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“That might’ve been the best one yet.” Pearl says, her voice straining as she stretches her arms out.
Marina takes slow strides behind her girlfriend, smiling fondly. “Yeah?”
“The crowd was on fire!” She exclaims, whipping around to look at Marina as she continues to walk backwards. “Especially when you sang, baby.”
“Mmm, no…” Marina responds. “It was more like, when you sang or rapped.”
“Nuh-uh.” Pearl says stubbornly. “It was you.”
“You’re a child.” Marina giggles.
“Hey. You’re arguin’ with me, too.” Pearl shoots back before turning around so she can open the door to the hotel lobby. She steps to the side, eying Marina with a certain glint in her eye as she allows her to stride inside first.
“Thanks, dear.” She says, giving Pearl a half lidded flirtatious smile as she lifts her hand and traces her fingertip along the inkling’s jawline while passing by. It puts a dopey smile on Pearl’s face and her eyelids flutter, tilting her chin up as if she could follow Marina’s hand. She follows closely behind before catching up to Marina’s side, reaching for her hand to intertwine their fingers.
When they enter their hotel room, Pearl is immediately beelining it for the bed area after shucking her massive coat from her body, flopping onto it and stretching her limbs out with a groan. Marina smiles at the inkling’s ridiculousness as she sets her bag down on the bedside table.
“You’re going to get the comforter all sweaty and gross.” She says lightheartedly.
It gets Pearl to lift her head and look at Marina, shooting her an unimpressed look that says, really?
Marina blushes before turning away. “Point taken.”
She’s changing out of her stage clothes right away and into something a little more comfortable. She hangs her orange suit and black bralette up on a hanger, keen on avoiding any annoying wrinkles, and digs through her suitcase for a simple pair of pants and a somewhat thick crewneck.
She can feel Pearl’s eyes on her as she changes, and when she turns around fully dressed, she’s entirely unsurprised to see the inkling staring right at her, a small smile on her face.
“You’re beautiful.” She says, and Marina’s tentacles are curling into themselves.
She approaches the bed and then climbs on and over top Pearl’s body, her thighs framing her hips. She leans down some until their noses are almost touching, and whispers, “Hi.”
And then gold is looking right into her eyes. “Hi, baby.” She says, her hands landing on Marina’s hips. Marina shifts her weight to one hand so she can cup the side of Pearl’s face, before leaning in and pressing their lips together in a sweet kiss.
Afterwards, Marina grunts as she rolls off of Pearl and onto her back beside her. Despite the amount of energy expended during the concert, Marina feels a little restless. Her gaze falls to Pearl again, who is holding her phone above her face as she scrolls through social media, looking at what the fans have to say about the night.
She doesn’t miss how Pearl’s eyes linger on the fans’ videos of her, her thumb slowing her scrolling to a stop so she can watch. It’s a silent kind of declaration of love, the way Pearl can’t seem to get enough of Marina even when she’s always by her side.
“Are you tired?” Marina asks out of the blue.
Pearl blinks, and then sets her phone face down on the bed. “Not really.” She says, turning on her side to face Marina. “Why?”
“I’m not either,” She says, and then peers out the nearby window. “Want to go for a walk?”
Pearl follows Marina’s gaze, before it lands back on her. “Sure.”
Funnily enough neither of them make any sudden movements following their agreement. It goes on like this until Pearl is groaning dramatically as she sits up. She takes her crown off her head and then stands, moving over to her own suitcase to find some more casual clothes.
It’s Marina’s turn now to watch as Pearl rids herself of her gold dress and pulls her fingerless gloves off. Unlike Marina’s suit, the dress lands in a pile on the floor, and she has to suppress a giggle. She watches with quiet awe as Pearl’s subtle back muscles move while she digs through her suitcase, and then as she pulls a plain black tank top over her head.
She can’t help but make her own way off the bed as Pearl pulls a pair of jeans up her legs, and as soon as she’s standing up straight Marina is wrapping her arms around the inkling from behind, resting her chin on top of her head.
Pearl makes no sound of surprise, already much too familiar with Marina’s cuddly moods. Instead, she reaches up and moves her hand along one of the octoling’s arms and leans back into her.
“I love you.” Marina says, and ducks her head down beside Pearl’s so she can press a kiss to her cheek. It pulls an adorable giggle out of Pearl as she turns her head further and catches Marina in another kiss.
