Author's note: Hello once again my lovelies! After a very brief break, I am back! This right here, is the start to a new story! One that follows the events of The Truce, so I'd recommend reading that before reading this one. This story is going to have angst, more twists, more surprises, maybe even a broken heart or two! I hope all you who decide to follow and read this story will enjoy it thoroughly. Chapters are also going to be a little longer than in the previous story and updates will come maybe once or twice a week. Enjoy my lovelies!

Chapter 1: An Ordinary Day

It was a quiet morning in the (once evil, now not so much) lair of Dr. Blowhole, or as he liked to be called now, Dr. Francis. New chance, new life, new boyfriend, new title. It made sense. Nothing too drastic had changed since the misadventure with the Behemothvirus. Which, as it should be noted, had been destroyed so nothing close to that caper could happen ever again.

Francis and Kowalski were happy together. Life had thrown them through a few snags here and there and getting both of their lives up and running again was a bit of a challenge too.

Kowalski now had 2 lives to live. He had 2 homes, one at the lair and one at the HQ. He had 2 sets of family, his penguin brothers and his boyfriend and his sister. His time was well divided, with Skipper having him from Monday through to Thursday and then Francis having him Friday through to Sunday. He couldn't complain, even if Skipper had him under strict rules and control. The paranoia was set in stone in Skipper's heart, that if Kowalski could do this once, then he could very well do it all over again with someone else like Hans, or Savio, the Red eye patch squirrel or maybe even someone they hadn't met yet.

Francis had taken the changes well. He was reluctant with the bugs around his lair, since Skipper could suddenly tune in and watch him whenever he pleased. But... he was still the same cunning dolphin that he ever was and bugged Skipper's bugs so that they played a loop recording and never actually showed live feed. Skipper wouldn't know the difference.

On top of his surrender to the penguins he had also made a start at patching up his family and getting back to his roots. Saying sorry to everyone he had wronged and putting up with their BS again. More specifically speaking, his father. Which was who he had a meeting with today...

A harsh buzzing noise roused Kowalski from his sleep. It was the same noise he had heard only 5 minutes previously. He groaned, and without opening his eyes and losing that precious tiredness he needed to be able to go back to sleep, he nudged the sleeping body next to him.

"If you're not going to get up then turn your alarm off. This is the 4th time already."

The dolphin groaned back but didn't move.

"I'm getting up! I just need a minute to open my eye."

A bang of a noise was heard after a shuffle of bed sheets and Kowalski could only imagine Francis had hit the button on his alarm clock, turning it off.

The room was silent and dark once again. Kowalski snuggled into himself and let his mind drift off to partial sleep once again. He would have had nice dreams of fishing, inventing, inventing a fishing machine. But...

Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz

"Damn it, Francis," Kowalski nearly shouted, his voice hoarse and in desperate need of water.

"I'm getting up!"

This time the dolphin did sit up. Wiping his sleepy eye, he turned the alarm off again. He did not get up completely though. Francis took one look at Kowalski, who was laying peacefully. He looked so warm and cute, even with a sleepy scowl on his face. So, instead of getting up like he was supposed to, Francis lay back down again, pressing his face into Kowalski's warm back.

"Whatever, my dad can wait a half hour more," he grumbled.

Kowalski roused but didn't stray away from Francis.

"Really? You don't remember what happened last time?"

"I try not to."

Kowalski rolled his eyes. It had become so evident why Red One was always threatening to quit. Because his boss was not a morning person and didn't care about consequences.

"Francis, get up. I'll make breakfast."

"But it's so warm in here!"

But Kowalski was having none of it. If he ignored Francis, then the alarm would just go off again in another 5 minutes and Kowalski was sure he'd resort to violently pulling Francis out of bed. So, he got out of bed, jumped to the floor, hissed at the cold concrete beneath his feet and waddled to the door. He expected Francis to follow him but as he looked back to see the dolphin still trying to sleep he huffed in annoyance.

"Francis, if you're not in the kitchen in the next 3 minutes, I'll come and pour coffee over you."

That got his attention.

"Ok! Flipping heck!" Francis exclaimed as he sat up once again.

Sluggishly, he made for his segway and joined Kowalski on his journey to the kitchen.

"That'll teach you to stay up until 4 in the morning when you have to be up at 7."

Francis scowled. Nothing was going right this morning and he had only been awake 15 minutes.

"Won't teach me anything. I can do what I want."

