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The halls of Gardenview spring to life as the Toons all leave their rooms, ready for quite the special day. It was the first of December, meaning that the four Christmas Toons would be back for the season. They decided to throw a party in Sprout’s floor to commemorate the occasion, eager to see their friends once again.
This became a yearly tradition for them, one that their human supervisors had no qualms with. Gardenview was always closed to visitors during the first day of April, October, and December, so as to give any returning holiday Toons time to readjust. This meant that the Toons had a free day to do as they pleased, and they were overjoyed.
The only one not attending was Shrimpo, of course. He dreaded the idea of going to an event like this, refusing to leave his room and staying in bed. He hoped no one would bother him today, as he was concocting a devious plan and needed the coast to be clear before he set it into motion.
He jumped hearing incessant knocking at his door, whipping his head in the direction of the sound. He saw two shadows appear beneath the doorway, just barely visible.
“Shrimpo! Buddy! Are you there?” An obnoxiously upbeat voice chimed from the other side of a door, and he felt his eye twitch.
“Is this really a good idea?” A second, much quieter and feminine voice followed after.
He recognized those two voices, and he hated it.
Finn and Shelly, his… friends. Okay, maybe “friends” was a bit too generous. They were just Toons that he tolerated being around, more or less. He’d sooner be burned at the stake than admit that he actually enjoyed their company.
Great. What do those two dorks want now?
“There’s gonna be a party on Sprout's floor! You should come, it’ll be a whale of a time!” Finn shouted from the other side of the door.
“Y-You don’t have to, of course! No pressure. Just if you want, haha…” Shelly added with a shaky giggle.
Shrimpo groaned loudly in frustration, taking his pillow and smothering his entire face with it in hopes of drowning out the noise.
…Or to suffocate himself so he wouldn’t have to hear it. Whichever came first.
“GO AWAY!! SHRIMPO HATES PARTIES!!” Shrimpo roared, throwing his pillow at the door with a pathetic thump.
“Aw c’mon, don’t be so crabby! It’d be reel swell if you could join us!” Finn nervously chuckled, and Shrimpo could practically hear him frowning.
“I’M BUSY!! GO KICK ROCKS!!” Shrimpo yelled again, a bit louder this time.
“Let’s just go, Finn. He probably doesn’t want to be bothered right now…” He heard Shelly mutter with a defeated sigh.
With that, both pairs of footsteps trailed off into the distance, and Shrimpo finally had the peace and quiet that he craved, letting out a satisfied huff.
Whatever. Why should they care, anyway?! It’s not like he wanted to see that—as he once elegantly put it—bobble-headed freak and her gang of Christmas cronies. Especially not her weird dog. That thing was huge.
All of the Toons being cooped up in the diner meant that he pretty much had the whole place to himself, and he was not going to pass up this incredible opportunity. Hopping off his bed and slowly tiptoeing over to the door, he cautiously peered out into the halls.
…
Completely empty. Perfect.
Truth be told, he’d never thought of doing something like this until now. He didn’t imagine it’d be so boring, though. He soon came to the realization that he didn’t have many options and that this genius plan of his was quickly starting to fall apart.
It wasn’t like he could just get up and go to any floor in the facility aside from Sprout’s floor and the Toon dormitories, and he’d already made up his mind on staying out of the party. It wasn’t mandatory for them to attend, anyhow.
Sure, Gardenview was closed for the day, but there’d likely still be some human employees patrolling the unoccupied floors. They’d probably suspect that he was up to something, and he did not want to deal with another scolding from them.
So, what else could the troublemaker really do on a day like this?
Shrimpo stepped out of his room and began pacing up and down the hallway, brainstorming ideas on how to continue being the nautical nuisance that he is.
He could litter the floor of Looey’s room with thumbtacks again, except he can’t because the handlers banned him from using them after a certain incident. Drats.
Maybe tear up some of Scraps’ drawings? The last time he tried that, she nearly clawed him into diced shrimp. Wisely, he decided not to tempt fate.
