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The kitchen was bustling with commotion, various sounds disrupting the tranquility outside. The butt of two sets of cutlery were repeatedly slammed against the surface of the table. Penny and Will began to chant as they made a racket, “Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes...”
“Don’t scratch the table you guys.” Their dad reprimanded, spatula in hand.
“Careful, you’ll burn them.” Judy told him, pointing to the sizzling pan before returning to the task of stirring the bowl and keeping said pan full.
“It’s fine, I’ll eat them, they’re just a little crispy.” He shrugged, flipping the charred food onto his plate.
“John are you burning the pancakes?” Maureen called from the other room, receiving a chorus of “yes”s that drowned out a single indignant “no!”.
“Dad, let me take over, you can stir.” Judy said, handing him the bowl and snatching the spatula.
“Good idea.” He dipped his finger into the bowl and smeared some batter on her nose.
“Dad!” She wiped it off and flicked it back at him. The chanting and banging started up again as the two youngest got hungrier. “Hey! Why don’t you two put some of that energy into washing dishes?”
“Robin already has it covered.” Will responded, nodding to the robot cleaning dishes.
Judy shook her head and grabbed a rag, throwing it at her siblings. “He needs a break, you two take over.”
“Look who’s burning the pancakes now.” John chuckled, causing her to exclaim before quickly flipping them. “Why don’t you two go play outside, do a perimeter check and burn some energy. Food will be ready soon.”
"Thanks, dad!" They both called before running out of the room. They ran past their mom, who watched them leave before looking to her remaining family members.
"Judy, why don't you let me take over. You deserve a break too." She said, walking over to her oldest daughter and kissing her forehead before grabbing the spatula. "Your father and I will call you when it's ready."
Judy smiled and nodded, “Thank you.” she took Robin’s servo and lead him away to join Will and Penny outside; who were chasing each other around and yelling.
“Stop!! It’s cold and childish!!” Penny cried as she was shot repeatedly with a water gun.
As soon as Will saw the newcomers, he pointed his playful wrath towards Judy and prepared to fire. He was startled by the robot stepping in front of her and flashing a menacing red. Lowering the fake gun he instead raised his free hand. “Hey, it’s okay, it’s just water. You can tell it’s fake because it’s bright orange, see? Fake.” He let his friend inspect it as he spoke, before shooting himself with a spray of water.
“I think you should put that away, Will.” Judy warned, causing her brother to nod and toss it on the ground.
As soon as he was unarmed Penny smirked and grabbed a bucket filled with water, throwing it onto her brother. “Revenge!!!!”
“Hey!” He spluttered advancing on her which resulted in a chase. “Come on Judy! Help me catch her, you’re faster than both of us!”
The aforementioned sister rolled her eyes at her younger siblings, watching them run around each other and attempt to push the other into the nearby river. Penny managed to get Will again, so with a sigh, Judy joined in on the fun. She ran over while her sister was busy laughing and pushed the other girl into the water.
Penny shouted as Will proceeded to splash her before all the siblings started laughing.
“Mom and dad are probably going to get mad at you two if you don’t get changed before dinner.”
Will shrugged but Penny smirked again, “Robin, why don’t you give Judy a push?” Her sister effectively turned to the robot who did no such thing, giving her the perfect opportunity to grab Judy’s hand and pull her in as well.
She almost cursed before she hit the freezing water and her head was submerged. Panicking, she clawed to get above water again, coughing it up and beginning to shiver. Her siblings were already quickly climbing out of the water and heading to the Jupiter, but she was finding it incredibly hard to move, still coughing.
Robin approached her, offering a servo and lifting her out of the water once she took it. Tears began to prick her eyes and her teeth began to chatter, stuttering out a “thanks.” as she was brought back to the ship for dinner.
The room was too cold, she was too cold. Her damp clothes and hair were glued to her flesh, goosebumps raised on her skin. The only source of warmth were the hot tears sliding down her cheeks, but she made no move to wipe them away, hands tangled in her bed sheets as she held them in a vice grip.
