[WIP] Precious Pearlie (Pearl x Piper) - A Splatoon 2 Fanfiction

It was just another ordinary day in Inkopolis Square. Pearl and Marina of Off the Hook just finished announcing the next stage rotations on their show, a daily task for the duo along with rehearsing for concerts. It had been a wild week for the Inkling and Octoling, so it was little tricky getting back into the old grind. There was the thrill and the pressure of having to help some people escape from a corrupted underground test facility, and then helping to save the world from being wiped of all life. However, even with all that, they were able to ease back into their daily lives.

After the show, they sat in their chairs at their little round table in the studio and just chatted as usual. Pearl was a bit worried about Marina since she had to go through a rough argument with her boyfriend Lucas two nights ago, so that’s the topic she started the chat with.

”How’ve you been?” she asked, tapping her fingers on the chair’s armrest.

”Good,” replied Marina. “Wait are you referring to a specific event orrr…”

”Yeah. That argument you and Lucas had. Just wondering if you’re fully recovered and stuff.”

”Oh yes, I’m over that. You know I can never stay mad at people, not even you~.”

”Aww stop.~” The two laughed.

”I understood why he was upset, and he just needed someone to comfort him and talk him through it. And yeah, he said some things, but I know he didn’t mean any harm.”

”Right! For sure. Anyways, um... you planning on hanging out with him later today?”

”Probably. Why?”

”Well I just wanna talk to him. Like, privately... if that's okay with you.”

”Oh that’s fine, Pearlie! I was just gonna go sample some sounds in the recording studio. You two have your fun.” Marina got out of her seat and patted Pearl’s head before walking out of the studio. The inkling smiled a little.

“Later!” said Pearl right before she left. She whipped out her phone and looked for Lucas’s contact, which was buried underneath a list of several other contacts. They didn’t text much. “Yo, Lucas,” she typed.

Lucas was sitting at a table in the Square, giving Robert (aka Agent 8) some pep-talk before his hangout with his crush, Tyrone (aka Agent 3). “You can do this, alright? Try not to be too weird or awkward, be polite, and of course, be yourself!”

“O-okay,” said the nervous Octoling boy, “A-and I should just be having fun, yes?”

”Yeah! You’re spending time with your crush. You should totally have fun with him!” Lucas suddenly felt his phone vibrate, and he saw the text from Pearl.

”Who is that be?”

“Huh. It’s Pearl. Don’t remember the last time she texted me, heh...” He texted back, “Oh hey. What’s up?”

”If you ain’t doing anything rn, can you come to the studio? I just wanna talk about something.”

”Oh sure!” he typed. Lucas looked back up at his Octoling friend. “Pearl just wants to see me for a bit. I’ll be back before you know it!” he said, before walking to the studio.

Pearl opened the garage door for him, the door that was the only entrance to the studio. “Sup!” she said.

”Hey. So where are we going?”

”Just follow me, k?” She waved Lucas over and he followed from behind. Pearl took him into a lounge near the recording studio, and they sat across from each other on two soft chairs.

”So what’d you wanna talk about?... Am I in trouble?”

Pearl snickered. “Pssh! Nah! It’s just, um... *sigh* Okay, so Marina told me everything.”

This actually worried Lucas, even though Pearl said there was nothing to worry about, and he started tensing up. “Wwwwhat do you mean 'everything'?”

”She told me all about life as an Octarian and stuff, and the mind-controlling music. And about that time you saved her life.”

”Oh! Okay.” Lucas’s tension left him like a rubber band that stopped being stretched.

”And umm... I just wanted to say thank you.”

”Aww!” Lucas smiled, relieved. He was scared that Pearl was gonna confront him about something, such as the argument he had with Marina the other day. He somewhat expected to walk out of the room with a bright red hand mark on his cheek. “Didn't you already tell me thanks?”

“Yeah but this is a serious thank you, cuz like... I mean if you didn’t go down there to rescue her, even if she didn’t die, I still never would’ve seen her again. Weren’t those Octolings gonna torture her or something?”

”Uh-huh, and they were gonna kill her afterward.”

She shook her head in disbelief. ”Jeez, I can’t believe music could make someone do something like that!”

”Yeah, Octavio’s a monster... You know about DJ Octavio, right?”

”Yep, Marina told me all about that too, and thank cod you kicked his ass!”

Lucas laughed. “Well, I wasn’t gonna let him take over the world.”

