SWEET CWEAM pt. 7
“So SpongeBob heard
all of it?” He demands.
Karen nods,
her amusement
obvious. "Everything.
Even your snoring..”
Plankton's
face goes from
flushed to
beet-red.
"I… what?"
he asks,
his voice
tiny and
ashamed.
"You don't remember
snoring?" Karen asks,
barely keeping
a straight face.
"It was quite the
symphony."
Plankton's eye
widened in horror.
"Snoring?" he
repeats, not wanting
to believe it. "And in front of
Sponge Bob?"
Karen nods, her
laughter bubbling
over. "Oh, Plankton,"
she says, her voice
full of affection. "It was
the cutest..." "Cute?
This isn't cute, Karen!" He
interrupts, his voice
rising in disbelief.
The embarrassment is
palpable in his tone. “And
besides, I don’t snore!”
Her laughter
dies down to a
chuckle. "Well, you did
yesterday," she says,
her eyes dancing with
mirth. "Whether or not
you do, you did."
Plankton's
face contorts in a
mixture of denial
and embarrassment.
He can't believe what
he's hearing, his
mind reeling from
the revelation. "But... I...
snore?" he stammers,
his voice a feeble protest.
Karen nods,
a knowing smile
playing on her
lips. "You sure did,
Plankton," she says,
her tone teasing.
The color in
his cheeks deepens
to a crimson red,
his eye wide with
disbelief. "But... but
I don't snore!"
Karen's laughter
rolls out like a
wave, filling the
room with
warmth. "Maybe not
usually," she says,
her smile playful. "But
yesterday, oh…"
Plankton's
mind races, trying
to grasp the
concept. "But
how could I not
know?" he asks,
his voice a mix of
indignation and
confusion, a
desperate whisper. "But
I didn't really mean what’s
been supposedly said,
right?" His eye darts
between her and the
now-dark TV screen. "I
was just... you know,
saying things?"
Karen's laughter
softens into a warm
smile. "You did mean it,
Plankton," she says, her
tone gentle. "At least
your subconscious did.
It's just the anesthesia
that made it come out
so... clearly."
His face falls,
his eye drooping. "So,
it's true?" he whispers.
The humiliation
washes over him like
a cold shower, his pride
dampened by the
knowledge that his
deepest thoughts
were laid bare for all
to see, even if it was
just Sponge Bob and
his wife.
Karen nods,
her screen sparkling
with amusement.
"But it's nothing to
be embarrassed about.
It's just part of
the anesthesia. And
besides, you looked so
cute and happy, not to
mention snoring away.."
Just then, SpongeBob
comes back to check
and visit.
"Hi Plankton!" he says
cheerfully, his voice
like a trumpet in
the quiet room.
Plankton's head snaps
up, his heart racing
at the sight of his
friend.
"Thponge Bob," he
slurs, his voice
barely audible.
"How uh, how are ya?"
Sponge Bob's
smile is warm
and welcoming.
"I'm great, Plankton!
How are you feeling?"
Plankton's
eye darts to
Karen, who's
still smiling,
before returning to
his friend. "I'm... I'm
ok," he mumbles,
his voice barely
above a whisper.
The embarrassment
of his earlier
admission weighs
heavily on his
shoulders.
Sponge Bob
notices the
change in
his demeanor. "You
don't seem like it," he
says gently. "Is
everything okay?"
Plankton's
throat is tight
with nerves.
He swallows hard,
his eye darting to
Karen and back.
"I... I had a bit of
a... a misunderstanding,"
he says, his words
stumbling over
each other like a
tangled mess of
seaweed.
Sponge Bob's
face is a canvas of
curiosity. "A
misunderstanding?"
he repeats, his voice
innocent. "What kind of
misunderstanding?"
Plankton's
eye narrows slightly,
his cheeks still
flushed. "Well, I... I
don't really remember
much from after
the surgery," he says,
his voice a mix of
apology and hope. "But
Karen says I... I talked
a lot."
Sponge Bob's grin
doesn't waver. "Oh, you
sure did, Plankton!"
he says, his voice
filled with warmth.
"You had some pretty
interesting stories
to tell."
Plankton's eye
darts to the
floor, his cheeks
blazing with
embarrassment. "I'm
sorry if I... if I said
anything weird," he
mumbles, his voice
tiny and unsure.
He's never been one
to show his vulnerable
side, especially to
Sponge Bob, whose
good nature he often
finds infectious.