Try making a mess in the kitchen to get on Sprout and Cosmo’s nerves? Nope. Turns out he was also banned from using the cooking equipment after nearly burning the whole building down trying to make a midnight snack. So what if he did?! It wasn’t his fault that he accidentally used baking powder instead of flour! The labels on those bags are just really hard to read sometimes…
Shrimpo finally stopped pacing and gave up, clutching his head with an exasperated groan.
“UGH! I’M NOT ALLOWED TO DO ANYTHING IN THIS DUMP! STUPID HANDLERS…” Shrimpo hissed through gritted teeth, face hot with anger.
It seemed that the antsy crustacean would have to just stay here and hope some unfortunate Toon showed up for him to mess with, if they ever did.
Luckily for him, he wouldn’t have to wait long for that moment to come.
The low hum of the elevator reaching its destination sounded as its giant door slid open, revealing a light-cyan-colored Toon on the other side.
“Phew! Halfway there, just gotta keep at it. Hah…” Tisha wheezed, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead with her free hand and holding a broom in the other.
She rolled her cart of cleaning supplies out of the elevator, standing just outside of it to take in her surroundings. She’d ended up on one of the Toon dormitory floors, if the long hallway lined with doors and rainbow carpet were any indication.
The poor maid trudged forward, feeling like her legs were about to give out at any moment. She’d been cleaning the facility nonstop for the past two hours, and was determined to keep going.
After making it about halfway down the hall, she stopped to lean against a wall. It was getting difficult to breathe and her airways felt congested, and it was only then that she realized she’d gotten sick.
Not wanting to push her luck further, she just slumped down on the floor with her back to the wall, hugging her knees close to herself. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to sit down for a few minutes, right? She was the only one there, as far as she could tell.
She rested her head on her knees, letting her heavy eyelids finally close.
…
“HEY!!”
Tisha snapped awake to the sound of a booming voice and someone stomping towards her. She didn’t have to look up to see who it was. It was Shrimpo, of course. The one Toon that she really didn’t want to put up with right now.
“...What do you want?” Tisha flatly asks, looking up to meet his expectedly hateful scowl.
“WHAT’RE YOU DOING SITTING OUT HERE LIKE SOME BUM?! SHOULDN’T YOU BE BUSY INSPECTING A GRAIN OF DUST OR SOMETHING?!” Shrimpo mocks, both hands balled into fists at his sides.
Tisha furrows her brows. “None of your business. If you’re just here to bother me then—ACHOO!” She sneezes, making him recoil slightly.
“Sorry…” Tisha weakly mumbles, plucking a tissue out of her head and blowing her nose, or where one would be, with it. As much as Shrimpo wanted to question how that even works, he decided to hold his tongue for now.
“Sheesh, you look like you’ve seen better days.” Shrimpo lowers his voice and grimaces for a second, his expression changing to what looks like… pity? Sympathy? Tisha isn’t sure which of those options annoys her more.
“Don’t I know it. What are you doing here, anyways? I figured you’d be causing a scene at that party.”
“Eh, I don’t really care for all that racket, to be honest. Not like they’d want me there. What about you?”
“I only stayed for about an hour because Shelly wanted me to. As much as I’d love to stick around, someone’s gotta keep this place clean.” Tisha explains, gesturing to the dust-ridden space around her.
“Doesn’t like you’re doing much of anything right now, miss queen of dirt.” Shrimpo taunts with a barely noticeable smirk.
“Oh for—will you just leave me alone already?! I’ll get back to work in a minute.” Tisha yawns, fighting to keep her eyes open.
“Hmm…” Shrimpo hums and rubs his chin for a moment before snapping his fingers as if he’d just thought of the most brilliant idea. “Tell you what, I’ll cut you a solid.”
“...Excuse me?” Tisha blinks, confused.
Without so much as a warning, he bends down and scoops her up off the ground, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. After adjusting to the newfound weight, he then begins carrying her further down the hallway.
