Don't Get Cooked! (for tailsy125)

‘Beat that bottom.’ Callie blinked down hard and tried waving off the comment per usual, but something about it lingered in the back of her mind. Why was that? Did something happen today involving… asses that she was supposed to remember? Nothing occured at the moment, so with a nervous “Eheh.” she let it slide with the faintest pink in her cheeks, much more interested in why Marina, the iconic Octoling, was on Team Squid. Callie wasn’t mad, though, she was curious, and totally ready to take the flimsiest excuse for why such an obvious shoe-in for her enemy team was working with her. “RiRi, RiRi, RiRi’RiRi’RiRi’RiRi’RiRi.” She kept repeating Marina’s affectionate nickname while waiting for her panicked excuses to trail off. With a smirk, Callie looked left, right, then behind her, and whispered “I think you got me confused for someone else…” She winked. Then, straightening up, Callie held her hands by her side like she had an umbrella and stuck her nose up in the air. “Swinging the tides of battle is dishonorable! Honesty is a rule of the battlefield! I am very intelligent, yes, yes.” Callie mimicked Marie’s voice to a tee, only with an extra spoonful of teasing snobbishness.

She loosened up. “Marinaaa! I’m not mad! I’m SUPER excited!” Callie broke into a big, toothy grin, “I mean, me, you, Pearl, Oceana AND Coral all on the same team?! Team Octopus isn’t gonna stand a chance!” Callie threw her hands up just at the thought of her impending success. Caught in her eagerness, after her words left her mouth and she had a minute to think about them… suddenly, they sounded a little less positive than she thought. “...which is a good thing!” She quickly corrected, “Because of your anniversary! And stuff…” Inklings that had the pleasure of spending time around Callie could usually see the moment light-bulbs went off in her head. This was one of those times. ‘Anniversary.’ “Wait… and you’re doing this for Pearl?” She asked, her eyes wide and glittering with a predictable onslaught of embarrassing babytalk. “OH. EM. GEE. That’s SO sweet! And you’re not even going to tell her?! She’d FREAK if she knew!” Callie bounced in place, her hands balled into excited fists the more she thought about it.

A couple of words were starting to form together again. A few fuzzy ones picked up from the conversation… ‘bottom’ was still first, then ‘punishment,’ and ‘anniversary’... ‘Pearl…’ okay, now Callie was sure she was forgetting something. Callie had a good strategy for remembering if she felt like there was an order she was forgetting - just picturing her cousin’s face, since most of her errands were assigned by Marie anyway. And as she pictured that lovely, pissed-off face of her favorite cousin, things started to clear up a little bit…

“Oh.” Callie suddenly snapped back, her expression turning serious and troubled. She blinked, looking both ways around her again, like she expected someone to be watching her… all fun in her looks and voice drained away in the blink of an eye. “hhhhHey, Marina…” She started, rubbing the back of her neck. All she had just learned, about Pearl, and Marina’s plan, and the look of pleading in her eyes… Marie’s message was important, but was it worth ruining Marina’s mood over? Callie had to second-guess herself. “Y’see…” She started.

[Bombay]

A small blush forms on her cheeks when Callie clearly didn’t take the joke as she thought and just awkwardly giggled. A small gulp comes from her as she frantically thinks of what to say next. “Uhhh...soooooo….” she looks around trying to find the words before Callie screams her nickname “shhhhhhhh!” she says putting a hand over Callie mouth “if anyone knows I’m here...no, if anyone knows we’re here it’ll ruin us plus Marie will have us bent over until we can’t sit for a month! Now can you please stop shouting that name!” she says worried as she frantically looks around. Once the coast was clear, she sighs loudly and slowly lets go of her mouth. The blush that was on her face only got deeper when Callie leaned in “w-what? So you’re not mad? I thought you would be furious and drag me back to Marie” she snorts cutely before she covers her mouth. She’s so embarrassed, she could die. Marie giggles gently and shakes her head “you forgot to add something about always wanting to spank someone if there’s even a shell out of place”

All of the tension left her body when Callie said that she’s not mad and she’s not gonna tell anyone “that’s a relief...I feel like the weight of the world has just been lifted off my shoulders” she says softly “O-Oceana and Coral are gonna be there? It’s been so long since i’ve seen them! It seems like Coral spends all her time with Molly after they started dating” she grabs her elbow and looks away “yeah...not a chance…” she softly nods her head and turns around starting to walk to the arena with Callie “I guess, I still feel kinda bad for betraying my team though. Do you think the octolings are gonna be disappointed in me when they don’t see me fighting for team octo?” she asks before Callie brings up the question about Pearl. She slowly nods her head looking back at the girl “I wouldn’t be doing this for fun, if that was the case, I would have fought with my kind” she says softly. She quickly walked in front of her and grabs her hands “she would...but we’re not gonna tell her. You gotta promise me that, this stays between only us, okay? You know how much of a big mouth Pearly is and she’ll never let me live it down!”

