The Reluctant Hero (Splatoon)

Chapter 23

"These must be photographs taken by some young-adult Inklings. Are these so-called Tweenklings trying to convince their peers that their lives are exciting and full of meaning? Or are they trying to convince themselves?"
—Sunken Scrolls 2:12 (3.3)

Wednesday, 9:13 p.m.
Teuthida General Hospital

Natalie stared at him with a confused look on her face. Her emotions seemed to cycle between surprise, anger, and disbelief as she put all the pieces together in her head. She settled on a sad mixture of guilt and disgust and turned away from Cole.

He wanted to take that back. What a horrible thing to say! Couldn't he have thought of anything else?

"...You sure it was me?" Natalie asked in a small voice.

No going back now. "Yeah," Cole answered. "We found him right outside your cell."

"...I killed her father?"

"I-I'm sure it was an accident."

Natalie closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't quite form any words.

"I'm sorry," Cole apologized. "I didn't mean to—"

"...No, it's fine," Natalie said, exhaling. "I needed to know."

Cole had nothing to say. He felt like an idiot.

"...Thanks for telling me," she finished.

The two of them sat on the bed in silence. Nat looked really upset. Someone this disturbed by killing an unarmed civilian, and an Octarian, at that, would not have done so on purpose. Nat had a lot more heart than Cole gave her credit for. She wasn't some crazed killer, after all, and Cole felt kind of ridiculous for suspecting as such. He wanted to hold her close and reassure her that everything was going to be okay, but she probably didn't need that right now. He owed Nat the time and space to come to terms with everything on her own. That, and he'd probably injure her further—those were stitches in her arms.

"So you're Agent 4, huh?" Natalie finally said.

"Yeah."

"...Y-you tried out any of Sheldon's guns yet?"

"Yeah! They're awesome!"

Her smile returned. "Thought you might say that! His designs are right up your alley. We're lucky to have a guy like him on our side."

"And yet you keep using nothing but handguns."

"Pistols," she corrected.

"Yeah, yeah. You haven't changed much, Miss Tilus. Except you smell worse."

Natalie reached over and punched his shoulder. "Not my fault!" she protested. "Not like I chose to be locked up!"

"You disappearing musta been pretty bad for your Turf War team, too, right?" Cole asked. "How are they gonna compete without their star operative?"

Natalie frowned at him. She tilted her head one way, opened her mouth, and tilted her head the other way. She closed her mouth and simply looked at Cole.

"What's wrong, Nat?"

"Guess I'll just tell you now, but I don't play Turf War."

"When'd you quit?"

"I never made it into the League. I wasn't good enough."

"Wait, how?"

"Don't tell anyone!" Natalie insisted. "I'm sorry I lied. I wanted to compete, I really did, but I didn't qualify. Psyched myself out during tryouts and failed. Not a single team wanted me."

"Why don't you just try again?"

"Cap'n Cuttlefish found me after those first few weeks, said he saw promise in me. He thought I could do a whole lotta good for the city by working with the NSS."

"And you agreed."

"Cole, I was a failure," Natalie explained, furrowing her brow. "I didn't know what to do with myself. I didn't know how I was gonna face my parents. Didn't know how I was gonna face you. Joining the NSS was a win-win for me—I could become a hero or die trying. Either woulda been fine."

Cole shook his head. "Nat, one of those ain't fine at all."

"Relax, I don't plan on dying anymore. I'm good at this. The NSS pays me lots, and nobody is gonna replace me anytime soon."

"You seriously thought that Mom and Pop was gonna be mad you wasn't playing Turf War?"

"...I don't wanna disappoint y'all."

"You seriously thought that I of all people was gonna be disappointed you wasn't playing Turf War?"

Natalie remained quiet.

"Nat, I ain't so good with words," Cole admitted. "But you was always my hero. You're the smartest person I know. You're the best shot in the Falls, too. Bet you're even better now. And you had the guts to move to a brand new city all by yourself. That's something else."

Natalie sighed. "That's a lot to live up to, Cole," she lamented.

"No, that's not what I meant!" Cole spluttered, hitting himself in the forehead. "I meant that I don't care if you don't make tryouts! I don't care what you fail! I don't give a damn how bad you mess everything up, because you're always gonna be my best friend."

She stared directly at him, and Cole stared right back.

"Nat, I'm just happy you're alive," he finished, voice cracking. "I missed you."

Natalie scooted over to where Cole was sitting, dragging her IV lines along for the ride. Then, she leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Cole gently wrapped his arm around her and let time stand still for a while.

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