Chapter Text
The ocean water splashed against the windows of the Octopod as it finally settled down and locked in place for the night. The ship rested atop the water to allow a few final hours of moonlight before they would close the shutters and dock beneath the sea. The octonauts relaxed, spread throughout the ship, which served as their home. Dashi, Tweak, Shellington, and Barnacles sat in HQ, wrapping up reports and repairs for the day. Tensions remained high between two of the members despite Barnacles' best attempts to soothe them. Dashi and Tweak sat on opposite ends of their headquarters. The two had been arguing for months, and the only information Barnacles had actually gotten was that they were having problems with a cousin of theirs. Dashi and Tweak joined the crew a few years ago and made it known that they were cousins a year after they joined. It was initially a shock, but the crew soon grew accustomed to it. Looking back, the two girls shared many similarities; their facial shapes were exactly the same, and the general shape of their facial features was almost identical. However, the color of their hair and eyes differed, and Dashi had a darker complexion and was roughly an inch shorter than Tweak. As the night drew closer to an end, Dashi and Tweak seemed to avoid each other like the plague. Barnacles let out a sigh, “Dashi, Tweak, a word?”
“What’s up, ‘Cap?” Tweak asked, turning away from the machine she was tinkering with.
“Yes?” Dashi questioned as she looked up from her tablet.
“I know I have asked you this once a week, and I have tried to respect your privacy, but unfortunately, it’s getting to the point where it is interfering with work.” Barnacles slowly set his mug down. “What is going on between you two?”
Dashi sighed as she clicked her phone off again. “It’s just family matters…”
“Is someone in danger?” Barancels had asked this question before, and each time, he got two separate answers.
“No.” Tweak firmly stated before Dashi spoke up
“Maybe…” Dashi argued, matching Tweak’s glare with her own.
“Dashi, if she were in danger, she would tell us…” Tweak groaned, crossing her arms.
“Tweak, she has never gone this long without messaging us! Even when I texted the others, they weren’t replying!” Dashi picked her phone back up, and Tweak sighed. This had been the argument the two had constantly circled back on. Whoever wasn’t replying had created a rift between the women. Tweak was adamant that whoever was missing was fine, while Dashi was convinced she was in danger.
“But she has gone this long, Dashi,” Tweak replied, and the argument started up again. “She has gone silent. She is like me. She gets distracted-”
“Not like this, Tweak!” Dashi stood from her chair, turning to look Tweak in the eyes, “Something is wrong!”
“Dashi, I don’t want to fight you on this again, but also, I am not going to agree!” Tweak crossed her arms as Barnacles stepped between them.
“I apologize for bringing this up,” Barnacles calmly interjected, “I did not wish to cause this argument again.”
“We’re not arguing,” Dashi rubbed her temple, and Tweak sighed, staring out the window. Dashi sat back in her seat, and Shellington placed a hand on her knee, “We just keep having the same conversation over and over again.”
“Loudly.” Tweak added as she leaned against the table. “We have different opinions on this.”
“Very different,” Dashi muttered, rubbing her eyes with her fist before picking up her phone again.
Before Shellington could ask if she was okay again, there was movement outside the window. Shellington furrowed his brows, and Tweak blinked. “Did y’all see that?”
"What was that? It almost looked human," Shellington questioned, slowly standing and moving to the window.
"Humans couldn't go that fast... Strange indeed..." Barnacles agreed as he tilted down to look out the window. The ocean behind them was empty, and the nearest land mass was miles away. "Tweak, sound the Octoalert."
"Humans couldn't..." Tweak muttered before sounding the Octoalert.
“Octonauts, to the launch bay!” Barnacles' voice boomed through the Octopod, and everyone shuffled to make their way to the launch bay. As the crew arrived in the launchbay, Barnacles looked perplexed as he tried to explain the phenomenon.
Dashi finally spoke up, "I... I think I know who that is..."
Tweak slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “Dashi… I swear I am really trying to work with you here..."
"I think it’s Coco," Dashi argued, and Tweak groaned, walking to her bedroom.
"Coco?" Kwazii tilted his head in confusion. "Who's Coco?"
