"Psst," Peach hissed. "Hey, Gill!"
"What?" Gill grumbled, swishing his tail and good fin so he propelled himself up to the starfish's level.
"MMMMMmmmmhmmm," Peach said.
"Can't hear ya," Gill said in irritation.
There was a sucking noise then she turned to scowl at him. "I said, what is the dentist doing?"
Gill turned his eyes away from Peach to the dentist in the room in front of them. He was leaning against the counter, tapping his fingers, smiling and talking with a woman in the chair.
“Nothing medical, it seems,” was his gruff reply.
“When does he ever just sit there and talk?” Peach inquired, raising one of her arms.
"You tell me," he replied in irritation. "You've been here a lot longer than me."
"Which is why you're always trying to get out," Peach replied, frowning and sticking herself back to the glass. "Mmmmhmmmhmmm."
"Stop doing that," Gill ordered.
"Stop doing what?" Bloat asked, floating up.
"Nothing," Gill muttered, swishing his tail and propelling away.
"Oh, great, just great -- what'd I do?" Bloat asked.
Peach rolled her eyes and released from the tank wall. "You know how sensitive he is," she whispered.
“He’s not sensitive,” Bloat grunted. “He’s just Gill.”
She grunted and stuck herself back to the glass.
Bloat sighed and swam back to where Bubbles was playing with the treasure chest.
Peach continued to watch the dentist and the woman for the longest time, until she started to get annoyed. Chat, chat, chat, she thought.
"Any change?" Gill asked, swimming up.
"No, not that you care," Peach retorted.
“I do care,” he said, floating in a little closer. She turned her body to look at him. “Seriously. Why are you lookin’ at me like that?”
"Don't you have something to say to me?" Peach inquired, her tone rife with irritation.
Gill sighed. "Yeah, yeah, sorry."
"That was lame, Gill. Nice way to apologize to a girl," she snapped, gluing her face back to the tank.
“Peach,” he muttered, swishing his fin against her back. “C’mon... talk to me.”
“MmmMmmmf.”
He rolled his eyes. “What?”
"I said go away," Peach said quietly, the suction noise as she turned back toward him lesser than it had been before. She was reluctant to show him how she felt because it seemed like every time she did, he slammed it right back into her face.
"Hey, anyone wanna play with me and Flo?" Deb asked, floating up.
Gill looked at Deb and shook his head. “Nope, I’m gonna stay here.”
“But, she’s cranky, and we’re fun!” Deb insisted. When it remained clear that she wasn’t getting a positive response out of either of them, she huffed and swished away. “C’mon, Flo... let’s go play a game only *we* can play.”
Peach rolled her eyes and watched as the dentist eased himself onto his stool and rolled closer to the woman. She could feel Gill around her, and she really wished he would leave, so she could get her emotions checked.
When the woman put her hand on the dentist’s, tracing slow circles over the skin as her smile stretched, Peach frowned, feeling more lonely than she had in a while. Even the awfully stupid dentist had someone that loved him, she thought bitterly.
"So, who's the lady?" Gill asked, jerking his head toward the tank.
"His wife," Peach said, her heart sinking with the words. "She comes in once in a while, but they never just talk. Today's different, for some reason."
"Sometimes, it's nice to just talk," Gill replied, running his fin over her back.
"I lived in a pretty tank with my husband and kids," Peach whispered. "And then we got sold and we got put into bags and... We were all supposed to come here. But only I got here."
She gasped softly when she felt him nuzzle her. “Do you miss them?” He asked, resting his nose on her arm.
"All the time," Peach said forlornly. "It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't live with a bunch of morons who need a babysitter all the time, but..."
"Hey, think of it like having a big happy family," Gill said. "You're the mom and I'm the --"
"Brooding father with every intention of making my life miserable?" Peach supplied with a sad chuckle. She watched the dentist's wife kiss his hand and said, "That's just disgusting. I'll never understand why humans do that."
"What?" Gill asked, willing to admit that he'd been paying more attention to the bumpy growths on Peach's back than the dentist and his wife.
"Put their lips all over each other."
Gill smirked. “It looks like they enjoy it,” he commented, trying to tell his fins to put a little distance between himself and Peach, before he confessed his fascination with the tiny star-shaped marking on her back.
“I just don’t get it,” she muttered.
“Didn’t you and your husband do things like that?”
Peach snorted, then started laughing. "No, not really," she said with a smile. "I laid eggs and he did his thing and we sat back and watched over the little ones. The most I ever got was a pat on the back. But, y'know, humans are just strange."
