Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mia was having a pretty good day so far all things considered. Rin seemed to finally be opening up more, especially ever since Shu came back. She had even asked Mia if the two of them could train a bit, which kind of shocked Mia, but she still really appreciated it. 

Then Shu came with some great news! Apparently Isabel might have finally found a fully functioning cure for the sanitization affecting the octolings! Which was huge ! Mia asked for them to wait on testing until she was there. So she was very eager to get all of this packing done. 

With the Splatsville Zapfish finally found and Grizz Co. dealt with and investigated, the agents were finally able to go back to Inkopolis. Shoko, Shu, and Rin were working on packing the apartment while Mia, Axel, Callie, and Marie worked on getting everything out of Alterna and the Crater. And speaking of Callie and Marie…

"Heeeeey siiiiis…!" Callie called out lovingly. As she stepped into the tent.

Turns out, ORCA could control the temperature and weather in Alterna. And somebody must have pissed them off recently because it was freezing cold and incredibly windy outside. Hence the tent.

"Oh God. What did you do this time?" Mia sighed and closed her eyes.

"What! Nothing! We didn't do anything!" Callie defended herself as Marie walked in as well, immediately blowing air into her hands. 

"Then what the hell do you want?"

"Well… Listen, sis. So you know we're finally going back to Inkopolis soon, right?" Callie said.

"Riiight…" Mia said cautiously. They were definitely up to something.

"And you know we've been 'on break' for our time here in Splatsville." Marie continued.

"Yeah…"

"Soooo… we decided we're making a big comeback! Squid Sisters are finally back y'know!" Callie said excitedly.

"It started with that single we released in celebration of Rin beating Grizz." Marie said.

"The one you helped out with!" Callie added cheerily. "Y'know with the music and-"

"Yeah I know, Callie. I remember… So what the hell do you guys want from me?"

"Whaaaat!" Callie said with a laugh. "What, we can't just wanna tell our sister the big news?"

"No. You two always want something. So spill." Mia spoke coldly and glared at them. 

"Well… now that you mention it…" Callie fidgeted nervously. "There's this like… music award show… and we were invited since we were nominated."

"No."

"You didn't even let me explain it!" Callie yelled, stomping he foot down as Mia started placing some of the files on the table into boxes. 

"You want me to go to that damn award show as Sango. Sango doesn't do award shows. And neither does Mia."

"But the people wanna see Sango! And you were nominated!" Callie took a step forward and put her hands on the table

"Oh? For what?" Mia looked up and raised an eyebrow. 

"Independent artist and rap artist!"

"Who else was nominated for rap?"

"Well… Off the Hook-"

"Not gonna win. I'm not going." Mia waved them off again. 

"Wh-! Sis! You don't know that!"

"You think I'm gonna win against Pearl and Marina?" Mia asked doubtfully.

"Well maybe not…" Marie muttered. Callie glared at her and jabbed her in the side. "Ow! I-I mean… What about independent artist? You could totally win that!"

"Nope. I'm disqualified." Mia looked through some other files, doing some last minute sorting before putting them away.

"What?! The hell are you talking about!" Callie yelled.

Mia looked at her like she was stupid. "I didn't do most of those songs myself, you know. You think I have enough time to release twenty songs in a year?"

"Then who the hell is helping you?!" Marie said. 

" Fffffuck it's so cold!" Everyone turned to see Axel rush into the tent. He immediately ran in front of the heater and put his hands in front of it as he let out a deep sigh. "Hey Mia, you said we're taking most of these boxes right?" He asked, turning to Mia. 

"Well there's the answer to your question." Mia said to Callie and Marie. "Yeah Ax. We're not leaving any agent stuff here." Mia spoke to Axel before looking at the table again. "If we're lucky we'll never have to come here again…" Mia muttered that last part to herself. 

Callie and Marie both spun around and looked at Axel in shock. He looked nervous.

"Uh oh… what'd I do?" He asked nervously. "Is this about ORCA? I swear I had nothing to do with-"

"You've been helping Mia make music?!" Callie and Marie both shouted at the same time.

"Huh? Oh yeah DJ Sango. Yeah we help her out." Axel relaxed.

"WE?!"

"Yeah. Me 'n Ray. You know that ancient music player I found about a year ago? Yeah I actually got it working! Turns out most of the tech is pretty similar to ours."

"Wh-! You mean that human music player?" Callie asked, stunned. 

"Yeah! It had like thousands of songs on it! We've been posting those under DJ Sango as an alias."

"Axel translates any lyrics, then he and Raiden sing. I remix or redo the songs if need be." Mia said.

"You know that song I had you do some lyrics for, Cal? Your Name? Yeah that's one of 'em."

"WHAT! THAT WASN'T YOUR ORIGINAL?! THAT SONG WAS SO GOOD!" Callie yelled.

"It was. That's why we chose it." Mia nodded.

"Do you even have any original songs?!" Marie asked.

"Anything without lyrics, yeah. We only do the human songs that have lyrics." Axel said. 

"And it sounds like you guys don't even listen to the songs. Because Axel has sung in quite a few." Mia said. "How did you not know he was a part of this?"

"Okay I listened to all of the songs we featured in and absolutely none of them had Axel in them!" Marie said.

"Yeah, coincidentally Ray did all of those ones." Axel said.

"It wasn't a coincidence. His voice harmonizes with their voices way better." Mia agreed. 

"So now that that's settled. I'm not going. I'll send 'em an email or something that I don't wanna be nominated." Mia put the lid on a box and set it on the floor, grabbing an empty box and setting it on the table. 

"That's not how an award show works, Mia! You can't just decide not to be nominated!" Callie said angrily. 

"Well then hopefully I don't win cuz I'm not going."

"Oh shit Sango got nominated?" Axel asked.

"Yeah. Rap and independent artist." Mia answered, not paying attention.

"Oh yeah. Independent artist would be a disqualification… What about rap though? I think me 'n Ray rapped pretty well."

"We're against Off the Hook."

"Oh. Nevermind then."

"Well you guys should still go!"

"No."

"Nah I'm good."

"Neither of you want to?!" Callie yelled. Either out of anger, shock, or both. 

"I promised my mom I'd help her out with some projects around the house. Me 'n Ray are gonna be unavailable for like a week after we get home." Axel said, he took a deep breath and walked back out of the tent.

"And I just don't wanna go." Mia added. 

"Okay you know what." Callie slammed her hands down on the table in front of Mia. 

"You haven't had a break in over a year besides the time your legs were basically broken! And we haven't spent actual time together in what feels like years !"

"Sango. Isn't. Going." Mia looked up at Callie and glared.

"Then Sango doesn't have to come. Fuck her." Marie said, stepping forward to be beside Callie. "We don't want Sango. We want Mia."

"What are you getting at now?" Mia squinted suspiciously.

"We can bring a guest with us if we want to. And we want our baby sister to be that guest!"

"You guys know I despise being in the spotlight. And stop calling me your baby sister."

"You won't be in the spotlight!"

"Seriously? The Squid Sisters secret sibling? People are gonna fucking eat that shit up."

"No they would not!"

"Then you obviously don't know how nightmarish your fan base is." Mia straightened the files in her hands and put them in the box. 

"Then I have a better idea!" Callie said. "Shoko and Shu are going. Not only because they're Pearl and Marina's kids. But they're also going as 'bodyguards'. You can be our bodyguard!"

"You did a great job at Pearl and Marina's wedding. You could totally do it." Marie said with a smile. 

"You guys don't need bodyguards… you're secret agents. Pearl and Marina don't even need them. Those women are terrifying." Mia shuddered. 

"We're not supposed to reveal that we're agents! We're just poor little pop stars that don't know how to protect ourselves." Callie moved up to Mia and leaned against her shoulder with wide beady eyes. 

"We could really use a big strong protector to make sure everything goes alright…" Marie leaned on Mia's other shoulder. 

Mia crossed her arms and breathed out angrily, tapping her finger on her arm.

"Fine."

"Yes! Let's go!" The two cheered. 

"But the kid is coming too."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright, kid, be ready. This is one of your first real missions as an agent." Mia said. 

"Okay. Great… What do I do?" Rin nodded nervously from the back seat beside Marie.

"Just follow my lead. Stick with your package. And look intimidating. Look . So don't try and smash some random fan's face into a table." Mia answered. 

"Me and Cal are gonna be switching our guards all night. We both wanna spend time with you two." Marie said, nudging Rin playfully. 

"But if somebody's overstepping boundaries don't be afraid to tell 'em to fuck off." Mia added. 

"We usually have a few clues we'll give if it's getting a bit much. Callie put her hand on Mia's shoulder. "Like this." She motioned to said hand as she squeezed Mia's shoulder. 

"You'll catch on, kid. It's not hard." Mia said. "And put these on." Mia grabbed a pair of aviators out of her pocket and handed them to Rin before putting a pair of her own on.

Callie gasped. "Did you bring us cool sunglasses too?!"

"Glovebox." Mia answered as she pulled up to the building. There were already camera's flashing in everyone's eyes through the windows.

"The glasses are for three main purposes, kid." Mia said, getting her attention again. 

