Risks and Rewards (Of a Life so Simple)

Stepping in Puddles

"Touch egg! Shell soft now!!" Deco said in an excited, loud whisper. Meep and Benny were keeping him company now that he was in full brood mode. He'd regressed to hissing at strangers again, unfortunately, not that his friends blamed him.

Meep gently reached out a hand, and pressed the side of her finger into the egg, and sure enough, it had the slightest amount of give. She smiled gently. "It is! Are you nervous? I know I'd be."

Deco shuffled, puffing some air out his nose. "...ye. Not know what in egg, just know hatch soon. Not fish, not know what need. Need learn quick when hatch." He nodded. "Want be good dad..."

Benny smiled. "I'm sure you'll do great! You haven't given up yet, right? Anybody else would've believed everyone who said it wasn't an egg at all. So you're already doing good, in my opinion."

Deco wagged his tail fin around. "Benny right! Benny right bout lots."

Meep elbowed the Octocopter with a grin. "I second that! He always knows what to say."

Benny flushed a little at the sincerity. "Meeeeep....."

"Ye!! Benny super cool!! Cooler than any fish Deco meet ever!!" He tilted his head and leaned forward to look at Meep. "Meep cool too! Deco have cool Octo friends. Egg lucky, have cool aunt n uncle."

Meep put her hands on her hearts. "Aww, really? You want me to be their aunt?"

"Ye!! Friends family, sorta...cooler than Deco fish family. Egg deserve big family! Octo friends good for egg." He paused. "Only if want, tho. Not want friends be awkward."

"No no, I'd be honored!" Meep replied.

Benny seemed to be taking longer to think about it, but eventually he nodded as well. "Y'know what, yeah! I'm down to be the cool fun uncle."

"Ye! Octo fun, egg appreciate, Deco appreciate." He said, smiling a smile that was all teeth. He'd been smiling much more since his egg moved. It was nice to see.

A knock sounded at the door. "Yo Deco, are Meep and Benny in there? We checked their rooms and they weren't." Pearl's voice, from the sound of it.

"Ye! Octo friends here!" Deco called back. "Queen can come in!"

The door opened, and just like last time, Pearl and Marina both were standing there.

Meep frowned a little. "You guys were looking for us? Is something wrong?"

Marina wrung her hands. "Nothing's wrong, really, just...we just needed to talk to you both."

Benny and Meep exchanged glances.

Deco tilted his head at them. "Okay if Deco here? Not want intrude..."

"You're good, this is probably useful for you to know too, it's just more relevant for these two." Pearl explained. "Do you mind if we sit?"

Deco grumbled, and readjusted himself so both him and his egg were bundled mostly out of sight, under the blankets, and on a part of the bed that gave the two more room. "...ye, is fine."

They complied, Pearl seating herself and Marina following after, close enough to one another that their hips touched.

Meep sat cross-legged across from them, and Benny did the same as he sat next to her.

Marina nodded to Pearl, and Pearl began. "We've mostly been keeping it to ourselves, but there's been some stuff going on in our careers lately. After we moved on from the news we've been making a lot of new stuff."