Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Captain smiling was a rare occurrence to the eyes of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. He never felt as if he had a reason too. Sure, The Captain was a shy squid beforehand, but after all the hell he was put through he didn't feel a reason too.

Unless he was around someone very special to him.

"Ahoy there squiddos!" A cheerful elderly man's voice called out as he walked carefully down through the snow to the base where the small group of agents were taking a break.

"Craig!" The captain said, his head snapping over in the direction of the voice. A small half smile grew on his face as the man arrived in the Squid Sister's camp, immediately swarmed by agents and his granddaughters.

"Woah! This is certainly a greeting!" The elder inkling said, chuckling as Callie excitedly hugged him from behind while giggling. He looked up and smiled at The Captain, giving him a thoughtful hum.

"Well hello to you all! It's great to see you kids after I got my land legs back!" He chuckled, ruffling 4's tentacles who beamed brightly.

"Yeah! It was just a little weird looking at you without... Uh... A body?" Callie said, giving him another gentle squeeze. Craig laughed, shaking his head.

"Callie, my dear, it was weird bein' without a body!" He laughed, looking over at an anxious Agent 8.

"There's no need to worry sweetheart, the re-hydration process didn't hurt at all. Especially not to your ol' Cuttlefish!" He said, poking the octopus lightheartedly with his cane and watching her smile and breathe a sigh of relief. That 8 was always looking out for people and for their safety like a mother does her child. It honestly was endearing.

"Well, Ahoy there Captain! How's my favorite Grandson doing?" Craig asked, grinning warmly at the tall, built squid.

"I'm doing well Cap'. How about yourself? You seem a lot more chipper than before." The Captain commented, smiling.

"Woah! The Captain smiling! Such a rare occurrence!" Agent 4 teased, giggling mischievously to herself.

"It's a rare occurrence to you because you're annoying, now stop interrupting people before I make you shave those hairy creatures." The Captain said, a slight teasing tone to his voice as he sported a cocky grin, showing his white fangs.

Cuttlefish chuckled, rolling his eyes a bit at the two before looking over to Marie. "Remind you of someone?" He said, a smug look on his face. Marie chuckled and put on a mock offended look on her face.

"Why, Gramps, are you insinuating that me and Callie acted like 4 and 3? I'm heavily offended and certainly do not see the resemblance." Marie said lightheartedly and sarcastically, laughing as her cousin joined in merrily.

"Yeah Gramps! You must be crazy!" Callie said with a giggle. "Although I do see it. Ah youth. Glad to see it never changes." Callie laughed.

"Whatever, Grandma!" Agent 4 teased, sticking her tounge out at the older agent who simply did the same thing back with her hands on her hips.

Craig chuckled and looked over at Agent 8 who was simply watching the scene unfold with interested golden eyes.

"Ever regret joinin' this platoon, dear?" He asked to the short, dark skinned octoling. Agent 8 had always been attached to Craig ever since he found her that faithful day and helped her escape. Ever since then she's found herself being granddaughter number 3.

"Oh no! It may be a lot of chaos, but I quite enjoy it! Being apart of an army of good for once instead of evil is quite thrilling! I wouldn't change places for the world!" 8 Said, clasping her hands together like Marina as she spoke, making the elderly cuttlefish smile and place a hand on her head tenderly.

"That's awfully true my dear, that's the type of enthusiasm I like hear! Not that I can hear that much anyway." Craig chuckled, shaking his head as he did so.

"Well everyone! I just came down to welcome and have a chat with our new recruits! Deep Cut is it? Does anyone know where they are?" He asked, standing up a bit more straight.

"Last I saw them they should be..."

Neo's words were cut off by a sudden explosion in the background, one filled with glitter, shells, and smoke. The whole group, excluding the ex-platoon leader, sighed heavily and pointed in the explosion's direction, all speaking in unison.

"Found 'em."

Chapter Text

"And just what the shell do you think you're doing?" Shiver asked, standing in the doorway of the living room in Deep Cut's shared home, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. Shiver currently had her hair all up, a messy scar over her right eye, and was in her more casual clothes for the day.

