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your-local-grubdog · 1 year

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Together in the Storm Chapter 10: Olimar, the Kids are Bullying the Roomba Again

Story Summary: Olimar is back home once again, ready to rest and recuperate from everything that had happened. Yet the universe keeps throwing unwanted surprises his way, making rest difficult. He just wants to make his (now rather large) family believe that he’ll be okay. Because he is, for he has to be.

Chapter Summary: A collection of "flash fics" of some events that take place in Olimar's house around this time. Each is too short to be its own chapter so! They're all gathered here instead. Enjoy!

Read on Ao3 Here!

===

The Knife

Olimar hummed quietly as he slowly washed the dishes, getting lost in the repetitive task. Standing for so long was awfully painful, but he was too stubborn to stop. Dishes were always an iffy chore for him; on one hand, he could not touch greasy stuff. Period. On the other hand, he loved squeezing a soapy and wet sponge and playing with the suds a bit. Thankfully, breakfast this morning wasn't too greasy, so he was able to wash up afterwords with no issue!

... that is, until he felt something poke his leg.

He flinched a bit, stepping aside to look down. He then groaned loudly, soon hearing Nova's giggles from the other room. At his feet was the cleaning robot now controlled by Cetacea, a plastic knife tapped to the top of it. "Was poking me specifically necessary?"

"Yes." Was Cetacea's reply from a node on the kitchen counter.

"But was it?"

"Yes. Luna is a child, Louie is out of reach, Nova is my accomplice, and - to be honest - Rose terrifies me. So it must be you."

Olimar huffed as he set the rag down, now leaning against the counter. "I thought you couldn't actually feel any emotions."

"... well, even a machine possesses the self-preservation needed to stay clear of someone who once stabbed another person."

"Mom WHAT?!" Nova then squeaked, practically sliding into the kitchen thanks to his fur.

Olimar groaned louder then, hands moving to emphasize his words. "For the last time my wife didn't stab ANYONE!"

"But she did."

"NO SHE DIDN'T!"

"My, you boys are noisy this morning." Rose teased as she walked in the kitchen, a basket of laundry in her hands. She had certainly just came from upstairs to put the clothes in the washing machine, located in the garage connected to the kitchen. "Now, who did I not stab?"

Olimar sighed now, sitting down as standing was starting to become too painful. He'd start the dishes again when he could. "I told Louie and Cetacea about the day you saved me from those bullies, back in high school. Somehow this one heard the word "slash" and thought I said "stab" instead."

"Mom saved you from some bullies?" Nova asked, now leaning against a chair, his eyes wide with wonder.

"You never told your kids how you met?" Cetacea then asked.

"For a reason." Rose set the basket on the corner of the kitchen table, though she still held onto the handles. "And for the record, sweetie, I did stab one of them."

"I-" Olimar began, his voice soon dying in his throat. He let out a few more sounds, desperately trying to talk and just... not being able to.

"Ah, then Olimar saw you covered in blood and in a leather jacket and hopelessly fell in love." Cetacea teased.

Olimar could only groan at this point.

"A leather jacket?" Nova then asked, looking at his mother.

"Yes! I think I still have it... I'll check after these clothes are in the washing machine. Anyways," she waved her hand a bit. "About the 'bullies', there were three of them and they were... much worse. They could have seriously hurt you - they would have, they thought you had money on you."

"And so you stabbed one?" Nova asked seeming... far, far too excited about this.

Rose chuckled before tapping her son's nose. "Yes, but it was only for an emergency. Okay? So don't just start attacking people." She lifted up the laundry basket, continuing on to the garage. "Unless one of your cute lil' friends is in danger~" That response caused Nova to squeak a bit, flushing up.

The door was closed before Olimar could speak, "Or, you know, don't stab anyone ever for any reason?!?"

===

The Jacket

"There it is!" Rose spoke to no one in particular, pulling out an old leather jacket. She was kneeling down in her and her husband's shared closet, a tub of old clothes in front of her. Thankfully, none had molded despite not being open for... Gods, sense they bought the house! Still, the jacket looked just as she left it before (plus a few creases from being folded up for so long) - black with a few spikes on the shoulders and a thorny red rose on the back. She had painted the rose and thorns on herself, she could clearly remember the day she did it and her many failed attempts to seal it.

