Octonauts QnA+Dares

Awkward Conversations

"Hey Peso?" Pinto asked, "What's a catnip?"

"Oh," Peso's eyes widened and he stared incredulously at Kwazii, "Catnip is, um- How do I put this? Not something Kwazii should have. Here, Peso fixed Kwazii with a look.

"Hehe, sorry. Just got a little curious, matey." Kwazii grinned sheepishly and Peso took the phone from Pinto.

"Maybe that's enough of Kwazii's phone for one day." He suggested kindly.

"But Peso," Pinto protested, "We haven't even finished the whole dare!"

"Alright." Peso shook his head in amusement, and let his baby brother run off with the phone. "So who were the last three people he texted?"

"His mother, me, and Cap." Tweak read over Pinto's shoulders, "He already did mine, so let's see the Captain's and his mother's texts. Hopefully they're more polite." She teased and plucked the phone out of Peso's flippers before opening the Messages app.

"Hang on, Kwazii, who's Mamie?" Jane asked, looking over Tweak's shoulder.

"That's me nickname for me mum, lil matey." Kwazii blushed slightly in shame.

"I know it sounds kinda silly, but I like the nickname." Peso smiled supportively at Kwazii and offered him a flipper.

"Really, matey?" Kwazii asked suspiciously, but he had to smile at Peso's genuine kindness.

"Of course, Kwazii! The nickname isn't childish; it only shows how much you love your mother!" Kwazii glowed at the praise for something he always felt would lead to him being tormented for, being a momma's boy.

"Yeah, yeah!" Tweak pretended to be bored, but she was smiling, "So what's the message say?"

"Oh," Jane perused the tablet again, "His mother says, 'I love you, kitten, have fun with your crew.'"

"Aww, that's sweet." Dashi giggled, wrapping her arms around her baby sister's shoulders as she went to check it herself, "what about the Captain's?"

"It's just a kinda argument between the Captain and Kwazii over Kwazii running the Gup-B into the side of the Launch Bay tank." Jane answered, remembering that incident vividly.

"I didn't run her into the wall on purpose!" Kwazii protested, "I hit reverse by accident and couldn't stop the Gup before it crashed."

"How do you-?" Tweak began, but held up her paws in surrender and retreated into the far corner of the Game Pod, "Never mind, Kwaz, I don't think I want to know." Everyone sat in shocked, disbelieving, awkward silence until the Captain spoke at last,

"Another question?"

"Why not?" Tweak sighed and picked the tablet back up, "Whose turn is it?"

"Uncle Inkling's." Squirt offered as Inkling attempted to signal for him not to volunteer. The professor sighed and read from the tablet.

"From @Uniquedoll602. For Peso: what was your father like?" The whole Octopod fell into uncomfortable silence once again. Peso's father was a taboo subject that they usually refrained from discussing.

"Well, he-he left my mama when Pinto was a baby, so I don't think Pinto remembers him a lot." He shut his eyes tight, bracing himself not say the next part as the Captain took him into his arms, ready to protect him from any harm the words could inflict on him and Kwazii held him tightly and whispered,

"I'm here for ya, matey. You'll be alright."

Peso smiled, and continued on in the Captain's and Kwazii's embrace. However uncomfortable it was; he needed to get it off his chest.

"My father never really cared for my mother, brothers, sister, or me. He'd go out drinking a lot, and when he came back, it was safest to stay out of his way."
By now, everyone had scooted in closer to  Peso and formed a sort of wall around him. A wall of care and love that would never crumble.

"Wuva yooa. Peso needa dada." a tiny green Vegimals murmured and buried his face deep into Peso's feathers.

"I love you too, sweetest." Peso tenderly stroked the Vegimal's head. Even without Shellington's translation, he understood the sweet little sprout in his lap.

"Peso already has a father, Pikato." Shellington scooped his surrogate son into his lap and softly stroked his head, "The Captain took on that role very well."

"But the Captain is everyone's father at this point." Peso chuckled.

"I cannot deny it." The Captain replied honestly, "But I love each and every member of my crew as my own child."

"Even us?" Pinto asked.

"Even you four." The Captain answered and ran a large paw through Pinto's hair. This was his family, his children, the ones he loved more than anything else on the planet.