Sponge Bob's
face lights up
like a jellyfish in
the night. "Weird?" he
repeats, his voice
filled with
innocence. "What do
you mean, weird?"
Plankton's
eye darts around
the room,
anywhere but at
Sponge Bob's
gazing eyes. "I...
I just meant, you know,
things that might not
make sense," he says,
his voice trailing off.
Sponge Bob nods
slowly, his smile
remaining in place.
"Oh, I remember,"
he says, his voice
soft and understanding.
"You talked about flying
and being a dolphin. It was
like listening to a fairy
tale!"
Plankton's eye
flutters shut with
relief. "Oh," he breathes.
"So I didn't say..."
Sponge Bob's
smile doesn't fade.
"Well, you said you
loved to see me," he
says, his voice
innocent. "But I knew if
you meant it, Plankton.
You're my best
friend too!"
Plankton's
face is a
whirlwind of
emotions: embarrassment,
relief, and a strange
kind of warmth that
spreads through
his chest. He
swallows hard, his
throat thick with
unspoken words.
He's not one to be
so open, but the
medicine has clearly
stripped him of his usual
reserve.
Karen watches
the exchange
with love. The rare
moment of vulnerability
and friendship
was something
she never knew
Plankton was
capable of showing.
It was a side of
him she had never
seen before, and it was
beautiful.
"So, Plankton,"
Sponge Bob says,
his grin as wide
as his face, "You're
a dolphin, huh?
I never knew dolphins
snored..”
Plankton's
face is a mask
of horror. "You…"
he croaks.
Sponge Bob nods,
his eyes twinkling.
"It's okay, Plankton,"
he says, his voice
soothing. "But
it was really sweet
to hear you s..."
"Snoring?" Plankton
interrupts, his voice
higher than usual.
"You heard me…
snoring?"
Karen nods,
her screen shining
with amusement.
"But don't
worry, it's all part of
the recovery process.
You needed that
rest."
Sponge Bob
chuckles, his
body wobbling with
laughter. "It's okay,
Plankton," he says,
his voice a comfort.
"Many people snore
sometimes."
Plankton's eye
narrows slightly,
his pride stinging.
"But not me," he
mumbles, his voice
barely a murmur. "I'm
not a snorer."
Sponge Bob's laughter
fills the room,
his body wobbling
with mirth. "Oh, but
you were, Plankton!
It was adorable!"
Karen's smile is
like a beam of
sunlight cutting
through the
embarrassment. "It
was, wasn't it?" she
says, her voice
chiming in with
Sponge Bob's laughter.
Plankton's
face is a map of
humiliation, but
his mind is racing.
He's not one to let
his guard down,
especially in
front of Sponge Bob.
"But...but... I'm not
one to snore!"
he protests weakly,
his voice barely
above a whisper.
Karen's eyes
crinkle with laughter.
"Well, you did," she
says, her voice
teasing. "But don't worry,
it's nothing to be
ashamed of."
Sponge Bob
nods in agreement.
"You looked so
peaceful," he adds,
his voice warm.
Plankton's curiosity
gets the better
of him, yet not
sure if he's ready
for the answer.
"Can I... can I see
the video?" he asks,
his voice tentative.
Karen's laughter
fades into a
smile, and she
nods, pulling out
her phone. "But only if
you promise not to get
too embarrassed," she
warns, her thumbs
quickly navigating
to the saved clip.
The screen lights
up with a sleeping
Plankton, his snores
like the gentle
lapping of waves
against the shore.
Sponge Bob smiles
quietly beside him,
his body shaking
in silent amusement.
Plankton watches
in horror, his
eye wide as his
snores echo through
the room, his mouth
hanging open.
Karen hits
pause, her smile
still in place. "See?"
she says, her voice
soft.
Plankton's
cheeks burn with
mortification. "I... I
can't believe it," he
stammers. "I... I snore?"
Sponge Bob's laugh
softens into a
chuckle. "It's okay,
Plankton," he says, his
voice gentle. "We all have
our moments."
Plankton nods
slowly, his
face still flushed
with embarrassment.
He takes a deep
breath, trying to
reclaim some of his
usual composure.
"I... I guess you're
right," he says, his
voice a little
stronger.
Karen's smile
doesn't waver.
"Of course,"
she says, placing a
hand on his.
"Now, let's get
some more
ice cream.."