“Is she… the missing person?” Barnacles asked as Tweak returned. She held a device in her hand and extended it out towards Dashi.
“She is not missing.” Tweak argued, “Besides, even if she was missing, we have family that would find her. Dashi, look at the tracker. Do you remember when I made it?”
“I remember-” Dashi held up her hand to stop Tweak, “-that Coco helped you make it. Do you really think that a tracker, which she helped you design, mind you, would stop her from disappearing?”
“And do you really think that if Coco were in danger, the first thing she would do, instead of contacting anyone, would be disconnecting the one thing that lets us find her?” Tweak scoffed, “Dashi, you are grasping at straws now.”
“This whole thing is just weird, Tweak.” Dashi crossed her arms, placing the device on the table behind her.
Barnacles looked between Dashi and Tweak. The frustration between the two was almost palpable. He turned to Dashi and gestured to the device, “Could you track her? With that or with something else?”
“I can try that device, and I can try her phone.” Dashi offered, glancing at Tweak. Tweak nodded, and Dashi started typing on the computer. “It says she is at James’ house, based on Tweak’s device.”
“Why would she be in Chicago this time of year?” Tweak muttered, “She hates the weather.”
“You know, James' house is huge,” Dashi mumbled as she continued typing.
“Yeah?” Tweak agreed, confused, “It is…”
“In fact, it’s large enough that I can see what general area she is in using the map and the tracker.” Dashi commented as Tweak scooted closer, “And I just don’t know why Coco would double up on rooms when they have plenty of space for her to have her own room.”
Tweak looked at the map and let out a groan. The device showed that it was in a bedroom belonging to a younger brother. The house was large, and when Coco stayed, she had her own room, which was nowhere near that part of the house. Tweak sighed, dropping her head as Dashi clicked her tongue.“She gave it to one of the younger brothers…”
“She played you. She passed off that device the second she could, and now she is in the wind.” Dashi pushed the device to the side and began to connect her phone to the monitor. “Let’s see if this will work.”
“If she passed off the device, do you think she’d leave the phone traceable?” Tweak questioned as she stood beside Dashi.
“Worth a shot,” Dashi muttered as she began typing.
“Wait, so… Coco… Bypassed your tracking system?” Kwazii asked as he looked toward Tweak, “She can do that?”
“It’s an old system, nothing like the one I use now. Back in the day, we got these little trackers for each other. I was in Florida, Dashi was in Australia, and Coco was in Kentucky.” Tweak groaned, “The system is basically a bracelet that lets us find each other. It is very easy to bypass.”
“She was there when you designed it?” Shellington added, “That’s what Dashi said.”
“You know how Dashi and I spent summers together?” Tweak turned from the monitor and leaned on the panel. She looked towards the rest of the Octonauts, “We stayed at Coco’s house. Coco actually got the two of us into the oceans in the first place. I wanted to be an engineer, and Dashi has always had a knack for IT and photography. Coco caught on to most skills quickly, so she would be our helper.”
“Why didn’t she join the octonauts?” Barnacles asked, and Tweak shrugged. Before she could answer, Dashi spoke up.
"Her last known location from her phone... was in Florida. That can't be right..." Dashi groaned as she continued typing.
"It can’t be. Pa would’ve seen her and told us. Are we even sure this was her in the window? I mean-" Tweak frowned at the screen, and Dashi removed her hands from the keyboard.
"Got it. Coco threw off the signal with a VPN. She was off the coast of South Carolina. Twenty miles from us." Dashi stared at Tweak with a fire in her eyes.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Tweak questioned, and Dashi unplugged her phone. Tweak was prepared to open the Octohatch but paused when Barnacles placed a hand on her shoulder. He handed her an air tank, and her eyebrows furrowed.
"Your family, your mission. Tweak and Dashi, you are with Peso and me in the Gup A. Kwazii, take the Gup B. Shellington and Inkling, you guys take Gup E. Octonauts, let's do this."
