#shrimpbowl dandy’s world

[wreckless-tempestry]

“It made me think of you.”

Year of the OTP 2025 — February Prompt

Characters: Finn x Shrimpo (Dandy’s World)

AN: Thank you for all the positive feedback on my last post! Reading your comments is truly my source of dopamine. I’ve decided to write these two pretty ambiguously since I want to be accommodating for any peeps who think these two are just a rad non-romantic pairing. I didn’t fully proofread this as i was in a bit of a hurry to finish, but i hope you enjoy nonetheless! Word count is around 6.3k.

I SWEAR GOOB ISN’T THE STEREOTYPICAL ONE-DIMENSIONAL CLUELESS AND INNOCENT CHARACTER… I plan to give him some more screen time (wordtime?) in the future. Gigi also uses they/them pronouns because i said so.

Part 1

A little over a month had passed since the fateful night of the New Year’s dance, and already some new streamers were beginning to adorn the hallways of Gardenview – the shimmering whites of January being replaced with the ominously familiar shades of crimson and pink. And the hearts… oh Lord, the hearts, they were everywhere. On the walls, the ceiling, you name it. Hell, there were even those cliche heart boxes with all the shitty chocolates in them that seemed to always end up in the possession of at least a couple Toons. I love you this, I love you that, on and on and on.

This might be Shrimpo’s most hated holiday for real.

It surprised no one that Shrimpo wasn't particularly festive, but if he had to choose just one holiday to wipe off the face of the Earth, he's almost certain that he wouldn't hesitate to choose Valentine’s Day. It was so… weird. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to make an entire day about love? He already had to suffer through a truckload of other people’s feelings every day he spent in this hell; twenty-four hours reserved for the mushiest of all emotions felt like his own special-made nightmare. 

From his spot slouched against his bedframe, Shrimpo glared at the calendar on the wall across from him, on which he had already scratched a rather aggressive line in red pen on the box with the number 13. He had a couple more hours to brace himself before the dreaded day arrived, before he’d be subjected to all the heart eyes and sentiments and — Uurgh. 

In an attempt to keep the looming dread at bay, Shrimpo’s gaze flicked upward a little, focusing on the picture displayed on the calendar’s upper page. Two koi fish looked back at him, red and white scales contrasting greatly with the vibrant blue waters that served as the background. Kōhaku, he thought, the word popping into his head with little provocation. His clenched fist loosened a tad.

He remembered when Finn had run up to him a couple days after the New Year’s party, waving that calendar above his head. 

“Hey hey hey, Shrimpo! I got something for ya!” 

Shrimpo had turned around, blinked once at the rapidly approaching fishbowl, and barked out an “Eh? What?!”

”Look, it’s a calendar!” Finn slowed to a stop in front of him, holding out the calendar in question. “Brightney let me have some, said she’s already got too many of ‘em. We could be matching!” 

‘Finn wants to… give me something.’ Shrimpo gave the cover a critical once-over. It depicted a shoal of some fish he could not identify, with the words ‘Aquatic Life’ printed boldly near the top. ‘Figures.’

“…Lemme see.” He extended one hand, and Finn gladly let him take hold of it. He briskly flipped backwards through the pages within, getting glimpses of various fish whose names were foreign to him. A flash of red and white caught his eye, and his thumb stilled momentarily on top of the U in ‘February’.

Noticing the page he had paused on, Finn chirruped, “Those’re koi! Pretty, aren’t they? They’re REEL popular in Japan especially.”

Shrimpo shot Finn a stink-eye at the pun, but did not retort with an insult right away, which Finn chose to interpret as a sign to continue. “This particular type here is called kōhaku koi, because of their red and white markings. They’re one of the three most well-known varieties of koi, actually! The other two are called the Sanke and Showa varieties; both have black scales as well as red and white, but the Showa is primarily black with white and red markings, while the Sanke is like the Kōhaku but with some black marki—”

”I’ll take it.” Shrimpo could sense a full-blown yap-fest on the horizon, and there were only so many hours he wanted to spend standing in the hallway. His evasion tactic seemed to be successful, as Finn’s expression brightened and he bounced jubilantly on the soles of his feet a couple times. 

“Oh, yippee! You’ll love it, I swear! They even put in a couple facts about the fish in there too, haha!”

‘Which you already know by heart, I’m sure.’ Shrimpo watched as Finn raced off down the hallway once more, almost bumping into Poppy with a rushed “sorry!” and then he was gone. The calendar remained clutched in his hand, open to the page with the damn koi.

Slowly, he turned and began shuffling in the opposite direction, towards the dorms. He held the gift tight against his chest, glancing down occasionally to ensure it didn’t ruffle or tear.

Kōhaku, huh…

He wondered if he had any thumbtacks stored away somewhere.

About a month had passed since that encounter, and Shrimpo still did not know where they stood with each other. In the interactions they had since the dance, Finn had remained just as friendly and pun-prone as ever – but what sort of friendly was it? Was it just regular friendly, or ‘I'm trying not to cringe at the sight of you so I'm doing my best to act normal’ friendly, or… or… or what!? There might as well be a thousand types of friendly that a Toon could be, how the hell was Shrimpo supposed to know!

This would all be so much easier if Finn just let himself be hated like everyone else.

Groaning in agitation, Shrimpo rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. His brain was not being cooperative today. Why did every train of thought have to become weird and confusing? “I hate brains,” he declared into the smothering fabric.

A knock on the door called for his salvation (or doom, depending on the circumstance). “Who’s it?” he yelled, lifting his head up to speak. 

A familiar voice answered him. Shrimpo decided he would have been better off pretending he wasn’t home. He reluctantly swung his legs over the edge of the bed and grabbed the doorknob, hesitated, then flung the door open.

“Heya, bud! How goes it?” Finn seemed to have an extra bounce in his step today, almost exaggeratedly so. Some snippets of red paper had gotten into his head somehow, and were now drifting placidly near the bottom of the bowl.

Shrimpo quirked one dubious brow. “What’s up with you?” he replied instead.

“Hm? Nothin’, nothin’, I’m just… Excited! Yeah, excited for tomorrow.”

So Finn was one of those people, huh… Figures. He looked like the type who’d be all for a day of getting all emotional and tenderhearted. Shrimpo’s expression did not change. “And you’re here because…?”

“Um… just cause! I felt like visiting you, keheheh.”

“Try again,” he deadpanned, doing his best to ignore the peculiar swelling feeling in his chest if he dared entertain Finn’s words – which were not true at all, obviously. Surely.

A brief pause, before Finn accepted defeat and loosened his shoulders, his expression turning sheepish. “Um… can you help me get the, ah, the paper? Out of my head? I was doing, uh… something… with Scraps and Goob, and it got in there one way or another. I can’t reach that far in.”

“All this red shit? Why the hell are you asking me?” 