“H-HEY!! Put me down, you brute!” Tisha yelps, frantically trying to wriggle out of his firm grasp. Not like she could, considering just how exhausted she was. What shocked her especially was just how careful he was being, keeping a grip just strong enough to where he wouldn’t risk hurting or dropping her.
It turns out that doing nothing but pummeling punching bags in your spare time has its perks, apparently.
Weird, she expected something much more uncomfortable, even if this method of transportation was as humiliating as it was barbaric. Thankfully, no one else was there to witness this embarrassing display.
“NO!! YOU WILL TAKE A BREAK WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!!” Shrimpo barked back, effectively stopping her protests.
Still flustered, Tisha tilts her head in the direction they’re walking. It looked like they were headed towards the small living area at the end of the hall. It had a large white couch with a TV in front of it, and some bookshelves lined up against the wall. There were even a few beanbag chairs and blankets. After they reach their destination, he gently sets her down on the couch.
“What are you—ohhh my goodness…” Whatever Tisha was about to say gets usurped by a sigh of relief as she practically melts into the cushions. The shrimp takes one of the nearby blankets and drapes it over her body, leaving only her head exposed.
“See? Wait here, I’ll be right back.” An entirely too pride-filled smirk washes across Shrimpo’s face as he saunters off to the kitchen, leaving a dumbfounded Tisha alone with only her thoughts and the sound of the TV in front of her.
She couldn’t help but wonder just what was happening. Is this another one of his elaborate pranks, or is he actually helping her out? Is she experiencing hallucinations from inhaling too many cleaning chemicals? She’s never seen him act like this before.
Before she can ruminate any further, Shrimpo returns not even five minutes later with two mugs and hands one to Tisha. She extends a hand to take it and cautiously peers inside like she was expecting it to be filled with rat poison, but thankfully it was just some hot cocoa. Steamed to perfection with a heavenly scent. It even had some mini marshmallows floating at the top to enhance the already sweet taste.
“Thanks…” Tisha weakly mutters with a slight smile, carefully sipping from her mug. A second wave of relief washes over as the warm beverage unclogs her sinuses. Right, this whole scenario was so bizarre that she’d forgotten she was even sick.
“Don’t mention it.” Shrimpo lazily plops down on the couch a good distance from her and takes a decent swig of his hot cocoa as if it wasn’t literally scalding hot.
Tisha shoots him a skeptical look. “Not that I’m complaining or anything, but why’d you do all this? I never thought I’d be getting help from you, of all Toons.”
“Just making an exception, since I figured you needed a breather. Consider this an act of mercy.” Shrimpo vaguely states.
“...Right, because I’m apparently just so pitiful and pathetic that I don’t deserve the shrimp’s wrath.” Tisha deadpans, shaking her head at his strange response and turning her attention back to the TV.
Shrimpo’s brow twitches in annoyance. “Not what I meant, doofus. I was just…” He trails off and rubs the back of his head, sounding uncharacteristically nervous.
“Well? Go on, say it.” Tisha demands, glaring at him.
“...Worried, that's all.” Shrimpo reluctantly admits, feeling his stomach churn for implying that he might care about anyone’s wellbeing.
“...You were?” Her eyes widened in shock.
“I mean, yeah? You work so hard all the time and almost never take any breaks. You’re like some cleaning-obsessed zombie. It’s weird how you never accept help from anyone, even when you need it.”
“There’s nothing ‘weird’ about it. This is my job and I’m more than capable of doing it myself, thank you very much.” Tisha scoffs, narrowing her gaze.
“I mean, I get that, but sometimes you gotta look out for yourself too. Don’t overdo it.”
“I guess you’re right, but this is my responsibility. I can’t just not do what I was made for.” Tisha sighs, sounding almost ashamed.
“Ah, forget all that.” Shrimpo waves his hand dismissively and rolls his eyes. “Just ‘cause you have a ‘role’ to play doesn’t mean you have to do it all the dang time. If those slackers don’t like it, they can clean the place up themselves.”
