Work Text:
Peso knew it was kinda silly. Actually, it was very silly but it didn't stop him from staring longing at some pebbles. He had a mate but he didn't think Shellington, would appreciate the rock (perhaps he would but maybe it wouldn't hold the same significance to him). His life as an octonaut left little room for children, he wasn't going to give up being an octonaut any time soon and he had already come to terms with the fact that the closest thing to raising a child he would get would be a vegimal. And that was okay with him but all this didn't stop him from fantasizing about it. He liked to pretend for a moment that he could have both be an octonaut and have a family. That Shellington would know what the rock meant or perhaps Peso might be the one to receive a rock. The thought alone of receiving a rock from his boyfriend always made him giddy. And so on their adventures when there was no longer any danger he'd like to look at rocks along the seafloor and sometimes he'd be extra silly and pick it up to make sure it was smooth enough and to keep himself from actually going through with it he would always tell himself it wasn't smooth enough or round enough. There wasn't a rock good enough for Shellington in his mind and that way Peso could stop himself from doing something stupid. His little system worked well until he finally did find the perfect rock. It would be such a shame to lose such a perfect rock and after 10 minutes of contemplating whether or not he should bring it with him, he finally picked it up and made his way back to the gup ignoring the looks of concern from Kwazii and his Captain. Perhaps if he had paid attention he would have been able to save himself from a very awkward conversation.
.
.
.
“Uh, captain?”
“Yes, Kwazii?”
“Have you noticed somethin' strange going on with Peso?”
“Now that you mention it, he has been acting rather strange.”
“The way he just stares at those rocks, what you reckon the problem is?”
“Perhaps he just wants a rock” the Captain proposed.
“Maybe but why doesn't he just get one? Maybe it's a penguin thing?” Kwazii proposed.
Barnacles hummed in agreement.
"He just seems so sad about it, you think if we gave him a rock he might cheer up?”
“I don’t know if we should Kwazii, perhaps it's best if we talk to Peso before we get involved"
"Aye, but it be nice to surprise him with something wouldn't it?"
"I suppose" Barnacles agreed hesitantly.
"Arrr I'll tell the others".
"Kwazii wait-" but before he could argue with him Kwazii was off.
.
.
.
"Peso! Matey!"
"Oh do you need something Kwazii?"
Peso watched Kwazii take out a pretty big piece of black sea glass and offer it to him; he tilted his head in confusion.
"I see you staring at them rocks when we go on missions, and I thought ya might like one".
Peso pursued his beak together and he was met with a serious dilemma. On one hand, it was rude to reject a gift on the other he had to reject this offer.
"Oh uh thank you Kwazii but I can't accept this" Peso began pushing the sea glass away from him.
"Nonsense! It's just a rock!"
Just a rock? Just a rock!? … OH! Peso didn't know if he should be angry or relieved. Of course, Kwazii didn't know the importance of rocks and he was about to give him a lecture on the importance of rocks in his culture but favored the easier option of just taking the sea glass instead of explaining to his friend that he had essentially just proposed to him.
"Thank you Kwazii this was very kind of you"
"No need to thank me, Matey, again it's just a rock" Peso frowned before taking a deep breath.
"Yeow!" Kwazii exclaimed doing a backflip out of the Peso room.
And Peso sat there for a good minute before laughing so hard his sides hurt.
.
.
.
They had just finished singing their creature report for the day and Dashi was currently editing and uploading it to YouTube. Peso sat by her chatting with her. He liked to keep her company while she did this.
"And done!" She explained.
"Yay!" Peso clapped giggling as Dashi joined him in the clapping.
"Oh Peso before I forget… here" and he nearly stopped breathing when she pulled out a small red rock.
Had he really been that obvious?
"I got this when while I was traveling I got some beautiful photos and decided to keep some rocks as souvenirs" she began to ramble now noticing Peso's discomfort.
Maybe penguins didn't like red rocks.