”Heh, yeah, so thanks for that, and thanks again for saving Marina...” Pearl shut her eyes and sighed for a moment. Lucas noticed and hoped she was feeling alright, then she spoke again. “Seriously I don’t know what I’d do without her. Yeah, we roast each other constantly, and she can be annoying, but she really means so much to me. She's like the sister I never had.”

Lucas’s heart melted. It was amazing, he thought, the bond these two had. If OTH was to ever have some time apart like the Squid Sisters did, or worse, separate for good, that would just be devastating. “Awww I get that! Marina means a lot to me too. She means everything to me, actually.”

Pearl smiled warmly, which was rather unusual for the little inkling. ”Heh heh, of course she does. And um, I understand now why you didn’t want me to come with you to save her. You didn’t want me to know about the New Squidbeak Splatoon, right?”

”Yeah, that’s why. If you knew about it already, I totally would’ve taken you down there with me. Backup from you would’ve made the fight go faster and everything.”

Pearl slammed her fist on the armrest of the chair. ”Damn right it woulda gone faster! Woulda taken em all out like BAM BAM BAM!!” She shot at the wall with finger guns, which made them both laugh. “No one can stop the princess of pop!” She blew the imaginary smoke away from her finger guns.

”*sigh* Well, hopefully, this is the last time this happens. I don’t want to risk losing her again...”

”Me neither...” They both looked down, a little sad. Their favorite Octoling no longer being around was something they wished they could never imagine actually happening.

Lucas looked back up and smiled. ”You know, I should thank you too!” 

Pearl’s focus returned and she furrowed her brow. “Me? What for?”

”For taking care of Marina when you first met her. She showed me those chat messages you sent each other and I learned a few things. I mean, you taught her all about inkling culture, helped her find a place to live, and you just did so much for her.”

”Oh, heh. Well, I wasn’t just gonna, ya know, not help some lost girl who knew nothing about where she was.”

“Right. And it was nice to see how you were willing to protect her in case Cuttlefish tried to splat her.”

”Haha! Yeah. I woulda whupped his old butt if he saw Marina as an enemy!”

Lucas cackled. “Luckily he knows she’s a good Octoling.”

Pearl nodded, then sighed. “Ugh, I just feel kinda stupid that I didn’t know Marina was an Octoling when I first met her. I don’t even think I remembered what an Octoling was!”

”Well that doesn’t matter! You still helped her regardless of what species she was. That’s a smart thing to do if you ask me.”

”Huh... you’ve got a point.” Pearl felt better now. Lucas was right. Even though Pearl knew Marina was different, and asked her questions about what kind of Inkling she was when they first met, she was still there to help her out no matter what.

”Uh-huh. I mean I always knew you had hearts, even if you sometimes seem like you don’t, no offense, but now I see that you’re even more caring.”

Pearl was a bit offended by the comment about occasionally being heartless, but understood why he’d feel that way. “Thanks, and hey, I don’t blame ya for thinking that. I know I can come off as a jerk, but I’m not careless. I look out for people, ya know, and try to be helpful when I can.”

“Yeah, and I really admire that about you. I also want to thank you for saving the world, and for helping Robert get to the surface."

Pearl swatted her hand as if to say "get outta here!" "Ahhhh c'mon! Marina's the one who did most of the work. Besides the laser wasn't fully charged, so the WHOLE world wasn't gonna be destroyed."

"Well, you still saved a huge portion of the planet, including Inkopolis. And it's all thanks to that extremely loud voice of yours!"

Pearl cackled and rolled back in her seat. "Hey man, NOTHING can resist me and my Princess Cannon, not even a giant rock!"

"For sure!" This reminded Lucas of a story Callie told him: the legend of the scream on Mount Nantai. He knew it was Pearl but didn't tell her. "I'm gonna be completely honest and say this: you're the coolest, and probably the freshest person I've ever met."

The rapper smiled, thinking Lucas wasn't being serious. "Nuh-uh! You don't think that!"

"I do! Imagine having a voice so powerful and unstable that it can be classified as a weapon. I remember Marina telling me that she has to, like, edit the music or something so that your voice doesn't break everything."

"HAHAHA! Yeah, she does. It's crazy."

"Crazy but awesome! And you’ve got a buttload of confidence, something I wish I had myself.”

"Aww, dude! Marina says the same thing."

"And she's right! You're rich, you've got attitude, you've got talent, you have it all!"

Pearl couldn't stop smiling. Lucas saying all of this about her made her feel really happy, especially since deep inside, she was a bit concerned that a lot of people didn't like her. "Awwww, that really means a lot. Thanks, man!"