“I’m with ya on that,” he chuckled softly, watching as they started kissing, mouth to mouth. “How could someone love him?”
Peach shrugged. “Someone for everyone, I guess.”
"Yeah, but he's... "
"Don't diss the dentist too much," Peach said firmly. "He feeds us and keeps us alive. Which is more than some humans would do."
"Did you know that Jacques and Bloat have been having little clean-fests lately?" Gill inquired.
"A puffer fish and a cleaner shrimp in a homoerotic relationship?" Peach questioned with a little snort. "That would be like you and me getting together."
Gill paused. Contemplating her words, and trying to choose his carefully, he took a few moments. “I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
“Jacques and Bloat, or--”
“You and me,” he said softly.
"You're a fish, and I'm a crustacean," Peach said firmly. "That's enough."
"So what, you want to be alone on the side of a tank the rest of your life?" Gill challenged, brushing his good fin against her back again.
She shivered, worrying about her reply. When she couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t make her feel vulnerable, she stuck herself to the tank’s wall.
Inasmuch as she was disgusted by the humans' antics, she was fascinated as well. Why was Gill pushing all of her buttons today? What was it about him that made her feel so strange?
“Peach...”
“Nnf.”
"Please stop doing that -- no one can understand you when you do that," Gill said, nudging her back with his nose.
She pulled away from the glass with an audible slurp and dropped down to the pebbly bottom of the tank. "Maybe I don't want you to hear what I have to say," she said firmly, crawling over to the pirate ship, where she wedged herself inside.
“Peach!” He called after her, gliding through the water rather effortlessly. “C’mon! Let’s talk about this...”
"Talk about what, Gill?" She asked as he swam into view at the hole of the ship. "There's really nothing to talk about."
"How about we talk about how everyone's worried about you -- you haven't been yourself the last few days."
She grumbled. “I’m female. I’m entitled to my moods.”
He sighed, and she felt the gentle currents from his sigh wash over her. "So, do ya wanna talk about it?"
"I'm really not sure you want to --"
"I do," he said firmly, poking his head into the ship. "Why else would I be asking?"
She sighed and watched the flagella on her suction cups waving in the water. "It's that time of the year when all good starfish lay their eggs," Peach said very quietly.
“Ahh...” he responded softly. “And, you want to be laying eggs.”
“I miss my family,” she murmured honestly. “I miss knowing someone’s there for me.”
“Someone’s still here for you,” he commented. “He can’t provide you with babies, but he’s still here for you.”
Peach looked up at him, her lips trembling. "You mean it?" She asked.
"I do," Gill said firmly. "And one day, when we get outta here and get back to the ocean, there's gonna be a good starfish guy for you."
"You're so confident that we're going to get out of here," she said, shaking her body a little. "I lost faith a long time ago."
He edged his nose in more, nuzzling her softly. “You have to hang onto it. Someday, we’ll think up a plan that’ll get us out for good.”
"Are you sure?" Peach asked softly.
"Positive -- you just have to keep your head up," Gil said gruffly.
She sighed. “I wish I felt so sure.”
"Hey..." Gill said, nuzzling her. "You and me, we've got character. We'll make it fine, kiddo."
"I'm quite possibly older than you are," Peach muttered.
She could see him smile. "C'mon outta there, Peach."
Peach found herself smiling back at him. He was hard to resist. “And if I don’t wanna?”
He smirked. “C’mon out, or I’ll tell Deb that you want to play with her and Flo.”
"You wouldn't!"
"I would," Gill said, prodding her with his nose. "C'mon. Aren't you hungry?"
"Not really..."
"Well, I am."
She snorted. “So, go eat and let me mope.”
“I don’t like eating alone,” he prodded. “And you’ve gotta keep your strength up.”
"Why?"
"Because I can feel it, Peach -- we're gonna be outta here soon, and I don't wanna have to help you too much," Gill said firmly. "So come with me and eat."
She rolled her eyes. “You’re just saying that so I’ll come out and keep your sorry ass company.”
“Deb and Flo...”
"All right, all right," Peach said, climbing out of the ship and crawling over the pebbles to the wall of the tank again. "I'm out."
"Good," Gill said firmly.
~*~
"Who's making all the noise?" Bloat grumbled tiredly that night. All of the lights were out but the red lights that bathed the tank.
"Yeah, people are trying to sleep here!" Bubbles protested.