“If only it were that easy.” Tisha dryly chuckles.
Shrimpo hummed in agreement. “How’d you even manage to get this worn out in the first place?”
“I’m sure you heard about that little celebration party on Sprout's floor. Plenty of stains and spills for me to deal with, as you can imagine. I bet there’s gonna be another not too long from now. I’d probably be done with my daily rounds by now if it weren’t for all that.” Tisha winces, recalling her last few trips there.
“Sounds like a headache.” Shrimpo shudders.
“And it was! You should’ve seen the kitchen! It looked like somebody lit a stick of dynamite in there and let it blow!” Tisha gestures wildly, spreading her arms and hands to mimic an explosion. “Sprout’s handler was in hysterics, the poor guy. I don’t think even you could make a mess that bad, Shrimpo.”
“That’s debatable.” Shrimpo blatantly adds, earning a good laugh from both of them.
“Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate Sprout and Cosmo a lot, but they really have no idea how to handle that equipment sometimes. I don’t know what the humans are teaching them, but they clearly need more practice.”
“Wow. It’s actually kinda entertaining hearing you complain about stuff like this. I didn’t expect you to have a vulgar side.” Shrimpo admits with a hint of amusement.
Tisha shrugs in response. “Well, what can I say? While it is true that this is my job, that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to gripe about it every now and then. I suppose it is nice to get it off my chest, though. Just please don’t tell them I said any of this.”
“Oh come on, I’m not that cruel.”
Tisha shoots him a look.
“...On a good day.” Shrimpo amends with a cough.
“Considering how this turned out, I might be inclined to believe that.” Tisha removes the blanket and places it on the couch’s armrest. “I should probably get going now. I’ll head back to the party for a bit, but after that it’s straight to bed since I’m still pretty sick. I suppose I can finish things up tomorrow, if not today.” She abruptly gets up with a yawn and a stretch.
“That’s more like it. Feels nice to let loose, yeah?”
“Maybe. Thanks again for this, Shrimpo!” Tisha smiles and happily waves at him as she returns to her room.
Tisha had some of the best sleep in recent memory, but her mind was still racing. As pleased as she was with their interaction as a whole, she couldn’t deny that it was still extremely baffling. The Shrimpo being nice to someone without any strings attached? Nobody would believe her if she told them.
Maybe it’s best not to dwell on these thoughts. For all she knew, maybe he really was just making a one-time exception and taking pity on someone for a change. As much as she hated receiving pity, she had to admit that it did feel nice to have someone look out for her.
That’s what she wanted to think at first, but little did she know that these so-called “exceptions” of his would end up becoming much more frequent in the following weeks.
Tisha’s next morning was one of her more eventful ones, being woken up to the sound of knocking at her door instead of an alarm. That was unusual, but she reluctantly answered it regardless.
What she didn’t expect to see was Sprout and Cosmo on the other side. They were both covered in ashes, presumably from another cooking-related disaster. Before she can ask any questions, they both immediately double over and begin groveling at her feet like medieval peasants begging for mercy.
“WE’RE SORRY!!” The pair shouts in unison, startling Tisha. They suddenly hand her a neatly wrapped gift bag with plenty of baked treats inside, made by them from what she could gather. It even had a card with the hastily written message “Get well soon!” wedged inside.
Tisha is completely stunned by this, but it doesn’t take her long to fill in the blanks once she notices Shrimpo staring daggers at the edible Toons from the corner of her eye. He definitely has something to do with this. She can already picture it in her head.
‘YOU TWO ARE A COUPLE OF LOUSY BAKERS!!’
Yeah, something along those lines.
“We had no idea you got sick, Tisha! I know this probably won’t make up for it but hopefully it helps you feel better!” Sprout blurts out in panic.
“Yeah, we’ll try to make sure less accidents happen in the kitchen from now on! We promise!” Cosmo seconds, matching his friend’s frantic energy.
