A World Once Familiar, Redux (Splatoon/Subnautica x Male Reader)

3: A Watery Hellscape

  "—Hu—?" Before Pearl could try to let out a confused sound, the guest room door was slammed shut, leaving the pink inkling alone in the hall.

  What had... just happened...?

  "L/n?" Pearl looked back to the closed door, confused beyond any reasoning.

  "I—..." Your single, muffled syllable caught as you tried to search for some reason, any reason to explain what had been less than a second away from direct physical assault against Pearl.

  "L-L/n... what was that?" Pearl asked, trying to find any way to extract information.

  "I—I'll... I'll just get ready to... to l-leave..." You stammered from behind the door.

  "What? L/n, talk to me here." Pearl asked, approaching the door.

  "What just happened?"

  "Y-You can just... leave me at the square... I—"

  "L/n!" Pear interrupted your stuttering, raspy speech with a single bark of your last name.

  "I... I'm not kicking you out... yet..." She told you, shaking her head.

  "N-No... I just...—"

  "Your back. Is it hurt?" Pearl asked, stopping your insistent stammering.

  "I—"

  "Answer the question. Yes or no, is your back hurt?"

  "...y-yes..." The answer brought a low sigh to Pearls lips, before she shook her head.

  "Does it have to do with that work you're doing?"

  "Yes..." The answer came from you much easier this time.

  "Then... come on out. I'm not mad about... whatever that was." Pearl admitted.

  "N-No... you should be—"

  "I hit your back, which was hurting, and you responded in kind. Sure, resorting immediately to violence is a bit out of hand, but you're already a weirdo." Pearl told you. Silence was her response for a few seconds before she sighed, speaking back up.

  "If I wanted you out to the point of trying to find excuses or setting you up, I'd have kicked you out already. This was my fault, I didn't know your back was hurt." She assured you.

  "O...Okay..." Your voice, still raspy, sounded a bit higher than usual. You were nervous. Scared. Whether it was of Pearl or your own actions, she didn't know.

  "Now, come on out for breakfast." She told you. This time, the bedroom door opened without much delay, revealing you once again. With a fidgety step, you were out of the room, heading down the hall with Pearl behind you.

  "New rule." She decided, temporarily slowing you down.

  "While you're updating me on your 'work,' tell me if you're getting hurt, and where. I'd rather not get punched in the throat." She told you.

  "O-Okay..." You quickly nodded, agreeing to the new terms. It wasn't long, but it was still quite the walk from a bedroom to the kitchen. Nothing a regular person would expect, but with the size of Pearls mansion, it was a given.