~~~~~
The groups searched for Coco for an hour before they began to break off. Inkling and Shellington had returned to the Octopod first. Barnacles sent them back in case Coco circled back. Kwazii continued zipping through the water, keeping an eye out in case she was trapped underneath the surface. Barnacles’ group had finally surfaced near a tiny island after another thirty minutes of searching. Dashi groaned as she leaned against the wall, "We are getting nowhere."
"Dash," Tweak began as she spun around in her chair, the dark circles under her eyes contrasting with the light in the Gup, "Maybe you need to take a break and leave her alone- Maybe it wasn't Coco. It was an animal, and we were all sleep-deprived. Maybe she isn't near South Carolina and is actually in Chicago with her brothers."
"You know Coco wouldn't just- ignore our calls.” Dashi began to pace, and Tweak frowned. “Plus, why would the others ignore us? I know something is wrong.”
"How do you know that, Dashi? Maybe they are all busy! Plus, Coco has changed jobs over three times. Maybe she just wants a break from us!" Tweak stood up, "Why won’t you just put this to rest?"
"Because I know she got hurt!" Dashi and Tweak froze as the words left her mouth.
"What?" Tweak mumbled as she stared at Dashi.
"I called Aunt Jess the other night..." Dashi whispered into the air. “Coco changed jobs again. She texted me about it, and then she just went radio silent. Nothing. I looked up the job, but it doesn't exist. I tried to talk to Erik, and all he said was to watch our backs. Something bad happened. Coco is missing.”
"What did Erik mean?” Tweak crossed her arms, “‘Watch our backs?’ Why didn’t you tell me you talked to him?”
"He told me not to," Dashi sighed, frustrated. “He said that I shouldn’t worry, but that I shouldn’t tell you. He said that the siblings had it under control and to stop asking questions.”
“That hardly sounds like Erik…” Tweak frowned, “If it was something serious, surely Coco would have told us. Or at least me.”
“Why would she tell you and not me?” Dashi questioned as she stared at Tweak.
“Because I know Coco a lot better than you.” Tweak paused as a hurt expression passed Dashi’s face, “That… That’s not what I meant.”
"Girls- Sorry to break up this moment- But up ahead. On the island." Barnacles interrupted whatever they were about to say next as he drove the Gup closer to the sandy shore.
They turned and saw a tan woman sitting up, hunched over the phone. Her dark blonde hair curled around her face and fell to below her chest. They drove closer.
The waves crashed against the shore, the sound soothing her racing heart. Her bag was on her back. She used it as a chair and a cushion against the rock she was propped up against. Coco clicked off the phone as she noticed the boat approaching. She blinked tiredly at it before four figures stepped off it. The tallest one called out in a deep voice, "Coco?"
"What's... What's it to... you?" She closed her eyes against the rock behind her. The waves crashing on the shore pulled her closer to sleep. She forced her eyes open as she heard someone drop beside her, followed by another person on her other side. "Wha-"
"Hey there, Cc... You’ve been ignoring us." Tweak swallowed as her voice cracked. Coco looked a lot worse than she had the last time she had seen her. Her jeans were torn at the knee, and her turquoise shirt was stained with what looked like blood.
"Tweak-ann... What... Where?" Coco struggled as she attempted to sit up. Dashi gently pushed her back down, mindful of the blood staining the front of her shirt.
"You... You gave us a scare." She sniffed as she wiped her teary eyes, "Didn't know where you were..."
Coco sighed and leaned back to look at the stars, "Just… Dealing with things."
“You gave your tracker away,” Tweak muttered as Coco groaned.
“Did it for a reason…” Coco hissed as Dashi gently pressed on her stomach, “Did it to protect you…”
"You don't need to protect us. But we do need you. Back on the Octopod." Dashi hummed as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a vial. The liquid was glowing faintly, and Coco eyed it wearily.
"Those are some... nasty scrapes, honeybunch. Think you can keep down a drink?" Tweak murmured as she wiped some sand from Coco's eyebrow. Tweak leaned back to look at Coco and winced as she saw the fresh wounds against her shirt.
Dashi tilted the vial into Coco's mouth, and Barnacles and Peso watched the wounds glow faintly. Peso's eyes widened as scabs started to form. Dashi smiled softly, "There we go, pumpkin."
