[A/N] This one kind of popped in out of nowhere. Enjoy, I guess.
Jake's eyes were wide, and his cheeks were puffed out like twin balloons. He tried to hold it in as long as he could, but before long, busted out into raucous laughter. He clutched his stomach as Marie, sitting next to him, wore a smug grin.
"Okay…" Jake wheezed. "Okay… you win… Ha… You're the funniest person I know… Satisfied?"
"You bet," Marie giggled. "I told you that you'll never find someone funnier."
Jake struggled to get his voice back. "Yeah… That's right…" He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, but ignored it.
Marie leaned in toward him, and gave him a sultry smile. "Well, I made you laugh already… How about I try getting some… other sounds out of you?"
Jake gave her a reluctant shake of his head. "Nah, I can't. Not tonight, at least. I have plans tomorrow, and I gotta get home before it's too late. Maybe the next day?"
Marie put on an exaggerated pout. "Aww… can't we just do it one time? I promise, it'll be the best you've ever had."
"Really, Marie, I can't," Jake said. "I gotta wake up really early tomorrow. In fact, I should probably be getting home right now."
"Aw, come on…" Marie whined playfully. "Just a quickie?"
"I really can't," Jake said. "I gotta go. Two days, okay? For sure. I promise. We can do it then."
"Alright," Marie said. "I'll see you later."
Jake leaned in, and gently pressed his lips against Marie's. She returned the kiss, and smiled at him when they pulled apart.
Jake grinned back, and walked out the door.
As he left the house and started walking back to his apartment, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked it.
The word "Voicemail" appeared on the screen, and underneath it, "From: Mom."
Jake frowned. He had done his damnedest to avoid talking to his mother for the past couple years, and the feeling had been mutual. There had to be some reason for her to call him.
He tapped the button, held the phone up to his ear, and listened to the voicemail. He heard the familiar voice of his mother.
"Jake. Come back to the county. I need to talk to you."
And that was it. He stared at his phone with one eyebrow raised, before making a face, stuffing his hands into his pockets, and Super Jumping back home.
{asterisks}
The next day, Jake was just emerging from the lobby after a few rounds of Turf Wars. He exchanged high fives with his friends.
"Did you see the look on that roller's face?" Grace laughed. "Dude didn't know what hit him!"
Cole chuckled. "We totally crushed 'em. I can't wait to do that again!"
He noticed Jake, who was staring at his phone. Cole waved one hand in front of his face. "Hello? Earth to Jake. You there, buddy?"
Jake blinked, and looked up. "Yeah, I'm fine. You guys go ahead. I'll catch up."
Cole shrugged, stretched, and led Grace and Adam back to the lobby.
Jake had another voicemail. He listened to it, hearing his mother's voice once again.
"Seriously, Jake, I need to talk to you. Get back here."
Jake shut his phone down, shook his head, and followed his friends back into the lobby.
{asterisks}
The next night, Jake went back to Marie's house, whistling a merry tune. When he got there, he knocked on the door. Marie opened it up, and smiled when she saw him.
"I told you we could do it tonight, didn't I?" he said.
"Oh, you certainly did," Marie whispered. She pulled him inside, and kissed him passionately. Jake blindly reached out with one hand, and shut the door behind him.
They had moved into Marie's bedroom, and started to shed their clothes, when there was a sudden noise. Out of nowhere, a dramatic violin arrangement, overlaid with deep horns, began playing. Jake and Marie stopped abruptly and looked up.
"What's that?" Marie asked, confused.
"It's my ringtone," Jake grumbled. He got up off of Marie, and shifted through the small pile of their clothes. He reached into the pocket of his pants, and pulled out his phone, which was still emitting the music.
"Who is it?" Marie asked.
Jake made a disgusted face. "It's my mom." He set the phone to silent, and left the room. After a moment, he returned with empty hands. "Alright, let's pick up where we left off," he said with a grin.
Marie giggled, and pulled him back on to the bed.
{asterisks}
Several minutes later, Jake and Marie were finished, and smiled at one another.
"You know…" Marie said between breaths. "You keep getting better and better at this."
"I appreciate that," Jake replied with a grin. "You're not half bad yourself." He took one of her hands and brought it up to his face, kissing it gently. Marie giggled.
"Hey…" she said. "Shouldn't you go see what your mom wanted?"
Jake's expression soured instantly. "No, I shouldn't," he said flatly. "I couldn't care less."
"C'mon, Jake, it's your mom," Marie argued. "It can't be that bad."