She lets go of her hands and starts to walk before Callie stops her “yeah?” she asks hearing the tone change in her voice. She looks back at her just to see that awkward expression “everyfin okray? Two seconds ago, you were giddy as a guppy, but now, you look like an awkward teenager at their first prom!” she sighs gently “spit it out Callie...I can take it, i’m a big girl”

Damn her poker face! Or lack there-of, for that matter, as it showed clearly in Callie’s face as Marie’s request of her came back all-too-suddenly. Her instructions? Find both Off the Hook members, warn them they’re in trouble, rebuke for pulling Splatfest stunt… what was wrong with the Splatfest, again? Pitting two previously warring species that had only achieved peace recently against each other for sport? Right! Callie’s palm flew up to her face and dragged along her glasses as she considered how to break this news to Marina… that she and Pearl both were in trouble. But probably especially Pearl. She could see how this bombshell revelation would take its toll on Marina, though… her eyes would drift away, her lip might tremble… worst of all, she’d see her stern cousin in herself. That’d make her the bad gal. Callie had played that role before, and she wasn’t very fond of it.

Point and case: She… really wanted to play in some Turf Wars, too.

So rather than tell Marina anything, Callie took a deep breath. Her mind searched for a proper excuse that might justify her reaction to the unsettling news she’d have to tell Marina. Her mind wrang itself dry for answers - quick, Callie, put that thinking cap to use! “Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…” She mumbled, finally shaking her head and answering “Y’know what! I totally forgot! Molly’s in the subway again, and she, uh, is stuck on this really difficult puzzle thing! You know how she is…” Callie shrugged, pulling at the collar of her shirt while she spoke. “So she needs you and Pearl to do that weird techno thing you do. With the hacks. Whatever that is.”

Nailed it! Even the most skeptical of squids wouldn’t doubt Callie’s lie. “But you can worry about that later, she’s got other tests to try!” She continued, with a big smile on her face. “And your secret is safe with me!” Mission accomplished, time to bail. “Now let’s find a game before all the good teams are taken.” Callie offered, gesturing behind her while quickly backing out of the alley, “Let’s gooo!”

---

The night went by in a flurry of flying ink and clashing colors! Every time a Turf War would come to an end, Callie would go into the next thinking, ‘just one more.’ Then she’d tell ‘em. For sure, this time. The first few games, she played alongside Marina, keeping her back covered with her trusty Hero Roller while she covered the front with her Splatbrella. And what an unstoppable team they made together! Each round they fought alongside each other in was an easy victory for Team Squid, Callie’s pricey t-shirt helped her sore through the ranks. From fiend, to defender, to Squid Champion!

But that impending warning… it couldn’t last forever. Already, she was sure, Marie was home in her snug pajamas, tapping her foot against the floor wondering where she was. If she had done her job yet. It harshed Callie’s vibe coming off the high of every Splatfest victory, and she couldn’t bring herself to keep it up. Just one more round…

---

A few games, they got lucky, Callie and Marina would be on the same team. But eventually, their lobbies split, and both quickly became the prized members of their respective teams. Team Squid was making short work of their Octopod opponents and Pearl was going to get her victory yet!

Ink missiles soared overhead as Callie surfaced for air out of her own green ink, shaking out her head and re-adjusting her beanie as she looked up. The battle she was currently locked in was closer than she was comfortable with, and she hadn’t lost a game yet! Her team had the secret element, of course - her - but something about the opposing Octo-team made them able to keep up with Callie and her teammates even with her extra special uniform! Her moment of calm was cut short as a blitz of ink rained down from above! Sinking right back into her ink, Callie swam away from her mysterious attacker as an Octoling brandishing two dualies dropped down from below. She certainly had the roll down-pat; as Callie turned a corner and re-equipped her weapon, the dualies-wielding menace turned the corner with a quick cartwheel and opened fire!

Callie was quick to dodge the onslaught! Her roller flung a volley of ink right back at her foe, but she ducked out of the way just in time, unleashing a second round of inkfire against Callie’s unprotected back. Her eyes shut as she leaped out of the way to dodge the rain of bullets, but no such maneuver was needed; right in the nick of time, a teammate had gifted her with ink armor!

Her foe turned tail and began to retreat. Callie wouldn’t let them - slamming her roller down, she chased after her foe with a long trail of green ink behind her while the Octoling struggled to roll her way through mixed and murky paint. It was a wild goose-chase; Callie would get within splatting range, and the Octoling would duck around a corner. She’d catch up, and they’d swim up a wall. It felt like the chase would never end - until finally, the Octoling swam back into a corner. She was doomed!

“A-HA!” Callie called out triumphantly, rising her roller far above her head to deliver the splatting blow to her opponent, her knees curled to her chest!...

“LOW INK.”

Her roller came right back down and bonked her foe on their noggin, not even shaking out a little bit of ink. “Ow! Geez!” The Octoling yelped, the force of the smack knocking her sunglasses clean off her face. “What’s your problem, lady?!”

Low Ink. Low INK?! “Oh, come ON!” Callie sighed, dropping her weapon. She caught a glimpse of the Inkling she had been chasing all this time while diving back down into her own ink to work up a fresh roller for splatting her with, and… wait… inkling?! Callie popped right back up. “Wait-wait-wait-wait-WAIT-wait-wait-waitwaitwait.” She interrupted herself. And not just any Inkling…

“Pearl?!” Callie gasped with surprise. The cornered MC Princess was still rubbing her sore head as her eyes opened to see a familiar face… and that her identity was compromised. “Oh, cod clam it.” She face-palmed. The gears in Callie’s head were ticking again. “.........you’re on team Octopus?!”

