*jumps out of closet* SURPRISE! *clears throat* Yeah, hi again, everyone. So, I know this is a bit weird, given that I finished this story... over two years ago (holy shit), and have also instead been working on its sequel for quite a while now, but still. While not even I really planned to be doing this, even if just for this, I'm glad to be back for one last little side adventure. So, couple things to say before we start.

To avoid any confusion, no, this is not meant to be a full revival of this story, nor is it meant to signify a full revival at any point in the foreseeable future. This is just a standalone Christmas special that I worked on for fun. That said, this is somewhat a tie-in with my newer story, and mostly takes place shortly after the prologue (first three chapters) of New Squidbeak Splatoon: Ascension. Again to avoid confusion, no, these are not essential reading to each other, but I do think that reading them both will enhance the experience. Well, either way, you can grab some hot chocolate or whatever other Christmas treat if you want, and enjoy.

Of course, spoilers for the first three chapters of NSS:A will follow.

An Unusual Splatoon Squidmas

Back in the Day

Falling snow barreled against the partially-iced window, as light streamed in through the curtains into the contrasting warmth of Agent 8's bedroom. The sleeping Octoling's eyes were opening with multiple blinks as she snuggled up further in the comfort of her own bed, rubbing her face against her pillow. The morning brought about nothing but peace, and a warm feeling that came over her.

She was so peaceful, she barely even felt bothered as she felt a brash banging on her door. "Eiiiight!" The voice outside screeched.

Eight smacked her lips together as she sat up and looked over, with heavy eyes. A wonderful smell filled her nostrils… but what smell was it? She had never smelled anything like it before.

More banging. "Eight! It's here! Squidmas morning is here! You seriously gonna sleep through YOUR FIRST SQUIDMAS!?"

"Pearlie!" Another voice returned, cutting in for her. "Morning, Eight. Whenever you wanna come out, we've got cinnamon rolls, eggnog, and presents out here for you. We'll be waiting."

"C'mon!" Pearl struck the door one last time.

Eight just sat there in a pause, somewhat confused. Cinnamon rolls? Eggnog? Presents? What the hell was this about? Now considerably more awake, she got up for a change of clothes, unlocked her door, and headed down the hall of Marina's house. "Marina?" She asked around.

It wasn't until she came into the living room that her eyes widened, as the full spectacle of what Marina was talking about hit her. The living room was completely decorated with unusual holiday-themed items, like red stockings, ribbons, some fancy rugs, multi-colored lights that were hung on the walls, and most importantly, the big, colorful Squidmas tree that was stationed in the corner of the room, with several wrapped presents underneath. She nearly choked in surprise as she saw it all, feeling a strange mixture of confusion and excitement.

Marina and Pearl came in behind her, smiling. "Morning, Eight." Marina told her.

"Merrrry Squidmas!" Pearl suddenly held up and blew into her party horn.

Eight turned toward her, smiling somewhat. "What… what is all this?"

Marina chuckled and held her arms out. "This is Squidmas. One of the Inkling's most beautiful traditions."

"You had to have heard about it at least, right?" Pearl continued.

"I…" Eight gave another look around, feeling more and more euphoric by the second. "I heard about it… but I-I didn't know… it was…" Entranced by the beauty, she suddenly smiled widely and laughed, putting her hands on her head.

Marina stepped over toward her. "Well, we wanted to surprise you. We know this is your first year, and we… wanted to make it special. As special as we could."

Pearl jumped toward her. "Ya like it?"

Eight nodded. "I-I love it…"

"Yessss." She pumped her fist then high-fived Marina. "Alright! Now that we're past introductions, let's get our Squidmas on! Treats or presents first? Actually, scratch that, I call dibs on the-"

"Pearlie!" Marina interjected yet again. "We'll let Eight decide. Eight?"

Eight looked between them, then back at the decorations. "I… wouldn't know where to begin."

She patted her shoulder. "Maybe presents first, then?"

"P-Presents?"

"Mhmm. C'mon!" She led her over toward the tree, and the three of them got seated on the floor. She pulled out a present and handed it to the young Octoling. "First one's first." She smiled.

Eight just held it, confused. "…Do I-?"

"C'mon, tear it open!" Pearl pressured. "Rip that wrapping into pieces!"

She looked back at Marina for confirmation, who replied with a nod, then nodded a bit herself, smirking. "Ok." One after the other, she tore each of the presents open. Among them were new clothes, a new bracelet, a new cell phone, new headphones just for her, and even a new flat-screen television for her own room. Almost feeling overwhelmed, she looked at Marina for confirmation one last time. "Are these really-?"

"Yes, Eight. They're yours now. All yours." Marina smiled brightly at her. "You get to do with them as you please."

At this point, she was almost brought to tears by the sheer unexpected kindness, and upon setting her things aside, she moved in to give Marina a tight hug. "Thank you." She whispered into her ear.

"You're welcome, Eight." Marina hugged her back, squeezing her.

"Aw, yeah, bring it in." Pearl moved over to hug both of them, and they held that hug for a few moments.

Even after they had broken off, the fun had yet to stop, as Eight got to sit back and watch with a smile as Pearl and Marina then opened the presents they had gotten for each other. After that, Marina stood up with a clap. "Time for treats!"

Eight stood up curiously as she was led to the kitchen next, where a pan covered with cinnamon rolls and a large glass of eggnog awaited them. She was given a roll on a plate, and some of the beverage in a smaller glass. They tasted so sweet, her eyes nearly rolled back into her head as she sighed happily. Marina giggled as she watched Eight quickly finish her first servings.

"Want more?" Marina offered her seconds.

"Y-Yes, please." Licking her lips, she took them and sat down at the table, feasting on them.

As the trio sat around and enjoyed their special breakfast, exchanging some banter with each other about their presents they had each received, the warm feeling that had fallen over Eight remained stronger than ever as she smiled at the two popstars. This was easily the best morning she could remember… ever, and the day as a whole was going to be permanently etched into her memories with only the happiest of them. She just knew it.

But if Squidmas was indeed an Inkling tradition… was every Squidmas in every year going to be this pleasant and memorable for her? Was this truly the extent of the wonders that waited for her in this mysterious Inkling society?

She dearly hoped so… and with that thought, she looked back at the living room decorations with pure excitement.

Years Later

December 23rd

Arowana Mall

Light snow drizzled from the dark sky over the brightened mall, which itself was already decorated with plenty of fake snow, as well as a high amount of Squidmas lights and other decorations. Good moods and vibes were running high as they did every year during these times, as remaining customers, including highly excited cephalopod children, completed their typical Squidmas shopping. Several of these said children were running around, enjoying themselves some Squidmas cheer, as their parents did the actual shopping.

This year, however, things were slightly interrupted as, among the customers, a different type of Octoling man, in rugged clothes that were missing a shoe, was rushing down the indoor sections of the mall in a hurry, looking around frantically for signs of trouble and for an exit.

"Dale, what the hell's going on!?" A man on the other end of his radio shouted.

