𝖠𝖣𝖠𝖯𝖳𝖠𝖡𝖫𝖤 𝖥𝖠𝖬𝖨𝖫𝖸
(𝖡𝗒 𝖭𝖾𝗎𝗋𝗈𝖥𝖺𝖻𝗎𝗅𝗈𝗎𝗌) Pt. 9
Chip watches,
his eyes red
from crying.
"Is he okay?" He
asks again, his
voice small.
Karen nods,
wiping her own
tears away.
"He'll be okay,"
she whispers.
"We just need to
rest now."
Chip crawls into
his own bed,
his thoughts racing.
He doesn't know
what to make of
his dad's outburst
or the seizure.
He feels scared and
alone. Karen
notices and comes
to sit beside him.
"Chip," she says
gently. "Dad's okay.
This can happen.
It's just how his
brain works. It gets
overwhelmed. Now
when he's like that,
it's important we
let him be, okay?"
Chip nods, his
throat tight. "But
I di-"
"You didn't do
anything wrong,"
Karen cuts him off.
"You just didn't
understand. And
that's okay." She
smiles at him, her
eyes warm. "He
just gets frustrated
when his stims are
interrupted. It's
his way of dealing
with the world."
Chip nods, watching
his mom as she
carefully organizes
Plankton's sensory
items back.
"But why does
he let you when
he doesn't let
me—"
"Because, Chip,"
Karen says, her voice
still gentle, "I know
how to support
his stims without
causing him more
distress. You'll learn
too, with time." She
picks up the
fidget toy, her eyes
on Plankton's still
form. "Remember, his
needs are different
than ours. Sometimes,
his brain needs extra
help to make sense
of things, and these
stims are a way of
doing that."
Chip nods, his
understanding growing.
He watches as Karen
places the toys
back into the bag.
"But why'd he yell?"
he asks, his voice
barely above a
whisper.
"It's not that he
doesn't love you,"
Karen explains. "It's
just that sometimes,
his brain feels like
it's going a million
miles an hour, and
his body needs to
catch up." She looks
at Plankton's sleeping
form. "When you
touched him, his fidgets
you stopped that for
him. And it was too
much to handle. So
he could only express
his frustration."
Chip's eyes never left
his dad's peaceful
expression. "But he
was so mad..."
"It's not you, Chip.
It's the world," Karen
sighs. "Sometimes,
it's just too much
for him. And when
that happens, he needs
his stims." She stands
up, moving to
Plankton's side
of the bed. "Let's let
Dad sleep now.
Tomorrow's a big day.."
The next morning, Karen
went in through Plankton's
curtain to wake him. "Hey,
sleepyhead," she whispers,
her hand brushing his
shoulder gently. "It's time
to get up."
Plankton's antennae
twitch as he opens
his eye, looking around
disoriented. "Whaa-"
he mumbles.
Karen smiles softly,
his post-seizure
loops already
worn off. "Good
morning," she says,
helping him sit up.
"It's time for
the science fair.
Let's wake Chip
up, ok?"
Plankton nods
slowly. He can
remember the
stimming and
his outburst at
Chip. He sighed.
"I'm sorry," he
mutters, his voice
still thick with
sleep. "I didn't
mean to..."
"You don't have to
apologize," Karen says,
interrupting him. "You
were just trying to
cope." She helps him
to his feet, her
hands steady. "We'll
talk to Chip about
it after I wake him."
Plankton nods, his
eye still half-closed.
He follows Karen to
Chip's bed, feeling
guilt heavy in his
heart. His son's
sleeping form is
peaceful.
"Chip," Karen says
gently, shaking him
awake. "It's time
for the science
fair, buddy!"
Chip blinks, the
memory of last
night's events
flooding back. He
looks at Plankton,
his heart aching
with guilt and fear.
Plankton sees the
look on Chip's face
and sighs, sitting
down on the bed
beside him. "Hello."
Chip's voice is
barely above a
whisper. "Hi, Dad."
