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Olimar checks the address again once he gets out his vehicle, shrugging on his warm winter coat. Louie’s home was pretty far out from the city, the tree line and frosted-over lake was a refreshing sight to see on his own planet for once. It was a nice cabin on the outside, like an older summer home. If Olimar was being honest, it seemed like a place much more wealthy person would live in (but he knows better not to assume.)There were pretty lilac colored flowers lining the flowerbeds under the windows, and the snowed-on garden decor charmed him.
Before Olimar could knock, the wooden door swung open, revealing a rather short older woman. Her eyes were squinted and small, hidden behind big framed glasses with thick lenses. Her mouth was upturned into a quite sweet smile, as if it was just pleasant to be alive.
‘You must be Louie’s grandmother!’ Olimar stuck out his hand to shake, acting before thinking (for once). ‘Im Olimar, Louie’s coworker.’ The woman says nothing, her eyes glazing over Olimar. He admits that maybe he overdressed a little but, who can blame him. He chose to wear his nicest button-up and his freshly ironed slacks, not wanting to make a bad first impression with Louie’s family member.
She shakes it, not before pulling him in. ‘You be a good boy now to my Louie, would you?’ She whispered sharply, yanking him down by the collar to meet eye to eye. Olimar nearly leapt out of his own skin at the tone of her warning, tucking his hands back into his pockets. ‘Yes, ma’am, o-of course.’
‘Who’s at the door, Nana?’ Louie’s voice came from behind, no louder than his usual murmuring.
Olimar sheepishly shrugged at Nana, smiling as she let him in. She didn’t really need to say much for him to understand that she isn’t too trusting of him. Louie, like his knight in shining armor, appears at the door and Olimar waves in relief.
‘Oh. Olimar, come in.’ Louie says, ushering his nana away from the door. Olimar squeezes past her, noticing that she kept her eyes on him as she shuffled back into her room. He takes off his jacket once he’s fully inside and Louie hangs it on the coat rack near the door.
‘Don’t mind her, she’s just like that.’ Louie reassures the captain, probably reading the terrified look on his face. Olimar only nods, admiring the beautiful home he’s stepped into. There wasn’t a lot of furniture, but that didn’t make it feel less homey. In the living room, there was a worn out rocking chair and a plush grey couch seated next to a TV. The table in the middle of the room had magazines, and a big bowl of multicolored yarn in the middle. There was a toasty fire going in the stone fireplace, plenty of picture and wintery decor littered the walls. ‘Homey.’ Was the best way to describe it, Olimar thought.
‘Dinners almost done.’ Louie spoke,hanging a stitched blue kitchen apron on, Olimar found it comical that it looked like something a much older woman would wear.
Olimar noticed that Louie wasn’t dressed as formally as himself, or maybe this was his way of dressing up? Louie sported some jeans and a grey hoodie with faded blue lettering. Olimar appreciates that he wasn’t the only one that wanted to dress to impress (though it was strange that Louie put in the effort at all..) and breathes a sigh of relief.
‘I’ve never done this kind of thing, especially with a coworker!’ Olimar starts, following behind Louie as he makes his way through this warm rooms of the home.
Olimar isn’t too sure what else the other had in store for the night so he just followed aimlessly. He has faith that Louie’s meal would be as grand as he imagined it.
He feels strange about admitting it but.. he imagined of a dinner with Louie time and time again. The terribly unhealthy cup noodle dinners with his coworker was quite.. relaxing, especially when they weren’t hoping from treasure to treasure and nearly dying every day the creatures three times their size.
He didn’t seem like much of a dreamer at first, but listening along as Louie spoke about his life and they things he’s eaten.. it sounded.. freeing. Like Louie lived everyday without any expectations or life altering experiences. Sure Louie had family and hopefully he himself was considered a friend, but Louie was a blank slate, or well, as far as Olimar knows (that Louie is real mystery in that way).
‘Messy, don’t mind it..’ Louie piped up after a while, making Olimar lose his train of thought. Louie removes a lid, examining a pot, ‘Made something warm.. it’s snowing out.’ Olimar steps over to him, hands on his hips as his eyebrows raise in surprise.
Olimar smells it first before he sees it, something so pleasant it makes his mouth water before he realizes it. That must be the ‘dream dinner’ Louie was talking about during their travels to and from PNF 404. The dinner he claimed would be his ‘magnum opus’ of sorts. He didn’t too elaborate much, but it was a pleasant surprise for Olimar since that meant hearing more than a weeks worth of words from his colleague rather than utter silence.
Louie hums before straightening up, and it was like his body kicked into third gear. Louie’s hands made quick work of the meal he was making, stirring and ladling, scooping. It was very impressive seeing how much effort he puts into things that genuinely interest him, quite different from the lazy stacking of crates and other tasks that require more than a little effort at work.
Olimar rolled up his sleeves, ready to help when need be. ‘Don’t worry about it.’ Louie says, not even turning around to see what Olimar was doing. ‘I don’t mind helping, promise.’ Olimar says. Louie shakes his head, sighing through his nose. ‘Fine then, guess I’ll just.. wait around, bored, with nothing to do…’ Olimar whines (Louie doesn’t fall for it, funny enough).