Without stopping, he grabbed the radio and held it to his mouth. "She's here! She's fucking here! She took down the others!"

"What!? Who!?"

"That crazy Agent 8 bitch, she's-" He was interrupted as he tripped over a random kid's set of toys that had been laid out over the ground, face-planting with an "-oof!"

"Dale? Dale?" The radio continued as it slid from his hand.

As he scrambled to his feet to re-collect what he dropped, he turned as he heard Agent 8's angry voice yell after him.

"Dude!" Bridgett called out as she landed on the balcony above him from a super-jump, just a small distance way. She was in her typical Deepsea Metro outfit despite the cold and was equipped with her Octo Shot gear as she prepared to jump the railing. "Would you just please make this easy for me for once!?"

He screamed strangely like a girl as he pulled out his own gun. "Don't come any closer!"

As the crowd around them screamed and ran off, Bridgett jumped to dodge his shots as she regardlessly closed in on him, and they both continued on their desperate run. Although she was carefully weaving around the mall's chaos, and had successfully dodged the same toys Dale had tripped over, she was instead caught off guard as she slipped on a puddle of spilled milk. "Woah-!" She shouted mid-fall as she crashed into an army of large nutcracker statues, which collapsed onto her.

Running out of her view, Dale super-jumped up a set of escalators and continued to run his way through several stores, dodging his way through Squidmas decorations, toys, and even LEGOs. "Ow, ow-!" He briefly stopped and held his foot as he stepped into some.

"Jingle bells, Batsquid smells, Robin laid an egg-" A group of kids were singing in another store as Dale suddenly ran past them, knocking their toys down. They jumped and briefly dispersed.

"Ummm…" Shrugging that off, they got back together and tried putting the toys back the way they were. "Maybe we just-"

A mere moment later, Bridgett came crashing through as well, knocking them down in the same exact fashion. "Sorry!" She called out to them without stopping, and promptly disappeared as soon as she had appeared.

Realizing at this point that his toy in particular was just broken from being trampled on twice, one of the kids started bawling.

As Dale finally exited that line of stores into a different part of the mall, he this time ran into a couple of mall security guards.

"We've got him!" They pulled out their guns and fired at him.

He fired back and dodged their gunfire, dodging behind multiple pillars and trampling through multiple groups of people. "Move, move, people! Octoling being in trouble here!"

"Ho, ho, ho!" An unassuming Mall Santa was walking down the halls and ringing his bell around when he too was trampled. Falling onto his back, he dropped his bell and groaned in pain, unable to get back up. Some surrounding confused people came over to help him.

A moment later, as Bridgett came down this same path, she briefly stopped when she noticed what had happened. She gritted her beak in pure anger. "Not the Mall Santa, you son of a bitch." She continued onward.

Now that Bridgett was more angry than ever, the chase would only last a few more moments as, nearing his escape of the mall, Dale was cut off as Bridgett's Octo-form barreled into him from another super jump. They both fell down as surrounding customers screamed in response.

Quickly getting back to his feet, Dale whipped his gun and aimed at her before she swiftly disarmed him, punching him multiple times. As she unleashed her anger on him, she tackled him into a pile of large, fake Squidmas presents, where Bridgett continued to pummel him for another moment. He was rendered unconscious a few hits before Bridgett finally let up, groaning in pain. She took a moment to pant and wheeze, catching her breath. She briefly looked around, seeing that everyone who had seen their fight had already fled, leaving them alone.

Slowed down considerably, she finally reached to pull down Dale's sleeve and look at his wrist, and… yep. He wasn't even a part of the group she was currently looking for. Go figure.

"Uuugh…" She raised her head, then took a breath. This… may have not been what she had hoped, but, at least it wasn't a complete waste of time. She had taken out another team of criminals, after all. Finally climbing off of him, she lazily began to walk away.

She didn't make it far before a team of police and mall security closed in on them. The one up front held his hand up. "Stop right there!"

"Yeah, no, I already got him." Bridgett lazily motioned back at Dale, who was still lying limply in the pile. "Completely out, go nuts. Merry Squidmas."

"You're not hearing me, get your god damn hands up!" He pulled his own gun out.

Taken aback, she paused and held her hands up somewhat in surrender. "Really? On Squidmas?"

"You're the one who ruined Squidmas by starting this god damn rampage through the mall two nights before. What is wrong with you?" He continued as two other officers prepared to arrest her.

"Wha- He started the rampage, not me!" She pointed at Dale, almost whining. "I took down their entire group for you, guys, can't we just call this a holiday greeting and walk away-?"

"We've had it about up to here with you secret agent types always running around and causing these types of damage. We've had it, I've had it. People like Lieutenant Johnson keep letting you off scot-free, but we're not gonna keep letting you run around-"

Bridgett mumbled something under her breath before she turned to her Octo-form, dodged their gunfire, and then super-jumped away, finally exiting the building and escaping into the night air.

The team of officers all ran up, watching as they all unanimously decided… it was almost Squidmas, they just wanted to wrap this up and go home. They sighed and dispersed somewhat as they went to take care of the crime scene.

"God damn Splatoon punks." He holstered his gun.

"Let's just get these others guys rolled out." Another one replied, patting his shoulder as they walked away.

The festive mood could be felt nearly all throughout Inkopolis, which felt even more bubbly, inviting, and warmer than usual despite the cold weather, with an abundant amount of red and green lights to decorate the scenery. All around, people were still getting ready for the holidays, buying presents, setting up decorations, partying, and just enjoying their time spent with loved ones.

Fairly loud Squidmas music was playing in the background for Cap'n Cuttlefish when his phone went off, and he answered swiftly upon seeing it was Bridgett. He shakily held his cane as he turned to talk a bit more privately. "Young lady! How did the mission go?"

"Hey." Bridgett's voice spoke to him. "I, uh… took down the gang. Wasn't who we were looking for after all. Which means it was another dead end investigation, but at least I got another gang off the streets, I guess. If you wanna look at the bright side."

"Hm… well, I will take that as good news, then. We'll get these guys eventually, Agent 8. Don't you worry too much about that. I really appreciate all the hard work you've been putting into this investigation either way." He looked as someone carrying a tray of drinks came his way, and he took one. "Thank you."

Hearing the Squidmas music, Bridgett took a pause. "Are you… partying?"

"Oh yes." He chuckled. "I got invited to a Squidmas party. Could you believe it?"

"Oh…" She replied, a bit jealous.

"Yeah, I'll tell you, I haven't been to a party this off-the-walls in a very long time. It absolutely has my hearts racing." He chuckled again. "But, uh, listen to me, young lady. Squidmas is in merely a day. Practically the whole city is on vacation. I know we've had a lot on our plates, but I want you to try to use these festivities to unwind. It'll do wonders for your mental health. Trust me."

She sighed. "And that helps you? Despite everything that's been going on?"