"Do you like it?" she fiddled with the rock.
Peso now realizing how rude he had been shook his head.
"No, I like it! I'm just a little shocked" he took the rock in his flippers and he smiled forcefully but it was convincing enough.
“It's getting pretty late I'm going to go to bed early…and thank you for the rock it is a…
very nice rock” he began to waddle away.
"Good night Peso!” Dashi called out to him.
“Buenas Noches!” he responded.
Peso promised himself that he would not stare at rocks any longer as he waddled to his room.
He bumped into Barnacles before he could quite make it.
"Hello Peso, how have you been feeling recently".
"He estado bien Captain y tu?". 'I have been fine Captain and you'
"Eh- yo estoy muy bien gracias por preguntar" the Captain struggled to reply. 'I am very good thanks for asking'
And although Barnacles' accent hurt his very soul he understood that he was trying his best.
And there were just some things Barnacle could not do for the life of him and it appeared that speaking Spanish along with gift wrapping was just one of those things "That was much better Captain your pronunciation has improved a lot".
The Captain chuckled "No need to spare my feelings Peso I am still muy horrible con el español". 'Very horrible with my Spanish'
"Nonsense! A month ago you wouldn't have been able to say that at all!"
"Thank you Peso for agreeing to teach me. I know I'm not the best at speaking Spanish. I know the others have picked it up a bit faster than me-"
"Shh!" Peso cut him off "Do not compare yourself to others Captain. It's alright to struggle with things, learning a new language is hard. You remember when I first came on the octopod it was so embarrassing I couldn't say more than a few phrases in English but you guys were so patient with me and even started to learn Spanish to help me. Everyone has different things they're good at. You have really good comprehension and reading, someone else might struggle with that portion of the language just as you struggle with speaking so you shouldn't go around comparing your progress with others".
Barnacles smiled "Thank you Peso".
"Te traje algo, cuando estábamos viendo el… the coral reef I saw this rock, and yo pienso que a la mejor te gusta" the Captain handed him a rock. 'I brought you something when we were seeing the…I thought you might like it'
Not having the heart to ruin the mood by rejecting the gift Peso took the rock.
"Bueno, pensaste bien, esta rock esta muy linda, gracias Capitán" he smiled looking up at the Captain. 'Well, you thought right this rock is really pretty'.
There was a long awkward pause before the captain cleared his throat.
“Well, we have a long day tomorrow it's best you get a good night's rest”.
“Buenas noches Capitán, que descanses bien” ‘good night captain, may you rest well’
“You too”.
Peso placed his newly acquired rocks in one of his drawers, before laying down. If this continued he might have enough rocks to build a nest.
.
.
.
They had finished a mission and were now climbing out of the gups, the captain congratulated them on a job well done and they were all celebrating having reunited an injured dolphin calf with their pod.
“Peso I have something for you” Tweak pulled Peso aside towards her bed.
Not again! He thought and it was at this point he realized that he would receive a proposal from most of his friends and he didn’t know if he should be flattered or concerned.
She pulled something out covering it with her paws before placing it in his flippers. He looked down and despite knowing what it was it didn't stop him from being absolutely flabbergasted.
“I didn't know what kind of rock ya’d like but judging by your expression I must have guest right”.
“I do like smooth rocks, they are um very nice to feel. Uh… muchas gracias?” he said awkwardly petting the blue river rock with one of his flippers.
“Your welcome” she replied before walking off to celebrate with the others.
And Peso waddled off to put his rock away and scream into his pillow for a little bit because it infuriated him to no end to have received a rock from almost everyone but Shellington. When he collected himself he waddled back down to join the others in their celebration. They had all moved to the kitchen to prepare a small celebratory dinner. By the time he was done screaming, they were already serving the food.
"What did I miss?"
"Not to worry matey nothing important. You came just in time Captain just finished giving his sappy speech" Kwazii whispered not quietly at all resulting in a couple of giggles across the table and a very embarrassed Barnacles.
