Living Situation || Agent 3 x Agent 8

[1]

Agent 8 hopped out of the kettle and sighed with relief. He had just finished a mission with Agents 3 and 4. It had been long and tedious completed to some others they had done recently. He stepped back as his colleagues came out too.

"My head hurts," 4 complained, holding a hand to his head. It was understandable: there had been a lot of bright and neon signs suspended until the air. It was pretty to look at from a distance, but not so much up close.

3 reached into the inside of her jacket and pulled out a small orange bottle. The label read "Headache Medicine". She tossed it to 4 whose eyes lit up gratefully. "Thanks, 3!" he said and swallowed two pills.

The trio super-jumped back to Cuttlefish Cabin. Callie and Marie weren't hanging out in their usual spots in front of it. The famed Squid Sisters had recently returned to the spotlight after a long break. They had their individual careers, but they were still a pop duo at heart.

"Hey, it seems that we don't have any other missions right now," 8 said, checking the schedule that Marie had posted on the side of the wall. "Let's change, and maybe we can hang out! Does Turf War sound good?"

4 shook his head as they walked inside the small cabin. "Eh, I don't want to. Skipper Pavilion and Sturgeon Shipyard are my least favorites."

8 rolled his eyes. "Is that because you always lose when you play at either of them?" he teased. The male Inkling shoved him in response. "How about you, 3? You up for it?"

3 shook her head. She rarely played Turf War, so even if she did accept, she would certainly bring loss upon their team. Besides, she was tired and wanted to go home. She went behind the small changing curtain.

After everyone was done, they headed back to Inkopolis Square. 8 immediately went over to Pearl and Marina, who were sitting inside their studio. He tapped on the glass to get their attention. The idols looked up and broke into huge smiles. They were quite close to the male Octoling, since they played a huge part in his escape from Deepsea Metro.

The agents headed out of the Square. 4 waved goodbye to them as he ran off towards Blackbelly Skatepark. Since it wasn't a stage right now, it was open for actual skating.

3 and 8 began walking towards their apartment buildings. Since 3's was just about two blocks away from 8's, they had decided a while ago to walk home together. Sometimes 8 would talk, and other times he would be silent. But it was the comfortable kind of silence. Maybe that's how 3 felt each day.

"You know, you don't have to walk me right to my door," 8 said, pulling his keys out of his hoodie pocket. 3 shrugged in response. He unlocked the door and was about to walk inside  until he noticed an envelope on the floor. Curious, he picked it up and opened it. He gave a small gasp.

3 tilted her head, wondering what was so shocking. She peeked over his shoulder and saw Eviction Notice at the top of the letter. Uh oh.

8 looked like he was about to cry. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder as they walked inside. "What am I going to do?" he said nervously, looking at his small apartment. "This place was just about to feel like home...and now I'm being kicked out! This is dumb..."

3 studied the male Octoling. An idea sprang into her head, but she quickly tried to force it back down. No, that would be so cliche! She's seen it a bunch of times in various shows...but she couldn't just leave him without helping. She tugged on his sleeve and pointed to herself.

"You want me to...live with you?" 8 asked uncertainly. "Gosh, 3, that's really nice of you, but I don't want to give you more responsibilities..." She shook her head and gave a reassuring smile. He smiled back. "Alright then. I'll go pack my stuff."

3 nodded and sat down on the couch. She watched him strip his bed of the blankets and gather his weapons. She wondered if she should go help, but it looked like he was fine. 8 hummed a tune to himself as he did. It was kinda adorable.

A glint of light caught her eye. She turned and saw a golden toothpick sitting atop 8's dresser. It used to be hers. But she had given it to him as a token of their friendship. It was kinda ironic seeing how they had tried to kill each other two years ago and she wore the same toothpick. A feeling of regret welled up inside her.

"Alright 3, I'm ready!" 8 announced, breaking her train of thought. He was wearing a backpack and held his box of weapons. "Let's go!"

3 got up and walked out of the now-empty apartment. 8 had to go downstairs to talk to the landlord first. After discussing the issues, the agents were ready to go to 3's.

They arrived at Flounder Heights. It used to be a popular spot for Turf Wars. There would still be an occasional battle, but it was mostly quiet. Just how 3 liked it. She unlocked her apartment door and opened it.

The apartment had 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom, like most standard apartments. But it was slightly bigger than 8's old one, which was nice.

"Your apartment is cool!" 8 chirped. He placed his belongings next to the maroon couch. "I'll be sleeping here, I'm assuming?"

3 hesitated. It's not like the couch was super uncomfortable, but it was small and she didn't want 8 to feel cramped. Then again, she wasn't sure about a boy sleeping in the same bed as her. She sighed as her polite conscience took over. She shook her head and gestured for him to follow her.

3's bedroom looked really cool in 8's opinion. There were Squid Sisters posters on the walls, along with some other bands. A small desk with a laptop was in the corner of the room with a bookshelf next to it. The bed was a decent size for both of them; it had a simple black cover and gray sheets.

8 set his boxes near the closet. He would put them away later. "So! What's for dinner?" he asked with a smile.

The female Inkling froze. Carp. She had forgotten to run down to MakoMart for food earlier today. There wasn't enough stuff to make a proper meal.

"It's okay, I was teasing! I'm not really hungry right now," 8 assured her when he noticed her discomfort. "We can go shopping together tomorrow." 3 gave a tiny smile.

They changed into their pajamas (8 changed in the bathroom). It was only 7, but both of them were tired from walking so much and carrying boxes. 3 got into bed and prepared to fall asleep. But then she noticed 8 with a worried expression.

"3...I can sleep on the couch if you want, I don't mind," he said, playing with his hair nervously. "I don't want to accidentally-"

3 rolled her eyes and patted the space next to her. The Octoling hesitantly slid underneath the sheets.

She reached out and turned off her lamp. The room was now dark and sort of creepy.

8 felt his heart pounding. Although he would never admit it, he was kinda scared of the dark. But for some reason, he didn't feel quite as scared as he would usually be. Maybe it was because there was another person with him and the monsters of the night wouldn't attack him since he wasn't alone. Yeah, that was probably it. But then why did his face feel warm...?

"Goodnight 3," he whispered. He reached out and patted her head. She stiffened, but then relaxed. Her hand met his and she gave it a small pat as well. They drifted off to sleep, unaware that their hands were still touching.