Pearl had just gotten home after a long day of recording at the studio. She was releasing an album of solo hits and she was working overtime to try and get it done. Marina was initially unsure how she felt about Pearl doing this on her own, but when she realized how much it meant to Pearl to be able to, she tossed aside any worries. She wanted to make sure her Pearlie was happy after all! But now Pearl was home, and she was exhausted. She hangs up her coat, along with her bag, and immediately walks into the living room. She quickly sits her butt on the couch so fast it makes a "pff" noise. She flips on the TV and lays her head back, not really paying attention to it, she just wanted some background noise.
Marina enters the room shortly after, having heard Pearl come in and knowing she'd have had a long day, given it's about ten o'clock at night and she left around seven in the morning. She simply sits next to Pearl and smiles. The short Inkling took notice of the taller Octoling's presence and quickly perked up a little, smiling wide and sitting up properly. Marina opens her arms to invite a hug which Pearl quickly accepts, smiling contently in her partner's arms.
"Seems like someone's had quite the day, did you get all the recording you needed to?" Marina asks Pearl softly while stroking the tentacles on her head, helping her relax after a long day, occasionally pressing a kiss to Pearl's forehead as well to ensure she feels loved as well. Pearl appreciates it a lot and purrs softly as she nuzzles her head into Marina's hand.
"Mmm, most of it. Producer thinks it's a great idea to do remixes in the same album, but with re-recorded vocals to make them more unique. He thinks it'll help sell more copies… all I know is, my vocal cords are sore and my body is tired." Pearl sighs softly, massaging her neck a little from the aforementioned soreness of her vocal cords, followed by a gentle yawn. She'd been so focused on getting her recording done that she hadn't stopped to rest her voice.
"That sounds like a lot of work, but I'm so proud of you for getting it done Pearlie! You're gonna rock the socks off of everyone!" Marina smiles and continues gently stroking Pearl's tentacles. She knows it helps calm the small Inkling, so she makes sure to do it whenever she seems stressed. Plus, she had to spend the entire day not seeing her, she's taking advantage of having her home and showering her with affection now.
"I'm just glad to be home 'Rina, I feel like I could sleep for the rest of the month!" Pearl dramatically throws her hands into the air to emphasise her point, drawing a giggle from Marina, and eventually resulting in the both of them laughing lightly. Their giggles fill the room with the sounds of joy and it helps Pearl relax properly and finally enjoy actually being home with her partner.
"Well I'm glad to have you home!" Marina smiles, giving Pearl a proper hug now, which Pearl graciously returns with a big dumb grin on her face. They hold the hug for a few minutes, not wanting it to end. Sadly though, all things must come to an end, and they pull back out of the hug. Marina strokes Pearl's face softly, then gets an idea. "Well, now that you're home, why don't I make us some food! I've found a new recipe I've been wanting to try out and now seems like the perfect time. It's a shrimp stir-fry!"
"Oh! That sounds really good actually! I'd love that 'Rina!" Pearl's stomach growls almost on cue as she's reminded that food exists and she would very much like to consume some. She'd been so consumed with her work that she hadn't even had lunch, and now it was evening and her body was demanding sustenance. The fact that it was nearly midnight also didn't help, she'd not eaten for nearly the entire day, she was borderline famished!
"Alright! I'll go get it started then." Marina gives Pearl a quick kiss on the lips before standing and heading to the kitchen, ready to cook up some delicious consumables. She starts by getting veggies out of the fridge, and then getting some shrimp out of the freezer, trying to remember which spices she needs as well as she gets everything set up.
Pearl turns the volume of the TV down so she can listen to Marina cook, enjoying the sizzling sounds the food makes as it's cooked, and the smells that waft through the air making her mouth water with anticipation. She knows it's gonna be a damn good meal. Marina starts humming a tune, the tune to Ebb and Flow, which Pearl finds herself also humming along to. This was one of the first songs they had worked on together so of course they would remember it fondly.
Marina dances idly as she cooks the food and hums the tune, adding in the ingredients while occasionally referencing her phone where she'd saved the recipe. She adds some spices and some teriyaki sauce to the mix to add to the flavor, making sure to cook the vegetables and the shrimp evenly so it all comes out perfect. She can hear Pearl humming along and she smiles, happy to know Pearl is listening to her work on dinner.
After roughly half an hour, Marina is finally done cooking the stir fry, and has set to work getting it plated, putting whatever doesn't fit on the plates into a container for later consumption. She then sets the dishes out on the table, complete with utensils, and finally she calls out to Pearl to let her know it's food time.
"Pearlie! Dinner's ready!" Marina's voice rings cheerfully as she puts away the spices and sauce, leaving only the dishes she'd used to cook the meal with out, as they need to be cleaned before they can be put away, and that can be taken care of after dinner.
