Author Notes - And here's the second half of the party, dedicated mostly to Goby's gift.

CHAPTER SIX - A PARTING GIFT

'It was a long time, yo yo. It was a really, really long tiiime…'

Goby had long since finished his drawing, but made it quite clear to Nonny that he did not want him to look at it before it was time. Just to be safe, Mr Grouper had it moved into his office. Not because he didn't trust Nonny to keep his word, but because accidents could happen. So now, Goby was free to sing alongside his friends.

And 'Long Time Ago' was the song that ended with his little solo, so he had no excuse not to get down and sing.

'Long time ago-o-o… long time ago…'

Then, before Gil could jump in with his line, Mr Grumpfish (of all people) beat him to the punch. 'In the past before me and you, yo!'

Nonny had spent most of the party sitting on the side, eating his chips or reading his favourite books in the corner. That was how he liked to spend his time, and the other Guppies let him do whatever he wanted. This party was more-or-less for him, after all. It was the usual for him to be a bit off the side while the others were playing. The only difference from the norm today was that Oona was by his side no matter what.

It was only once they were both sitting on pillows by the bookshelf that he realised what she was doing.

'You know, you don't have to spend all your time with me,' He said, putting his dinosaur book down. 'You can play with the others. I won't mind.'

'This is where I want to be,' Oona said. 'If this is our last day of school together, I want to spend every last second with you.'

Nonny didn't respond. He didn't even know what to say. So, he simply returned to reading his book. Or at least tried to. It was hard to concentrate on the words with all of his thoughts focused on Oona. He closed his book, using his finger as a bookmark, and sat himself down right next to her. Her only acknowledgement was to smile and lean on him for a second. Despite her love for hugging him (and others), she always remembered his boundaries, and Nonny wasn't the kind of kid to want physical contact all the time.

He tried not to think about that either. She was the sweetest kid he knew, and he doubted he'd ever find someone just like her in Fishington. Or anywhere else in the world, for that matter. Without thinking about it, he placed his hand over hers. If this was going to be their last school day together, he was going to appreciate every moment.

'Hey, Nonny!'

Or, at least, he attempted to. Goby had yelled out his name, and it was just about the only thing that could've snapped him out of this little heaven. The boy waved to him from the table, pointing at the massive piece of paper that Mr Grouper had fetched from the office. Nonny, without saying a word, glanced over to Oona.

She nodded. 'I'll come with you! I think you'll really, really like what he wants to show you.'

'Uh… okay,' Nonny said, putting his book aside reluctantly.

With their hands still connected, Oona brought him over to the table where Goby and his special surprise awaited. Nonny took a moment to note Goby's expression; the kid looked so happy that he could've very well exploded at any moment.

'Here's something I drew just for you, Nonny!' Goby said. 'I, uh, started drawing it because I thought it would convince you to stay. But even though I know that won't happen, I still want to give it to you!'

He backed away to give Nonny plenty of room to marvel at his creation. And when Nonny's eyes laid upon it… did he ever marvel. The drawing depicted everyone in that room. Him, the Guppies, Mr Grouper, Bubble Puppy, and - yes - even Mr Grumpfish. He was smack dab in the middle, surrounded by all of his closest friends. And he was smiling. The line work, though clearly done by a young child, was definitely Goby's best work yet.

The other Guppies crowded around the drawing and awed at it, but Nonny didn't hear them. He didn't even notice that they were there. Not even Oona. It was as if he and that drawing were the only things that existed.

It was only then that it truly dawned on him just how much his friends loved him, and how important he was to them. And how important they were to him.

And how much he was going to miss them after they were gone.

His vision became blurry, like he had broken his glasses again, and his breathing hitched.

'N-Nonny!'

Oona's panicked voice managed to pierce his little bubble. It snapped him back into reality, and it was only then that he realised that he was crying.

'A-Are you okay?' Oona asked.

'Oh no…' Goby said, frowning. 'It wasn't my fault, was it? Oh cods… I-I'm sorry, Nonny. If I had known that you'd start crying, I…'

Molly placed her hand on his shoulder. 'Don't worry, Goby. I don't think he's crying because of your drawing.'

Nonny wanted to tell Goby that Molly was right. That the drawing just helped him realise the emotions he already had. But every time he opened his mouth to explain it, the only sound that came out was a choked sob.

'Okay, everyone,' Mr Grouper said. 'Let's give Nonny some space. Maybe he can tell us why he's crying later, but he needs time to sort out his emotions first.'

Everyone backed away to do as their teacher said. Zooli zipped over to the music player to pause the songs. Oona had barely moved an inch before Nonny grabbed onto her wrist, seizing her like he was trying to save her life. No words could escape from his throat, and yet… Oona understood what he wanted completely. Giving him a soft smile, she sat down next to him and kept a grip of his hand.