And now, she was going to give it to her son.

She knew Nova would use it far more then she could and that the boy would love it. He'd probably wear it to school every day, show off to his friends. Hopefully it being designed for a more feminine body wouldn't be an issue for him. The last thing she wanted to do was trigger any dysphoria with the gift, but she had the feeling that literally everything else about the jacket would counteract that. Hopefully.

She pushed herself off of the floor, jacket hung across her arm. She managed to find the jacket, but now she had to find Nova. Last she saw him was in the kitchen, but there was a chance he was elsewhere in the house by now. Thankfully, though, she didn't have to hunt him down. The boy was... running up the stairs, laughing maniacally.

"Nova, no running up the stairs." She warned, watching as the boy jumped a bit in surprise.

"S-Sorry Mama. But Papa started it!"

"DID NOT!" Her husband's voice rang from the first floor, annoyed but with a playful tone to it.

Well, she wasn't going to get involved in this too much. So long as her boys didn't kill each other or mess up her house, Rose didn't care what nonsense they got into. "Well, put a pause on your game for a moment and come with me please." She then leaned her head over the stairway railing to look at her frazzled husband who was covered in... soot? Yeah, she wasn't going to ask any questions (though she couldn't help but wonder what on Hocotate they got into between her starting laundry and now). "I'll hand Nova back over to you when I'm done, okay love?"

"Okay. And tell him to play fair."

"I'll see about it." she teasingly tapped her son's nose before waving him over to the master bedroom. As they walked, though, Nova poked the jacket.

"Is this...?"

"Patience, dear." Rose teased. She sat on the edge of her bed, patting the spot next to her to encourage her son to sit by her. Once he did, she held up the jacket so he could get a better look at the front of it. "This was my leather jacket in high school. I got it when I was a little older then you - just a year older, actually, I was fifteen at the time."

Nova went wide eyed as he reached out to touch a sleeve. "Cool..."

"It's genuine leather, so it'll take a long time for this thing to break down." she explained. "It was a gift from your great aunt. Though, it was a plain black jacket when I got it. I added the spikes by hand."

"You can do that???"

Rose nodded, trailing a finger across the jacket near the spikes. "That's why they're so uneven. I did my best. I'm also the one who did this!" She flipped it over then, showing Nova the design she had added to the back.

The boy's eyes went wide as he gasped. "Oh, it's so cool! How did you do that???"

"... with a lot of trial and error, let's leave it at that." She chuckled a bit. "I know it's..." she paused, still uncertain about how careful was too careful and how blunt was too blunt when it came to this topic. Eventually, she settled on "It's built for a different body frame, but I'd still like to give it to you."

Nova turned to face her, eyes somehow wider and his ears slightly droopy. "A-Are you sure - it's-"

"I'm not sure if you noticed, but I don't exactly wear it anymore. I'd rather someone who would use it to have it."

Nova gently took the jacket from his mother's hands. He was oddly still and quiet at first before suddenly jumping out of his seat. "Thank you- thank you!" He hastily slipped it on as he practically bounced over to a mirror to get a better look at himself in it, a wide smile plastered across his face. It was a little big on him, but that was fine. He'd always been a late bloomer and Rose figured he still had one more good growth spurt in him. And if not, that was fine, he could probably just roll up the sleeves. Nova then turned around, tackling his mother into a sudden and tight hug. "Thank you, Mama."

"You're welcome, starlight." She hugged back tightly before pulling back to ruffle his hair. "Now, go back downstairs so you can play with your dad fairly. He still can't get up stairs too easily. Okay?"

"Yes Mama." And already he was off, running out of the room, the bright red rose of his jacket practically flashing against its dark backdrop.

===

The Conversation

Olimar was in his room, setting up the computer. Captain Charlie had contacted him requesting help regarding the little pikmin he had brought home. Of course, Olimar accepted - he was admittedly still uncertain about the other Captain's ability to care for a pikmin (which had become a permanent situation, according to Alph). It wasn't out of distrust per say, more so just... he didn't know Charlie enough. So any chance he could take to help out the little one was certainly a high priority.