Pearl basically teleports into the room, her hunger making her yearn for the delicious flavor of food on her tongue. She smiles up at Marina and notices the table is set already and she goes and sits in her usual spot, being joined shortly after by Marina. They don't share any more words for the moment, just giving each other one more quick kiss before quickly starting to dig in to the meal.
"Mmm, this is so good 'Rina! You've outdone yourself!" Pearl compliments Marina on her cooking, smiling and very much enjoying the flavour, it's got the perfect mix of shrimp, vegies, spices, and sauce. She's making sure to eat slowly enough to savour all of the flavors, while also doing it quick enough to satisfy her hunger. Her fork stabs into another helping of shrimp and veggies and she brings it to her mouth, making her moan lightly from the delicious flavour.
"I'm glad you like it Pearlie!" Marina smiles and blushes a little from the praise of her Inkling partner. She's very happy the meal turned out so well, especially since she'd never made it before! If she was to make it again, she would probably add a little more sauce, hers is just a little dry, but only slightly.
They continue eating in relative silence, not wanting to let the food get cold as they munch down their meals. Unsurprisingly however, Pearl is the first one done, as she was the hungrier of the pair, but Marina isn't far behind her. They both wipe their mouths clean and smile at each other.
"Mmm thank you for the delicious meal 'Rina, you spoil me sometimes!" Pearl giggles and blushes softly, feeling very grateful for her Octoling partner and all that she does for her. She wouldn't be nearly the shining star she is today if it wasn't for Marina, Off the Hook is how both of them made it big. Pearl doesn't feel like she owes Marina some great big repayment for it, but she does feel a deep personal connection to her, a deep personal connection she'd felt since they started getting to know each other.
"You're welcome Pearlie! And of course I spoil you, you're my special squid after all!" Marina blushes and giggles as well, pulling Pearl into another hug, which Pearl is of course very quick to return. The pair of Cephalopods simply relax and enjoy each other's embrace for a moment as they let their stomachs settle after having eaten such a full and delicious meal.
"Alright, since you made dinner, it's only fair I clean up." Pearl smiles as she stands, quickly pecking Marina on the lips before turning and heading into the kitchen to clean up the mess, expecting a pile of pots but being surprised that there's only one primary pot used, and a handful of dishes that were used to mix things together. She isn't going to complain though, and she gets to work washing them. Sure they have a dishwasher, but sometimes she likes to do it by hand, helps her relax and take her mind off the stress of the day and focus on something more domestic.
"Alright, I'm gonna go get ready for bed then, see you there when you're done!" Marina smiles and hugs Pearl from behind as she does the dishes, then she heads upstairs towards the master bedroom. Pearl smiles to herself and gets back to work quickly. She may want to join Marina in bed soon, but that doesn't mean she's going to half ass the dishes. She's gonna make sure they're fucking spotless. She scrubs and scrubs and makes sure that she uses enough dish soap. Then it eventually comes time to rinse and dry them, she makes sure to get every spot of soap off the dishes, and making sure they get dried efficiently. Once she's done with that, she drains the sink and puts the dishes away in their appropriate spots.
"Ah, that's done, good!" Pearl smiles and wipes her brow, then she heads up the stairs to the bedroom. When she enters it she finds Marina sitting on the bed with her reading glasses on, nose deep in a book about Inkling history. Pearl, of course, giggles at Marina's obsession with the history of Inklings. She would never judge her for it, Marina came from a place where Inkling history was probably not a common thing to learn, she just found it funny since the book she was reading was one often used in Junior High level classes about world history, and the thought of Marina as a Junior High student made her giggle.
"Oh hey Pearlie! I take it you're done with the dishes now?" Marina smiles and marks her place in the book, folding it closed and setting it on her nightstand. Pearl nods in response and goes to get changed for bed. She slips out of her day clothes and into a fresh set of silk pyjamas, making sure they sit properly on her body, and then she walks back to the bed and joins Marina in it.
"Today was a good day 'Rina, and I can't think of a better way to cap it off than spending the night with the girl I adore." Pearl smiles and kisses Marina softly, Marina of course kissing back tenderly while stroking Pearl's tentacles again.
"Well, I can think of something that might be better." Marina smirks lightly, her hand trailing down Pearl's body and making the Inkling blush. Her hand lands on Pearl's hip as she takes off her glasses and pulls Pearl in for a passionate kiss with a bit more than just lips. Pearl eagerly kisses back with just as much passion, feeling Marina's other hand find its way to the top button of her pyjama top.
"Oh… y-yeah you're right… that is way better…"