"Young lady, I will admit, this is an unusual Squidmas. My granddaughters aren't even present like they have been for the last 20-something years of my life, and it may feel a bit empty this time around… but we still have each other. We can still enjoy this. Don't forget that."

Another pause. "…Alright…"

"Alright. Take care, young lady. Merry Squidmas."

"Merry Squidmas…" She hung up.

As Cuttlefish hung up and sipped his drink, he sighed happily and turned back to the party, which was in fact a rather slow-going grouping of a bunch of elderly Great Turf War veterans, with classical Squidmas music that was being played on an old phonograph. "Man, I tell you… is this party just lively or what?"

Another Inkling that was even older than he was slightly turned his head toward him. "Eh?"

"I said is this party just lively, or what?"

He shook his head, trying his darndest to hear him. "…Eh?"

Cuttlefish just sighed and sipped his drink as the party continued.

Upon returning home to Jessica's apartment, Bridgett groaned in pain as she slipped in through the window, and she then went through the process of changing into regular clothes, treating her bruises, and grabbing herself something to eat.

As she did this, her mind couldn't help but run back through what Cuttlefish had just told her, as she carefully considered what he was saying. Sure, they had an active mission going on, but… she could definitely try to unwind, couldn't she? This was Squidmas. She was supposed to have fun. After she ate her dinner, thinking this over all the while, she went back into her room to retrieve her CQ-80.

She quickly turned it on and started a new recording. "Dear diary." She plopped herself down in Jessica's swivel chair and spun around. "It's about to be Squidmas in just over a day now. And I know that, at least compared to previous years, this one has felt pretty different, and I haven't really been feeling it quite as much, but… I just had a quick word with Cap'n Cuttlefish, and he told me something. This… really is an unusual Squidmas, even for the rest of the team. A lot has happened lately that has thrown things off. Marina, Pearl, Callie, and Marie are out on an important mission… My boyfriend Dylan got injured in an explosion and he's been bed-ridden, and… it's just that because there's so many people that aren't around right now, this Squidmas feels a little empty, is all, I think. I mean… do I miss Marina, Pearl, and Dylan a lot right now? Yeah. Of course I do. But… I think I just realized something. It doesn't… necessarily need to be about them, does it? Squidmas can be so much, it can be… lights, decorations, treats, presents, and… so much more. There's so much stuff related to this… super weird holiday that I can use to cheer myself up. I just need to keep my head high, with a smile on my face, and remember previous Squidma-"

At that moment, she turned in her chair to look at the Squidmas tree Jessica had set up in their apartment, pausing. It was really a… pathetic, cheap, little fake tree, with no lights on it, few branches, and strange, ugly decorations. Plain and simply, it was just ugly to look at. As she looked around the apartment, she was reminded… it was the only decoration they had here. With their financial situation, they were doomed to spend Squidmas in this… dull, dull apartment, with not even a fraction of the joyous Squidmas presentations that Pearl and Marina had previously given her. A deep sadness washed over her as she realized… just how important their presence really was. What was she even talking about before?

"...Nevermind. Nevermind." She stopped the recording, deleted it, and set the CQ on the counter, sighing in disappointment as she stared blankly at the tree. She sank back in her seat, which creaked under her weight.

She had been staring at it for a few minutes when Jessica herself returned home through the front door. Jessica briefly looked around before she looked at her, immediately wondering if something was wrong. "Hey. How'd the mission go?"

"It went…" She barely even looked at her. "It was a dead end."

With her keys dangling in her hand, she stared at her before she moved over to the couch. "Are you hurt?"

"Just a little bruised."

She nodded slightly before she sat down and took her boots off.

"...Jessica?" She turned to her.

"What?"

"We… totally have something cool planned for Squidmas this year… right?"

"Not at all." She said bluntly.

"Oh…" She frowned. "Um… Have you considered, at least, maybe… sprucing this place up a bunch? Making it more… Squidmas-y?"

"Do you have money for that?"

"I, uh… no."

She sighed. "Well, if I save money for next year, I might be able to do something more then. But, just… don't expect too much, alright?"

Bridgett sighed as the sad feeling within her grew. Jessica didn't even give a shit about Squidmas… she never had, in the entire time she had known her. Though, this is what she got for deciding to room with her, she supposed… Without another word, she got up and moved back to the bedroom, taking her CQ with her.

Jessica watched her, with her concern only growing as well. She looked down, already able to tell she had disappointed her… and with everything that had been going on, she had a feeling she knew why.

Squidmas Eve

A blanket of clouds hovered over the city as the air only grew more festive in preparation for Squidmas itself. Things were fairly relaxed today as people spent time with their families, continued to set up the last decorations, and engaged in activities together, even if it involved carefully shoveling snow and whatnot.

Bridgett remained quiet, hands stuffed in her coat pockets, as she walked down the sidewalks alongside Jessica. As they passed a wall of TVs that were displayed behind a window in a building, she looked them over to notice that today's Solar Flair Inkopolis News broadcast was already on. As a matter of fact, Dawn and Sunny were both talking over footage of herself in Arowana Mall the previous night.

"And in this footage, you can clearly see just another example of the absolute rampage that these New Squidbeak Splatoon vigilantes wreak on Inkopolis' iconic locations." Dawn continued. "During Squidmas season, no less!"

"I get that people tend to have some pep in their step during this time of year, but this isn't quite the pep we had in mind." Sunny joked. "Seriously, destruction of public property kinda just isn't cool. Or very festive."

"Well, until the authorities get some pep in their own step and decide to take action against these Splatoon freaks… we'll have to continue to watch from the sidelines… and hope they don't come after you next. In the meantime, bundle up, lock your doors, and enjoy some hot cocoa on the couch with the family. Of course, with a Squidmas movie on if you like, that always makes for a magical evening."

"Do you have your own Solar Flair brand Squidmas mugs for the holidays yet? If not, they're on a cool discount! Just check our website and…"

As they continued in the background, Bridgett sighed and just kept walking with Jessica, clenching her fists somewhat as they came up to their destination. Jessica was right behind her as Bridgett opened the door to IJUMP, holding it open for her.

Samantha was already at one of the tables inside, bobbing her head to the Squidmas music that was playing over the speaker. She was wearing a pretty ridiculous Santa Claus sweater, with jingle bells attached to her arms that made noise every time she moved, along with the cute reindeer antlers in her hair. She immediately turned to notice her approaching friends as they came up and sat across from her. "Hey, you made it!"

"Hey, Sam." Bridgett replied as they sat.

"How are you? I heard the news about the, you know, mall and all that."

"That, uh… yeah, that's a thing that happened."

"Yeah." She nodded, staring at Bridgett's bruised knuckles. "I wish I could see the other guy, you know, after you got your hands on him."

Bridgett just sighed and moved her hands out of view.

"Surprised this place is open on Squidmas Eve." Jessica commented.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Samantha replied. "Haven't you heard that IJUMP has the most overworked staff on Earth?"

As she said that, the waitress who looked absolutely miserable and like she had been crying a lot came up to them. "What can I get for you girls?" Even her voice sounded raspy.