"They block the flashes of cameras, makes it harder for people to tell where you're looking, and they look badass."

Mia turned around as Marie put a pair of sunglasses Callie gave her on. "We all ready?"

"Yes, ma'am." Marie said, smiling.

"Alright. Look sharp, kid. And follow my lead." Mia nodded and got out of the car. 

Rin stepped out of the car onto the road and immediately felt overwhelmed. 

In front of her was a very large building, like a concert hall. There was a red carpet leading to the large doors with dividers on either side. On the other side of the dividers were hundreds of fans and paparazzi, all yelling, flashing cameras, and holding microphones out to Rin and Mia. 

Mia completely ignored all of them. She moved to the passenger side. Rin moved to the back passenger seat door.

The two of them opened the car doors and the crowd immediately grew ten times louder as Callie and Marie stepped out. They both smiled and waved as Mia and Rin closed the doors behind them.

Mia handed the keys to a worker and said something to him before standing beside Callie. All four of them began walking. 

Everyone in the crowd was trying to talk to Callie and Marie at the same time. They ignored everything being said, just continuing to smile and wave as they walked.

One over eager fan grabbed Mia's suit as he tried pulling her close. Rin hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should help. 

Mia ripped her arm away from him. She pointed at him and said something and his face immediately drained of color. He backed away and became lost in the crowd as Mia continued walking like nothing happened.

Then Rin felt a sudden strong tug on her suit. She yelped as she was almost pulled into the crowd. Callie and Marie looked over nervously. Mia looked like she was about to kill somebody. 

Rin quickly spun around and punched into the crowd. She felt her fist connect as whatever grabbed her suddenly let go. She heard many gasps as she looked over and saw an inkling holding his nose. 

"THE FUCK YOU THINK WAS GONNA HAPPEN, DUMBASS?!" Rin yelled at him angrily. She continued walking and wiped at her suit sleeve. 

"Maybe a bit much. You might have broken his nose…" Marie whispered into Rin's ear. 

"Good. Taught him a lesson." Rin answered. Scoffing and looking forward again.

"Nice job, kid. Keep it up." Mia smiled and gave a thumbs up. Marie gave her a disappointed look. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey sis…" Callie nudged Mia in the side. Her voice definitely told Mia she was planning something. "Look who's here…"

Mia looked at where Callie was pointing. She was pointing towards the bar, and sitting at it was Pearl. She was wearing a puffy white jacket with orange trims. She of course had her iconic crown sitting on her head and had very bright white and gold sneakers. She was holding two drinks and trying to offer one of them to an octoling sitting beside her.

The octoling was wearing a beautiful dark purple tight dress. She looked absolutely stunning. She wore jewel earrings and heels. As well as just a little bit of makeup. 

Mia of course was talking about Shoko. Her girlfriend. The best looking person at this entire event. She was laughing and shaking her head no, denying the drink from Pearl.

"C'mon. Go talk to your girlfriend." Callie nudged Mia in the shoulder. 

"I have to stay with you. That's the entire point of me being here… Plus we basically live together…?" Mia gave Callie a weird look.

"C'mon sis! You know I don't actually need a bodyguard! Go and have fun!"

"Callie. Quit trying to play matchmaker with my life. Unless you want another talk with Marina."

Callie shuddered before turning away with a huff. She had a pouty expression on as she scanned the entire room. Full of many different people. Then her eyes lit up and a devious smile crossed her face.

"I'm gonna get a drink." Callie said smugly before moving to the bar. 

Mia nodded, not really thinking about what Callie said. Then she realized what Callie was doing and glared at her as she walked away. "You son of a bitch." Mia growled as she followed Callie angrily.

Callie approached the bar and waved to Pearl and Shoko. The two of them waved back as Callie sat next to Pearl. Mia gave the two a nod. Shoko smiled sweetly.

"Hey you two! How's it goin'?" Callie said. Mia stood beside her and waved to the bartender to get his attention. She ordered Callie a drink. 

"Hey, Cal!" Pearl said. "Just trying to get Shoko to drink."

"Pearl, I already told you I do not drink." Shoko chuckled. 

"C'mon! Try one! They taste great!" Pearl said as she took another sip of hers. "Fruity drink for a fruity gal!"

Mia pushed Callie's drink towards her. She took it without even looking over and took a sip. She seemed surprised and turned to Mia. 

"How do you know my favorite drink?"

"It's the only thing you ever drink." Mia replied. Mia looked out and saw two people stealing glances at Callie and Pearl. One of them had a notepad and the other held a large camera.

Mia leaned towards the two stars "Reporter coming this way." She said. Callie groaned loudly as she looked out and saw the two approaching. Pearl and Shoko also looked over. 

Callie took a deep breath and put on a fake smile. She put a hand on Mia's shoulder. "Get ready to bail."

"Already way ahead of you." Mia whispered back. 

"Excuse me… Callie…? Pearl?" The woman holding the notepad now had a microphone.

"Hello!" Callie said happily. 

"Yo." Pearl held up a peace sign and took another sip of her drink. 

"If it's okay with you two… we'd like to ask you two some questions."

"Sure why not!" Callie said happily.

"Shoot." Pearl said casually. 

"Okay… well first off… Who're these two?" The woman motioned to Shoko and Mia.

That's none of your damn business. Mia glared at the reporter through her sunglasses.

"This is Shoko. She's a real good friend of ours." Pearl put an arm around Shoko's waist and pulled her closer with a smile.

"And this is Mia! She's my…"

Mia gave Callie a glare from the side. 

"Friend. Real good friend…" Callie coughed nervously and took another sip of her drink.

"Mia…? That name sounds familiar…" The woman said, looking at Mia. The camera was also pointed at her.

Mia didn't say anything. She rolled her eyes and looked somewhere else. This was one of the main reasons Mia never went out as Sango. Or went out with her sisters in general. She hated this kind of stuff. 

"Sorry she's not much of a talker. But I mean… Mia's a pretty common name, right?" Callie said, quickly trying to get the attention on her again. 

The woman squinted at Mia for another moment. Then she shrugged and turned to Callie and Pearl again. 

"You said these two are friends of yours? They seem more like bodyguards… is there a reason for that?"

"Yeah, the people running this joint needed an excuse. So they're bodyguards." Pearl said as she took another sip.

"So they're… not really bodyguards…?"

"I never said that." Pearl said, trying to sound ominous. Mia and Shoko both rolled their eyes. 

The woman nodded her head. Then she turned to Callie.

"So Callie. You and Marie recently took a vacation. Anything you'd like to share about that?"

"Oh my gosh, yes !" She said excitedly, setting her drink down. "We took quite a long break, yeah. Seems like we're just always taking these vacations, huh?" Callie gave a small laugh.

"We went out to Splatsville for some time! That place is great ! So much culture, so many people, just so much energy! I loved it!

"We spent some time with these guys, Deep Cut. I dunno if they're here tonight, but either way, everyone watching should listen to them! They're the best!"

Mia sighed as she tried focusing on something else that wasn't as boring. She would've ordered a drink if she wasn't the one driving everyone tonight. 

———

The reporter gave Callie and Pearl a handshake before hurrying away. As soon as they were out of earshot Callie threw her head back and groaned loudly. 

" Finally ! I thought they'd never leave!" Callie said. She grabbed her drink and quickly downed it. 

"Sis, can I have another?" Callie asked as she leaned her head on the bar. She held the empty glass up to Mia and waved it in her face, as if she were trying to entice Mia with it. 

"No. You don't want a repeat of the ceremony from four years ago, do you?"

Callie shuddered. "Yeah. You're right. I'll just get drunk at the after party."

"There's the spirit." Mia said, voice monotone. She pat Callie on the back. 

"C'mon. The ceremony is starting soon. We should take our seats." Mia stopped leaning on the counter as Callie gave another sigh and stood up. She quickly said goodbye to Pearl and Shoko and left. Mia gave them both a small wave.

Chapter Text

"I'll be back. I need to go to the bathroom." Mia whispered into Callie's ear. 

Callie and Marie both turned to her and glared. "You're just trying to get out of here before your award aren't you?" Callie asked coldly. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mia whispered as she stood up and went to the bathroom. Callie and Marie both glared at her for another moment before turning back to face the stage. 

———

Mia sighed as she turned on the faucet, damping her hands before lathering them in soap. 

"And the winner… for best rap artist goes to…" The announcer's muffled voice came from outside.

"Off the Hook!" The announcer said. The room was enveloped with the sound of loud, muffled clapping and cheering.

Mia scoffed. "Wow… shocker…" She rolled her eyes. 

Mia looked at her face in the mirror, making sure her makeup was still okay. Making sure that her scar still couldn't be seen. Somebody else entered the bathroom.

When Mia confirmed that her scar was still fully covered, she looked back down at the sink. She reached for the faucet handle. 

"Maria…?"

Mia completely froze as she heard somebody say her name. Her eyes went wide as she continued to look down at the rushing water, unable to move.

"This next award is for those who have worked hard to build up their careers all on their own…"

"Maria Brynn… is that really you…?" The voice asked again. Mia began breathing heavily and sweating, still looking down at the water. 

She heard the person take a step forward. Their heels clicked against the tile floor. 