“Well, Scraps couldn’t, cause, uh, she’s made of paper… and I’m pretty sure Goob just ended up getting more of it in there. Plus, his hands aren’t necessarily the best for more, ah… delicate jobs. You’re the first person I thought of.”

The aforementioned details Shrimpo could not deny; Goob could probably crack Finn’s head in half without even trying. For whatever reason, the thought of such a thing brought with it an odd sense of discomfort.

‘The first person he thought of…’

“...Fine, fine,” Shrimpo sighed irritatedly, grabbing Finn by the arm and yanking him forward. “Just hurry up and get in here.” 

Finn stumbled into Shrimpo’s room, glancing around with curiosity – though not much had changed since his last visit on the evening of the dance. ‘Why the hell does the damn dance keep coming up?’ The fishbowl’s gaze landed at last on the calendar, and his grin rebounded with double the energy. 

“Hey, you did put it up! I knew you’d like it!” His eyes shone like the sun.

“Mm,” Shrimpo replied curtly, grabbing the stool next to his closet and dragging it over next to Finn. He stepped up onto the platform and proceeded to grab the rim of Finn’s head with one hand, to the surprised yelp of the boy in question. “Hold still,” he ordered before plunging his other hand into the water, keeping his eye on the sides of the bowl to pinpoint the location of the paper fragments.  

“Ack – careful, Barnaby Wilikers is in there!” 

“You’re aware that ‘Barnaby’ isn’t a live fish, right?” Shrimpo snorted.

“He’s my emotional support animal, leave him alone,” Finn retorted with a mock pout, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” 

The water in Finn’s head was surprisingly warm, Shrimpo mused as he managed to catch a couple pieces of paper in his palm. He wondered where he got it from. A sink, perhaps? Did his head magically procure water? Shrimpo considered asking, and decided against it for fear of seeming ignorant.

“Um, so…” It was Finn who broke the silence, while Shrimpo stubbornly chased after the last stray paper piece. “You doing anything for Valentine’s Day?” His voice gained a faint lilt to it. “Heh, got a special someone you’re getting something for?” 

The water felt a tad warmer now. Peculiar.

“Are you kidding? Please. I hate everyone in this dump.” Shrimpo paused his paper-fishing for a moment and laughed dryly. “You couldn’t pay me to get chocolates or some shit for anybody. I don’t even eat that crap.” If ever he took a chocolate bar when on one of the expeditions down below, it was solely to keep it from everyone else.

“Oh. Alright. Guess that’s… pretty on-brand for you. Hah.” 

Shrimpo couldn’t see Finn’s face all that well from his current angle, but he sounded… well, not as sunshiny as before, somehow. Before Shrimpo could wonder why, he at last captured the final snippet of paper, and he triumphantly raised his closed fist out of the tank.

“SHRIMPO WINS!” he shouted, whilst some water splashed outward to land on the floor from the sudden movement. Shrimpo pretended to pay it no mind, hopping down from the stool and putting his fists on his hips. “You can thank me later.”

Finn gave Shrimpo a somewhat tight smile, taking a step towards the door. “Thanks, Shrimpo,” he replied, eyes fixated on a spot behind Shrimpo’s shoulder. “You’re…” he paused, then shook his head. 

“Nevermind. Bad joke.” 

He turned away, and out into the hallway he went.

Shrimpo stared at the empty space where Finn had stood a moment ago. Bad joke? Bad joke? Not once had Finn been so self-aware as to recognize his puns were horrendous; something truly problematic must have happened. Had Shrimpo said something wrong? Had he messed up Finn’s brain by accident? Did Finn even have a brain?? 

Shrimpo racked his own for any idea as to what might have caused Finn’s change of heart, and rapidly came to the conclusion that he hadn’t a clue. He loathed to admit any weakness, but it was most undeniably true that Shrimpo was not well versed in social cues. Could you blame him? – he never would have thought in a million years that he’d have to know any. He prided himself on dancing to the beat of his own drum no matter how problematic this deemed him, but it would seem that this was one of the few occasions where doing so would not benefit him. 

Why was that? Why could he not push Finn’s feelings aside the way he did everyone else’s?

Okay. Revisit the facts. Finn had asked him if he had plans for tomorrow, then if he had somebody he was getting a gift for (ew). Shrimpo had denied this, obviously. And then… had Finn gotten mad? Disappointed? Why? There was literally no reason for him to get upset that Shrimpo didn’t have someone he was going to spend the day with… unless he was some major empath or something and felt bad. Shrimpo couldn’t relate, but even if it were true Finn’s reaction still seemed a bit unusual.

He was getting nowhere fast, and what little patience he had was wearing thin. He had to know the answer to his query as soon as he was able; it was already eating away at his chest and making his brain prickle uncomfortably. 

Despite his contempt towards the mere idea of it, he might have to rely on… other sources, more socially adept ones. He could not believe that one stupid fishbowl was getting him so out of sorts, making him resort to such desperate measures. 

Stupid Finn. Stupid social cues and stupid paper strips. 

Emitting another agitated groan, Shrimpo aggressively shook his hands in front of him for a moment in frustration as he began stomping towards his door. His room was doing that dumb thing again where it started feeling too small, signaling his cue to head out. 

He paused briefly as he stood parallel to his punching bag, before whirling to face it and throwing a singular wild punch. His fist landed a bit off-center, but it was enough to make the bag bump against the back wall. Unsatisfied, he grabbed the frame and heaved it to the side with a grunt, making it topple over onto the floor with a loud clatter. Only then did he cross the threshold into the hall.

Like some specter of doom, Shrimpo stood still in the empty hallway, fists at his side and an ireful gaze fixed firmly on the wall in front of him. Where should he go? He hadn’t actually formed much of a plan about which ‘outside sources’ he planned to use. 

Other Toons were out of the question, forget Finn himself. He refused to ask for assistance from anyone; he’d already spent too much of his time purposely antagonizing them, no way was he going to wreck all his hard effort now. So then what else was there?

The library – yes, of course, the library. He’d never paid it a visit once during his entire stay, but allegedly libraries had books about pretty much everything, so surely he would be able to find something that could help him out some. Didn’t they have computers in there sometimes? That could also work. He still had his reservations about relying on anything other than himself – and God forbid he ran into Brightney’s book club –  but modern problems required modern solutions or whatever. He’d just have to be extra careful not to run into anybody.

Now to actually find where it was. He swiveled on his heel to face the hallway to his left, fully prepared to spend a good amount of his evening traversing through Gardenview. ‘Alright, I’ll try upstairs first, and then–’

“Whoa, look who it is!”

A cheery voice behind him shattered his hopes of remaining undetected. For half a second he wondered if Finn had come back, but a glimpse behind him confirmed something much worse.

“Don’t see you out and about much!” A couple yards away, Goob waved one absurdly large hand at him from his doorway, sporting that moronic smile that Shrimpo had come to despise. “Where ya off to?”