"Hey, I mean it. I might be Marina's #1 fan, but I'm your fan too."

Pearl chuckled a bit. "Oh, and about helping Robert, Marina also did most of the work for that, too."

"Still, you gave him helpful advice, which surprises me based on what I've seen you talk about on the news, and you gave him money for the tests, too."

"Ha! What do you mean it surprises you?!"

"Well for one, you go to the center of Starfish Mainstage to look fresh, and you constantly dodge roll right into danger."

Pearl laughed, forgetting that she does those things way too often. "Hey man, that's just what you hear on the news. I've got plenty of battle knowledge. And yeah, the little dude ran out of points and needed more so that he could escape, so I decided to pitch in, ya know."

"With your dad's money?"

"I already paid him back, okay? Chillax!"

They both laughed. "Yeah, I'm chill! Perfectly chill. So yeah, thanks for all of that."

"No problem, b. Are you still jealous of that stuff?"

Lucas's chill went from 100 to 0 real fast. "Marina told you about the fight we had... didn't she?"

Pearl nodded, a bit upset but not too much. "Yeeeah..."

Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose and looked down. "I'm really sorry, okay? I didn't mean-"

"Hey, hey, it's alright. Marina told me everything and I get why you were upset. I mean, I'm still a little pissed at what you said to her and Eight, er, Robert, but sometimes we hurt people's feelings out of anger. I would know! Remember when I announced the Orange Juice Splatfest with Marina?”

”...Yeah I remember.”

”We say things, ok? It happens, dude."

"Right..."

"And it's okay to be jealous as long as you're legitimately happy for someone. I mean, I'm jealous of Marina in a few ways. She's smarter than me, more attractive, and more talented, but I know I'm amazing, too! And yeah, it sucks when people get to do things that you can't do, but you should be happy for them! It's never a good idea to lash out at someone because of jealousy. Believe me, I've learned from experience."

Lucas nodded. "Huh. Never expected you to be so wise, Pearl."

Pearl snickered and shrug coolly. "Rule 1: NEVER underestimate me! And you know what, I shouldn't underestimate you either!"

"Huh?? What are you on about?”

"Lucas, not only did you save Rina, but you saved Callie and the Zapfish, too! I heard all about what you did as an agent and that's some pretty amazing stuff, man. Even I'm a little jealous!"

"Stop jokiiiiing!" said Lucas, in denial, "How could you be jealous of me?"

"Dude, you destroyed an entire robot powered by The Great Zapfish while simultaneously listening to a Squid Sisters Concert! All I did was yell at a rock!” Lucas laughed at her oversimplification of the NILS statue incident. “Anyone who doesn’t think that’s amazing as hell has to get their brain checked. It clearly ain’t wired correctly!”

"Haha! Aw man, thanks so much, Pearl, but we both know I'm not really cool or anything. I'm pretty sure you think I'm a loser." Lucas chuckled to himself.

"I mean, KIIIIINDA, but that stuff you did was SUPER cool!” Lucas snickered. At least Pearl was being honest, he thought. “I’m sorry ya didn’t get to hear us talking about the awesome stuff you’ve done, but I just want you to know that you. Are. Incredible!”

"Oh Pearl, that means a lot."

"C'mon, don't think I don't think you're a great person. Like, even though you were upset and jealous over a bunch of carp, it didn't stop you from being a huge help to Robert when he first came to Inkopolis. You put so much time into teachin' him the ins and outs of the city and Turf War and helping him get comfortable with everything, and that's incredibly sweet of you to do." Lucas smiled widely. "Is it true that you wanted to help him the same way I helped Marina?"

"Yep! I look up to you for that. I mean, it was different since Robert already had some prior knowledge, but yeah, I just wanted to help him as much as I could. It was a way for me to take part in what you guys were doing, and to just be helpful and build a bond with him and everything.”

"D’awwww, see? That's way too nice of you! I wanted to do the same with Marina, too. I knew she needed tons of help, and I wasn't just gonna not give it to her."

Lucas nodded. "We'd both do anything for our friends."

Pearl nodded in return, then sadly scratched the back of her head. She knows she hasn't always been the nicest to Lucas and started to really regret it. ”Yeah I’m sorry if I even gave you the cold shoulder. It’s just, Marina’s past relationships never really went well and... I just don’t want her heart to be broken again.”

”Awwwwww~!” Lucas leaned forward in his chair. “Hey, I promise you I’ll never EVER break her heart!”

