Work Text:
Everything hurt, pain rocked through Neo’s body as the young inkling slowly returned to the waking world. She had no idea how, but she was back at the basecamp in the tent she shared with the captain.
Neo thought back to the last thing she remembered. She fought the blue octoling with the shark and managed to drive them back. The shark grabbed her by the leg and tossed her around all throughout the fight. She could only wonder what damage the beast had done to her.
Fear gripped the agent’s hearts as she pulled back the blanket to see the damage done to her. The young agent felt a bit let down by the amount of bandages wrapped around her leg making it impossible to tell how bad the damage was. The only upside was that she could feel all of her toes, so her leg should be fine.
“Foudling you’re up!” Little Buddy said, jumping about.
“Yeah, I’m up,” Neo said, pulling herself up to a seated position.
“I’m so glad you’re alright. You passed out in your fight against Shiver and the rest of the Splatoon had to save you,” he explained.
Neo groaned as the memories of that fight were becoming more and more clear. After chasing off Shiver and seeing the blood on her leg she passed out on the floor asking for help. The young agent forced herself to her feet, she needed to see the others and tell them she was okay.
Neo grit her beak as she hopped on one leg hoping to catch sight of the other agents in their spot when she overheard them talking.
“So how are we going to decide this?” Callie asked.
“We aren’t,” Marie said. “Once Neo is back on her feet, we’ll inform her of the decision and she will choose. I’m pretty sure kids do have the right to refuse adoption if they want.”
Neo froze in her spot hearing the others speak. Hearing Callie and the captain having their argument about her and who should adopt her kept her rooted in place. It wasn’t until the conversation the other three were having came to an end that Neo could once again move. Neo snatched Little Buddy and hobbled her way out of sight.
The young inkling let out a breath making it back into the safety of her tent.
Neo sat back down grateful that Little Buddy didn’t speak inklish.
Callie and Cap wanted to adopt her.
The idea rocked her to her core. Sure she never really gave any thought about what she’d be doing once she avenged her people, but she never would have imagined being adopted by either of them.
The thought filled her belly with butterflies. Callie and Captain wanted to adopt her. They liked her so much they wanted to be her mom. Neo couldn’t help but feel proud of herself for being wanted by two amazing inklings.
Callie was so warm and inviting. She made her feel so welcome and a part of the team when she was starting out. Not only that, but she saw Little Buddy as a real individual and not just as a pet. She knew that her fellow salmonid was deserving of respect.
Captain wasn’t lacking in likeability. She was so cool commanding, but she’d still compete with her when they’d train together. When Neo found out that Captain was the old Agent Three she felt more of a connection to her. They weren’t just teammates they were both Agent Threes. It made her feel less alone.
Even before the thought of adoption Neo would be hard pressed to answer which agent was her favourite. Neo didn’t know how they’d handle being mothers, but she knew they’d be great. She almost wished they could both be her moms.
The little inkling had to laugh at the thought. It was clear while both of them wanted to adopt her neither of them seemed to be interested in dating each other. That left her with the right to choose which one she wanted as a mom if Marie was to be believed.
A light tapping could be heard at the door to her tent as Marie’s voice came through the thin fabric wall. “Can I come in?”
The older inkling didn’t seem to wait for a response as she forced herself in when Neo didn’t respond. Marie gave Neo a onceover, before saying, “You’re supposed to be in bed.”
“I-I am,” Neo said, putting the blanket over her legs.
“Uh huh, so I didn’t catch you spying on Callie and Cap’s little argument. And before you try and lie, don’t. I saw you standing there.” Marie said more bored than angry.
Neo let out a sigh, she was glad that Marie didn’t want to be her mother, the inkling had a way of cutting to her core and making her feel so stupid.
“You’re not in trouble for being out of bed, we left you unconscious without telling you to stay put. As for what you overheard, like I said with those two idiots it’s your choice over who you want to be your mother. I didn’t tell either of them that you were eavesdropping, so they won’t try to butter you up. It’s your choice and nobody should take that away from you.”
It was moments like this that made Neo remember why she liked Marie. She let Neo be an adult and make her own choices. It was her choice and hers alone.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me for basic decency.” Marie said, letting out a tiny huff. For a moment Marie just stood there like she was unsure if she should stay or go. “Though if you want someone to listen to about potential moms I won’t judge either.”
Neo didn’t really know if she wanted to talk to Marie, but she needed to talk to someone. The young inkling let out a sigh. “I guess I just don’t know who to choose. If I pick Callie she’d be pretty fun to have as a mom, but sometimes she can be a bit too much, yah know.”
“Yeah, Callie never seems to run out of energy,” Marie said.
“If I pick Cap I know I’ll be taken care of but I don’t know if she’s a mom,” Neo said.
“Cap is a few years older than you. It’s one thing when she’s your mom at fourteen, but that might not be the same at thirty.”
“I like Callie and Cap, but when I think of the word mother the first fish that comes to mind is The Great Mother. She always made me feel like a member of the clan. She was so warm and welcoming, but she was also so forceful and passionate. Nobody in the Splatoon really can match my old mother.”
Neo felt the warm embrace of Marie’s arms. “That’s okay, I don’t know if either of them could match The Great Mother, but I do know that you’ve got two squids that want to at least try and at least be there for you. Nobody in the Splatoon is trying to replace The Great Mother, but they can make sure that the feeling of love you got from her is something you never have to go without.”
Neo felt tears rundown her cheeks as she burrowed herself into Marie’s chest. “Thanks, Marie.”
The older inkling pulled her close. “I have my moments.”