“None of your business!” Shrimpo snapped. Geez, could this guy take a hint? Shrimpo had lost count of how many times he had vowed his eternal hatred towards Goob, and the number of times those vows had been all but forgotten an hour later. In a sense he was almost the same as Finn, except a whole lot dumber. Finn at least acknowledged Shrimpo’s spiteful claims and simply chose to pay them little mind; Goob just straight up didn't seem to remember.

“Uh, okay! Anyway, I have something for ya, so come over here real quick!” Goob’s multicolored hands were already outstretched and making their way towards Shrimpo at an alarmingly high speed. Oh no. Surely he wasn’t going to—

Shrimpo was not proud of the high-pitched screech that left his mouth as he was grabbed by his sides.  All of a sudden he was being half-dragged across the floor towards the ginger shitbrain that seemed to have absolutely no concept of personal space. In mere moments he found himself on his ass in front of Goob, whose smile had not changed since the beginning of their encounter.

“Wh— LET GO OF ME!” Shrimpo scrambled away from the offending hands, which let go of him without complaint. Already could feel the skin where he had been grabbed tingling, a sensation not unlike that of an ant colony crawling about. Jaw clenched, he clutched his sides tightly with his arms and glared wrathfully up at his attacker, who looked down at him with an expression that now displayed blank confusion. 

“Goob?” A feminine voice called from inside the boy’s room. “Who’s out there?” Light footsteps could be heard getting closer, and within the next couple of seconds Scraps poked her head outside; her ears lowered slightly when her curious gaze landed on Shrimpo. “Oh.” 

Goob turned to look at his sister, his smile widening once more. “I was gonna give him his valentine! I know it’s a little early, but he was right there. It was the perfect opportunity, right?” 

‘What the hell is this guy talking about? A valentine? He’s gotta be joking.’ Realizing he was still sitting on the floor in front of witnesses, Shrimpo swiftly got to his feet and brushed himself off, ignoring the remnants of the tingling feeling. Goob had just earned himself the #1 spot on Shrimpo’s hit list for that move. 

Scraps sighed, crossing her arms as she eyed Shrimpo warily. “Whatever you think is best, Goob.” As the Toon retreated back into the room, presumably to grab whatever it was he had prepared, Scraps raised one brow at Shrimpo and queried, “So… what happened here?”

Shrimpo considered just booking it out of there and heading to the library like he’d been planning to do in the first place — nothing was keeping him here, after all — but that could be taken as a sign of weakness or incapability. No way was he fleeing with his tail between his legs from some paper cat lady and her dumbass brother. 

Besides… he might as well see what Goob had pulled together for him while he was here. To critique it, of course.

“The idiot grabbed me and yanked me over here,” he replied with a scowl, gesturing with one hand in Goob’s general direction. “I hardly even said a word to him. Doesn’t he have any common sense?”

Scraps’ ears flattened fully against her head, her tail lashing about behind her. “First of all, my brother is not an idiot, thank you,” she hissed at him, pupils slit and eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry he touched you without permission, but that doesn’t give you the right to insult him, you hear? He’s been nothing but nice to you all this time, and you treat him like this.”

Shrimpo would have gladly started a full-on argument with her (at least there was one other Toon here who had some backbone), when none other than Goob himself popped up out of nowhere and thrust something into Shrimpo’s hands. Scraps, begrudgingly, took a step back.

“Here! I made it for you yesterday!” Turning his scrutinizing eyes downward, Shrimpo was met with a piece of red paper cut out to resemble a heart – or perhaps a lopsided piece of mutton, it was a bit difficult to tell. The words “HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!” were displayed boldly, albeit somewhat off-center, in black marker. Taped near the bottom was a single gumball. ‘How charming.’

“What is this,” Shrimpo deadpanned, looking up towards Goob. “We are not… a thing. You should not be giving this to me.”

“What do you mean?” Goob blinked in mild surprise. “You don't need to be dating to give someone a valentine!”

“Goob’s right,” Scraps added, shooting Shrimpo a look as if to say ‘Don’t be an ass’. “Valentine's Day is about spending time with people you care about, not just romantically. It could be a family member or a friend. Love takes on more than one form.”

Shrimpo refrained from commenting for a moment, absorbing this latest knowledge. He had assumed that love was reserved for, y'know, people who were in love, but apparently this was not the case. Though he didn't have any relatives whom he cared about, and as far as he was aware he didn't have any true friends here (right?), so Valentine's Day still didn't apply to him. Hah. Take that.

And yet…

He felt this info was important somehow, to his own puzzlement. He looked down at the vaguely heart-shaped paper in his hands again. It looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. 

‘More than one form…’

Wait.

He almost tripped over himself as he stumbled backwards slightly from the suddenness of his revelation. The craft siblings observed this with varied looks of concern. 

“I gotta go. I will… I will accept this,” Shrimpo said hurriedly, almost rushing the words to leave his mouth. “Bye.” And he turned on his heel and ran off down the hall like a man possessed. 

“Um… okay! Bye bye!” Goob waved at Shrimpo's retreating form. The farewell was left unheard.

The elevator doors couldn't open fast enough. Shrimpo slipped inside the moment they began to and slammed his fist on the button to the next floor up. Only when the doors closed on themselves did he let out a breath and lean against the back wall. He clutched Goob’s valentine against his chest.

He couldn't believe it. He simply could not believe that this was his answer.

If it were true…

‘Does Finn want me to do something for him tomorrow?’

It would explain his earlier reaction, at least. From that perspective, getting told that Shrimpo hated everyone in Gardenview could be cause for some resentment.

However.

The other connotations that went with the theory were… a big pill to swallow.

The elevator doors slid open again, and Shrimpo stiffly marched out. His original plan to go to the library no longer seemed as necessary now (though he could be entirely wrong and the library would provide him with the correct, easier answer). Despite this, he felt there was something that could be done here. He had an inkling of an idea of what it might be.

He looked both ways down the hall, to double check he was alone, before allowing himself to half-fall into a sitting position on the floor. He loosely wrapped his arms around his knees, setting his valentine next to him, and stared off into space with a furrowed brow.

If Finn truly did want something for Valentine's Day… the possibility that he was thinking of something for Shrimpo didn't seem too far-fetched, right? Maybe it was, he didn't know. He didn't seem to know a whole bunch of things nowadays. He was never taught, and to learn seemed an impossible task. 

‘Never mind, just assume he's getting something.’ So, theoretically, if Finn was getting Shrimpo a… a gift… 

Valentine's Day is about spending time with people you care about.

Would that mean Finn cared about him?

While yes, he already sported a pretty friendly disposition, it could also be that he was just choosing to tolerate Shrimpo out of politeness; this was the explanation that the latter had subconsciously chosen to believe, ignoring any signs that might say otherwise. It was plausible and relatively easy to understand, no room for subtext or misunderstanding. 

