Hush, Little Penguin

Sweets For Soap and Softness💖

* I just figured that, instead of going in sequential order, I'd make some random one-shots here and there.*

Barnacles bounced Peso lightly up and down. It was evening, and getting close to six-thirty. The Octonauts had been good sports about Peso's new 'Game,' and even thought Tweak didn't seem to understand it, she wasn't giving him any grief. Barnacles was happy.

But he knew Peso was even happier. He'd been hand-fed at supper, just like at lunch, and he'd been given a little, soft, booster seat to lay in until he had a proper high chair. Barnacles smiled to himself, thinking of that as he watched Peso crawl about on his lap. Is this what being a parent felt like? Imagining your child's first steps and first words, their first time meeting new people before that, and their first time becoming familiar with their environment...yes there would be  lot of firsts for Peso, as there was for every baby, and luckily, the Octonauts didn't see what was so wrong with Peso's desire to be a little chick. Already, having a baby on the ship had made things a bit more pleasant, as if Peso were spreading his sunshiny demeanor to the other members of the crew.

And speaking of firsts, Barnacles figured it was time for another one. A very important one...

"Come on Peso." He stood up, carefully cradling Peso in his arms, close to his chest, and making the little one smile. Peso's eyes were full of wonder and innocence, and he clutched a soft, blue teddy bear, a gift from Dashi. The little penguin looked up at him questioningly, mentally asking what was to happen.

"It's time for a bath."

Barnacles strode down the hall, keeping Peso safe and secure in the comforting cradle of his arms. He could feel the little one squirming. As for Peso, he was a little worried. It had been a long time since he'd been bathed like a baby, and he wasn't sure what to expect. He'd learned the hard way that life was completely unpredictable, and the world had a cruel sense of humor. ANYTHING could jeopardize this new place he found himself in, where he was finally happy. One little change, and all that happiness could be shattered.

So he kept his guard up. And Barnacles knew this. He held Peso just a little tighter, not in a restricting way, but a way he hoped would make Peso feel cozy and safe.

Bath time in Peso's life had been a nightmare. He'd learned it was better to do it himself, fast and thorough, just to his father's liking, and most preferably when the awful man wasn't around to barge in on him. Either that, or skip it all together. That usually happened when his father was in bed, after a long day of overworking his poor son, and Peso knew the sound of water running would wake him and he would be cross. 

Peso laid in the captain's arms, sick with worry. He was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. What if this was it? he wasn't sure how he felt about being bathed like an incompetent little kid, even though that's what he was pretending to be, and the idea made him feel very nervous.

Sooner than he would've liked, they entered the bathroom, where the tub seemed to loom like a threatening creature waiting to pounce. Peso swallowed.

"Now, don't worry Peso." Barnacles nuzzled the head of his little charge. "This will be nice and painless."

'His methods at bath time were painless too. 'Peso kept that thought to himself. He still wasn't comfortable talking about it yet.

Barnacles ran some water. "Now, I'm just going to draw some nice, arm water for you. Wait until you see how fun this will be." He knew Peso was nervous. It was plain as day. But he didn't want to startle the little one, much less let him go without a bath, so he continued on, hoping Peso would trust him.

Soon, the tub had a reasonable amount of water in it, nice and warm. Barnacles turned, and held out his arms. "Come here, Peso."

For a moment, Peso didn't move. Memories flashed through his mind, and suddenly, he saw his father, squatting there and ordering him to come, as if Peso were a dog. Peso knew what would happen if he didn't, but he also knew what would happen when he DID. Should he try and save himself, and make it infinitely worse if he was caught, or should he just get it over with?