Peach mumbled something that Gill couldn’t make out, but as he swam towards her she froze.
"You okay?" Gill asked tiredly.
Peach nodded. "I'm okay," she said quietly. "It's just that the eggs... I don't want them to --"
"Oh, Peach," Gill groaned, swimming closer. "Why didn't you tell me?"
She frowned. “It’s not exactly something that comes up in everyday conversation.” She rolled her eyes when he didn’t respond. “’hey, Gill, tonight I’m going to be laying my eggs, and well--’”
“Peach,” he interjected, voice gruff but soft. “You know what I mean.”
"No, Gill, really I don't," Peach snapped, dragging another pebble over.
"Here, let me help you --"
Her voice sounded quite hostile. “No. I don’t need your help. I can do this on my own.”
"Guuuuuuys," Deb whined, swimming over. "It's really really late --"
"GO AWAY!" Peach shouted. "All of you, just -- just go away!"
Startled by the outburst, Deb darted away; however, Gill wasn’t so easily frightened. Peach sighed, but refused to face him. “I meant you, too.”
“You didn’t mean it.”
“I did.”
"No, you didn't," Gill said firmly, swimming down to scoop a pebble up in his mouth. He swam over and dropped it at Peach's side. "I want to help."
Slowly, she looked up into his eyes. It was dark, but she could still gaze into them, the red light dancing in the soft orbs. He was being very sincere, and that touched her. “I...” she trailed off, the words stuck in her mouth, unwilling to leave.
"Please let me help," Gill said. "It'll get done faster and everyone will stop complaining."
"Is that the only reason you want to help?" She asked, wounded.
"No -- I want to help because you're my friend," Gill said. "And you're upset."
She sighed. “I’m not upset.”
“You’re a horrible liar,” he pointed out.
"All right, I'm upset!" Peach snapped. "But I don't want anyone else to --"
Gill rolled his eyes and pushed some more pebbles over to her. "Are you just trying to cover them?" He asked.
"I don't want them to get loose," Peach whispered. "It's old habits."
He nodded. “I’ll push the pebbles over for you, and then you can secure them.”
She managed a small smile. “Okay. But, don’t think that I *need* your help. I can do this just fine on my own.” When he glared at her, she caved. “Okay, but I do appreciate it.”
He smirked. "I know you do, Peach. I just wanted you to see that."
She sighed. "It's so lonely here," Peach mumbled as she moved the pebbles one at a time to cover the little cache of eggs.
Gill watched her, feeling uncertain of his place in her life again. He thought he was there for her, but when she mentioned her loneliness, he was left feeling that he wasn’t doing enough to show her how he felt about her.
She finished and two of her arms moved so that the tips covered her eyes. Crying underwater was redundant, but he knew that's what she was doing. She was crying for the babies that would never be, and he knew that she, when they got out, she was going to be the best mom ever.
Slowly, he glided towards her, letting his nose brush over her back. “Hey...”
“Don’t,” she hiccuped. “Please. Can you just--”
“No way,” he interrupted. “You shouldn’t have to feel alone. Especially tonight.”
She reached up to touch his tattered fin and sighed. "Have you ever really loved someone, Gill?"
"I left behind a wife and kids when I got caught," Gill said gruffly. "Why else do you think I'm trying to get back out there?"
Peach responded with a soft voice. “You never told me that before.”
"I haven't told anybody," Gill growled, his anger softening when he saw the look of desperate sadness and compassion on her face. "It's not something that exactly comes up in everyday conversation," he defended, using her words from earlier.
She nodded. “Yeah...”
“I miss them so much sometimes,” he said on a sigh. “I do understand how you feel, Peach, sometimes more than you think.”
She sighed and moved her arm to touch his side. "I know now," she said, her voice wavering. "And if you can keep the faith, so can I," she said with determination.
"You wanna come to the skull with me tonight so you don't have to be alone?" Gill asked.
She pressed her lips together before replying. “Nah, I don’t think that--”
“Peach...”
With a sigh, she gave in. “Okay. Thanks.”
"You're welcome," Gill said, nudging her side. "C'mon -- you'll feel better once you get some sleep."
~*~
"Yadda, yadda, yadda," Bubbles said, playing with the treasure chest.
"Dentist," Peach called as the dentist came in with a cooler. She watched in fascination as he came over and dumped in what it soon became apparent was a tiny orange fish. Her heart went out to the little guy, but she didn't want to show it. After all, only the night before, she had buried her own eggs.
The End!