You did not get a Valentine’s gift for people you merely tolerated – this much Shrimpo knew. You did not become disappointed if they said they had no intentions of doing the same. 

Not for the first time that day, Shrimpo thought back to the dance, that fated 1st of January. He had dismissed the entire thing the morning after, blaming anything he might have felt about it beforehand on exhaustion, and left it at that as best as he was able.

But he could claim whatever he wanted – it didn’t mean it was true. It did not erase the memory, the way Finn had looked at him then. Even now he would not be able to describe that look or what it meant, but he knew that was not the sort of look meant for any random Toon. 

May I have this dance? 

God, life could be so much easier if he had stayed in his room that night. 

Shrimpo ran a hand over his face, nails dragging slightly over the skin. He got the sensation he was hurtling towards a line in the sand that could not be uncrossed. Giving Finn a gift in return now seemed on par to giving an admission he wasn’t sure he was prepared to give. 

‘Or maybe you’re being a sissy and overthinking it,’ a different part of his brain snapped at him, breaking his spiral into an early midlife crisis. ‘Man up and get something for the fishbowl, goddamn. It’s literally not even that serious.’

…On rare occasions, Shrimpo could appreciate his brain a little. He blinked, inhaled, then took hold of Goob’s valentine and rose to his feet again. 

He was thinking about it all wrong, he decided as he began walking down the corridor. This was just a… a chance to prove his capability. Yes. Like the thing with Scraps earlier; he could have left, but he didn’t, because he wasn’t a pathetic weakling. 

This had to be like it, right? This whole conundrum was a test to see if he could hold his own. If his resolve would crumble under the pressure. Finn had looked disappointed because he’d expected Shrimpo to rise to the challenge. Damn, he must think Shrimpo was pathetic.

He refused to let that idea stand, no matter how… unique this test was. 

Yeah. This was definitely what was going on. He was just tweaking out earlier and overanalyzing it. Totally hadn’t been having a revelation. Absolutely wasn’t half-assing another explanation to save himself from figuring out the original.

Yep. 

So… a gift, huh. Where might one be found? The image of a multicolored flower popped into his head, and Shrimpo instantly brushed it off. He hated Dandy. He hated everyone here, of course, but Dandy was #2 on his hit list. (Previously #1, but a certain Goob had claimed that spot a couple minutes ago.) Shrimpo just… didn’t trust him. He’d smile at you in passing, but Shrimpo had learned long ago not to count on outward appearances.

Although… he could think of another Toon with lots of items to offer. One that may be susceptible to threatening bargaining.

He jogged a little ways down the hall before stopping in front of a door. Glancing at the designation code painted on the wall to confirm it was the one he was looking for, he inhaled, squared his shoulders — and promptly began banging on the door with his fists.

“GIGI!!” He screamed, his voice echoing through the empty hall. “OPEN UP!!” Through his peripheral vision he could see a head peering out to see what the cause of the ruckus was, then quickly shutting the door again before he could see who it was. Whatever.

Mercifully for Gigi, it did not take long for them to answer the call of their visitor. “Holy shit, quiet down,” they chastised, glaring at him. “It’s late. The hell do you want?”

“I WANT TO BUY SOME SHIT OFF OF YOU,” he replied, maintaining his original volume to quickly assert dominance over the situation. “LET ME LOOK.”

“Wh— dude, my collections ain’t for sale,” Gigi answered as Shrimpo stomped his way into the room. “Why do you need anything from me, anyway? I don’t have no boxing equipment, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“IT’S… NOT FOR ME.” Shrimpo had some reservations about revealing his true intentions, but he recalled seeing Gigi hanging around Finn a couple of times, listening to his fish facts — of all the things! Who would willingly sit through a monologue about anglerfish mating customs? (Shrimpo had once endured such a thing, albeit against his will; he could only get so far away in a closed elevator.) Perhaps adding in this detail would help sway the tides in his favor. “IT’S FOR FINN.”

“For… Finn?” Some of Gigi’s aggravation faded, to be replaced with surprise — and then, to Shrimpo’s horror, a sly grin. “Well, well, well,” they drawled, crossing their arms as they leaned against the wall. “Never thought I’d see the day when you finally softened up. Someone catch your eye at last, eh?” 

“WHAT— NO!!” Of all the horrid assumptions. Shrimpo clenched his jaw. “I AM PROVING MY SUPERIORITY. I WILL NOT BE BESTED BY A BOY WITH A PLASTIC FISH FOR A COMPANION.”

”Mhm.“ Gigi did not seem impressed by his explanation — but at last they loosened. “All right. I’ll let you take up to two things, and I expect to be paid real nicely. I recommend looking over on the third cabinet, with the tackles n’ everythin’: Finn would probably like that sorta stuff.” 

“Whatever.” With the hard part out of the way, Shrimpo felt free to lower his volume, at least a little. Sauntering over to the shelf in question, he rapidly noticed that this might take a little longer than he thought. Gigi was known for being a hoarder, but hell, they could probably give Dandy a run for his money with how much crap they owned. This cabinet alone was only a couple items away from maximum capacity, as was every other. 

“Where’d you get all this junk?” he muttered as he began sifting through the collection. It wasn't meant to warrant a reply, but Gigi answered with a vague “Oh, here and there.”

Most of the stuff he was looking at had something to do with fish, with a tackle box here, a painting there, and so on and so forth. There was some jewelry, though, and Shrimpo’s fingers happened to catch upon something whilst rummaging in that general area. 

It was two beaded bracelets, one crimson and the other cerulean, bots with the same charm of what appeared to be an octopus. Shrimpo considered them in his palm; he had no idea why one would need two matching bracelets, but whatever. It would do — he’d rather not stick around for longer than he had to. He whipped around and thrust them forward in a silent query.

Gigi glanced at them, a faint smirk reammerging on their face (though Shrimpo did not see why). “60 tapes,” they hummed at last. At Shrimpo’s withering glare, they relented and added, “Okay, fine, 40.”

Shrimpo fished around in his pockets, for once thankful that he snatched up so many of them during runs. “Here,” he snapped, shoving the currency into Gigi’s hands. In the next second he was gone.

“A thank you would've been nice,” Gigi scoffed to themselves, reaching out to close the door. 

“FINN!” The rest of the prior evening had come and gone, and the dreaded 14th of February had descended upon them. Although Shrimpo was no less spiteful of the current date then he had been before, he had business to attend to. Namely, a certain gap-toothed buffoon.

Sitting at one of the dining room chairs, the boy himself turned his head with a brow raised, only to devolve into a grin Shrimpo knew all too well. “Shrimpo!! I’ve been meaning’ to look for ya, actually,” he chuckled, scooting his chair over a little and pulling out the one next to him. “Come and sit!” 