Coco blinked and stared forward at Barnacles and Peso, "Who are they?"
Barnacles leaned down slightly, "I am Barnacles, captain of the octonauts. I am part of your cousins' crew. And this is our medic, Peso."
Coco winced as she shifted to look at Dashi, "You got your crew... Looking for me?"
Dashi gave Coco a stern look. “When my cousin suddenly falls off the grid, I get a bit worried.”
Tweak laughed and rested her forehead on the top of Coco's head, "You can’t leave her with a mystery. You know this. We’re just lucky we managed to find you in the darkness."
"Not, not lucky. You guys need to leave..." Coco weakly attempted to push Tweak off as her eyes darted around. "I need you to trust me-"
"Not happening. You've been missing-" Dashi started before Coco sat up further, trying to cut her off despite the wince.
"Not missing. Called mom- every day." Coco rebutted as she hardened her gaze. “They knew where I was.”
Tweak sighed, leaning her head down by Coco's ear, "Whatever is going on, whoever or whatever you are running from... It doesn't matter."
Coco pulled away and looked at Tweak, bewildered, "You don't-"
"You're right," Tweak cut her off, " I don't know. But please CC... Let us help you just this once… Stay with us. Put our minds at ease."
"We can keep you safe. We can help you." Dashi grabbed Coco's hand, "We... We need you. I know you don’t have another job, so you can just stay with us until everything is better."
"... Fine. Fine... but not for long." Coco sighed as she nodded, "Month, two months tops. Got it?"
"Alright, if that's what you want." Dashi smiled sympathetically.
"Let's get you home." Tweak nodded, and as Coco opened her mouth, she amended, "To our home."
Coco nodded and watched as Dashi and Tweak stood. Barnacles stepped forward, and she stiffened. "No. I-" She winced and doubled over.
Dashi knelt beside her, rubbing her back, "Hey, hey, it's okay- he's going back to the Gup. Tweak and I will get you to the Gup, but we may need help getting you inside. Is that okay?"
“I just pulled a muscle,” Coco gritted out. "I can do it myself."
"But you don't have to." Tweak expressed.
Coco remained silent before nodding, "Fine, but we try by ourselves first." She glared pointedly at Barnacles.
"Understood." He smiled softly and beckoned Peso to follow him back to the Gup.
Coco groaned as Dashi and Tweak both grabbed an arm and braced her against them. Tweak laughed suddenly, receiving two baffled looks from Dashi and Coco. "Ya know what this reminds me of? When we were twelve, Coco climbed that tree with the bar in the middle."
Dashi smiled fondly, "And she tried to hang with no hands off the branch?"
Coco allowed a small smile, "God, don't remind me- My foot is still messed up from that, you know."
Once the girls arrived at the Gup, Coco stared Barnacles down. He raised his hands up and stepped into the Gup, "I am only here for support. I will not do anything that makes you uncomfortable."
Coco barked out a laugh despite herself and shook her head, "If you're here for support, you need pompoms."
Tweak snickered and high-fived Coco, "This. This is why I came for you."
"Not at all, because Dashi forced you, I'm sure," Coco commented as she quickly adjusted her bag.
“She’s been a true pain.” Tweak shook her head. She glanced at Dashi and frowned, “I'm sorry for the words I said. They weren’t true.”
“I’m sorry, too. You were right. Coco wasn’t a missing person,” Dashi said with a small smile.
“Wait-” Coco placed her hands on each of their shoulders, stopping the trek to the Gup, “You guys thought I was a missing person?”
“In my defense,” Dashi looked embarrassed, “You’ve never gone totally off the grid before.”
“So sorry,” Coco rolled her eyes as the sarcasm dripped from her tongue, “I will be sure to fax you an itinerary next time I’m going out on my own.”
Dashi ignored the comment, instead focusing on how Coco’s eyes shone in the light, “When was the last time you slept? Or ate?”
“Mother hen, please relax.” Coco groaned, shoving Dashi’s hand away.