"Uhhh… three eggnogs." She awkwardly smiled. "And, like, three small stacks of pancakes. Chocolate chip for me. Please and thank you!"

She just nodded and walked away, immediately starting to tear up again on the way. Bridgett squinted a bit as she watched, worried.

Samantha just awkwardly turned back to them. "Makes me feel a bit bad, actually…"

Jessica, who had somewhat tuned out the conversation, suddenly rose her head, trying to call out to the waitress in vain. "Wait a minute, I hate eggno- god, fucking…" She lowered her head again.

Bridgett cleared her throat. "So, uh, how's Dylan?"

"Wishes he could be here." Samantha put on a somewhat more sad smile. "Being bed-ridden hasn't been fun for him. And trust me, taking care of a sad, crippled, older brother, hasn't been… fun, either… but hey, he's making progress! I think. We're just taking it one day at a time, you know how it goes."

"T-That's good. Good. Um…" She pulled out a small, wrapped box from her pocket. "Well, I got him his present if you just wanna pass it along."

"Great! Thank you." She took it as well. "He couldn't get you anything, obviously, but I got something for you two to make up for that."

"Really?"

"Mhmm." She pulled out her own wrapped box and slid it over on the table. "Merry Squidmas! I won't spoil what it is, but, it's a video game." She smiled.

"Oh."

Jessica awkwardly opened her mouth and raised her finger as if to comment.

"What?" Samantha asked.

"We… don't have a video game console. Or anything like one. Nor can we afford one."

"Oh. Um…" After a moment of consideration, she silently took the present back and slipped it back into her bag. "Well… finders keepers, I guess?"

Bridgett just sighed as, a moment later, their eggnog and pancakes arrived. Jessica just slid her eggnog to the side as they all dug in.

"So, how are you two planning on spending the holidays otherwise?" Samantha asked them before taking a big bite.

"I, uh…" Bridgett started, but as she ate, and further thought about her answer, she was coming up particularly blank. "I… really don't know, honestly. This is just… such an weird time, with everything that's been going on, and… yeah, I just… really don't know."

"Really? I mean… Yeah, some pretty downer stuff has happened this year, but, I try not to let that ruin my holidays. I mean, just-" She leaned back and spread her sweatshirt out. "Look at me!"

"I have been looking at you, and you look ridiculous." Jessica replied.

"Whaaat?" She straightened herself. "Jeez, someone's hearts are two sizes too small this year."

Jessica just sighed and kept eating.

"Are you telling me that neither of you are feeling Squidmas this year?"

"Is that your business?"

"Well, I mean, no, but, it totally can b-"

"Well, stay out of it. Not everyone celebrates Squidmas the same."

As Bridgett listened to their conversation, her chewing slowed as the depressing feeling washed over her once again. Even here, among friends, this just… wasn't feeling very festive. The magic just wasn't there, at all, especially if Jessica herself wasn't exactly emanating Squidmas cheer. As she realized this, she went into complete silence mode as she slowly ate with the others.

She even felt a bit too sick to her stomach to finish, so after a bit, she simply slid the plate aside, set some money aside, and got up.

Jessica noticed. "Bridge?"

"I'll just… see you later." She got her coat and walked back out.

She watched until she was out of sight, before she leaned forward in disappointment.

Samantha, who had also watched, turned to her. "…Oh, yeah, the Squidmas cheer here is everywhere."

"Will you shut it?"

"Well, what was that, though? I thought Bridge was excited for Squidmas. That's what she told me over the phone when we agreed to meet."

At this point, she slid her food to the side as well, no longer hungry. "Well, like you said, there's been a lot going on."

Samantha leaned forward as well. "But this is like, depressing. Neither of you look happy at all."

"C-Can you please not say it like that?"

"What's going on? Is there some secret dire Splatoon stuff going on behind the scenes that you can't tell me about?" She leaned forward further. "Is everyone gonna die and only you two know about it?"

"What? No. Well, I mean, yeah to the first thing, but no one's dying."

"Oh." She backed up somewhat. "So… is it something good or bad?"

"It's the day in the life of a Splatoon agent." She looked out the window. "Look. I've just never done well with Squidmas, alright? It and the whole family thing it's tied to is not something I match well with."

"Well… why not?"

She sighed and looked down. "How do I explain this… Look… Sometimes, people will have rough childhoods, and they will be left with… no family… and… from that point on, Squidmases can turn into… something different. Something less pleasant than what it is intended to be. It works for other people, fine, but after what happened to me, and ever since I had my first Squidmas in that orphanage, I just realized early on, that… it wasn't going to be the same anymore. And it hasn't been. Alright? These days, during this time of year, I just try to keep my focus on other things, and that has worked for me."

Samantha remained silent as she listened intently to all of her words, looking down. "Well… what about Bridgett?"

"What about her?"

"She's still new to the city, isn't she? And she clearly loves Squidmas…"

Jessica sighed and leaned back. "Well… I'm just not the right person to give her a good Squidmas, now am I?"

"Bullshit." She suddenly leaned forward more. "Agent 3, you are a hero."

"What… does that have to do with any-"

"And you know what heroes do? They save Squidmas."

"I'm… really not sure that's-"

"And on top of that, you're also her roommate. You're literally the one who is closest to her right now. If anyone is going to save her Squidmas, it's going to be you."

Jessica sighed and closed her eyes, hesitating. Thinking about it, she… did want to see if she could cheer Bridgett up, somehow. She deserved to be happy. The only problem was: "I… don't know how." She admitted.

"Well… what does she want for Squidmas? Does she want anything?"

"I, uh… she wants more decorations. I know she mentioned that."

"Ok. That's one thing. Now what about presents? What could you get her that would really make her Squidmas?"

Jessica didn't respond, thinking. After a moment, however, she pulled out her phone. "I may have one idea."

Arowana Mall

Soon enough, Jessica and Samantha found themselves heading right back to where Bridgett had caused a ruckus just the previous night at the mall, as they headed toward one of the weapon stores that happened to be open right now: Ballista. The bell above the door rang as they headed in, looking around.

This place wasn't decorated for Squidmas, but its pink walls were regardlessly lined with the normal assortment of weapons for them to choose from.

"Woah, Sheldon works here?" Samantha asked.

"His girlfriend does. This is where he told us to meet." Jessica replied.

They walked up to the counter, which had nobody behind it.

"I guess they're on break?" Samantha shrugged.

Jessica, picking up on some sounds in the back, sighed as she decided she had no patience for this, as she suddenly shoved her way behind the counter.

"Woah, woah, Jessica-" Samantha hesitated before she awkwardly followed.

It sounded strangely like there was a couple of chipmunks squealing in the backroom as they came up and Jessica shoved the door open.

The two Horseshoe Crabs, Sheldon and Shella, broke off from their make-out session on the floor, panting as they faced her.

"…Jessica Murdock." Sheldon abruptly stood up and brushed himself off. "You're early!"