“No!” Pearl defensively denied, though realized how obviously ‘yes’ she was. “I mean-! Well, maybe, but not because-! Um-!” Her eyes darted left and right around the nearby arena. “Don’t tell Marina!” She demanded, throwing her glasses back over her face and tossing a curling bomb right through Callie’s legs. A little pink trail followed, and Pearl dived down into the ink, making a hasty escape from her foe as time for the game ran out.

[Bombay]

Marina could sense the awkward silence after she asked the girl to spit it out and she grabs her arm awkwardly. Unsure what to say, she just looks around nibbling her lip “uhhhh...Callie...is it about the new splatfest?” she asked sheepishly “yes, I know it’s wrong, but as Pearly said. It’s a good way for octolings to feel like their a part of our society. Who knows, this might be the best way to stop the fighting between the two because we’ll finally realize we’re all equal!” she says like she’s treading on eggshells. A gentle sigh comes from her still feeling the awkward tension and she shakingly grabs onto her hands “just...let me do this for pearly and then I’ll take both our punishments from Marie” she squeezed her hands beggingly “it was...uhm...my idea for the splatfest?” she says as her voice gets higher. She knows she can take a beating much better than Pearl and she hates seeing the girl hurt.

A deep blush forms on her cheeks when she put all this information out just for it to be something else entirely Callie wanted to tell her “uhh...well...let’s just forget what I said over a nice match or two...yeah?” she says awkwardly chuckling and backs away “or even a nice dinner? They just opened a new thai restaurant that i’ve been dying to try!” she says trying to divert the girl’s attention “we can totally hack into the system later tonight or even tomorrow depending on how much of a problem she’s having!” Marina nodded her head as she ran next to Callie to the arena “try not to hold me back old lady~” she said with a wink before she adjusted her glasses to make sure no one would recognize her.

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Marina fought from dawn until dusk and her and Callie were a splatting machine! She would protect the girl with her splatbrella giving her openings every which way and refilling her ink when she shot off the top part. She let Callie do most of the splatting because she just felt bad hurting her own kind, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t getting into it. A small giggle comes from her as she high fives Callie and dips into the ink as she runs to get more clams. This mysterious neon lady was quickly gaining the ranks like fire and soon became Squid champion. A small giggle comes from her as she waits in the lobby before she sees the screen and sees that team Squid is killing team Octo. she wanted it to be a fair battle, but this is just cruel.

A gentle sigh comes from her as she nods her head “welp, that should be enough Pearly. Hope you had the time of your life” she says somberly and walks out of the arena. No matter what she does, team Squid would win the night and she did her job. She knows Pearl is going to be on cloud nine and she doesn’t want to risk being caught by the girl, so she just walks back to the studio and gets changed before she waits for Pearl in the other girl’s dressing room. She curls up in a chair and slowly closes her eyes before she drifts off to sleep.

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Marie went to check the subways, but she couldn’t see any resemblance of Agent 8. The only thing she could guess is she’s in a training session and she wouldn’t be able to assist her, but with each passing moment the fear of something wrong happening increases. Not only that, but Callie hasn’t returned with Off the hook yet. The girl paces around the room in her teal flannel pajamas still buzzing Callie “come on gill...pick up...pick up…” but it went to voicemail for the 47th time. A loud groan comes from her as she throws it on the bed “if she’s not back in 5 minutes, i’m sending out a missing squid report” she says to herself and goes to the door to look out in the hallway hoping she rounds the corner.

Yes, that was EXACTLY what she needed tonight. For one of the Squid Sisters to be on her tail. Pearl’s head fell back against the wall of the Turf War lobby with a loud groan as her phone muted what must’ve been the tenth phone-call from Callie since they ran into each other. This was a wrench in her plans. If Marina knew she was fighting for Team Octopus… the whole surprise of her anniversary was spoiled! And worse yet, despite how hard she was fighting and how many games she thought she was winning, the numbers from HQ kept telling her that Team Octopus was down a hearty percentage.

How was that even possible?! Sure, Molly was in the subs and wasn’t helping, but her and Marina should be plenty to turn the tides. And let’s face it, her co-host had twice the fanbase she had. Team Octopus had the numbers, so why didn’t it have the victories to show for it? With a distressed grunt, Pearl pushed herself off the wall and dove right back into battle, catching the first train off to Moray Towers. The longer the night went on, the more players would retire, the more games she could dominate, the more that percentage would go up. Pearl was supremely confident.

---

“Phew!” Shaking off the green ink left in her tentacles, Callie stretched her arms way over her head, straight out of Turf War Number-... well, she stopped keeping track after thirty. What a haul, tonight was for her! Double the winnings for her team and triple the experience for herself, thanks to a couple ticket meals from Crusty Sean’s. But for now, it was late, and she didn’t think she could stomach another Triple-Fried Galactic Shwaffle for the sweet triple experience it gained her, so she was ready to throw in the towel. Team Squid would hold up fine without her, she was sure.

On her way out the door, Callie waved to her finishing teammates and stepped out from the lobby, back into an empty Inkopolis square. The moon hung high in the sky above, the aftermath of any ordinary Splatfest left for the morning crew to clean-up; discarded t-shirts, dropped super-snails, dripping pink or green ink left from fights that didn’t stay inside the lobby. Crusty Sean’s truck was still open, but the neighboring stores had closed down, including the Café Spyke regulared. Murch was nowhere to be seen, thank cod.

