[A/N] So here's a request. I tried to throw together two requests I got into one story.
Chris PH – This isn't exactly what you asked for, but hopefully you still like it.
InsomniousNights – I know you don't really come to this site anymore, but in case you've seen this, I finally did what you asked me to do. I hope it was what you wanted!
Michael, Randy, Shelly, and Angela all belong to InsomniousNights.
"They totally trashed us," Randy grumbled.
"You can say that again," Shelly muttered.
"Fer the seventh time in a row," Angela spat.
Michael stayed silent.
"All in favour of a break for the day, say aye," Randy declared.
"Aye," said Angela half-heartedly. Shelly silently raised one hand in agreement. Michael did nothing. He was lost in thought.
"Mikey? Ya there?" Angela asked, waving one hand in front of his face. He blinked, and looked at her.
"What? What's happening?" he asked.
"We're taking a break from matches," Shelly informed him.
"Oh," Michael replied. "Okay. I'm good with that." He walked off.
Angela stared after him. "Well, I guess he'll just be doing his own thing, then."
"Can't say I blame him," Randy replied. "After that, I wanna be as far away from the arena as possible. I'll wait for the rest of you guys at home."
{asterisks}
As it happened, Michael wasn't going back to their home; not yet, at least. He walked up the stairs to the window on the edge of the Squid Sisters' studio and leaned on the rail, staring back out at the plaza.
He had no idea what had happened in those matches. He wasn't even sure that the opposing team was that much better than they were; they were just that much more cooperative. Someone always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.
Michael sighed. Maybe he'd be better off just trying again tomorrow, but he couldn't help but feel just a little bit angry at how badly his squad had been losing that day.
He suddenly heard a sharp tapping noise, and looked around. Behind him, Callie had reached over and knocked on the window to get his attention, and now offered him a warm smile and a wave. He gave her a half-smile and a little jerk of his hand in return, not really feeling it today.
Her face immediately scrunched up, and she turned around to say something to Marie. Marie replied with a shrug and a one-word answer, and stretched in her chair. Callie gave Michael a thumbs-up and ran out of the room.
Michael blinked at Marie, who caught his eye and shrugged. She held up three fingers, and started counting down. As soon as her last finger had curled back into her fist, Callie suddenly appeared next to Michael.
"Hi!" she said. Michael jumped in surprise.
"Uh, hi, Callie," he stuttered out. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be… y'know… in there?" He pointed back into the studio. Marie waved.
"No!" Callie huffed. "What's wrong?"
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong," Michael said, looking away. "I lost some matches today, that's all."
"C'mon, Mikey, stop lying!" Callie said. "You're sad and it's my job to fix it! Now let's go! We're gonna have fun today, just you and me!" She took his hand and started dragging him away.
Michael blinked. "Um, okay…" he muttered, a bit confused. "How did you know I was feeling down?"
"Every time I wave at you through the window, you always give me a great big smile and wave back. You didn't do it today. I thought something must be wrong, and I was right!" Callie explained.
"Did anyone ever tell you how good you are at reading people?" Michael asked.
Callie smiled at him, and continued leading him forward, not answering.
"So, uh, where are we going?" he asked.
"Everywhere!" Callie replied, spreading her arms out wide. "Well, first we need to go to my house so I can get changed, but after that, everywhere!"
"Why are we walking and not Super Jumping?"
"Umm… good question!" Callie replied sheepishly. She quickly switched to her squid form and Super Jumped off in the direction of her house. Michael followed.
"I'll be right back!" Callie promised once they landed. Michael waited outside, pacing a bit.
Why did Callie care so much? So what if he was feeling a little salty? A few hours off of Turf Wars would make him feel good as new.
Michael shrugged. I suppose it doesn't matter, he thought. If Callie thought she'd make him feel better, who was he to ruin her fun?
Just then, she came back out of the house. She wore a cut-off jacket, a knee-length skirt, and a plain blouse with flats. Her tights were gone and a purse was slung over her shoulder. "Ready to go?" she asked.
"Sure, I guess," Michael replied. Callie took his hand and led him forward. "Can we get something to eat, though?"
"Of course we can!" Callie said. "Where do you wanna go?"
"Anywhere would be nice," Michael said. "I haven't eaten much today." As if on cue, his stomach growled, loud enough for Callie to hear. She giggled.