"Lemme put it this way," Jake said. "You remember living in Calamari County when we were younger?"
Marie nodded.
"You remember how we never hung out at my place? It was always your house, or somewhere else?"
"...Come to think of it, yeah," Marie said after a moment. "Don't tell me; she's the reason?"
"Ding ding ding," Jake said half-heartedly. "I don't want anything to do with her."
"Maybe she's changed," Marie put in. "Doesn't she deserve a second chance?"
"I don't know and I don't care," Jake said stubbornly.
"Well, I do," Marie said. "I don't care how bad you think she is, she deserves that much. Go listen to the message and find out what she wants."
"It'll be the same thing she's called me about the last two days," Jake predicted. "She wants me to come back to Calamari County because she 'needs to talk to me.'"
"Then do it!" Marie cried. "You get your butt down there and find out what she wants!"
Jake held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Okay, okay," he said. "I'll go down to the county tomorrow and talk to her."
"Good!" Marie said. There was a pause. "I'm going with you."
"What?"
"To be honest, I don't completely trust you to actually talk to her. I'm gonna come with you to make sure you do it."
Jake opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"Tomorrow. Okay?"
"Yeah. Tomorrow."
{asterisks}
Jake and Marie woke up the next day, at about the same time.
"Good morning," Marie said with a sleepy smile.
"Morning," Jake replied. "How'd you sleep?"
Marie gave him a devious grin. "Fantastic. Especially after how you treated me last night."
Jake returned the grin, and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.
They kissed for a few moments before Marie slowly pulled away and started to get out of bed.
"Aw, where are you going?" Jake asked playfully.
"I'm getting ready," Marie replied. She looked over her shoulder and winked.
Jake walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He gently nibbled on her ear, and Marie giggled. "We still have time for one more…" he whispered.
Marie pondered that for a moment. "Well… I guess a quickie couldn't hurt." She turned around and they went back to the bed.
{asterisks}
Several minutes later, the two emerged from the bedroom, looking extremely satisfied. Marie had an overnight bag slung over her shoulder.
"Ugh, do I have to pack?" Jake had asked. "I wanna be in and out of there as fast as possible."
"It's a twelve-hour train ride," Marie reminded him. "Chances are, we won't get it done in one day."
Jake had grumbled a bit while he was putting his clothes back on, but conceded her point.
"We need to stop at my apartment, though," he said.
"I know, I know," Marie replied.
They Super Jumped to Jake's building, and he went inside to get packed while Marie sent a text to Callie, explaining the situation.
It's okay! came the reply. I don't think there's anything happening today, anyway. ;D
As Jake was coming out of the building, bag in hand, Marie suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Is there a place in there where I can change?"
Jake instantly knew what it was about. "Yeah, the lobby's got a bathroom."
Marie flashed him a thumbs-up and hurried inside. A few minutes later, she came out in her civvies; a green cap, green short-sleeve shirt, running shoes, and sunglasses. She usually wore her surgical mask, but she was starting to dislike the way her voice sounded behind it. Besides, the sunglasses worked for Callie, so why not?
"Are we ready to go?" she asked.
"Yeah," Jake replied.
They walked over to the train station, picked up two tickets to Calamari County, and boarded the train.
The two took their seats and settled in for the ride. The train was nearly empty. Marie rested her head on Jake's shoulder and closed her eyes.
Jake was about to do the same, but then he heard the song quietly playing over the speakers. "Hey, Marie?" he asked. "Isn't that your solo?"
Marie opened her eyes again and listened. The song was, in fact, Tide Goes Out. "Yeah," she replied. "What about it?"
"Nothing," Jake said nonchalantly. "Just thought I'd mention it."
Marie rested her head on his shoulder once again and softly began to sing along. Jake smiled. He knew she couldn't resist. He could feel his eyes closing as Marie quietly sung them both to sleep.
{asterisks}
Jake woke up several hours later. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. They'd be arriving in Calamari County in just under five minutes.
He looked to his left and saw Marie leaning on his shoulder, still asleep. He smiled. He listened to her steady breathing as feelings of dread crept through him.
He could already tell that nothing good would come from this visit. Nothing to do with his mother ever had, really, not for years. He wanted nothing more than to just stay on the train, go right back to Inkopolis, and forget that this ever happened. But he already promised Marie that he'd do it, so do it he would.
He abruptly realized that the train was starting to slow down. Jake looked out the window, and saw his hometown outside. He grinned, and gently shook Marie's shoulder.
"Hey, Marie," he whispered. She stirred. "We're here. You can wake up."