Huddling her jacket close for warmth, Callie stepped out onto the square, feeling her phone hidden in her hoodie pocket. What time was it? How late was she out playing Turf Wars? Eager to find out, Callie opened up her phone to check the time and - whoa - what - FORTY-EIGHT MISSED CALLS FROM MARIE. RED ALERT.

A few options presented themselves here. A, Marie had just scored a record label deal and was so excited to tell Callie about it, she had to call her that many times. B, Agent Eight was found dead and Marie needed her ASAP. C, the unfortunate most likely option, Marie was waiting to hear about how Callie had handled the whole ‘Off the Hook’ situation and was growing frustrated with how long she was taking… With a sigh, Callie glanced up at the time. 12a.m. Maybe Marie’s in bed already…

Rather than call her and find out, Callie slipped her phone into her pocket and hurried off towards the nearest manhole to Cuttlefish Cabin.

---

“Creeeak.” The floorboards of Off the Hook’s studio couldn’t be quiet enough. The staff had already closed up shop and left, Pearl having to borrow a key from an intern to get in since she was always losing her own. She did have good word from a staff member that Marina was back already, though, and waiting on her, so she was extra cautious in how she walked. Her Team Octopus t-shirt was ditched long ago in favor of an old tank-top she bought off of Jelfonzo on the fly, and with the stealth of a manta ray, Pearl slipped into her changing room.

After a quick change of clothes, throwing on an old ‘Team Squid’ t-shirt she had snagged from the vendors early, Pearl stepped back out into the hall, poking her head around to see Marina’s dressing room waiting just across from hers. She looked to her palm, where a skinny bouquet of delicate, teal corn lily’s. Cod, it had taken her so long to find ones this color, but Flow was a champ and pulled through for her. Now, if she could just muster up the gut to deliver them… flowers weren’t really her thing, writing a rap for Marina or graffiting some sweet message for her on the side of Port Mackerel would be so much easier and so much more ‘her.’ But Pearl took a deep breath. She could do this.

Turning in the hall, Pearl stepped up to Marina’s dressing room. She waved a hand over her face, making sure her expression wasn’t totally nervous looking. Her knuckles came up to the door, and with a quiet sigh… she gave it a tiny, soft, ‘knock, knock, knock.’

Immediately afterwards, Pearl cringed and ducked away, waiting by the side of the door. Her feet shuffled, trying to find a good cross between casual, and formal. The flowers hid by her hip while her foot tapped patiently against the ground, one kicked up against the wall behind her. Should she have the flowers visible, or should they be a surprise? Does she put one in her lips? Or maybe hair? How do normal people do this sappy carp?!

No time to find out, only guess, while she waited for her partner to open the door.

---

‘Deep breaths, Callie, deep breaths.’ The exhausted half of a dynamic duo told herself as she resurfaced from the ink, outside the front door of Cuttlefish Cabin. It had taken a forty-yard dash, but somehow, she had made it back before 12:30a.m. Now, just to sneak in and slip into bed without waking her cousin - who was, for the record, a light sleeper - and pretend she had been there all along. Simple as that!

Cod wishes it was as simple as that, but no. She had to sneak past Grandpa’s room first, who had the ears of a trained war-elephant, then make her way past and/or bribe Agent Four, who would sell her out to Marie at the drop of a hat, and then finally find her way into her room, slip into some pajamas quiet enough to not wake her sleeping co-starfish, and then hit the hay. The only obstacle she DIDN’T have to look out for was Agent Three, who even if she was still awake - which she probably was - was at least shut up in her room and wouldn’t be bothering her.

Against all odds, the great zapfish in the sky smiled down on her it seemed. Maybe it was because Agent Four was already sound asleep, or that Grandpa had passed out listening to one of his ‘stories’, but regardless of how, Callie made it to the end of the hallway. One turn around that corner, and she’d be back in her room in no time!...

[Bombay]

Marina was out like a light and she was planning on sleeping here all night if her co-host didn’t show. This wouldn’t be her first time sleeping on the couch in her dressing room, but she likes the warmth of another body much better then this cold room. she snores gently as she rolls over dreaming about the splat fest she just participated in and how excited Pearly’s gonna be when she sees how well her team’s doing before she hears a quiet knock on the door. With a quiet groan she throws off her ‘team squid’ shirt not caring who sees her teal bra as she opens the door. It’s probably just a janitor trying to clean her room.

With a yawn she opens the door “this room’s fine, you don’t gotta…” she says before she looks down and sees Pearl. She’s too tired to care about her current appearance, so she just gets to her knees and pulls her gillfriend into a hug. She places her head on her shoulders and closes her eyes “Hey Pearly…took you long enough” she yawns in-between her sentence “can we go home now? I’m sleepy” she says already falling asleep on her shoulder. This girl can sleep anywhere and she has slept anywhere. She nuzzles her cheek feeling her warmth before she looks down at her phone “huh…would you look at that…it’s 11:59. Make a wish Pearly before our anniversary ends. I wish the public…accepts…us…” she says drowsily before gentle snores come from her

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Marie lays in bed waiting for her sister to come, but there’s no way she can sleep at a time like this. It’s already a half an hour after she said she’d make the missing squid report, but when she talked to captain cuttlefish, he didn’t seem concerned. Apparently, she did this often as a kid and she would be back by the morning. Marie still wasn’t convinced, but she decided to give the old coot at least until the morning. She’d need him in the investigation and no point having to drag around a dead tired body around while they investigated. With a gentle sigh, she hopped out of bed and checked her phone again. 12:29am and still nothing. She could have at least sent out a text or something. At this point, she doesn’t even care why she’s out, all she cares about is that she’s safe.