"There's a pizza place just down the road," Callie suggested.
"That'll do," Michael replied.
They continued walking, and sure enough, the pizza place Callie mentioned appeared.
"It looks pretty busy," Michael noted. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."
"Don't worry about a thing," Callie replied with a mischievous grin. "Watch this." She pushed open the door and walked inside. Michael followed.
A few Inklings looked up, and their jaws dropped once they saw Callie. She happily waved to the guy standing behind the counter.
"Hi, Marcello!" she called.
The Inkling, Marcello, looked up from his till and absently waved back, smiling. "Hello," he said.
Everyone else who was in line stepped out of the way as Callie and Michael made their way to the counter. Michael noted that it was voluntary.
"So what can I get for my favourite customer?" Marcello asked.
Callie placed an order for the two of them. Michael got out his wallet and offered to pay, but Callie swatted it away and got the money out of her purse. "My treat," she said. She whispered something to Marcello and he nodded.
Once everything was rung up, Marcello called back into the kitchen. "Bump that order up to the front, guys. Priority one."
"How'd you get away with that?" Michael asked once they took their seats.
Callie grinned. "Celebrity status has its perks," she replied. "Plus, Marcello's an old friend. Well, he's Gramps' friend, but it works either way."
Michael nodded in response. "And why a pizza place? I thought you were Team Burger."
"Oh, that," Callie replied. "Marie and I thought it'd be fun if we switched teams for that Splatfest. …Well, I thought it'd be fun, anyway. Marie was a grump about it, as usual."
Michael acknowledged her with a nod and looked out the window, propping his head up on one hand.
"So what's wrong, Mikey?" Callie asked him.
"What? What are you talking about?" Michael replied.
"Don't pull that with me," Callie chided. "I already know there's something wrong, and it's more than just losing a couple matches. You can tell me now, and get it over with, or I'll have to make you tell me later."
"Okay, okay," Michael said, raising his hands in a defensive gesture.
Just then, a bell dinged, and Callie stood up to grab their pizza. She sat back down with it and gestured for Michael to start talking as she took a bite.
"It's not just that we lost," Michael began. "It's just that we lost so badly that… well, I don't know. The other teams weren't even that much better than we were. They were just so well-coordinated. And I don't care how whiny I sound, they had too much dumb luck. Every damn time we had one of them in a bad spot, they'd get off a special, or one of their teammates would swoop in and help, or we'd get sniped or whatever it was that happened! They were too damn lucky!"
Callie patiently listened to Michael's rant. Once he was done talking, he picked up his pizza and angrily took a large bite.
"Doesn't that feel better, now that you've gotten it off your chest?" Callie asked.
"Not really," Michael replied. "I'm angry all over again."
Undeterred, Callie gestured to his pizza. "Then eat up. It'll make you feel better. And then we'll go out somewhere. How does that sound?"
Michael grunted in response and took another bite of his pizza.
"You're gonna have fun today, whether you like it or not," Callie told him.
"I don't wanna have fun," Michael muttered, barely loud enough for Callie to hear.
"So what, you'd rather sit in your self-pity all day? Nope, not happening. You're spending your day with me, and you'll have fun if it splats you," Callie said with a decisive nod.
Michael grunted in apparent agreement, and continued munching on his pizza. Callie quickly finished hers, and patiently waited for Michael.
"So where do you wanna go?" Callie asked him once they were outside.
"Home," Michael grumbled. "I wanna sleep."
Callie looked at him disapprovingly and lightly backhanded his arm. "You know what I mean."
He shrugged. "I dunno. Pick something."
Callie placed one finger on her chin and thought. "Hmm… there's a new amusement park on the other side of town. Why don't we go there?"
Michael shrugged again. "Sure."
Callie grinned. "Great! It's a bit of a walk, so let's get going!" She took Michael's hand and led him forward as he shoved the other one in his pocket. "You better lighten up, you grump. I don't care how long it takes because you're gonna enjoy yourself whether you like it or not."
"Yeah, yeah," Michael muttered. "I got it, alright?"
Apparently satisfied, Callie said nothing and led him toward the amusement park.
{asterisks}
Callie threw her hands up in the air and screamed as the rollercoaster plummeted into a straight drop. The wind whipped by their faces, and the cart soon came back up in a loop, and then a corkscrew. She didn't even notice Michael's face next to her.
