Chapter Text
Agent 4 gently awoke to the soft sound of someone humming a melody. Still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he tried to sit up to locate the source of the beautiful sound but quickly found himself getting pushed lightly back down onto the bed that he swore wasn't there a moment ago. Still feeling someone's hands on his shoulders, he opened his eyes to the sight of fair coloured hands resting on his left shoulder. He followed the hands up the body of its owner and came face to face with Marie who gave him a small smile, and she moved to clasp Agent 4's left hand with both of her own. "Seems like I should tell my cousin that we should have kept singing the moment you passed out," She said looking down at the interlocking hands, "you probably would have woken up right away." Marie looked back at Agent 4, who was giving her a tired stare. "Though I figured you deserved however long of a rest you needed after what you did for us."
"Is she okay?" Agent 4 asked in a soft voice looking at where his and Marie's hands intertwined. Marie simply gave him a soft smile and a quick nod of her head.
"She's been dying to meet you, you know. Ever since you beat DJ Octavio, she's been more worried about your health than her own. Though I guess there's a bright side in that she finally spent her time talking about something other than fashion or food for a change," Marie finished giggling quietly. Agent 4 gave his small smile and closed his eyes.
"What happened after I passed out?" he asked.
"DJ Octavio was...captured. You both were knocked unconscious by the explosion of the Octobot King II," Marie said, looking back at the hand she was holding. "After that happened, I sent Callie to go check up on you while I went to restrain Octavio. We loaded both of you into Sheldon's truck and drove straight here. You've been resting in my room ever since." She finished.
"Where is he?" Agent 4 asked.
"He is being contained in the basement of this house." Hearing this Agent 4 fixed Marie with a concerned stare as her grip on his hand tightened. "As much as I would like to tear him limb from limb for what he did to Callie, I know it would leave my grandfather distraught. He's been trying for ages to convince him to change his ways, saying that he can see the good in his heart," she scoffed. "And I made sure to tell Octavio that he might be missing his heart if he even attempts to try anything," Marie trailed off, causing Agent 4's eyes to widen slightly. He sat up in the bed, wincing slightly at the motion, and covered Marie's hands with his free one, squeezing lightly, causing Marie to loosen her grip on Agent 4's left hand as she gave a soft sigh. "Sorry," she whispered, "I can never and will never forgive him for what he did to my sister, and no amount of words could convince me otherwise," she stated firmly. "However, it seems like I'll have to trust my grandfather's judgment...like always." she finished with a soft smile that Agent 4 matched as he lay back down on the bed. "Would you like to rest a bit longer? She asked. Agent 4 simply nodded his head, wasting no time recovering the sleep that had evaded him the previous week. Not long after, the soft sound of breathing and singing of a particular melody was heard under the glow of the moonlight.
The second time Agent 4 awoke, he found it considerably more comfortable to sit up, so he did so, moving himself to the edge of the bed. The sunrise painted the room a soft orange which allowed him to observe precisely where he was. For being one of the most famous figures in Inkopolis, Agent 4 thought, Marie had a very minimalist room. It was a relatively simple room with a desk in front of the foot of the bed with a couple of shelves above it which, to no surprise, carried the trophies the Squid Sisters had won as music moguls. Across from the bed was the closed closet which would remain so despite Agent 4's curiosity about the size of its interior. His thoughts were interrupted when his eyes caught sight of neatly folded clothes under a note on the nightstand next to the bed. Assuming it was addressed toward him, he proceeded to read it.
Hey Agent 4 ~
I left you some clothes that I thought would fit you well. Once you're ready, come downstairs to the kitchen to get something to eat.
Callie
Stay Fresh~
Smiling softly at the note, Agent 4 placed it next to the clothes and began changing into the clothes Callie had left for him. After freshening in the bathroom, he found himself sitting on the side of the bed once more, scrolling through his phone, trying to catch up on all the messages he missed. As he was scrolling through the last of his texts, he heard a knock on the door. "You there Agent 4?" Marie spoke, voice slightly muffled from being behind the closed door.
"Yes." Agent 4 responded, putting his phone in the pocket of his cargo shorts and opening the door. Upon opening the door, Marie gave Agent 4 a look over noticing his new attire.
"Callie did a good job," she complimented, nodding approvingly.
"I agree." Agent 4 said with a light blush, frozen in place as Marie paced around him, observing the details of his outfit. She then stopped in front of him, meeting his eyes.
"Be sure to let Callie know; she'll be overjoyed," Callie advised. "Though I don't know if I should let you because once she starts talking about clothes, it takes forever to get her to stop." Agent 4 lightly chuckled as she said that, causing her to smile and take hold of Agent 4's hands. "Follow me; I'll bring you to Callie. She's been dying to meet you."
The first thing Agent 4 noticed when he entered the kitchen was a beige dinner table already set with three chairs, all with tablemats and utensils on the table in front of them. The second thing that he noticed was Callie, standing at the kitchen top, putting the finishing touches on three plates of food that looked better than anything he had ever eaten in his life. "Callie," Marie called out, causing Callie to turn around in response. As she met eyes with her sister, she noticed the familiar face that saved her not so long ago. "Since you haven't been properly introduced to one another," Marie said, making her way in between Callie and Agent 4, "Callie, this is Agent 4. Agent 4, this is Callie." Agent 4 waved and gave Callie a smile which quickly turned into a shocked expression as he soon found himself face to face with Callie staring at him with eyes that seemed to sparkle. Unrelenting, Callie continued to stare, causing Agent 4 to look away towards the ground as he grabbed his left arm with his right hand, blushing lightly. Callie seemed to lose her remaining self-control with that action and gave Agent 4 an excited hug which he, hesitantly, returned.