"It… really is you…"

No… no this can't be happening… that voice… Mia's thoughts began racing as she recognized the voice. And the fact they knew her name. Her full name…

"And the award for independent artist goes to… DJ Sango!"

Mia felt a hand grab her by the chin. They had long, claw-like nails that dug into her skin. Her entire body was shaking. 

"My daughter…"

The person turned Mia's head to look at her. Mia looked up at the figure in horror.

The figure was a tall, elegant looking inkling. She had bright green eyes surrounded by heavy mascara as well as even more makeup covering her face. She wore deep red lipstick and a red leather jacket with fur inside. She held a small purse in her other hand as she looked at Mia, continuing to hold her chin up. 

"I… never thought I'd see you again, Maria…" Mia's mother spoke with an almost proud looking smile. 

"This is wonderful… Now we can finally be together again after that old man tore our family apart." Mia's mother pulled her in for a hug. Mia still did nothing, completely paralyzed with fear. 

"I'm guessing you're here with them aren't you?" Her mother sounded disgusted as she pulled Mia out of the hug, still holding onto Mia's shoulders. 

Without even thinking, Mia's mouth opened. 

"Y-y-y-yes, M-Mother."

Her mother suddenly glared at Mia, making her flinch. "What was one of the first things I taught you, Maria? Stop stuttering."

"O-of course… I'm sorry, Mother." Mia swallowed as she looked up at her mother. 

"Now. This… place is definitely no place for such a reunion. I am assuming you are still living in Inkopolis?"

"Yes, Mother." Mia nodded shakily.

"And the last thing I want is for them to interrupt this moment. So I will visit you at your home. Give me your address." Her mother pulled out a pen and paper. "And I'm sure you have a phone? Put down your phone number as well."

Mia took the pen and paper shakily. She quickly wrote her address and phone number down before handing it back to her mother.

Mia's mother squinted at the paper for a moment.

"Hm… Your handwriting seems sloppier." Mia's mother stuffed the paper in her purse and turned around.

"I will visit you tomorrow afternoon. Make sure to look presentable . You know you shouldn't be wearing suits, Maria. Wear a dress just like I taught you." Mia's mother said before turning around and immediately leaving. 

As soon as her mother left, Mia's legs gave out and she fell to the floor. Her breaths became heavy as she curled up into a ball on the floor. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"And the award for independent artist goes to… DJ Sango!" The announcer called out. 

Callie and Marie both jumped out of their chairs and cheered loudly as the rest of the crowd clapped.

"Yeah that's what I'm talking about! See! I told you you'd win, sis!" Callie turned to the side to look at Mia. She was gone. 

"Oh right… bathroom…" Callie sounded disappointed. Her and Marie noticed people staring at them. They both sat down. 

The crowd slowly died down as everyone looked around, waiting for DJ Sango to show up. After a long awkward silence and nervous looks from the announcer, Marina stood up from the other side of the room. 

Marina quickly hurried up onto the stage. She accepted the award as the announcer stepped back. Marina turned back to the crowd nervously. She cleared her throat. 

"It uh… doesn't really surprise me that Sango didn't show up…" She laughed nervously. "I've known them for a while and they're not exactly the type to accept awards…

"B-but!" Marina continued, "I am sure they are extremely grateful for the award! I'll make sure to deliver it to them!" Marina held the award in the air and smiled. The crowd clapped and cheered as she stepped down and went back to her seat.

"Ugh! Where is she! I'm gonna go find her." Callie stood up and moved away from the table. Marie just sighed and leaned against her hand positioned on the table.

"So you guys… know that Sango person…?" Rin asked. 

"Huh? Oh yeah. Sango is Mia."

"What?! Mia makes music?!" Rin asked, shocked.

"Shh. It's a secret." Marie smiled and winked. 

Marie's phone buzzed on the table. She glanced over at it. It was a text from Callie.

—

Callie: FAMILY EMERGENCY!!! BATHROOM NOW!!!!!

—

Marie's eyes went wide. Eight total exclamation points. This is bad.

Marie stood up abruptly and ran to the bathroom. Rin and some other people gave her some odd looks as she swung the bathroom door open.

Marie's eyes somehow grew wider. Right in front of her was Callie and Mia both on the floor. Callie's phone was on the floor beside her. 

Mia was curled in a ball, clutching her head and shaking intensely . Callie was hugging her and trying her best to calm their crying sister down. 

"SIS!" Marie ran up to them and fell to the floor beside Mia. "What happened?! Are you okay?!"

"N-no… I don't wanna go. No… no I'm not… he didn't do anything… I don't wanna go back…" Mia was muttering to herself shakily.

"She's been muttering like this since I came in! I've never seen her like this! Not since…" Callie's eyes suddenly went wide again as her and Marie both realized it at the same time. 

"That BITCH! How did she find us?!" Marie shouted furiously. She suddenly grabbed Callie's phone. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"And the award goes to… The Squid Sisters!"

Everyone began clapping as a spotlight suddenly shined on Rin and her table. She looked up from the game on her phone and saw everyone staring at her.

"Uh…" Rin looked around nervously. 

Somebody nudged Rin from behind. "Hey. Go up and accept it for them."

Rin looked back at the person who nudged her. She shrugged and stood up. She walked up to the stage.

Rin took the award from the announcer and looked out at the crowd. She locked eyes with Shoko and Shu, they both stared at her, they looked terrified.

Rin waited a moment. She took a deep breath and looked at the shiny award.

"Wow… this thing is heavier than I expected…" Rin raised it up like a dumbbell. Some people in the crowd chuckled.

"You know I really did do a lot to earn this award… Y'know… sitting in that chair over there."

Some more in the crowd laughed.

"And yeah… I guess Callie and Marie deserve a bit of the credit. If I have to share."

Rin looked out at the crowd again. 

"I don't know what else I'm supposed to say so… thanks." Rin stepped away from the microphone as people clapped for her. She hopped off the stage, not using the stairs, and went back to her seat. She set the award next to the other one.

Rin grabbed her phone again as the announcer moved back to the mic to announce the next winner.

Rin opened her phone and noticed new text messages from Callie.

—

Callie: KID! CODE ORANGE! WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW!

Callie: GET ALL OUR SHIT AND LEAVE!

—

Code orange… that one's… Oh shit.

Rin started to freak out. Just a little bit. She wasn't actually expecting anything bad to happen, let alone a code orange . If something happened to Mia then it was bad !

Rin quickly grabbed the two award statues and Marie's phone that was still on the table. She also grabbed the two idols' purses before hurrying out of the venue, bumping into many people accidentally.

