Jason's apartment smelled amazing. Rich, sweet and savory aromas rose from the covered dishes on the candle-lit table. There wasn't a dry mouth at the table as seven cephalopods eagerly awaited the coming meal.

"Alright, everyone!" Jason rose in his seat. "I won't keep you waiting much longer." he smiled at Nelson eyeing up the stew. "Just before we begin, I'd like to raise a toast." Jason announced.

They all filled their glasses with sparkling grape juice (most of them were too young for alcohol) and raised them together.

"To continued friendship!" Jason grinned.

"To continued friendship!" everyone repeated.

"And happy birthday, Jason!" Sam added. The group laughed and repeated.

And with that, they drank and dug in. Lifting the covers off the home-made dishes just made the beautiful aroma in the room all the stronger.

Jason and Thea had made a salad and spring rolls that afternoon. Sam and Jasmine brought sushi and a beef stew. Mel and Nelson brought stir-fried veggies and a dish of lasagna. As promised, Arthur brought a mouth-watering fudge pudding which went well with Mel's home-made ice cream.

The next half-hour consisted of more talking and laughing and eating delicious food. Thea got to try some that she had never even seen before. Everyone was having a great time. Jason was so happy that the day turned out for the better. The worries of the morning seeming insignificant in the company of good friends. He was glad Thea and Arthur were fitting in well. Arthur turned out to be quite funny and although Thea didn't talk much about herself, she was constantly asking questions, eager to learn more about the lives and experiences of the surface dwellers.

Eventually, as the conversations continued on, Jasmine turned to Thea. So, Thea? What brought you and Jason together."

Thea was surprised that anyone would ask for her side of the story. Nobody had brought up the incident that had brought her and Jason together. She subconsciously touched the bandage on her cheek. "Uh...well... It's a bit of a long story." She smiled shyly.

"Well, can you shorten it?" Jasmine pressed on. Nelson leaned in to listen and Arthur halted his conversation with Mel. All eyes were suddenly on her.

Thea gulped. She had not expected the conversation to shift to her. Jason knew that Thea didn't really want to talk about her past but decided to let her decide what to do. He wouldn't admit it, but he was curious to learn more about Thea too.

"Uh..." Thea turned to Jason. "Should I start at the beginning or from where we met?" she asked in a hushed tone.

Jason sighed. "You can decide. Do whatever you feel comfortable with. Don't be stressed about it." he answered.

The nodded meekly. "Ok."

"Well, I grew up in a small town called Kelp Trench, which was one of the two towns in dome 12B. I was quite separated from the rest of the Octarian world, much less the surface. My Dad worked in the military as a low-rank officer and my Mum was a retail worker. We weren't a very well off family. My Dad was so busy with the military that I almost never saw him and he didn't even make a lot of money. My Mum basically just worked to help pay bills and put food on the table."

"I was a nobody. I had no friends at school. I didn't play any sports and I didn't have any talents." Thea's eyes threatened to water but she held the tears back.

"I didn't do well in school and was bullied a little because of it. I spent most of my time playing with my toys by myself when I was younger, but when I got a little older I decided to try and improve myself. So I learned proper manners and how to work and be a useful member of our society." Thea paused to look around the room. Everyone was watching her, all listening to Thea's background.

"One day, when I was around 12, my Mum told me that Dad had left us. He had divorced my Mum for another soldier in the army. My Mum, conveniently, got fired from her work a few days later for some stupid reason. Dad didn't do a thing. He refused our pleas for help and cut all contact from us. Mum found another job that kept us alive and I ran small errands around town to scrape change together." Thea's head lowered. Jason became worried and started to wonder if he should cut the story short, but he was also so curious about Thea's past he wanted to keep listening.

"A-and then..." Thea's voice hitched. "M-mum got really sick. I took her to the hospital... but she died a few days later." Thea choked, still trying to hold it together. Jason was sure he saw a tear run down her face. The atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Arthur and Mel were visibly upset, Nelson, Sam, and Jasmine kept straight faces but were still concerned. A lightbulb clicked on in Jason's head as he thought about what Thea said, but he didn't say anything.

"The...uh...the army found me and took me in as a trainee." Thea sniffed and wiped her nose with a napkin. "It was around the time that DJ Octavio was arrested the first time. I...uh...I didn't do very well in the army!" Thea forced a chuckle and tried to smile. Everyone else chuckled a little to ease the tension but they all knew Thea wasn't really happy about it.

"I failed most of my tests and exams. I was quite disobedient to my superiors. Got myself into a lot of trouble." Thea smiled, thinking back to the time she swapped some of the dud splat bombs with live ones.