Kowalski rolled his eyes but didn't say a word more. He didn't want to rile up his boyfriend this early in the morning. But once he had some food in him, Kowalski wouldn't think twice. Francis became a different dolphin once he was fed. Hunger does something to the mind.

In the kitchen the pair began breakfast. Francis had some of his weird cereals that Kowalski hadn't had the courage to ask about but cocked a brow nonetheless.

"I thought you were strict in that you wouldn't consume mammal food products."

Francis didn't lift his head, but slowly dragged his eye up to Kowalski.

"Your point?"

"If I'm not mistaken, milk comes from cows."

Francis dipped his eye again and took another large bite of his cereal, making sure to answer with a full mouth because it annoyed Kowalski to no end.

"Silly bird. It's soy milk."

"Soy milk?"

"What, you've never heard of it?"

"No, I have, obviously. It's just... weird."

Francis finished his bite of cereal and pointed to Kowalski with his spoon as to accentuate his point.

"What's weird, Kowalski, is the thought of going up to a cow and sucking its teats. Sorry, I cant imagine myself doing that. If you want to, then to each their own, but that, my friend, is weird."

Kowalski chuckled and Francis laughed back, lightheartedly. He learned new things about his partner everyday, and he loved the discovery.

"So, what's happening with your father today?" Kowalski asked.

Francis instantly lost his happy smile and lowered his head down to his bowl again.

"Just another stupid check up. Ever since I left mom and Doris he hasn't trusted me. I can't blame him. I did fly off the handle a little."

"A little? Understatement of the century," Kowalski chuckled again.

Francis smirked back.

"Fine. A lot. He's happy I'm reconnecting with the alpha pod, mom and Doris reside with them now too, which I'm happy about. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"I don't feel welcome. Dad is so disappointed in me. So disappointed that I let mom and Doris just chase after me for years."

Kowalski frowned at Francis' concerns. The dolphin knew he was loved, by many different people but that only made the pain feel worse when you think about how much you once hurt them.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did he stay in the alpha pod and not go with your mother and Doris?"

"He's a somewhat high ranking dolphin in the pod. Our pod leader, the elder, has assigned him as one of his entourage. He couldn't leave. Like how you wouldn't be able to leave Skipper until he dismissed you."

Kowalski nodded along. Military dolphins?

"Ah. So what does he do."

"He's just a glorified bodyguard. He's a living shield. He acts so high and mighty like he's on the top of the authority when he's not."

Kowalski raised a brow in amusement.

"Traits you two have in common then."

"What? No." Francis retorted. "I know where I stand."

Kowalski crossed his flippers, another challenge at Francis' choice of words.

"Really? Never thought of challenging his authority?"

Francis didn't take 2 seconds to think, shook his head as though his father was watching the conversation.

"Kowalski, he's huge. He'd put me in the ground before I'd have a chance to open my mouth."

"Fun. So, what does he want from you?"

"It's not so much what he wants but what the elder wants. My birth pod is huge. One of the biggest I've ever come across. They have to keep everyone in line, keep everyone accounted for. Outsiders get questioned on their intentions when they infiltrate the pod and since I am not a permanent resident in the pod, I have to report back every so often."

Kowalski nodded along. He knew dolphins were one of the most intelligent creatures on the planet, but it never once crossed his mind how they worked out hierarchies and boundaries in their pods. Unlike on land, where a group of animals could make their home, their base, their HQ, dolphins had the wide open ocean and almost anyone could swim in undetected. It was interesting.

"It all sounds complicated," Kowalski admitted.

"It's just dolphin politics. It's boring and I never liked politics," Francis said finishing the last spoon of cereal.

"Because you could never be the one to be in charge?"

"Why do you always pick on me in the mornings?"

"I'm sorry. It's because you're fun to wind up," Kowalski chuckled.

But Francis just rolled his eye and put his bowl in the sink.

"Whatever, I have to go."

Kowalski nodded and watched as Francis rolled to the door. He looked less than happy, but then, Kowalski supposed it was something he had to do if he wanted to get back on everyone's good side.

"See you later, bottle brain," Kowalski called out.

"Not soon enough, pinhead pen-gu-in," Francis chuckled back.

Several hours later, Kowalski found himself in Francis' office, fooling around on the fancy computer. After having lived with Francis for a while, Kowalski had come to discover ways in which Francis used to slack off. The array of computer games Francis had on the computer was gasp worthy. Many different genres, from farming simulators to first person shooters. Kowalski liked one farming game and played that often when Francis wasn't around.

The lair was peaceful and quiet until Kowalski heard a door down the corridor open and close, followed by the unmistakable hum of a segway. Francis must have been back.