Why the fuck are these damn statues so heavy?!

~~~~~~~~~~~

<Pearl joined the chat>

<Marina joined the chat>

Pearl: BRUH!

<Shoko joined the chat>

<Shu joined the chat>

Pearl: WHERE DID YOU GUYS GO?!?!

Marina: Me and Pearl had to accept like three awards for you guys.

Shoko: Congratulations on the awards.

Shu: Yes, congratulations.

Marina: Also, Axel!!!

<Axel joined the chat>

Axel: hu-wha?

Marina: Sango won!

Axel: oh sick

Shoko: Who is DJ Sango? I heard their name a few times.

Axel: theyre a dj me and mia like a lot

Pearl: …

Pearl: Really dude…

Axel: shhhh. its funny

Pearl: Anyways back on topic

Pearl: Where did you guys go?! You make Rin accept an award and then even she just vanished

Axel: you guys let rin accept an award?! LMAOOOO

<Rin joined the chat>

Rin: CAN YALL SHUT THE FUCK UP

Rin: IM TRYING TO DRIVE

<Rin left the chat>

Pearl: Well then we weren't talking to you!

Pearl: What about the other three?

<Marie joined the chat>

Marie: CAN YALL SHUT UP

Marie: WE'LL TALK TO YOU LATER

<Marie left the chat>

Pearl: …

Pearl: Well okay then…

<Pearl left the chat>

<Marina left the chat>

<Axel left the chat>

<Shoko left the chat>

<Shu left the chat>

———

<Marie joined the chat>

<Callie joined the chat>

Marie: Alright. NSBS meeting. Everyone in here NOW

<Shoko joined the chat>

<Shu joined the chat>

<Marina joined the chat>

<Axel joined the chat>

<Pearl joined the chat>

<Rin joined the chat>

Callie: We should add Deep Cut to this soon

Marie: Not important, Cal

Callie: Right right! Sorry!

Marie: So… a lot has happened in the past few hours…

Marie: None of it good.

Shoko: Should we not wait for Mia? She is the captain after all.

Shoko: I actually wanted to ask you about her. She has not responded to any of my texts.

Marie: Mia is currently passed out on our couch. We finally got her down.

Axel: got her down? like you have to put a little kid down for a nap? 

Marie: We had a code orange

Shoko: WHAT?!?!

Marina: Code orange?

Axel: we have a lot of codes for certain scenarios

Axel: i dont remember code orange tho

Shu: Code orange relates to Mia. It means she is incapacitated or otherwise not capable of dealing with the current situation.  

Axel: well no wonder i dont remember that. that never happens

Pearl: What happened? I know she was acting as your bodyguard. Did something happen?

Shu: Did she get shot?

Shoko: SHU!

Shu: We were all thinking it! What else would constitute a code orange?!

Callie: She had a panic attack. Like BAD

Shoko: WHAT HAPPENED TO MY PRECIOUS INKLING?!?!?!

Marie: We're not sure on the details yet

Marie: But we think her mom somehow found her

Rin: Mia has a mom?

Callie: Of course she has a mom! Everyone has a mom!

Shoko: …

Shu: …

Rin: …

Callie: I could've worded that better

Callie: We all came from somewhere! Mia is no different

Marie: It just so happens that Mia came from the womb of the devil herself

Pearl: Damn. Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration…

Callie: Not in the slightest

Marie: It might actually be an understatement

Shoko: Can we please get back to the fact that my poor inkling went through a code orange?!

Callie: Right so Mia went to the bathroom like right before they announced best rapper

Callie: And she wasn't back by the time independent got announced

Callie: So I went looking for her

Callie: She was in the bathroom. On the floor crying and shaking. Like shaking BAD

Rin: When I saw them come out it was honestly a little unsettling

Shoko: AND YOU DID NOT TELL US?!

Marie: We were more concerned about making sure our sister was alright before telling you guys anything

Marie: Speaking of which. We should go back a little to explain some stuff

Marie: You guys obviously know that we call Mia sis all the time

Marie: It's not just a nickname

Marie: Mia is legally related to us

Rin: Wait what?!

Marina: I thought you guys were just LIKE family after such a long time. Not actual family.

Shoko: I remember Mia telling me her full name. I was surprised she was a Cuttlefish but I did not know her exact relation. 

Marie: Gramps found Mia almost ten years ago now. We're not getting into details cuz it's family stuff

Marie: But we'll say that Mia's life before finding us, from what she's told us, sounds more like fucking prison than a childhood

Marina: Worse than growing up in the domes…?

Rin: Worse than growing up on the streets?

Callie: From the sounds of it, worse than either. I wouldn't wish for my worst enemy to go through what Mia did

Shoko: This woman. Her mother. Who is she?

Shoko: I only wish to speak to her.

Marie: Easy, girl. We're handling it

Marie: Anyways, Gramps found Mia one day and brought her home. A lot happened and we were taken to court over it

Callie: Court ruled in our favor. So FUCK that woman

Marie: ∧

Shu: Evelyn Brynn? And Peter Brynn?

Callie: Wh-

Marie: How do you know that? 

Shu: The case file is in the NSBS database.

Shu: And looking into it, there are many news articles from nine years ago about this

Shoko: Shu send me that.

Shu: Okay.

<Shu uploaded Case_File_CR-03-7.doc>

Marie: SHU! THOSE ARE AGENCY DOCUMENTS! YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE THEM OUT!

Shu: Court documents are public information.

Shu: And we are all a part of the NSBS so it is fine.

Axel: how long is this fucking document

Callie: It's a lot. It has the full 6 week court transcript on top of all the evidence on both sides

Shoko: Shu.

Shu: Yes?

Shoko: Where does this woman live?

Callie: Shoko. No.

Shoko: Where does this thing live, Shu?

Marina: Oh my God…

Marina: Is all of this true…?

Marie: Mia swears by it

Shoko: This thing almost drove Mia to end her own life. 

Shoko: I am going to end this thing's life.

Pearl: SHE WHAT?!

Pearl: I'll be honest I wasn't reading it cuz it sounded boring but WHAT?!

Shu: I have found an address from many years ago. Probably too long ago.

Marie: Shu stop.

Marie: We will deal with this. And we are NOT going to stoop to that bitch's level

Shoko: I would still be above her. Getting rid of her would be a blessing to this world.

Rin: Damn go off sis

Marie: Rin don't encourage her

Rin: FUCK THAT BITCH! 

Rin: I dunno who she is but it doesn't sound like it'd be a bad thing to teach her a lesson

Rin: Especially if just seeing her did THAT to mia

Marie: RIN

Marie: WE ARE NOT DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT

Marie: We need to focus on making sure this doesn't happen again! Not focus on finding that woman

Shoko: If she shows her face again then that is her own fault. 

Shoko: She has chosen her own fate.

Chapter Text

Mia breathed in sharply and sat up. She didn't know where she was. She woke up in a cold sweat, unsure of her surroundings. She looked down, seeing she had a large heavy blanket covering her and a plush zapfish at her side. Two things that usually calmed her down pretty well. At least when she was younger. 

"Wh-... the fuck's going on…?" Mia spoke to herself. She looked around, but the room she was in was completely dark.

Mia tried her best to remember what happened last night. Did she get drunk or something? But she didn't feel hungover. Though she did have a headache. She remembered being at the award show last night. Was the after party really good enough that she couldn't even remember it? Or bad enough. Who really knows. Mia surely didn't.

"Mornin'."

Mia gasped and turned to a voice beside her. A person; their face illuminated by a phone screen. They were also wrapped in some blankets. It was Rin. 

"Kid… the fuck happened last night…? Where are we…?" Mia groaned and rubbed her eyes. Where the hell was her phone?

"We're at Callie and Marie's place…"

"Why…?"

"..."

"...I'm not allowed to tell you that…"

"I'm sorry…?" Mia raised an eyebrow as she looked at Rin.

"Marie's orders. She said she would explain when she woke up." Rin said. She wasn't even looking at Mia. 

"Since when is Marie in charge of you over me?" Mia glared.

"Uhh since when you were passed the fuck out." Rin said, voice monotone. 

Mia groaned and massaged her temples. Her head felt like shit.

"Whatever. What the hell are you doing here? You supposed to act like some guard or something?"

"Well we all just came here after the show and they never drove me home… Plus yeah I'm kinda not supposed to let you leave."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"Well… I'll find a way…" Rin shrugged and continued to scroll through her phone.

Knock knock knock knock!

Mia breathed in sharply and turned towards the door as she heard somebody bang on it. The knocks sounded almost desperate and worried. She didn't know why she felt so jumpy right now.

Rin sighed and set her phone down. She stood up and moved to the door.

Rin unlocked the door and opened it just slightly. "Hey. You're he-"

The door suddenly swung open violently as Rin fell straight on her ass with a yell. The person that came in was a woman. Mia recognized her immediately.

Shoko rushed into the dark room in a panic. She looked around the room hurriedly before locking eyes with Mia.

"MIA!" Shoko shouted and ran at Mia.

"Shoko?! What the hell?!" Mia said as Shoko tackled Mia into a hug.

"Hello and good morning to you too." Rin glared as she stood up. Little Buddy was next to her now, most likely brought by Shoko.

"Sh-Shoko… the fuck's going on…?" Mia looked down at Shoko. Something about her seemed off. Her hair was a mess and her face looked exhausted. Like she hadn't slept.

"I should be asking you that!" Shoko sat up in Mia's lap, gripping onto her shoulders tightly.

"I'd answer if I fucking knew! What happened to you?! Did you sleep at all?!"

"Of course I did not! You were not with me!"

"Heh… gay…" Rin smirked as she sat down again and wrapped the blankets around herself and Little Buddy. Shoko glared at her.

The lights in the room suddenly went on. Everyone turned to the hallway to see a very tired and grumpy looking Marie with her hand on the lightswitch. She glared at everyone. 

Marie slid her slippers against the wood floor and went into the kitchen, muttering to herself. 

"You gonna explain it to them or-"

"Don't…! Talk to me until I've had my coffee…" Marie cut Rin off angrily.

Everyone heard more shuffling come from the hallway. They all turned and saw Callie in the entrance. She had her eyes closed and a less grumpy, but still just as tired look on her face.

Callie moved through the messy living room with her eyes closed expertly. Stepping over or around everything like it was etched into her memory. 

She moved to be in front of Mia and Shoko. She still had her eyes closed but looked at the two. She held a hand out and motioned to the side.

"Shoko. Move." Callie spoke.

"What?" Shoko asked, giving Callie a weird look. 

"I didn't stutter." Callie opened her eyes and glared. "Get off my sister."

Shoko and Mia looked at each other nervously. Neither of them still knew what was going on. Shoko slowly let go of Mia and moved off her, sitting on the other side of the couch.