"Breathe, you just have to breathe." Judy mumbled to herself between gulping gasps for air. Her chest was constricting, her lungs not getting enough air and only creating more panic. "Breathe." She demanded, slamming her fist on the bed before clutching it again as she tried to calm herself down. This was just a panic attack, she's had them before, she knew what to do...but she couldn't do it.
She kicked her feet out and covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming out. Her heart felt ready to burst, hammering against her self-restricted rib cage. She was sweating so badly, but it only made her feel colder, bringing her back to when she was trapped in the ice.
"Come on." She coaxed herself, trying to unlock her tense muscles. All she had to do was get up and walk around and breathe. But she couldn't move, she was trapped. Even if she could will herself to get up, she would still be freezing, it had seeped into her clothes and her bones. There was no escaping it. The hot water tank was empty, her clothes were soaked with tears and panicked sweat, there was no way for her to get warm.
Her next cry escaped through her hand before she quickly stifled her keening into her pillow. She just wanted to sleep but she was cold and trapped and panicking and she still couldn't breathe, why couldn't she breathe? It was getting harder to think and her brain felt so foggy yet her instincts continued to go haywire. She was laying down but she felt so dizzy and her pillow was becoming wet too. Shaking, she began to beg into it, for help, for the anxiety to end, to feel safe and protected. Sobbing harder, she hugged her pillow tight, still struggling to breathe but seeking any comfort she could find.
Then she felt her bed begin to sink drastically, causing her to raise her head and look over, spotting the robot. The sound she released was louder than she had intended as she began to bawl, reaching out for him with shaking hands, hyperventilating. "I'm so..cold...I can't...I can't breathe...please..." Her voice broke off into a whine as he silently embraced her.
A warm servo rested against her back, a lifeline among the roiling waves of emotion clouding her mind. She leaned into it, her fingers clutching the grooves in his metal as she forced a shaky breath of air. Then another one. And another. Closing her eyes and focusing on the source of heat.
Robin split is free arm into it's original state, giving him two servos to run along her arms and legs. Brushing against her clothes and exposed skin, which began to dry and warm up beneath his touch. He noticed her breathing begin to sync up with the motion. Up and down, slow and patient, inhale and exhale.
Even as the dampness left her clothing, he continued, finding the movement equally calming and it gave him the chance to stretch his secondary arm. However, once she had gotten her breathing under control, she looked up at him. He began to combine his appendages again, but she reached out, taking a hold of his third servo. It had less digits when it wasn't combined with the one below it, but she didn't seem bothered, interlacing her fingers with his. Usually the humans cowered at even a glimpse of his natural form, yet she said nothing, gently leading his hand to her cheek where she leaned into his palm, sighing softly.
"You are amazing." She whispered, a slight hitch to her voice due to the recent panic attack, but she seemed to be gradually recovering. Regardless, he motioned for her to lay down and rest. Humans needed it.
Watching her comply, he continued to run a servo down her arm, before letting it hover above her head. Her hair was still damp, sticking to her tear stained face. "Go ahead." She encouraged him, her emotional sensitivity making her notice the hesitation instantly.
With her permission, he ran two of his servos through her hair, drying it slowly and with care. Combing his claws through sections and brushing it down with another servo. She looked up at him, watching him work and seeing the lights in his orb follow his own movement, concentrating on what he was doing, before they drifted down to focus on her. Giving him a soft smile, she flipped her pillow over before laying her head against it and closing her eyes, beginning to feel cozy in her own bed again.
Lifting her arm, she raised her sheets and moved over to give him more room. He wouldn't sleep, he never did, but he took the invitation regardless, laying down as well with some coaxing as he continued to run his fingers through her hair.
She felt enveloped in a halo of warmth but her body was exhausted and she quickly found herself becoming groggy, sleep calling to her. "Thank you." She managed to slur out, her eyes heavy and her brain slowly calming down. Words to show proper gratitude were alluding her at this point, too drowsy to form anything coherent, but she wrapped her arm around his waist and cuddled into him, hoping her body language would get the message across. "I love you." She said, before her consciousness escaped her and she welcomed it.
Her rest was needed, however she missed the way his globe lit up at her words and how he held her just a little bit tighter.