Hey all, happy Agent 24 day (3/8/24) and welcome to the fic! It may not seem like much now, but this fic is hugely ambitious and tells the long, complicated story of what happened to Three and Eight just after the end of Octo Expansion. I have a backlog of 22 chapters so far, which will be posted once a week every Friday! (Chapters will get longer as we go.) There will also be some half-chapters sprinkled in there. Reviews are super appreciated, even short ones! With all that out of the way, I really hope you enjoy the fic and decide to stick around!

"Y-you are sure this is a good idea, Three?"

Agent Three of the New Squidbeak Splatoon glanced at the thin, pale boy next to him. This was Agent Eight, the New Squidbeak Splatoon's newest member.

"Of course," he reassured the Octoling. "It's a Splatoon meeting. And you're an Agent now."

"But…"

"But what?"

"I am… you know, the first Octoling, I am sure."

"Eight—"

"I am… your enemy…"

"Eight." Three looked his fellow agent straight in the eyes, and even put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. Three had to make him understand this, or Eight would never feel safe. "You're not my enemy. You're not our enemy. You're not anyone's enemy, except maybe Tartar. You're not bad. You're good. So good. You're one of the best people I know. And I trust you completely."

"Oh… okay."

"Do you trust me?"

Eight thought for a second. "Yes."

Three cracked a rare smile. "Okay. Now let's go meet the other agents! They're all dying to meet you."

Eight recoiled, throwing Three's hand off his shoulder, and looked up at Three with wide, confused eyes.

"Not literally dying. They're... going to be very happy to see you."

This time, Eight's voice didn't waver. "Okay."

Three smiled again. Cod, this boy did strange things to him.

"Are all things okay?" Eight asked.

Three shook away his thoughts. "Yeah. Everything's fine. Now let's go."

Three took a step closer to the round grate in the ground, but Eight didn't follow him. Three let out a sigh and held out his hand. "Together?"

Eight took it gratefully, looking a lot less scared once their fingers were intertwined.

Three took the last step forward for them, then they jumped. Morphing into their aquatic forms mid-leap, they slipped through the grate.

For a few moments, darkness.

A piercing silence.

Three could feel Eight's tentacle quivering, and he tightened his hold on it.

Then they were back out into the sunlight.

When they exited the grate, Cuttlefish Cabin was already in sight. But Eight was still trembling.

"I-I-I am sorry… after t-t-to be down there f-for such long…"

"You don't like being underground," Three finished. "It's okay. I totally get it. I don't remember most of what happened down there, but it's hard for me to think about too. You don't have to apologize."

"Th-thank you."

"Right… do you need a second, or—"

Eight finally let go of Three's hand. "No. I am ready."

"Good. Let's go in."

When they reached the door, Three turned back to Eight. "Watch closely, you have to knock like this." Three tapped out a pattern on the thick wood. "One-two-three, one-two."

"Okay."

"You remember it?"

"Yes."

"Good. You'll have to use it yourself eventually. Ready?"

"Yes."

Three pushed open the door. They took a few steps inside, and Three saw Callie, Marie, and Agent Four waiting for them.

Then everything broke out in chaos.

It started with Four, who jumped up from her chair, her eyes boring through Eight, and shouted, "An Octoling! How did you get in here!" She took a step toward Eight. Did she even see Three?

"No no, Four, it's all right!" Callie started. "This is Agent Ei—whoa!"

Agent Four pulled out her Hero Shot and took aim at Eight, but Marie knocked it out of her grasp before she could fire. Abandoning that mode of attack, Four started to charge toward Eight. Marie caught her arm to hold her back, almost as if she had already anticipated Four's next move. Still, Four struggled hard against Marie, and she even managed to drag the Squid Sister forward a few steps. Finally, her cousin caught up to what was happening, and Callie grabbed Four's other arm.

Three and Eight just watched it all unfold in dumbfounded shock.

Then, in a flash, she was inches from Eight's face. The Squid Sisters still had a firm grip on each of her arms, but they couldn't stop her from cornering Eight, leaning close to him against her restraints, and spitting, "You filthy Octoslob… you don't deserve to—"

"Four, please stop!" Three begged.