Shiver wore an old baggy t-shirt in the 2000nds style of a shark on it that said "I <3 my dog" and denim whitewashed grey shorts. She also wore a pair of shark slippers and her hair was all tied back with a white scrunchy and her bangs pulled back with old white star hairclips Frye bought her when the two had just met.

Shiver often preferred to wear her hair down, as not only did it hide the mess over her eye from a shark taming session gone wrong, but it also looked more aesthetically pleasing to the octo. She crossed one leg over the other and leaned her hip on the doorway, her shark slippers on full display for the family to see.

"Uh, what does it look like I'm doin'? We're having a dance party!" Frye exclaimed taking Neo's hands again in hers and spinning the giggling octoling around in circles as the two twirled on their feet. It honestly was a bit cute to watch.

Frye was in a pair of dark grey yoga pants and a deep purple crop top as she spun the agent around again and again, making the both start to feel dizzy as they laughed.

"Well that's wonderful, but unfortunately me and Amber have work we need to do. Besides, you got your turn with her yesterday! It's my turn now!" Shiver protested, acting and sounding a bit childish as she pointed to the dark-skinned octoling.

"Really? What kinda stuff do we need to do, exactly?" The octoling asked, raising an eyebrow and pushing one of her curly-swirly tentacles out of her face.

"Fashion. Yesterday Cal- I mean boss lady number one brought up the subject that Small Fry doesn't have anything else to wear besides those little overalls. So, I've taken it upon myself, as the pet’s super hot aunt, to tailor make it some fresh drip!" Shiver said, smirking mischievously and holding up a glue gun and blowing the tip of it like a cowboy would his pistol.

"It's "Super hot aunt"?? Puh-lease! You've lost it Shivvy! Besides that sounds boring as heck! Wouldn't you rather dance? Yes? No? The answer's yes, right?" Frye said, still holding Neo's hand and smiling at the girl.

"Ay! Ay?! (I think we have bigger fish to fry here! We're gonna let Shiver use a hot glue gun?!)" Big Man asked, looking a bit concerned as he walked in the room.

"Of course we are!" Shiver said, grinning that sharp-toothed grin of hers at the manta ray. "If I can spend my days slicing and dicing squiddos in turf war and ranked with my Splatana Wiper, I can handle a little sticky heat Big Man." Shiver said, rolling her eyes at her friend before her face went red in embarrassment and realization as she heard Frye and Neo's snorting.

"You know what I meant by that last line!" She protested again, stomping her foot. "Are you in or out Agent Three?" Shiver asked, swinging the cord for the glue gun around in circles.

"Yeah! Choose, Neo! Will it be a super cool dance party with someone young and hot or sewing time with Granny?" Frye said, winking at a growling Shiver and smirking at Neo.

"W-Well... U-Uh-" Neo began a bit nervously, not liking being in the center of confrontation like this when Big Man suddenly interrupted the two.

"Ay. Ay! (I'm afraid you're both wrong. It's Friday and today me and Amber are making muffins!)" Big man said, walking over to the octoling and winking at her before getting the muffin tin out of the cabinet. "Ay! (You two have fun though!)" The ray said as he motioned for a beaming Neo to get the eggs.

He knew from experience how scary confrontation like that can be, especially with those two, so leave it to big brother Big Man to lend a helping fin to be the true underdog of this band.

Shiver and Frye both looked a bit gobsmacked before shrugging, deciding to call a momentary truce and do what they had meant to do many minutes ago and enjoyed themselves quite well doing their own things…

Until...

"Big Man, I glued my fingers together! Update: it burns. Update two: ow."

"Big Man! I rolled my ankle! What do I do again?"

"Big Man if you were like 8 feet shorter and were fat, what size would you be?"

"Yo! Neo! I found a new website to visit for us! It's called 'AO3'-"

"NO FRYE NO!!"

"Oh relax! It's just fanfictions! ...Hey Shivvy? What's a 'hentai'?"

"Ay… (Oh Cod...)"

Chapter Text

Too cramped. Too tight. Too loud. Everything about this situation was too much for the poor octoling. She could feel her heart pound under the tight, uncomfortable, confining, black leather outfit that exploited her body against her will at such a young age. She could feel her pulse in her neck, her breath coming in short pants as she backed up against the old, cold wall of the metro.

