Thursday is Rubber Fish Day

"Sir C, what was the idea behind wearing a rubber fish on Thursdays anyway?"

Sir Cumference paused in his work. He peered over his station at the young, yellow hero sitting across from him. Pac sported a curious look on his face as he rested his head against his palm, eyeing said rubber fish on the elder Pacworlder's head. The scientist blinked, "Oh? Well, Pac my boy..."

Sir C's eyes lingered down towards the wrench in his hand as he thought about the answer. A smile gently tugged at the old man's face as he recalled one of his fondest memories. "Heh, to tell ya the truth, it's a hobby that started many, many years ago, during the great war. But I wasn't the only one who came up with it. It was partly my idea, and partly Sunny's."

At that, Pac perked up from where he sat, "My mom...?"

"Oh, indeed!" 

Smiling, Sir C put away the wrench and faced the yellow boy, "In fact, there's a whole story behind it..."

Pac straightened up in his seat and sat at attention, eager to hear more long-lost stories of his missing parents. Sir C rests his hands on the table, a distant, nostalgic look in his eyes as memories came flooding back.

"We were right in the middle of the war when the destruction and devastation of Betrayus's forces were at its peak. It had taken its toll on both sides... the country turned into a wasteland. Forests were burnt, villages were barren and turned to ruin, and many... many lives were lost. A Great Depression had swept through the Resistance... and I'd argue that it affected our enemies as well. We were all just senselessly fighting a war that should never have happened. No matter whom we followed or what we stood for in the war, every soldier faced gruelling battles. Battles that changed us, day by day, all just because of one man..."

"We all were part of a war that had seemingly no end. We were always staring death in the eyes. We saw death, every single day. Everyone was losing hope."

"It was on one such day, a Thursday, when we were all on high alert in case of an attack to our defences, that I stumbled upon a couple of old, rubber fish headbands in one of the engine rooms. Pacness knows who put them there, but we all had the sneaky suspicion that some children from the nursery had wandered out to explore and forgot them there, one of them having been you, lad."

Pac snapped out of focus at that, "Me??" 

Sheepishly, he scratched the back of his head and tried to remember what little tidbits of memory from his early childhood that he had left. "Well, I uh... I remember I loved playing with rubber toys, but nothing about escaping and leaving them in some... obscure place?"

Sir C merely chuckled, "Alas, you were just a baby. I'd be surprised if you did remember. Anyways..."

"I gathered all the rubber fish up and took them to the kitchens. I figured that maybe Sunny could drop them off at the nursery the next time she went to check on you."

"But she had a different idea."

"It started as just a little bit of fun - an inside joke if you will - that she and I started wearing these rubber fish headbands, just for the sake of it. We didn't realize how much we needed the laughter and the smiles until we had put on those rubber fish. It made us realize that the Freedom Fighters needed something to keep our hopes afloat."

"And so, Sunny and I started this little tradition that every Thursday, everyone wore rubber fish headbands. There was no big or rational explanation behind it, we just did it. It was silly, yes, but it helped us push through the hard and gloomy times. It made everyone smile."

The happy-go-lucky scientist himself smiled warmly at the fond memory, his gaze distant and unfocused as he relived the precious moments spent with his closest friends. Pac had gone silent as well, taking in the story and feeling proud that his mother was part of something so special. Even if it just made him miss her all the more...

Sir Cumference suddenly perked up with a chuckle as he remembered the last bit of the story.

"Teehee! Well, at least everyone except your father, ha! Ol' Zac initially deemed the idea ridiculous and a waste of time. It took a few meagre attempts at getting him to wear those rubber fish headbands. But your mother and I got through to him... eventually!"

The young hero and the quirky scientist shared a laugh. Sir Cumference picked his wrench up again and got back to work on fixing the Lemon Rocket's thrusters, whilst Pac helped him in whatever way he could. They spent the rest of the afternoon in a merry mood, working away on the Lemon Rocket, and enjoying each other's company.

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A/N:

Sooo, I never ever thought I'd give Wattled a chance, but here I am. I don't think there's a big following of pmatga fans on here, but I'm more than happy to be proven wrong. 

For those who know me, I'll gradually upload my pmatga fics on here from other sites. 

For those who don't know me, hi!! Welcome to my wattpad debut xD

This fic was originally posted on 11/10/2020 at Ao3.