Dashi leaned close and grabbed Coco’s bicep, “I asked due to the large step into the Gup A. If you are low on energy and sore from swimming all day, I doubt you’ll be able to do it. The step is all the way up to your waist.”
"... I always wanted a beach house. Maybe I could just…stay here." Coco hummed, and Dashi gently elbowed her. “Besides, the vile you gave me.”
“The vile barely has enough energy to replenish me or Tweak,” Dashi frowned, “I don’t think I have anything that will work for you…”
“I’ll figure it out. I always do.” Coco muttered as she unwound herself from Dashi’s hold.
"I'll get inside. Tweak can hoist ya over." Dashi suggested, "Then once you're in, you're getting checked by our medic." Her tone left no room for argument.
Coco winced but kept all noises of discomfort quiet as she managed to get inside the Gup. She sat up as Peso took out his stethoscope, "This is just a-"
"A stethoscope. I know." She gave a small smile as she sat up straight, "I- I did a bit of pre-med in college."
"That's fantastic!" Peso smiled as Barnacles started up the Gup, "Before I check, are there any preexisting conditions? Any allergies?"
"No allergies to medications, and I have asthma, so that will affect my readings." Coco supplied as Peso strapped the blood pressure cuff on her, "My BP tends to run high, but I've never been diagnosed with anything."
"Do you care if I get a copy of your medical records? Just to have on file?" Peso slipped quickly into medic mode.
Coco laughed dryly, "Please, I won't be here longer than two months. They won't be necessary."
Peso smiled softly, "Alright. That's okay. Your BP is a bit high, but that's to be expected. Any medications I should know about?"
"Singulair and Symbicort, they should be in my bag. Symbicort affects my blood pressure. I have some other medications, but they won't affect anything." Coco nodded to her bag by Tweak's feet.
"How did I not notice that?" Tweak mumbled as she nudged the bag with her foot.
“I was always more sneaky than you were observant.” Coco smirked, but it dropped from her face as they approached the Octopod, "Tweak-ann... Is this what you built?"
Tweak shrugged with a smile, "Hey, I always told you I would build somethin' grand!"
"Wow..." Coco whispered under her breath as she stood slowly.
"You really shouldn't be standing- It could be dangerous- I don’t know what they gave you or-" Peso's voice was filled with worry, but Coco simply leaned against the wall to look out the window.
"If you want, you can look out the front here. It is quite a view." Barnacles piped up from the front.
Coco stared at Dashi and Tweak, and they nodded, both reaching for Coco’s arms. She waved them off and slowly began walking. As the three made their way to the front, Peso packed up his bag. Coco let out a whistle as they went inside, "You did great, hon. You shoulda built me a ship."
"Hey, I tried to get you to join us, but no." Tweak laughed.
"You were going to join the octonauts?" Peso questioned from beside her.
Coco jumped slightly before answering. "Nah, never did like people too much. Love the ocean, though." Coco smiled softly, looking at the water surrounding them.
As they surfaced, the rest of the crew stared back at them. "I let out an alert letting them know we found her," Barnacles commented to Tweak and Dashi.
The girls nodded as they faced the same dilemma they were in when they entered the Gup A. Tweak jumped out to help Coco from the outside. Kwazii poked his head in, "Hello there!"
Tweak laughed before gently pushing him away, "Ignore him, Coco. I do."
Coco stifled her laughter as Dashi pushed her out of the Gup to Tweak. Dashi followed, smiling. Inkling smiled softly at the group, "Hello there, I am Professor Inkling."
"Hello, sir. I'm Coco, but I'm pretty sure the whole ship knows by now," Coco smiled, nodding.
Tweak slung an arm around her shoulders, "Please- You love making an entrance."
“Only because Dashi plans and sets up the entrances,” Coco argued, rolling her eyes as Tweak scrunched her nose up at her.
Dashi smiled fondly and closed the top of the Gup, "We can grab your bag later. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, Dash, honest." Coco stifled a yawn as she looked at everyone surrounding her.
Dashi nodded as she and Tweak exchanged a look. Tweak let out a yawn as she pulled Coco close, "Well, I am beat. Coco, you're rooming with me."