Plopping down unceremoniously on the offered chair, Shrimpo opened his mouth to rush out the words he needed to say, and was promptly beaten to the punch. 

“So, uh… I made something for you. Here.” Reaching into a small cross-body bag he had slung over his shoulder, Finn pulled out an ominously familiar-looking piece of paper and extended it to Shrimpo, who snatched it in one hand after a beat of silence. The words “Happy Valentine’s Day!” were written in a large, round font in the center. The shape of this one was a much more distinguishable heart. Some stickers of starfish and coral were scattered about on the sides.

Of course he had assumed that there was a good chance Finn had something for it, but to see material proof was an entirely different matter. He held the paper on flat palms, as if he believed his touch would rip it in two, and thought ‘This was made for me.’

“…This looks like what Goob made me,” Shrimpo commented after a moment, with striking bluntness, “but less sloppy.” 

That was certainly one way to deliver a comment.

“Oh-!” Finn emitted a sheepish hah. “I guess that makes sense; I did make it with him, after all. He offered to work on some handcrafted valentines with me yesterday, and it seemed like a fun thing to do.”

“S’that where the paper in your head came from?” The dots connected quite suddenly, but when they did it the whole ordeal made a lot more sense. 

“Yep. Sorry about that, by the way.” Finn shifted in his seat a little, gaze drifting downward to the floor. “Uh, I know you… weren’t planning to do anything, but it’s alright, it’s not mandatory or anything. I jus’ wanted to—“

“OH RIGHT,” Shrimpo interrupted loudly, remembering what he had come here to do in the first place. “I forgot. Here.” He placed the fist he had kept tightly closed the entire conversation on the tabletop in front of him, opened his fingers, and let the items he’d held loose before quickly retracting his hand again. The bracelets sat quietly for the whole world to see, the octopus charms catching the yellow glare of the linoleum lighting above.

Finn stared at them. The silence was deafening. Shrimpo’s mouth opened again to shatter it. “Um.” What was it that people always said in those sappy romcoms again? 

“They made me… think of you.”

Hang on, since when did I use fucking romcoms as a reference for social interactions? Stop that. That show was years ago anyway.’

Finn’s hand at least reached to inspect the bracelets, eyes wide and pondering. The tentacles of the two octopi caught together for a moment as they were picked up before releasing each other. 

“Are these.. for us?” Finn asked at last, looking back up at Shrimpo. 

Shrimpo frowned. “Eh? No, they’re for you.”

At this, Finn couldn’t help but break out in a brief giggle. “Not just for me, silly. They’re friendship bracelets. Each person gets one.” 

Shrimpo thought back to how sly Gigi had looked when he'd picked out his gift. He silently resolved to exchange a couple choice words with them later. 

“Uh…” He watched as Finn extended one to him, the cerulean one — an offering. For whatever reason, such a simple gesture felt loaded with meaning he wasn’t sure he was fully able to grasp. 

It felt almost like a commitment. A confession.

‘Again with this hyper-analyzation thing…’ There was his favorite voice of reason again. ‘Seriously, brother, you’re spazzing out. It’s Finn’s gift, he decides what he wants to do with it. If he wants you to take the bracelet, take the bracelet. Simple as that.’

He felt this brain-voice of his had a habit of omitting certain details, but he decided to let it slide for the time being. He’d already been sitting there like a dumbass staring at Finn’s hand for a second too long.

“…Fine, whatever.” Shrimpo reached out and plucked the thing up with two fingers, lifting his other wrist to slide it on. It felt eerily akin to putting on his own shackles. 

Shackles… to what?

‘Dude, for real! Snap out of it!’

Okay, okay! Keeping his fingers straight, he let the jewelry piece fall down to rest on his arm. He pulled on the cords to tighten it, although just a little, and looked up at Finn to gauge his reaction. The fishbowl’s smile was brighter than ever, holding out his own wrist adorned with the crimson beads. 

“This is a great gift, Shrimpo.” How warm his eyes were. The flecks of yellow seemed even more prominent, now. “You’re a real great friend.”

Friend.

“Okay,” he answered, for lack of a better word.

The boy seemed almost to glow. 

That night, Shrimpo lay silently on his mattress, looking up at his ceiling. Not much had changed since January; it remained as unremarkable as it had been the day he arrived, free of any holes left behind from outbursts. Maybe someday. 

He looked down at the calendar. The 14th had been triumphantly crossed off, and tomorrow so would the 15th. And eventually so would the 16th and 17th and all the other days, and then he’d have to get a new calendar so he could check off all the boxes all over again. 

He now looked to the calendar’s left. The words Happy Valentine’s Day! looked back at him, written in two different types of handwriting. The room was dark, but he could still see them faintly, unchanging. Even when he slept, he knew they would be there, for whenever he needed to look at them. 

Love takes on more than one form.

So do gumball flavors, he mused, chewing on his Valentine’s present. 

[sunny-sourzii]

The aftermath:

Finn x shrimpo anyone?

[aethiriarts]

IT'S JUST THEM SO I HAD TO DRAW IT Original meme Here!

[skitastc]

[freakdoodles]

So I had an epiphany

[ommmmara]

forgot to post this ! have slop

[fandomlobsterart]

.... Guys I'm 5000 words into the fanfic I'm writing, send help. Anyway summary doodle of the scene where Goob and Scraps fight over Finn like a doll they won't share. Featuring each character's idea of what a relationship with Shrimpo would look like

[depressed-froggo-sillies]

here I made this with my wittle fingie at 3 in the morning 😍😍😍

[silly-billy-skilly]

Random doodles + dandy and shrimpo fight req for my friend

[wsipies]

I LOVE SHRIMPBOWL

[wreckless-tempestry]

“May I have this dance?”

Year of the OTP 2025 — January Prompt

Characters: Finn x Shrimpo (Dandy’s World)

AN: WHOO I managed to make this 4.2k words exactly lmao. Anyway euhh this is my first time posting my writing to Tumblr so I hope you enjoy! These two tickle my brain so I dedicated my January to them (and will probably do so again for the rest of 2025 💀). Not sure how many shrimpbowl enjoyers are on Tumblr but pspspsps come out come out wherever you are.

As far as the whole New Years thing went, Shrimpo wasn’t a fan. Maybe other Toons felt the need to make silly resolutions, or claim it was time for a ‘new them’ but not him – he was already awesome and the best of all Toons just the way he was; there was no need for change! Thus, every January 1st that rolled around was met with Shrimpo’s typical disdain. Clearly such a meaningless date change warranted no means for celebration.

His obviously impeccable logic never seemed to pick up with the other Toons, however, and just like every year Gardenview was hosting a dance that night in the center, with all Toons being welcome to attend. A certain hum of anticipation could be felt throughout the day, with all of Gardenview’s inhabitants bustling about to make sure everything was ready for the big event. Several Toons were helping to set up the final decorations, with Dandy’s supervision, and the rest were getting themselves properly dressed and prepared for the evening.

