Turbot in Love

By Notsoevilphanphiction, based on an idea by Mattwurm99

NOTE: This was my first try at a romance story, so some parts might be a little weird.

It was a sunny afternoon and Cap'n Turbot was waiting for Francois to arrive back home. Francois had left earlier to get his photos developed, and he seemed to be taking longer than usual. Cap'n Turbot thought nothing of it at first, but after three hours, he became suspicious and decided to look around for him.

Cap'n Turbot could not find Francois around Seal Island, so he called Ryder and asked if he had seen him. "Actually, we have seen him, Cap'n! He's been at the Lookout for an hour!"

Cap'n Turbot drove to the Lookout to find Francois on the top floor, sitting in a rocking chair and rocking back and forth. "Say, I don't remember that rocking chair being there…" Cap'n Turbot was confused.

"Never mind zat, Horatio! Ze weirdest zing happened…" Francois explained, "I was getting my photographs developed when I looked outside ze window and saw someone who looked just like you, except zey had longer hair and long eyelashes."

Cap'n Turbot was shocked. "I wouldn't be surprised - scientists have estimated that for every person on the planet, there is at least one distinguishable doppelgänger! We should go meet them!"

Francois took his cousin to the spot where he saw the Cap'n's double. "Non, I do not see zem…" Francois told Cap'n Turbot, "but I bet if I ask around, someone will know where zey are."

The two asked random townspeople if they had seen anyone go by that looked similar to the Cap'n. "Weren't you that guy who tried to feed us squid legs?" asked one townsperson. Cap'n Turbot falsely laughed and walked away quickly to ask someone else.

After three hours of asking, not a single answer was found. "We've asked everyone here!" shouted the Cap'n. "Will we ever find out who it was?"

Francois told Cap'n Turbot to turn around. "Zere zey are!" he said. Cap'n Turbot was awestruck. Right in front of him was the person Francois was talking about. "You never mentioned that they were beautiful…or a girl…or wore overalls…" whispered Cap'n Turbot.

Cap'n Turbot approached his double. He gathered up the courage to ask a question. "I feel weird asking this, but what is your name?"

"My name is Lieutenant Flatfish! I like fishing, walruses, and beaches!" After hearing this, Cap'n Turbot fainted. He never expected his doppelgänger to like everything he enjoyed!

Francois rushed over and picked up his cousin. "Eh, excusez-moi! My cousin is nervous…but he would love to have you over for ze hot chocolate and ze jellyfish jam cookies."

Lieut. Flatfish was very confused. "Um, I guess that would be fine…which of these houses belongs to you?" she asked, pointing to an array of townhouses.

"Oh, non-non-non-non-non. We are living at ze house on Seal Island!" told Francois. "You might be needing a boat to get zere."

"No problem, I have a boat!" continued the Lieutenant. "I docked it over near the pier next to the huge yellow ship."

Francois didn't feel the need to tell her that the yellow ship being mentioned was theirs. Instead, he arranged plans for what would turn out to be a date for Cap'n Turbot.

A while later, Cap'n Turbot woke up in his house. "What happened?" he asked Francois. Francois told him that he had scheduled a date for the two. Cap'n Turbot looked concerned, but didn't say a thing.

"No need to be worried, Horatio! We Frenchmen are masters of romance!" Francois bragged. "I will make sure zat no-zing goes wrong."

Cap'n Turbot and Francois set up a table in the middle of the room. Francois placed a blank white table-cover and two candles on top of it. Cap'n Turbot dimmed the lights and asked, "Do you think it's good?"

Francois took a picture of the arrangement before answering. "It looks wonderful! Like one of ze fancy restaurants!" Cap'n Turbot wasn't so sure and replied, "It looks pretty bland to me. Maybe we should change it…"

Cap'n Turbot swapped the bland tablecloth for a walrus-themed one, and replaced the candles with two walrus mugs. "What is zis? Zis is horrible!" cried Francois.

"I think it looks nice! It's my date, after all, so I get to choose what the table looks like," explained the Cap'n.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "Oh, no! She's here!" they both screamed. After five minutes of hiding, they opened the door together.

"Finally! I thought you weren't home," Lieutenant Flatfish told Cap'n Turbot. "To be honest, I was hoping your weird cousin wouldn't be here…"

Cap'n Turbot made Francois leave to do grocery shopping. Instead, he sat near the front door, listening in on the two's conversations.

Back inside the house, Cap'n Turbot had a sudden burst of confidence. "You know, I don't think I ever introduced myself! My name is Captain Horatio Turbot - that's ter-bit, not ter-boo - and I love fishing, walruses and beaches, just like you! I also like volleyball…"

Cap'n Turbot explained himself in a positive light, without a single stutter. "Wow, dating is easier than I thought!" he wanted to say, but kept it in his head.

"Wow, you are such an amazing person! It feels like I'm dreaming!" said Lieut. Flatfish. "Same here!" said the Cap'n, who could barely think, but was talking as smoothly as ever.

Cap'n Turbot brought out a plate of jellyfish jam cookies and some hot cocoa. "My favorites!" the Cap'n and Lieutenant said simultaneously. They ate and talked until the clock struck ten.

"I guess I should get going! I have to go back to Foggy Bottom tomorrow, anyway…" explained the Lieutenant. Cap'n Turbot was speechless. Was his date leaving for good?

"Oh, I didn't know…I was too busy having a great time to ask you if you lived in Adventure Bay or not…" Cap'n Turbot said, emotionally.

The Lieutenant left, and five minutes later, Cap'n Turbot realized that it was probably going to be a long time before they saw each other again. He sighed and cleaned up the table.

Francois heard the entire thing. He walked in the door with a frown on his face, preparing to help Cap'n Turbot get over his loss. Strangely, Cap'n Turbot was grinning and humming a tune.

"Eh, Horatio? What are you doing?" asked his confused French cousin. He answered, "Oh, I had the best date ever! I'm so glad she is going back to Foggy Bottom tomorrow…"

Francois interrupted the Cap'n, "You just watched ze love of your life walk away, and you are happy?!" Cap'n Turbot responded, "Oh, yes! All of my previous dates ended in disaster! I'm sure that if we kept dating, something horrible would happen and I would be scarred for life! Instead, I have a wonderful memory."

Francois didn't attempt to understand his cousin's logic. "Well, if you say so…" he told Cap'n Turbot as he walked to his bed. Cap'n Turbot went to bed, too; but he decided to read a few pages of "The Basics of Dating" before going to sleep, just in case the Lieutenant returned sometime.

The End