Rather than waking up, Marie's head lolled onto her chest. Her sunglasses wobbled and threatened to fall off her head. Jake righted her again and whispered directly in her ear.
"C'mon, Marie, wake up. The ride's over."
Marie's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she yawned.
"…We're here?" she asked groggily.
"Yeah, we're here," Jake replied.
Marie yawned again, stretched, and slowly got up out of her seat. Jake got up behind her. Her eyes were still half-closed, and she tripped on the empty seat in front of her. Jake quickly grabbed her arm and hoisted her back up before she could hit the ground.
"Careful, Marie," he said. "Wanna take a minute to wake up?"
"Yeah…" Marie leaned on one of the chairs and forced her eyes wide open. She held it for a few seconds before they returned to normal, and stretched again.
"Okay, I'm good now," she said. "…Thanks for catching me."
"Any time," Jake said. He took her hand and led her out of the train.
They stepped out and looked around. Calamari County didn't look too different from the last time Jake had been there; there were the same small buildings, narrow streets, and sparse population walking around. Were it daytime, the sun would be shining brightly, giving everything a warm and cozy feel of home. Jake smiled. He had always been partial to his hometown, even after he moved to Inkopolis. He looked at Marie. She had taken off her sunglasses, and her eyes were shining brightly.
"You know…" she said. "It feels pretty good to be home."
"That it does," Jake agreed.
"C'mon, it's getting late," Marie said, taking his hand and pulling him forward. "We should find somewhere to put our stuff for the night."
"I think there's a motel a couple streets down," Jake said. "I'm not sure, though. It's been a while."
They walked down the street that Jake was referring to, and sure enough, there was a motel on the side of the road. The two walked in. There was a bored-looking Inkling sitting behind the counter. She lazily looked up when the door opened, and instantly plastered on a smile that looked a little bit too wide.
"Hi!" she said in an overly cheerful voice. "Can I get you a room for the night?"
They checked in and got their key, and walked down the hall and up a flight of stairs before reaching their room.
It was rather small and uninteresting, with pale blue wallpaper that was peeling in some places, and a double bed in the middle of the room. A bathroom was off to the side.
They set their bags down on either side of the bed, and Jake collapsed on top of it.
"What are you doing?" Marie asked, setting her phone down on the bedside table.
"Lying down," Jake replied. "Why? Is that a crime? I'm tired."
"How can you be tired?" Marie asked. "We just had a twelve-hour nap."
"I am unable to talk to anyone without at least eighteen hours of sleep a day," Jake claimed.
"You talk to me just fine."
"Yeah, but I like you."
Marie smiled.
"And besides, I'm worried. I need rest. I need to be a hundred percent ready tomorrow."
Marie's smile faded. "Do we have to talk about it?"
"What else is there to talk about?" Jake said. "It's been six years since the last time I was here. I don't know about anything else that's happened."
Marie silently conceded his point.
"Either way, I don't wanna talk about anything. I just wanna sleep." Jake got under the covers, and faced away from her. "Good night."
He could hear Marie shuffling around behind him, and soon felt her get into the bed. She wrapped her arms around him, pulled him close, and buried her head in his shoulder.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I don't want you to feel like this…" Marie replied quietly. Her voice wavered slightly. It sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
Jake turned back towards her, and returned the hug. "Like what?" he murmured.
"You're mad," Marie said. "And sad. …You're smad."
Jake chuckled.
"And I don't like it," Marie continued. "Everything is going to be fine. I'm gonna be right next to you the whole time. There's nothing to worry about, okay? Please remember that. I don't like it when you feel like this."
Jake planted a kiss on her forehead and looked into her eyes. "I'm fine," he said. "I'm gonna be fine, okay? You don't need to worry about-"
"Yes I do!" Marie interrupted. "Do you remember that night we hooked up the first time? Do you know why? It was because of all those terrible things you were saying. I know you have problems, okay? I don't like it when you pretend you don't. Please, just let me help. I don't want you to pretend there's nothing wrong."
"You are helping, Marie," Jake said calmly. "You're helping by being here. But I promise you, I'll make sure I tell you anytime something's wrong. And I'll stop being… smad."
Marie giggled. Jake kissed her lips, and they held that position for a moment before breaking apart. They fell asleep in one another's arms soon after.
{asterisks}
Marie woke up first the next morning. She yawned, and looked over at Jake, who was still fast asleep. She picked up her phone and checked the time. It was nearly 8:30. She put it back down and rested her head on Jake's chest.
