Work Text:
Marina quietly shut the door behind her as she stepped into the apartment. Habitually, she hung the keys to her motorcycle up on the hook and placed her helmet down beneath it. She untied her ponytail, letting her tentacles fall back to their natural position. The octoling then raised a hand to her mouth and squinted her eyes in an exhausted yawn.
She had stayed over at the shop well after hours to finish working on repairs of a badly damaged and malfunctioning Splatterscope a client had brought to her. She didn't have to stay so late, but Marina had promised herself that she would finish it that night so that she didn't have to go in tomorrow. It would be nice to have a day off for once.
She smiled down to her white tank top, completely covered in mechanical oil and other grime. Marina absolutely loved her job and every aspect that came with it. If she was covered in grime, then that meant she had put in a day of hard work and intention. There was nothing “pretty" that came along with being the owner of her own mechanical repair shop in Inkopolis, but the octoling didn't care.
Marina pulled the tank top up and over her head before tucking a part of it in between the hem of her pants and her body. Even though she wore her hard work like a trophy, she didn't want to keep the dirty shirt on for longer than what she needed to. She could get fully undressed later, but for now, this would do. If she could, Marina would work only in her sports bra and work pants, but inklings were a very… conservative species. They often called the way octolings prefered to dress as “skimpy", whatever that meant. Marina chalked it up to just being a cultural difference, so she threw on a thin tank top to abide by their societal standards.
Rubbing the back of her neck with her hand, Marina stepped away from the door and walked down the short hallway to the kitchen and living area. She hummed a quiet tune along the way as she went. The mechanic was about to turn and grab a snack to eat when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Laying over the adjacent table was a petite form, snoring lightly. Marina shook her head and pinched her fingers on the bridge of her nose.
Pearlie… Marina thought, dismayed, I told you not to wait up for me.
Her roommate had begun to make a bad habit of staying up ridiculously late into the night to make sure Marina would make it back home. Unfortunately, the small inkling almost never was able to stay awake long enough to see her friend walk through the door. She always ended up laying over the dinner table, fast asleep.
As Marina began to walk over to Pearl, her expression immediately began to soften. She couldn't stay mad at her friend, especially when she looked as adorable as she did now. The inkling was wearing one of Marina's dark green shirts that was more like a dress for her, if anything. The collar of the simple tee hung off of her neck, exposing a large part of the smaller girl’s shoulder. Two cups of tea were placed in front of Pearl, one empty and one full to the brim.
She made one for me , Marina realized fondly.
Pearl may be loud and obnoxious at times, but Marina knew that the small inkling was also thoughtful and caring.
Marina remembered the first time she met Pearl; it was roughly a year ago. The inkling had burst into her shop, dragging in the most busted up Hydra Splatling Marina had ever seen in her life. How Pearl managed to break such a strong weapon was beyond the octoling’s understandings.
“So uhh…” Pearl had started when she placed the broken splatling at Marina's feet. “ I heard you're the best mechanic in Inkopolis. You think you can fix it?”
Marina had stared, rendered speechless at the weapon. She bent down to get a better look at the mangled mess, a hand rummaging though the kit hooked to her waist, even though she had no idea what tool to bring out first.
"I can... I can try my best." The octoling had offered.
Miraculously, she was able to repair it.
Marina laughed inwardly at the memory, gently brushing the side of one of Pearl’s tentacles as she slept. Who knew that random encounter would be the start of a wonderful relationship? She let her mind wander further into the past.
After their first meeting, she noticed how the weird yet, endearingly cute little inkling kept coming back to her store more and more frequently. She would return with more broken or malfunctioning equipment, with another ridiculous story as to why it wasn't working anymore.
“I feel like you are breaking these things on purpose, just so you have an excuse to come see me,” Marina had teased her one day when the smaller girl had returned yet again, this time with a Tenta Missile kit that was jammed.
Pearl had smirked at her, rolling her eyes. “As if! Ammo Knights just doesn't make their equipment strong enough, so it always breaks on me.”
“Riiight,” Marina gave a smirk back, leaning over the counter so that she was level with the shorter girl. “Just admit it; you miss me, Little Princess.” Marina often called the skater that nickname, just to spite her.
The inkling snorted and leaned forward, her sly grin growing. “In your dreams, Marinara Sauce.” The smaller girl had her own bag of ridiculous nicknames.
