#true lives

\/\/\/\/\/

"Oh, I've got twenty-five coins for the sea show clanking in the backseat, whoa-oh. I've got thirty-two seashells lined up in a row..." Caurel happily sang as she covered the turquoise side in pink, pausing and hiding in a corner when she noticed Zebra rising out of the spawn pool. The younger Inkling, hesitant, flung her brush wildly to cover the pink ink and swam forward, repeating the process every few feet. When she dropped down to the valley, she triggered another Ink Mine, this time getting away just quickly enough.

  "Not falling for that again," they sighed... right before Caurel popped out of her corner and slashed her brush at her, sending her floating right back to the spawn point. Unable to keep from giggling, Caurel re-inked the entrance ramp and climbed up to the higher level, brushing quickly down the alley as Zebra respawned again.

  "And I'll swim, swim, swim, to my darling Martha... And let her lay me down in the bay where the warm winds blow~"

  "Are we singing the same song?" Penny shouted from the audience, loud enough to be heard over the stage music.

"'Martha's Bay' by the Seagulls?" Caurel shouted back for confirmation.

"I knew it! Ahhh, I love you!"

"I love you, too, Butterfly!"

"Boooo!" Rocky shouted as he took out Thresher. "Get a room!"

  "But their love for each other is like our love," Ankyr said with a wink.

"You really are a sea turtle."

  "Hey, only Pyxis can call me-" SPLASH! Ankyr fell prey to Bonnet's Heavy Splatling.

"FOR ANKYR!" Rocky jumped up and flung his roller down before rolling toward Bonnet - and getting caught in a freshly thrown Splash Wall.

  "I love it when he does that," Tiger squeaked.

\/\/\/\/\/

"What took you so long? Why did you trade Ankyr for these randos?"

"Rocky," Caurel sighed. "They're the friends we were supposed to meet today, remember?"

"Oh..."

"Guys, this is Rocky, our squad's leader," Pyxis laughed.

  "Nice to meet you," Carina said, stepping forward to shake Rocky's hand. "Don't worry, my 'boyfriend' will be back soon."

  "'BOYFRIEND'?" The entire crowd turned their attention to the charismatic newcomer.

  "It's just an inside joke," Pyxis hastily assured them. "You'd just have to be there."

"Yeah, he kind of saved me a lot of hassle," Carina shrugged.

  "My Sunshine has inside jokes with people I don't know," Moises thought out loud. "Not sure how I feel about this..."

"Well, you know us now," Hans piped up. "She's Carina, I'm Hans, this here is Shera, and the rude guy is Cygnus."

"I haven't said anything rude yet!"

"We all know you will," Shera said as she scooched over to Abbey. "So, what's your name?"

"I'm aromantic," Abbey said between sips of coffee. Their friends howled with laughter in the background.

"Aw, that's too bad... Are you... asexual, too?"

"They're not sex-repulsed, if that's what you mean," Pyxis jumped in. "That's not what asexual means, though."

"Sweet little Pyxis," Cygnus chuckled, patting his friend on the head. "Always here to educate her friends."

"...You mean their friends," Rocky corrected.

  "What? No. You too? Are all Squids okay with the whole fluid-gender thing?"

"You didn't even last five minutes," Hans sighed, covering his face with his palm.

  "Look, she was born with lady-parts, am I wrong or am I right?"

"Here's what I know," Rocky began slowly, stepping closer to the Octoling and staring him in the eye. "This particular group of friends respects what people choose to call themselves. When you're with us, you refer to Pyxis as they/them. If you can't handle that, you can swim back home."

"ROCKY!" Caurel grabbed her brother's arm and yanked him down to sit beside her. "They're our guests!"

"And Pyxis is family," he bit back. "Which is more important to you?"

"Wow, they really worship you around here," Cygnus laughed, turning to leave. "Do they even really know you? Your history? What have you been telling them?"

"Cygnus, get back here and act your age," Carina commanded.

"No thanks, Your Majesty."

  The crowd was hushed for some time, the noises of the audience around them and the battle down below, permeating their silent space.

  "Sorry about that," Carina finally spoke up. "I told him to behave himself. But he's... how do you say... stuck in his ways."

"He's only twenty-two," Shera rolled her eyes. "He's just a stubborn pufferfish."

