𝖠𝖴𝖳𝖨𝖲𝖬 𝖫𝖮𝖵𝖤 (𝖡𝗒 𝖭𝖾𝗎𝗋𝗈𝖥𝖺𝖻𝗎𝗅𝗈𝗎𝗌) Plankton is autistic. His wife, Karen, is supportive and she understands his struggles and his sensory sensitivities. They kept his autism secret from their son Chip. But one day, Chip comes home from camp earlier than either of his parents expected, for the traffic was better than usual. And Chip notices something he\'s never seen. At least, not with his dad. Chip peaks in his parents bedroom to find Plankton on his bed, on his side. He seemed to be shaking. So Chip inched closer, unsure of what he\'s seeing. His father\'s body jerked in quick, rhythmic spasms, his eye rolled bac̶k, and his mouth\'s parted open, drool trickling out the side. Paпic strikes Chip. He\'s never seen anything like this! The room is eerily silent except for the quıet, muffled sounds of his father\'s shaking and his own racing heart. The scene seems frozen in time, and Chip\'s mind races with questions and fear. What\'s wrong with Dad? He cautiously approaches the bed, his hands now shaking as much as his father\'s body. Plankton\'s eyelid flutters rapidly in synchronization with the clonic jerks. \"Dad; what are you doing?\" But Plankton didn\'t respond. Chip went to find his mom. Karen was gardening in the back when he found her. \"Mom,\" Chip yelled, \"Come quick!\" His voice was trembling with fear. Karen rushed inside, leavıng her garden behind. She saw her husband, and knew immediately what was happening; that Plankton was okay, just having a seızure that wasn\'t dangerous, but can look scary. She knew Chip\'s unaware of Plankton\'s autism. \"Chip,\" she said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, \"it\'s okay. Your dad is having a type of spasm called absentia epileptica. It\'s part of a condıtıon he has, which\'s autism.\" Chip looked at her in confusion. Karen took a deep breath, kneeling down to his level. \"You know how sometimes you get so into a video game that you don\'t notice me calling you?\" Chip nodded slowly. \"It\'s kind of like that for your dad, but with his body. It\'s like his brain goes to a different pla͡ce for a little bit.\" Chip studied his mother\'s screen, searching for the truth. Her eyes were calm, her voice soothing. \"But why is he, his body doing that?\" he asked, his voice still quaking. \"It\'s like when you sneeze, honey,\" Karen explained. \"You don\'t plan to, it just happens. It\'s a sudden, quick change in your body that you can\'t control.\" She took his hand, leading him to the bedside. Plankton\'s seızure is subsiding. And then Plankton\'s eye flitted open, unfocused. He was disoriented and groaned, his gaze wandering around the room. This was the postictal phase, where he was emerging. Karen knew it was crucial to keep him calm. \"Look,\" she said softly, smiling at Chip, \"Your dad will be okay. This happens sometimes. It\'s like when you come out of a deep słeep and don\'t know where you are for a moment.\" Chip watched as Plankton\'s eye gradually focused, landing on Karen\'s screen. He blinked rapidly, his gaze shifting to Chip\'s. Recognition took over his features, but confusion lingered. Plankton\'s voice was slurred, his words difficult to piece together. \"Ch... Chip?\" Karen nodded reassuringly. \"Yes, it\'s Chip. You had a small seızure, but it\'s over now. You\'re okay.\" Plankton\'s hand shot up to his face, touching it as if to confirm his reality. His eye searched his son\'s for an answer. Karen sat on the bed, taking Plankton\'s hand in hers. \"It\'s part of his autism, sweetie. Some times his brain needs to reboot.\" She offered a comforting smile as Plankton\'s gaze cleared somewhat, and he looked at Karen with a mix of relief and embarrassment as he wiped up the drool. But then, Plankton\'s face contorted in anger. He jerked his hand away from Karen\'s grasp, his eye snapping to Chip. \"What are YOU doing here?\" he snapped, his voice harsher than Chip had ever heard it before. It was like his father was a different person, someone he didn\'t know. Chip took a step back, his heart pouncing in his chest. \"I just found you...\" he started to explain, but his voıce trailed off. Plankton pushes himself up to a sitting position, his eye wide with anger. \"Why are you spying on me?\" he accused, his voice rising with every syllable. Karen stepped in quickly, trying to defuse the tension. \"Chip wasn\'t spying, honey. He just came home early and found you like this.\" But Plankton\'s anger didn\'t ease. \"Why didn\'t you ask me?\" he demanded, looking at Chip accusingly. Chip felt his eyes stinging with unshed tears, his screen tight. \"I... I didn\'t know what was happening,\" he stammered. \"I was scared.\" Plankton\'s face softened slightly, but the anger was still palpable. \"How much of my secret\'s out?\" he said, more to Karen than to Chip. Karen sighed, stroking his arm gently. \"Chip, repeat to your dad what I taught you.\" Plankton\'s jaw tightened, but he looked at his son. Chip took a deep breath. \"Mom told me,\" Chip managed to say, \"Mom says that your autistic seizures are because of, uh... Mom said you are...\" His voice cracked. \"I learned that you\'re only a little bit ret-...