(A/N):
When I wrote this, I was really tired, but then my dad left the house and I got paranoid someone was going to break in and couldn't sleep .__. Sooo I finished writing this from last week...
(As of now one and a half weeks)

Haha projecting my issues on Mask go brrrr-
___
Mask had anger issues.

That was a known fact.

He was forcing himself to get better at it. Whether he liked it or not, he had to. Honestly his thighs couldn't afford any more bruises and his hands might start to get sore. Mostly, he just didn't want to scare the others. He's internalized his anger and tried to confine it until he was in private, but his mind always found a way at times and he'd have an outburst.

"Stuuupid game! Stupid stupid stupid!"

The cyan inkling threw down the controller as the screen displayed a 'game over'.

Whack whack

"Mask...? Mask!"

Mask kept hitting his thighs in frustration until he felt a set of hands pull his away forcefully. He panted as his body slowly shook and he started to break down in angry tears.

"Stupid stuuupid..."

It took a while before Mask fully calmed down, he was reduced to sniffles and was just sulking into Skull's embrace. He was messing with his hands, lightly stabbing his left hand with the thumbnail of his right. Mask could hear words and feel the vibration of Skull's voice flowing through him, but it didn't make sense. The cyan inkling furrowed his eyebrows together as he focused on his hands... it didn't make sense.

"Mask...?"

He looked up, his dulled cyan eyes meeting frightened sky blue ones. Why was Aloha scared? Mask tilted his head a bit, not understanding the situation. Army held the slightly shaky inkling in his arms as he seemed to analyze Mask's behavior. The carbon main didn't like that. He felt like an experiment again. He started using all the nails on his right hand to stab his left hand. Army seemed to pick up on the reason and looked away, but the other was still overwhelmed.

Mask looked away from Army and back at the pink inkling, who would wipe near his eyes from time to time. Mask got worried and crawled silently towards the other, the purple and orange inkling talking to each other paid no attention to him. When he put poked Aloha, the other flinched. Mask's ears drooped as the other looked at him.

Aloha was scared of him.

The living room got quiet. No one moved as Mask slowly stood up and muttered a simple, "I'm sorry..." before he retreated to his room. He was being the bad guy again. As he closed the door to his room, Mask put his forehead against the wood. The cynical squid's mind was exhausted to say the least. Maybe if he laid in his bed it would consume him and he'll never hurt anyone again...

"Thaaat sounds like a good plaaan..."

The cyan inkling turned on his astral light projector he made by himself and covered his body in blankets. Now that he couldn't really see the "stars", he realized how dumb it was to turn on the projector.

"Stuuupid..."

Mask stuck his head out and stared at the dim glow. He knew if it wasn't for his hay fever and other issues he would've been an astronaut and explored the depths of space. Oh well... his turfing career is nice and he met a lot of new friends and and... His eyes watered slightly.

Knock knock

"Mask...? I'm... comin' in..."

The cyan inkling froze for a split second before throwing the blankets over his head and curling up, his hands shooting onto his ears. Happy place, happy place, happy place-

"Uhm... Army said I should check on ya, if ya... don' wanna talk to me that's okay... I'm just gonna to sit here though... if that's okay..."

Aloha sat on the edge of the bed. When he wasn't met with resistance, he sighed and rubbed his forearm. He kind of went in without a plan and was now paying for it in awkwardness. The pink inkling looked at the jar. Curious, he stood up and walked over to it and picked it up. Aloha looked over the jar, seeing the perfectly punched holes and seemed to resemble stars on the wall.

"Did ya make this...?"

His slight smile went away when he saw Mask's body tense up. Right. Personal space. Aloha silently sighed and put it down before returning to his sitting spot. He should've known better than to do that, but he knew a part of Mask would be happy knowing he was interested. Aloha pulled out his phone, the strawberry keychain dangling from the bottom.

"Music...?"

He waited patiently for a response.
"...yes pleaaase..."