"The military life just wasn't for me. I never when on any real missions. I was miserable there. But no matter how much trouble I got into, they wouldn't kick me out. No matter how much I begged, they wouldn't let me go back to civilian life. I think the higher-ups were determined to 'fix' me?" Thea continued with a pained expression.

"When Octavio was arrested a second time I was sure I would finally get out. The army was dissolving and many of my colleagues were leaving to go back to civilian life. But, I was drafted to a new location. Another secret training facility. I don't know why they took us there. There was nothing I could do about it."

"The training was even more brutal than the previous place. I was in constant pain and fear. It made no sense to me because the war was over and Inkopolis was accepting peaceful immigrants. I did try to escape a few times. And each time landed me in solitary." Thea looked briefly at her audience at the table. Each one intently listening to her story. She was a little embarrassed but continued.

"One day, with the help of another soldier, I got over the fence undetected. Then I ran like heck! I ran all through the night. I reached the nearest city hoping to find refuge, but the police had been notified of my escape and I had to leave. I evaded them long enough to stumble my way to the surface and I lost them in a forest.

"With nowhere else to go, I decided to seek refuge in your city. But because I wasn't selected for entry, I was turned away at the border checkpoint. I knew I couldn't go back to the Octarians, but the Inkling society might've turned out to be more accepting. So I snuck in under the chassis of a car using my octopus form." A few eyebrows in the room were raised at that detail.

"I spent a few days in a park, eating food scraps and sleeping under a tarp on benches. Then I got kicked out and roamed the streets for a while. The cold nights were starting to really get to me, and I was looking through the trash in an alleyway, when..." Thea paused and her face became blank. Her eyes became distant and her lip started quivering. Jason knew where this was going. He was about to say something when Thea kept going.

"H-he saw me in the alleyway." Thea's voice shook. "He wanted my money. I told him that I didn't have any but he wouldn't believe me. He threatened me with a knife and said that if I didn't have any money then he would have to be paid in 'another way'." Thea cringed. Jason's eyes widened. He hadn't heard that part of the story.

Thea shook her head and cleared her throat. "I tried to run, but he grabbed me, so I fought back. I never did well in hand-to-hand combat training so I didn't get away unscathed." Thea pulled her sleeve to reveal the bandages on her arm. Some of the guests leaned in closer to see the bandages and plasters on her arm and face.

"I did hold him back for a while though. Got a few good punches in, one right in the eye. But he wasn't fazed and pinned me to the wall, ready to slash my throat." Thea looked up at Jason and cracked a small smile. "And then a brave Inkling came in just in time."

All heads turned to, a now very red-faced Jason. He gave an embarrassed smile and tried to shrink away in his seat.

"J-Jason?." Stuttered a bewildered Nelson.

"Heh heh, yeah..." Jason looked down and rubbed his neck.

"What do you mean, Thea?" Arthur asked with confusion.

Thea smiled again. "I mean that Jason saved me from becoming sushi."

"H-how is that possible?!" Nelson was shocked to hear that his shy little friend from school somehow fended off a mugger.

There was a moment of silence while everyone waited for Jason to explain himself.

"Come on! Out with it!" Jasmine tried to convince him to tell.

"U-uhm... well..." Jason struggled to find the words. "Y-you guys remember I asked you all to bring some food to share?" All the guests nodded. Of course they remembered. "Well...that's because I did have food for tonight...but I threw it all... at the mugger." Jason winced. He didn't know why but for some reason he felt like everyone would get mad at him.

Sam burst out in laughter. "Bwhahahaha! Y-you mean you just threw all your food at a guy with a knife?!"

"Yeah?"

Everyone was laughing now. The thought of Jason throwing all his groceries at someone with a knife in a dark alleyway was just hilarious.

"That is so dumb and stupid and funny!" Jasmine was gripping her stomach in pain as she laughed.

"W-why would you do something like that?!" Nelson asked and almost fell over in his seat.

"It really happened though!" Thea backed Jason up after calming down from her own laughter. "He just started throwing stuff from his bags until the guy had enough and ran away!"

"Ok, Ok. But that still doesn't explain why you're here." Mel said, still giggling a little.

Jason decided to explain. "She didn't want to go to the hospital and she had nowhere else to go. So I offered to let her stay with me. And now she's been living here for the last few days."

"Oh wow! What a score!" Sam snickered. Jason shot him a warning glare.

"Have you gone to the police?" Nelson asked. "The person who did this might still be out there."

"We don't have any evidence and the guy had a hoodie on so we don't know what he even looks like." Jason explained.

"Well, whoever this creep is, I hope they eventually catch him. He deserves to die!" Jasmine slammed her fist on the table.