Pearl smiled. “I know you won’t. You’re a nice guy and Marina’s lucky to have you.”

Lucas blushed and scratched his head, not expecting Pearl, of all people, to say that to him. “Thanks, and she’s lucky to have you as a friend.” Pearl smiled back.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Lucas asked, “Uhhh, so is there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

”Nah not really. You?”

”Hmmm... oh! I’ve been meaning to ask you stuff about Marina. Like, is there anything I SHOULD know about her that I might not?”

”Ah! Alright you want some details ‘boutcha girlfriend, ay?” Pearl rubbed her hands together, preparing her lessons in Marina 101.

”Yes I do! Give it to me straight, girl!”

”Okay let’s see. #1 uhhhh... Marina’s a top.”

”Wait WHAT?!” Pearl wheezed, falling back in her chair and cackling loudly. Impatient and concerned, Lucas continued. “First of all how do YOU know that??”

”Chill out I was referring to cuddling. You shoulda seen your face!”

”Ugh... ok you got me there.”

”Anyways, yeah, on occasion Marina and I will... cuddle, not in a romantic way, of course, but when we do, she’ll prefer to be on top.” Lucas nodded. “And when she’s on top, I mean she will be on TOP! Her massive body just... FLATTENING you like a pancake, crushing your cartilage, pushing all the air out of your lungs, it’s just... too much sometimes. And don’t even get me STARTED on the tackle hugs! You’ll know it’s really a tackle when you’re leaning back to the point of no return.”

Lucas wheezed like a boss kettle couldn’t stop laughing, but he finally did after what seemed like a minute. “Alright, well I can handle it. I’m bigger and stronger than you, after all. Besides, Marina likes to let me lay on top of her too.”

“Same with me, but she prefers being on top, ya know?”

Lucas nodded. “Seriously you had me concerned for a second.”

“Why?” It didn’t take Pearl long to realize. “Oh. OH! Aight aight, I’ll be honest. She has SOME girlfriend potential, but I wouldn’t want to take her away from you.”

“Good to hear. Anything else I gotta know?”

Pearl thought for another few seconds. “Besides her lying about being an Octoling, Marina’s a very trustworthy person, so like, if she says she’s gonna do something, she’s gonna do it. Also you can guarantee she’ll never cheat or lie about what she’s doing, where’s she’s going, or any of that.”

”Cool! I mean I knew she was lying about the Octarian stuff, but I still definitely trust her. And I know she’d never cheat. She’s the sweetest person I know~.

”Exactly! And it’s good you still trust her. I mean we all trusted her plan to save the world, and it worked! You can definitely trust her now.”

“Right! What else?”

”Uhhhh oh! When Marina’s in the zone, you know, workin’ hard on a stage or music or whatever, do NOT bother her!”

Lucas could relate to that. When he was really focused programming or playing music at home, the last thing he wanted was an interruption from an outside force. “Okay that sounds good to know. Wait, what if it’s late at night and she needs to sleep?”

“Chances are she’ll conk out on her own. Just get her a blanket and she’ll be just fine.”

“Gotcha.” Lucas smiled and blushed a little as he imagined his girlfriend sound asleep at a workdesk, her head resting on her arms, with a soft blanket to keep her warm. It made him want to cuddle up beside her and join her. Though he was worried about the possibility that she’d wake up the next day all stiff  because of the position she was sleeping in. “If she’s asleep, could I just carry her to a bed or something?”

”Oh yeah sure. I could never do it myself, obviously, but you’re totally capable.”

“Haha! Awesome.”

”Alright that’s all I got right now. I’m sure you know everything else about her by now.”

”Yep. So again, thanks for everything. I’m glad we had this talk.”

The rapper smiled and nodded. “Thanks for everything too, dude.”

Lucas awkwardly opened his arms out. “Wanna hug it out?”

Pearl rolled her eyes but grinned. “Fine.” She walked up to him and hugged him back. Although they didn’t acknowledge it, they were both happy. Genuinely happy.

”Huh, you’re surprisingly huggable!”

”Shut up,” said Pearl, annoyed. Lucas stood up, still holding Pearl so she was off the ground. “Hey, no! Put me down!!” She squirmed while Lucas tightened his grip. “Oh my cod, you’re just like Marina!”

Lucas cracked up. “I see why she likes to hug you so much.”

“Ugh...” Pearl just let her arms droop, giving up her escape.

“Seriously, I never would have met the love of my life if not for you.”