Marie thought he was overreacting a bit, if she was being honest. Sure, she hadn't met his mother yet, but she couldn't be that bad, right?
I suppose I'll have to wait and see, she thought.
As she was thinking this, Jake stirred next to her, and slowly opened his eyes.
"Ugh…" he muttered. "Is it morning already?"
"I'm afraid so," Marie said. "Did you get your eighteen hours?"
"If not, I got pretty close," Jake said. He lazily kissed her forehead.
They cuddled for a while, and Marie eventually asked when they should go visit.
Jake thought for a minute. "Hmm… Last I remember, she works from home, so any time today would do, to be honest. But the sooner the better. I wanna go back to Inkopolis as soon as possible."
"Then how about we get going right now?" Marie asked.
"Sure," Jake yawned. He slowly got out of bed and started to get changed. Marie followed suit. They shoved their dirty clothes back in their bags and walked back down out of the motel, dropping their key off at the front desk along the way.
Eventually, they ended up at Jake's old house.
"And you're sure we're not too early?" Marie asked.
"She's been waking up before six every day as long as I've known her. If anything, we're late," Jake replied. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but hesitated.
"You okay?" Marie asked.
"I'm fine," he muttered, and took a deep breath before sharply knocking.
It was nearly thirty seconds before the door opened, and Jake's mother finally stood before them. She stared at the two for a moment.
"What took you so long?" she finally asked.
"Gee, thanks," Jake said sarcastically. "Nice to see you, too. I'm doing fine. How's life been?"
She waved a hand dismissively, ignoring Jake's comment. "No matter. Come in," she said, and stepped back into the house.
Jake placed one arm around Marie's shoulders and they walked inside. His mother immediately shut the door behind them, and disappeared further into the house.
Marie looked around. The house wasn't particularly big. There was a smallish living room off to one side, but that was all Marie could see; the majority of the lights were off. Jake led Marie into the living room and she sat down on the couch. Jake turned on a nearby table lamp and sat down next to her.
"So, what do you think?" Jake asked her.
"Well, I like your house," Marie started. "But I'm starting to think you might've been right about the inhabitant."
"You haven't seen the half of it," Jake grumbled. "I'd like to apologize in advance for anything that she says while we're here."
"Don't worry about it," Marie replied. "You don't need to apologize."
Just then, Jake's mother returned. There was a rolled up magazine in her hand. Jake recognized it as one of her trashy gossip magazines that she had a subscription for. She sat down in the chair across from them.
"So would it be too much to ask why you asked me to come down here?" Jake asked.
"I'll tell you once she leaves," his mom replied, pointing a finger at Marie.
Marie started to get up, but Jake stopped her. "Whatever it is you wanna say, you can say to both of us," he said.
His mother stared at them for a moment, silent, before shrugging and saying "Fine." She unrolled the magazine and slammed it on the table in front of them. "Would you care to explain why I was greeted with this when I got my mail?"
They looked at the cover. It was a large photo of Jake and Marie making out in a back alley. The caption read "SQUID SISTER OR SQUID SLUT?" in large letters.
Marie remembered when that photo was taken; it was just the week before. The two of them had taken cover from a particularly bad rainstorm and decided to pass the time. They later learned that there was paparazzi following them, which was the source of the picture. It certainly wasn't the first time something like this happened, but it was definitely the time that got the most attention.
Jake looked at his mother. "So what? Is this really what you called me for?"
"Yes!" she cried. "I'd like to know why my son is engaging in this… this… sin."
"Oh boy, here we go," Jake muttered. "Why do you care?"
"Why do I care?" she asked. "Why do I care?! I care because you're my son! You should not be dealing with this filth. I refuse to allow this harlot to come anywhere near my family."
"You can stop right there," Jake said. "Don't you dare say a god damn word about her. I couldn't care less what you think of me, but don't you dare say anything about my girlfriend."
Marie was starting to feel uncomfortable. "Jake, I think I should go…"
Jake started to argue, but his words died on his lips when he saw her face. His expression softened and he nodded. "Sure. You can wait in the kitchen if you want. It's just through there."
"Thanks," she muttered, and left the room.
"I don't understand why you would ever want anything to do with someone like her," Jake's mother said. "She is everything I hate about the whores in your generation."
"She's not a whore!" Jake cried. "Just because you hate the idea that I enjoy doing anything more than holding hands with my girlfriend, doesn't mean she's a whore! It doesn't make her anything! It makes us the exact same as every other god damn couple in the city!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" his mother replied. "I will not stand by and allow my only son to consort with something this sinful!"