She didn't have a weapon. No ink to make bombs. Nothing. She was defenseless and alone against the monsters that devilish phone created. She felt herself shiver as she looked around, crossing her fingers and muttering a silent prayer that she lost the ones chasing her so she could breathe.

Just as 8 thought everything was okay, someone grabbed her by her top, nearly ripping the thing off, and jerked her forwards, knocking her balance off. One of those zombitized octolings glared lifelessly at 8 as she squeezed her grip on her tighter.

8 wasn't sure what was scaring her more. The fact that the enemy had her in her grasp, or that the enemy was staring down at her emotionlessly like a corpse. Both of those was making the agent squirm, attempting to kick and flail around to break free, but it didn't work.

"Resistance is futile. Stop resisting." The creature said, it's voice more emotionless than it's face. It almost sounded like a robot made to command out orders and not a inkfish.

If this creature even was an inkfish anymore.

"Please! Let me go! Why must you keep on attacking me?! What did I do?! I pass my tests! I do all I am asked to!" Agent 8 asked, breathing faster and faster as she looked up at the octoling that was making her blood run cold.

"Orders from the higher ups indicate you have not been fully authorized. I am ordered to bring you to undergo such procedures." The octoling said, looking down at the agent as if she were a doll instead of a living being.

"Unauthorized? But I have been-"

"Silence." The octoling cut, dragging the flailing and crying agent with her to a room full of bags beyond bags of sanitization goo. In the middle there sat a chair with straps on it. The octoling strapped 8 down, immediately stabbing her with multiple IV needles in the veins and watching as 8 screamed her lungs out for help.

"The authorization process begins immediately." It said, it's voice emotionless and harsh as it watched the agent cry out and attempt to break free, calling out for help that will never arrive. It was like a predator watching it's prey die hopelessly.

"Marina! Pearl! Cuttlefish! Agent 3! Anyone!" 8 cried out, watching her vision go black as the goo began it's inevitable process.

Alone.

________

Marina hummed in her sleep, wrapping her arms around her wife as the two slept peacefully together in each other's embrace.

When you're an idol duo with two bands and a lot on your plate, resting time to relax is few and far between, so the two cherished whatever they got together...

...Until the peaceful night air was broken by Agent 8 screaming a horrified scream in octerian, immediately waking the couple up.

Marina pushed her facemask up frantically, being the first to hear and understand what the octoling was crying out in octerian.

"Mother"

Marina's heart skipped a beat along with Pearl's. The two shared a look and immediately jumped up, Marina grabbing her glasses and Pearl her duelies as the two made their way carefully yet quickly out of the room and into the hallway.

Pearl opened the door first, jumping in and primed to splat anyone who dared mess with her daughter only frown at the sight of the octoling having another nightmare again.

"Costs clear 'Rina. It's a nightmare again." The inkling said, sitting down on the edge of the bed as her wife walked in quietly, looking a bit distraught herself and brushing a tentacle out of 8's cold sweat drenched face.

"Poor baby..." Marina murmured, gently rocking the girl a bit and calmly whispering 8's name in octerian to wake her up. "Come on Lulu sweetie, it's okay love... Mamas are here..."

The octoling woke up with a gasp and looked up at Marina and Pearl, immediately shooting up and burying her face in Marina's chest, her little body trembling as she held onto the idol for dear life.

"Aw, C'mon Kiddo! It's all over now. We're here and'll beat up anythin' that dares show it's face 'round here!" Pearl said in a softer voice. "Just breathe kid, remember what Dr. Shellster said 'bout breathin'?"

Pearl was referring to the therapist that her and Marina had been taking 8 to as of late, making sure all the girl's needs were met in all departments, mental and physical.

8 nodded, trying her best to breathe and just repeating "Mama" over and over again quietly as she clung to Marina, most likely as a comfort mechanism to remind herself who she was with and where she was.

"I-I am so sorry Mama..." 8 finally murmured, looking over at the too and shaking her head to move a tentacle out of her tearstained face.

"Sorry? What ever for, darling?" Marina asked, looking at the poor thing with wide, confused eyes.

"S-Sorry for waking you and Mom up... I-I know you're exhausted and I didn't mean-" Agent 8 began but was shortly cut off by Pearl.