"Ok, maybe a little extreme, but yeah, this guys can't be allowed to roam free, preying on homeless girls." Sam rubbed his chin.

"Can we please change the subject?" Thea asked shyly.

"Right, sorry." Jason agreed. He knew this was a touchy subject for Thea. Everyone else agreed to change the subject of the converstaion.

"Ok then. Now, can we talk about these clothes." Jasmine pointed to Thea with mock disgust on her face.

"Huh?" Thea looked down at her pink tee.

"You bought them for her?" Jasmine asked Jason.

"She picked them. I just paid for them." Jason nodded, thinking about his poor, hungry bank card.

"Ok, well these won't do."

"What do you mean?" Thea asked a bit offended.

"Look at how everyone else is dressed!" Jasmine exclaimed. She moved over to Thea and grabbed her shoulders, startling the Octoling. "You can't be a fancy dinner party wearing something so...so...drab!"

"I-I'm quite fine with my clo-" Thea tried to get through but was cut off by Mel.

"She's right, Thea. The clothes you're wearing now are quite..." Mel hesitated for a moment. "Basic. And you definitely need some makeup."

"Makeup?!" Thea panicked. She had never worn makeup before and wasn't sure she wanted it.

"Yup! And lucky for you, I have some in my bag." Jasmine beamed, ignoring Thea's reluctance.

"Where do you keep your clothes, Thea?" asked Mel. Thea hesitated before pointing to the drawer cabinet against the wall where she kept all the clothes that Jason had bought for her, plus her armor. "Ok, thanks" Mel got up and walked over to it.

"That settles it then!" Jasmine pulled Thea out of her seat and started dragging her towards the bathroom. "C' mon let's get started!"

"Wait, what?!" Thea resisted. She was not ready for a makeover.

"We're gonna fix you right up for your boyfriend's birthday celebration!" Jasmine proclaimed as she continued to pull Thea toward the bathroom.

"B-but I-

"No 'buts', Thea! It'll be fun! Just give it a chance!" Mel reassured. She finished going through Thea's clothes, picked a few items out and joined the other two girls in the bathroom.

The bathroom door slammed closed, leaving the four boys alone at the table. All four with wide eyes after witnessing that ordeal. "Heh...girls. Am I right?" Sam joked.

"I'm not her boyfriend." Jason muttered.

Jason snapped back to reality. "Ok, well if you're all done with your dishes I'll clean up."

"I'll help you with that." Nelson offered.

As the girls had some time in the bathroom the boys cleaned up after dinner. They folded the table away and put it against the wall. All the dishes and cutlery were put in the dishwasher or left in the sink to soak. The leftovers were sealed with new foil and put aside.

While Jason was a little worried about Thea. Jasmine seemed a bit pushy and Mel went along with it but hey, what did he know about girls? The faint sounds of giggling and protests coming from the bathroom were drowned out by the music on the sound system.

As Arthur and Nelson finished stacking the chairs, the music changed over and Arthur's ears perked up. "Awww yeah! I love this one!" He cheered.

Jason looked up from the dishes in the sink to listen to the music. It was an upbeat electro swing with a lot of synth and some rock and orchestra mixed in too. He hadn't listened to it much but hearing it now, it was truly a toe-tapper.

"Yeah, I know this one! Absolute banger!" Sam agreed. He started doing a little jig to the music. Jason laughed at Sam's silly dance moves but before long he caught himself bobbing his head and tapping his fingers against the countertop. Rather than stopping himself, he embraced the beat and turned up the music from his phone.

Nelson decided to get moving and started dancing on the open floor where the table once was. His dancing was a little better than Sam's. His moves flowed nicely into each other and he was able to keep in better time with the rhythm.

"Oh oh! A challenger approaches!" Sam laughed. He then stepped up his game and busted out some more expressive movements.

Seeing the coming dance-off, Arthur shrugged and joined in the fun. He started using moves that employed his Octopus form. Switching back and forth between his two states so creatively, it was quite a spectacle to watch.

Just then, Mel emerged from the bathroom with the widest grin. She joined the others on the dance floor and started dancing with Nelson. Jason had stayed in the kitchen not really wanting to embarrass himself with his dance moves if you could call them that. He wondered how Thea was doing.

As if one cue, Jasmine emerged with Thea in tow. Thea had a flushed face and kept her head down. She was wearing a light green blouse and tight blue jeans with a belt around the waist. She had silver hi-heels on her feet. Jason noticed that Jasmine was now barefoot. The tips of Thea's fingers and toes were painted with bright red polish. Jason had to do a double take while looking for the bandage around her arm. It was gone. Her wounds were almost completely healed.