Four just growled in response, not even glancing at him.

Three turned to Eight to see him in tears. No, this was all Three's fault! He had made Eight come even though he hadn't wanted to. But he'd had no idea Four was an octophobe… or even capable of this type of violence.

But she was an Agent, after all. It was hard to separate the battlefield from the real world.

Then, a high-pitched scream of terror that pierced straight through Three's heart. Eight's scream, that one horrifying note. When Three turned back to Four, he saw why.

She had thrown off Callie, who lay sprawled on the floor. Then something shiny appeared in Four's now-free hand.

Something sharp.

Three didn't even have time to think. All he knew was, an instant later, he was standing in front of Eight, his arms spread protectively, and Four's dagger was pointed at his throat.

This wasn't ink, this was a blade.

Just a few millimeters—one flick—and she could end his life.

Three was scared. He didn't use that term lightly. He hadn't been around Agent Four very much or known her for very long, but the little trust he had had in her was completely gone. He genuinely didn't know what she would do next.

As they stared each other down, though, he saw the fire in her eyes fade, and he knew he was safe. She still didn't move her dagger, but she grumbled, "You're lucky I have fast reflexes."

"I was counting on them," Three breathed in response.

Four begrudgingly stepped back, lowering the dagger. In a flash, Marie had wrenched it away, and a second later, she had a fully-charged shot of low tide ink aimed at Four's head.

"Okay, fine. You win. If you want to bring an Octo into our secret hideout, bring an Octo! Even if he's a threat to all of us!"

"His name is Eight," Three gritted out.

"Wait, you're telling me he doesn't even have an actual name?"

Three's voice dropped dangerously low. "You'd better stop this carp before I ask Marie to give me your dagger."

Eight flinched behind Three, and Three immediately regretted saying it. He tried to change the direction of the conversation. "Four, why don't you sit down?" She rolled her eyes but sat back down in her chair. Marie kept her charger trained on Four, so Three finally felt safe stepping to the side and letting her see Eight. "Four, this is Agent Eight. He's the newest member of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. He's loyal, and kind, and far braver than I am. And a few weeks ago I watched him save all of Inkopolis with my own eyes. He's one of the good guys. And if you're going to fight him, that makes you one of the bad guys."

Before she could respond, five knocks sounded from the door.

Callie jumped up and opened it before any of them could react, and Captain Cuttlefish hobbled in. "Sorry I'm late… what did I miss?" he croaked. Then he seemed to finally notice Marie's charger aimed at Four's head. "Ah… anyone care to explain what's going on here?"

Marie stared down the barrel of her charger, Four and Three were still locked in a mutual glare, and Eight was probably too terrified and confused to say anything. When no one else responded, Callie was left to explain, "Four… attacked Eight."

Cap'n Cuttlefish turned to Four, his expression hard to read underneath his beard. "Is this true?"

Everyone glanced at each other uneasily, giving the Cap'n his answer.

"You know, Agent Three and I attacked Agent Eight when we first saw him as well. But we were wrong. We always must be cautious, but that doesn't necessarily mean attacking. Of course, if it came to that, he would simply respawn and—"

"Grandpa… Four was using this." Marie murmured, showing him the dagger.

The Cap's eyes went even wider than normal. "Agent Four… you know Agents don't carry lethal weapons. Have you had this weapon all this time?"

"It was a safeguard…" Four grumbled, not meeting Cap'n Cuttlefish's eyes.

"A safeguard against what?"

Four didn't respond, but she looked frustrated, as if there was something she wished she could say.

"Well, you're not getting it back, that's for sure."

"Cap'n… am I still an Agent?"

Cap'n Cuttlefish gave her a long, hard look. "We've trained you to attack Octarians by instinct. That is my fault. Our world is changing… I may be behind the times, but I also remember the time before the Great Turf War, when our species coexisted in harmony. Those were good days…. As I said, the world is changing. You need to show me you can change with it."

"O-okay, sir."

Even though Four hadn't even met Cap'n Cuttlefish before, she must have felt some sort of strong deference to their leader if he was the one who could bring her back to her senses.

Still, as everyone but Four looked at each other uneasily, it was pretty clear that none of them really expected that to work.