"Oh Nuh-uh! Are you seriously apologizin' for somethin' you can't control? Kiddo! We're yer Moms! We wanna help you feel better because we love ya, you feel me?" Pearl asked, scooting closer to her daughter and smiling softly at her. "You come first in our life and we're happy to keep it that way."

"She's right Honey. We want to help because we like seeing you relaxed and content. It makes us sad when you're upset and sad so we try to help!" Marina cooed, cuddling the touch starved octo in her arms.

Agent 8 gave a small smile, feeling a bit better after everything, the dream beginning to fade away in her mind slowly.

"Besideds! Who says we can't still get that sleep, hm?" Pearl asked, flopping back on the bed next to 8 at the top. "Care to join my loves?" She asked, grinning that grin of hers and patting the spot next to her.

"I believe we will." Marina giggled, laying 8 in the middle and laying on the other side of her, giggling softly as she snuggled next to her wife and daughter with a soft smile on her face. "You know, I feel like this is how we were supposed to sleep all along tonight!" Marina said, smiling and curling on her side, kissing a giggling 8's forehead.

Agent 8 curled under the covers with her moms, a small warm feeling inside her chest as she laid there, feeling hemmed in and safe between the two, her body able to fully relax finally.

Finally 8 was able to drift on to a restfull sleep, knowing one important thing:

The safest you'll ever feel is with the ones you love and call home.

Chapter Text

Marina hummed cheerfully to herself as she stirred the vegetables around in her big soup pot, adding the tomatoes and smiling to herself as she watched to vegetable soup finally start to come together. She chuckled as she threw the empty container of tomato paste away, remembering the heated debate Pearl and Marie had years ago at a concert concerning the legitimacy of tomatoes as a food. Personally, Marina and Pearl were quite fond of tomatoes, even going as far as to eat them raw like apples for a quick snack, but Marie physically gagged at the sight of it,

Thank goodness Marie didn't come over for dinner often. She'd throw her meal back up faster than she could get it down.

Marina put the lid on the soup and took her headphones off, turning around and jumping slightly when she found 8 standing there like a cat. She must've had her music too loud again and hadn't heard her arrive. She needed to remember to keep her volume down, otherwise she'd be needing hearing aids like Pearl next.

"Hi babydoll! Sorry, I didn't hear you. I was listening to Marie's podcast again." She chuckled, tightening the scrunchy that was keeping her tentacles tided out of her face, and most importantly, out of everyone's soup. "Is Pearlie back yet?"

"No..." 8 said, fiddling around with the baggy Kensa sweater of hers nervously. "M-Mama, something is wrong." She murmured, intertwining her clawed fingers in the rolled up wool of the red and black striped fabric in an uncomfortable manner.

"With Pearl? No honey, she was just getting some papers from our office for us to work on over the weekend! She's coming back soon!" Marina hummed, smiling sweetly at the concerned octoling and putting some spices up in the nearby cabinet.

"No, not with mommy. Me." 8 said, stepping closer to Marina with a frown, making the octoling's smile drop slightly. She looked upset and stressed out.

"Oh? What's wrong, baby?" Marina asked, looking at her gently with a slightly concerned look on her face and closing the cabinet door gently.

"My stomach... It feels unwell..." 8 said, taking Marina's hand and putting it against her belly with a concerned frown. "It feels hot and twisty. I don't like it." 8 said, sticking her little pink tongue out in disgust as her stomach churnned. "A-Am I in danger?" She asked, looking a bit panicked as she felt Marina pat her stomach gently before taking a hand and putting it on her forehead gently like a feather.

"No, of course not! You're never in any danger with us darling." Marina said gently, biting back a frown as she felt the octoling's forehead feel hot to the touch. That wasn't good. She knew flu season had recently broken out in Inkopolis, but she didn't think anyone would get sick this fast! Especially with an old human virus that didn't seem to want to die over generations. She wasn't even sure if 8 had even been sick before.

This wasn't good at all.

"Do you feel like you're going to be sick?" Marina asked, her voice still remaining soft and optimistic despite knowing this outcome wouldn't be all that hot.

