Breaking the Glass || Agent 38

Chapter Two- Organization

"Oh, 8's here!" An excited voice said as the octoling emerged from the drain.

8 smiled and waved to her friends; Agent 3, Agent 4, Pearl, and Marina were there. She stepped off of the drain, trying to hide how tired she was from earlier in Sheldon's shop. A bandaid about the size of a cup coaster was placed on the palm of her right hand.

"Where's Callie and Marie?" 8 asked.

Agent 4 turned to her. "Marie is out on a mission and Callie's looking for Captain!"

"Or maybe she's at the mall, who knows nowadays," Agent 3 shrugged with their monotone voice.

Agent 8 sat down on the blue cushioned couch next to 3 and 4. She sat back and let out a shaky sigh. 3 looked at her with a somewhat confused look on her face.

"You ok?" She asked.

"Is that sarcasm again?" Agent 8 asked.

"Eh, not really, but you can forget it."

Agent 3 shrugged again and rested her head back on her hand. 8 looked confused and slightly annoyed; she wasn't in the mood for 3's games.

Marina looked between the two and held her breath. "Pearlie, there should be some snacks I brought with me, mind bringing them out of the shack?"

"On it," Pearl said before walking into the old Cuttlefish cabin.

There was an awkward silence between everyone. 4 kicked her feet on the wooden frame of the sofa. Agent 3 took out her phone and started scrolling through her social media feed. Marina waited for Pearl to return, and Agent 8 fiddled with her thumbs.

"So," Marina attempted to start a conversation, "how was work so far today, 8?"

Agent 8 paused. She felt annoyed and ticked off by the question, even though she knew Marina didn't know what happened to her at work.

"It was fine." She said with a hiss under her tone. "I'm gonna see if Pearl needs help."

8 got up from the couch and walked over to the cabin, pressing her feet as hard as she could to the ground without looking like she was stomping. 3 looked away from her phone to notice 8's behavior.

As she opened the door, Pearl staggered out with an assorted bag of snacks. 8 flinched as Pearl ran into her, knocking her down to the ground. Marina and 4 looked over with worried glances, while Agent 3 immediately put her phone down and stood up at the sound of 8's tumble.

8 squeezed her eyes closed as she expected another episode, but to her surprise, she was still in the same location. Pearl blinked in confusion.

"You good, 8?" Pearl put down the bag and reached her hand out for 8 to grab.

8 flinched and slapped her hand away in response, anxiousness and fear taking over her thoughts. "Stop!" She shouted at her, "Back off!"

Pearl's eyes widened before they changed from surprise to annoyance instead of hospitality. "Jeez, what's your deal??" She looked 8 up and down as she furrowed her brows and scoffed.

"Hey, now, no need to argue-" Marina began.

"We're not arguing!"

"Everyone calm down already," Agent 3 demanded in a rough tone.

8 pursed her lips while Pearl silently rolled her eyes. The octoling looked around the outpost, noticing everyone's worried glances, before standing up and walking away towards the drain.

"Where are you going, 8?" Agent 4 went to stand up, but 8 turned around sharply with a mean glare. 4 sat back down immediately.

"I need to get back to work. See you later," 8 mumbled. She transformed into an octopus and dived into the drain back to Inkopolis.

Agent 3 put her hands on her hips with a sigh. "I don't even think her break is over yet, though."

"No, it is. She just arrived late," Marina said.

3 raised a brow and looked back at the drain. "Right," she mumbled.

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The door to the apartment clicked shut. 8 stumbled as she took off her shoes, kicking them off on the mat. She bolted through the apartment trying to make it to her room quietly. Soft snoring came from 4's room, so she felt like there was no need to check. But as she went by 3's room, she noticed the door was slightly cracked open. The lights were off, so she assumed she was asleep.

8 made it to her room and noticed her things were in order; everything was nearly folded in drawers, her bed was made, her desk was clean, and her displayed turf war weapons were lined up how she liked them. Her lips formed a smile, knowing that 3 was behind it.

As she climbed into bed, she wondered if 3 noticed her sleeping habits recently. If she didn't, then her organizing her room for her wouldn't make much sense. 8 can't sleep without her room in order, and 3 knows that.

She sighed and tried to relax, but something bugged her. She couldn't shake an anxious feeling that hung over her head. The octoling just squeezed her eyes shut and waited for sleep, but once again, she barely got any.