𝖣𝖠𝖱𝖤 𝖳𝖮 𝖡𝖤 𝖣𝖨𝖥𝖥𝖤𝖱𝖤𝖭𝖳
(𝖡𝗒 𝖭𝖾𝗎𝗋𝗈𝖥𝖺𝖻𝗎𝗅𝗈𝗎𝗌) 𝗉𝗍. 26
The room is silent
except for the sound of
his quiet sobs, his body
shaking with the force
of his emotion. The pillow
is damp from his tears.
He clutches it tightly to his
chest. His antennae
hang limply, no longer
twitching with his usual
energy. "It's not your fault,"
he whispers again, his voice
shaking. "It's not your
fault. Why did it take this
for him to see me?" He
wipes his eye with the
back of his hand, sniffling.
"But he did see me," he says,
his voice a little stronger.
"He saw me and didn't
laugh."
He lies down, his body
exhausted from the day's
emotional rollercoaster. The
weight of his thoughts
presses down on him like
a heavy blanket, making
his eyelid feel heavy.
He takes deep breaths, his
body slowly calming down.
"It's not your fault," he whispers,
his voice barely audible.
"You're not."
The darkness of the
room envelops him, the
silence a stark contrast
to the cacophony of his
thoughts. His hand reaches
for a favorite plushie,
the small, squishy octopus
that Chip had picked out
for him. He squeezes it tightly,
his body curling around it.
The softness and familiarity
of it grounds him, bringing
a small measure of comfort.
"It's not your fault,"
he murmurs, his voice
like a lullaby to himself.
Plankton's sobs
have slowed, his breaths
now hitching in his chest.
His antennae lie flat, his
body still. The words
repeat in his head, a
comforting mantra. "It's not
your fault." He whispers it
again and again, his voice
soft and soothing.
He closes his eye,
his grip on the plushie
loosening slightly. His
thoughts are a jumble,
but he tries to sort
them out, one by one.
Krabs had seen his
weakness, his fear, and
instead of mocking him,
he'd been... kind.
Plankton's mind reels
with the implications.
Was it pity?
Or could it be...
respect? He doesn't
know. All he knows
is that it feels...
different.
The darkness wraps
around him like a cocoon,
his plushie a silent
witness to his pain.
His thoughts swirl.
What does it mean?
Does Krabs really see
him now? Or is this
just a fluke?
Yet his breathing
evens out, his body
relaxing into the
embrace of the bed.
as sleep claims him.
The room is
still, his plushie
a silent sentinel
keeping watch over
his slumber. His
stims cease, his
hands uncurling from
their tight fists. His
eyelid flutters closed,
his antennae drooping.
Plankton's breathing
deepens, his body
surrendering to sleep.
Karen, outside the door,
leans closer, finally heard
the gentle snores that
signal he's asleep. She
wipes a tear from her
eye and slowly opens the
door, peeking in to check
on her husband.
Plankton's body is
still, his antennae no
longer quivering with
stress. He's curled into
a tiny ball, his plushie
pressed against his
chest.
Karen watches from the
doorway, her heart
heavy with the weight
of emotions. She
wants to rush in, to
pull him into a tight
embrace, to whisper that
everything will be okay.
But she knows better.
He needs this space, this
silence, to process today.
The next morning, Karen
awakes to find Plankton
sitting by her on her bed,
holding hands.
"I'm sorry," he says.
"For what?" she asks.
"For pushing you away."
Karen shakes her head.
"You didn't push me away,"
she says, squeezing his hand.
"You needed space."
Her voice is gentle.
"It's okay to be upset."
Her eyes are filled with
understanding. "It's okay
to need time."
He looks at her, his
eye searching. "But I
was mean," he whispers.
"No, you're overwhelmed."
Her smile is soft. "And
that's okay. I know it's a
lot to take in." Plankton
nods slowly.
They sit in silence,
their hands entwined. Karen's
thumb strokes the back of
his hand, a soothing gesture
that Plankton has come to
rely on. "I'm here," she says.
"I'll always be here." He
swallows hard, his antennae
twitching. "Thank y-you,"
he whispers.
Suddenly, there's a
knock on the front
door. Chip's camp
friend, JoJo, was
here to visit Chip.
"Hi, JoJo!" he says,
opening the door wide.
"How are you?" JoJo
smiles shyly. "I'm okay,"
they said, their eyes
darting around. "Do your
parents know about me?"
Chip shook his head.
"I haven't really gotten
around to talking much
about camp because
uh, family situation.
Everything's fine though!"
Karen heard the door
and talking. "Who's
Chip talking to?" "I
don't know Plankton,
but it doesn't sound
like Krabs. I'll go check!"
She left the bedroom,
her heart racing. Who
did Chip let in?
"Oh, my mom's coming!"
Chip says to JoJo. "Mom,
meet JoJo; I met them at
my camp!" Karen enters
the living room. "Well, it's
nice to me—" Karen falters
at the sight of JoJo.
JoJo has two heads,
each looking at her
with a shy smile. She
quickly recovers, her
face a mask of polite
interest. "Hello," she says,
extending her hand. "It's
um, nice to meet you, JoJo?"
she says awkwardly, not sure
how to greet someone
with two heads. She never
even knew such a condition
existed! Her eyes darted
between Chip and JoJo.
Chip's grin is wide,
his eyes shining with
excitement. "Yeah, JoJo's
my new friend from camp!"
he says. Karen's heart
swells with pride at her
son's openness and
kindness. JoJo's heads nod
in unison, their eyes sparkling.
"Hi, Mrs. Plankton," one head says,
while the other nods, adding, "It's
great to meet you!" Karen's hand
shakes JoJo's, her mind racing
with questions. How does it feel
to be two in one? How do they
see the world? How do they...
WHAT?
Her thoughts stumble
over themselves, and she
quickly recovers with a
warm smile. "Welcome
to our home," she says,
hoping to cover her initial
shock. But JoJo notices.
"It's okay," one of JoJo's
heads says with a gentle
smile. "Lots of people
are surprised at first."
The other head nods. "I
get it," they add. "It's just
how we are. We identify
as one person." Karen's
mouth opens and closes,
trying to find the right
words. "Okay! Um... I, I'm
sorry if I was rude," she
stammers. "I just wasn't
expecting... I mean, it's just
that..."
"You're not the first,"
the second head says with
a laugh. "And you won't be
the last." JoJo's eyes, all
of them, are kind. "It's
fine, really. And I know
what you're wondering, but
our parents are both single-
headed," they explain. Karen
can't help but laugh a
little, her nerves easing.
"Chip's dad, just to warn
you, can be blunt. He's
curious and loves science
so I'm sure he'll most likely
ask more questions," Karen
tells JoJo.
JoJo nods, both heads
thinking the same thing.
"It's okay," they say. "We're
used to it." Karen looks
at her son, who's
beaming, his face lit up
by the simple joy of
having a friend over. "So,
what do you want to do?"
Chip asks, his voice
excited. JoJo's heads look
at each other, then back
at Chip. "How about a
game?" they suggest.