But not necessarily his top priority.

He looked up when he heard the door click open, his son stepping in awkwardly. He held his new leather jacket close to him, as if for comfort. "H-Hi Papa... 'm home from school."

"Hey buddy." Olimar's ears leaned back. "Is... Is something wrong?"

Nova just nodded, now stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him. "I - I - I need advice."

Olimar frowned then, beckoning Nova closer with his hand. "Come here, son. What's troubling you?"

Nova shuffled closer, not looking Olimar in the face. "D-Do you remember P-Pluto?"

"Yes, yes of course - he's been your best friend for years. Has... Has something happened between you two?"

Nova took in a deep, shaky breath. "H-He doesn't know that." He explained. Olimar furrowed his brow in worry and confusion, though he stayed quiet so his son could explain himself. "This - This past break, when - when the visual changes of my transition began, and you c-changed my name. And I begged to go to the north-end highschool instead..."

Olimar nodded slowly, now rubbing his son's shoulders. "Shhh... Shhh, remember to breath, buddy." Yes, he remembered all of it. Him asking to go to a different high school was a bit of a surprise, but it really shouldn't of been. They lived right on a district border, meaning Nova could go to school in the north-end if he was up to walking to a bus stop. Which, he was. Pluto was going to the north-end. He'd do anything for his friend.

Nova took in a deep and unsteady breath before continuing. "Pluto didn't recognize me. Last I had talked to him he thought I was going to the south-end, and I looked different and sounded different and had a different name and he didn't recognize me."

Olimar squeezed his shoulders a little tighter now. So this started months ago, then, and he kept it bottled up for so long... "And you never told him?"

"No!" Nova snapped a bit, tears pricking at his eyes. "I have no idea how he'd react if I did and I'm scared. B-But today he mentioned how he missed 'Stella' and - a-and-"

He began to cry hard then, Olimar immediately pulling him in for a tight hug. He gently rubbed circles on his back in an attempt to soothe him. "Shh, shhh, don't worry. I'm right here. Okay?"

Nova sniffled as he curled into his father, holding on as if for dear life. "I-I don't know what to do..."

His father silently rubbed circles on his back for a few moments, thinking. He eventually sighed, looking at the floor. "I-I'm sorry, Nova, I... I've never been through anything like this. I don't know what to do." He gently kissed his son's forehead, hoping it'd also help soothe him. "I'm sorry."

The boy then sniffled again. "It - it's okay. Thanks anyway..."

Olimar frowned then, his ears pinning back. Gods, he had to do something more to help his son. Right? "Do... any of your friends know?"

"No." Nova huffed. He then paused and, in a gentler voice, said "But I could tell Pollux. I haven't felt the need to, but I know he's safe."

At first, Olimar tensed. He didn't really care for Pollux all that much, he was scared that the delinquent would be a bad influence on Nova. Yet, his son seemed certain that he could trust him, so... "And would Pollux stand up for you if things went bad?"

"Yes." His answer was so immediate, with no hesitation or doubt.

"This is just my opinion, do what you feel is best. But I don't think you should be friends with someone if you're terrified they'd leave or hurt you over something you can't control. Talk to Pollux, and then Pluto. If things go bad, you'll still have Pollux. And we'll also help you the best we can. Okay?"

Nova was quiet before nodding. "Okay Papa. I'll think about it."

"Alright, son." He pulled Nova into another tight hug. "I love you."

"I love you too, Papa."

===

The Phone Call

Louie and Rose were in the kitchen, preparing for dinner together. It was going to be a thick, hearty stew tonight, so each of them were cutting up different vegetables for the stew. After slicing in silence for a little bit, Rose eventually asked, "So, I was curious. I know you two boys got close on a business trip together, but what exactly happened that made my husband want to basically adopt you, hm?"

Louie went silent as he mulled things over in his head, still cutting vegetables. "A lot of stuff." He eventually mumbled out. "PNF-404 is..." he trailed off then, uncertain of what to say.

