Authors note: I apologise this chapter is a little short. I've kinda hit a writing wall and can't produce good stuff atm.

Unfortunately for the pair, lunch had to end and their break had to be suspended. There wasn't much more work to be done in the lab. The interval recording was wrapped up with the results recorded and the pair began the job of clearing away supplies and chatting while they cleaned.

Blowhole had special locked bins where his tests went before they were incinerated and all was fine and well in the lab after a while.

Kowalski decided to get back to practicing his writing as Blowhole started to write up the reports from the experiments they had conducted that morning.

Kowalski had been practicing writing his own name. It was a long name and all of the different letters put together were easy to mess up. He had an especially difficult time with the letter K and unfortunately his name had 2 of those. He also practiced Doris' name. Hers was easy to write and quite fun.

Kowalski sighed and put the pencil down, stretching his flipper and relieving the ache. He held the pencil too tight when he was writing because he concentrated too much. He looked down at Doris' name on the paper. Strangely it felt intimate to be able to write her name. He smiled at it and turned to Blowhole who was tapping away on his keyboard.

"Why do you despise my relationship with Doris when we're getting on so well now?" Kowalski asked.

Blowhole stopped what he was doing but didn't look back. He thought for a moment, caught of guard by the question. He had many problems in his life and very little to look forward to but through everything, he had always had his sister.

"She is all I have. I don't want you to take her away from me," he said plainly.

Kowalski looked down and twiddled his flippers.

"But if not me, would you stop her from being with someone else?"

Blowhole scoffed and turned to face Kowalski, shaking his head. It seemed something had amused him.

"Eh, how do I put this nicely? She's a bit of a player... she's never satisfied. I've never had to worry before but she always comes back to you. I don't know if it's because she really loves you or just wants you to stop harassing her but that's one of the main reasons I can't stand you."

Kowalski blinked back before Blowhole rubbed his flipper down his face.

"Couldn't stand you," he corrected himself.

Kowalski still looked down. Being with Blowhole these past few weeks had his brain swirled around and pounded into mush. Everything he once thought or knew was different, given this new perspective. Blowhole wasn't his enemy anymore, he was a friend. Was Doris only with him because she wanted him to stop harassing her? Was he harassing her? Perhaps 17 and a half times was a few too many.

Blowhole saw the frown on Kowalski's face and matched it.

"She just means a lot to me. More than you could ever know."

Kowalski still couldn't bring himself to say anything. What if he said the wrong thing? And then he thought back to something Blowhole had stated weeks ago. Their sibling relationship was strained because of him. Had Kowalski really caused that much harm to them both? He couldn't stand the thought of having hurt Doris in some way... And his new friend.

"But you're right," Blowhole said, suddenly.

Kowalski looked up and saw Blowhole looking down. He raised a questioning brow and the dolphin continued with a small smile.

"I can't control who she wants to spend her life with. And if that person is you then I'll just have to live with it."

It wasn't fair, the pain Blowhole had to go through. Reacting to trauma in his life like this and having everyone around him label him as a villain and cast him out. His own family had cast him out. Doris found it upsetting what her brother chose to dedicate his life to but Blowhole saw it as the only option. He wasn't a villain... he was a victim. He was misunderstood. Years of being separated from his family had given his mind great strain and now that he had them back he was terrified of losing them again.

Kowalski suddenly smirked and dipped his head.

"Even if one day she does end up marrying me."

Blowhole rolled his eye and leaned back.

"I can tell you now she is not committed enough to marry someone."

Kowalski crossed his flippers and glared at the dolphin.

"I think it's just because you don't want a new brother in law."

Blowhole suddenly laughed, leaned forward and smacked his flipper on the desk. Kowalski startled slightly but not enough to show and embarrass himself.

"You're darn right I don't want a brother! Especially not a pen-gu-in."

Kowalski chuckled and shook his head.

"What cruel fate had to make Doris your sister?" He said quietly to himself.

Blowhole scoffed and shook his head back at the bird.

"You know, Doris was my sister before you two started dating. I've had to live with the fact you've been in my sister's life way longer than you knew we were related."

Kowalski nodded and placed a flipper on his chin thoughtfully.

"Fair play. And all those years of ignorance were blissful."

But Kowalski felt a sympathy too. So he stood, waddled a few paces closer to Blowhole and smiled.

"I won't take her away from you, I promise."

Blowhole smiled back, it was small and tender and only lasted a few seconds but Kowalski felt he had a breakthrough. These moments of weakness were happening more often than he would have guessed but Kowalski liked it. He liked understanding, especially emotions, since he wasn't the best with those either.

"Hey, you should stay the night," Blowhole suddenly said.

"Stay the night?" Kowalski queried.

"Yeah, stay the night, sleep over, have a slumber party."

Kowalski chuckled.

"And tell each other our girly secrets?"

Blowhole laughed back and shook his head in amusement.

"I already know all your girly secrets."

Kowalski thought for a moment. It was true that he couldn't be bothered to leave and take the long journey home but wouldn't Skipper worry if he didn't come back? He had left Skipper with the inclination that he was feeling a little depressed so if he stayed away the whole night then Skipper would surely worry. But again, it wasn't the first night he had spent away from the HQ without Skipper knowing where he was. And for some strange reason he found himself wanting to spend more time with the dolphin.

"Do you like checkers?" Kowalski asked.

Blowhole cocked a brow and chuckled.

"Checkers? Come on Kowalski, we're alpha males. I have Star Wars themed Monopoly."

Kowalski laughed back and shook his head. The fact that Blowhole referred to himself an an alpha male and stated he had Star Wars themed Monopoly just proved how he wasn't an alpha. He was just a pitiful nerd, just like Kowalski.