"Barely." She rolled her eyes.

"We could've been copulating in here!"

"Surprised you weren't. Can we have that talk, already?"

Shella stood up off the ground, dusting herself off as well. "I'm on break right now, you'll have to come back in…" She checked her watch. "30 seconds, shit. Um-" She abruptly ran past her as she exited the backroom.

Jessica sighed, following her with Samantha and Sheldon in tow.

Shella leapt up onto the counter. "Welcome to Ballista, my name is Shella Freshwahter, how we may I serve you today?"

As Jessica got in front of the counter properly, she looked around. "I was just hoping that Sheldon would help me out with getting a new weapon. You know… as a Squidmas present?"

"Squidmas?" Sheldon leapt up onto the counter as well. "Is that what this is about?"

"Have you checked the date? What did you think this was?"

Shella chuckled. "Horseshoe Crabs don't celebrate Squidmas, silly."

"Really?" Samantha asked. "What do you celebrate?"

"Shellmas, duh." Sheldon replied.

"...And the difference is?" Jessica asked.

"Well, for one, Shellmas is in July where it belongs. I mean, seriously. Who was the genius to put a holiday at the dead end of the year, when everything is unbearably cold? Couldn't be our holiday."

Shella giggled. "Yeah, seriously. Squidmas is pretty dumb."

Jessica sighed. "Honestly… kind of agree."

"Wow." Samantha looked between them. "You are all a bunch of Grinches, aren't you?"

"Oh, but anyway." Shella hand-waved that off. "If you need a weapon, I'll still happily serve whatever you need. You can freely browse our many selections at your leisure, and don't worry, I won't go on a big explanation like this doofus tends to do." She nudged her boyfriend.

"Hey." Sheldon replied with a sour expression.

Jessica sighed again. "My own shell-head co-worker over here isn't going to get me one for free?"

He scoffed. "As if. You seriously think I'm gonna be running a favor for you?"

"This isn't for me, this is for Bridgett."

"Hmmm…" He tapped his chin, thinking. "That's still gonna be a no-go, she already has plenty of gear that is updated regularly. I should know. No reason to jump at that."

"But I don't know what else to get her."

"Well, then, you certainly suck at this whole Squidmas thing, don't you?"

Jessica side-eyed Shella as she heard her giggling softly at Sheldon's remark, but she immediately put on a straight face upon seeing Jessica's terrifying glare that typically indicated seconds left to live.

Shella cleared her throat. "Well, what else do you think she might like?"

"I don't know." Jessica suddenly barked. "She's a fairly simple person, I'm just trying to figure something out. Pearl and Marina are usually the ones who handle this, but they're not here, and the only other thing she mentioned is wanting better decorations."

"Well, what kind of decorations did you already put up?"

"Just this, little tree, hold on-" She stepped back, pulled out her phone, and pulled up the picture she had taken of her Squidmas tree. She showed the three of them. "This."

In an instant, the three of them immediately started yelling in surprise.

"Oh, that thing is hideous!" Shella backed up.

"Holy god, what are you showing us!?" Sheldon looked away. "Come on!"

"Is that your whole tree?" Samantha asked.

"Why is it gray!?" Shella continued.

"What were you decorating it with?"

"Is that Inkling poop!?"

Not expecting such a response at all, Jessica immediately put her phone away again. "Of course it's not fucking poop, I-I was just trying to-"

"Where'd you even get that from?" Sheldon asked. "Some drug addict by the dumpster?"

"Are the insults really necessary? It was just a normal fucking Squidmas tree that I bought online."

"For how much!?"

"Like 5 dollars, what does it matter?"

"Ohhh, no good…" Shella shook her head. "Agent 3, that is no good."

Jessica looked back at Samantha, the one optimist in the room who might understand, but even she seemed like she was pretty disappointed. She looked down and huffed, actually pretty embarrassed.

Shella and Sheldon both leapt from the counter, landing on the floor. "Ok, we'll worry about the presents later, right now, you need a new tree." Shella told her as she walked over to the front entrance and changed her Open sign to Closed.

Jessica watched her as she passed. "I thought you said you don't celebrate Squidmas."

"I didn't say a word about celebrating. That tree was just so disgusting that I need to get it out of my head, now. Shelley, do you wanna come with?"

"Whatever gets us to spend a day together, my lovebunny." Sheldon walked over toward her and kissed her cheek, and she responded by giving him multiple kisses, which made him giggle.

Samantha blushed as she stepped over as well. "Wait, are we really doing this?"

"Yeah, sure!" Shella grinned. "The four of us will go!"

"Yeah, I'll get the Splatoon's van ready." Sheldon added. "I know a great place where we can get a tree real quick. It'll just take some driving."

"Awesome!" Samantha pumped her fist. "This is gonna be fun!" She then suddenly ran out the door, shoving it open. "Last one to the van's a rotten egg!"

Jessica stalled as she watched them leave, exasperated. At least getting a new tree wouldn't take too long… right?

It hadn't been long since the four of them had gotten some things, grabbed the Splatoon's white van, buckled up, and slammed on the gas as they headed out on their journey.

Although Jessica was waiting patiently to see where this mysterious place Sheldon wanted to get a tree at was, thinking about how Sheldon or Shella may have had connections somewhere to get a good one, she grew rather puzzled as she stared out the window for the entire lengthy drive, noticing as they started to exit city limits. She blinked. "Where… are we going?"

"I thought I told you?" Sheldon replied. "We're getting you a tree."

She looked out multiple of the windows. "In the middle of fucking nowhere?"

"Where do you think all the trees are, dummy?" Shella giggled.

Jessica stared out the front window as, indeed, they were closing in on the woods outside of Inkopolis, where a particularly large amount of snow was gathering. So much snow… so much of that wet ice that was nothing but harmful to Inklings. "Hey, woah, no." She tried opening the locked door. "Are you crazy? When we were talking about trees, I thought we'd just buy one in a store!"

"Oh, but all those fake ones are so lame. We brought proper gear, so relax."

"Yeah, do you want a tree, or not?" Sheldon asked.

"I am not melting away in that death trap of snow!" Jessica pointed.

"Oh, you'll be fine." He rolled his eyes. "Again, we brought proper gear."

Jessica looked at Samantha, who just shrugged, still excited just to be here. She slowly face-palmed, wondering if this whole ordeal was worth it.

As Sheldon drove them deeper into the woods, they found a place to park, and got up to sort through the gear they had in the back, where Jessica and Samantha put on their coat-like snow-proof gear to protect them from getting splatted by the water.

Samantha stepped out and circled around to the back of the van as Sheldon and Shella opened up the back from the inside, sorting through even more of their gear.

"Oh, so you have something to chop down a tree with?" Samantha asked.

Sheldon responded by pulling out a large, double-edged battle-axe.

"Woah!" She backed up.

"Easy now-" Sheldon nearly lost his balance as he held it up, as it was a bit too heavy for him.

Jessica walked up as well. "Where the hell did you get that? Why do you have that?"