“No, it's fine! Don’t worry about it. Really, I’m okay. I hope Shrimpo didn’t give you boys too much trouble, haha…” Tisha nervously giggles and rubs the back of her head, slightly embarrassed that anyone would even do something like this for her.
“Honestly, compared to other times this was surprisingly tame. Anyways, see you later! Take care!” Sprout lets out a sigh of relief and takes Cosmo’s hand as they rush towards the nearest elevator together.
Shrimpo finally huffs in satisfaction and tries to sneak off, but is stopped dead in his tracks by Tisha’s voice.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Tisha spoke with a threatening sharpness in her tone..
“Well, I… got places to be?” Shrimpo tenses up, now in fight-or-flight mode.
“Another ‘act of mercy,’ huh? I gave you the benefit of the doubt last time. What’s your goal here?” Tisha arches a brow and puts her hands on her hips, waiting patiently for a response. She scans him and notices that he’s also covered in ash, stern expression faltering somewhat once she does. “You put them up to this, didn’t you?”
“Y-yes, yes I did. They made a mess of the kitchen an hour ago so I had them help me clean it. I uhh… also may or may not have told them about what happened to you yesterday and made them apologize to you.” Shrimpo concedes, shrinking under her scrutinizing gaze.
“Oh, well… that’s very thoughtful of you. I appreciate it.” Tisha softly admitted, suddenly feeling extremely flattered.
Both of them were at a loss for words and now it was getting awkward.
“Did you… wanna join me and the others for breakfast? It should be ready soon.” Tisha asks, rocking on her heels and avoiding eye contact.
“Wait, seriously??” Shrimpo blinks in disbelief
“...I mean, yeah? Consider it my way of returning the favor. Besides, I’m sure Shelly and Finn wouldn’t mind seeing you. You’ll behave, right?”
“...Fine. Sure, I guess.” Shrimpo sheepishly agrees.
They enter the diner, bustling with activity as it always does in the morning. After the two make it to the center where all the booths are, Tisha scans all the tables and eventually spots the one that Finn and Shelly are currently seated at.
“Should be just over there. Follow me.” Tisha points to their destination.
They were in one of the booths near the arcade machines, seeing as Finn loved to play the ‘Swimmy Barnaby’ game to, as he puts it, krill time whenever he gets bored.
Shrimpo just nods, keeping his head down and walking alongside her. They received a few curious glances from Toons they passed along the way, with some murmuring amongst themselves upon seeing the two of them together.
Shelly was the first to spot them, eagerly waving them over. “Guys, over here!” She beamed with a smile bright enough to rival the sun. She was sitting at the far edge next to Finn, with him peeking his head over to get a better look at them.
“Buddy, you’re here!” Finn was ecstatic upon seeing Shrimpo, flashing his signature toothy grin.
“HEY.” Shrimpo finally tore his gaze from the floor and greeted them with a friendly-ish wave, forcing a small smile.
On any other day, Shrimpo would’ve gladly told both of them to shut up, but for whatever reason he felt compelled not to when Tisha was there. Her presence was oddly calming to him. He had no idea what this feeling was.
“Hi, Shells! Is it okay if me and Shrimpo joined you two?” Tisha gave a friendly smile, looking between the pair expectantly.
“Of course! Right, Finn?” Shelly looked at him, to which he responded with a nod.
Tisha slid into the seat opposite of them and scooted over, gently gesturing for Shrimpo to sit beside her, who was still standing there like a deer in headlights. Snapping out of his daze, he reluctantly moves to sit with her.
It wasn’t long after they all got settled that Cosmo would show up with a cart of breakfast. Each of the several plates had pancakes, eggs, and bacon, along with a small container of syrup.
“Sorry for the wait, guys!” Cosmo apologized, taking four plates from the cart and handing it to them one at a time. His gaze paused on Shrimpo for a second, and it was obvious that he had a few questions, but decided not to bring it up.