"I know it's dangerous, if that's what you mean." Rose spoke up, voice grim.

The young man was silent for a moment before sighing. "... he protected me." Louie began. "And comforted me. One night I accidently called him dad when he... he came to my aid when I had a n-nightmare. And he embraced it." He then rolled his eyes slightly as he kept cutting vegetables. "Maybe a little too eagerly."

That made Rose chuckle lightly. "Yeah, that sounds like him alright. He just about cried from joy whenever I told him I was pregnant. Would scoop me up and laugh and cry so hard, a huge smile plastered on his face." She sighed a bit. "Made it easier to bear the... hardships that came with it."

Louie, unsure of what to say, decided it best to just silently reach out and pat her shoulder.

"Thanks, kiddo." She hummed. "I'm glad he was also able to help you, too. His head can be a little fuzzy, but his heart's in the right place."

"Fuzzy... head?" Louie asked.

"Oh, how do I say this nicely..." she laid down her knife, sighing. "He's a brilliant man, at least with biology, but he doesn't always make the best decisions."

"Ohhhh... yeah, yeah he's a stubborn idiot." Louie said plainly as he kept chopping vegetables.

Louie's pure bluntness got a hearty laugh out of Rose, who leaned over the counter slightly. "Yeah - yeah, that's one way to put it."

The young man just shrugged, still just slicing his given vegetables. He wasn't sure why she found it so funny, it was simply the truth.

No sooner than she had finally calmed down from her sudden giggle fit, Rose's phone began to ring. Still smiling a bit, she pulled out her phone only for her good mood to immediately vanish. After a slight hesitation, she answered the call and let out a nervous "Hello?"

Louie looked up at her, putting his knife down to pay attention as a number of questions ran through his mind.

"Y-Yeah, I've been okay." Rose answered after a pause, now taping her fingers against the counter. Another pause as whoever on the other end talked. "T-They've been okay too." Her ears then began to lean back a bit. "Yes, he's been good too. Great in school, good friends-" she was cut off by the other, the volume of the other end rising just enough that Louie could actually hear that someone was saying something, though he couldn't make out any specific words. Rose's fur slowly raised, her ears pinning back as she slightly barred her teeth. "When you can learn to fucking respect my son you piece of shit!" She then hung up, practically slamming the phone down as her fur bristled more. When she looked up and saw Louie cowering away from her, though, her ears drooped as her expression softened. "Oh, I'm so sorry Louie-" she reached for him, but didn't press further when he flinched away. "I didn't mean to scare you, I promise."

As Louie whimpered in fear a bit, Cetacea's voice rang our from the node. "M-May I ask what happened, Ms. Sonnen-Atwood?"

She sighed she she leaned against the counter. "It's just... My brother, he - he hasn't been..." She trailed off then, mulling over her words. "A-Accepting of Nova. To be blunt, he's been a cunt about it. And here he comes calling me, asking when he and our parents will get to see us again, and he still can't even use the rig- be decent towards my son." She growled a bit, but quickly cooled off as she turned to Louie. "I - I'm sorry... I just - I fucking can't with that man."

Louie was finally calming down, understanding at least partly what Rose was saying. Still, though, he was much too spooked to say or do anything in response.

"And is he taking advantage of being your parents' caretaker to not let you see them, either?" Cetacea asked, sounding worried.

"Ugh, I wish it was that simple." Rose's ears drooped down then. "They - they want to be "neutral" and "see both sides" but this isn't something you can fucking do that with! They..." She leaned against the counter more, head in her hands. "... They don't care if my baby is hurt. And - and I - I can't..." she moved a hand to cover her mouth, a distressed look on her face.

"... I'm so sorry, Rose." Cetacea awkwardly offered. "You're doing the right thing, though."

"I know." She groaned. "Doesn't make it any easier."

Finally, Louie had calmed enough to gently pat her shoulder. When she looked up at him, he pointed at her and then a dining chair.

"... What?" She asked, confused and mildly frustrated.

Louie then pulled her cutting board, knife, and vegetables over to him, then pointed at the chair again.

"... You want me to sit? Take a break?"

Louie nodded his head.

