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You don’t always get to spend much time together. Bruno’s work tends to keep him away for odd periods of time. Not that you mind it, you yourself can often get wrapped up in projects or fall into traps of familial obligation. So any time the two of you can spend together is more than enough right now. Especially now that the holidays have just started wrapping up, with the coming new year being the last trail left for the two of you to face before you can finally kick this rotten year to the curb.
You had most of today planned out. A quick stroll through the shopping district, maybe catch a performance or a movie before dining at that wonderful little restaurante where you two met. Maybe even find some alone time afterwards in the evening if fate allows it.
However, much like most things, not everything goes to plan.
You can’t help but release a soft sigh as Bruno takes the lead once more on your date. It wasn't meant to be a sigh of grief or annoyance, but rather of a playful sort, seeing as how at the rate the two of you were going you two were going to miss your reservations.
It wasn’t a problem though, any time spent with Bruno was worth having. You missed his audacious white suite, with the little ornaments you can’t help but twiddle between your fingers as you tuck your arms underneath his.
This time, it appears he had pulled you over to the local aqua pet shop. The large, cartoon fish sign on the door advertising the many new species of fish, both saltwater and freshwater, having been restocked in preparation for the holiday sales. Now that most of the crowd had dispersed back home for the season, the place was easily accessible to casual window shoppers such as yourselves. (At least, you hoped you were window shopping. You doubted you could afford another impulse buy at the moment, especially not as something as big or full of responsibilities as a pet.)
Within seconds of stepping across the entrance, you watch your grown-man of a boyfriend zoom off to the back, eagerly taking in the sights of the multicolored displays. The glow of the tank’s internal lighting complimenting the smile that beamed from his eyes.
You catch up to him, giving silent apologies to the employee, trapped stocking shelves, that he rushed past.
“They sure are… fish?” You try to lean into his enthusiasm, but the picture of Bruno’s child-like enthusiasm in front of you just melts your heart, causing you to stumble your words.
You can’t even begin to imagine him in a professional setting. Not after interactions such as this.
“They sure are!” He suddenly grabs onto your hand, stringing you along as you start to point out the small, bulbous fish in front you. “I know cats are usually a staple household pet, but have you ever considered catfish? These small ones here, the corydoras, should be kept in groups because the little ones are anxious and are in need of friends.” He turns toward you and sticks out his tongue. “Did you know that the common catfish has over twenty-seven thousand taste buds whereas humans have only nine thousand?”
You can feel your face start to blush an assortment of reds and pinks.
“Oh! I’m sorry!” Bruno steps back and rubs the back of his head in embarrassment. “I hope I didn’t go overboard. My mind likes to swerve onto the topics of fish whenever I get the chance. Usually I can keep it more under control. We can go somewhere else if you wish?” He looks down at his shoes, preparing for any possible rejection.
“No!” You blurt out, alarming some of the customer’s nearby and gaining a look of annoyance from the nearby store clerk. “No! I, er- Please, keep going! I love you fishy fun facts.” You mentally smack yourself for such a nonsense barrage of words.
“Fishy fun facts! Yes, that’s what I should call them!” The light returns to his eyes as he thinks for a minute, “Well, did you know it was not until the mid 1800s that humans learned proper fish keeping techniques, such as filtration, in order to keep fish as indoor pets?”
You lean into his side as you both continue to navigate the maze of tanks and other displays, enjoying the warmness of his hands as Bruno’s energy returns in full force, almost contagious. It turns out, his knowledge isn’t just centered on fish, but the aquatic plants, crustaceans, and even the large indoor pond of turtles that were in the back corner of the store.
You had made an off-hand joke about feeding them, which prompted Bruno (despite your loud objections) to find a clerk to see if they had been fed yet that day.
In the end, you had not made a plan to feed turtles, which were a lot more greedy and temperamental than you realized. “Careful! We don’t want any fingers getting bitten off, dear. Just after you got your nails done too...” The little buggers slashed water around as Bruno showed you how to drop in food gently enough to avoid a legal nightmare from the store. Meanwhile, he made sure the smaller turtles got their fair share of food as well, since the others were distracted by your gifts of food being haphazardly tossed within the pond.
“Bruno!” You call out for your boyfriend, begging him to take over as a rather large turtle keeps eyeing you for more food. The guilt was something you didn’t have the heart to deal with, even though the turtle should know better than to beg for more.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” He laughs, shooing the turtle back into the water as he takes over from there. “Let’s not be greedy, ok? I’m sure the store feeds you plenty as is.”
The two of you end up striking a conversation with the clerk, about turtle diets and proper care as the conversation drifts on a lot longer than anticipated.
Bruno even suggested getting a pet snapped turtle, to act as sort of a guard dog but you immediately shook your head. No matter how much he swore they could be lovable pets, fear of bodily harm was enough to stick it on the ‘absolutely not’ list.
You look at your watch and unhook it’s chain from your wrist, pocketing the small clock as you come to terms just letting today plan itself out on its own.
Just then, it occurred to you that you definitely did not plan on ever keeping fish in your home. Not once, not ever.
Yet, against all odds, you managed to make a mental note about the prices of a proper aquarium set up, with all the bits and baubles neatly organized in a list, filing it under: future birthday gifts for next year.
Maybe if you were sneaky enough, you could manage to keep it a surprise!