Karen watches them
both, knowing that
now is the time
for Plankton to
try and explain. But
his words are stuck,
his mouth dry. He
doesn't know how
to put into words
his regret for last
night's outburst.
"Chip," Plankton
begins awkwardly.
"I...I uh, I-I-I-I…"
He stammers,
his antennae
twitching with
the effort of
finding the words.
Karen watches with
concern, knowing
his difficulty with
expressing emotions,
especially in moments
like these. "It's okay,"
she murmurs, her hand
on his back.
Chip looks at
his dad, his
eyes questioning.
He's seen Plankton
stim before, but
his stuttering is
new, his body
seemingly frozen
with anxiety.
Plankton's antennae
wave nervously.
"I...I'm I-I'm, I-I-I-I…"
He tries to say
sorry, but the
word is stuck,
his brain racing.
Karen's hand
squeezes his shoulder,
silent support.
"It's okay," she
whispers. "Take your
time."
Plankton's antennae
twitch faster, his
face contorted with
the effort to
articulate his
thoughts. "I...I..."
his voice cracks.
He looks at Chip,
his son's gaze
filled with
concern and fear.
The silence stretches
between them, a
tense wire threatening
to snap. Plankton
knows he must find
the words, must explain
his behavior, but
his mouth refuses to
cooperate. His mind
whirls with the
desire to apologize,
but the words are
elusive.
Chip's gaze is
steady, his
fear replaced with
sympathy as he
watches his dad
struggle. He knows
his dad didn't mean
to scare him last
night. He knows
his dad's brain works
differently, and he
wants to understand.
"Chip, I'm so...so..."
The words won't come
out. He's trapped in
his own head, a
prisoner to his
autism's quirks.
Karen's hand
squeezes tighter,
urging him on. "It's
okay, Plankton," she
says softly. "Just tell
him what yo--"
But Plankton's
stuttering stops
abruptly, his
single eye wide
with panic. "I-I-I-I-I-"
He can't form the
word, his mouth
opening and closing.
Karen's heart
aches for him,
seeing his
desperation to
connect with Chip.
"It's okay," she
soothes. "We can
just talk about what
happened."
Plankton nods,
his antennae
slowing down.
"I d-didn’t m-mean to
scare y-you," he
finally manages to
say, his voice
still shaky. "My
brain gets...messy."
Chip looks at his
dad, his eyes
filled with a
mix of emotions.
"It's okay," he
whispers, his voice
small but sure. "I know
you didn't mea-"
"No, it's not okay!"
Plankton's voice
cracks. "I need to
apologize! I need to
make it right!" His
body starts to
tremble. Karen's eyes
fill with compassion.
"Plankton," she says
softly. "You don't have
to force it. Ju—"
But Plankton's
desperation
overwhelms him. "I-I-I...
I hurt you," he
stammers, looking
at Chip, his antennae
drooping. "I didn't
mean to, I didn't
mean to!"
Chip's eyes
fill with tears
as he reaches
for his dad's
hand. "Dad, I--"
But Plankton
flinches away. "No,"
he says, his voice
harsh in agitation.
Chip's hand
drops back to
his lap with
confusion.
Plankton's face
twists in some
thing akin to
disgust as he
quickly pulls away
from Chip's touch,
his hands waving
in a frenzied
manner. Chip's
eyes widen
with confusion.
Karen steps in.
"Remember, Chip,"
she says softly. "Your
dad's brain is
sensitive to certain
touches. It's not
you, it's just his
autism." She gives
his hand a gentle
squeeze. "We've
got to respect
his boundaries."
Chip nods,
his eyes never
leaving Plankton's
face. "I-I'm sorry,"
he stammers. "I'll
try to do better."
Plankton's hands do
not stop their frantic
movement. "I-I know
my brain...it just
doesn't like it."
He rocks slightly
back and forth. "No
no, not the touch.
The surprise," he
whispers. "Must not
touch, must not
touch," he repeats
to himself in a stim.
"Gla-gla-glitch,"
he murmurs. His
hands flap at his
sides as Karen
watches him
without interrupting
his self-soothing.