Thea turned away from Jason and the others and whispered to Jasmine, "I don't like this! I feel like a doll!" Jason couldn't hear her over the sound of the music and the other cephalopods dancing.

Jasmine whispered back, "C'mon, Thea! Live a little! This is your chance to show off to Jason!"

"I'm not trying to show off to Jason!" Thea hissed back, red in the face.

"Listen, Thea. I don't know everything about what you've been through, but you've been through a lot more carp then you deserve. You should have more fun! Have a normal life for a change!" Jasmine said in a hushed voice. She smiled and turned Thea around to face Jason. "Now go get'em!"

Thea looked to Jason and tried her best to smile. Jason was absolutely floored. She had red lipstick on and some other facial makeup on to smoothen her face. She had a golden necklace hanging from her neck and a flower pin in her ponytail band. Most importantly, the bandages on her face were completely gone. Jason could barely see what was left of Thea wounds.

Jason felt something different. Different to what he had felt before around Thea. His face still heated up. He still gulped hard. The awkwardness was still there. He still got the glowflies in his stomach, but-

Thea wasn't just cute anymore. She was beautiful.

Gulping down his fears, Jason walked over to Thea, but once he got there, he couldn't form any words. So the two stood there awkwardly for a moment.

Finally, Jason found his voice. "You look nice!" He blurted out with a cheesy smile. Thea half-giggled-half-huffed. "Really, I mean it." Jason chuckled.

"Thanks." Thea relented. "You too."

Another moment of silence. Jason saw Jasmine making a shooing motion behind Thea. Jason decided to give up on the small talk. "D-do you want to dance?"

Thea wouldn't have if she hadn't been asked but dancing did admittedly sound fun. She just wasn't so sure about dancing with Jason. Remembering what Jasmine said, Thea nodded. "O-ok." She said with hesitation.

As Jason and Thea entered the dance floor, Nelson turned off the apartment lights. The room was only lit with the colorful lights along the wall. Now they had a real party going.

Jason and Thea started dancing with the others, slowly at first, but the encouraging cheers from friends and the rhythm of the music sunk in they got more into it. Before long everything on two legs in the room was dancing to the beat. Twists and turns, trading places and partners, dips and bows, it was a wild time.

At one point, as Jason was moving in the general direction of Thea, he tripped over his own feet and bowled into her. Thea didn't see Jason stumbling towards her until he was an inch away from her face. Jason ducked his head at the last second and grabbed Thea's shoulders to steady himself. They butted heads but nothing was seriously hurt. They apologized and moved on.

Eventually, the pumping song that had sucked everyone in had to end. It was replaced by a slower, relaxed tune. But rather than slowing down and stopping, the group of dancers kept going, not wanting the good times to end. After a few more minutes they did stop and applauded each other.

For the final event of the night, the seven sweaty cephalopods brought the couch back into the living area and settled down under some blankets and pillows for a comedy spy movie. Jason sat with Thea at one end. Thea surprised Jason by snuggling against his shoulder. Going against the screaming voice in his head, Jason wrapped his arm around Thea and she just snuggled closer. Sam leaned over and made another kissy face. Jason smiled and gave him a rude gesture with his free hand.

"Did you have a good birthday, Jason?" Thea whispered.

Jason smiled. "The best!" he whispered back. "Did you have a good day, Thea?"

"The best!" came the quiet reply.

About half-way through the movie Arthur decided to head home. He needed enough sleep for work the next day. He thanked Jason and Thea for the hospitality and fun before leaving. Soon after, Nelson and Mel got ready to leave. Sam and Jasmine left at the same time. All of them shook hands with one another, thanking each other for the wonderful evening. Thea returned Jasmine's shoes and Mel's necklace and flower pin.

After walking the last of the guests out the door and saying their final goodbyes, Jason and Thea settled back on the couch to finish the rest of the movie. Even after the credits rolled, the only sounds in the room came from the couch as the two cephalopods drifted off to sleep.

See I told you this wouldn't take as long!

Wow! Longest chapter yet! This one hurt my brain to write. Romance is tough to write. It's impossible to write perfectly!

So in this one, we got more info on Thea's background. Lot's details in there that will be important later on. The carp hits the fan next time though :)

There was a mishap at some point where I re-uploaded chapter 7 as chapter 9. If you didn't read the proper chapter, please for the love of Cod go back and read that one! It will make this chapter make so much more sense!

Thanks again for the support and good feedback. Really helps with my moral when I'm descending so far down into lore that I fear I may never finish this fic!

You know the drill. Review for brownie points, follow for updates.

Until next time,

Dashanerocket.