As First Dates Go

Chapter One

A/N) Hi there everyone!This is a new short multi-chapter Dashton story, as I got a request a while ago from melischrm to write some more Dashton stories. So here one is: about their first big date! Hope you like it, melischrm, plus anyone else who reads!

"Posta posta, Shellington!"

The sea otter looked up from the scribbled notes in his notebook laid out on the lab desk, seeing the yellow Vegimal hurrying into the room, small arms full to the brim with a large pile of letters. Half of them looked like Tweak's blueprints paper which she ordered every couple of months, with the usual letter from Peso's mum on the top, a copy of the National Seaographic which they were subscribed to (naturally) and a couple of magazines that Dashi was prone to getting sometimes. Being a travelling crew who were never really in the same place for more than a week did occasionally have its drawbacks, and one of those was that they only really received post from the outside world every three weeks or so. To this day, Shellington still had no idea how the normal deliverers of the post - a very diligent team of post rays, oddly enough - found their ship to deliver it to if they had all the oceans of the world to search, but deliver it they did, usually right on schedule. Still, it didn't usually worry him all that much; he never really got that much mail anyway.

 However, slightly more unusually, Tunip was holding one outstretched to him, skilfully trying not to drop the rest as he performed a complex-looking balancing act. "Oh, has the post ray been already, Tunip?" he inquired cheerfully as he bent down to pat his friend on the head, in the same motion extricating what he assumed to be his letter from the Vegimal's hand. "Thank you." Tunip nuzzled briefly into his arm, before chirping something too quick to translate and hurrying away, albeit a little unsteadily with the large stack of papers filling his grasp.

The familiar scent drifted lethargically up from the paper as he wasted no time in pulling the letter from the envelope, recognising the slightly crumpled page of neat italic handwriting immediately when he unfolded it. Shellington inhaled it with a smile, breathing it all in around him. The scent of the kelp forest. His home. Really there was no smell like it anywhere else.

The content of the letter only served to widen his smile as Shellington read it through, seeming to hear his sister's familiar style of speech even in her writing, and finding himself missing Pearl even more as he did so. Travelling so much did mean that he only got to see her a few times a year, and although he wouldn't wish to be anywhere else but on the Octopod, he did occasionally feel a twinge of homesickness for his childhood home along with his sister and rapidly aging nephew. Peri seemed to be twice as tall each time he sees him, and still growing and learning fast.

As he reached the bottom of the page, his heart did a tiny leap as he realised what it meant for him. 'Peri's turning four this week, and I was wondering if you could take any time out of your busy schedule to come to his birthday party with all the usual relatives?' the letter inquired. 'Bring anyone from your crew who wants to come too, everyone's welcome!'

If anyone had been watching Shellington at this moment, they would have probably been quite surprised to see an even wider smile illuminate his face at this news. He would get to visit his family, see all his relatives and help celebrate his favourite (and only) nephew's birthday.

Also, it gave him the perfect idea for his not-quite-planned date, which he had been uselessly brainstorming for a few days now with no real success.

He couldn't wait to tell Dashi.

* * * * *

"Dashi, would you - erm -" Shellington's mouth dried up for the third time in just this one conversation, and he inwardly cursed his awkwardness. They had been dating for weeks now, and he still couldn't summon up the courage to ask her on a date, even though he could talk to her completely normally every day, without hesitating or having to think about what to say.

"Would I -?" Dashi prompted patiently, rocking gently from side to side on the spinning chair at her station in the HQ.

Shellington swallowed down his nervousness and lowered his voice slightly as he sat down on a similar chair next to her, annoyed at himself. What was he worried about? "Would you like to accompany me to my nephew's birthday party?" he asked slightly haltingly. "It's this week, and we're not so far from where they live. All my relatives will be there too. It should be good, though obviously you don't have to come if you don't want to..." He trailed off, unsure whether he had said everything. Maybe he should repeat some of the integral details, just in case.

"Wow, Shel, that sounds -" Dashi stopped, apparently unable to find the words. Was she nervous too? "Amazing!" she finished excitedly, and the sea otter breathed a sigh of relief, though he wasn't quite sure why. Dashi wasn't exactly likely to have said no, of all people. It was just the whole asking her in the first place that was the tricky part. "Will it just be - you know - us two going?" she wanted to know.

"Well I haven't invited the whole crew along on our date, if that's what you mean," smiled Shellington. "Yep, it's just us two."

"This is a date?" Dashi asked with a little giggle.

"Only if you want it to be," assured Shellington quickly.

"I do," was the slightly too eager reply.

Shellington tried to stop his smile. "Then I do too."

His girlfriend was evidently struggling not to bounce up and down on the chair in excitement, as Shellington had seen her do many times before when she got enthused about something. "Our first date," she said more quietly, possibly to herself, her soft Australian accent like music to his ears. "I can't wait."

"Technically, this will be our second date," Shellington corrected, unable to help himself. He's a naturally pedantic person, being a scientist.

"Technically, if you think of all the missions we've been on, just us together, this is probably our fortieth date or so," mused Dashi.

"Let's just call it the first big date," Shellington hurriedly corrected himself.

Dashi's smile was bright. "Let's just do that."