"Oh. My. Gosh! You're so cute!" Callie exclaimed, releasing the hug and grabbing both of Agent 4's hands, swaying them side to side. His face turned redder as she examined him closely, eyes excitedly roaming over the outfit he was wearing. "And you look so good in the outfit I gave you! I knew it would fit you well" she said as she fixed him with a dazzling smile. Agent 4 somehow got even redder at this action and gave a sidelong glance at Marie trying to signal for her assistance. Marie met his gaze and only offered him a small smile.
"Wasn't there something you wanted to tell my cousin?" Marie stated seemingly blankly; however, both Agent 4 and Callie sensed a hint of playfulness in her voice.
"What is it? What is it?" Callie asked excitedly, getting even closer to Agent 4's face. He managed to make eye-contact with Callie's expectant gaze.
"I-I just wanted to thank you for the clothes. I like them a lot," he said red-faced scratching his arm shyly. Callie's eyes seemed to shine even brighter. She then gave him the second hug of the day, this one even more passionate than the last, causing Agent 4 to turn redder than thought imaginable by inklings and octoling alike.
"Isn't he adorable Marie? Can we keep him?" Callie asked in rapid succession, still hugging Agent 4 as she turned to look at Marie.
"He is very adorable Callie," Marie admitted to the surprise of Agent 4 and pleasure of Callie. "Unfortunately my contract with him has ended, but I'm sure that he and I can talk with him about an extension of some kind," Marie said cooly allowing her smile to widen at the shocked expression Agent 4's face. "But that's for later. Now he needs to eat," she said firmly.
"Ah! Right!" Callie exclaimed, letting go of Agent 4, much to his relief, and going back over to the plates she was preparing. Marie and Agent 4 sat down at the table as Callie brought over their plates. "Here's a dish that I learned to make at one of the cooking shows I guest-starred in," She said to Agent 4 as she handed both him and Marie their bowls. "It's Tamago Kake Gohan seasoned with soy sauce and furikake." She finished, retrieving her bowl from the kitchen and taking a seat in her chair across from Marie and Agent 4. "Enjoy!" Agent 4 picked up his utensils was about to start eating when he stopped and looked at both Callie and Marie. The latter was already leisurely eating her bowl while the former ignored hers, favouring gazing at Agent 4 once more. "Aren't you gonna eat too?" Agent 4 asked finding his food to be the most interesting thing in the room.
"I'll eat, don't you worry. I know what I made is good to me, but I want to see what you think of it." She explained.
"I don't know about calling it good," Marie said between bites. "Edible is a better word to use, in my opinion." Callie crossed her arms and pouted.
"Hmph! At least one of us can cook a proper meal," she said, crossing her arms cutely and turning away from her sister.
"I would be surprised if you couldn't since that's one of the things you can never seem to stop talking about."
"Why are you so mean to me sister?" Callie whined, rubbing her hands in front of her eyes as if she was crying. Thankful that Callie had stopped paying as much attention to him, Agent 4 dug into the bowl that was in front of him. His eyes widened as a bite of the food hit his taste buds, savouring the quality flavour of the dish.
"This is really good." He said quietly looking up from his plate, meeting Callie's jubilant gaze and the sight of Marie rolling her eyes as she put another chopstick full of food in her mouth. "Thank you for the food." he finished and resumed eating, reinvigorated by the taste of the dish. Callie put her hands on her cheeks to suppress a squeal, looking at Marie with a pleading gaze. Marie simply mimicked her love-struck expression and fake swooned as if she was a fangirl who got to meet her idol up close. Callie narrowed her eyes at the expression but couldn't find a proper comeback, sulking back in her chair as she finally started eating her meal.
For Agent 4, it was the quickest meal he ever ate. He didn't think it was possible to be able to eat such quality food yet, as quickly as the bowl was placed in front of him, it was emptied just as fast. As he mourned the premature end of his breakfast, Callie's voice pierced through his ear. "Marie, can I talk with Agent 4 alone."
"Go ahead; I need to prepare for my meetings today anyway. I'll be gone most of the day so keep Callie company. Okay, Agent 4?" Agent 4 nodded his head as he and Callie watched Marie place her dishes in the sink and walk out of the room. Callie collected the remaining plates and put them in the sink. When she got back, she rested her hand on the table and placed her head on them, looking at Agent 4. He met her gaze hesitantly, unsure if he was supposed to initiate the conversation.
"She isn't very expressive about most things," Callie spoke fondly. Agent 4's eyes softened as he reminisced on his time with Marie. "Except when it comes to me. She always makes sure that I'm safe and happy over anything else."
"Are you ever afraid she would go too far for you?"
"I don't doubt the lengths she would go to make sure I'm happy. I mean she did recruit a stranger off the street to come save me so I'm sure she could do even crazier things." Agent 4 and Callie both shared a small laugh as they settled more comfortably in their chairs. "I never got to thank you properly. For saving me, I mean," Callie stuttered. "While I did get to do some interior decorating for some Octarian facilities, being brainwashed is not something I want to experience again." she finished jokingly.
"I'm just happy you're safe." Agent 4 said with a wholehearted smile which Callie matched with just as much joy.
"But that's enough of that sad stuff. I wanna know about you."
"What do you want to know?"