"Sit up." Callie looked at Mia now. Mia got up, setting the plush zapfish aside and moving the blanket so Callie wouldn't sit on it.

Callie glared at Mia. She grabbed the plush zapfish and shoved it into Mia's arms before sitting down beside her. 

Callie sat right beside Mia and pulled her in for a hug. Mia didn't protest out of pure confusion. She looked at Shoko, hoping for an answer. Shoko seemed just as baffled.

Marie came back out of the kitchen holding five mugs. She handed one to Rin, Shoko, Callie, and Mia.

Mia took the mug and looked into it. It was hot chocolate with small marshmallows in it… Another thing that Callie and Marie used to give her to calm her down… What the fuck happened last night?

"Marie… what is going on?"

"Shhhhh…" Marie hushed Mia softly. She sat on the other side of Mia and leaned her head on Mia's shoulder.

Everything went silent as Mia sat there with her two sisters leaning against her. She looked over at Rin. She wasn't paying attention at all, feeding Little Buddy a little marshmallow.

Mia looked over at Shoko. She was still staring at Mia, just as confused as she held her mug.

"Sis… You know we love you, right?" Callie asked softly after taking a sip from her mug.

"Okay what did you two do?"

"Answer the question, Mia." Marie glared at her.

Okay yeah, something's wrong.

"Uh… yeah of course I know…"

"And you know we'd never let anything bad happen to you…" Callie continued. 

"..."

"Cal, you're scaring me."

"You know that, right?" Callie pressed.

"Y-...Yeah…" Mia answered, she was still so confused. The two of them had never acted like this. It was honestly really freaky. 

"Mia… we want you to know that we love you… a lot… and that we will always protect you and be here for you…"

"..."

"Is this an intervention? Did I drink like way too much last night?" Mia asked. 

This was all too suspicious. She couldn't remember last night at all. She was at Callie and Marie's place. And they were acting like something really bad happened. Nothing about this could be good. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Shoko was so confused. She set her cup down beside her as Mia looked at her two siblings with a small nervous twitch.

"Mia…" Marie took the mug that Mia hadn't even drank out of and set it aside. "Do you remember what happened last night…?"

"N-no… that's what I want you to tell me." Mia gave a small nervous laugh. 

"Mia… Last night at the award show… We think your mom showed up…"

As soon as the word "mom" left Marie's lips Mia's eyes went wide. If she was still holding the cup it would've spilled all over her lap. Her hands began shaking intensely and her breathing quickened. Her pupils narrowed and began shaking as well. 

"Mia… it's okay… We're not gonna let anything happen." Marie said, wrapping her arm around Mia's shoulder and hugging her. 

Mia didn't respond. She didn't react at all, giving no indication she had heard anything after "mom".

"She doesn't know anything… You're just gonna stay here for a bit until this all blows over…" Callie said. 

Mia's breathing increased. She was breathing heavily. Her eyes were wide as sweat began running down her face. She looked like she was having a full on panic attack just from that singular word. 

"Mia…?" Shoko spoke worriedly. Mia quickly turned and looked at Shoko. She looked terrified.

"It's okay sis… we're all here to protect you…" Callie pulled Mia in closer. "What makes you think that we'd ever let that woman anywhere near you?"

"M-M-Mom… M-M-Mom is s-still… Sh-she kn-knows wh-where I-I… I-I don't w-wanna g-g-go…" Mia's breathing just got quicker and quicker as tears fell from her eyes. 

"You're not going anywhere, sis. You're staying right here with your family." Callie hugged Mia tightly. With one of her hands she motioned for Shoko to come closer. 

Shoko nervously slid closer on the couch. Marie moved a little bit so that Shoko could be closer to Mia. Shoko nervously held a hand out, and as soon as she touched Mia's arm, Mia suddenly twisted out of Callie and Maries' hugs and grabbed Shoko tightly. 

Shoko was surprised for a moment, but she quickly wrapped her arms around Mia tightly. Mia just cried into Shoko's chest. Rambling to herself the entire time. 

"I- I don't… I don't wanna l-leave… I-I don't wanna leave y-you…" Mia spoke, choking on each of her words.

Shoko looked up from Mia at everyone else in the room. Callie and Marie looked incredibly worried as they looked at Mia. Rin gave Mia a small glance but then turned away. As if she didn't want to see Mia this way. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay… we need a game plan." Marie said. "Shoko you listening?"

Marie and everyone else turned to the couch. They saw Shoko sitting on the couch with Mia laying in her lap. Mia was asleep, her cheeks were red and wet with tears, yet at the same time there was a certain calm about her now. 

Shoko nodded her head as she slowly and carefully traced her claws into Mia's back, indicating that she was listening. She closed her eyes and nuzzled her face into Mia's tentacles. 

"Okay. So we didn't get much from Mia before she passed out again. But from the sounds of it, it sounds like she gave her address to her mom…" Marie rubbed her chin, thinking.

"So what are we gonna do about that?" Axel asked, putting a hand on his hip. "Obviously that place isn't safe for Mia. At least for a little while. 

"No. It isn't safe for Mia at all…" Callie said. "If that woman even thinks that Mia lives there, Mia isn't safe… What we need to do is make this woman think Mia got it wrong."

"What do you mean by that?" Shu asked. 

"I mean we make the woman think Mia got the address wrong or something…" Callie explained. "We'll set up some people at Mia's address to make it seem like it's rented out by someone else."

"And then she won't know what to do. Without a proper address and with no way to get a hold of Mia, she's gotta give up." Marie said. 

"Hopefully…" Callie said. "Remember, this is the woman that took us to court even after everything she did."

"So then what's the plan?" Axel asked. He glanced over at Mia and Shoko for a split second. 

"Hmmm… okay how about this." Marie said after taking a moment to think. "Shoko's obviously staying here with Mia. Ax, you should stay here too just to make sure nothing bad happens." Marie looked at Axel. He nodded.

"Rin and Shu. You two can stay at Mia's apartment and wait for her to get there. Me and Callie are gonna go talk to Gramps. That sound good?"

Everyone looked at each other before giving Marie a confident nod. 

"Alright. First things first, let's get you two to her apartment." Marie grabbed her jacket and her keys.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay. Remember: we are a happy couple living together. We just need to stay here for a day or two to throw that woman off Mia's trail." Shu said as he read something on his phone. 

"Happy couple. Yep. Mhm. Can do. Totally can act that out. Yep. Just acting it out. Uh-huh." Rin nodded as her face rose in temperature. 

Little Buddy chirped smugly from beside her. 

"I do not make it obvious!" Rin whispered to him harshly. She cleared her throat and turned back to Shu. "So what do we do now?" She said, getting over some of her embarrassment.

"Well… I suppose we just stay here and make sure nothing bad happens. And just remember, we do-"

"Yeah yeah yeah we don't know any Mia and the Squid Sisters are just some cool old school music band or something." Rin rolled her eyes and waved Shu off.

" Old school ?! They started their careers less than ten years ago!" Shu said, offended that Rin didn't appreciate the Squid Sisters. 

"So what?" Rin rolled her eyes. "I started my agent career like a year ago and I'm already the best one." She said, glancing over at Shu smugly to see his reaction.

Shu's jaw dropped as Rin said that. He blinked at her, disbelief being the only expression readable on his face. 

"You did not just say that…"

"Say what, Fuzzy…?" Rin asked innocently. 

"Rin. I love your optimism… but you are nowhere near being the best agent." Shu said. He still looked like he couldn't believe Rin even considered that. 

"Tch… whatever." Rin rolled his eyes. "Sure, you and your sister are the best when you're teamed up, but alone…? And then there's Goldilocks." Rin laughed.

"I am not even going to entertain this idea anymore." Shu turned away from Rin.

"Cuz you know I'm right !" Rin called out. 

"You know the captain still counts as an agent too, right?" Shu called back as he entered one of the rooms in the hallway.

"Wh-... She doesn't count! She isn't Agent Three anymore! I'm Agent Three!" Rin stomped. 

"Try explaining that to her, Neo ." Shu said. 

Rin huffed and turned away, crossing her arms. 

Little Buddy looked up at her with an almost disappointed expression. He squeaked at her. 

"Wh-... What do you mean 'do I actually believe that'?!" Rin turned to him. "Of course I do!"

Little Buddy chirped again.

"And I saved the world from a bear on a spaceship! They aren't special!"

Little Buddy glared at Rin with a quick grumpy squawk. 

"Yeah yeah we saved the world. Whatever." Rin huffed again and glared grumpily. "I thought one of the first things I taught you was to have self confidence."

"There is a difference between self confidence and lying to yourself!" Shu called out. 

Little Buddy squeaked. 

"Don't agree with him." Rin glared at Little Buddy. She turned around to go and see what Shu was doing. 

She saw him standing in the bathroom, looking at the bathtub. He seemed tense for some reason. Rin looked down and saw his claws twitching. Barely visible but enough that Rin could tell something was up. 

"Hey… you okay…?" Rin put a hand on Shu's shoulder. 

Shu immediately turned his head to her. He stared at her for a moment before he sighed and rubbed his eyes. 

"Yes, sorry, just… bad memories…" Shu glanced at the bathtub again. 

Rin now looked at the bathtub to try and see what was so wrong with it. She squinted and could swear she saw the faintest hint of green marks in the tub around the drain. And now that she looked, those stains were also on the bathroom tile. 

"Hey… It's alright, man… I'm… sorry you had to go through that…" Rin spoke as sympathetically as she could. Shu looked at her and smiled.

The two stared at each other for a long moment. Rin debated if she should try to do something… Right now seemed like a great time to-

Knock knock knock knock

Suddenly the two heard knocking from the front door. Shu immediately turned to it. He glanced at Rin again and opened his mouth, almost like he wanted to say something. But he gave up before moving out of the bathroom.

Rin stared at Shu as he left, wanting to say something, anything . But she didn't. She sighed and smacked her forehead.

"Stupid stupid stupid! That was so stupid!" She whispered to herself harshly. "Why can't you just be normal around this guy?!" Rin smacked herself again.

Rin groaned and dragged her hands down her face, then took in a deep breath. She needed to get her shit together. And she should probably go make sure Shu was good. She turned and exited the bathroom.