"I disagree Kwazii. I find the Captain's speeches quite encouraging" argued Inkling "shame Peso had to miss it".
"I understand that many of you might think it's a bit sentimental but I will not hesitate to tell my team how much I appreciate them and today is no exception".
"Aw Captain" Kwazii proceeded to affectionately punch his arm "you big soft you're gonna make us all cry. Now is that any way to show your team appreciation?".
Instead of responding Barnacles playfully pushed Kwazii.
Once they began to eat they split off into smaller conversations. Tweak was talking to Dashi something about prank, Kawaii and fuzzy worms. Peso had no idea what would ensue as a result of that conversation but he was looking forward to it. Kwazii was telling stories to his audience that consisted of the vegimals, Barnacles and Inking. And Peso was having the time of his life listening to Shellington's rant about crabs and evolution.
"-It's a very fascinating phenomenon. Many species of sea life seem to be evolving to imitate the crab form. Many scientists don't know why things keep evolving into crabs. It almost seems as if crab is the ideal form"
"Shelligton?” Peso finally spoke up after 10 minutes of silence.
“Yes, Peso?”
And in the most serious voice, he could muster he asked “Would you still love me if I suddenly evolved into a crab”
Shellington held Peso’s flippers in his paws looking into his eyes “Without a doubt”.
They both burst out giggling no longer being able to keep a straight face. Suddenly Shellington put a paw over his mouth, eyes widening in realization.
“What's wrong?”
“Jumping jellyfish! I'm so sorry Peso I was supposed to give this to you yesterday” Shellington quickly pulled out a rock.
Peso nearly fell out of his seat. He couldn’t stop the goofy grin that spread across his face. And most embarrassing of all he felt his tail shake excitedly. He knew it wasn’t a proposal rock (it was far too sharp and lumpy) but that didn’t stop him from being overwhelmed with joy. He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard clapping.
“Congratulations you two!” Inkling shouted and continued to clap.
Peso felt his face grow warm.
“What?” Shelligton asked.
Inkling now realized that he had misread the situation.
“Oh so it's not a proposal rock my apologies,” Inkling said rather embarrassedly.
It was at this moment that everyone dropped their utensils and there was a loud clank that echoed in the room.
And after a moment of silence, Kwazii finally spoke up “I'm sorry a what rock?”
“A proposal rock,” Inkling said quietly “Gentoo penguins use rocks to propose to each other, oh dear I'm afraid I’ve made this quiet awkward I’m sorry Peso”.
“Wait, wait, wait. So you're telling me that we’ve been proposing to Peso this past week by giving him rocks?” Kwazzi asked in complete disbelief.
And suddenly Shelligton looked very nervous looking over his rock wishing he had gotten a better rock. He knew what otters thought were good rocks but not what a penguin might like.
There was a heavy silence that fell over the kitchen, Tweek and Dashi looked at each other before looking at Peso silently pleading for forgiveness. Peso in turn buried his head in his flippers to cover his eyes. For he was a firm believer that if he didn't see it, it wasn't happening.
The awkward silence was broken by the captain's hearty laughter “I guess you were right Kwazii it was a penguin thing.”
Kwazii began to laugh as well “Aye, but you were right as well we should have talked with Peso” he turned to Peso “no wonder ya seemed so uncomfortable when we gave you them presents”.
“Peso matey, I'm sorry for making this awkward, I just wanted to cheer you up with a gift,” Kwazii said dismayed.
“It's alright Kwazii, thank you, they were actually very nice proposal rocks”.
It was at this point that Kwazii’s and the Captain's laughter became contagious and everyone began laughing.
“Oh really? Objectively who had the best rock Peso?” the captain asked.
“And you can’t say Shellington!” Kwazii butt in “That would be cheating”.
“Actually his was the worst '' Peso looked at Shellington sheepishly.