Saving his game, Kowalski closed the application and turned to the door, waiting for Francis to appear. And he soon did, a tired expression on his face.

"I'm home."

"Good. How'd it go?" Kowalski smiled.

"Great. I'm going back to bed."

Kowalski leapt up as Francis started to turn back to the door and waved him back.

"Don't, you won't be able to sleep again tonight and you'll keep me awake all night playing on your phone."

Francis stopped and did turn back, but scowled and rubbed his eye as he did.

"But I'm tired."

"And who's fault is that?"

"We've only been living together a few weeks and I already loathe you."

Kowalski chuckled and shook his head, still waving, urging Francis back into the room.

"Loathe you too."

Francis chuckled, riding back into the room and over to the table, where Kowalski was still standing. There, Kowalski opened his flippers for Francis but Francis didn't lean down to hug the bird. Their beaks met for a sweet kiss and Kowalski let his flippers cup the side of Francis' face but the kiss ended all too soon and bitterly as Francis jokingly plunged his tongue into Kowalski's partially open mouth. Usually one might not mind the invasion of ones mouth but Kowalski had made it clear so many times in the past that it irritated the feathers off his back.

He pulled back, disgusted, annoyed and wiped his beak clean of Francis' saliva as the dolphin rose with a cackling laugh.

"Stop! Why do you have you ruin things?" Kowalski exclaimed.

Francis calmed his laughter enough to reply back but couldn't help chuckling as the conversation continued.

"Because it's funny."

"It's not. It's just gross when I have to wash your spit out of my feathers," Kowalski groaned, still wiping his beak, paranoid he'd leave some of the slimy substance behind.

"Whatever, tiny toes," Francis said as he rolled his eye, turning for the door again.

Kowalski sighed and dropped his flippers to his sides as he watched the dolphin roll away.

"Here we go again."

But Francis stopped again to look back.

"You're picking on me again for nothing?" Francis asked.

"No, you're ruining a perfect moment."

Francis mock gasped and placed a flipper to his chest. He knew how much his sarcasm annoyed Kowalski and he took pleasure in making use of his acting skills in their petty arguments.

"I'm ruining the moment? Because your beak isn't big enough to accommodate my kisses?

Kowalski huffed.

"Alright, enough, I don't want to argue."

But it seemed Francis wanted to. He crossed his flippers and turned completely to face Kowalski who could not stop rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

"No, you brought it up, I was joking around. So, is there something wrong with me then?" Francis asked.

"Nothing's wrong with you, I just wish you wouldn't choke me every time we kiss."

Kowalski crossed his flippers and tapped his foot on the table. Francis saw the opportunity and copied him, making sure to pout as he stared down at the bird.

"You live too casually, Kowalski."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Francis took a moment to think, a very brief moment, before he loosened his flippers and laughed.

"You're like a geriatric. A kiss on the cheek and a curtsy."

Kowalski saw the humour and laughed back.

"Perhaps I like it that way. Unfortunately we have to be cautious. You can't throw me around like you maybe once did with Jay. I'm smaller and more fragile."

Francis nodded and placed a thoughtful flipper under his chin as he thought. A sarcastic thought.

"Uh huh, and me putting my tongue in your mouth constitutes as throwing you around and putting you in danger?"

But Kowalski had long since given up caring about the conversation and growled under his breath. He turned to the computer tower, turning it off and then waddling to the side of the table.

"I give up. Go to bed, I'm going to the kitchen."

"No, I'm going to the kitchen!"

"You're just doing this to get on my nerves now."

"Damn right." Francis smirked and watched as Kowalski tried not to laugh and give him what he wanted.

"What a thing to fight over," Kowalski chuckled.

But Francis sarcastically pouted again and opened up his flippers for Kowalski.

"I know, silly me. Come here, let me kiss you properly."

Kowalski smiled tenderly and lifted his head for Francis as the dolphin rode in closer and leaned down. They kissed again and this time Francis took the kiss slow and seriously. Kowalski never seemed like he wanted to pull away and Francis took advantage of his greediness by plunging his tongue into his mouth again. Kowalski reared back with a growl but before he could lash in to Francis, the dolphin zipped to the door, laughing hysterically as he rode down the corridor.

"Francis!" Kowalski shouted in anger, but the dolphin was well out of earshot.

Kowalski sighed and began wiping his beak again. He hopped off the table and did think whether he wanted to go to the kitchen with his boyfriend or not. He supposed he may as well. There were more conversations to be had.