Shrimpo was… in his room, predictably. He was trying to get in some boxing practice, but it was proving rather difficult to get in the zone when Scraps was loudly rummaging through her closet next door, giggling with her brother Goob all the while. He hated Scraps, he hated Goob, he hated dances, hated hated hated—

“Heya, Shrimpo! You pumped about the dance too?”

Shrimpo’s fist missed the punching bag entirely at the sudden voice behind him, and he whirled around with boiling ire to yell in some idiot’s face — to be met with a familiar gap-toothed grin.

Finn had traded out his usual orange life vest (god how Shrimpo despised that thing) for a white dress shirt and crimson tie, accompanied with slacks that matched the shirt. The cuffs were folded back several times, and those shoes had to be at least 2 sizes too big, yet the fishbowl seemed practically ecstatic. Like staring at a goddamn sun, Shrimpo thought, his previous loathing bubbling down to faint annoyance.

“Your tie’s crooked, dummy,” Shrimpo commented rather than replying, turning back to his punching bag.

“Ack! Come on, Goob, I trusted you!” Finn replied semi-jokingly as he attempted to tighten the offending tie, with little success. Shrimpo sighed in agitation, staring at the bag in front of him for one fleeting moment before reluctantly beginning to take his boxing gloves off. 

“You asked Goob to do your tie? That’s the dumbest thing I've ever heard.” Shrimpo snorted as he approached the other Toon. 

“Well, it was his tie, and he seemed so happy about–” 

In one swift movement Shrimpo grabbed the tie in his hands and yanked the knot upward (albeit perhaps a little too forcefully) so that it rested snugly against Finn’s neck. The boy in question coughed in mild surprise and tugged on his collar slightly. “Are ties supposed to be this tight?” he queried.

“Of course it is! I always tie them right,” Shrimpo boasted, a small smirk appearing on his face as he stepped back to admire his handiwork. No need to mention it was the only time he’d ever tied a tie — surely this was proof enough. 

“Well, if you say so,” Finn conceded, his previous grin reemerging. “Thanks, Shrimpo! You’re a big kelp.”

Of course. Shrimpo knew it was too good to be true, to have evaded any aquatic puns for so long. His smirk fell almost instantly. “That doesn’t even make sense!” he answered with a scowl, crossing his arms. “All you did was switch out a letter!”

“I’m running low on material right now, okay?” Finn complained in response. “I’m going out to pick up some more books tomorrow, and then I’ll have a ton of good jokes for you, promise!”

Shrimpo was tempted to retort that all of Finn’s jokes were terrible and he was a menace to everyone around him, but the fishbowl was already backing out of the room. “Thanks again! Can’t wait to see you at the dance!” were Finn’s final words before he scampered off down the hall.

“Huh? Hey, wait—!” Shrimpo was far too late to call out to Finn and explain that he had no intention whatsoever of leaving his room tonight. What, did Finn think he’d be caught dead on a dance floor? Hell no. Besides, with all the other toons up at Gardenview Center, he might finally be able to get a moment of peace and quiet down here. 

With an exasperated groan, Shrimpo shuffled over to his bed and flopped down onto the somewhat stiff mattress. Punching the pillow once, he rolled onto his back and stared up at his remarkably unextraordinary ceiling. The hallway outside had quieted down significantly, he realized; most of the Toons must already be making their way upstairs to the dance. “I hate pillows,” he muttered for good measure.

It was at rare moments like these, when there was no one around to berate and nothing to profess his undying hatred towards, that Shrimpo presumed he would have some peace of mind. Usually he did, or at least his thoughts weren’t quite so loud. Today, however, his brain seemed to have different plans. Against his own will, he started to think with purpose, and not only about his hate for remarkably unextraordinary ceilings.

The hall was silent. Everyone else was at the dance. Shrimpo was alone in the dorms. The dance would last a couple hours. He had nothing important to do and a lot of time to fill. Thinking would only last him so long before he didn’t want to anymore. Nobody had any plans of running into him. 

Well… almost nobody.

Heya Shrimpo! You pumped about the dance too?

Are ties supposed to be this tight?

Thanks again! Can’t wait to see you at the dance!

Might as well go to bed a little earlier than usual, eh? Not much else to do anyway. He closed his eyes. He could hear the faint buzz of the fluorescent lamps out in the hall. He opened his eyes. He looked at the clock. Four minutes had passed since the dorms had cleared out. 

Thanks again! Can’t wait to see you at the dance!

He looked back up at the empty, empty ceiling.

Thanks again! Can’t wait to see you at the dance!

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He walked over to where he had placed his boxing gloves, stared down at them, and turned back around again. Shuffling a little ways, he opened his closet and stared at what little contents it harbored. He closed it, looked at the bed, looked at the doorway.

Thanks again! Can’t wait to–

He slammed the closet open again. The room felt smaller, the silence deafening. The air hung about him like a blanket made to smother.

‘I need to get out of here.’ He whipped around again to make for the hall, then paused. Where to? Hell would freeze over the day anything worth visiting popped up in this hellhole. The food in the cafeteria might as well be garbage, and he didn’t particularly have an appetite at the moment anyway. Stopping by the rooms of other Toons would be weird, not to mention pointless — everyone and their mother was probably at the goddamn…

He stood in the center of his room, breathing out of his mouth and his sights fixed on nothing. He looked up and to the side. Four minutes had turned to seven.

Thanks aga–

He turned, excruciatingly slowly, and glanced back at his closet. 

Gardenview Center was, predictably, chock-full with guests. Several were up on the dais in the center of the room dancing to the music being broadcast over the speakers. Others were milling around by the food and beverage stations, and yet others were wandering aimlessly about, whether by themselves or with friends. Finn was nowhere in sight.

Shrimpo stood stiffly in the entryway, hands in fists at his side. The most remotely formal thing he could find was some unlabeled letterman jacket, which he had slung over his regular attire. 

“Shrimpo! Glad t’see ya here, friend!” Goob waved at him as he walked past, his sister at his side. He sported an uncharacteristically dignified tuxedo, bowtie and all.

“Shut up!” Shrimpo hissed immediately. “I hate dances and I hate you!” He silently congratulated himself on not completely losing his touch; he still had his fiery tongue after all. Goob gave him a weird look before turning and making his way inside. Scraps gave Shrimpo a dirty side-eye as she passed; he shot her the finger in return.

This is stupid. He whipped around on his heel, fully prepared to take his leave. Why the hell was he here? He had made it abundantly clear to everyone that he wasn't all for such events. Finn would just have to suck it up and deal with it; what sort of imbecile leaves a guy hanging after all but–

A hand grabbed his own from behind him. For the second time that day, Shrimpo spun to shoot a scathing remark at an unfortunate Toon, and was met with the same face.