“I love you too, baby.” Pearl responds. “Now let’s get going, yeah?”
Marina smiles and relinquishes her hold on her girlfriend. Pearl grabs two more things—a black hat for where her crown used to sit, and her black leather jacket.
Outside, they have no planned goal or destination. As long as Pearl is with her, Marina could walk anywhere for any period of time. Their hotel isn’t right in the middle of the downtown area of the city, but it’s not far, so it’s the direction they end up heading in.
It’s not something they usually do. Marina likes to plan ahead, but for some reason tonight she has the slight inclination to be spontaneous. Maybe it’s because they’re in a city they might not come to again, or simply because there’s no clouds in the sky and it’s nice out.
A little while later, Pearl makes a sound of interest beside her, and she feels a tug in her hand.
“Babe, look.” Pearl says. Marina follows Pearl’s pointing finger until her gaze lands on a building. It’s unique in its architecture, in that it looks to be almost entirely made of slightly reflective metal, complete with a red roof and matching red accents. “It’s an old time-y diner.”
Marina has been in a few diners before, sure, but she’s never seen one quite as stuck in time as this one. Maybe it’s because this city might be less than half the size of Inkopolis, where the general aesthetics aren’t quite as with the times. The sign—the word Diner simply lit up in neon lights—looks run down and washed out, and as they get closer Marina can see how much the oxidation of metal has progressed along the edges of the paneling.
“We should go in.” Pearl says, and Marina is a little amused, because Pearl has always leaned towards the side of luxury. She wouldn’t call this place luxurious, but who is she to say no, when Pearl has this look on her face?
When Pearl pushes the door to the diner open, the bell above it rings, and the teenage inkling half asleep at the cash register is suddenly wide awake.
“You’re—“ He says, his eyes wide.
Marina looks down at Pearl, and she has to stifle a giggle when she brings a finger up to her lips, tapping them a few times.
“Give us two milkshakes, will ya?” Pearl says, and Marina nudges her. “Please.”
He nods his head slowly, his eyes still wide in shock.
“Oh, and…” Pearl says, reaching into her pocket for her wallet. Marina watches as she pulls what must be at least twenty grand in cash out and hands it over to the cashier. “You can have this, if you keep us being here under wraps, you feel me? ‘Rina and I don’t want much attention right now.”
“R—right.” The inkling says, his voice cracking as he looks at the money in disbelief. It’s the amount of money these kids risk their safety for at Grizzco, and Pearl is just handing it to him.
Pearl winks. “Good.”
After that, Pearl reaches for Marina’s hand and intertwines their fingers, pulling her towards a booth in the corner of the diner. It really is a cozy little place that they would have never found if not for their spontaneous walk, with the interior being just as unique as the outside. The floor is made up of old black and white tiles, long past their prime time, and the walls are lined with portraits of movie stars and musical artists from at least fifty years ago. There’s pink and blue neon lights lining where the wall meets the ceiling, and more designs on the ceiling itself.
“Oh, Pearlie…” Marina dotes. “You’re so romantic, bribing a teenage boy for our privacy…”
Pearl snorts and shoots her a goofy look. “Anything for you, sweetheart.”
Marina smiles softly as she slides into the seat of the booth across from Pearl. She may be joking a little, but Pearl would do anything for Marina, she’s shown that much to be true over and over again.
“This is a nice little place,” Marina muses.
Pearl hums as she reaches across the laminate table, taking Marina’s hand in her own again. “Yeah,” She murmurs softly.
Marina tilts her head, and brushes her thumb across the back of Pearl’s hand. “You okay, baby?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah.” Pearl says, eyes flicking up to meet Marina’s. “This might sound kinda stupid but… I’ve… always wanted to come to one of these places.”
“Yeah? Never have?” Marina asks.
“Well, yeah.” Pearl says, shrugging. “I guess I have. But I’ve always wanted to bring the one I love.”
And it’s of course no secret that Pearl loves Marina. She’s been lucky enough to call the inkling her own for almost seven years, but she would be lying if she said Pearl didn’t still find the simplest ways to fluster her. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in all of life’s happenings, especially theirs, and it still takes some of the wind out of her when she remembers exactly how Pearl feels about her.