~~~~~~~~~~

Shu hurried to the door and took a deep breath. He wanted to thank Rin for her kind words, even if she didn't really know what he went through he was glad she was so sympathetic. She didn't show it much but when she did it was always nice. It was one of her best qualities as a friend.

Shu prepared himself one last time as he stood in front of the door. Just in case it was Mia's mother.

Remember. You and Rin are in a relationship. You have never heard of a Mia. You only know the Squid Sisters as an amazing pop duo.

Shu let out another deep breath before he opened the door and was met with an inkling woman. She was about three or four inches shorter than him. Short cut orange tentacles and very shiny looking earrings. She had heavy eyeshadow and mascara on, and just a heavy layer of makeup in general on her face. The woman stunk of perfume and had a general bad aura surrounding her. She wore a red turtleneck shirt and a long white jacket over it. 

This woman had many similar features to Mia. Such as her green eyes and the general shape of her face. It was very clear… This was Mia's mother. Evelyn Brynn. 

The woman was turned away as Shu opened the door. But immediately as she saw him she glared. 

Shu didn't know why but something about this woman's stare unnerved him. Just like Mia's. It must run in the family. The woman looked Shu up and down quickly. 

The woman looked at a small piece of paper in her hands.

Shu shook off his nervousness and cleared his throat. "I am sorry… You are…?"

"Evelyn Brynn. I'm here to see my daughter." The woman spoke as soon as Shu finished his question. She was very quick and to the point. "Who are you?"

Shu thought it best not to answer her question. At least for now.

"Uh I do not… Think your daughter is here…" Shu turned to look behind the door. "It is just me and my girlfriend."

"Then it better not be my daughter…" Evelyn scoffed and looked at the piece of paper again. 

What the hell is that supposed to mean…? Shu thought, glaring at her. 

Shu opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything he felt an arm around his waist. 

"Hey babe. You called?" Rin said with a smile as she suddenly appeared beside Shu.

The woman in front of Shu recoiled as she saw Rin. She squinted at her. Rin looked back at the woman. 

"Is… something wrong, lady…?" Rin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"…You are not my daughter…" Evelyn said, now glaring at Rin. 

"No… I'm not…" Rin scrunched up her nose and gave Evelyn a weird look. The two were silent for a moment. 

"…Anything else or are we just gonna stare at each other for another few minutes?" Rin said after a solid five seconds of staring.

"Where is Maria…? Where is my daughter?" Evelyn sounded angry as she took a step forward. 

"…Who…?" Rin and Shu both said. Rin looked at Shu. "Babe who is that… is that one of your exes or something?"

Shu looked at Rin, immediately thinking up a response.

"No… I do not think I ever dated anyone named Maria…" Shu said, he tried to look like he was thinking, looking up at the ceiling. 

"Huh… then yeah. You're shit outta luck, lady. Sorry." Rin reached to close the door as Evelyn's jaw dropped in shock. 

"Ex cuse me…!" Evelyn gripped the door tightly, stopping Rin from closing it. "I am here to see. My. Daughter!" Evelyn was practically yelling. "And I am not leaving until I see her!"

"And we already told you she ain't here, bitch." Rin glared. "Now are you gonna move your hand or am I gonna have to fucking cut it off?"

"You can't threaten me, girl . My daughter said she was here so I am going to see her." Evelyn said behind gritted teeth. 

"I wasn't threatening…" Rin used her other hand and pulled a switchblade out of her pocket. "Last chance you crazy bitch." Rin hissed. 

"You don't scare me, girl." Evelyn hissed back. 

"Alright… suit yourself!" Rin raised the knife above her head. 

"Rin-!"

Before Shu could do anything Rin slammed the knife into the door. Thankfully, Evelyn moved her hand out of the way at the last second with a gasp. 

Rin continued glaring at Evelyn as she pulled the knife out of the door. There was a large puncture hole in the door now. 

"Hope you never find your daughter, you crazy bitch. No wonder she gave you the wrong address." Rin said, glaring at the woman before she slammed the door as hard as she could.

The two of them stared at the closed door for a moment. Then they heard stomping move down the hall from the other side. 

"Damn. I was hoping she'd try to stop it again." Rin said, sounding sad. Then she shrugged and turned away, walking towards the couch. 

"Wh-... Rin! That was insane !" Shu yelled. 

"And that surprises you because…?" Rin turned and gave Shu a toothy grin. 

"Because you could get in serious trouble for that! What if you actually stabbed her?!"

Rin thought about it for a second…

"I'd probably laugh at her for being stupid." Rin decided. She reached down and picked up Little Buddy. She whispered something into his ear. 

"Rin what are you doing…?" Shu asked cautiously.

"Hm? Nothing." Rin started walking towards the window. "I just think Little Buddy should… meet our new friend…" Rin opened the window. 

"Rin… no! No we are not- Rin!" Shu yelled, walking forward quickly. 

"Sorry, Fuzz." Rin shrugged and held Little Buddy out the window.

"Little Buddy you better not!" Shu moved even quicker. 

"Sorry, Fuzz. Little Buddy listens to me first." Rin said with a smile as Little Buddy jumped out of her hand. 

"NO-!" Shu reached out the window for Little Buddy. But it was already too late. Little Buddy jumped down onto an awning below them on the first floor. He slid off of it and ran off.

"RIN!" Shu yelled at her. "What did you tell him to do?!" He asked, panicked.

"Relax, Fuzz." Rin said casually. "I just told him to give our new friend a little scare… Teach her a lesson, y'know…?"

"You almost stabbed her! That was not enough of a scare?!" Shu yelled, putting his hands to his head. 

Rin shrugged. "Bitch is lucky we aren't in Splatsville to be fair." Rin looked back out the window. 

"I… do not even want to know what you mean by that…" Shu sighed defeatedly. 

Chapter Text

"Are you feeling okay, Mia?" Shoko asked as she wrapped her arms around Mia's stomach tighter. Her voice was filled with concern for her partner. 

"Y-yeah… I'm okay now… Just a little shaken up…" Mia said quietly as she took a sip of her hot chocolate. As soon as the drink touched her tongue, her head was filled with nostalgic thoughts. A smile crept its way into the corner of Mia's lips as she let out a small sigh.

"Are you sure? Because if you need anything I could-"

"No, Shoko…" Mia cut her off. She leaned her head back to rest it on Shoko's shoulder. "I just need you to stay here with me…" She smiled. 

Shoko smiled back and leaned her nose into Mia's neck. The two of them sat there quietly.

Mia was so lucky to have somebody like Shoko to call hers. She never wanted to leave her side. As long as Mia could be beside Shoko. With her and the rest of her real family by her side… she would be happy…

"Uh… Mia…"

Mia and Shoko both opened their eyes and glared as they heard a voice. They looked up to see Axel standing over them. 

"Kinda ruining the moment, Ax…" Mia whispered. 

"Listen, I love a good gay cuddle as much as the next guy, but your phone has been ringing a bunch." Axel said as he held Mia's phone up to her.

Mia grabbed the phone and squinted at it. It was a number she didn't recognize. 

"Oh… that might be my doctor… She wanted to call about an appointment to look at my scar." Mia looked back at Shoko. "Sorry babe but this is important."

"Fine… whatever. Go. Obviously your doctor is more important than your girlfriend. Whatever." Shoko said sarcastically. She looked back at Mia as a small smug smile came to her face that she tried to hide behind her hand.

Mia rolled her eyes and gave Shoko a quick peck on the cheek before getting up. She moved out of the room, into an extra bedroom and answered the phone. As she raised her other hand to turn on the lights. "Hello?"

" Maria! "

Mia's hand froze as she heard the voice on the other end. Immediately her hearts began pounding and she lost her breath. She completely froze in fear.

" What in the world were you thinking giving me the wrong address?! " Mia's mother screamed at her on the other end. " An octoling and his insane partner almost killed me! " Her mother's voice oozed disgust. " Then some disgusting fish tried to bite me! It probably gave me some disease just from grazing me! "

"I-I-I-"

" Enough !" Mia's mother screamed. Mia's mouth immediately closed as she began sliding her back down the door slowly.

" I am tired of this! Thankfully you were not stupid enough to lie to me twice by giving me an incorrect number ." Her mother sounded furious. Mia began to shake.

" So now. I am not giving you another chance. Tell me where you are. Right. Now. And I will pick you up and we will go home. Do you understand that much, Maria?! "

"Y-y-yes - "

" STOP! STUTTERING! " Mia's mother screamed. " I spent years drilling that into your thick cartilage. I am not doing that again! "

"I am sorry, Mother." Mia's voice immediately became clearer.

" Good. At least my teachings didn't go fully to waste. Now tell me where you are. Now . " Mia's mother spoke through gritted teeth. 

"Mr. Cuttlefish! It is good to see you again! You are looking much better!" Mia heard a voice down the hall. 

Mia quickly told her mother Callie and Marie's address. 

"Good to see the both of you two… where is Mia…?"