“There you are! I was waiting for you.” Finn shot him his trademark grin. When the hell would that tooth grow in again? “Not trying to leave yet, are ya? You haven't tried the punch yet!”

“Wh–” Shrimpo was already being all but dragged across the room to the food stations. A couple of Toons glanced at him in what looked like surprise – Shrimpo made a point to glare at them all, despite his slight daze from the abrupt change in plans that was occurring in front of his very eyes.

He blinked, and then he stood in front of a bowl full of some crimson liquid, which Finn was currently ladling into a Solo cup. “Trust me, it’s great stuff!” the fishbowl assured Shrimpo, extending the cup to him. “Teagan was the one who made it, so you know it’s COD-ta be good! Hehehe.”

Shrimpo stared at the offending cup, and the contents of which were the reason his plans of escape had been foiled. Coming back to himself somewhat, he briskly snatched the thing from Finn’s hand, glared at the punch it held within, and downed the thing in one angry gulp. Sweet was the first word that came to mind, though not unbearably so. Tasted sort of like strawberries.

“I hate punch,” he muttered, not with the same bite as he thought it would have. He wondered where all his capability with Goob had gone. All that had changed was the audience, so what was it that kept him from speaking with the venom he knew he was capable of?

“You say that about everything, silly,” Finn chuckled, his eyes glinting in the dim lighting as he helped himself to his own cup. “SHORE-ley there must be something you don’t hate, right?”

Shrimpo was fully ready to counter that it was entirely possible and absolutely true that he despised everything, and maybe Finn should come to terms with that and stop trying so hard – and then all of a sudden they weren’t alone. Skittering towards them was a familiar little runt with a wide smile on her face, Rodger tailing close behind.

“Finn!!” Toodles hopped in place upon reaching them, hands clasped tightly together. Her usual hoodie had been replaced with a remarkably similar dress, except with a lot more unnecessary frills. “Hi hi hi!” Her gaze drifted briefly to Shrimpo, and her facial expression switched to the sort of look bratty little children give you when trying (and failing) to appear aloof. “And you’re here too, I guess.” 

“You little–” Shrimpo had the sudden urge to upend the punch bowl over Toodles’ sorry mug, but was interrupted by Rodger’s more even tone.

“I apologize. Toodles, be nice,” he hummed, his one eye half-lidded as always (though he didn’t look too apologetic). “Though I will say I am… pleasantly surprised to meet you here, Shrimpo.” The older man continued on before Shrimpo could cut in. “Finn, I asked Teagan to reserve Toodles and I a table, and she requested that I open an invitation to you as well. It’s… quite a large table for only three.” Glancing at Shrimpo once more, he added, “I suppose you can bring along your company, if you’d like.”  

“Really?!” Finn brightened immediately, his smile widening. “Well… gee, I’d love to!” His gaze turned to Shrimpo suddenly, fixing him with his bright, questioning gaze. “Only if you want to as well, though,” he added with a light laugh.

‘What the hell –?’ Why was Finn so adamant on keeping him around? Shrimpo wasn’t dumb; he was well aware that he would not be what other Toons might consider good company or whatever. Even Rodger, who was arguably one of the more level-headed members of Gardenview, seemed somewhat hesitant about extending the offer to him – his sole reason for doing so seemed to be out of politeness for Finn’s sake. The boy could have used this opportunity to slip away and head off to do whatever it is normal people do at a party.  Yet for whatever reason, Finn seemed to be completely unbothered by Shrimpo’s demeanor. It baffled the shrimp to no end. And Shrimpo hated being baffled. 

 “Whatever,” he grumbled after a brief pause, glowering at the floor. Seeming to take this as a yes, Finn took Shrimpo’s free hand once more and proclaimed “Lead the way!” to Toodles, who seemed to have gotten bored of her withdrawn charade and was already beginning to skip off in the direction of wherever the hell they were headed, Rodger close behind and Finn and Shrimpo taking up the rear. The latter got the sense that he would not be arriving back at his dorm for a long while. 

Sitting with Rodger and the rest wasn’t… horrible, Shrimpo supposed. Much better than dancing at least, God forbid. He had sort of tuned out the second the rest of the group had moved on from greeting each other, and was now staring off into space with his resting bitch face. 

At least Finn seemed to be enjoying himself, Shrimpo mused with a sideways glance at the boy, who was amiably chatting it up with Teagan. The two of them had always had some sort of friendship, with the latter often inviting Finn to some dumb tea party or whatever. What was the point, anyway?— He would just end up drinking water the entire time. Somebody should host a water party instead; Finn would surely all but jump for joy at the—

“Alllright folks!” Dandy’s sunshiny voice echoing from the speakers derailed Shrimpo’s train of thought. Jeez, could he finish one sentence even in his thoughts?! “We’ll be wrapping tonight up with one more song! Everybody, grab a partner or two and head up to the dance floor!” Cheers rose joyously from the crowd, before hands started grabbing other hands and any Toons not already on the dais began to swarm forwards in small crowds. Toodles grabbed the hands of Rodger and Teagan and leaped out of her seat to join the throng, towing along the two chuckling adults.

‘Ugh.’ Shrimpo had never attended one of these godforsaken parties before, but already he could tell that this was his cue to head out. He rose from his seat, empty plastic cup still in hand – only for his free palm to be captured by another. 

“May I have this dance?” Once again, Finn’s eyes that seemed to almost sparkle met Shrimpo’s, his hand extended towards him. Briefly taken aback, Shrimpo hurriedly regained his scowl. “Are you kidding me? You couldn’t bribe me a million dollars to go up there.” (If such an amount was actually procured, Shrimpo may have reconsidered, but no matter.) 

“Oh, come on. Would it kill you to enjoy yourself, just this once?” Finn’s voice had gotten quieter. “It’s only one song.” 

“I hate dances.” The words sounded less convincing then they had the first time around. 

“You say that about everything,” Finn answered softly for the second time that night. He wasn’t laughing this time. The room seemed to get a couple degrees warmer.

“I can’t promise you you’ll like it, but better to try now than to be left wondering later, right? I have a feeling you’d be even less satisfied than if you just take the risk and see for yourself.” 

People did not look at Shrimpo the way Finn was looking at him now. “I…” Shrimpo scrambled to speak, to refute Finn’s abruptly silken words – what do you care? How can you claim to know how I feel? – and for once in his life found his jaw unwilling to let the words loose. 

Why? When any other Toon could have easily left him aside with little remorse, Finn seemed determined to pull him off the sidelines. He didn’t have to invite Shrimpo to the party, nor did he have to extend a seating invitation meant primarily for him to Shrimpo. And most certainly he did not have to invite him to dance. It could have been anybody that Finn invited. So then why him?

Shrimpo did not know. This he could not deny, no matter how much it terrified infuriated him. 