"What else do you wanna chop down a tree with?"

"An actual fucking normal axe!"

"Oh, don't be a party pooper, Agent 3. Uh- can someone-" He awkwardly wobbled around as he tried to hold the axe straight. Samantha screamed as she was nearly sliced with it, and she again backed out of the way.

Shella was the one who rushed up to help him hold it, and from there, they held it together.

He looked at Jessica once again. "Alright, which tree do you want?"

Jessica slowly looked around. "These… are all too big for the apartment."

"No duh, that's why you chop the tree into pieces."

"Stop being a smartass and just get this over with."

"Whatever." Working as a team, he and Shella both carried the axe toward the nearby trees, selected one they liked, and started slowly chopping away.

Samantha stood next to Jessica, grinning like an idiot. "This is fun! Isn't it?"

Jessica just gave her an angry glare. She gulped and looked away.

Each chop the Crabs made were slow and gruelling as they mustered the strength to achieve each swing. Jessica and Samantha were still waiting in boredom as, halfway through the process of chopping down this particular tree, Shella stopped, panting. "Shelley, I don't really think I like this tree."

"What's wrong with it, honeybunny?" Sheldon asked.

"The colors are too dark. Maybe we should go back to that other one over there." She pointed at it, then looked up at its towering height. "Besides, it's shorter so it'll be easier to chop up, anyway."

"Yeah, alright." He helped her pick up the axe and they made their way over. Jessica sighed in frustration as they began the process of instead chopping down that tree.

Several minutes passed. Jessica and Samantha, at this point, had resorted to finding other activities to pass the time, as Jessica poked around the van and Samantha gathered snowballs to throw in random directions. Sheldon and Shella had gone through a cycle of deciding they didn't like each tree they tried to cut down, before ultimately just giving in and returning to the first tree they had tried.

At this point, Jessica resorted to curling up and angrily stuffing her cheeks in her hands as she waited for them to finish up. It took another several minutes before they gave this tree the necessary amount of chops, and it started to topple.

"Timber!" Sheldon dropped the axe as he took Shella's hand and ran off with her. Shella giggled as they did.

To their dismay, however, the tree did not topple in the direction they intended. Samantha screamed as she and Jessica both saw the direction it was falling in, and they both got up to dive out of the way as the tree fell directly on their van. On the hood, no less. They all watched as the van was slightly crushed, and its front window was cracked. Its alarm immediately went off.

Sheldon gasped loudly as he dramatically grasped his own cheeks. Samantha covered her mouth as she got up and looked over, while Jessica just stared in disbelief.

Shella just shrugged. "Our bad."

"Oh, no. Marie's gonna kill me when she gets back!" Sheldon continued.

She chuckled. "Eh, I'd be more worried about Cap'n Cuttlefish's reaction."

Samantha looked over. "Wait, really?"

"Don't give me that look. I've studied Great Turf War history, the man has a wrath."

The four of them slowly moved over to assess the damage. Samantha rubbed the vehicle's car door. "Maaan… I loved this van."

"I think it can be repaired." Shella said as she patted the wheel.

Sheldon had climbed onto the van's hood to do his own assessments, before he leapt off. "Yeah, it's not too damaged. We gotta get this tree off of it before we do anything, though."

Jessica, silently seething, was leaning on the car as well. At this point, she could safely say… this was absolutely not worth the effort. "Just get the tree off and get us home."

"Hey, but what about the tree-"

"Get! Us! Home!" She exploded.

He held his arms up and backed up, before he looked at Shella. Shella just shrugged slightly.

It took another little while as the four of them worked as a team to roll the tree off of the van, and they all got back in. Sheldon moved to start it up, only to notice it was now making sputtering noises. He stuck his tongue out as he kept trying to no avail.

"What's happening?" Jessica asked, arms folded.

He tried a couple more times before he awkwardly held his finger up. "I… may have been off with my assessments-"

"God DAMMIT!" She punched the door before she opened it and got right back out. The rest of them listened nervously as they heard Jessica's continuous screams and swears from there. Samantha looked down, feeling particularly bad.

As Sheldon and Shella got back out to pop the hood and further see what was wrong, it only took a few minutes to come to the conclusion that they were stranded and that they would have to find a way to retrieve it and fix it later. In the aftermath, Jessica settled down and sat against one of the trees, huffing to herself as she curled up.

Samantha was the last one to get out of the van, hesitantly walked toward her. She waved slightly. "Hey."

Jessica didn't respond.

"Can I… Can I sit?"

When Jessica again didn't respond, Samantha decided to take her seat next to her, and they both curled up there, sitting in silence.

Samantha spent a good few minutes, twiddling her thumbs, as she wondered what, if anything, she would say. "Um-" Finally, she nervously cleared her throat. "I-I'm sorry. You know, I thought this would be good for you."

Jessica sighed, as she too wondered for a moment if she should even respond. "It's just how Squidmas goes."

"Oh, c'mon. You can't… you can't mean that."

"Samantha, we both may still be relatively young… but I've been through too many shitty, lonely Squidmases to have hope that it will ever be anything better. Every time I even think about trying… it's just going to lead to something like this. And if… Bridgett even wants to stick around me, she's… going to have to accept that. Sooner or later."

Samantha stared at her as she listened to her, and brought her gaze back down. When Jessica turned away slightly, leaning her head back against the tree, she spoke up again. "So… just like that, you just... give it up. Every year."

"Yup." Jessica replied, closing her eyes. "It's less painful that way, trust me."

Samantha blinked as she again listened to her, sitting up somewhat. She glared at her. "…No."

"Excuse me?" She looked at her.

"No. I'm not taking that bullshit excuse."

She sighed. Was she seriously about to be scolded by Samantha of all people?

Yes, yes she was. Samantha turned to face her more directly. "I have celebrated Squidmas every year of my life. Has it always been easy? Uh, no." She started counting on her fingers. "We've had years with no money, years with no mom, years with barely any presents or decorations, years where fart-breath-Dylan and I weren't even getting along, and years where- where-" She paused, choosing her next words carefully. "-Where pretty much all we had for Squidmas was each other. Ok? And- And, now, I'm sitting here and listening to you whining, and sulking here, in the freezing cold, giving it all up, just because some stupid tree fell on your van and we currently have no way home?"

Jessica squinted at her. "…Really sounds like a valid reason when you put it like that."

"No, Jessica, I-" She pointed aggressively at her. "I said this before, and I'll say it again. You're one of my heroes. You know that? You, yeah, you, the one and only Agent 3. We wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you literally saving everyone."

"That's…" She sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"And now you have your own friend, who herself had a pretty rough year like the rest of us, and is counting on you to just… be there for her. That's all you have to do. Because Squidmas isn't even about the tree, or the decorations, it's something… deeper than that. It's about… what we can do for each other. About being there for each other. Isn't it? Just like Sheldon and Shella. They tried to do this for you, so that you could have a good Squidmas. Did it work out so well? M-Maybe not… but we're still here for you. They don't even celebrate Squidmas and they're still here doing this for you. So why are you here giving up so easily?"

