised at the sudden shift in tone.
"How could you possibly see? You were on top and made sure everyone knew it. You didn't care about anything but winning!"
"Gl-"
"You had it all from the start! You never had to claw your way up! You were just placed there!"
Gloves wiped angry tears away from his eyes but the words kept coming out, like a dam had burst.
"I looked up to you! You were everything I aspired to be! When you gave me the prototype dualies I felt honored! But then in the tournament you acted like I was a bug, a pest! You humiliated me in front of everyone!"
"Glov-"
"I resented you. Even more after Team Blue defeated you and you acted like an actual person! I hated that it didn't bother you at all that you had lost!"
"Gloves!" Emperor yelled.
"What!?" Gloves snapped back, before his eyes widened. All the rage that he felt suddenly drained out of him like water through a sieve, regret and shame taking its place. What had he been *saying*?
"Fuck- I-" Without even giving himself a chance to breath, Gloves turned tail and booked it, barreling through the trees.
"GLOVES!!"
He could hear Emperor chasing after him, but he didn't slow down. If anything he sped up, ignoring the stinging in his eyes, ignoring the way the undergrowth scratched at his skin, ignoring Emperor calling after him to stop, *wait*.
Something had to give though. An exposed tree root, a patch of mud, it doesn't matter. What does matter however, is that Gloves took a wrong step and slammed into the dirt face first, headphones falling off from the impact and clattering onto the ground.
"Gloves!" Emperor sounded breathless as he caught up, taking care to not step on the green inkling or his headphones.
"..."
"Gloves, are you alright?"
"...Why do you care."
Emperor sighed, sitting down next to his downed friend(?) and resting a hand on his back. Gloves jolted at the touch but didn't make a move to get Emperor's hand away.
"Because this has clearly been affecting you for a while."
Gloves huffed, rolling over onto his back and reaching for his headphones. He didn't put them back on, choosing to let them sit on his chest.
"I wish you told me earlier."
That had Gloves looking up in disbelief at Emperor, clearly not expecting that.
"Huh?"
"I regret the person I was back then, and I regret not apologizing to you and to everyone else I hurt. For what it may be worth now, I'm sorry."
Gloves began to cry loudly, messy tears trailing down his cheeks and dripping onto the dirt. The tension that he had been carrying with him all morning slowly left him, leaving him exhausted.
Emperor simply waited, averting his eyes until Gloves had stopped crying, the green inkling wiping his nose on his sleeve for lack of tissues.
"...I'm sorry for yelling at you like that." Glove said at last, voice hoarse from both the yelling and the crying.
"Quite frankly, I deserved it." Emperor smiled softly before extending a hand to Gloves. "Why don't we head back to my house?"
"Huh? Why yours?"
"I'd imagine you don't want to trek back to your apartment covered in dirt and snot. At the very least, you could shower at my home and then leave."
Gloves did in fact, not want to arrive back at the apartment a few hours after he said he'd be out for most of the day. He also did not want to show up with his dirty clothes and teary eyes and worry Vintage.
"Alright, you live nearby or something?"
"Only a 15 minute drive. You took the bus, yes?"
Gloves nodded, finally reaching for Emperor's hand and pulling himself up. He wobbled a bit, very much unlike the fluid movement he would have while wielding his dualies, but there was a tired smile on his face and a heavy weight lifted off his chest.
"Thank you."