"I can just go back to Kentucky, honest-" Coco tried to interject as she was pulled to Tweak's bedroom.
“Please, it’s late. The octopod is being shut down for the night. Everyone at home is probably asleep. You’re drained.” Tweak continued listing reasons, pulling a majority of Coco’s weight behind her. Coco apparently resigned herself to that fate as she stopped fighting and just followed, albeit with a reluctant glare.
Dashi laughed as Tweak ignored her and continued pulling her closer. Barnacles chuckled, "Well, it's been a long day. Everyone ready for bed?"
"Coco really should be monitored... I would prefer it if she slept in the medbay." Peso furrowed his eyebrows.
"Relax, I'll sleep in there with them," Dashi smiled softly.
Peso nodded, "Alright... But I want to check her over again tomorrow. I know you gave her the... thing, but I want to make sure."
"Energy boost, and of course." Dashi yawned as Kwazii slipped away to follow Tweak. Barnacles and Peso made their way upstairs, and Dashi stayed back to talk to Shellington. Kwazii paused in front of Tweak's room as he was face-to-face with Coco.
"Aye, sorry matey, I was looking for Tweaky." He stood awkwardly by the door.
"I figured... Tweak your... friend is here." Coco stifled a laugh as she scooted back on the bed.
"So where ya from, matey?" Kwazii ignored how the tips of his ears burned as Tweak groaned at Coco from inside her bathroom.
"You first." Coco crossed her arms from where she sat on the bed. Her gaze narrowed at Kwazii slightly. Despite the bags under her eyes showing her exhaustion, her glare was still intimidating.
"Ah, well, I'm from a lot of places, really." He dropped to sit cross-legged on the ground in front of the bed, "I lived with me Grandad in the Amazon for a while. I guess I could say I am from there."
Coco nodded, clearly surprised at the straightforward answer. She swallowed, "Ah...Well, I'm from Kentucky."
Kwazii smiled and snapped his fingers, "That’s where Tweak spent her summers?"
Coco huffed a laugh. "Yeah, she and Dashi came up to stay with me... How old are you?"
"I am twenty-three. Been on the crew since I was seventeen." He tilted his head, calculating the math mentally, before nodding, "Yeah, seventeen."
"Emancipated?" Coco questioned, leaning down further into the mattress.
"Yeah, some things happened, and I got separated from my grandad." Kwazii let out a dry laugh, "How'd you guess?"
"Got friends in a lot of places, you could say. I know a thing or two about almost everything," Coco hummed as Tweak finally came out of the bathroom. "Hey, look who decided to join us."
"Well, you two made yourselves comfy," Tweak chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Coco, who was stretched out on Tweak’s bed, and Kwazii, who was stretched out on her floor.
"Just talking to your boyfriend." Coco snickered.
"How did you-" Kwazii furrowed his brows, and Tweak huffed a laugh,
"Yeah, she does that. You learn to stop questioning it." Tweak rolled her eyes, helping Kwazii up, "See ya in the morning, Kwaz."
Coco suppressed a snicker as Tweak ushered Kwazii out of the room. She leaned back against the wall as the events of the day finally caught up with her. Exhaustion flooded her body as she vaguely made out the sound of Dashi speaking to someone by the door. She couldn't stay awake to prove her theory correct as she slipped into a deep sleep.
Dashi tried to suppress her laughter from the door, "Well, I was correct," She whispered as Shellington peered over her shoulder, "She is out like a light."
He let out a low chuckle as he rested his hands on her shoulders, "That's who you were looking for, wasn't it?"
"How could you tell?" Dashi gave an exhausted smile, "I knew something had happened. I knew she wouldn't just stop talking to us... God help Tweak. She knows Coco better than I, though. She was convinced she was just dealing with something and didn’t want to talk. She was right in a way. Before she went silent, Coco mentioned something about an area she was exploring near her new job. The job was a lie, but I doubt the exploring was. Coco loves to explore..."
"She likes exploring?" Shellington tilted his head as Dashi leaned back against him, "Why isn't she an Octonaut? Captain Barnacles asked before, but Tweak never answered."