The girl slinks over to the door and opens it looking down both paths of the hallway before she sees a figure similar to her cousin. With a deep sigh she smiles gently and waits for her to come closer before she drags her into the room by the ear. She lands a few swats on her bum harshly “that’s for worrying me sick Callie!” before she pulls her into a hug “and that’s for being safe…never scare me like that again” she says gently squeezing her tightly. She doesn’t want to let go, she wants to stay like this forever. “I thought I lost you again…” she says as a tear drop falls onto the other girl’s neck. She slowly pulls away and sits on the bed “so…I’m guessing you found the two after their announcement and instead dragging them by their tentacles back here so we can deal with them, you either spanked them yourself, which we both know you didn’t do, or you played some games with them?” she says softly before she lays down on her back “if this was any other night, I’d spank you silly…but I’m just glad you’re safe. I’ll deal with you in the morning, I’m in no mood to hurt you right now”

“Heyo, heyo, ‘Rina! So I, maybe, sort of, kind of, might have gotten you a little present? For our anniversary? It’s just a couple of flowers, heh, nothing too big, in fact, just a lil side-thought I was hoping you might like, eheh. Hey, wanna go…” Her half of the upcoming exchange had gone through her mind well over a hundred times now, yet when the door finally opened, every word on Pearl’s tongue just vanished within an instant. She stood there, off to the side, like a big, bumbling idiot, a handful of flowers in her hand and not a single explanation for why she had them prepared for her drowsy co-partner. It didn’t help that she was at least expecting Marina to be dressed. “H-Heyo! Uh…” Pearl opened, her cheeks blushing bright pink. She couldn’t get out another word about those lousy flowers before she was already dragged into a tight, yet warm embrace…

And she didn’t need any, either. The tight hug caught her by surprise and her cheek flattened itself against Marina’s bosom. If there was a quicker way to shut Pearl up, it hadn’t been found yet. “Uhhh…” Pearl tried to stammer, “I… mean… uhhh…” Think, damn it! Blinking wide awake, Pearl finally managed to spit out “Eheh! Y-Yeah! Sorry, not sorry, I was too busy tearing the turf up…” Her voice and confident delivery dropped the longer she spoke. She let herself take a load off, pressing her own cheek back against Marina’s and smiling, tiredly. “Yeah… yeah, we can. Sleepyhead.” She supposed, though she’d like plenty to stay out much longer and avoid Marie’s carp about ‘curfew,’ or whatever. Marina’s last words before she dozed off again, though… no amount of preparation could have had Pearl ready to hear that. Her hearts sunk in her chest, but she kept her nose up, and breathed back, “They will… ‘Rina… we just gotta give it a lil’ more time…”

11:59. 12:00a.m. Pearl would’ve stayed put under Marina’s body and let her sleep the whole night away if it weren’t such a strain on her already sore (and tiny) legs. She let the moment drag on a bit, checking out the surroundings next to her, holding up her batch of flowers and inspecting them even closer. The sounds of Marina’s content snores were so peaceful and warm… but Pearl’s legs were like eels at this point, so after as much time letting her partner slumber as she could, she held up her finger and tapped it gently against her partner’s scalp. “Hey. Hey! No dozin’ off on me yet, bum. I-!” Pearl’s estatic wake-up call faltered, and she took another deep breath. Now or never.

“I got you a lil’ something… y’know, for the anniversary, and shiz…” Her arm was practically anchoring itself to her back, but with a final surge of confidence, Pearl brought the teal flowers into view and held them in front of Marina. Her face was a flustered bright pink. “Y-You know! N-Nothing big, just to tide you over, uh…” Cringing at her own dialogue, Pearl softly whispered “Don’t… laugh….”

---

And the hallway was clear! Callie danced her own little victory jig all the way back, throwing out fists like punches and kicking up her feet. Another successful sneaking in, all without her cousin knowing a th-!

Because there’s no rest for the wicked, Callie stopped mid-celebration right as a looming shadow appeared in the hallway. She was halfway through a dance-move too, of all times to be cut off, one foot in the air with one hand winded back and the other hanging out. Marie. Callie took a breath. Okay. No reason to panic. Her cousin doesn’t have to be necessarily mad that she is home so late, she’s just… um… happy! She’s happy to see her! With that motivation on the mind, and ignoring the sweat dollop on her forehead, Callie proudly marched forward, not making a sound so as not to wake the other agents but giving Marie a friendly wave to show she saw her. Hello, Marie!

“You’re up late-” Callie tried greeting. That didn’t work. She had only seen Marie for thirty seconds or so, but of course, she was already getting dragged by her pointed ear. “whoa-Hey-whoa-HEY-Cuz-!” Callie tried to protest, but couldn’t get a word out before painful smacks assaulted her poor rear. “Ow, ow, owww! Marieee! What the shell?!” Callie whined, bouncing out of Marie’s grip and holding her poor bottom while her feet danced on the floor. Just as soon as she was being reprimanded, though, Callie stopped mid-jig while Marie practically threw herself over her. “...cuz…?”