"Sick?" 8 asked, looking genuinely confused and tilting her head like Judd.

"Yeah. Like, do you feel unwell like you're gonna throw up or is your belly just upset?" She asked, quickly setting the soup on simmer so she could deal with the current situation without having to worry about their dinner burning. "You have at least thrown up before, right?"

"Yes... I have in the metro when I found the remains of those failed experiments... It was gross..." 8 murmured, looking at Marina worriedly. "Am I gonna do that again? I didn't like it." 8 said, looking at Marina with those wide golden eyes of hers that you could seemingly read her whole life story in.

"You might, but I don't know. You might need something light in your belly to make sure it stays settled." Marina said, looking over at their bread box and deciding toast would be a safe option for now until dinner was ready. Bland and rather tasteless, yet so perfect for sick season.

"You go sit down, okay? You're kinda wobbly and I don't want you falling." Marina hummed, gesturing to the seats at the kitchen counter and ruffling 8's hair with a smile. "Mama'll take care of you! No need to worry!"

"Okay." 8 said, giving a half smile back and sitting in one of the chairs slowly, her body feeling like half of it was in the clouds and the other half under the sea. She felt heavy and tired and like she was unable to move properly or anywhere near as fast enough.

Thank goodness this happened on everyone's off days.

Well, almost everyone's.

________

"I'm not getting 'soft' Agent 4. I'm just worried about one of my agents like a captain should. I hardly see my concern as 'getting all mushy'" The Captain said, rolling his eyes as he looked at the pigmy powerhouse in front of him, her yellow tongue sticking out at him like a child.

"The Captain's a softy! The Captain's a softy!" She teased back in a sing-song voice as she giggled at him with her little fangs. Sometimes he really wanted to fire her, but he knew he couldn't deep down. She was a powerful asset to the Squidbeak and they couldn't afford to lose someone of her agility.

Oh yeah, she was a close and caring friend too blah blah blah.

"What's all this 'bout 3 being soft? The Captain? Soft? C'mon." Marie said, twirling her parasol around sleepily as she yawned, the 3pm slump hitting her hard this Friday. She needed to stop binging True Crime videos at 3am like a lifestyle, but she knew deep down that wasn't gonna happen. "I'm pretty sure his nickname in grade school was 'Hardass' or somethin'."

"You're one to talk Mari'! Yours was 'Hothead' because you kept beating up the boys who tried to make fun of the girls." Callie said, looking up from her phone with a grin. "I'm tellin' ya, she was feisty."

"Oooo, what'd she do?! Spill! Spill!!" Agent 4 said, bouncing on her heels and looking at Callie with a grin.

"I'm kinda interested myself actually." The Captain said, sassily crossing one leg over the other and smirking at Marie. "Do tell."

"Callie don't you dare-" Marie began, realizing her attempts were futile as her blabbermouth of a cousin began.

"Well, one time in second grade on picture day a couple girls wore dresses because dresses are fun! Well these boys were crawling on the floor and trying to look up the dresses and nobody was stopping them! So when they got to Marie, she stompped as hard as she could and gave the boy a black eye! They never messed with anyone else again to my knowledge!" Callie laughed, grinning smugly at her cousin and winking at her with a giggle. Callie found way too much fun in embarrassing her cousin, even if she knew she walked a thin line on ice when she did so.

"Uh-uh. Interesting Callie. 'Cause I remember a certain squid getting detention because she took her Squidberry Shortcake lunchbox and dented it in a boy's face because he tried to kiss her." Marie said, returning that smug look and raising an eyebrow. "And didn't you also take that softball bat and wack your bully over the head with it in middle school?"

"Yeah, but like, I did it in a hot girl way." Callie said, her cheeks slightly flushed in embarrassment at her past being brought up. Not much had changed and Callie knew it too, she'd still beat someone up if given the opportunity, but others didn't need to know that. Her repressed and femmine rage was supposed to be a surprise to anyone who fucked around enough, not aired out by Marie!

"Woah. Callie Aori Cuttlefish. Her weapon of choice? Lunchbox." The Captain snorted, looking at the girls with a slightly amused smile on his face and fixing his long tentacles he had tied up. He always felt more at ease with the sisters and able to open up more to them. It was probably because they'd basically adopted him into their family since he arrived at the Squidbeak all those years ago.

