Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[A few days post James’ transformation.]

I head back from a morning of caving. The walk back to my base isn’t too bad, hell, I find it quite easy. However, it feels like a straight 5 minutes by the time I get there, because my mind is buzzing with thoughts and Kindness is also buzzing with things she wants to say to me. I ignore them. 

I sit down, slipping Kindness into a sheath and sighing. James was pretty screwed over at the moment, and I’m truly quite concerned for him. Maybe Kindness will have an explanation. 

I hear some sizzling sounds and I look around, confused. It seems to be coming from Kindness’ chest, so I pull her out. My eye is immediately drawn to the fact she’s glowing again. Cyan, blue, cyan, blue..what could this mean? Maybe I should ask Kindness herself. 

“Kindness, do you know why you’re glowing again?”

“SQUIDDY BOY...I’VE TOLD YOU THIS ALREADY, I DO NOT HAVE ANY INVOLVEMENT IN THNXCYA’S TRANSFORMATION.” She says.

“I know, but why are you glowing different colours now?.”

“I DO NOT KNOW, SQUIDDY BOY…” 

“Uh, alright.” 

Well that didn’t give me any answers, did it?

Either way, it’s not much for me to worry about. I continue with all my work, hell, since we’re getting a new member today I need to be at my best. I tie up my hair and head over to the main Shady Oaks base, allowing the sun to beat down on my skin. It feels oddly sensitive, but I don’t think much about it.

I head over to see Justin resting under a tree and James trying his best to stay afloat for longer than a few seconds. 

“Ow….” I can hear James mutter as he faceplants again.

“You’re doing terribly, mate.” Justin responds.

“Hey boys!” I yell out, waving. 

“Hey!” James says, looking up. “Justin’s trying to teach me to fly. It’s not going well.” 

Justin chuckles, and so do I. I sit next to Justin as James continually tries to fly up and down. Justin explains that while James is fast to pick things up, it’s still a tricky thing to adapt to. He also mentions that the transformation is far from over - James is still losing weight at a rapid rate and so isn’t really at the weight to fly yet. But still they’re trying so it’s easier to pick up. 

He’s lost over half of his normal weight in a week. Justin’s apparently surprised he’s still functioning.

We continue watching James get better on his flying, soon enough being able to stay afloat for one minute before getting tired. Which is a great start, Justin says. James downs a bottle of honey and ends up chewing on a flower as we wait for Dan to get back from whatever he is doing so we can welcome the newbie.

“Dan should be here soon..” Justin mutters, checking the time on his comm.

I hear a quiet voice from behind me, and I whip around, before realising it’s source. Oh right, Kindness. 

“You aight, Squiddy?” James asks.

“Yeah uh...I actually have Kindness on me right now. She’s glowing weird colours again.” I say, pulling her out, showing the blue and cyan glow. James squints.

“Huh...if someone else transforms, we know this is related to James’...new bee attire. If not, it’s just a coincidence.” Justin comments.

“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.” I say, before putting her away. 

I lay back on the tree when one of the tentacles on my back smack me. 

“Ow.” 

The other two laugh as I wrangle with the rogue thing. I’m something of a hybrid, see. I..can’t exactly remember how it happened, but that’s why my name is Squid after all. The only really squid like thing on me is the tentacles though, compared to other hybrids like Jerome and Ecko I’m really quite unremarkable. I normally just keep the tentacles down and by my side so they don’t disturb me.

So why are they acting up now? 

After wrangling with it for a bit and getting it back into it’s dormant position, I lie back and wipe my forehead, only for my hand to come back soaked.

Well that’s not normal. 

I look over to Justin and James, who are still focusing on James’ flight, so I don’t mention it. But that’s probably why I feel so dehydrated - wait, when did I get dehydrated? This is getting weird and I’m suspicious of it, but it’s no matter. Not yet, anyways. If it does get bad, the others will know what to do, right?

Finally, a familiar goggle-eyed-goon runs up to us.

“Hey lads, sorry I’m late! Got trapped in a mineshaft. How are you guys doing?”