'It's alright, Nonny,' She said, as quietly as she could. 'I know it may not feel like it, but you'll stop crying soon. And then we can talk about it, just you and me. … Does it have anything to do with you leaving for Fishington?'

Nonny wanted to answer, but he could only manage a little sniffle. So, he nodded instead.

'I had a feeling,' Oona said. 'We've all had a lot of crazy feelings today, haven't we? Well, of course we have. It's the last day of school, and you're going to be moving away. I-It's a lot to deal with, isn't it? … You know, you don't cry very often. And that's okay. It just makes me more worried when you do cry.'

He tried to squeak out an apology, but nothing came out.

'You don't have to say anything,' Oona continued. 'I know you don't want to worry me. It's going to be okay. I'll be here, even when we're far apart. We'll all be there for you.'

There were a lot of flurrying emotions swirling around inside of Nonny, and it took a while for them to settle down. It should have taken even longer, since they were tossed around like debris in a tornado. But Oona was there, and she made the process go by a whole lot quicker.

'O-Okay,' He said, after what felt like an eternity to everyone else. 'I-I think I'm good now.'

His voice still stuttered and cracked, but there were no more tears falling from his eyes.

'Want a hug?' Oona asked.

Normally, Nonny would need a few seconds to think up an answer. Today, however, the answer came right away.

'Yes,' He replied.

Oona beamed. 'Okay!'

She hugged him so suddenly and so tightly that it took Nonny a little while to reciprocate it. The intensity almost prevented him from moving his arms at all, and it was still quite the struggle to get them past her grip.

'I think we need another group hug!' Deema yelled.

Nonny had almost forgotten that she was there, and jumped when she yelled so close behind him.

'Yes, we do,' He said.

'Sounds like an invitation to me,' Molly said. 'Come on, everyone!'

A group hug with all of the Guppies was a little more suffocating than Nonny was expecting. But, for once, he couldn't bring himself to fight against it. It didn't feel like a crowd crushing him into paste, but more like a warm blanket wrapped around him on a cold night. Like if he found his way out of it, he'd be exposed to the freezing air and be stuck by himself.

Of course, there was only so much physical contact that he could handle.

'I-I think I've had enough now,' He said.

'Alright, you heard him!' Gil said. 'That's enough hugging.'

The Guppies broke off and gave him a bit more breathing room. Even though it had become too much mere seconds ago, Nonny was already missing it.

'You good, kid?' Mr Grumpfish asked.

Nonny nodded. 'I'm good now.'

'Do you want to tell us what happened?' Mr Grouper asked. 'If you can? It isn't like you to show emotion so intensely, and especially not so suddenly.'

Goby gulped. 'I-It wasn't my drawing, was it? I just wanted it to be a nice gift, but if it made you sad-'

'No!' Nonny said, loudly enough to surprise them and himself too. 'N-No. It wasn't you. N-not directly. I know how much you guys care about me, but it only hit me when I looked at this drawing. It helped me realise how much I mean to you. And… and how much you mean to me.'

'N'AWWW!' Deema said. 'That's adorable!'

'And… a-and how much I'm going to miss you guys.'

The entire class erupted into a unifying 'AWWW'. Oona hugged him once up, throwing him into it suddenly but giving him plenty of room to breathe and move around.

'So, uh, do you like it?' Goby asked. 'I drew it just for you.'

Nonny smiled. It wasn't his usual smiles, that were small and often unsure, or so brief it was like he never smiled at all. He was absolutely beaming.

'Yes,' He said. 'I love it, and I'll keep it as a reminder of how much you meant to me.'

'I'll see if I can get it laminated!' Mr Grouper said.

'Awesome!' Deema said. 'Whatever the heck that means!'

Nonny giggled. 'It means Mr Grouper will put it in a layer of plastic that covers both sides of the paper. That will protect it from getting wet or bent.'

'Oh. Okay, that makes sense. And that's a good idea!'

Everyone was crowded around the drawing, so focused on it and Nonny that they didn't notice their puppy dog swimming over to the music player. He didn't give anyone a warning before turning it back on, and half the Guppies jumped when the music returned so suddenly.

'-elp me see the way ahead. Shine your light on me! Help me find the way to be. Shine your light on me. Guide me in from the wave-tossed sea!'

'Bubble Puppy!' Gil said with a laugh. 'Seems like a bad time for a song.'

'No, it isn't,' Nonny said. 'We're here to enjoy this day, remember? Let's worry about it tomorrow.'

'Tomorrow is a new day,' Zooli said. 'And today is all about rocking out!'

'I wanna go down to a restaurant! Restauraaant!'