Jessica didn't respond, but this time, she didn't break eye contact as she listened to her words. When Samantha finished talking, she looked down, curling up.

Samantha stared at her, waiting for her to say something, anything, before she ultimately gave up. She sighed and slowly got back up. "Well, the speech was worth a try, anyway… If you don't get it, you just don't get it…" She went back to the van and got inside to warm up.

Jessica stayed where she was, thinking. She… really was being a jerk about this, wasn't she? And… for what reason? They were, after all, just trying to help her, right?

Damn. She… actually felt a bit bad now. She looked back at Sheldon and Shella, who were still trying to sort through things in the van to figure out their predicament. She watched them all the way until they stepped out once again, looking around.

"Welp." Sheldon threw his phone into the van. "Cell service is being crummy, so if we're going back on foot, we should get going now."

Jessica looked down, before she slowly got up to join up with the others.

Samantha got out of the van once again. "Do we really have to hike in the cold?"

"Yeeeep." Sheldon sighed. "Uh… sorry that I kinda got us stuck in this situation."

"No, it's… ok." Jessica replied. "You were just trying to help."

"Oh, really, it's…" He paused and squinted. He pointed at her. "Were you just nice to me?"

"Well, we came out all this way, and we just… might as well not make it for nothing, right?"

"I dunno, kinda feels like it was for nothing to me." Shella shrugged.

"Well, I mean… we're together." Samantha interrupted. "We're actually… here. In the moment. As friends. We get to spend some time together." She looked around at all of them. "Right? I mean… who cares if it's a little- ok… really cold? Heh…"

Sheldon looked between them as well, before he suddenly chuckled a bit. "I do kinda like the woods…"

Jessica turned back to look at where the tree and the axe had been left. "There's just the one thing we came here to do, after all."

They all looked at each other, understanding what they wanted to next. Jessica went to grab the axe, and Samantha went to help her as they moved the chop the tree up further, down to a much smaller but acceptable length.

It was a long, gruelling, and unbearably cold walk out of the woods, and back into the city limits of Inkopolis, carrying their small chopped up tree all the while. There was absolutely no reason to find enjoyment out this situation… and yet, with all four of them, they didn't actually mind it as much as they thought they would. They would chat with each other to pass the time, tell each other stories, occasionally even sing a couple tunes, and simply keep each other company, ensuring that none of them felt lonely on the way back.

The sun had set for the last time before Squidmas itself by the time they returned to the city, and finally reached the streets where they could hail a cab.

The unlucky cab driver that stopped for them was a bit surprised as, staring at them from the backseat mirror, he watched them barely squeeze themselves and the tree into the backseat. Blank-faced, he slowly turned back toward them when he heard the door close. One look told him the entire story of how they had reached this point, between their red faces, exhausted expressions, and even splinters from the tree. "…You guys ever hear of a store-bought tree?"

"You shush." Sheldon replied.

He sighed. Normally, he would've flipped his shit and kicked them out for trying to squeeze in an entire tree, but… whatever, it wasn't that big, they squeezed it in well by some miracle, and it was Squidmas. Sighing, he just turned and started driving.

Finally, after a couple more stops for Sheldon to get some things, their journey brought them back to the apartment of Bridgett and Jessica, where they carried the tree inside. Sheldon and Shella carried in the Squidmas decorations they had now gotten, and upon seeing Jessica's much uglier tree, Sheldon suddenly jumped up to karate-chop it out of the way. "Hi-ya!" He shouted.

Jessica looked around for Bridgett, but it appeared at the moment that she wasn't home. She was probably out on another vigilante mission… which was a bit disappointing, but, it did give her a new opportunity to surprise her. Taking her coat off, she turned to the others. "Alright… thanks for the help, but you guys can go now."

"You kidding?" Shella replied. "We haven't even decorated the tree yet."

She paused. "You're not… exhausted and fed up?"

"You kidding!?" She shouted this time. "This has been fun! We've got to help you decorate the tree!"

Somewhat surprised, she looked between the three of them, seeing that Sheldon and Samantha also seemed to be in agreement.

"I just have one request, first." Samantha said.

"What?" Jessica replied.

"Do you having something to warm up with?" She grinned.

Thinking, Jessica went to her kitchen to look through her cabinets, where she pulled out some hot chocolate packets. She held them up to show them.

"Aw, yeah! Now it's Squidmas!"

Jessica smiled a bit as they all got to work. Samantha got on her phone to blast some Squidmas music, and they all got some hot chocolate made as they got to decorating, making sure to have their fun and pretty up what they could.

Jessica didn't even seem to be entirely sure of what she was doing, but whenever she got confused, Samantha would drop what she was doing to help her. Sheldon and Shella meanwhile worked together on what they were doing, kissing each other's cheeks often as they did.

When they were all finished, they all stood back to look over their handiwork. Sheldon put his fists on his hips with a proud expression.

"Good job, team." Shella gave both Sheldon and Samantha some high fives.

Jessica, meanwhile, looked over her own work with an almost wistful look. She looked down. Was this… what Squidmas truly felt like? Was this really what it was all about? She gave one more look over at her friends that had just helped her… and a smile formed on her face.

It was a few more moments as everyone finished their cocoa, before finally, at the end of it all, her guests started to head out. Shella squeezed Sheldon's hand as they walked out first. "See ya, Jessica Murdock." She waved.

"Bye, Agent 3. See you around." Sheldon nodded as he walked out with her.

Jessica just waved slightly at them before she turned back to Samantha, who was the last one left. Samantha returned with a smile, patting her shoulder. "Well… Merry Squidmas, Jessica."

"Merry Squidmas." She nodded.

As Samantha headed out next, she suddenly stopped and turned back to her. "One last thing."

"What?"

She awkwardly pointed at Jessica's ugly tree that had been placed to the side. "Can I have that? It's just… I don't know how to say this, but there's something about it that's weirdly… charming?"

"Ummmm…" She squinted slightly, but shrugged. "Ok?"

She replied with a much more awkward smile as she moved to pick up the tree and carry it out with her. "Bye."

"Bye…" She closed the door after her, expelled a breath, and turned back to look at the decorations one last time. Now… she just had to wait to show Bridgett.

Squidmas Day

Bridgett had only returned to the apartment sometime in the middle of the night, coming in through the bedroom window when Jessica was already asleep for the night, where she proceeded to rest for the night as well.

At this point, she had to admit to herself: She plain and simply didn't feel the same excitement for Squidmas this year… which was ok. It's not like it needed to be celebrated, so… even if it kind of sucked, she could accept that not every Squidmas was going to be so festive.

It was when she woke up, with snow barreling against the window on Squidmas morning, that a pleasant smell again began to fill her nose. She sat up, and looked around, confused. The apartment never smelled this good… and when she looked over at Jessica's bed, it was empty.