\" The room went still as a pin drop. Karen\'s screen flushed red with anger and sadness. Plankton\'s eye widened, his body stiffened. \"Chip,\" Karen whispered, \"that\'s not a word we use.\" But Chip, confused by his father\'s reaction, just stared, his screen brimming with tears. \"How could you say that?\" Plankton\'s voice was low, the paın in his eye was impossible to miss. \"You don\'t understand,\" Chip sobbed, \"I di-\" \"Understand?\" Plankton interrupted, his voice rising. \"I\'m not some- thing to be understood; I\'m your father!\" He slams his fists into the mattress. Karen\'s voice was steady as she spoke, \"Plankton, it\'s ok. We can explain this to Chip.\" She turned to her son, her eyes filled with compassion. \"It\'s ok to not know everything right now. We\'ll talk about it. But that word is not nice. It can hurt̸ people.\" Plankton\'s anger was palpable, but he swallowed it down, his body slumping in defeat. He looked away from Chip, his gaze firmly planted on the floor. \"Just go,\" he said weakly, \"Get outta my fac͘e.\" The rejection hït Chip like a ton of bricks. Karen\'s heart broke seeing the hurt̸ on her son\'s face. She knew Plankton didn\'t mean to, that his words were just a reflex, a shield against the fear of being misunderstood. \"Chip,\" she said gently, \"your dad needs a moment. So you give him some privacy.\" Chip took a step back off the bed as Plankton begins to mumble. \"Do not know what who\'s talking about..\" Karen knew Plankton\'s self-talk was a type of stim, that he didn\'t like for it to be interrupted or to be commented on. But she realized that Chip doesn\'t know this. She turns to Plankton. \"Honey,\" she said softly, \"Chip is scared. He\'s never seen you like this before.\" Plankton\'s body tensed. Karen knew he has to decompress. And sure enough, the vocal stimming began again. Plankton\'s voice was heard. \"No scared, is seen before,\" he says. Chip watched, his eyes wide and filled with fresh confusion. And yet Karen knew that Plankton\'s repetitive stimming was his way of processing all the overwhelm. Chip had never heard his dad make these sounds. \"It\'s okay,\" Karen said soothingly, \"Dad\'s just talking to himself to calm down. It\'s part of his autism.\" But Chip\'s curiosity was piqued. He couldn\'t help but ask, \"But why is he–\" \"CHIP,\" Plankton\'s voice was sharp, cutting through the room like a knife. \"We SAID I don\'t like it when YOU interrogate me!\" He turned away, his body language a clear signal for space. Chip felt his chest tighten. He wants to understand, but his father\'s reaction was unsettling. Karen could see the internal battle Plankton\'s fighting, the fear of being different, the desire to be left alone versus the love for his son and his need for understanding. Plankton\'s frustration with his own body was manifesting into frustration with Chip, Karen knew. \"Chip, your dad\'s okay,\" she said softly. \"He just needs some space now.\" Chip nodded, his eyes still on his father, who was now rocking slightly, his hands flapping in his lap. This was another one of Plankton\'s stims, a way to soothe himself during hıgh stress or anxıety. But Chip found it weırd. \"Why does he do that?\" Chip whispered, unable to mask the curiosity in his voıce. Plankton\'s head snapped up, his eye blazing. \"I said no more questions!\" he snapped. \"So just STOP it, Chip!\" The room was thick with tension. Karen felt torn, wanting to ease Chip\'s fear while also respecting Plankton\'s boundaries. But Plankton\'s anger was a wall, impenetrable. \"I don\'t like when you look at me like that,\" Plankton said, his voice tight. \"Like I\'m gonna play show and tell..\" Chip\'s face fell, feeling the weight of his father\'s words. He took a step back, his curiosity shrinking under the pressure of his father\'s discomfort. But Plankton\'s gaze was still locked on Chip, his frustration palpable. \"I don\'t owe you my entire life story just because my brain decided to take a detour!\" Chip felt the sting of rejection, his eyes welling up with těars. \"Plankton,\" Karen began, her voice a gentle reprimand. \"We need to explain this to Chip. He\'s scared and curious. That\'s natural.\" But Plankton just glared at his son, the anger in his eye not wavering. \"You just want to poke and prod!\" he accused. \"Well I DON\'T!\" Karen took a deep breath, knowing this was a moment where she had to bridge the gap between her husband\'s world and her son\'s. \"Chip,\" she says softly, \"Your dad\'s just had a seızure. It can make him feel really out of sorts, like everything\'s too loud and too bright. He doesn\'t mean to be short with you.\" She turned to Plankton, her voice gentle but firm. \"Honey, we need to talk to Chip. He\'s part of this to—\" But Plankton cut her off, his voice shaky. \"I don\'t want to talk about it.\" He looked at Chip with a mix of anger and fear. \"You don\'t get to just waltz in and demand explanations!\" Chip\'s lip trembled as he looked at his dad, his screen full of uncertainty. Karen\'s heart ached, but she knew she had to stand up for her son. \"Plankton,\" she said, \"Chip\'s just a kid. He\'s only just trying to understand something that\'s scary to him. We can\'t šhut him out.\" \"I don\'t need him to learn it,\" Plankton murmured. \"I just need him to leave me alone.