"She didn't want to join with a bunch of random people, even though Tweak and I tried our best to convince her to come with us. She was the one I got all my marine books from." Dashi giggled, "She was... surprised, to say the least. That I joined an ocean-based crew. When we were younger, we made bets about what job we would have. She said that I would be an IT tech or a photographer. In a way, she was right. We always said she'd be a Marine Vet. She actually did do that for a while."
Shellington smiled as Dashi reminisced about the old days, "Maybe she could stay?"
Dashi lost the smile and sighed, "I tried... She's determined to leave after two months."
Shellington almost dropped the subject, but he saw a twinkle in Dashi's eyes, "You have a plan." It wasn't a question.
Dashi let a sly smile overtake her face, "Maybe... But it all depends on other factors."
Shellington laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Should I prepare for a new member of the crew?"
"I... I don't want to force her to join. But I really, really think this would be good for her." She frowned thoughtfully. She finally sighed, "I... I think we could train her."
Shellington pressed a quick kiss to her temple. "Maybe you can sleep on it?"
Dashi smiled softly and bid him goodnight. She finally went into the bedroom. She let out a soft laugh as Tweak and Coco lay horizontally on the bed. She quickly pulled on an extra pair of Tweak's pajamas and crawled into bed beside them, switching the lights off on her way. She fell into a soothing sleep with Coco and Tweak's soft breathing as background noise.
Tweak and Dashi were awoken in the middle of the night by a soft noise. Dashi turned over and blinked as she heard Coco talking. Tweak let out a chuckle, "So she still sleep talks. Just like in childhood."
Dashi slowly smiled, "That is... That is very comforting. She is still the same woman we always knew."
Tweak groaned as Coco’s elbow dug into her ribs, “That’s not the only thing that’s the same. She still moves a lot.”
Coco rolled over and rested her head on Tweak’s chest, remaining fast asleep the entire time. Dashi struggled not to laugh. “Same woman.”
Tweak sighed suddenly, "We... She can't leave."
"That isn't our choice-" Dashi attempted to argue, but it was half-hearted.
"We can train her. We can teach her. She can stay." Tweak turned over to face Coco. "She would be happy here. We would know where she is- the entire family would know. She was interested when we told her about it."
"Five years ago, Tweak. She may... She may have changed." Dashi turned to make eye contact.
Tweak shook her head, "She didn't. I know her... If we could... Would... Would you like her on the team?"
"I would love her on the team. I would train her myself." Dashi admitted sliding closer to Coco.
Tweak smiled, bringing her arms up to hold Coco, "Night Dash."
"Night Tweak." Dashi smiled, pulling the blanket up higher. Yawning, she closed her eyes and let sleep reclaim her.
Far away, far from the oceans and far from the state of Kentucky, two brothers sat up with each other in the living room. The rest of the house had gone to bed, and the two were staring at a message from their cousin.
“Why would you call Dashi, Erik?” The older one hissed as he glanced at the picture on the screen.
“She called me. What was I supposed to do?” Erik hissed back, “She and Tweak need to know that it’s dangerous, James!”
“They are our only blind spots,” James argued back. Dashi had sent them a photo of the three girls together. James smiled at it when Erik showed it to them before the reality of the situation hit them.
“We don’t even know where our blind spots are!” Erik hissed, “We have no clue who is trying to attack the castle. Father is dead!”
“Exactly!” James refuted, “If we start to bring them into this, they could get hurt!”
“Coco already got hurt!” Erik groaned, “This is no longer black or white. We need help.”
“They cannot help us,” James muttered, sipping slowly on his drink.
“Maybe not, but they don’t deserve to be kept in the dark,” Erik whispered as he stared out the window. “They’re our family.”
“I know they are our family. That’s why I want to keep them safe. They know as much as they need to.” James argued, “They know enough to keep them safe.”
“Is that what you’re going to keep telling yourself?” Erik scoffed, “That they know enough?”
“Every word I say to you is the truth.” James muttered, “I gave you my word years ago that I would tell you the truth when you asked for it. I intend to keep my word.”