"What, you think it's sinful for me to show that I like my girlfriend? You used to give Dad a kiss every damn time he walked through the door after work! Isn't that just as bad?!"
"That's different!" She was screaming now. "I love your father! I can't have you doing things like this with anybody except the woman you fall in love with!"
"Then prepare to be disappointed, because I've done stuff a lot worse than making out with her!" Jake retorted angrily. "We've had sex, and you know what? I don't give a shit about whatever you have to say about it! I'm happy with her the way things are!"
His mother stared, wide-eyed, before softly asking him a question. The one question that he hoped he'd never have to deal with.
"Do you love her?"
Now it was Jake's turn to stare. "That's not fair. You can't ask me something like that. That's-"
"But do you love me?"
Jake's eyes grew impossibly wide, and he looked over at Marie, who had come out of the kitchen. He opened and closed his mouth a few times as his mind raced, desperately trying to think of what to say.
"You do, don't you?" his mother accused. "Do you love her?"
Her voice began to raise in pitch once again. She screamed the question over and over. "DO YOU LOVE HER?! DO YOU LOVE HER?!"
Jake covered his ears and bowed his head, trying to block out the sound. Marie looked on helplessly, unable to move.
Finally, Jake snapped. "SHUT UP!" he screamed at his mother. "I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?! I DON'T KNOW! AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE THIS!" He jumped up from the couch and stormed out of the house. Marie chased after him, leaving his mother behind.
"Jake!" Marie called after him. "Come back! Please!"
She found herself back at the train station, and Jake finally stopped. He sat on a bench and stared at the ground. Marie bit her lip, and sat down next to him.
"Wanna tell me what's wrong?" Marie asked softly, placing one gentle arm around his shoulder.
"You were there…" Jake muttered. "You already know…"
"Can you tell me anyway?" Marie asked. "I want to know what the problem is. Please, Jake."
"I…" Jake thought before answering. "I didn't want to deal with this… I didn't want to answer that question… I've never been good at things like this, Marie…"
"I know," Marie whispered, pulling him into a hug. "It's okay, Jake… This doesn't change anything…"
"But it does…" Jake said, tears pricking his eyes. "It changes everything… I can't deal with this… I don't know how to deal with this… Marie… I'm scared…"
"What's scaring you?" Marie asked, pulling away. She looked into his eyes.
"I don't know…" Jake replied. "The fact that I don't know how to deal with this, Marie… It scares me… Because this isn't… this isn't how it's supposed to work… I'm in control… I need to be in control… This isn't what's supposed to happen…"
"Don't be silly," Marie said with a little smile. "Do you remember the last time you weren't in control?"
Jake shook his head.
"It was when we got together," Marie reminded him. "For the first time. You didn't know what was happening at first, but it ended up being great. Right?"
He nodded in agreement.
"So can I ask you again?"
He nodded once more, and bit his lip nervously.
"Do you love me?"
Jake thought about that. He thought about it for a long time.
"I didn't…" he started. "I didn't at first. I was worried- no, terrified that I never would. You've always been my closest friend, Marie, and I almost didn't want to be with you if it meant that I might lose you. But I don't think I need to be worried about that anymore. Because I- what I'm saying is- I'm trying to tell you that-"
Marie cut him off with a long, lingering kiss on the lips, which Jake returned. When they finally broke apart, Jake gave her a little grin.
"I do love you, Marie," he said softly. "I love you. You're my favourite person in the world."
Marie smiled back and nodded her head. "I know," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her heart was pounding as she said "I love you, too."
Jake's smile grew wider. "I never… I never thought that I'd ever be able to say those words to anyone… and really mean them… Marie… You've made me… the happiest guy in the world… Thank you so much…" He pulled her into another hug.
Marie planted a kiss on his cheek before returning the hug.
"C'mon," she said when they broke apart, grinning. "The next train is leaving soon."
[A/N] Wow okay I've had this in the works for even longer than The Aftermath, so I can't believe I've finally gotten it done.
Thanks for reading! This story happens to have the dubious distinction of being the single longest chapter I've ever written for a story, beating the old record holder (which was the first chapter of The Most Unexpected Places) by around five hundred words.
In addition, I was originally planning for this to be a multi-chapter story, but my planned stopping point for chapter one ended up being less than a thousand words into the story, so I turned it into a oneshot instead.
Anyway, thanks a lot for reading this! I've got a request to work on now, and after that, not much. Any ideas? Drop me a PM!