"So… Grandpa… what was the meeting about?" Callie asked tentatively.

"Well, we were supposed to be welcoming Agent Eight to the team. But you don't seem to be familiar with such a concept"

"I-it's okay, Cap'n Cuttlefish," Eight stuttered.

Three grabbed Eight's arm, partially out of protection, partly to make him listen when he said with all the confidence he could muster, "No. It's not."

"With that being said, I no longer see any reason for us to be here," Cap'n Cuttlefish continued. "It may not be a good idea to be around each other right now, anyway. Agent Four, come with me."

Three didn't need to be told twice. He dragged Eight right out the door. Just before it closed behind him, Three saw Marie patting Four on the shoulder, which he thought was odd. He wouldn't put it past Marie to be doing something sneaky.

They approached the grate again, and this time, Eight seemed to be in too much shock to even be afraid of going underground. They jumped through, and the darkness came and went again in a flash.

As soon as they had reached the light, Eight tried to take a step away, but Three wouldn't let go of his arm.

For a moment, they stood there in silence.

"There's no way I'm sending you off to some empty apartment all alone. You're moving in with me. I don't want to let you out of my sight."

"O-okay."

It wasn't until then that it actually occurred to Three what he'd just said. "If… that's all right?"

Eight looked up at him with his big, dark eyes, and Three never wanted to see that fear in them again. "Yes. It's… it's all right."

Suddenly, Three was overcome with the urge to pull Eight close to his body, to hug him tight and never let go so no one could ever try to hurt him again.

But he didn't. That would be weird.

He shook the thoughts away. "Good… get ready to Super Jump."

Eight nodded.

Then they were soaring through the sky.

As the tall buildings of Inkopolis passed under them and the sunset spread out in front of them, Three glanced at Eight. He knew the Octoling hadn't Super Jumped many times before, and if he had, it had been underground. The reaction was even more excited than Three had expected. His eyes were wide in wonder, taking everything in around him like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen—which it very well might have been.

Then his eyes turned to Three. For a moment, their eyes locked on each other's.

After a few seconds, Three looked away. But before he could process what had just happened, they started to descend, and fast.

Huh. They weren't supposed to start falling until…

Then they made contact with the ground. Three landed on his feet, but a moment later he pitched forward as his arm was pulled. The world flipped end over end a few times, then he finally came to a stop, laying on his back.

He was aching in several places, but he was used to tumbling around a little from his time in Octo Valley. He jumped back up and scanned the area to find Eight sprawled on the pavement a few feet away. He helped Eight up to his feet, then paused to take in their surroundings.

"Gousho, is that your apartment?" Gousho was one of the few Octoling words Three had learned—it was an exclamation along the lines of "whoa."

"Uh, no. That's a movie theater."

Eight just stared at Three, blinking a few times uncomprehendingly. "Oh… I guess you don't know. A movie theater is…" Three trailed off, struggling to figure out a way to explain it that wouldn't take at least an hour. "Not my apartment."

"Oh. Then… where are we?"

"I… don't know."

"Are we lost?"

"Not exactly… well, maybe."

Between Eight's extra weight and his less-than-perfect jump, they had landed far short of Three's apartment, and he wasn't sure how to Super Jump there from… wherever this was.

"Then… how we… go... your apartment?"

"We walk."

Three looked around again, trying to get his bearings in the city. They were standing on a wide sidewalk next to a major street, where cars and motorbikes whizzed by. It was lucky that they hadn't landed in the street, since in the air he hadn't been paying attention to their landing spot while he had been… distracted. Whatever that had been.

"Is… is which of the direction?" Eight stammered, thankfully redirecting Three's thoughts.

His grammar was getting worse, so Three could tell the Octoling was getting anxious. "It's okay," he reassured Eight. "We just have to walk in the same direction we were Super Jumping. Which was…"

Then Three realized, after all the tumbling and sprawling, he had completely lost his sense of direction. He searched for landmarks, something he recognized from their jump, but all he could remember at the moment was soaring through the air with Eight straight into the sunset…

The sunset.

"Eight, I know where we're going."

"O-oh. Good."

"Follow me."