When they finally got off, Callie was wearing a wide grin. "Oh, that was so much fun!" she cried. "What did you think, Mikey?"
Michael was a few steps behind her. He looked a little green, and had one hand over his stomach. "I think I'm gonna lose my lunch…"
Callie's face scrunched up. "You need a stronger stomach, Mikey! I can't believe you didn't like that one!"
"I didn't much like the one before it, either," Michael pointed out. "Or the one before that… can we try something a little… slower?"
"Aw, fine," Callie said. "How about that one over there?" She pointed to a drop zone.
Michael followed her finger. "As long as I can keep my food in my stomach, it's fine by me."
A few minutes later, the two of them were seated, waiting for the ride to lift them into the air.
"How's your stomach?" Callie asked.
"A little better…" Michael replied. "This is alright."
"Good! It's starting!" Callie told him.
They were slowly lifted up in the air. When they got to the top, it stopped for a moment, and Michael realized just how far he could see from so high up. Just about all of Inkopolis was visible from his vantage point.
He didn't have much time to enjoy it, because a second later, the ride dropped back to the ground. Michael thought he left his stomach back on top of the pillar.
They continued rising and falling a few times before the ride ended.
"That was definitely easier on my stomach," Michael said after it ended. "I think I could take another rollercoaster now."
Callie took a candy bar out of her purse and broke it in half. She handed one half to Michael. "Here, have some. It'll hold you over a bit until we can get some supper."
"Supper?" Michael asked. "What time is it?"
Callie pulled her phone out of her purse and checked. "It's a little after five."
"Huh," Michael said. "Didn't think we were out that long."
"Time flies when you're having fun!" Callie said. "Wanna take one more ride before we leave?"
"Sure," Michael replied. "I think that one over there had a short lineup." He pointed.
Callie followed where he was looking. "A carousel? Really?"
"What?" Michael asked, a little offended. "I happen to like carousels!"
"Not what I meant," Callie said. "I just didn't think you'd have the stomach for it."
"Rollercoasters are way worse. I can handle a carousel just fine, thank you very much."
"Well, if you say so."
{asterisks}
Michael had been right; not only was his stomach unaffected, the carousel felt like the perfect way to wind down. It didn't move nearly as fast as the rollercoasters, and the gentle spinning so high above the ground calmed him down quite a bit. He even had a good view of the city again, though not quite as good as the one from the drop zone.
When they returned to the ground, Callie smiled at him. "Wanna get something to eat now?"
"Sure, just a sec," Michael said. He took his phone out of his pocket and stepped away. Callie watched as he made a quick call and put it back in his pocket. She didn't hear a word he said.
He turned back to where she was standing. "I got supper all planned out," he said. "And it's a great place, too. You'll love it."
Callie grinned. "Lead the way, then!"
Michael took Callie back through town, past all the nice restaurants (and the not-so-nice ones) before he came down a residential road.
"So where are we going?" Callie finally asked.
Michael smiled and walked up to a doorway. "Home." He knocked on the door, and Randy opened it.
"Where've you been?" Randy asked with a grin.
Michael grinned back. "Just out and about. I got my plus-one."
Randy's grin grew wider as he noticed Callie. "If I knew we'd be having a celebrity, I woulda told Shelly to make something a bit more special."
"It's no problem!" Callie said. "I'll take whatever you've got cooked up."
"Then c'mon in!" Randy invited. Michael and Callie entered the house, and smelled the enticing aroma of bacon. "We got brunch on the menu. Or… brupper, I guess. Sound good?"
"You bet!" Michael said. Randy disappeared into the next room, and Michael and Callie were left alone again. He scratched the back of his head.
"Thanks for today, Callie," Michael said. "You really cheered me up."
Callie pulled him into a hug. "That's what friends are for, after all," she told him. When she released him, she smiled. "Let's eat."
[A/N] Eleven months. ELEVEN MONTHS. THAT'S HOW LONG IT'S TAKEN ME TO FINISH THIS.
Now that that's FINALLY done, I hope it was up to everyone's standards. Especially my dudes who requested it. I got something else on the way, so there's something else to look forward to! Hopefully, it won't take as long. I'll catch y'all on the flip side.