James and Justin tell Dan about the progress with flying, and I give Dan a basic thumbs up in response. Kindness immediately tells me to kill him. I’m not doing that. 

Dan comments on how much I’m sweating. “Dude, you literally look like you’re dripping!”

Justin appears concerned. I think he’s already aware that something might be up.

“Look, the new member will be here in...5 minutes. Let’s head inside Shady Oaks to welcome them.” I say, changing the topic. With a bit of bustling, we head inside the retirement home to welcome our guest, PrestonPlayz. 

~~~

The tour goes absolutely amazingly! While Preston did question James’...new attire, James quickly explained that he inexplicably became a bee, and Preston ended up showing off some of his lava abilities. Preston was quite hyper to say the least, but was great overall. Despite the amount of times James fell. It was funny at first but eventually we just ended up ignoring it.

Things only start getting weird when we all leave the retirement home.

Dan offers Preston to try out some gambling, and Preston happily obliged. As we sit outside (and James trying to stay still while flying), Dan does a magical girl transformation into his businessman suit and they gamble a bit. Preston loses, obviously.

A lump appears in my throat. I try to swallow it down, but it doesn’t go. I gasp for air, but that only seems to make the lump bigger. I try pushing it up and out but it doesn’t go, no matter how much air I take in. I’m choking on something, and I don’t know what.

I try to ignore it at first but soon enough I realise that I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I CAN’T BREATHE- 

I can just about hear the panic around me. Preston and James are stunned into silence and Justin and Dan are panicking as to what to do. I don’t exactly want to suffocate on air, so I attempt to speak for something, but I don’t know what exactly will stop me choking. Especially since the tentacles on my back feel like they’re going haywire. I’m almost greying out while trying to get some air in.

Then I feel a cold feeling splash around my body, and it takes me a second but suddenly I can breathe fine again. I take in as much oxygen as possible before I open my eyes and sit up, before realising I’m in the damn fountain in the middle of the patio.

Everyone appears to be looking at Justin, who looks just as concerned as everyone else.

We’re all stunned into silence before Preston finally speaks up. 

“Please tell me that’s not a normal thing.”

“That is very much not a normal thing.” I say. “I’m fine, I think, but that was hella weird.” 

“Yeah, that’s not normal, which concerns me how someone knew to yeet the poor guy in the fountain.” Dan looks over to Justin. 

Ignoring Dan, Think paces around, seemingly calculating something. We all wait for a response and it takes him a second for him to realise we’re referring to him.

“Oh right, me! Uh..I dunno. But I noticed that Squid’s...well..squid instincts were acting up earlier due to the sweating and the tentacles gaining a life of their own, so I had a feeling that Squid was choking on air. You know, cause squids can’t survive outside of water.” Justin rambles out.

“That’s an awful lot to deduce from two incidents, my dude.” James says. “Sus.”

“Hey, I had nothing to do with this!” Justin defends himself, while everyone else laughs. “Hell, I actually think I do know- uh, guys?” 

Justin sits there for about 5 seconds for us to finish chuckling and calling him sus before eventually giving up on what he was trying to say. When we do quiet down, he continues.

“Well, Squid, I think you might need to keep a water bucket on you at all times. Just in case it happens again.” 

I nod, before pulling out a crafting table, quickly crafting a bucket and then getting rid of any marks of me building there.

“Alright. Now, can I get out of the scenery now.”

“If you’re comfortable, yep.”

And we all laugh as I, soaking wet, get out of the fountain.

Chapter Text

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. I made sure to keep Justin’s advice on hand, keeping the water on me. When I do feel like I’m going to suffocate again, I just throw some water down and faceplant. Also the dehydration isn’t fun, but I had some bottles on hand so I was fine in the end. Preston settled in and ran off to do his own thing, and the boys and I ran off in our own separate ways. 

It got dark fast, however, so I went to sleep.