He grabbed Eight's hand without thinking, then led him toward the sunset, trying to keep a quick, purposeful pace and dragging Eight along with him.

It wasn't until a few seconds later, when passersby began to shoot suspicious glances at their intertwined hands, that Three realized what he had just done.

Oh. Right…

Three quickly dropped Eight's hand.

"Um—anyway… if we keep walking this way, we should get close enough to the apartment that I can figure out where we are."

As they walked, Three could see the tension in Eight's shoulders relax, and he could tell that Eight was no longer afraid of being lost.

That was when Three realized… Eight trusted him.

That may have sounded obvious, but Three didn't exactly have the best track record. He had tried to kill Eight twice, and…

Well, that was pretty much it.

After trying to kill him twice, Three had taken him to a shack in the middle of nowhere—where he had been attacked—and gotten there by going through an underground passageway that gave him nightmares. And now he was demanding that Eight come and live with him, and Eight was just going along with it. That took an insane amount of trust.

He hoped Eight wasn't making a mistake on him.

But Eight just smiled up at Three with those big dark eyes, and Three had to look away before…

He looked away.

They walked in silence after that. Eventually, Three recognized the grocery store he usually went to, so he knew they were close. He almost pointed it out to Eight, but the silence had become so thick and palpable that Three couldn't bring himself to break it.

But Eight did. He took in a breath then asked in hardly more than a whisper, "Three… I am a threat?"

Three couldn't even tell if it was a question or not. But he was absolutely sure of the answer. "Eight, you're not a threat. You could never be a threat to anyone, except maybe Tartar. Why are you even saying this?"

"Four said I am a threat. To you."

"Well, she's wrong. She's wrong about a lot of things."

"But… are you not afraid that—"

"No, Eight. The only thing I'm afraid of is hurting you… again. You're the kindest, gentlest, bravest person I've ever met. I have no idea what awful things you went through in the Octarian Army and the Deepsea Metro, but somehow you haven't let them change you…"

They walked a few more paces in silence before Three muttered, "That was weird."

He was just being protective of Eight because of guilt, right? Three had tried to kill him—more than once—and now he felt like he had to repay the Octoling. Although, with how much he had already hurt him, he wasn't sure he would ever be able to make up for what he had done.

Then Eight murmured in a pensive tone, "Three… you never hurted me."

"Yes, I did."

Eight spoke slowly and methodically, pausing after each word as he tried to express his thoughts clearly, "No, you did not. You were controlled of your mind. The only thing you did was my saving from be blend. I would not be alive if you were not there. I… I owe all things to you."

"I was just trying to save Cap'n Cuttlefish."

"I do not think so. You followed my CQ-80 signal."

"Whatever."

"Three, you do not have to pretend… I know you care."

That was the first time anyone had ever told Three that. It was always Do you even have feelings? or Why are you always so hostile? or What a basshole!

No one thought Three, of all people, was caring.

He was caught totally off guard. All he was able to get out was, "O-oh."

Eight looked down at his feet. "Oh… I am sorry."

That snapped Three out of his daze. "No, don't be sorry! I was just… surprised. No one has ever said that about me before…"

"Why no?"

"Eight, do you really think I…" he let out a breath through his nose in frustration. "That I'm… what do you even see in me?"

Three saw Eight staring at his outburst uncomprehendingly, but it didn't matter—he was talking to himself more than Eight at this point.

Three stewed in his emotions a little while longer, but once he had calmed down, Eight began again, "Thank you... for let me live with you. I feel… more safe."

As Eight finished, they reached the front door of the apartment building. And when Three looked back at that innocent, smiling face, he had a fleeting thought that maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't go down in flames like it always had with everyone else. Maybe he had a chance this time.

And he was going to fight harder than ever to make sure it didn't slip out of his reach.

He even allowed a small smile as he opened the door for Eight. "Welcome home."

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! And don't worry, Four will get her redemption eventually :)

By the way, this fic has a discord server! Copy and paste the link below into your browser if you want to join (and delete the vertical lines)! We're a small but tight-knit and very active community (about 20) with members from all over the world, and we like to chat about everything from Splatoon news to Australian snack foods I've never heard of!

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There's also a clickable link on my profile!