"You okay, honey?" Hans asked Pyxis, who was too busy processing their own thoughts to realize they should answer.

"...I'm family?"

\/\/\/\/\/

And now, here’s Shera going goo-goo over more Inklings

---

“Vanilla? Is that a brand, or...?"

"Oh no, I just mean, the original one."

"So... Vanilla means original?"

"The basic form of something, yes. Regular. It's just slang."

"Who's the person with the gatling?"

"Ah, that's Pixie with the Zink Mini Splatling. Disruptor and Bubbler."

"Pixie..." Shera turned to where Pyxis was seated. "PIXIE!"

  "Yes?"

"I can never call you Pixie again! That's the name of my new future wife!" Ecto and Thresher couldn't help but laugh.

"...Glad to hear it?"

"She's actually dating Ty right now," Tandy pointed out. "Sorry, you'll have to look elsewhere."

"Darn."

"Great Overseer," Carina sighed. "Why are you so thirsty today?"

"I dunno, Queenie," Shera shrugged and shook her head. "Look. I had no idea Squidlings could be so attractive, okay?"

"I mean, she's not wrong," Hans laughed. "The first time I saw Ankyr..."

"YOU CAN DO IT, GUYS!" Pyxis suddenly stood up and cheered as loud as they could.

\/\/\/\/\/

And now for some good parents! Specifically, Ecto’s dads. Well, one of them. The other is busy playing Pokémon with Caurel and co. in the living room at this moment. They haven’t been mentioned much so far, but they’re great friends with the Waters (Waters’? Waterss?) ever since all the families met, and Rocky and Caurel hang out with them a lot.

---

"That's because you can look back on the past, apply your knowledge of the present, and cook up a better future for yourself. A new happiness. Again, one that won't last forever. And maybe it's not perfect. Maybe you burn your tongue. Maybe you let it go cold without realizing. But there'll always be more soup."

"You just have an answer for everything, don't you?" Rocky scoffed, throwing more tomatoes into the pot.

  "Not quite. There's one thing I've always wondered."

"The secret of life?"

"Nah, figured that out in college."

"What? No. Shut up." The two shared a laugh. Mister Plasma reduced the burner's heat and placed a lid on the pot, before turning to Rocky.

  "Back when you were in Coral Reef's boat... Why didn't you say anything?"

  "Well..." Rocky took a moment to continue. "Figured there wasn't any point, I guess. Can't help it if the person you have a crush on is gay. Like, if Pop was het, you wouldn't have the love of your life."

"Well I'm glad that's not the case," he said with a short laugh, before frowning and patting Rocky on the head. "Sorry, hon."

"It's fine. That's one of those 'just move on' parts in life. So I did."

"Ah..."

"Happened with Ankyr, too. But that was back when we were super tiny. Like.. That's a different kind of love. Baby love, I guess. But then again, we thought Ankyr was a girl back then. That was easier to move on from."

  "You just can't catch a break," Dad laughed. "Anyone on your mind these days?" Rocky thought a while before answering.

"I... Not really. I don't know, Oji. Guess I'm kind of giving up for now. I just wanna cook and take care of the ocean. Those are my loves. Well, I'll never get tired of Turf War either. I guess... that's it."

"And that's A-okay," the adult Inkling nodded, before yelling "COME AND GET IT!" There was a multitude of shuffling sounds from the living room as the young adults made their way to the kitchen. "Come see us any time," he said again. "We'll always be here for you."

\/\/\/\/\/

And that’s all I have for you here today, I wanna stop myself before I give away more than I might have given away... But yeah, working on that slowly but surely now. I was already about halfway-ish done with the chapter before I fell off, I think? Depends if I think of adding any more scenes than what’s already planned. So, look forward to that soon! Catch you on the flip side~

“Do you want a clone?”

“Why would I want a clone when I already have a brother?”

“Because you could see yourself for who you are, for one."

Kobra’s gaze locked on his sibling’s hopeful face. Always saving existential schools of thought for the extracurricular study sessions. His nose wrinkled. “No thanks, dude.”

“First Mom’s in a bad mood, now you,” Party complained. His hands jumped away from his desk as a pan clattered to the floor outside their room. Faint swearing drifted in like a low rumble.

Party, now wide-eyed, took a moment to collect himself. “See? I’m surrounded by negativity.”