“No, Marie, I’m totally good! See?” Callie took a step back and held out her arms to make it clear she didn’t have any damage. “I told you to take a load off! You don’t need’ta be up this late, waiting on me…” She tried explaining, but her words trailed off. Marie hit that nail on the head right before it was even poised up. “H-Hey, hey, whoa! Let’s not be hasty, here!” Callie jumped to Marie’s side, quickly taking up her hand. “Nothing’s gotta happen in the morning! I was… um… busy! I wanted to call, but you know I don’t keep my shell on me in Turf War!” Callie let that sentence hang in the air for a few seconds before recognizing the implication. Uh-oh. “Did I say ‘Turf War?’ I-I meant, uh, uh, shoot…” Callie could physically feel her response slipping through her fingers. “Iiii meannn… they got away into the lobby! Before I could talk to ‘em, yep. So I had to join the Turf War’s just to catch up with ‘em! Mhmm! They know you wanna talk!”

Well, at least there was a hint of truth to that. Dropping Marie’s hand, Callie’s swung behind her back. “Don’t worry! It’s not like I… forgot to do my job, or anything…” She nervously giggled.

[Bombay]

A small giggle escaped her lips as she drowsily looked over to her gillfriend’s blushing face and she placed a small kiss on her cheek “what? See something you like Pearly~” she says having no filter because she’s so tired. She wraps her arms even tighter around the other body feeling their warmth “come on sweetie, catfish got your tongue” she jokes and looks over to her with a yawn. She nods her head giggling “I’m sure you were, you beat my team’s butt! But this is only the first day sweetie, team Octo will come back with a vengeance~ get ready to see the final score because we’ll be the ones on top!” she joked with the girl matching her confidence before she hears her lover say they can go home “yaaaaaaaaaaaay” she says softly and closes her eyes before a small giggle escapes her “h-hey Pearly…can you carry me~” she says looking up at her with wide eyes before a gentle sigh comes from her. Even in her tired state, she could see how hard that question must have hit home for the other girl, so she simply nodded her head while asking “but how much longer Pearly? I’m tired having to hide this side of me from everyone…” she whines like a child before her hands slowly droop down her shoulder and grabs her hand not holding the flowers “do you know what would make me the happiest octoling in the world? If we could go out on a date and not lie and say it’s a business meeting or a celebration. Just a normal date” she says drowsily before her eyes close once more “yeah…that would be…grea-zzzzz” and she’s out like a light again.

She doesn’t know how long Pearly left her sleeping like that, but the minute she felt the girl’s finger press against her head and she’s yelled at, she springs up and grabs it “owwwww…no fair…” she pouts “I’m not a bum you are miss cheeky butts” she says gently smacking her cheeks and stretching. She’s finally starting to get her second wind. She girl shivers gently looking down at her co-host “jeez, do they really have to keep the AC going when no one’s here” she says before Pearl shuts her up with a gift. Her eyes go wide, and she looks at the teal flowers “oh…my…cod! Pearly! You shouldn’t have!” she says taking it from her hands and sniffing “these are beautiful!”. Her eyes move down to her clearly embarrassed girlfriend and she placed a small kiss on her lips “I promise not to laugh even if you look adorable, and if you’re a good little girl, maybe I’ll give you your present when we get back~” she teased and stood up straight. “wait here, I’ll be back in a second” the girl slinks into her dressing room and puts on a small hoodie too lazy to throw on a shift and extends a hand to Pearl “let’s go, hopefully it’s past little miss perfect’s bed time” she joked and walked back to the studio with Pearl.

It takes about an hour with the two slowly walking back and talking, but Marina wouldn’t replace it for the world. Even if some might say the city slows down at night, they just don’t know where to go. Marina loves the bright lights, the sounds, and the people who come out at night, but she also knows she’s in no shape to party. Maybe tomorrow she’ll take Pearl out for a little celebration, or date if her words got to Pearly. The two finally make it back to their room and she flops on her bed “ugh…I’m so tired Pearly…” she says slinging off the hoodie and lowering her pants to show off her matching panties. The girl looks back at her co-partner smirking “I know you usually don’t sleep at this hour, but care to make an exception for me?” she says putting on a small begging face no squid could resist
---

Marie glares at her seeing that little jig, and she starts to suspect instantly that the girl didn’t do her job, but she’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she’s just happy that she finally stood on her own two feet and did the impossible, even if it’s a very small percentage. “I couldn’t sleep” she says bluntly as she drags her into the room “quiet down, you’re going to wake everyone!” she scolds and closes the door before she glares back at her “what the shell? Are you kidding me Callie? You know exactly why you deserved those smacks!” she scolds before she rubs her eyes “jesus…you scared me half to death and that’s all I get? No apology? No, ‘I’ll be better next time’? nothing?” she asks before she slumps her head over on her shoulder “cuz…really good explanation…wish I thought of it myself…” she says snarkily before she looks up at her. she doesn’t mean to have a short temper, but Callie pushed her a bit too far this time

She sighs and moves back sitting on her bed silent. She knows she’s not harmed, but she still feels bad about all of this. “I know sis…but you know I can’t stop once I get my mind on something. I tried to find agent 8, and she’s nowhere to be found so I came back and tried to relax, but when you didn’t come back, my mind started racing and I already typed up a missing squid report…I just was going to wait to the morning to send it” she mutters a bit embarrassed about all of this. The laptop on the far desk has the detailed report open “guess you not listening to me is rubbing off” she chuckles awkwardly trying to defuse the awkwardness a bit. she rolled her eyes “mhm, and why were you a part of the terf war again?” she says tightening her hand around her cousin’s. she has her hook line and sinker. She shakes her head “you’re a terrible liar, you know, that right?” she says bluntly “I’m real glad that didn’t rub off on me” she says shaking her head gently

