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"The entry fee is 46 bux for both of you."
With slight reluctance, Medkit handed over his card. It was quickly returned by the tired receptionist, paired with two tickets depicting clownfish in a reef.
"I can't wait! Ooh, I want to see the stingrays and jellyfish!"
Medkit had brought along Boombox. The DJ had told Medkit he had an itch to go to the aquarium, so they picked a non-busy day to tour one in Crossroads.
After scanning their tickets, they walked through a small courtyard. It had a few play structures where young demons were jumping around, a few food stands, the gift shop (which Medkit knew Boombox would kill his wallet over), and the main entrance.
Boombox beelined to the archway, holding open one of the glass doors for Medkit.
"So, where to first? There's the Playground zone, the Temple Zone, the Blackrock zone, the-"
"Where do you want to go, Boombox?"
"Ooo.... hmmm... let's head to the Thieves Den zone!"
Soon enough, the two were in a different room with several glass enclosures. There were a lot of rock structures and plants to resemble the faction, as well as several ponds and enclosures.
Boombox was zipping around, pointing and chattering excitedly about the creatures he saw.
"Awe, there's otters!"
"There's otters in Thieves Den?"
"Apparently. Oh, Med! Look! Koi Fish!" Boombox called, running over to the new tank and peering over the glass.
"Why is there a blue one..?" Medkit murmured, finding a sign that said exactly that.
"Awe, he's siblings with one of the Koi? That's adorable!" The DJ said, turning back to the fish.
"Splash and Fin, huh? Not very... creative names."
"Oh, don't be a critic."
Outside of the koi, there were also a few endangered birds, exotic plants, and salamanders.
Boombox stopped and pointed at a red skink climbing on a rock structure. "That one looks like Skate!" He smiled, taking a quick picture as it fell. He laughed out loud, hand hitting his forehead. Medkit found himself chuckling as well, leading Boombox to another area.
The Playground zone was filled with frogs, exotic birds (there were toucans flying around), and, for some reason, leopards. It was also unfortunately humid, which left Medkit with trouble breathing.
"...I thought this was an aquarium."
"It is, but it also houses a lot of endangered species. I like the toucans the most. What about you?" Boombox smiled, his hand held in Medkit's.
"I liked the pythons. They were pretty."
The Temple Zone had several snakes, arachnids, tortoises, and a few different kinds of fish.
Finally, they made it to the Blackrock zone. The room was suddenly a lot cooler and darker, being more of a cavern rather than open like the other zones.
"Wait, you have sharks in Blackrock?" Boombox asked, pointing at some sharks in a tank.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. We have a pretty diverse ecosystem considering the habitat. The sharks can survive because of thick fat and slow movement. We also have...."
Boombox completely zoned out. Medkit could ramble about a topic he liked for hours on end, and-
Holy shit.
"What?" Medkit asked, confused by the sudden interruption.
"YOU GUYS HAVE PENGUINS?" Boombox shouted, getting an assortment of nasty looks from people enjoying the quiet.
"...I literally just said that. But yes, we have-"
Boombox was already gone. He was at the Penguin enclosure, grinning like an idiot as he leaned on the glass.
"...penguins." Medkit finished with a fond sigh, walking over to his boyfriend.
"I love Penguins! Especially the Gentoo ones."
"Why?"
"They impress each other with rocks! It's cute!"
"Oh. Huh."
After seeing the creatures of Blackrock (containing a lot of jellyfish and arctic fish), they finally made it to a more universal part of the aquarium. Boombox got to pet the stingrays and convinced Medkit to dip his hands into the touch pool.
"I don't want to."
"Cmon! They hug you!"
"No, the tentacles wrap around you like you're prey." Medkit hissed, poking the anemone. It clung to him, and he pulled away so fast he worried he might have broken off one of the tendrils.
Boombox giggled at his reaction, gently petting a starfish. "It's not gonna hurt you. If it was, it wouldn't be in the touch pool."
"...I don't like how it feels. It's slimey." Medkit grumbled, wiping his hand on his slacks.
They continued through, eventually coming to a series of underwater tunnels, some having sharks, some having fish, and one having jellyfish.
Boombox beamed at the aquarium, face and hands pressing against the glass as he watched the jellyfish bob around.
"What are you looking at?" He grinned, turning to the doctor who had been looking for far too long.
"...the blue water makes you look... pretty." Medkit mumbled, covering his face in embarrassment. Boombox smiled warmly, taking Medkit's hand and walking out.
Soon enough, the two headed to the cafe to grab a bite to eat. As they shared a cheesecake slice, Boombox caught sight of a sign and grinned.
"...what are you planning?" Medkit mumbled, trapping Boombox's fork with his own.
"Me? Nothing. Just saw something cute." He chuckled innocently, effectively distracting Medkit by kissing the doctor's cheek.
"Ta-da!" Boombox smiled, leading Medkit into the aviary. It was a large, outdoor enclosure dedicated to the birds of the factions, with several trees and benches. There was also a small amphitheater, with an attendant telling passerby about Lovedoves and midnight crows. Boombox practically dragged Medkit over, stopping in front of the demon, who had one of each bird perched on their shoulders.
"Oh hey! Do you two want to hold them?" They asked, letting the birds climb on their gloved hands.
With an excited agreement from Boombox, he got the midnight crow resting on his arm, and Medkit got the lovedove.
"Fun fact about these two, they're mates. They aren't able to nest together due to being different species, but they love each other all the same." The attendant smiled, face falling when the crow bit Boombox's hand.
"Careful, she's a feisty one."
"Sounds like someone I know," Boombox grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. Medkit flicked him in the head.
After seeing everything the aquarium had to offer, they finally stopped in front of one last room.
"I feel like this is premeditated murder for my wallet."
Boombox chuckled and ran in, ignoring Medkit's comment, who just followed behind exasperatedly.
Within five minutes, Boombox procured a small pile of merchandise and ran to the line. Medkit just sat down, stretching.
He was interrupted by something being shoved on his head.
"What the-"
"It's a squid hat!" Grinned his boyfriend, who had a matching teal one to Medkit's green. "They had our colors!"
"... how much money did you spend?"
"Enough."
Medkit ignored the nonsensical answer, instead looking at what Boombox bought. A heapload of stickers and magnets, a few pin sets, the aforementioned squid hats, and some decorative horn rings.
The DJ then yanked the doctor up to his feet, pulling him into a half-hug and snapping a picture with his phone.
"Awe, this is my favorite!" He grinned.
"...you say every picture is your favorite."
"Cause it's true!"
After Medkit dropped Boombox off at his apartment, Medkit decided to look at the receipt.
"Gods fucking damnit..." He groaned, feeling the dent in his wallet like a physical blow.
He loved that idiot too much.