The music was starting, sounding as if it were reaching him from underwater. Finn’s other hand reached forward to join its twin, wrapping lightly around the back of Shrimpo’s palm. The twinkle in his eye had become warmer. “Please? For me?”

One other fact Shrimpo was forced to acknowledge: Finn did know him, perhaps alarmingly well. Though his brain urged him to refuse, to play it safe as he always did, there was a nagging little flicker of curiosity that could not be beaten down. It whispered possibilities and queries in his ear, one after the other.

What’s it like to dance? Would people be looking? Would I care? Would I enjoy it?

Would I enjoy it more with Finn?

Finn knew the answer to none of these questions.

But maybe he’d be able to find them out.

“Fine.” His voice was almost a whisper, his gaze set on the ground underfoot. He could almost hear Finn’s eyebrows raise. The silence between them seemed to ring in Shrimpo’s ears.

Had Finn remained quiet for any longer, Shrimpo would have disappeared from Gardenview Center faster than Pebbles could bark, but such a thing was never to happen, for Finn smiled and replied, “Okay.” And then the two of them were walking towards the dais, their hands still intertwined. Shrimpo didn’t know if he felt weightless or even more weighed down than before. 

The lights were glaring and the music was even louder and Shrimpo was already having second thoughts, but Finn captured his attention and kept it, and he felt a little more grounded. It took a second of standing and staring at one another to realize that the action of dancing was now a requirement.

“...Um. I might not actually know how to dance,” Finn admitted, giggling sheepishly.

“Are you for real?” Shrimpo quirked one irritated eyebrow, though he found he didn’t feel the familiar boil of anger beneath his skin. It felt funny… not necessarily in a bad context. 

“Oh, I’m sure it’s not that hard,” Finn dismissed with a carefree wave of his hand, glancing over at some of the other dancers. “Uh, let me see… okay, okay, I think I get it! Sorta. Just… try to copy me, I guess. Okay?”

Not unsurprisingly, the instinct to make a snappy comment threatened to resurface, but no words ended up leaving his mouth. Instead he watched where Finn was stepping, how he held himself, and he took the same step. And he did it again. And again. 

Not once did their hands part.

If other Toons had been looking, Shrimpo hadn't been paying attention.

“Let's give a round of applause to Boxten for helping to assemble tonight's playlist!” Clapping ensued from the crowd, with Glisten grinning and uttering a whoo! The music box in question turned a light shade of crimson and ducked his eyes, though a small smile flickered across his lips. “Thank you all for attending, and have a wonderful rest of your year!” The speakers shut off with a click, and all the gathered Toons erupted in jubilant chatter. Some began to file out, while others lingered around for conversation.

Shrimpo stared at it all, unmoving. He didn’t know how to feel. His naturally angry front seemed pointless to him now, so how should he be instead? His chest felt tight, his head a little dizzy, but the sensation was… certainly not unpleasant.

The warm pressure on his hand tightened slightly, returning his attention to the present. “So?” Finn surveyed him inquisitively, grinning from ear to ear. His eyes were brighter than stars. “Was it okay?”

Shrimpo seemed to be having a bit of trouble with his reaction time, for it took a moment of all but gawking at the other boy before he could muster up a response. “...It… wasn’t bad,” he finally answered. 

“Are you glad you tried it?” The two had started ambling out of the center along with the rest of the lingering partygoers, almost without their knowledge. 

“...Uh-huh.”

“I thought so.” 

Neither Toon spoke for the rest of the trip to the dorms. 

“I guess this is where part ways for the night,” Finn hummed as the two paused outside of Shrimpo’s room. The muffled sounds of Toons winding down for the evening could be heard around them. 

“Eh? Oh.” Shrimpo had thought the walk would take longer than that, but he supposed he wasn’t in the most capable state of mind to be the judge of such things.

“Well… Goodnight, then. And, uh…” Finn lingered, looking almost uncertain for a moment. “…I had fun, earlier.” Shrimpo’s hand was released, leaving his hand abruptly cold. He tucked it into his pants pocket, feeling an odd sense of loss.

“Um. Me too. I guess,” he added, his usual habits refusing to be fully abandoned even now. A brief pause, in which the two boys stared unblinkingly at each other. Finn had small specks of amber in his eyes amidst the usual blue — like grains of sand, Shrimpo noted.

The silence quickly devolved into awkwardness, so to spare himself from further tension he muttered, “See you tomorrow,” and began to turn towards his doorway. 

He felt the faint brush of warmth against his cheek, a single soft breath close to his ear, and when he glanced to the side Finn was already dashing off down the hall, whipping around a corner and out of sight in a matter of seconds. He blinked, then blinked again. The hand that had been occupied by someone else’s moment before now raised to touch his fingertips to the skin. 

If he thought about it a little too hard he started feeling weird and fizzy, so he put that train of thought aside, shook his head and entered his room.

Other thoughts quickly rose to fill the empty space in his brain as he took off his letterman jacket. He felt as if something had shifted slightly between him and Finn tonight, though what exactly it had become he could not pinpoint. Should he ask about it, or should he just… know? Or maybe he wasn’t supposed to talk about it at all? Where did they stand with one another now?

Come to think of it, he had never really known what the two of them shared. He had thought that he would naturally be unapproachable with everyone, but a certain someone seemed to not apply to this dynamic the way everyone else seemed to. He found himself acting differently around Finn than he might with other Toons, even if it was but a slight difference — and what had transpired at the dance was decidedly not slight.

But… looking back, although he had certainly felt a little out of place and unnatural, he had felt almost… liberated, in a way. The act of ire came easily to him now with how often he used it around others, but back up on the dais, when the people around him were the last thing on his mind and his only focus was the mimicry of Finn’s steps… he hadn’t felt that uninhibited in years. And, he realized with shock, he wanted to feel that way again in the future.

Which left him wondering: 

How many things did he do, did he say, simply because he wanted to?

Perhaps he should save this revelation for another time. He slipped on his sleepwear and rolled onto his mattress, laying in the same position which he was in only a couple of hours before; the high of the night’s events was beginning to catch up to him. His ceiling was still remarkably unextraordinary. He didn’t mind; there were plenty of other, more extraordinary things he could think about instead.

He rolled over to face the wall and shut his eyes. He was out in seconds.

He dreamed of sparkling eyes and a gap-toothed grin. 

[sunny-sourzii]

Real convo I had with my gf when we were playing Minecraft BUT it’s Finn and shrimpo because. Sigh. It fits them

Yes I was shrimpo what did you expect

[corrodingstars]

some more dandys world doodles!!! :D

[icestationimpossible]

that one character dynamic thing but imo neither have them have kissed ever because they're LOSERS 😡😡😡 im sorry ill be nice.

oh my god drawing their side profiles was painful

[dia-smthidk]

Gigi you can’t just say that 😨

[ayelen0o0o]

NOOOO WHY ALWAYS KISS😭😭