Marie sees the girl trying to escape and she quickly grabs her hand and pulls her back “oh no you don’t, you’re not getting out of this one that easily. I know you didn’t do your job so now you have to pay the piper” she says starting to drag her to the girl’s room “you’re going to march in there and say they’re getting punished right here, right now, and because you’re taking charge of this one, you get to decide which one you spank” she sees right through that nervous giggle and she knows Callie will thank her for this in the future

“You like it?” Pearl’s eyes widened with genuine disbelief. “I-I mean, obvs, you do! I-it was my idea after all, aha, oh geez…” Supreme confidence practically radiated off Pearl’s attitude at almost all times so seeing her flustered like this? Purely a state only Marina was allowed to see. “Shut up, Rina!!!” Pearl demanded a cease to her teasing, her eyes closed to complement the pink blush still burning her cheeks. Without missing a beat, she stood on her tiptoes to meet her co-star halfway (though Marina would still have to arch over just to reach her height), pecking her right on the lips before she ducked back down again. “I promise that’s not all I’ve got for you, so just sit tight, and-!” It occurred to Pearl then, just what ‘present’ probably implied. Blinking back into reality, Pearl was dropped right back into her atmosphere. “Oh, SHELL yes! Don’t be long!” She waved to her partner while she disappeared back into her dressing room.

Of course, Pearl already had quite a few more rounds of Turf War and partying left in her tiny body, but she was much more interested in getting Marina home as fast as possible to make good on that ‘present’ offer. Several times, on the way back, she’d stop and remind herself to pace with Marina, their hands staying locked together… until the occasional Inkling, or street urchin would pass by, out for a late night, Pearl would release Marina’s hand and pull her hood further down over her face. It was common practice by now. That didn’t mean she hated it any less. Regardless, it was a long walk for a short distance home, and by the time they arrived, Pearl herself was starting to feel a little drowsier.

---

Being an agent meant seeing and fighting a lot of scary things. The Octarian army had swarms of strange contraptions in their arsenal, and Callie had seen quite a couple awful things in her Salmon Run shifts. But somehow, the swing of a Octo-Samurai’s sword or the ballistics of a Flyfish didn’t even come close to half as scary as her cousin when she was on her case. Callie gulped and tried to keep her distance, letting out a quiet yelp, “Ah!” as she was pulled back again. And what came next wiped that nervous smile right off of her face.

“What?!” Callie’s voice went shrill as she squeaked with surprise. After the order mellowed down, she repeated in a quieter, more hushed tone, “What?!” and put her hand to her chest, her mouth agape. “No way!” She first refused, shaking her head… only to open her eyes to see Marie’s staying back. Well, maybe some way. “I-I mean! Let’s talk about this! We don’t gotta… I meeeaaan…” Callie fidgeted in her place. As much as she’d love to delay this, it was pretty clear what the inevitable outcome was. It was either her, or them, and yes, she was selfish enough to pick her. With a sigh of defeat, Callie dropped her head and muttered “Fine.”

“They aren’t home… yet…” She admitted, “But when they get here, I’ll… I’ll…” With a sigh, Callie shook her head. “I’ll talk to ‘em.”

---

It was far past one in the morning, by the time Pearl finally broke through Cuttlefish Cabin’s front door, her arm around Marina’s waist mid-giggle over some joke her tired gillfrond had told. She didn’t make much of an effort to keep quiet, either. Besides, Cap’n was long asleep by now, no sign of Agent Eight and it wasn’t like Three planned on ‘sleeping’ anyway… as long as that pesky Squid Sister kept her mouth zipped, there wasn’t much concern for her to keep her voice down. After a romp through the old cabin, she returned safely to Marina’s room with the goofiest smile on her lips the whole time, showing off those pointed fangs of hers below.

Now, she stood in Marina’s bedroom, wondering if she should escort herself to her own room now and call their anniversary over… for now. She bounced in place on her feet, hands behind her back, while trying to work up the nerve to ask if their ‘plans’ were still on for tonight. “Eheh, yeah, me too. I’m spent.” Pearl agreed, though not really. She had a good few hours on her restless brain before she was totally burnt out. “Sooo…” She began to ask, but trailed off almost instantly when she looked back up… and was met with Marina’s gorgeous body waiting for her. Pearl’s tongue practically hit the floor. Suddenly, she was as tired as she’d ever been in her life!

Pearl’s jacket flew off behind her while she was already halfway through pulling her shirt off and around her tentacles. “Oh, anything for you, ‘Rina!” She eagerly agreed while struggling to get her sleeves around her left tentacle, finally managing to pull it free and toss it off to the side. With a beaming look of confidence, Pearl called out “Make roooom!” while she dive-bombed herself into Marina’s silky sheets for the second time that day.

---

Callie’s feet nervously pattered outside of Pearl and Marina’s room. There were so many outcomes of this upcoming encounter and none of them were good. Yes, she agreed, the Splatfest topic was such a risky maneuver, one they maybe only pulled off thanks to their Inkling-Octoling team dynamic. Yes, she thought they were being awful noisy this morning and now, had stayed out too late. But was that worth ruining their anniversary over?! Callie looked over her shoulder one shy time to Marie but already knew the answer was a resounding ‘yes.’ from her. “Come on, Marieee…” She quietly whined, “Do we really have to do this? Can’t it wait til morning…?”