“We’re getting a house inspection tomorrow, give her a break,” Kobra said without looking up. His brow furrowed as he tried to concentrate on his calculus work.

“Ooh, so scary.” Party’s voice wavered dramatically. "What are they gonna do? Send us to the streets? Awful."

Kobra began to say something real fuckin' smart, but was instantly cut off by the sound of bedsprings crunching with the sudden weight of two bodies.

“My papers!” Kobra retorted, trying to salvage them. It was too late, though. Crumpled beyond salvation. Neatly spaced equations pierced by a stray pencil. Damn. His hands fell into his lap in dismay.

“Fuck your papers, you’re about to move out and I’ll miss you,” Party said. His arms wrapped around Kobra’s waist in a tight hug.

One … two … fuck it, Kobra couldn’t wait til three. He started to relentlessly tickle Party’s open armpits. Party shrieked and let go.

“You sounded like a dying droid!” Kobra was wheezing, mimicking the sharp sound.

That earned both of them a “Boys!” from their mother. The ruckus simmered to stifled laughs, but did not extinguish without a surly eye roll from his sibling.

“It’s going to be hell without you here,” Party said.

“I’m only going to University, I’ll be home for the weekends. I promise,” Kobra added quickly, surprised to find Party hugging him tighter. “Is everything okay?”

Party was silent for a long time, which wasn’t all that unusual. On his own time he admitted, “I’m thinking about cutting my hair.”

“What?” Party had fought tooth and nail to get it past his ears. At first the school board had given him write-ups every day before they realized it was no use. It only took them two months. What could he say? Whenever Party’s mind was made, there was no changing it.

Until now.

“Yeah. This, uh, this isn’t working for me.” Party’s voice was small as his fingers ran through the dark brown tufts. Compulsive habit, he bet. “They keep fining Mom and Dad. The mailbox's full up.”

“Fuck them. When have you ever cared about them?”

He realized he’d said the wrong thing even before Party gave him a nasty look. “I’m trying now, ain't I?”

“Okay, I mean, do you want me to go back to calling you–” Kobra started, trailing off only when the resigned look in his sibling’s eyes registered in his mind.

“I don’t care,” he sighed.

“Bullshit, I know you do,” Kobra replied hotly. “You shouldn’t sacrifice your happiness for them. As soon as I’ll leave you’ll get so much more freedom, I promise–”

“When have I ever been happy?” Party snapped. “The doctors are supposed to make me happy and they don’t. I thought taking art would make me happy and it sucks. If I don’t take my meds, I get nightmares, and if I do I just feel numb. Nothing is working out. Nothing has ever worked out.”

Kobra realized Party’s nails were digging into his arm, trying to make himself cry. He pried them away hurriedly. You’re scaring me.

“Maybe it’s the wrong dose,” Kobra suggested instead. “You haven’t been to a hospital in six months. That’s progress, right?”

“I’m not built for medication,” Party went on. “All it’s doing is wasting Mom and Dad’s money. I don’t see how you can survive like this. Everyone likes you. Enough to kiss you, I mean, teenage love is awful enough. And I’m over here. A fucking freak.”

His voice was a low whisper bowing against the taut line of his grin. "I'm not worth the hype."

“That’s not true,” Kobra said. He extended his arm slowly, and when Party didn’t flinch he used his sleeve to wipe away his tears. “You’re always going to be my older brother. But hear me out: I think Better Living can help. It’s just–”

“Fuck Better Living,” Party breathed. His puffy red eyes burned with resentment as he stared into the low ceiling. “We’ve been trying for fourteen years. It’s not working. I am not something they can handle."

Kobra lowered his hand slowly. He thought he already knew the answer, but he had to be sure. Just two minutes ago he was talking about chopping his hair off, for crying out loud. “What … are you suggesting?”

“We leave Bat City. Both of us.”

“And go where?” Stupid question.

“The desert. I’m shooting for Zone Three.”

Neither of them spoke until Kobra's blood pounded against his skull to a painful rhythm. Then, “Will that make you happy?”

“Yeah, think so,” Party laughed dryly.

“Let me think about it,” Kobra said. His sibling nodded. There was another pause before he spoke. “You know they won’t have clones in the desert, though, right?”

Or water or civilization or toilet paper, for that matter.