Louie’s ear twitches, not turning away from the stove. Olimar admits a silent defeat and looks around, admiring the kitchen and dining room.
The table had four chairs, yet they were already set up with utensils (odd, because Louie never mentioned anyone else besides his nana). There was a lovely vase of off-white flowers that sat in the center of the table. Olimar looks out of the big window in front of the sink in the kitchen, noticing the thin coating of frost that blanketed the ever-expanding trees in the forest. He admits that the sight is much more preferable on his own planet, only due to the lack of man eating beasts.
The captain takes a seat at the dinner table, admiring the seemingly handmade table runner. Louie serves him first, placing a steaming hot plate of food in front of him. Olimar’s eyes sparkle in wonder, picking up his fork. Louie seemed to wandered off before Olimar could thank him, probably giving his Nana a serving.
Olimar enjoyed the overwhelming aroma, this dish seems to have taken a long time to prepare. The veggies looked soft and the bed of rice it rested on was fluffy and warm. The meat tasted unfamiliar to the regular stuff, he must have had a bit of a creature left from their last voyage left and cooked it up. Olimar also noticed that there were pikpik carrots cut up in the shape of flowers, his heart swooned at the small detail.
Olimar politely scoops up a bit, blowing on it before tasting. Olimar nearly tears up, his tastebuds felt like they’d died and gone to heaven! It didn’t take long for him to clear his plate, Olimar sighs in relief and slouches back on his chair, closing his eyes.
Someone shuffles behind him, presumably Louie, and takes a seat. Louie sits with his own plate, stuffing his face like he hadn’t eaten all day (which would make sense). Louie was rather quiet for the most part, but Olimar was used to quiet meal times with him. Louie huffed, finishing off the last bit of rice as he sat back, much like Olimar did.
Olimar immediately turns to face him, sitting up with a big smile on his face. ‘You’ve really outdone yourself, Louie! I might even say this is probably the best thing I’ve had in a long while!’ Louie smiles at Olimar, and oh my days if it didn’t put the stars to shame.
Olimar watched in awe as Louie’s cheeks flush a soft peachy color, ‘Thanks, good that you like it.’ Olimar places a hand on his shoulder, his eyes tilted in delight. ‘I think you’re an amazing cook, and I expect nothing less from you.’
Louie’s eyes blew wide, looking away from the other and nods, mumbling something softly. Olimar pat his shoulder, nodding as well as he gets up with his plate. ‘Least I can do is help you clean up,’ Louie nods again.
A few moments later, Olimar and Louie are at the sink, helping each other clean up the sizable mess. ‘Hey.. forgive me for intruding but.. I’ve always wondered.. where did you learn to cook?’ Olimar asks, scrubbing at a surprisingly stubborn pot.
Louie shrugs, looking out of the big window in front of them. ‘Watched Nana do it, I guess,’
Speaking of watching, Olimar notices that Louie has a mole right under his eye, he tries his best not to gawk at it. He’s seen a little more of the man when they would pass by each other on their many trips to and from PNF 404. Nothing more than shirtless (unfortunate.. but he chooses not to think too much about that). He had a huge scar on his hand, proof of their adventures they roughed out together, and Olimars favorite, a small heart shaped birthmark right on his left shoulder. Moles and freckles were not a rare sight on Louie, and Olimar absentmindedly thinks of what it would be like to map them like the stars.
Louie looks into his eyes for a second with a confused gaze as Olimar realized that he stopped scrubbing and was staring up at him instead. He looks back down and continues to scrub each dish, his cheeks growing warm. ‘She let me watch some shows with her,’ Louie rinses off a few plates, drying and storing them away.
Olimar thought about his kids, and how their hobbies impacted their behavior. His sweet daughter was a bit of a dancer, and his sun was quite the budding entomologist. His love for all thing creepy crawly and her love for movement and freedom of expression made Olimar proud that he’s raising such wonderful kids. But he does wonder… had Louie had anything that drove him other than food? He was definitely more intelligent than he lead on, (no offense) and he hadn’t really mentioned anything else.
‘Nana thought wanting a crockpot for my 10th birthday was odd.. but.’ Louie gestured to a weathered looking crockpot, Olimar grinned at that. Louie looked like he wanted to say more but it seems like he’s got nothing more to say. Olimar was silent too, thinking about what else seems appropriate to ask.
‘She cares a whole lot about you, yeah?’ Louie pauses for a moment and shrugs. ‘I guess so.’ Louie says a little more quiet. ‘Love her anyway if she didn’t.’ Louie says, the captain couldn’t agree more.
‘Thank you again, for dinner I mean.. not everyday that someone gets an opportunity like this.’ Olimar smiles fondly, looking over at him with rosey cheeks. Louie nods, his ears flushing pink too. It went quiet between them, neither knowing whats left to say, nor if anything should be said at all.
‘It could be.’