The other end of the line was silent for a moment. Then she heard a scoff. " That's their apartment isn't it? Of course it is. Only somebody as tacky as those two would live there. "

"She got a phone call. Went down the hall to take it. Said it was probably her doctor or something."

" Nevertheless. I will be there shortly. Do not even think of leaving. Understand, Maria? "

"Her doctor…? Huh… I thought that place was closed today…"

"Yes, Mother. Of course." Mia said as she brought her knees up to her chin. 

"Mia…?"

Mia's mother let out another angry breath and hung up without another word. Mia's phone immediately fell out of her hand onto the floor. 

"Hey Mia…? Who uh… who's calling…?" There was a knock at the door behind Mia. 

Mia fell forward with a soft thump as she wrapped her arms around her legs tightly, still shaking as tears fell from her eyes. Through her blurry vision she saw a bit of light enter the dark room. 

"M-Mia! Oh no! Marie! It happened again!"

~~~~~~~~~~

"This is all my fault." Shoko said with a quivering lip as she held Mia tightly. "I should have never let Mia go away on her own… I should have kept my eye on her…"

"It isn't your fault, Shoko." Marie said sadly, looking at the two. "We didn't know she had Mia's number…"

Shoko looked beside her at Mia sadly. And she absolutely hated it. Mia wasn't even shaking anymore. Her eyes were dull and she showed no indication of any emotion at all. Her breathing had slowed again and her arm around Shoko's waist had gone noticeably limp. She didn't hold onto Shoko the same way she usually did. 

"Mia?" Shoko asked quietly. 

"Hm…?" Mia replied quietly, her head leaned lazily against Shoko's shoulder. 

"Are you… okay…?"

Shoko wasn't really sure that's what she wanted to ask. She didn't know what she wanted to ask Mia. She just felt like she needed to hear her speak again. Shoko needed Mia to know that she was here for her. No matter what.

"I don't know…" Mia said quietly. Her arm held onto Shoko just a bit tighter. 

Everyone else looked at the two sadly. Callie looked like she was about to cry. While Marie looked conflicted. She looked sad yet at the same time angry. Her hands were balled into tight fists and her jaw was clenched tightly. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Axel stared at Mia for a moment before he had to look away again. He honestly couldn't believe what he was seeing. Mia had never shown weakness. And now in the span of about ten minutes he had seen her go from having a full on mental breakdown, to looking like a lifeless husk. 

Mia never showed much emotion. Unless she was with Shoko. But this… this was different. She didn't have that stoic scowl on her face she always did. Her eyes didn't have that analytical or judgemental shine in them like they usually did. In fact for the first time ever, Axel was seeing her just stare off into space. She looked like she was staring straight past him. Like he wasn't even there. And like there wasn't anything happening in her head at all. 

Axel wanted to do something. Anything to try and help Mia. This woman was one of his best friends. She had literally saved his life dozens of times. She's the woman that helped keep his family off the streets. She was like a sister to him. And Axel would do anything for his family. But there was nothing he could do. 

If Callie and Marie couldn't help her… If Shoko couldn't help her… there was no way Axel could do anything. 

~~~~~~~~~

Rin couldn't look at Mia. Not at all. 

This was her friend. Her mentor. Her captain. How could she have let this happen?

That piece of shit was lucky. If Shu wasn't there… If Rin was in Splatsville… if Rin had a way to contact her gang…

Rin tightened her fists and grinded her teeth angrily. She wanted to do something—no she needed to do something. 

Whatever that thing's plans were with Mia. As long as Rin was here that bitch wouldn't even lay a finger on Mia. So long as she wanted to keep all the cartilage in her hands intact. 

Rin looked down at the floor. At Little Buddy who was standing next to her. Little Buddy looked up at Rin with a similar angry expression on his face. He gave Rin a nod. He was thinking the exact same thing as her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Shu… didn't really know what to feel…

He stared at Mia blankly. And he barely wanted to believe what he was seeing. 

Shu was lucky enough to have seen Mia for who she really was. He had seen Agent Three. He had seen the captain of the NSBS. But he had also seen Mia .

The inkling that put her loved ones before anyone else. The inkling that would go from threatening Axel for making fun of her in one moment to using a calm caring voice to teach Rin in the next moment. The inkling that had spent many all-nighters with Shu. Whether that be while playing games, watching video essays, or helping him try to cure sanitization.

Those late nights underground… Those were the times that Shu sometimes thought he saw more of Mia than even Shoko. The way she would give that soft smile when Kira said something incredibly cheesy, and Isabel would get so flustered she couldn't think straight. And the way she looked at the children. Shu knew from the moment he came back. He could see the determination in her eyes. He knew nothing would stop her from making sure those kids were cured.

So why was she letting this stop her…? What was Rin going to do without Mia's guidance? What was Shu going to do without her guidance…? How were Kira and Isabel going to react when they heard that Mia, the first person to ever show them real compassion, was just… gone…?

Shu didn't want to think about it. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Mia sat there, feeling completely empty. 

Her mother knew exactly where she was now. And she was going to be here soon. There was nothing stopping it now…

Mia's mother would come here, banging on the door, she would take Mia away with her… And Mia would never see any of these people again…

She would never see her sisters again. She would never see her grandfather again. She would never see Shoko again. 

All her friendships. All her relationships she had built up over the past ten years. While not that many, they would be completely gone in a matter of minutes. Mia had accepted that now. There was no fighting it, so why even try?

From in front of her. Somebody stepped up. They walked up to Mia was shaky legs as they rested their cane on the floor in front of them.

"Maria…" Cuttlefish said. Mia focused in a little bit to look at him.

"What… in the world do you think you're doing?" Cuttlefish's eyes suddenly narrowed, glaring at Mia. 

Everyone looked at Cuttlefish with wide eyes, shocked. 

Mia took a moment to process what he said… but after she did, she wasn't any less confused. 

"H-huh…?" Mia raised her head off of Shoko's shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her grandfather.

"I raised you for nine years as a Cuttlefish. And I raised you for seven years as an agent. And now you're gonna just give up?!"

Everyone still just looked at Cuttlefish in stunned silence. Mia guessed they wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything to say. 

"What makes you think that woman can boss you around?! Last I checked, Cap'n doesn't take orders from anyone! And Mia Cuttlefish only takes orders from one person. Her grandfather." Cuttlefish squinted even harder. 

"But… my mother-"

"No!" Cuttlefish cut Mia off as he raised a shaky hand and pointed at her. "That woman hasn't been your mother for almost ten years! All she is to you is Evelyn Brynn! Now I know I taught you manners, so you call her Mrs. Brynn. And nothing else!"

Mia just stared at her grandfather, bewildered. 

"G-Gramps… What…? Wh-where did this come from…?" Mia finally managed to find her words again. 

Cuttlefish glared again. "I told you many times, Mia. And I'll tell you again… Disobeying those that are older than you is a necessity at times… If you never listened to that piece of advice, half the people in this room wouldn't be here."

"Mia… Sis…" Marie stepped up to Mia and looked down at her. Mia looked up at her, confused. 

Marie put her hands on Mia's cheeks… Then after a moment she slapped Mia's face. 

"Ow-!" Mia recoiled and rubbed her cheeks. 

"YOU ARE A GROWN WOMAN!" Marie yelled at her. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK SHE CAN DO ANYTHING TO THE MIA CUTTLEFISH?!" Marie shook Mia by the shoulders violently. 

"P-plus!" Callie stepped forward as well. "We're all here too! We've got your back till the end, sis! Nothing's gonna happen to you so long as we're here!"

Callie dashed forward and suddenly jumped into Mia's arm. Mia felt the wind get knocked out of her as Callie pushed her farther into the couch. 

Before Mia could even react. She felt another weight on top of her. Marie had jumped onto her too. The two of them hugged Mia as tightly as they could. 

"Okay! Okay I get it!" Mia said breathlessly. "Please let go! I can't breathe…!"

The two held Mia for another second before they were basically forced off of Mia. She took in a deep breath and rubbed her neck. 

"Fine… No… you're right." Mia said, still catching her breath. She suddenly felt a small flame of confidence come back to her. "If I don't do this now it'll never get done." Mia stood up. Callie and Marie both stared at her with wide smiles.

"Just… give me a second to clean myself up a bit…" Mia pulled her phone out of her pocket. She set it on the coffee table in front of her and went into the hallway, moving to the bathroom. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"We… We did it… Oh my gosh! Sis is back!" Marie pumped her fist in the air.

"You're already that confident that Mia is back?" Axel asked, crossing his arms. 

"Well she isn't all mopey now. Quit being a downer, Ax." Marie glared. 

"I'm just being cautiously optimistic…" Axel defended himself. 

"Well I'm glad she's back too… But did you guys have to be so mean about it?!" Callie puffed out her cheeks and glared at her cousin and grandfather. Everyone else looked at the two as well. 

"Callie, you know Mia as well as I do…" Cuttlefish said as he sat down in a chair. "Nothing else was gonna get through that girl."

"Yeah… just think of it as tough love…" Marie smiled. "Plus it finally gave me an excuse to smack her without any consequences." She muttered that last part.

"You're a great sister." Axel smirked. 

