Hush, Little Penguin

Little Friends

Sometimes, Peso would just sit and watch.

Before, eh would watch the Vegimals with envy, wondering how they could be so innocent, so childish, and yet, so loved?

Now, he watched in curiosity. He was sitting in the Vegimals' room, on one of the bottom bunks of their bunk beds. The eight Vegimals ran around the room, playing some game. Peso was still wondering" how?

When Peso had become their baby, the Vegimals were the first to accept it. They quickly learned Peso's games, and played with him whenever they could. Peso liked having the, as playmates. It was nice to have someone his size to play with.

The Vegimals had started a tickle fight. Tunip stood to the side, hiding as the others attacked Tamminow. He tried not to giggle, before noticing Peso sitting on Grouber's bed. He remembered seeing Peso for the first time, and he remembered how cute and scared Peso looked. He thought about the times they played with him, and how much fun such simple games were.

Tunip waddled over to the huddle of Vegimals. Tamminow lay on the floor, panting.

"Let's invite Peso to join in." Tunip exclaimed. The Octonauts said they needed to be gentle with Peso, and very patient. That was why they never thought to include him before, worried that their games were to rough for the baby. But this time, they were determined not to let him sit lonely on the sidelines.

"I don't know." Grouber cautiously ventured. "What if Peso says no?"

"What if Peso gets hurt?" Codish inquired. Tunip waved a flipper for silence. "Let's surprise him!"

Charchard scratched his head. "Surprise him? With what?"

"Yeah," Albochoy chimed in. "What can you do with a baby?"

Peso watched the Vegimals chatter, fascinated. It was amazing how the Vegimals were older than he was, and yet, they were just as childish. He remembered the Octonauts telling the Vegimals that they needed to be careful with Peso. The little penguin noticed that they didn't invite him to play their games, but they always played his. He figured that was their way of 'being careful.'

He was brought out of his thoughts by a cheer from the Vegimals. They scattered and hid, probably beginning a new game of Tickle Attack.

Peso watched the floor, waiting for the first Vegimal to come out of hiding. For a few minutes, there was nothing. He didn't notice Grouber sneaking up behind him.

Suddenly, Peso felt something grab his flippers, and he was yanked down backwards. Laying on his back, he stared into Grouber's amused face. Before he could ask what was happening, the other Vegimals surrounded him, and started tickling.

"HAHAHAHA! VEGIMALS! HEEHEEHEE STOP IT! STOP TICKLING ME!" He squirmed like crazy, but Grouber was stronger than he looked, and easily kept him in place. Tears of laughter poured down Peso's cheeks as Codish started tickling his hyper-ticklish tummy. Peso wailed with laughter, and kicked his legs best he could with Charchard tickling the bottom of his foot.

This went on for a while, before Grouber got careless, and Peso finally managed to free one of his flippers. He used this to strike Tunip, tickling his side. The yellow Vegimal laughed, and fell on his back.

Barnacles entered the room in search of Peso, and smiled at what he saw. A full-fledged tickle fight. Peso was in the middle, squealing with laughter. Taminnow was sitting on top of him, and mercilessly tickling his belly. Peso managed to roll over, and tickled Taminnow's fin.

Barnacles just chuckled at the sight, and left, deciding the Vegimal's could handle Peso for a while.

Shellington liked these times.

The times when Peso would just crawl into hi lab, and sit, keeping him company. Peso would play with a toy, or fiddle with something while Shellington worked. Shellington would, every now and again, tell Peso some fact that he'd just found out. He assumed Peso understood, because he always giggled after hearing it.

"It looks like Kwazii accidentally brought home a snail." Shellington observed, removing the little creature from the sea leaf he was looking at through his microscope. Peso cooed in response, watching Shellington. He wondered why grown-ups liked to look at things through glass so much?

Shellington carefully placed the snail in the Lab tank, where some Flounders were swimming around. peso got to his feet, using the table for support, and toddled over, looking through the glass as the fish swam around. Two of these flounders were dancing around each other.

Shellington glanced down at Peso. It was sweet, how fascinated babied were with adults and the world around them.

He picked Peso up. "Look, Peso."  He spoke softly, so he wouldn't scare the little one. "These fish are having an elope."

"Ee-yope." Shellington chuckled, nodding. "That's right. Elope." Peso couldn't speak to well.

He held Peso a little closer to the tank so he could see. Peso watched in wonder as the fish interacted. Some of them swam to him, and smiled at him through the tank.

"What a little darling." One of the fish cooed, flipping in the water, and making Peso giggle, and clap his little flipper.

'A darling indeed.' Shellington mentally agreed. Peso watched the fish, and giggled. "Fishy, fishy." he sang. Shellington nuzzled the top of Peso's head.

It was cute to see him learning.

Tweak didn't interact with Peso to much. Usually, when he was around, she gave him a little toy, and that kept him mostly quiet. When she babysat, she did what was required, but she never really interacted with him.

Peso wasn't allowed in the Launch Bay. So, why he was here now was a mystery.

Peso sat innocently by some crates, watching Tweak work. He sat in a basket, and watched, nibbling on his rattle. Tweak mostly ignored him.

A small coo drew he attention. She glanced over her shoulder at him, looking, at the most, unimpressed. Peso was peering over the basket, and smiled when he saw he looking. He bounced on his padded rear end, and waved his little flippers. The movement died when Tweak looked away.

Tweak still remembered what Dashi said, about Love not being a crime. Tweak was still working on that. She still didn't trust herself enough to love the little one fully.

She'd grown up burned by everyone around her. She didn't love easily.

So why was Peso so fascinated by her?

Why did he squeal whenever she looked his way? Why did he clap his pudgy little flippers when he saw her, and pronounce her name all cute because he couldn't say it right?

Tweak sighed, put down her tools, and sat, just sat where she was and looked at him. peso looked so happy to see her. He partied in his basket, bouncing around, hoping she would come see him.

'Why do kids like grownups so much?' Tweak pondered. She'd never had a grownup around her in her life.

Neither had Peso.

She sighed, and shook her head. 'I'm going soft.' Reluctantly, she walked over, and picked him up, holding him in her arms. She still didn't approve of herself showing affection. She wasn't soft, and she wasn't someone you could just push around.

Why was Peso so different to her?

'If this happens again, I will throttle the person responsible.'

Tweak made that promise. it wasn't fair for one person, one child to have the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Peso fell asleep in her arms.