Olimar looks up from the dishes, eyebrows raised. Whatever could that mean, he thinks, looking over to see the latter shuffling around and putting dishes away awkwardly. ‘Of course, I think it would be great if I could visit from time to time and eat dinner with you!’ Louie glares at him for a moment before turning back around.
‘..That isn’t what I meant.’
Olimar rinses and dries off his hands, placing them on his hips. ‘I don’t think your Nana would like if I was here every day, haha.’ Louie says nothing, looking down at the counter.
Olimar walks over, placing a hand on the center of the others back, eyes shining with concern. Louie’s ears twitch and he turns his head so he’s not facing Olimar. ‘Are you alright, Louie? I was just poking fun, I apologize.’
Nothing.
‘I like your Nana, and the way you talk about her shows that you two care a lot for each other.’
More nothing.
Olimar backs off in defeat, removing his hand from Louie back. What could have ticked Louie off this much that he doesn’t want to even look at him?
‘It doesn’t matter.’ Louie starts, untying his apron and throwing it on the counter. Olimar is a little suprised at the response, but doesn’t want to push to hard to get the answer.
‘Do you wanna maybe talk about it?’ ‘You wouldn’t get it.’ ‘Why not?’ ‘Because you haven’t this whole time.’
Huh?
‘No matter what planet we’re on,’ Louie grabs the hand that Olimar had on his back and squeezes it.
‘You look at me funny, and make me feel weird,’ Louie drops Olimars hand, pouting.
‘You don’t care about what you’re doing to me.’
Olimar couldn’t do anything but blink, swallowing becoming increasingly uncomfortable. ‘Louie, what are you saying?’
‘Dunno, you tell me,’ Louie bottom lip pokes out a little, crossing his arms. ‘You’re the smart one aren’t you?’
Olimars face scrunched up at that, pouting back. ‘No need to act in that manner, I’m not a mind reader is all! Just say what you mean.’
Olimar feels his anger bubble up and he unfolds his arms, calming himself. There’s no need to get upset right now, Louie is just trying to figure out the same confusion as he is, probably. Moments like these remind the captain that really misses when he didn’t have to figure out problems that didn’t require a pikmin. So, Olimar does the next best thing, the only thing really left to do.
‘Just.. be honest with me, alright? We can just.. talk about it.’ ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Talking makes it worse, everything makes it worse.’ ‘What is it?’
Louie doesn’t say anything else, his mouth snaps shut. ‘Please, just, spit it out.. please?’ Olimar covers his face, trying to calm himself as hope feels his defeat creeping up on him.
Olimar doesn’t really register what happened next. It was just.. warm. He guesses that his hands are no longer covering his face, and yet there are hands touching his face. He opens his eyes to peek and he sees Louie, and feels him too. His own back is pressed up against the counter (which is ice cold but Olimar doesn’t really mind it). And then the lips. Olimar melts into the feeling of lips on his own and it clicks.
Louie had kissed him.
Louie was kissing him and it was nearly breathtaking. A wave of emotions, embarrassment, adoration, and questionable.. urges.. washed over Olimar and he feels relaxed.
The solution has reared its head, and Olimar was nearly steaming.
Guess it’s up to Olimar to figure out the next move. He was never really good at puzzles (too many pieces and he always gave himself a time restriction). He misses just being able to let his best strategy play out, and winning.
He also misses just being able to speak to Louie and it not feel like he’s speaking to a stone wall, as opposed to a guy that had obvious feelings for him. Louie is so much more nuanced now. When he was on that distant planet, it just felt very.. black and white with him. Escape with your life, eat and sleep were the only things Olimar could really think of, other than the growing heartbreak of missing his family.
Heck, even eating a poor man’s breakfast before a hefty days work and having a hot meal made by the other as a reward was better because it had no real world consequences.
He knows it’s selfish but, a small part of him wanted to stay there. On that planet her could have ‘that’ Louie all to himself. ‘That’ Louie made Olimar feel like he’d have a love more sacred than the vows that tied him to Hocotate. Not that he was the reason for anything that happened between him and his (ex)wife. He just feels like he doesn’t deserve this Louie. The Louie that cuts flower shaped pik pik carrots, nor the Louie that listened to him ll those nights where all he could do was sob into the phone.
This Louie.. no, no.
They’re the same.
Louie is the same, either which way.
Olimar feels like he couldn’t breathe for a moment, sucking in a breath of air. Louie had stopped kissing him (probably before his brain finished spiraling) and was now holding his hands. Olimar swallows, his eyes fluttering closed before opening again. Louie backs away, more like shuffles like a guilty penguin. ‘Sorry, I didn’t.. tired of not knowing.’ Louie looks away and Olimar nods slowly. ‘How long have you..?’
‘Dunno, just, needed you.’ Louie plays with his hands, seems like a nervous habit.
‘I understand.’ ‘..Not mad anymore?’ ‘Far from it, Louie.’
Long gone were the days where it was just him and Louie sleeping on terribly thin cots with blankets shielding the bright starlight from pouring into their room at dusk. Now, he’s here, a year and some change away from that moment, standing in a kitchen, his heart full and the sky a lot brighter than usual.