"Oh no - no I couldn't possibly leave the rest of dinner to you, I-"

"If I may," Cetacea began, cutting her off. "Louie can handle this just fine on his own. After what happened, you should take a moment to rest. Okay?"

"I..." She looked at the node, then Louie, then back to the node. "A-Alright. I'll - I'll try to not take too long."

"Take all the time you need."

Louie watched as Rose shuffled away, not resuming chopping vegetables until he saw her sit down. At that point he absorbed himself in his work, almost zoning out from how familiar he was with this task.

He realized now that he didn't know the family as well as the thought he did. Problems he hadn't expected people so kind hearted to have. But he did know one thing.

If anyone hurt his little brother, they would be dead meat.

===

The Snake

Olimar was laying down in a lounge chair, a open book on his chest, napping in the warm afternoon sun. Well, warm by Hocotation standards at least. He had come out to the back yard to read and enjoy the pleasant weather but... oh, the sun felt too good against his fur, he ended up falling fast asleep.

Thus, it took a few tries for his daughter to get his attention.

"H-huh?" Olimar tiredly asked, pushing himself up as the book tumbled off his chest and into his lap.

"I found something cool!" Luna squeaked, her eyes wide with excitement.

Olimar yawned as he stretched then. "Oh, that's cool." He looked at what was in her hands, but he was still so tired... his vision was slightly blurry and his brain was lagging terribly, so he wasn't exactly processing what his daughter was holding.

After a few moments of her waiting for her father's response, Luna squeaked out "It's a snake, Papa."

That woke Olimar up, the man practically jumping in his skin as he finally processed what was in her hands. It was, indeed, a snake. A very large and angry snake with black iridescent scales. To Luna's credit, she was holding it properly - one hand right behind the head, another supporting it further back, making sure it could use her arms as support. Rather impressive for an eight year old child. But it was still a very angry snake and oh Gods why did she think it was a good idea to just catch it like this???

"His name is Fluffy. Can we keep him?"

It took Olimar a few moments to calm down and answer his daughter. "N-No, sweetie, we can't."

At that her ears drooped down and she made a puppy-eyed expression.

"No." He repeated, sterner this time. "It's a wild animal, starlight, it belongs in its home."

She looked down at the snake. "But he's so friendly! He let me hold him."

Olimar sighed as he stood up then, a hand to her back. As oddly morbid as Luna was for her age, it did provide a rather helpful benefit - he could be more honest with her about how nature was without worrying if it would scare her too badly. "He's not friendly, he's scared. He thinks you're a predator that'll eat him."

"O-Oh..." Her shoulders sagged a bit as her ears drooped down.

"So he's being still in the hopes you won't recognize him as a snake and thus not eat him." He began to rub her back.

She looked up at him. "But... I can still tell he's a snake."

"Well, the animals that would prey on him don't have as good of eyesight as we do. So it usually does work."

"Hmm..." She looked down at the snake, which was still tense and still.

"C'mon, starlight, show me where you found it and we'll release it together."

That seemed to cheer her up a little and she eagerly nodded. "O-Okay Papa."

Luna led him to a far corner of the back yard, near a rock. The plants around it grew tall, as no lawn care tool could get near the rock without breaking. She knelt down by it and laid the snake down near the grass. She took several steps back then, her father laying a hand on her shoulder once she stood beside him. The snake stood still for a few moments before quickly slithering away into the long grass.

Olimar gently laid a hand on the top of her head, ruffling her hair just slightly. "You did the right thing. He's gonna go back and do... snakey things, I guess."

Luna snorted a bit before answering "He'll hunt rodents, nap on rocks, and eventually have eggs he'll have to stay away from or else he'll eat them."

Her father paused for several long moments before letting out a sigh. "Not all snakes do that, sweetie."

"Oh..."

"... That species does, though, sense it is a kind of kingsnake.

"Oh!" She looked up at her dad then, leaning against him slightly. "You know about it?"

Olimar nodded then. "It's native to this region, so yes! Come sit with me on the porch and I can tell you more, okay?"

"Yes please!!!"

===

The Tiara

"Mrs. Sonnen-Atwood, help."