Which is how I got to here, waking up in the dead of night, to blasting lights in my face.

I mutter some words of confusion as I sit up to notice my whole hobbit hole is glowing in a sickly pale green light, as if someone waved around a massive glow stick. It almost looks like I’m in some sort of unsolved mystery documentary.

My first instinct is to look around for the cause of the light, but it seems wherever I move the light follows me, so it must be something I’m holding. It’s so bright, so incredibly bright. Honestly, my whole hobbit hole doesn’t even need torches anymore, this light should be enough to keep mobs bay. Especially since it’s so dark in here. 

Instinctively, I pull out Kindness.

She’s still glowing a bright blue and cyan, but it’s definitely not the colour that’s illuminating the room. So what is? 

I quickly look around when I hear something smack against my neck, and it isn’t a normal smack, either. It’s the type of smack you’d hear when you dash a soggy cloth on the floor. 

I pull my hair forwards to tie it back up, only to notice that my pony tail has turned a navy blue, and running my hand through my hair makes me realise how drenched it is. It’s soaking, and I can’t even squeeze out half the water in it. What is...going on?

I hear a splash sound on the floor and I look down. It’s difficult to see, but I can just make out a block high layer of water across my whole base. I didn’t even notice it when I got up. Maybe the water bucket I had from Justin spilled? It seems to be the most likely option, but when I check my inventory it’s still completely full. 

Well, darn. I don’t even have any sponges on me to clean this up.

I trudge over to my crafting table to make another bucket, taking note of how easy it is to walk over there, whereas it would normally take me double the time to get to my crafting table. It almost feels like there’s actually no water there.

Who knows, maybe I’m just tired. 

I make the bucket using more of my hard earned iron and continue searching for a water source in the hole, but there’s nothing there. I can’t see a hole where the water might be coming from, either. This must be some sort of prank by someone, what else could it be? Then again, they wouldn’t be able to hide the water source so easily, especially since the water seems so still. I lean down to touch it, and it doesn’t even feel like water, just air. Huh.

I look around and catch a small reflection of myself in the mirror, prompting me to run up towards it in shock. After all, something..strange has happened to me overnight.

I touch the side of my face, scratching at the new skin that has inlaid itself there. No, not skin. Scales. Blue, wet and slimy scales embedded with a glistening green. Bringing my tentacles into view, I can see that they’ve got this glistening green on them too, shining throughout my base. My eyes have turned this same green colour, and they stand out from the rest of my face.

I’m glowing.

In my shock I stagger back from my reflection, slipping and landing with my butt in the water. The glow is amplified in the water too, spreading out quite far. I feel a lump rising in my throat and I faceplant in the water to prevent myself from suffocating again.

I pick myself up and look back over to the window. I notice that there’s a green liquid substance dripping from the mirror. I walk over to it and inspect it. I try my best to catch as much of it as possible before it drips down the mirror and into the water. Jiggling it around in my hand, I can see it has a similar consistency as water. Then again, I’m no scientist. The main thing notable about it is how much it appears to be glowing. Looking at myself in the mirror, I can see that part of my sweater is soaked in it too, and with further inspection it looks like the tentacles on my back are secreting this...substance. No, not substance. Ink.

I’m not just glowing. I’m a glow squid.

I laugh. Ironic, isn’t it? I should’ve seen this coming, shouldn’t I? Especially with Kindness glowing again, this is another transformation. James turned into a bee because he loves bees. I turned into a glow squid, because I am a squid.

That explains the blue and cyan too.

...Huh, maybe I should warn the others. However, it is very late at night.

I’m sure they won’t mind.

<iBallistiicSquid> Anyone awake?

<iBallistiicSquid> AnyonE?

<JeromeASF> YeS but I vrey much should not be