How time flies.

"Shush! That's enough about me and ole Squidberry! What about you and 8?" Callie asked, turning her phone off and sitting on the crate a bit more upright than before. She always sat like that when she was about to drop more gossip than an old lady after church on Sundays. If you liked drama as much as 4 and Callie did, you rejoiced when she sat like that and sassily crossed her legs as if she was Joan Crawford or Marilyn Monroe.

"Yeah. I heard your little girlfriend is sick. You gonna go be a big strong man and take care of her?" Marie asked sarcastically, grinning smugly at The Captain and crossing her arms, closing her parasol and leaning on it like Fred Astaire and his cane.

"Agent 8 is not my girlfriend for the last time. And no, but considering she is such a valuable asset to our team and a hardworker unlike some people I know," He said, looking at 4 who simply rolled her eyes at him. "a wellness check I think would be a good idea." He said with a shrug as he stood up with a stretch. "Craig checked on me all the time when I got injured or sick. It's just what a good captain does."

"Awww and it's what a good boyfriend does too!!" Callie cooed, kicking her legs a bit with a giggle and wiggling her tentacles around as if it were a stim of some kind. "Young love is so pure!!"

"How many times has she 'valued' your 'asset' so far?" Marie asked, grinning smugly and slyly at The Captain while Agent 4 squealed with laughter, making The Captain's face blush a deep green.

"You group are disgusting."

"Don't be shy! How many times has she inked your Splatzone big guy?"

"Agent 4 everyday you walk a tightrope with me and everyday I struggle with whether I should keep you or fire you. Say one more word and I will cut that rope and wrap it around your neck."

________

Agent 8 laid curled on her bed, her head and body aching as she held her octopus plushie close, petting it repeatedly in a self-soothing motion as she tried to forget about the pain in her body from the sickness. She quickly learned she wasn't a fan of being sick. No matter how good your mamas take care of you, it still sucks no matter what way you spin it. She looked sleepily down at Roomba, her pet Squee-G in the floor as he slept after a long day rolling around and doing a whole lot of nothing.

Must be nice to robot, she thought.

Agent 8 was about to roll over when there was a knock at her door. Curiously, she stumbled out of bed, ignoring the way her legs wobbled and burned as she walked and opened the door. Instantly that fangir/deer in headlights look grew on her face when she saw The Captain at her door. She smiled and looked a bit shocked honestly.

"O-Oh! Captain! Hello! H-How did you get here?" She asked, smiling at him sleepily, ignoring the burning pain in her back or legs.

"Pearl let me in." He said, leaning on the doorway some, feeling a bit awkward at the face-to-face confrontation. "I heard you weren't feeling good so I decided to check on you some." He said, giving her a slight dopey smile. "W-We uh, can't have our best agent dropping on us."

Agent 8 gave the biggest smile he'd ever see her make, and her already flushed face grew redder as she nodded, giggling a bit like a teenage girl at his words. "Thank you Captain. It's an honor to know I have achieved such a high honor." She said, mumbling a bit with a yawn. She seemed sleepy yet not wanting to look away from him.

"You achieved a higher level than that in his heart B!" Pearl called out before Marina grabbed her wife by the back of her sweater and yoinked her away like someone picking up naughty kitten. The two chose to ignore this for now.

The Captain just shook his head before noticing how wobbly and flushed she was. She definitely didn't look like she felt good at all. He just sighed and scooped her up bridal style and gently laid her on the bed, ignoring her awe-struck face and the way she pouted when he purt her down, and grabbing her octoplushie and handing it to her with a smile.

"You need to rest. I don't- I mean, we have a vital mission coming up and I need someone of your skill on it with us. God knows we can't rely on Neo or 4." He chuckled, brushing a tentacle out of her face before covering her up with a light sheet so her fever could come down later if she slept.

"Yes sir! Don't worry, you can count me. I will try my best." She said nodding to him officially with a weak smile. It amazed 3 how she was always so enthusiastic about work. He wished he had her work ethnic instead of his.