Rose turned to the living room node beside her, an eyebrow raised. "Oh?"

"Please, come upstairs." Cetacea begged. "I can't escape your daughter's room."

"Oh." She sighed as she stood up, turning the TV off. "Alright, I'll come save you. Just give me a moment." How did the little bot get trapped in there? Or get up to the second floor, for that matter? Oh well, she could ask it after she saved it. She quickly made her way upstairs, heading over to her daughters room. She paused as she approached Luna's door, though, hearing a voice inside.

"Oh, you're so pretty now Cetacea!"

Oh. Oh boy.

Rose opened the door slowly, peeking her head in. Luna was sitting on the floor, the cleaning robot in front of her. It was covered in glittery space stickers and had a tiara taped on it.

"... Luna, what are you doing?"

The little girl turned to her, a big smile plastered over her face. "Hi Mama! I was just dressing up Cetacea!"

Rose sighed as she opened the door wider. "That's very nice of you, dear, but you need to let it clean before you can play." She watched as Cetacea quickly made its way out of the room, a voice down the hall declaring "FREEDOM!"

"Okay Mama..."

With a nod, the older woman stepped back out to help the bot (again) who was now perched near the top of the stairs. "You gotta admit, though, you do look pretty now." She teased.

"Huh?" Cetacea then asked. "I couldn't quite tell what was happening in there. No mic or real camera on this thing, remember? Did Luna do something?"

"She tried to make you beautiful by plastering you with stickers and taping a tiara on you."

"... did it work?"

Rose raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. "Uh, sure. It did." Her ears then wiggled as she watched the little bot make its way back to Luna's room. "And what are you doing?"

"Going to get more stickers."

Rose paused for several moments before sighing. "Yeah, okay. Sure. Go ahead."

===

The Beast

Olimar decided not to question the fact that Cetacea was covered in stickers and had a tiara taped on it. Honestly, he knew it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. It's just how his dear little girl was.

No, he was going to sit here and keep reading and pretend that he didn't see the now very shiny robot scuttle on by.

A few moments of silence passed before he heard Cetacea speak: "BACK YOU FOWL BEAST, BACK!" Then followed by the sounds of Bulbie whimpering.

"Cetacea, leave Bulbie alone."

"This BEAST has messed up my tiara!"

Olimar rolled his eyes. "Poor you. Leave my dog alone."

Things remained quiet for only a moment before Cetacea re-entered the room, its tiara now only half taped down and dragging behind it. "Can you at least fix this for me?"

===

The Storm

Luna watched the rain roll down one of the living room windows with unease. "Is - is it gonna become a storm?" She asked.

"According to local weather forecasts, most likely." Cetacea had quickly answered.

"Oh..." Her ears drooped.

Cetacea was quiet for a moment before asking "Is... Is something wrong?"

Luna just made a whimpering noise before her ears wiggled and she looked over to see someone leaving the kitchen. "Oh, h-hi Louie. L-Lunch was good. Thank you."

Louie merely turned to her and nodded, not saying a word. When that only made her ears droop more, he walked over and sat next to her. Luna tilted her head for a moment, confused before her brother showed her his phone. It as open to the notes app with text that read "Sorry, can't talk. You okay?"

"Oh!" Luna then squeaked. She then curled into her self just a bit. "I - It might storm. Which means t-thunder." She then sighed. "I know it's silly, but it's still scary."

As Louie began to type up a new message, Cetacea spoke again. "Ah, don't worry Luna. Fear of thunder is quite common. You are far from the only person your age to have the fear - and many adults also have it."

"R-Really?" Luna asked.

Louie then nodded, showing her the message he wrote. "Thunder spooks me too. It's too loud. I usually hide away."

"Oh... But you can't hide from thunder."

"Hide?" Cetacea asked. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm hearing everything?"

"Oh!" Luna squeaked. "Louie can't talk and so is typing. I can read it out loud for you."

"It would help, yes. That being said... You can't avoid the thunder but you can make it less scary. Louie mentioned hiding, yeah?"

Luna nodded. "Yes."

"Well, why not hide in a pillow fort? Right here, in the living room. It won't block out the thunder, but it'll feel nicer."