She already knew the answer. And, uh, worse yet, ‘morning’ seemed to be reserved for her right now, so Callie turned back to the door and took a deep gulp. She WAS Agent One, after all. If she had to do this, it would be profreshionally, not as fronds, but as agents a rank below her. Hiding her bottom lip under it’s upper, Callie motioned for Marie to stay back while she put on her fiercest face and pushed right in through Marina’s door…

---

Pearl had spread herself fully out on the bed, taking up well over half the space and bundling herself up in sixty percent of the sheets in the meantime. “”Rina, you’re takin’ all the blankets.” She teased, but let up, moving over to give Marina a little more space on the bed before she rolled right back over and tucked her head against her partner’s shoulder. The softness of the covers hugged around her, the scent of Marina’s perfume, the warmth they shared together… everything was perfect. Except for one minor detail. Now or never, Pearl presumed.

“I’m not so tired, yet…” Pearl mumbled into Marina’s ear. Her hand slyly moved down and began to course her partner’s thigh, while she herself kept reminding her own lungs to stay breathing. “Maybe you could wear me out, tho-”

“Marina!” Woe is Pearl, the door burst open before she could finish her flirtatious move, revealing a determined Callie on the other side with the fakest scowl she had ever seen in her life. “WHO tha-!” Pearl jumped up, quickly pulling up the edges of the covers to hide her and Marina both underneath. “YOU?!”

“I need to talk to-!” Callie was mid-speech when she paused, seeing what exactly she had just barged in on. Her face flushed bright pink. “Oh. My. Cod. Uh. I’ll…” She backed away, her entire confident demeanor fading away, “C-c-come back later!” She finished, with a wave, and shut the door tight behind her.

Right into Marie’s waiting face. Callie turned back around again.

“I MEAN!” Callie burst through that door a second time. “Would you STOP THAT?!” Pearl squealed, but Callie ignored her. “G-gah, look! J-Just, you two get dressed, I’ll come back when you’re done, okay?!” She ordered, then spinning right back around again and slamming the door shut behind her, but not before calling back “We need to talk!”

[Bombay]

Marina snorts “no you goof, I hate it~” she says jokingly and looks at her gillfriend “oh yeah, totally, I definitely didn’t tell you the only thing I wanted was flowers and told you my favorite kind and where to get them” she says smirking. A slight giggle escapes her lips as she shakes her rump playfully “make me princess~” she gently raises her hand and squeezes her blushing cheeks “oh, I love it when your flustered! You’re just so cute!” the woman rolls her eyes seeing her gillfriend stuggling to reach her face, so she bends over to accept the smooch “oh? There’s more? Maybe I should wait on my gift then~” she nods her head and disappeared into her dressing room “i’ll only be a few secs”

---

Marina raised an eyebrow at her cousin when she refused an order “I didn’t stutter when I gave you that order agent 1, but if you really want me to, I can make a compromise. If you don’t talk to them tonight and give them their punishment tonight then you’ll be getting both of them, and let me tell you, two back to back spankings will not feel good. You as anyone should know that” she says sternly crossing her arms at the smaller girl. “Stop making excuses and stand on your own two feet in front of them. This is the Callie of the squid sisters I’m talking to, not some worthless shrimp. Remember, we did it first” she nodded her head finally breaking her sister “good, so let’s get-” but her statement was interrupted by Callie’s observation “of course they decided to stay out late, they’re probably gonna wake everyone up coming back” she says with a groan “fine, guess we’re waiting. I didn’t need sleep anyway” she says sarcastically
---
Marie raised her hand and brought it down infront of her almost simulating a smacking motion to threaten Callie what would happen if she doesn’t confront them. “If you haven’t forgotten, it is morning, you know those two are night owls. If it makes you feel any better, technically it’s past their anniversary, so you won’t be ruining anything” she can read her sister like a book and she knows that idea must be weighing on her mind. She nodded her head at her cousin’s instructions and went behind her waiting for her to open the door.
---
“Hey, it’s not my fault you’re tiny pipsqueak!” Marina said with a giggle before she feels her partner finally move over. A devlish smirk forms on her cheeks and she pulls as much blankets as she can towards her side. She lays on her back wrapping one arm around her lover and looking deeply into those pink eyes. She slowly smooches all over her cheeks kissing about an inch away from her lips before she kisses the other cheek just to tease her.

A shiver goes down her spine as she feels the girl’s smaller fingers brush against her thighs “I think I can do something like tha-” but her statement was interrupted when she hears the door swing wide open “C-Callie! Don’t you know how to knock!” the girl shrieks seeing the two “and Marie! Okay, what’s happening, clearly something must be wrong!” she says sheepishly. She squeaks as the comforter is pulled over her head. “Me…” Marie said bluntly.

Marie shakes her head when her sister spun around right into her “no, now” she said sternly instructing the girl and trying to get her confidence back. She snorts seeing the girl open the door a second time “that’s my girl” she said crossing her arms watching her scold the two. Marina just lays there dumbfounded at the whole situation “uhh...she does know we’re not naked...right?” she says being in a bra and panties