And Shelligton looked at his rock in dismay.
Peso smiled softly, taking the rock in his flippers “it's perfect the way it is”.
Shelligton smiled and Tweak teasily began to make gagging noises with Kwazii.
“Alright, alright but who won?” Kwazii asked.
“Tweak”.
“What? Really? You're telling me that her stinky blue rock was better than me rock? I don't believe you” Kwazii crossed his arms.
“Well for starters her rock is an actual rock, sea glass is very nice but it's quite flashy and impractical for nest building. And she gets extra points for its unique color”.
“I suppose you have a point” Kwazii admitted.
Shellington once again stared at the rock he had given Peso a frown appearing on his features.
“But mine was the second best right?” Kwazii asked.
Peso shook his head and they argued the rest of the dinner about whose rock was better than whose.
.
.
.
Shellington was up late again. And as always he was researching. But this time instead of marine animals he was researching penguin courting rituals. And Peso was absolutely right, his rock was horrible. It was big, lumpy and rough, perfect to be used as a tool but absolutely horrible for a nest. He groaned loudly into his paws rubbing his tired eyes. And he promised himself that one day he would get Peso a proper rock. Not right now because the rock insinuated being ready to start a family and he doubted Peso would be willing to leave the octonauts any time soon and Shellington had his hands full raising 12 vegimals.
A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Come in" he looked up from his book and spun around coming face to face with his visitor.
Upon seeing who it was he quickly spun back around shutting his book trying to hide it under his arms.
"I hope I'm not bothering you, are you busy? Because I can come back another time" Peso said slowly, backing out of the room.
"Ah no, I wasn't doing anything… just passing the time Peso".
Peso frowned deeply before taking in a deep breath. Shellington had never seen him so nervous before. And it was at this point Shellington noticed Peso was hiding something behind his back. Peso pulled out a rock placing it in Shellington's hands. Shelligton looked between the rock and Peso excitedly. He just read about this! If a partner rejected the stone they would simply push it away from them but if it was accepted they would keep the rock and find one in return.
"So I'll take it you like my rock?" Shellington asked, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.
Peso smiled " Es la más hermosa roka que eh visto in me vida ''. 'It is the most beautiful rock I've seen in my life
Shellington placed the rock down on his desk before pulling Peso into a hug, nuzzling his cheek into the top of Peso's head and Peso returned the gesture by nuzzling into the crook of Shellington's neck. Peso moved his head reaching upwards pressing his cheek against Shellington's.
"So are we gonna build a nest now?" Shellington asked. trying to play it off as a joke despite being 100% serious.
Peso chuckled " Oh no, the rock is a promise you make to the receiver. You're promising to be there and that you'll always stand by their side and for most penguins it means standing by each other while they build a family".
"Do you want a family?" Shellington asked.
"Maybe someday, I'm not ready to give up being an octonaut anytime soon. Do you want one?"
"I do. Not right now of course and as you've said I value being an octonaut over any of my own desires. But maybe one day when there's someone to take my place I can step down. I also have my hands full with the vegimals".
"That you do, I guess we already did have a family, we just did this out of order".
"Aye".
Peso turned his head from the embrace to look at the clock “Flappity flippers! Is it really that late? We should get to bed…Do you mind if I stay with you tonight?”
“Not at all” Shelligton walked away to set the bed. When he finished, he sat down and moved towards the wall.
He pat the empty space behind him as an invitation for Peso to join. Peso lay down next to Shelligton taking his paw in his flipper. They turned to the side to face each other then scooted even closer. Peso face now rested against Shellington’s chest and Shellington’s chin on top of Peso’s head. And Peso took this newfound closeness to preen Shellington’s fur. Or well try to, preening fur and feathers were very different things. Shelligton chuckled before grooming the top of Peso’s head, and he ran into a similar problem as Peso. And soon enough Shellington was lulled to sleep by Peso and Peso being as tired as he was followed soon after.