The energy that we left the courthouse to was very different from the one we came into the courthouse to. For one thing, as we left, all the security guards in the hallway high-fived all us kids and Vegimals. Some even high-fived Peso, thinking he was a kid as well, but he took the gestures with the sweet, polite smile he always seems to have. Mostly everyone else in the courtroom filed out, and one by one, they all started to applaud. Some of them shook the Captain's hand, and one older, maternal looking woman even embraced Dashi. There were no words for the relief and the joy I felt at that time. We were going home to the Octopod. The Octopod was our permanent home now.
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That night, we celebrated our victory in the only way our Octo-family knew how: by making enough noise to let the whole ocean know we were celebrating.
At the moment, someone has decided it was a good idea to give Kwazii and Pinto megaphones while the rest of us watched the end result in amusement. Currently, they were bouncing up and down on the tables while shrieking Spanish and German trash-talk at Social Services because that's just what they do Friday nights.
"Well, now it's official!" Tweak slammed her mug of hot chocolate onto the table where it sloshed everywhere.
"What's official?" Shellington asked her cluelessly.
"The Captain is officially a father!" Tweak exclaimed, raising her mug into the air, "To Daddy Barnacles!"
"To Daddy Barnacles!" Everyone laughed and raised their mugs as well.
The Captain beamed, "I wouldn't call myself a father, but-" He was cut off by Tweak giving him the sassiest look she could.
"Captain?" Peso asked meekly, shuffling up to the Captain.
"Yes, my sweet boy?" the Captain asked kindly, bringing Peso into his lap.
"Not a father he says..." Kwazii whispered. He had finally stopped acting as a cat version of a noisemaker and had come over to see what was going on here.
"Pinto and I need to go to court in about 3 months to see if we can keep the custody arrangement. I'm scared they won't let him stay because I'm too young. Can you take him as well?"
"But Pinto came a month earlier than we did." Koshi chimed in.
Peso smiled lovingly, "Sweetheart, in Chile, we do it in 6 months, not 3."
"Of course, Peso." The Captain gave Peso one last cuddle and set him down then turned back to me and Koshi, "How do you girls feel about getting a new honorary brother?"
"Yayyyy..." We both chorused in a mock sarcastic tone. The Captain laughed before turning back to the crew.
"Hey Squirt." Koshi said casually, turning back to her best friend (boyfriend).
"Hey." He looked down at his tentacles.
"What's the matter?" Koshi asked him nicely, wrapping an arm around him and Pinto and I scooted over to listen in.
"The Captain's practically adopted you three; I don't know, I guess-" He stopped and curled his tentacles tightly against his body.
"You think the Captain will find that a valid reason not to do everything for you and give you 800 cuddles an hour?"Koshi asked. Squirt gave the faintest hint of a smile.
"No, I guess not." He mumbled as Koshi hugged him tight.
"The Captain doesn't love us any more or you any less because of all the custody nonsense. We're all his children in a way." Koshi soothed him, giving him a little kiss on the forehead.
"And you'll always be our brother." I added.
"Thanks." Squirt whispered, "I love you all."
"We love you too." replied Pinto, "though not in the weird way." We all side-eyed each other jokingly.
"Definitely not in that way."
"Oh, please no."
"You disgust me." before we were all laughing so hard we could barely breathe. It was just one of those days where the world was beautiful no matter which angle you saw it from. Everything seemed so perfect the way it was, and your family was right here with you and you could be absolutely 100% sure that you wouldn't lose them today.
VOCÊ ESTÁ LENDO
The Odd Sister Out
Fanfic"The middle child has it worse" Janine Margot Doxter knows that this is a lie. Being the younger sister of Dashi and Koshi, who were known as inseparable, mystery-loving sisters in their hometown. Therefore, she has always been the third wheel to he...