"Slow your roll there Trigger. We're not going on it yet." He snorted, rolling his eyes in a sarcastic yet friendly manner as he eyed the octoling with a more gentle smile. It was a side he'd never shown to anyone before, and it was very different than what he was used to.

"We'll put this one on hold for now. Until you get better that is. Afterall, I think your mom's right. Somehow. As crazy as she is I think she's got a point."

"Yo! I can still hear ya yappin' up there and hittin' on my daughter, so ya better watch it big guy!"

"Oh I'm so scared! Take your hearing aids out you little terror!"

Chapter Text

"Mar'!!" Callie squealed, emerging from her ink and jumping into the air, wrapping her arms around her cousin's shoulders and pulling her to the ground with her faster than Marie had time to blink or even breathe. She squeezed the woman's torso lovingly and giggled at Marie's sighs.

"Callie! Good Cod you scared the shit outta me! What was so important that you had to knock me down and turn my organs to mush?" Marie asked, checking her phone for cracks before tilting her head back to look at her attacker. She loved her cousin dearly. like her real sister or even a best friend, but she needed to dile it back some before someone knocked her in head for it.

Someone like herself.

"I love you!" Callie giggled, giving her hostage another quick squeeze before letting her go with a content and giddy smile on her face.. "I thought that was plenty important!"

Marie stood up and dusted herself off, chuckling a bit and rolling her eyes as she grinned at Callie with a snarky snort. "I love you too Dumbass. Don't kill me for it though." She said, chuckling before awkwardly patting Callie on the back. She never knew what to do when it came to physical affection. It obviously wasn't her forte. If Marie truly loved you she didn't get all sappy like Callie. Instead Marie would bully you and hit you with things in an oddly affectionate way. Yeah, she'd say you were a worthless sap, but you were her worthless sap.

Just another outstanding reason how Callie and Marie really were the Yin and Yang of Inkopolis. So different yet one in the same.

And that's what disappointed Callie slightly deep down.

Callie always thrived off physical affection like a lifeblood. Her mother and father always had been affectionate people and always were either hugging each other or her their whole lives, so Callie learned that's what you do when you love someone. Instead of putting down ques and hoping they pick up, you outright tell them. Leave no room for debate or misunderstanding.

You like their style? Tell 'em! Enjoy their company? Shoot 'em and text and say so! They helped cheer you up when sad? Thank them with words or a gift! Really love them? Hug them. It was a simple way she lived her life and always had been that way.

Sure, she knew this wasn't for everyone. She knew not everyone wore their hearts on their sleeves. She knew not everyone felt as comfortable telling how they feel. She knew that well and would never force those people to step out of their comfort zone. They probably have a good reason to be in it.

But that didn't mean Callie didn't want it back sometimes.

She wanted people to surprise her with hugs. She wanted to hear what others thought of her. She wanted to be told openly she was loved by others and to receive as much as she gave out, but she didn't. And it got mentally tiring sometimes.

Until today.

________

"Howdy Cal Cal!!" Agent 4 said, excitedly running over to Callie, enthusiastically ready to start the day. The first thing 4 did was happily do a run and jump into the older squid's arms, giggling as Callie lifted her up and spun her around some till they both were dizzy, giggling messes. "Woah! So this is what it's like to be tall! Fresh!!"

"Heck yeah!! Pretty cool, eh Shortstack?" Callie teased, plopping down in the snow with the pigmy squid still in her arms, ruffling her short, choppy, and golden tentacles. It felt good to be cuddled like this. She wished It'd never end and so did 4. "Just squiddin'! Maybe. Anyway, how's honorary Squid Sister number 3 today?"

"We never agreed on such arrangements by the way." Marie spoke up, looking up from helping Neo and Smallfry make a mini Snowsquid. It was a slow day, and with nothing to do and no naps to be had, Marie found herself bonding with the newest recruit. It was nice oddly. She knew Deep Cut later would hold her at gunpoint for dare "stealing away" their precious Neo but it was a risk she was willing to take.

She knew they wouldn't really get upset, however. Due to Marie's skill level and fuck-around-and-find-out attitude she knew the others secretly both looked up to her and feared her. It gave the idol a rush of smug power that any man that lacked Marie's alcohol tolerance could easily get drunk on.