“It was some dumb fantasy I had as a teenager,” Pearl continues. “I don’t really know why, or what exactly the appeal of it is, but…”
Marina rests her head on her propped up free hand as she listens to her girlfriend talk.
“I dunno. It’s stupid.” Pearl says.
“I don’t think so,” Marina says, her voice a little muffled from the way she’s pressing her hand against her cheek.
Pearl smiles a little, and when she’s about to open her mouth to speak she’s interrupted by the inkling from the register bringing their milkshakes over. Marina breaks from her trance with just enough time to thank him, before turning back to Pearl.
As she sips on her milkshake, Marina peers out the window at the street. It’s late, and most people have hidden away in their dwellings for the night, but there’s the occasional straggler walking home from their late shift, or a group of teenagers making the most of the last hours of the day. There’s a bus stop across the street, collecting a group of people waiting for the next one to show up.
Then she turns back to Pearl. Marina thinks she looks so handsome sitting there, with her piercings and leather jacket. It reminds her of when she first met her, all angst and black clothing and accessories, searching for a new purpose.
It’s strange and kind of remarkable how long those two years of being a hopeless romantic felt for Marina. Every day she selfishly hoped Pearl wouldn’t find anybody, wishing that someday she would fall in love with her instead.
And then she did, and suddenly seven years sped by right in front of Marina’s eyes.
She thinks she gets it, why Pearl has such a fantasy. The world moves so fast, but when she’s sitting in this empty diner, it feels like time has a chance to slow down. The world outside can move as fast as it likes, but in here, she has all the time she needs.
It makes her a little emotional to think about. Almost ten years ago she had made a split second decision to sacrifice everything for almost nothing. She left her people, her family, and her devotion behind. Back then she could only hope that her people would follow in her footsteps,
but if she had never left she might have never known how beautiful the world could be above ground.
She wouldn’t be able to sit here in a diner, with the love of her life.
“Do you think pictures of us could be hung up in diners fifty years from now?” Marina asks.
“Hm?” Pearl hums, before following Marina’s gaze to the walls. “Oh. Heh, I think so.”
“Really?” Marina responds.
“Yup.” Pearl says, popping her ‘p’. “You and me are gonna go down in history.”
Marina smiles. “As long as you’re by my side.”
“You kiddin’ baby?” Pearl says, bending a leg up and hugging it to her chest. She rests the side of her face on her knee. “I’m never leavin’ it.”
“I didn’t have a doubt in the world.” Marina says.
Marina has lived such a grand life so far, filled with money and adoring fans and threats to life as she knows it. She’s gotten to do what she loves the most, which is to make music. But as she sits here she thinks that what has made it all worth it is the quiet moments like these. It all feels so mundane, but it makes her feel so alive.
That maybe, if all the glitz and glamour faded away, and if she woke up with only herself and Pearl to her name, life would still be worth it. She likes to think Pearl thinks like this too, though she’s never outright asked. That they’d still find each other, were they to be in another universe. Maybe one where Octarians weren’t forced below ground and her and Pearl met as kids, or one where they met even later in life as solo artists. She thinks that they could fall in love over and over again, in a million different ways.
“I can tell when you’re deep in your head, beautiful.” Pearl says, squeezing Marina’s hand gently.
“Hm,” Marina says as she rises from the depths of her mind. “You caught me.”
“Everything good?” Pearl asks.
“Yes,” She responds, flashing her girlfriend a smile. “I was just thinking about us.”
“Yeah?”
“Mmhm.”
“Well…” Pearl says, her voice low. “I’m on the edge of my seat over here.”
Marina chuckles. “Do you think we’d find each other in every universe?”
She’s expecting Pearl to think a bit on her answer, but instead the inkling responds immediately.
“Yes.” She says.
“Yeah… me too.” Marina says, unable to contain her smile.
“I think…” Pearl starts, itching her jaw absently. “That you can’t get rid of me that easy.”
Marina scoffs. “As if I’d ever try.”
Pearl smiles. “For real though, I think I was missin’ a part of myself before you ran into me that day. And then I think I found it.” She says. “If there are other universes out there, I wanna think that they’re all nice enough to give the other Pearls their missing parts.”
“I’m your missing piece, am I?” Marina asks, a teasing grin growing on her face.