“Yo, what?! Ha, is she actually the love of your life?? That’s so... corny yet awesome.” All of a sudden, Marina came in through the door from the recording studio. Her eyes widened at the sight. The other two just stared back awkwardly. 

Pearl went into her squid form and slipped out of Lucas’ arms, getting back onto her feet. “I-It’s not what it looks like, babe!” said Lucas. 

“AwwwwWWWWWWW!!~” Marina held her hands to her face, beaming, and ran towards the two Inklings, hugging them both tightly. “My two most favorite people in the world are gettin along!~” 

Lucas laughed while hugging back. “Oh no, we’re just pretending to like each other so you stay calm.”

“Haha, yeah!” Pearl said, “We’re secretly plotting to kill each other behind your back.”

The two glared at each other, and Lucas clenched his fist sarcastically. “I’m gonna break you in half like the toothpick you are!”

”Oooh, those are some bold words for someone in Princess Cannon range!”

Marina just laughed and pushed the two away from each other, going along with the joke. “Now now, behave yourselves, you two!”

Lucas rolled his eyes and held his hands up. “Alright alright, I’ll behave... for you~.” He scratched his girlfriend’s chin, which made her chuckle.

“Okay, I can’t believe I’m admitting this,” said Pearl, “but you two are adorable together.”

Lucas looked at Pearl with a thankful smile. ”Thanks, Pearl! That actually means a lot coming from you.”

“Well Pearlie,” said Marina, holding Lucas close, “if it wasn’t for you, we probably would have never gotten together.”

Pearl smiled and put her hand up in a “no need to thank me” manner. “It’s nothing, really.”

”You know, maybe Lukey and I can return the favor and help you find yourself a partner!”

”Wait what?” Pearl wasn’t expecting this offer, and shook her head. “You guys don’t have to do that!”

”Why not?” asked Lucas, “It shouldn’t be too hard to find someone for you... I mean, a few of my friends are single.”

”Is Henry?”

”Yeah but he’s 17 so...”

”Oh shit!” said Pearl, surprised.

Lucas and his girlfriend laughed hysterically. “Yeah sorry, Pearl. Hold on, did you actually have a crush on him? I remember seeing you eyeballing him that one time.”

Pearl blushed, but only a little. “I mean, I thought he was kinda good-looking, but I never had a full-on crush on him.”

”Well, I know he’s turning 18 this year, so maybe... " Lucas shook his head, "No, nevermind.”

”Yeah it’s for the best. He’s cool and all but I think I should find someone else closer into my age.”

”Oh! Pearlie!” Marina blurted, “You should try online dating!”

Pearl’s eyes widened. ”You sure?! You tried it a couple of times and remember how that turned out?”

”Yeah... but maybe you’ll find someone! You HAVE to give it a try Pearlie!” 

“I’m with her. It shouldn’t hurt to try, Pearl.”

After a while of hesitation, Pearl spoke. “Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

”Yaaaaaayyyy!!!” Marina hugged Pearl and twisted back and forth, squeezing her tightly.

”Yeah yeah, just put me down!” she grunted. Marina obeyed. “But like... what are the chances I end up finding someone? I mean I’m not attractive or anything...”

Marina got on her knee and put her hands on Pearl’s shoulders. “Pearl, you’re adorable! You’re an amazing person and I KNOW you’ll find your special someone.” Pearl smiled gratefully.

“She’s right, Pearl.” said Lucas. “I mean, I was able to find mine.” He put one arm underneath Marina’s legs and the other around her back and lifted her up, holding her close.

“GAAAHAHHAA!” she squealed. Everyone laughed and she wrapped her arms around Lucas’s shoulders and leaned her head against his. “Sorry, it’s been a while since someone lifted me!”

”Well I’ll carry you wherever and whenever you want, sweetie.~”

Pearl put her hands to her face, trying to hide her smile. “Thanks, Rina. I’m glad you two are willing to help me.”

“Of course, Pearl~,” said Marina.

“I should probably start lookin’ for a dating app or something. You two can do whatever you want. Make out in an alley or something.” The inkling snickered at her own joke.

Marina rolled her eyes and her boyfriend set her back down onto her feet. “Well good luck, Pearlie!~” She folded her hands and gave her bestie a hopeful smile, then turned to walk out the door with Lucas.

”Yeah. See ya, Pearl!” said Lucas.

”Later!” said Pearl, just before the two left. She let out a long sigh and plopped back down on her chair, turning on her phone and looking for a dating app. “Here goes nothing...” she thought.