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"I'm shore gonna miss these little critters..."
Finn sighed, gazing up at the fish tank, which took up the entire wall. The fishbowl had to look almost straight up to see the top.
Shrimpo rested beside him, unusually quiet. He too was staring at the tank, wondering why he even came along in the first place. Was Shrimpo invited here just to watch Finn mope? He scoffed at the thought.
"WELL, OBVIOUSLY!!" Shrimpo rolled his eyes. "YOU'VE BEEN TAKING CARE OF THEM FOR HOW MANY YEARS?"
Finn blinked at the toon beside him, taking a moment to try and remember. "Umm... maybe 12?" He smiled sheepishly. "...Something like that, I think."
"THAT WAS RHETORICAL, BOWL BRAINS."
"Oh! Right, sorry."
The both of them sat there in the silence for a moment. To Shrimpo, it was almost unbearable. He hated silence, it made him feel like he was suffocating. He took a glance at Finn, who seemed lost in his own thoughts.
Shrimpo couldn't help but notice the light from the tank shining through Finn's glass body, making him seem almost like he was glowing. It bounced off the golden scales on his tail and fins, adding a sort of sparkle to them in a way that made it nearly impossible for Shrimpo to look away.
Shrimpo bit his lip and shut his eyes, turning away from the fishbowl. He felt his face grow burning hot, which he assumed was from his anger. Shrimpo hated the way the light made Finn gleam like that.
"Thankfully, though, Dyle's putting these little guys on his train so they can get good homes!" Finn smiled, turning to his friend. "Don'tcha think that's pretty-"
Shrimpo was staring ahead, squinting and trying not to look at the fishbowl. He was hugging himself and bouncing his leg with noticeable agitation and anxiety.
"Woah, buddy, you o-cray?" Finn furrowed his eyebrows in slight concern, but still keeping up his smile. "This, uh, isn't one of your anxiety attacks, is it?" He chuckled.
Shrimpo side eyed Finn a couple times, his eyes darting from him back to the tank. "I'M FINE!!! KEEP TALKING ABOUT... WHATEVER YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT. IT'S NOT LIKE I CARE ANYWAY." He sputtered, waving a hand at Finn dismissively.
"Uhh... eheh- okay, if you say so! Ahem-" The toon looked back to the tank, putting an arm around Shrimpo's shoulders. "I'm just glad they're not gonna die here." Finn sighed. "Beauties, aren't they?" He wistfully gazed up at the tank.
"Just like some toons I know..." He continued, just loudly enough for Shrimpo to hear.
"WHAT." Shrimpo whipped his head around to the fishbowl.
"Nothing!" Finn laughed.
Shrimpo felt the coolness of Finn's glass against his skin. He didn't exactly hate this trait of his... Shrimpo was always overheating, and thought of Finn as a way to cool off in more ways than just the one.
"If I remember correctly, this tank has lots of neon tetras! They're fish native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America, and they can live about three to five years." Finn informed Shrimpo. "Neat, huh?"
Shrimpo studied the fish, looking closely at their scales. "THOSE AREN'T NEON TETRAS, THEY'RE CARDINAL TETRAS." He looked back at Finn, pointing at the tank. "THEY HAVE THE RED STRIPE FULLY ACROSS THEIR BODIES, NOT HALFWAY."
Finn blinked in confusion, looking back at the tank and squinting.
"Oh! You're right, Shrimpo!!" Finn smiled, his tooth missing from his goofy grin. "Wow, I can't believe I got that wrong..."
"WELL IT WAS OBVIOUS!!! IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU'RE STUPID." Shrimpo scoffed. He slowly reached up to put his hand on Finn's, which was rested on his shoulder.
Finn noticed this, turning his head and gazing at the toon next to him tenderly. He reached out with his other hand and put it under Shrimpo's chin, making him turn his head to Finn. He then planted a kiss onto Shrimpo's forehead, causing the toon to flinch slightly.
Finn removed his hand from underneath Shrimpo's chin, bringing himself to his feet. He reached out to Shrimpo, hoping he would grab his hand.
Hesitating for a moment, Shrimpo looked to the side. Reluctantly, he took Finn's hand, pulling himself up. His chest felt almost warm and fuzzy.
"Cmon! Maybe you can show me more fish you know about." Finn smirked, gently rubbing his thumb on Shrimpo's hand, almost in a flirting manner.
"UM." Shrimpo coughed, shifting his gaze away from Finn's. "PFF- YEAH, WHY NOT. I CAN SHOW YOU HOW MUCH SMARTER I AM THAN YOU." He boasted, bringing Finn across the aquarium to a different tank.
"Whale, you're the expert, haha!"