"Oh hush! Yes we did!" Callie said, sticking her yellow tongue out at Marie before going back to 4 with a giggle. "She's just mad because she can't take her evening nap like a grey-haired old grandma she is."

"I heard that you hyperpop monster can!" Marie said, now returning Callie tongue with her own. "Grow up!"

"Old women fight about the dumbest things eh 4?" Neo said, the octoling sharing a giggle with the inkling before Marie lobbed a snowball at her head violently. It was like Jesus himself pitched it.

"Yeah, and kids laugh about the rudest things!"

"Okay granny let's get you back in bed."

________

"Callie, no. That's not how this is played." Marie sighed, taking the Monopoly money away from Callie who was currently throwing it around like a rapper's music video much to 4's delight. "You don't get all of it. This is your in-game bank account not your actual bank account."

"I just wanna be the thimble!" 4 whined, kicking her legs a bit in the chair like a fussy toddler. Sometimes it really baffled Marie how 4 could act like this all the time but yet still be an absolute beast on the battlefield and go faster than Sonic could ever dream to. It kept her awake at night.

"No. I'm always the thimble. Be the top hat." Marie said, sliding the piece across the table to the agent, already knowing this sleepover was going south fast. She just fixed her fuzzy doughnuts and coffee print pajama bottoms to be warmer and baggier around her ankles and hoped there wouldn't be too much of a mess to clean up tomorrow.

If there was it's coming out of 4's paycheck.

"I call the doggie!" Callie said, snatching the scottish terrier up and petting it with her finger. "I'm naming him Charles!" Honestly, it also baffled Marie how her cousin was 24 now. She still was wearing those stars and rainbow pajama sets, unicorn slippera, and petting the Monopoly piece like it was a real dog.

Was she the only sane one here?!

"It's made of metal but whatever floats your boat." Marie shrugged before looking back to 4 and instantly sighing so hard her lungs ached. Agent 4 was wearing the top hat piece on her head and doing a "Hello my honey, hello my baby" frog impression from those old MGM cartoons. She already had an itch on her forehead that only her 12-gauge charger could scratch.

"Why has God forsaken me..." Marie muttered before getting the rulebook out. She just knew they were gonna argue eventually over something stupid. "Alright. Listen up dweebs. We're gonna-"

"Who still unironically uses the phrase 'dweeb'? What'rya? A 90s school bully?" 4 asked, taking her top hat off and now rolling the car around absentmindedly while Callie howled with laughter, leaning on the agent for support.. "Oh no Marie! Please don't take my lunch money! How else will I eat my clumpy milk and cold pizza slice?"

"I swear to- Anyway. We're gonna use the rules here to play. Anything this book says? Goes. We are NOT making up rules again like Gramps and Dad did that night while playing with Aunty and Grams." Marie said, gesturing to the book as if it were the Bible.

"Poor Momma! Gramps just kept making up stuff like 'whoever lands on waterworks has to roll 3 times then pay the fine' or whatever! I thought she was gonna rip her tentacles out while Uncle Max just laughed at her." Callie said, feeling sympathy for her poor sweet mother and the Monopoly night from hell years ago. Even she had to admit however, it was pretty funny then. "I see where you get it from Mari."

"Hey, I kinda like that idea..." 4 said with a grin, looking at Callie mischievously with a smirk.

"Yo Cal Cal. What if we made it like: 'Whoever has grey hair is called grandma for the rest of the game'?"

"Oooo heck yeah!! I'm in!!"

"I'm gonna strangle the both of you in your sleep."

________

Marie sleepily got up later that night, crawling off of her bed to go use the bathroom. She stumbled and remembered to watch for 4 who was sleeping on the floor in-between the sister's beds only to not find her anywhere strangely.

Curiously Marie looked over to Callie's bed and sighed, rolling her eyes when sne saw Callie holding 4 like a plushie, and 4 smiling in her sleep like a puppy. It was so ridiculous yet heartwarming to Marie oddly enough.

She knew she didn't supply Callie with the affection she craved, she couldn't. It wasn't in her to do that no matter how hard she tried. It made her feel guilty, as if she failed as cousin.

But what made her feel better, was knowing that where she lacked as a cousin,

Agent 4 carried as a sister.