With that out of the way, they all soon dug in and began engaging in their usual chatter.
“Tisha! It’s been a minute, huh? How have you been?” Shelly asked, propping her chin on her hands.
“Good, good. Sorry if I haven’t been talking to you much, but I’ve just been…”
Shrimpo stopped paying attention to the two girls as they caught up and tuned it out as white noise, instead looking down at his pancakes and absentmindedly poking at them with his fork. Not for long, as he felt a certain fishbowl’s eyes on him.
Shrimpo furrowed his brows. “WHAT’RE YOU LOOKIN’ AT, FISH-FOR-BRAINS?”
“What’s the matter, Shrimpo? Catfish got your tongue?” Finn teased, noticing how off he was acting.
“SHUT UP.” Shrimpo sneered, crossing his arms.
“Didja make a new friend? That’s fin-tastic, pal!” Finn asked innocently, looking between him and Tisha.
“WE’RE NOT—” Shrimpo began, only to be interrupted.
“Oh, that reminds me!” Tisha chimed, and Shrimpo felt his blood run cold once she shifted her attention to him.
Oh no.
“Shrimpo’s been helping me out as of late. Can you believe it?” Tisha asked the others, but not in a mocking way.
“Really?” Shelly leaned forward, her interest having piqued.
“THAT WASN’T—”
“Mhm. We had a nice chat yesterday, and just this morning he helped clean the kitchen!” Tisha elaborated, fully oblivious to the chaos unfolding in the crustacean’s mind.
“I DID NOT!!” Shrimpo finally shouted and sat up in his seat, slamming his hands down on the table. “SHE TELLS LIES!!” He pointed a finger at Tisha as if he were accusing her of committing witchcraft.
The other three erupted into laughter, the shrimp having unknowingly given himself away thanks to his little outburst.
“Awww, I knew you had a soft side somewhere in there!” Shelly cooed in the most sickly-sweet voice she could muster, and Shrimpo could’ve sworn he felt a vein on his forehead thicken.
“AGH!! I HATE BEING LAUGHED AT!!” Shrimpo groaned and sank into his seat, covering his now red face with his hands.
“Whoa! Easy there, tigerfish! We’re just ribbin’ ya!” Finn waved his hands placatingly, trying and failing to suppress a few giggles.
“Yeah, lighten up! It’s not like it’s a bad thing.” Tisha reassured, looking thoroughly amused by the shrimp’s reaction.
Everyone’s laughter died down, seemingly having already moved on from what just happened.
“But enough a-boat that, how’s my favorite land-lass been?” Finn asked with a genuine smile, turning to Shelly.
Shelly blushed, fanning herself with one hand. “Oh, Finn, you flatter me. Well, the other day I just so happened to…”
Shrimpo once again tuned out their conversation, uncovering his face and sighing in relief. After that, he just started silently eating his breakfast in the hopes that this would be over with as soon as possible.
It wasn’t long after this that Shrimpo would become a recurring presence in Tisha’s life, silently watching from the sidelines and helping her when she needed it. If anyone tried making snide comments about the maid behind her back, he’d be the first to get in their faces about it. She found it adorable, like he was her own little bodyguard.
He did care a lot about her, even if he’d never admit that to anyone. In his own appropriately obtuse Shrimpo way. He still had to portray the stereotypical bully character, of course, but just for Tisha he would make an exception. He tries to hide it when others are around, wanting to maintain his intimidation factor, not that there was much of one to begin with considering he was the shortest Toon out of the cast.
He even occasionally offered to let her hang out with him in the dorms along with Shelly and Finn. She was already best friends with Shelly, and acquaintances with Finn by proxy of him being close with Shelly. It was basically a win-win scenario for all four of them, except for Shrimpo who would sometimes get teased by the shell and fishbowl for showing his elusive soft side.
Little by little, they were helping each other move on from the past and become better versions of themselves. They may not know what the future has in store for them, but all they knew was that they were happy to face it together.