"Oh like you haven't wanted to smack your siblings sometimes!" Marie said loudly. 

"Never said I didn't…" Axel smiled again. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Knock knock knock knock!

Everyone turned to the door as they heard loud, angry knocks come from it. Mia stood up, taking a deep breath.

Mia turned around and held her hand out to Shoko. 

"Care to join me?" She asked as she tried her best to smile.

Shoko looked up at Mia, sort of surprised. But after a moment she took Mia's hand and let Mia help her stand. 

Mia wrapped her fingers around Shoko's tightly as the two walked to the door. Rin was standing next to it. She held a switchblade in her hand and smiled at Mia. 

Mia reached for the doorknob and took another breath. 

She thought she was faking it pretty well so far. But if she was being honest with herself, she was terrified . This woman had been everything that Mia hated in life. She had been the exact opposite of what Mia aspired to be. And now she was on the other side of this door. Here to try and take Mia away again. Where she would surely never see any of these people again. 

Shoko's hand squeezed Mia's. She shook away these thoughts and looked at her. 

"Everything will be alright, love…" Shoko smiled. "That thing will never tear us apart."

Mia smiled and blew out a laugh as she leaned her head against Shoko's. "Right… just don't kill her please… That goes for you two, kid."

"No promises." Rin and Shoko both said at the same time. Shoko gave Mia a small kiss as Rin pocketed her knife. 

Mia faced forward again and turned the doorknob. 

Chapter Text

The door opened to reveal just as Mia suspected. Her mother, Evelyn, stood above her. Though there was one thing off. Mia didn't remember a time when her mother didn't look as best as she could possibly make herself look. But looking at her now, she looked a bit rattled. Her hair was a little messy and her shirt and pants were wrinkly, as if she just came out of a windstorm. 

Evelyn was looking at her nails as the door opened. Mia flinched as she saw her. But she took another deep breath and steeled her resolve.

"Took you long enough, Maria. I expected better of-"

Evelyn looked up and froze. At first, she stared wide-eyed at Mia. Then her gaze shifted to Shoko… then down to the twos' hands. And as soon as she looked at them, she scowled. 

"Maria. What. Is. This ?!" Evelyn looked at Mia again angrily. She whispered harshly, as if her quieted tone would make Shoko unable to hear her. 

Mia took another deep breath. 

"What do you mean…?" She asked Evelyn. She raised her chin slightly. 

"Why are you holding hands with this… octoling …?!" Evelyn said in the same tone.

"[Ooohhh I am gonna do it… Just give me the word and she is dead…]" Shoko inhaled sharply and shook her head. She tightened her hold on Mia's hand. 

"Easy girl." Mia smiled at Shoko. She turned back to Evelyn.

The two stared at each other silently. Mia continued to give Evelyn the most neutral face she could muster.

Evelyn seemed confused that she wasn't getting a reaction out of Mia. And she did the most peculiar thing… She broke eye contact. 

Evelyn never broke eye contact with Mia. Though maybe that was because Mia never looked at her long enough for Evelyn to break that eye contact. 

Evelyn began looking past Mia, looking at everyone else inside. Then her eyes seemed to land on someone and she glared again.

"You…" Evelyn pointed. Mia and Shoko both turned around to see Evelyn pointing at Shu. "You're that octoling from Maria's apartment."

"I am…" Shu spoke plainly with a nod. "Any other insightful comments you would like to add, Mrs. Brynn?"

"I have nothing to say to you or your girlfriend … wherever she is. All I-"

"Hiiiiii!" Rin poked her head into the doorway and held her hand out with a toothy smile. Evelyn jumped. "Nice to see you again! I'm Rin!"

"I did not ask for-"

"Oh! And I heard you met Little Buddy." Rin cut Evelyn off and held Little Buddy up. Evelyn jumped and took a step back as Little Buddy squawked at her happily with a wave.

"That thing is your pet …?" Evelyn said, her face filled with disgust. 

Rin and Little Buddy both glared at Evelyn as she said that. 

"He isn't a pet. He's a friend. Get it right, bitch." Rin hissed. 

"Rin! At least try to be respectful!" Shu stood up, looking sort of angry. 

"Oh hush, Shu." Shoko turned to Shu, giving him a disappointed look. "[Not only is she a devil, she is also speciesist against us.]"

Shu opened his mouth to give a rebuttal…

"You know what, fair point." Shu shrugged and sat down again. Callie and Marie both snickered.

"I do not have time for this!" Evelyn snapped, getting Mia and Shoko to both turn back around. "Come on, Maria! We're leaving before I have to deal with any more of this!"

Evelyn turned around and crossed her arms, waiting for Mia to follow. Mia took another deep breath…

"No." Mia said, voice monotone and neutral. She breathed out nervously as she held Shoko's hand a bit tighter.

Evelyn physically recoiled as she heard that singular word leave Mia's mouth. She spun on her heel and looked at Mia furiously.

" What … did you just say to me, Maria Ann Brynn…?" Evelyn was shaking with anger. 

"It's Cuttlefish , Evelyn." Mia glared. Evelyn recoiled again. "And I finally told you what I've wanted to tell you… for twenty two years: No."

"Wh- you disrespectful… disgraceful child." Evelyn hissed. "How dare you speak to me that way." Evelyn balled up her fists, quivering with anger. 

"I'm not a child, Mrs. Brynn. And I'm especially not your child." Mia glared even harder. 

"You… You …!" Evelyn raised her hand and swung towards Mia. 

A lot of things happened in the next split second. Before Mia could even react, Evelyn suddenly had a knife at her neck as Rin glared at her. And her hand was stuck in place as Shoko held onto her wrist with a furious scowl. Little Buddy was in between Mia's legs, growling at Evelyn. Everyone behind Mia was now standing and glaring at Evelyn angrily. Even Mia wasn't expecting them to move that quickly. 

Evelyn's face quickly changed from angry to completely shocked.

"Move an inch and you never use this hand again…" Shoko hissed, tightening her grip on Evelyn's wrist.

"Damn, babe… That was intense…" Mia could feel her face warm up a little bit. As a dumb smile found it's way onto her face. 

Shoko turned back to Mia and smiled as bright as the sun. "Thanks! I heard it in a movie I watched the other night!"

"You mind saving the gay for after we're done threatening this bitch?" Rin looked bored. "I mean don't get me wrong, I could do this all day but I do have some things to do later."

"Uh. Right, right." Mia cleared her throat and looked back at Evelyn, trying to again look as serious as possible. Shoko did the same.

"If I were you I'd probably leave and never show your face here again…" Mia hissed. With what just happened she could feel even more of her confidence returning. Not all of it but another good piece. 

"You're lucky that slap didn't land or this knife would be positioned a bit deeper in your throat." Rin twisted the knife slowly, making Evelyn raise her chin so she wouldn't be cut. 

"You… You're all insane…" Evelyn said, swallowing her breath fearfully. 

"Hm… wonder where I got that from…" Mia said snarkily. "Alright, girls. Let 'er go."

Rin breathed out angrily again before lowering the knife away from Evelyn. Shoko glared at her for another second, before letting go and sort of pushing Evelyn away at the same time.

Evelyn rubbed her wrist as she took another step back from the door. Before she could say anything, Mia began closing the door. 

"Bye, crazy bitch!" Rin said happily, smiling and waving. "Don't come back!"

The door finally closed, and as it did it felt like Mia's entire world went silent. Nobody spoke as Mia kept her hand on the door… waiting. 

Click click click

Then she heard it. The clicking of heels against the hallway floor. And they began being quieter and quieter…

Mia blew out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. She almost fell backwards, but was caught by Shoko. She was shaking. 

"M-Mia?! Are you okay…?" Shoko asked, looking panicked.

"Y-...yeah…" Mia said, breathing heavily. "That went… a lot better than I thought it would." Mia breathed out a laugh. 

"Sis!" Before Mia could turn around to see where the scream came from, she felt a large weight wrap around her, almost pushing her into the door in front of her. 

"Sis you did it! Oh my gosh I can't believe it, you did so well!" Callie screamed as she hugged Mia tightly.

Mia suddenly felt another weight beside her. She looked over and saw Marie hugging her too.

"I was so worried that woman would do something unthinkable… I'm so glad you're okay, sis…" Marie sniffled. 

Shoko gave a small laugh and put her hand on Mia's cheek. Mia looked up at her. 

"I am so proud of you, my love…" Shoko smiled before leaning in and kissing Mia. 

Mia felt the weight of both Callie and Marie let go of her. She turned around to see why, and was faced with Cuttlefish. He looked up at Mia, he looked so proud of her...

Mia froze seeing him again. She didn't know what to say, but she knew she needed to say something . This man… He was the reason Mia was still here. He was the reason for all of this…

Mia felt tears come to her eyes as she thought about all of it. About how much he did for her. She sniffled and ran towards her grandfather, hugging him tightly. 

Cuttlefish reciprocated the hug and gave Mia a comforting pat on the back as the tears finally escaped and began flowing down her cheeks. 

"I-I love you, Gramps…" She said through her tears. 

Cuttlefish let out a soft, happy sigh. "I love you too, Mia…"