SWEET CWEAM pt. 3
The car ride home was
a blur of sights and sounds
that Plankton struggled to
make sense of. The sun was
bright, piercing through the
numbness like a needle.
He leaned his head
against the cool glass of
the window, watching the
world slide by like a
slow-moving painting.
"Muh face ith funny,"
he mumbled, poking at
his cheek with a
finger. The skin felt
like it didn't belong to
him, a puffy alien
appendage attached to
his face. Karen just
smiled, her eyes on the
road.
"You're just a bit
swollen, Plankton. It'll
go down soon," she
soothed.
"Buh ith wobbly," he
laughs. "Muh tongue
feelth bith," he complained.
Karen's smile grew
wider, her eyes
never leaving the road.
"It's the anesthesia,
sweetie. It'll wear off."
Plankton's eye grew even
wider at her words,
his mouth moving in
silent protest. "Ith not funny,"
he slurred, his voice a
comical mix of indignation
and innocence.
Karen couldn't
help but laugh a
little, the tension of
the day finally easing.
"I know, I know," she
soothed, her eyes
dancing with mirth. "But
you're so cute when
you're all sleepy and
confused."
Plankton's eye
narrowed, the
childish innocence
fading a touch. "Cuth?"
he repeated, his voice
a mix of hurt and
indignance. "I'm not
cuth. I'm in pwain," he
whined, his words
slurring together like
wet paint.
Karen's laughter
filled the car, a
soothing balm to
his bruised ego. "I know
you are, Plankton," she
said, her voice a warm
caress. "But you're also
really adorable."
Plankton pouted,
his cheek pressing
against the window.
The cold glass felt
good against his
swollen skin. "I'm not
thorable," he murmured.
Karen's laughter
was a gentle melody
that floated through
the car,
turning into their driveway.
"You're not a baby. You're
my brave husband."
Plankton's pout
turned into a lopsided
smile at the praise.
"Thathks," he murmured.
The garage door rumbled
open, and Karen helped
him into the Chum Bucket.
Once inside, the
coolness of their
living room washed
over him like a wave.
He looked around with
fresh eyes, as if seeing
their home for the
first time. "Wook at the
wawws," he said,
stumbling over to
them. "They'we so big."
Karen followed,
shaking her head and
smiling at his
disjointed words. "Yes,
dear, they're the same
walls as always."
He looked at
her with
wonder, his
thoughts racing like a
child's. "Buth they'we
nah alwaysth big," he
insisted, his voice
filled with awe.
Karen just
smiled, leading
him to the couch.
"You're feeling a bit
loopy from the
medicine," she said,
helping him sit down.
Plankton's eye
lit up as he
examined the
cushions. "Theth awe
soggy," he exclaimed,
his voice filled with
delight. Karen
chuckled, helping him
settle into the plush
seat. The numbness
was slowly receding,
but his tongue remained a
traitor, tripping over
every word. He looked
around the room with
fresh curiosity, his
thoughts swirling like
colored sugar in a
cup of tea.