“Oh, I dream.” They had both let out small laughs, enjoying the way they had always playfully flirted with one another. Their teasing had been going on for quite some time, at this point in their friendship. Even a blind dog fish could see just how infatuated they were by each other.
“Alright then, how about this,” Pearl had reached into her backpack and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and a pen. She hastily scribbled her number down before handing the scrap to the octoling. “Meet me at the smoothie shop near The Reef when you get off, my treat.”
“Oh, you're asking me out on a date, are you?” Marina raised her eyebrows teasingly, a faint blush dusting across her cheeks. “I suuupose I can meet you there.”
“Good,” The octoling received a playful wink from the other girl as she walked out the shop. She quickly came rushing back in though, her face a light pink.
“But really, can you take a look at those Tenta Missiles? They were a rental pair and… I can't return them half busted. I'll pay you well, like usual.”
Marina laughed, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I'll see what I can do.”
A few hours went by, and Marina was able to repair Pearl's jammed special weapon. It turns out that a piece of metal had somehow lodged itself into the firing chamber and was blocking the part that released ink through the missile holes. It took patience, but she was finally able to remove the foreign object.
I just can't understand how this happens...
Wiping the sweat from her forehead with her forearm, Marina stood up and removed her oil stained work gloves. She went to her office, located at the back of the shop, and grabbed a refreshing drink from her small fridge. She gulped down the beverage eagerly before bracing her body weight against the back of her desk. Habitually, she leaned back and placed her hands in her pocket, only for one of them to be met with an unidentified crunchy material. Puzzled, she pulled out the strange object, only to realize that it was the piece of paper Pearl had given her earlier that day.
The octoling blushed as a small, timid smile graced her lips.
After fiddling with the scrap of paper in between her fingers, Marina finally made up her mind and decided to punch the number into her phone. She saved the contact as "Pearl", although she had a feeling that she would be changing it to something more endearing, later. Smiling, she began to type up a message. The octoling felt heat rise to her ears with how cheesy and out of the blue her message sounded, but she quickly tapped send before she would talk herself out of it.
Marina: 12:27pm
You're such a weirdo ♡
Marina covered her mouth with a hand, hiding her shy smile in adorable embarrassment. She put a heart next to it so that the inkling knew she wasn’t being serious with her jab. She wanted to let Pearl know she was totally interested, but she still couldn't help but poke fun at the obnoxious girl.
She jumped in surprise when she received a notification sound moments later. The octoling looked at her phone eagerly.
Pearl: 12:29pm
what
Pearl: 12:29pm
who tf is this
Pearl: 12:29pm
and how did you get my contact
Marina blinked in confusion at the response she got. She quickly began to tap a reply.
Marina: 12:31pm
uhh… this is Marina
Pearl: 12:31pm
who? i think you have the wrong number
Marina frowned. Was she joking with her, or did Pearl really give her the wrong number?
Marina: 12:33pm
But… you were just at my store, like literally this morning. You brought me your damaged Tenta Missiles..? Which I've repaired, by the way
It was a few moments before she received another reply.
Pearl: 12:35pm
????¿¿?????
Pearl: 12:35pm
wait...
Pearl: 12:36pm
OH.
Pearl: 12:36pm
OHHHH.
Pearl: 12:36pm
whoops, my bad
Marina frowned slightly at the response. Did Pearl really forget her that quickly, even though they had met plenty of times before?
Marina: 12:39pm
wow, what a hustler
Marina: 12:40pm
do you give out your number to girls so much that you can't keep up with them?
Marina was partly serious with her joke. Pearl didn’t seem like the type of squid to mess around with multiple people at once, but if she was going to get played... She needed to know upfront.
Pearl: 12:41pm
what? no lol, I just…
Pearl: 12:42pm
i didn't really think you'd actually text me back
Pearl: 12:43pm
im... genuinely surprised tbh
Marina felt something stir within her heart after reading those simple words. She felt bad for super jumping so quickly to conclusions.
Marina: 12:45pm
Of course I was going to text you back.
Marina: 12:45pm
I mean, when a cute girl gives me her number, I feel like it's the only logical thing to do haha
Pearl: 12:48pm
wooowww
Pearl: 12:48pm
you're such a sap lol
Pearl: 12:50pm
But just for the record, I think you're really cute, too
Pearl: 12:50pm
And the way that you can literally repair anything is like, seriously awesome. Not to sound like a sap myself, but you're just... amazing
The octoling smiled gently at her phone, her cheeks warmed by the compliment. She couldn’t wait to learn more about this interesting girl.
