A Scientific Match

Chapter 10: Late Night Snack

So far, this date had felt far more comfortable than the first. Perhaps it was because he was less nervous about impressing Francis and more nervous about Skipper finding out he went against orders. And yet, he still wasn't too worried about that. They were leagues under the sea, after all. But also, he had to admit, going against orders put a whole new exciting spin to this experiment. The stakes were raised. A new challenge was added. It was exhilarating.

Kowalski looked out the window again as he waited for Francis to return. He tried to think of the last time he truly got to marvel at the wonders of the ocean...It had to have been years ago when swimming with Doris and a few of her friends, and even then, he could only be submerged for a few minutes at a time. He had certainly never been this deep before, not even in his own sub.

He smiled as he watched the glowing sea life flit around in the dark. He couldn't remember the last time it was that he felt this relaxed anywhere. No concern that something might suddenly explode, no shouting in the background, no spontaneous lemur appearances, just gentle currents, intellectual conversation, and playful duets. If it wasn't for the fact that he was without his brothers, he might could get used to this...But he knew he would eventually miss their chaos if he left, and so he sighed. He may get frustrated with them some days, but he did deeply care about all three of them.

"What's wrong?"

Kowalski jumped, almost losing his balance at Francis's voice. That Segway needed bells or something, it was far too quiet. He looked at him as he calmed himself. "Nothing. My thoughts just went down a contemplative rabbit hole." He forced a tiny smile. "...Why did you think something was wrong?"

"You stopped wagging your tail."

"Oh." He then blinked and squinted at him. "How would you—Have you been watching my tail this whole night?"

"What? No. Why would—No. It's just been distracting motion when I've been looking over the charts." Blowhole crossed his flippers. "Anyway, the table is ready. I need to check on one more thing, then I'll meet you there. Red One will show you the way." He then rolled out of the room.

Kowalski watched him go with a small smile. He knew with this only being their second date he shouldn't let himself get attached. It was only the second trial of an experiment. Francis still hadn't made any outward indication to how he felt about the experiment besides suggesting for them to do multiple trials to make sure they had sufficient data. However, Kowalski did not need any more data. He knew he liked him...liked him liked him actually, but if at the end of their three trials, if Francis was not interested, he hoped that he could be convinced for them to at the very least continue a platonic friendship.

He had realized that the Love-u-Lator only had his DNA sample and found his perfect match. It's very possible that though Francis may be his match, that he may not be Francis's. The thought was painful to consider, but he had to keep it in mind to be able to keep a little protective distance. After all, dolphins were flirty by nature. They could flirt with anyone and it may not mean anything to them, which made them hard to read. Francis in particular was even harder to read. He was like a cake. A cake with multiple layers and each layer was a different mystery.

Kowalski licked his beak. Cake actually didn't sound half bad. Or better yet, pie.

He then caught a motion out of the corner of his eye and turned to see a lobster. "Oh hi."

"This way, please," the lobster said as he started skittering away.

Kowalski hopped down from the window and followed him. They enter another room where a table is set up with a nice table cloth, an LED candle, and a couple of wine glasses. He took a seat in the chair that the lobster directed him to.