"Yeah!" Luna squeaked. Then, "I want it in my room instead. On my bed."

"Oh? And why would that be?"

"If Papa wants to sit with us, he can't if we're on the floor." She then turned to Louie. "And if you help, Louie, you can be in the fort too!"

Louie shrugged before nodding.

"I hadn't even thought of that Luna. Hm, I may need to re-examine some of my code... Anyways, anyways, if that's your plan then I can help too! I can find countless ideas for how to make this fort. All I ask is that you also let me join."

"Are you also afraid of thunder, Cetacea?" Luna asked.

"In a way, yes. Thunder means lightning and usually rain, both of which could hurt me badly."

"Then that settles it - we're going to make a pillow fort!" Luna put her hands on her hips as she struck a determined pose. She then flinched a bit as the rain began to come down harder. "Now! Right now! Fort time!"

It didn't take long after that for the fort to be s up in her room. Louie brought in one of the nodes in order for Cetacea to provide directions on how to build the fort with what little they had available. It probably wouldn't be the most stable, but that was fine. It'd only be up for tonight anyways.

When they were a little over halfway done with the fort, Nova poked his head in. "So that's where the bot is... Uh, what are you three doing?"

"Building a pillow fort!" Luna squeaked. "Cetacea and Louie are also afraid of thunder."

Nova rose an eyebrow at that, looking at the robot in particular. It was then that the first clap of thunder arrived, booming in the distance. Luna yelped and slightly hid in the unfinished fort, looking at the window with unease. Nova's ears then drooped as he sighed. "Do... you want my help?"

"Yes please!" Luna squeaked, seeming cheered up already... though she didn't come out of hiding, either. Thus, her two brothers (and Cetacea, kinda) ended up finishing the fort for her. When she announced that the others may enter it too, Cetacea's little bot scuttled on in as Louie awkwardly hunched inside of it.

Nova, however, looked at it nervously before shaking his head. "Sorry Luna, it's uh... a little cramped for me. But I can sit outside it if you want?"

Luna nodded. "Yes, you may stand guard if you please!" Another clap of thunder, louder this time, rang through the room. Luna immediately began to whimper then as she hid against Louie, who was still trying to make himself comfortable in the not really him sized fort. Cetacea also rolled up beside her, soon ending up in the girl's lap as if it were a small animal.

As Nova got comfortable sitting beside her bed, looking up at his little sister in worry, the trio's (...Quartet's?) parents then also peeked in. "Ah, so this is where everyone went." Rose teased.

"Yeah," Nova answered as he turned to his parents, "These three are afraid of the thunder, so we all built this for them."

"Aww, I see." Olimar hummed as he sat at the edge of the bed, ducking slightly as to fit into the fort. "You think it's helping?"

Luna just nodded, now shuffling closer to Olimar. Cetacea was still in her lap, who she was... petting. Ah, but of course she was. Rose also sat on the bed's edge then, making it rather crowded, but that seemed fine by everyone on the bed. Bulbie hobbled in there too, probably wondering where everyone was. He couldn't get up on the bed though, so instead he flopped himself across Nova's lap.

"Well, I'm glad it's wor-" Olimar began, only to be cut off by a loud thunder clap that practically ran through the room. Luna cried out then, sniffling as she pressed against Olimar. He quickly scooped his child up, Cetacea still in her lap, as he rubbed her back and tucked her head under his chin. "Shhh, shh... you'll be okay, you'll be okay..." He looked over to a also nervous Louie, who thankfully was being comforted by Rose. "Let's all stay together here for a bit, eh? Until the storm passes?" Olimar offered. Then, in a playful tone, "Or when it's dinner time, whichever comes first."

Luna nodded eagerly at that, seemingly too spooked to speak.

And so the entire family - including the weird emo they adopted, old dog, and spaceship-turned-robot-turned-weird pet - huddled up together. Best they could, at least.

#pikmin #fan fiction #pikmin fan fiction #star touched au #pikmin star touched #captain olimar #louie pikmin #olimar's wife #olimar's son #olimar's daughter #borb writes #borb draws

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