“Yeah.” Pearl says softly. No snarky comeback, no jokes, and no teasing.
Marina then takes a sip of her milkshake and sighs. “You’re making me want to kiss you. But the table is too big…”
Pearl laughs, says, “All you have to do is ask,” and then she’s sliding out of her seat and rounding the table. She slides in next to Marina, immediately looping her arm around her waist. Marina hums happily and rests her own arm around Pearl’s shoulders, pulling her in close and leaning down so she can press their lips together.
When she pulls away, she leans the side of her head on top of Pearl’s, allowing her tentacles to gravitate towards her girlfriend.
“Wanna bet that kid is taking pics of us right now?” Pearl says quietly.
Marina laughs in the form of exhaling a puff of air through her nose. “I’d give it a good fifty-fifty chance.” She moves her thumb back and forth on Pearl’s shoulder. “Such is life, I guess.”
“We’ll find out next time we go on any social media ever.” Pearl says. “But, whatever. If they can’t be stopped at least I can make the whole world jealous that you’re allll mine.” She continues, and then presses her face to Marina’s neck, punctuating her sentence with a kiss there. Marina giggles, her eye closest to Pearl closing as her shoulder shoots up, effectively nudging Pearl away from her neck.
When they leave, Pearl leaves another unfathomable amount of money on the table as a tip. She gives the cashier a two fingered salute, and starstruck as ever, he simply raises a still hand to signal his goodbye.
The air outside is more brisk than it was when they came here, and Marina finds that Pearl is pressing herself closer to her side. She slings her arm back around her shoulders, and Pearl reaches up to hold Marina’s fingers in hers as she stretches her other arm across the small of her back. Both their step patterns are rather sluggish from the exhaustion that’s started to take over their bodies.
Marina looks up at the sky, towards the city’s apartment buildings. Some of the units still have lights on at this hour, and inside some of them she can see the everyday lives of the people who inhabit the space. She can see a few couples through the windows. Some are watching television together, snuggled up to each other, and others are having a late night snack, sitting across from each other at the table as they conversate. In other apartments there are no people, and instead she can only see the decor. But even the environment tells its own story. Blocky plastic letter magnets on the lower part of a fridge door, flowers in vases filled with water, food bowls on the floor.
When Marina found herself on Mount Nantai, the first thing she noticed was how beautiful nature was. So many lush plants and sounds of insects surrounded her, and the air felt so fresh. And in the sky there were a million stars. Real ones at that, the likes of which she’d never seen in her sixteen years of living. The moon illuminated the land all on its own out in the open like this, and it amazed her.
But Marina has found that there’s something beautiful about the city, too. Even with all the light pollution that shields the stars from her view. Because there are so many people here, each living their own lives and experiencing their own version of happiness.
Marina will marry Pearl one day. It’s not a question of if, but when. That’s her version of happiness, and she knows it’s Pearl’s too. Whatever comes thereafter, whether it’s the children’s fridge magnets or pet food bowls, or something else, her and Pearl will do it together. Once tour life slows to a stop and they can take some time to themselves, the next part of their life can begin.
There’s a unique feeling that comes with being in a new city every day and sleeping in a different bed every night. It’s exhilarating and thrilling, and doing it with Pearl makes every hotel room they stay in feel like home, but Marina would be lying if she said she wasn’t looking forward to sinking into the mattress of their actual bed, back in Inkopolis. No check out times, or itineraries, or scarcely abided by vocal rests between shows. Just her and Pearl, with nothing but their love.
(Yes, she knows she’s the one who made the itineraries in the first place.)
“I love you, Marina.” Pearl says into the night air, snapping Marina out of her thoughts.
She turns her head as her gaze falls to her girlfriend. Pearl is smiling at her, and it’s not the kind of smile she has when she’s thinking of something funny. It’s more like another silent declaration of love all on its own. Her golden eyes are partially lidded and her—particularly adorable—brows are sitting in such a way that her entire expression comes off as incredibly soft. It makes Marina wonder what she’s been thinking about.
Yes, Marina will make this woman her wife. Just seeing her face makes Marina sick with love and feel rather prophetic about the next several decades of her life. And what she sees amidst these decades, of course, is Pearl.
She pulls Pearl in closer to her body and dips down to press a kiss to her forehead.
“I love you too, Pearlie. Forever.”