It was only a few songs later when Nonny found himself being approached by Goby. He looked up from the book he was reading to see the kid looking at him rather sheepishly.

'S-So,' Goby said. 'About the drawing-'

'Your drawing did not make me cry,' Nonny said. 'It just made me realise how much I'll miss this class. I've said this already.'

'I-I know, but even if it wasn't the drawing itself… Maybe if I hadn't drawn it, you wouldn't have gotten so emotional.'

Even with his occasional struggles to understand or recognise other people's emotions, Nonny could easily sense just how guilty Goby felt. And it was beginning to make him feel guilty too, even though he knew he didn't need to.

'Don't feel bad, Goby,' Oona said. 'I think Nonny would've got emotional sooner or later. You just made it happen sooner. Is that right, Nonny?'

Oona was not 'speaking for' him, but merely providing Nonny with the words that he was struggling with. Agreeing with every word she had said, he nodded.

'And, even if it was the drawing,' Nonny said. 'I'm still happy that you made it. It's a good reminder of all the good times I had as a Bubble Guppy. When Mr Grouper laminates it and I get it home, I'll put it up on my wall.'

Nonny wasn't sure how Goby would react to this. The last thing he was expecting was for Goby to hug him; that was usually a thing that only Oona did. The shock made it take a little while to reciprocate it.

'Uh, thanks?' Nonny said. 'Why…?'

'I've seen Oona do this a lot,' Goby replied. 'And I've been wondering what it's like. And… and I think I like it!'

Oona giggled. 'It's nice to give people hugs, isn't it?'

By the time Goby backed away, the restaurant song had come to an end. The soft and gentle beginning of the next song was quite rare among their albums, where most songs began straight away with crazy instrumentals. Nonny recognised this song immediately: Orchestra Play For Me. A Molly and Gil duet, and one of the more notable examples of one. One of the only duets where it changed by the line, not by the verse.

He was expecting Molly to start the song…

'Let's kick it off, with strings today.'

And certainly not Oona. But she started singing without a moment to waste, completely cutting off Molly in the process. Her voice couldn't carry a tune quite as easily as Molly's could, but you wouldn't know it listening to her sing right there and then.

'Violins pluck away…'

She stood before Nonny, holding her arm out to him. And he knew in an instant what she wanted him to do.

'And add some cellos in the middle.'

She wanted him to sing Gil's parts with her. He took her hand and she guided him to the middle of the room, where the other Guppies swam back to give them plenty of room.

'Cymbals join in with a CRASH! Drummers grab their sticks and bash!'

Deema dashed over to the table and beat it with her hands in perfect timing with the music.

'Add tympaniiiii, and bass fiiiiddleeeesss…!'

Nonny cleared his throat before the next thing. 'Flutes float on by, horns soar like they can fly!'

The next line worried him. It was a rather long note, which he didn't like having to sing. Still, with caution already thrown to the wind, he chose to go all in.

'Trumpets play up hiiiiiIIIiiigh!'

His voice cracked halfway through the note, and quite loudly too. The other Guppies laughed and his cheeks went red, but he laughed along with them. That voice crack was the best he could've hoped for with that line.

And it was all worth it, because now was the best part of the song: when he got to sing at the same time as Oona.

'Orchestra play for me, a beautiful symphony! Play something dramatic and bri-i-ight!'

Their voices combined together almost perfectly, though someone with a keen ear could tell they rarely sang together on their own.

'Orchestra play for me, rrrhythms and harmonies!'

Nonny could feel his soul swelling and soaring through the air. Looking into Oona's eyes as she sang with all of her heart made him feel like the rest of the world didn't matter. Everything else paled in comparison to this glorious moment.

And he would never forget it.

'Beautiful music to-nii-iii-ight!'

Author Notes - I'll admit, I'm channelling a lot of my own feelings regarding the show's end into this story. The show, despite being aimed at preschoolers, means a lot to me. To this day, my mother and I still quote the show at each other, usually things like 'makes sense to me' and 'certainly come to the right place' and the like. It helped me get through some rather tough times in my life too.

And all the fan-art I've been drawing over the past few years? It started with Bubble Guppies. One day, a few years ago, I decided on a whim to try drawing the Bubble Guppies. Starting with Molly. Before that day, I had assumed that I couldn't draw. Everything I had done before was heavily traced. There was a SpongeBob related drawing beforehand, but it had been the only thing I had drawn for years. So when I finished drawing Molly, I realised... I actually could draw. That drawing is really rough for obvious reasons, but that's where it all began.

Is it a little weird that I have so much attachment to a preschool show, when I don't even have the excuse of being very young when I first watched it? Maybe. But if you're reading this, then you're a Bubble Guppies fan too, and you get it.