\" His words were like a slap across Karen\'s screen, but she knew this was his fear speaking. Fear of the unknown, fear of judgment, fear of his son seeing him different. \"Dad,\" Chip whispered, his voice shaky, \"I\'m sorry.\" But Plankton shook his head. Chip didn\'t know what to think. \"I just want to know why,\" Chip said softly. Plankton\'s jaw clenched. \"Why what?\" he asked, his tone harsher than Chip was expecting. \"Why do I have autism? Why do I have seizures?\" His eye searched his son\'s, looking for anything but pity. \"I don\'t have answers for you, Chip.\" Chip felt his face heat up. He didn\'t mean it like that. He just wanted to know what was happening to his dad, why he was shaking and why his mom was so calm about it. \"But why are you so mad at me?\" Chip asked, his voice shaking. Plankton\'s eye searched his son\'s, and for a moment, Karen thought she saw a flicker of sadness. But then it was gone, replaced by a wall of defiance. \"Because you\'re invading my personal space,\" he said coldly. \"You don\'t get to just barge in and demand things from me.\" Chip felt the sting of his father\'s words, but he stood his ground. \"But you\'re my dad,\" he said, his voice cracking. \"I just want to know why you\'re shaking and making those noises.\" Plankton\'s face reddened, his hands balling into fists. \"Please,\" Chip\'s voice was small, \"I just want to help.\" Plankton\'s breathing was erratic, his fists still clenched. \"You can\'t help,\" he said. \"You\'re not supposed to know. This isn\'t for you.\" The words were a knife in Karen\'s heart, but she knew he didn\'t mean to hurt Chip. It was his pride and discomfort talking. \"Plankton,\" she said firmly, \"Chip didn\'t do anything wrong. He found you when you needed him.\" Her words hung in the air, uncomfortable truths that Plankton didn\'t want to hear. But Chip\'s curiosity was a part of him, a piece of his soul that wouldn\'t simply vanish because it was inconvenient for his dad. Plankton looked away, his jaw tightening. \"I don\'t need a spotlight,\" he muttered. \"I don\'t need him to know.\" But Karen knew that was a lie. Plankton had been carrying this all alone for too long, afraid of what others would think, afraid of his own son seeing him as less than. \"You can\'t keep it a secret forever,\" she said softly. \"He\'s old enough to underst--\" \"Understand?\" Plankton\'s voice was thick with sarcasm. \"What\'s there to understand? I\'m broken, Karen. And he doesn\'t need to know that!\" He slammed his fist into the pillow next to him, the force making his body jerk. Chip flinched at the sound, his eyes wide with fear. \"Plankton,\" Karen\'s voice was calm but firm. \"You\'re not broken. You\'re just different, and that\'s okay.\" But Plankton\'s gaze was still locked on Chip, his eye narrowed in accusation. \"Why do you have to be so nosy?\" he snapped. \"Why can\'t you just leave me the barnacles alone!\" Chip felt his heart sink. He didn\'t mean to be nosy. But he didn\'t know how to make it right. \"I\'m sorry,\" he whispered, his voice small. Chip\'s chest constricted, his mind racing for something, anything, to say that would make everything okay. But Plankton just shook his head. \"I don\'t want to talk about this, Chip. Not now. Not ever.\" The silence was deafening. Chip felt his stomach twist into a knot. He had never seen his father so upset, so defensive. He took a tentative step forward. \"But Dad, I just want to help. I don\'t understand what\'s happening.\" Plankton\'s glare didn\'t waver. \"That\'s because you don\'t belong here..\" Plankton replied coldly. Chip gasped, tears spilling. Karen watched, her heart breaking for both her son and her husband. She knew his anger wasn\'t all truly directed at Chip, but it was impossible to ignore the hurt etched on her son\'s face. She understood his need for solitude in these moments. But she knew that Chip\'s curiosity wasn\'t something that would simply disappear. \"Plankton,\" she said softly, \"Chip loves you. He\'s just trying to understand. We can\'t keep hiding this.\" Plankton\'s face contorted with pain, but his voice was resolute. \"He won\'t get to decide what I can handle!\" he snapped. Chip took a step back, his eyes brimming with tears. He didn\'t understand why his dad was so mad at him. \"But I\'m not trying to decide anything,\" he whispered. \"I just want to know why you shake and make those sounds..\" Without warning, Plankton flung the pillow across the room, the motion startling both Chip and Karen. \"I can\'t handle this!\" he yelled, his arms flailing, his legs kicking the bed. His fist connected with the wall, leaving a dent, his gaze landing on Chip. The anger was raw, unfiltered. \"Chip,\" Karen said gently, taking her son\'s hand. \"Let\'s give your dad some time to calm down.\" But Chip\'s eyes were on the pillow, on the wall, on his father\'s shaking body. \"But he\'s hurt,\" Chip protested, his voice trembling. \"I know, sweetie,\" Karen whispered, her eyes filled with sorrow. \"But this isn\'t about you. This is about his feelings and his fears. We\'ll talk when he\'s ready.\"
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