Then she recognized the smell. Was it… cinnamon rolls? Did… Jessica actually do something for the holiday?

"...Jessica?" She called out. Throwing the covers off of herself, she rushed out and opened the door to look around. Finally, she saw it. The entire living room was decorated beautifully, with the multi-colored lights, a red rug, and the small but very real tree that was decorated and lit to the brim, with a yellow star placed atop, lighting up the room more brilliantly than it ever had been before. Even the ugly tree was nowhere to be seen. She was nearly brought to tears as she looked around in absolute surprise. It was all so gorgeous and absolutely heartwarming… almost just like her first Squidmas.

Jessica came into view from the side. "Merry Squidmas, Bridge."

She faced her, some tears visibly building in her eyes. "You… did all this?"

She shrugged. "With some help from some friends." She gave another look around. "They, uh… figured that we deserved a special Squidmas this year. You know?"

Bridgett gave another look around, not responding.

Jessica grew concerned. Did she screw something up? "…Bridge?"

"...I love it…" She finally said, smiling.

She nodded and smiled back, relieved.

"And you, you uh…" She faced her again. "You actually wanted to celebrate?"

Again, she shrugged. "I just wanted to do something special for you. Oh, and, before I forget." She moved over toward the tree, where a small, singular present was sitting underneath. She handed it to her. "Here."

Bridgett took it and opened it up. It was a snowglobe, with a miniaturized but gorgeous model of Inkopolis inside.

"I couldn't really get you anything… pricey." Jessica admitted. "Sheldon, Shella, and Samantha helped me with everything else, but the snowglobe, uh…" As she again noticed that Bridgett was simply staring at it, she quickly grew nervous once again. "I, uh… I'm sorry if it's not nearly enough. I just-"

"Not enough?" She looked back at her. "But it's beautiful…"

"Really?"

She nodded, again smiling. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She smiled.

"I… got you something too. I got it a while ago, but I wasn't even sure, if you… even liked Squidmas enough to take it, so-"

"No, no, I'll… whatever it is, I'll take it."

She smiled widely and set her things down. "Wait here." She retreated to the room, and came out a moment later with her own unwrapped box.

Jessica hesitantly opened it up to reveal the new Agent 3 cape, with a somewhat fancier and sleeker design, and bolder black and white colors to really make it pop. Surprised, she reached her hand to feel it.

"Cap'n Cuttlefish and I worked on it." Bridgett scratched her head. Now was her turn to feel nervous. "I… I-If you for whatever reason don't like it, that's fine, but uh-"

"It's awesome, Eight." She smiled. "Thank you."

She smiled back, and gave her a hug. She sighed happily as they held each other. "…Merry Squidmas, Jessica."

"Merry Squidmas, Bridgett."

Finally, after a month-long wait, Squidmas celebrations reached their climax all around the city and around the world, as everyone, including the members of the Splatoon, gave around their own presents and spent their day with loved ones.

Amid the celebrations, although Bridgett had already passed along her boyfriend's present, she and Jessica again headed out as they decided to give Dylan and Samantha a quick visit, heading over and knocking on their door.

Samantha, once again wearing her ridiculous sweatshirt, was eating a cookie as she answered. "Heeeey!"

"Hey!" Bridgett, already more excitable than she was the last time Samantha had seen her, smiled as they headed in.

"So, did you see all the decorations we put up for you?" She grinned.

"I did… they were beautiful." She smiled. "Thank you."

Samantha grinned even wider, feeling quite victorious.

To their surprise, a moment later, Dylan also came into view from down the hall, struggling to walk on some crutches. His injuries and his bruises were still clearly visible, but they didn't stop his smile as he saw his girlfriend. "Bridge."

"Dylan." She stared at him, absolutely surprised. "You're walking."

"Barely…" He hissed in pain as he inched over, taking it one movement at a time. "But I couldn't miss Squidmas, now could I?"

She smiled widely and moved over to meet him halfway, giving him a quick kiss. "Did Samantha give you my present yet?"

"Yes, she did. Ear plugs. Very thoughtful." He chuckled.

Bridgett giggled.

"...Still not sure I like the implication, though." Samantha commented.

A moment later, the three of them then noticed that Samantha had, for some reason, replaced her own previous tree with Jessica's newer uglier tree. Dylan and Bridgett squinted in confusion.

"What?" Samantha asked.

"Why… does it look like our tree has little poops on it?" He asked.

"I dunno, there's a charm to it, ok?"

He looked back at Bridgett, silently asking for an explanation. Not having one, Bridgett just chuckled and gave him another kiss, as the four of them proceeded to enjoy their Squidmas together.

Throughout the city, they weren't the only ones in the Splatoon celebrating and exchanging presents.

It was at Ballista where Sheldon and Shella, apparently changed by the previous day's events, were exchanging their own presents in the backroom. They each opened their own presents they had given each other, revealing that they had designed brand new weapons for one another. Sheldon grinned widely, and Shella, giggling excitedly, suddenly jumped to tackle him, and they rolled across the floor, kissing and cuddling together.

Even outside the city, there was still Squidmas cheer to be found all around. DJ Octavio, still trapped in his snowglobe prison back in Octo Canyon, was awoken from his sleep as Cap'n Cuttlefish approached him, holding his own small present.

He simply glared at him as Cuttlefish came over and slipped it into the snowglobe's slot, allowing it to float up and into Octavio's grasp. He took it. "The hell is this?"

"Merry Squidmas, Octavio." He chuckled with a bright smile as he again walked away.

Octavio waited until he was far out of sight to even drop his act of not caring whatever was in this little package, and he gave a careful look around to make sure he wasn't seen before he slowly opened it. He was met with another smaller snowglobe, containing a model of himself and his Octobot King, in all his glory, as the big and bold King and DJ of the Octarians. Pausing as he studied every detail of his old friend's gift, he then chuckled happily to himself.

At the end of it all, when the sun had again fallen, and the celebrations had again started to die down, Bridgett was sitting alone within an empty field, all bundled up for warmth, as she stared up at the cloudy sky. It was far too cloudy for her to see the stars, which made her feel a bit lonely… but at least she wasn't actually alone.

Jessica walked up to her from behind, and sat down next to her, leaning back. "Still missing Pearl and Marina a lot?"

She sighed. "Every day."

She gazed upward. "I bet they're thinking about you, too. Maybe even as we speak."

"You really think so?"

"I'm pretty sure, yeah."

"...You think they'll be back anytime soon?"

"I, uh… don't know. Really hard to say. But… I think we'll see them again, either way."

She curled up, hugging her own legs. "Well… here's to hoping that they'll be back soon enough."

Jessica put her hand on her shoulder, rubbing it.

Bridgett sighed yet again, but somewhat more happily this time. "…Thanks for being here, Jess."

"You too, Bridge." She patted her. "You too."

Embracing the silence, they stared up at the sky together. Indeed, another Squidmas had passed, and with it came another year on the horizon. At the year's end, here they sat, ready to face it… together.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Everyone!