<Thinknoodles> I’m awake now. what’s the problem mate?

<iBallistiicSquid> Yeah uh 

<iBallistiicSquid> I think I transformed

<Thinknoodles> My base ASAP 

<JeromeASF> you wannt me to come?

<Thinknoodles> Only if you’re able to

With that, I stagger out the door and run over to Think’s base. 

Surprisingly, it’s not too difficult to get there. While the land trek is harder than usual, the fact that I shoot up the waterfall in less than 5 seconds really makes the trip easier. Justin’s waiting outside.

“Hey, dude, w- Oh.” I have a feeling just by looking at me he knows what happened. I nod. 

“Right. At least we know the cause of all this, to an extent.”

“Boys, what’s going on- SQUID?!” That’s the familiar voice of Jerome. I turn around to see his fur soaked in water, and he’s holding one of his berries, obviously. He’s got his hand in front of his eyes. Am I really that bright? 

“Ah, it’s the furry.” I say, cracking a joke.

“I am not a furry-”

All of us laugh, including Justin.

“Anyways, back to the topic at hand. Jerome, I assume you’re not aware of James’...unlikely transformation, right?” Justin asks.

“Wait, whaa?” He sounds...confused.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Justin chuckles, before explaining the whole situation with James and now myself to Jerome, who seems to nod along. By the end of it, he understands completely. (“Sounds icky. I’m here to help.”) 

Justin turns back to me. “You know what any drawbacks might be, right?” 

I nod along. “Yes, just the drowning thing. I already have a water bucket on me.”

“Also the glowing ink thing. Try not to get that in anyone’s eyes, alright?” 

“No promises.” I chuckle, and Jerome lets out a snort, but Justin doesn’t seem to find it too funny. Well, he smiles, so maybe he does.

“Alright, alright. By the way..you got Kindness on you? I want to talk to her.”

“...Yes?” I pull Kindness out, giving her to Think, as he eyes the glow on her. He’s about to speak when Jerome butts in.

“I’m sorry, are y’all speaking to...a netherite sword? I thought-”

“Long story.” I cut him off. He doesn’t need to know about Kindness.

“You’ve already told me one long story.”

“A...long-er story.” I quickly cover that up, before turning back to Justin. “What’d you want to ask her?”

Justin ignores my question, and I go to stand by Jerome, whose face is riddled with confusion. I’m surprised Justin isn’t going into his base to do this, but who am I to tell him what to do? He’s trying to help me.

“Kindness, are you what caused James and Squid’s body morphing?” Oh for the elder guardian’s sake, again?

(Wait, what the hell was that metaphor?)

“I AM NOT, THINKY…” she responds. Jerome lets out a little squeal, and mutters something along the lines of ‘she can actually talk?!’ I nudge him to stay quiet, but he’s shaking.

“Be honest, you’re the only thing that can actually cause this kind of thing. You have to be the cause of it.”

“I AM NOT, I AM BEING HONEST…”

“No, Kindness!” Justin’s tone gets slightly angrier. “You have to be the cause of it! Every time something like this has happened, you’ve predicted it!” 

I step forward to calm him down, but something tells me to stay back.

“THINKY, CALM YOURSELF…”

“Are you being totally honest?!”

“ YES I AM! ” She screams, echoing across the area. The actual sword shakes a lot, and Think slams her on the ground. A small crack appears on the sword. A bit of my ink squirts out, dying the area around me with that glowing colour. I dash towards her, picking her up.

“What did you do?!” I ask, and it comes out angrier than intended.

“I...think I made her angry.” I immediately catch the terror in Justin’s voice, and I think Jerome can too.

“Oh you’ve screwed up, buddy. You’ve screwed up.” He says, nodding slowly and coming up between us.

“Well, if something happens to me, you know who to blame.” Think bites his lip. “You guys should head back to your bases now.

And everyone silently nods. Jerome jumps down first, swimming down the waterfall and going away. She waits until he’s gone to give Justin a warning. 

“ BE CAREFUL, THINKY BOY, BE CAREFUL….”

“AH!” He shouts and pushes me down the waterfall just as I come to my senses. I sigh when I hit the water. Kindness, I like you a lot, but please stop scaring my friends, alright? 

Oh well. Guess I really am the epitome of the Northern lights now, huh?

(Cause I’m glowing? And I’m from the north? Haha...haha...no, that wasn’t funny, was it…)