Marina: 12:52pm
You know… you're actually very sweet.
Marina 12:52pm
But you're still a weirdo haha
Pearl: 12:53pm
Haha, shut up. I pour my heart out to you, and this is the thanks I get?
Pearl: 12:54pm
yoUrE sOooOooO mEAn >:'((((
Marina laughed audibly at Pearl's ridiculous response.
Marina: 12:56pm
Lmao, you're so extra
Pearl: 12:57pm
Lol, so how about this - If I'm a weirdo, then you're a dork.
The octoling was unaware of the growing grin that fell upon her lips.
Marina: 12:59pm
Deal. ♡
Marina: 1:00pm
I have to get back to work now but... I'm really looking forward to going out with you later
Marina: 1:00pm
Don't miss me too much until then, alright?
Pearl: 1:02pm
Too late ♡♡
Marina clasped her hands together at Pearl's last message, unable to keep a joyful squeal from escaping her lips. Thankfully, she didn't have any other clients in her shop at that moment to hear her weird sounds. The mechanic spent the rest of her shift grinning and giggling like a loopy, love-struck, school girl.
She gave Pearl a gentle kiss to the cheek by the end of their small, yet charming date.
A few days later, they were officially girlfriends.
Another drawn out yawn brought Marina out of her memories. There was plenty of time for nostalgia later. For now, she just really wanted to sleep. She looked down at Pearl, knowing that she just couldn't leave her here for the rest of the night. The petite girl would awake with a terrible crook in her neck. and she wasn't going to allow for that.
As quietly as she could, Marina maneuvered her hands underneath her girlfriend and gently gathered her in her arms. Pearl weighed close to nothing, so picking her up was always an easy task. Once the octoling was sure she had a secure hold, she began walking towards their room.
Pearl immediately began to stir in the octoling’s hold. “Mmnh… M’rina...? Wh…en...” Her words were slurred with the haziness of sleep.
“Go back to sleep, Pearlie.” Marina held her close to her chest, turning sideways so that her girlfriend's legs wouldn't bump against the narrow walls of the hallway. “Don't worry, I've got you.”
For once, Pearl didn't even try to argue with her. “mmm’kay.” She mumbled, nuzzling her head deep into the crook of the octoling's neck. “...missed you.”
Marina smiled softly at hearing the little confession. She didn't know which was more warmed at that moment, her face or her heart. Pearl would always say the cutest things when she was delirious with sleep.
Giggling quietly, Marina bent her head drop a quiet kiss on top of Pearl’s head. “I've missed you, too.” Leaning back, she gently pushed their bedroom door open with her foot and walked in. It was a simple room, decorated with just enough personality to not be too much, but not too bare either.
Marina expertly kicked back the covers of their bed with her foot before settling the inkling down into the sheets. She then reached down to her belt holster to remove her heavy tool belt. Once it was off, she stepped out of her work boots and slipped off her pants, leaving her in nothing but her black colored undergarments. She quickly crawled into bed beside her girlfriend, not having the energy to take a shower that night or to throw on more decent attire.
Not that she cared about what she was wearing, though. It was just her and Pearl, after all.
Marina felt the weight on the bed shift and soon, a pair of pale arms wrapped around her mid section from behind. A warm and soft sensation was what she felt next as Pearl pressed a series of slow, loving kisses to the back of the octoling’s bare shoulders and neck.
“Welcome home, you dork.” The inkling murmured against her smooth skin, still half asleep. She gently pressed her teeth against the octoling’s pressure points, relieving the tension built up on her upper back due to her vigorous job. Marina released a content sigh as she snuggled herself back against her girlfriend's welcoming touches. Once the inkling had pressed her teeth far enough into her skin, Marina felt each knot on her shoulder break apart and dissipate like sand. Each break in her stressed muscles send a tingling wave of relief throughout her body. Pearl always knew what to do to make her feel relaxed and alleviate her tension. Each tender kiss and love bite made the mechanic slip further and further away from consciousness. Before she fully succumbed to slumber, she briefly turned her head and gave her girlfriend a lethargic yet, loving kiss on the lips.
“I'll always appreciate you, even though you're still a total weirdo.”
She felt Pearl smile into their kiss at hearing her playful jab. The inkling pulled back with a soft laugh.
"Good to know."