Driving Lessons - An Octonauts Story (complete)

Chapter Seven - Preparation

Go on Shellington. Ask her. Go in there and ask her. Ask her now.

Shellington was hesitating outside Dashi's door, his paw posed over the button to open it. His mind was in freefall, questions and worry and pure terror swirling round his head like a shoal of fish. It was making it very hard to concentrate. He had already asked the Captain to give Dashi some time off and had told him his plan - the Plan. It had been formulating in his head all week and he was pretty sure he had thought of everything. Both Barnacles and Tweak had given him some advice which he had tried to follow to the best of his ability. It was now the evening after Tweak' s lesson, around six. Shellington hoped that would be enough time to do what he wanted to do.

Do it. Go in there. Ask her.

Shellington rubbed his hands together, looking at his reflection in the screen next to Dashi' s door. He had donned his usual wear which the Vegimals had freshly washed. He knew he was trying to delay the moment without entirely knowing why. He had avoided Dashi all day, feigning a headache. Whenever he had passed Tweak in the corridors she had given him an enthusiastic smile and a thumbs up, which he gave a nervous smile back to. At least she wasn't annoyed at him any more, but that could change if this went badly.

Only one way to find out.

It was now or never.

ASKHERASKHERASKHER!

In a daze Shellington pressed the button to enter the room. A moment later Dashi appeared at the doorway, smiling with that familiar sparkle in her eyes that Shellington had fallen for straight away.

"Oh hey Shel. Feeling better?"

"Er... yeah a lot much thanks." The words came out in a jumbled rush and Shellington mentally cursed himself. Dashi was looking faintly confused. Before she could speak Shellington hastened on.

"I was wondering if you'd like to - I mean you don't have to if you don't want to obviously but would you like to come out with me I've got something to show you it's a surprise but if you don't want to that's fine." Shellington stopped speaking suddenly, realizing how mad that must have sounded and feeling his cheeks redden. There was an awkward silence. For a moment he didn't look at Dashi fearing the worst. Then he dared look up and was met by -

Dashi' s smile, instantly lifting his heart back up from where it had sunk and elevating it to twice the height. Her eyes were warm and her voice was uncharacteristically quiet as she answered.

"Of course Shellington." Did Shellington imagine the trace of a blush on her cheeks?

"But what do you want to show me?"

"It's a surprise," Shellington answered immediately, feeling hope blossom in his heart. Dashi smiled uncertainly.

"Well okay..."

"Meet me in the Launch Bay in a few minutes?" Shellington asked nervously. Dashi nodded eagerly.

"I can't wait!" The door shut behind her and Shellington was left staring at the closed door dreamily.

She said yes! I asked her and she said yes!!

But it wasn't over yet. There was still the actual surprise to show her, and if she didn't like it...

Tweak had helped out with the setting up, turning out to be very knowledgeable in the matter. Shellington headed straight for the Launch Bay, not wanting to be late. He realised he hadn't actually thought out what Gup they would go in yet, and panicked suddenly. But his fears vanished when he entered the Launch Bay and saw the Gup E, polished and gleaming all over, sitting in the Launch Bay tank. Inside it looked like it had been freshly cleaned and when he looked closer, in the back there was a basket of fish biscuits with a bunch of decorative seaweed tied up with a pink ribbon - Dashi's favourite colour. Tweak, who he assumed must have done this, was nowhere to be seen, but Shellington called out softly anyway, knowing she would be here somewhere.

"Thank you Tweak. It's perfect." He still didn't see any movement in the silent Launch Bay, but he imagined he heard a quiet giggle in the background. Somehow it gave him confidence knowing that someone else was there to help out if he needed it. Now all he had to do was wait.

Waiting was more difficult than it looked. Shellington found himself agonizing over how to look when Dashi came, even though he knew it probably didn't matter. Should he be already in the Gup, or leaning on the outside looking 'cool'? Maybe he should have the seaweed flowers in his hands ready to give to her? Or would that be too obvious? Maybe he should just wait until the surprise to give them to her, so should he cover them up so she didn't see them? He was halfway between heading to the Gup to cover up the flowers and halfway standing looking cool when there was a quiet hiss next to him and Dashi came out of the Octo Chute, colliding with him where he had been standing. Shellington went into a state of sudden terror as Dashi' s shocked eyes met his and there was an awkward silence. Then, when Shellington was about to profusely apologize Dashi laughed, that pretty tinkling sound.

"Sorry. Guess I should have looked where I was going."

"Guess I should have guessed where you were going to come out from," Shellington answered automatically, as he always did when chatting with his best friend. Dashi smiled, as she always did when he was chatting to her, and Shellington realized that was all it was. They were best friends, why was he so nervous?

Tweak' s words echoed in his head. 'You need to learn to relax.' And she was right, Dashi and Shellington spent all their time together and talking to her was never awkward. Shellington pulled Dashi to her feet and she brushed herself down. Shellington realised she had on a new skirt and the hairclips were sparkling. Maybe she was trying hard as well. Maybe they both were.

"So are you ready to go? I'm driving, of course," Shellington assured her.

"Right. Lead the way, Shel. Though I wish you'd tell me what the surprise is!"

"Your answer circulates around the word 'surprise'. If I told you, how would it be a surprise?" Shellington chuckled. He hopped into the Gup E, surreptitiously throwing a cloth over the basket of fish biscuits/seaweed flowers. Best to leave it a surprise. Dashi got in next to him and Shellington closed the windscreen. Before he left the Bay he noticed a flash of green from the Launch Bay and gave a little wave. Dashi, luckily, didn't notice. Then he put the Gup in reverse and headed out of the tank, smoothly cutting through the water and disappearing from view. The Octo Hatch seemed to magically open before them and Dashi turned to Shellington, a confused look in her brown eyes.

"How did the Octo Hatch open?"

Shellington smiled. "Magic." He drove the Gup out of the Octo-Hatch, closing behind the two.

Back up in the Launch Bay, a rather disgruntled rabbit climbed out from the wardrobe she had been hiding in in her room. The Gup E was nowhere to be seen, so she assumed Shellington was already down there. Quickly, she ran to the desk and pulled the Octo Hatch lever, smiling at the confusion she felt sure her best friend would express at the Octo Hatch opening 'on its own'. Then she closed it after them, as they travelled out into the sea.

'Good luck, you two," Tweak whispered, grinning. "I'll be rootin' for ya!"

The next chapter will be the one to blow your minds with pure cuteness! I know I said it'd be this chapter but it got kinda long and I wanted to draw it out as long as possible... XD  Please comment and vote! Izzy