Aloha nodded (even though the other couldn't see) and played the only song he knew Mask liked. The pink inkling smiled at the sight of Mask's body slightly swaying, despite how awkward it must be in his current position. He just had to wait for the cyan inkling to reach a state of verbal communication before anything else. Of course, it had to start with reassurance.

"It's okay ya know, I'm okay now..."

The swaying stopped, Aloha knew it was Mask stopping to listen.

"I was just... worried is all... but I'm okay now, Masky. Everythin' is okay..."

Just small reassurances...

"I love ya..."

Aloha knew that was the final nail in the coffin, and all he had to do was play the waiting game. After the song playing about five times, Mask slightly uncurled himself and looked out of the blankets. Aloha pretended to be none the wiser, his eyes closed as he was swaying to the vocals. Mask watched him as he snatched the star jar and hid it behind his knees [which were pulled up to his chest]. The pink inkling opened his eyes and the cyan inkling froze, directing his attention on the soft glow. Aloha decided to try again.

"Whatcha got there?"

He heard Mask lightly tapping the jar.

"...astral liiight..."

Aloha hummed in acknowledgement.

"Did ya make it?"

"Yeaaah..."

Aloha giggled at Mask's slightly cyan face, causing the other to slightly stick his tongue out.

"Well, I think it's cool that ya made it."

Mask's eyes slightly lit up.

"Reeeally...?"

Aloha smiled at the other and nodded.

"Mhm."

Mask focused on the jar again. Aloha didn't mind, he knew Mask's mind was something of a child's mind at the moment, so he won't be "back to normal" for a while. As long as the cyan inkling was talking, he didn't mind.

"Aloooha...?"

"Hm?"

"Wanna... sit next to meee...?"

Aloha nodded, pausing the music on his phone and crawling to the other side of Mask. He leaned against the other's shoulder, feeling the cynical inkling's body tense slightly before quickly relaxing. They both watched the jar for a while as Mask turned it around.

"Aloooha...?"

"Yeah...?"

"Aren't... aren't you a fiiirefly squid...?"

"Mhm, why do ya ask...?"

"Can I... see...?"

Aloha closed his eyes and focused a bit on making the glow appear. Firefly squids could control their glow, but sometimes it just did it's own thing. It was probably connected to emotions would be Aloha's best bet.

"Woah... preeetty..."

The pink inkling giggled as he felt Mask softly touch his tentacles in amazement. He forgot how easily fascinated Mask could be in these moments. Aloha opened his eyes and watched the other. When he saw Mask staring at the glow with a deep curiosity, Aloha laughed.

"Ya know, if Army catches ya searchin, things up at 3 AM again he's actually gonna get a wifi blocker, right?"

"Buuut I want to know whyyy you glow, and the genetics for glooowing, and the briiightest a firefly squid has ever glooowed, how looong does the glooow last, and-"

"Mask Mask- you're gonna blow a brain fuse."

"Oh."

It was quiet for a minute.

"Wheeen does a fiiirefly squid start glooowing-"

"Okay, it's nap time."

Aloha quickly put his body under the covers and put the jar on the night stand.

"Buuut-"

"Shhh naptime."

Aloha pulled Mask into a cuddle and laid on his chest. Ah, finally... silence.

"...wait does your cum glooow-"

"MASK."

"HAHA- OW-"

"NAP TIME!"
___
(A/N):
Mask just wants to know these things Aloha- he requires knowledge-

Alright! Special Announcement thingy that can be skipped lmao-

S O most of the OGs who've been reading this dumpster fire that is my book of writings know that I was simping- I mean crushing on another writer! aaand weeell...
I DID THE IMPOSSIBLE AND NOW I HAVE A PARTNER :0

Am very happy TwT it's actually been a month and about eight days since I told them (it's on my calendar shush >:T)

But yeah all the waiting and all the suffering was worth it because now we are idiotic dorks together uwu

Alright that's all I wanted to say I am just really happy uwu

Words:
1,333 words.