Slightly Distracting

If one were to ask her, Penny would totally claim monthly quarantines as the worst part about presenting as an omega. Not that anyone ever asked her.

With Dr. Smith staying in their Jupiter, Penny'd been confined to her room for the full two days.

She understood the reasoning. Your first heat is the worst one, when you're the most vulnerable. Some omegas can be violent. An alpha could take advantage. Yadda yadda yadda. The usual spiel.

The Problem! was that between presenting as an omega with her first period and the moment she got said first heat… no one had any idea when it was going to happen! None.

So every month, some hormone in her body spiked, she went in to quarantine, and then nothing happened. Ever.

Which is why it sucked.

More accurately, it was boring.

And it was not something Judy needed because an alpha's first rut was apparently calculable. Or had a specific hormone marker. Or some other super awesome medical thing that was not replicatable for omegas.

There is nothing Penny hated more than being forced to stay in a single room, by herself. *Except* for knowing that she was the only one that had to suffer through it.

"Why are there no windows in these cabins?!" Penny screeched at the walls.

"Because it's a spaceship," Judy laughed at her through their comms. Rude.

Groaning, Penny fell backwards onto her bed.

"Your hormone levels are tapering off," Judy told her, probably reading some screen in the med bay that had her vitals laid out like an infographic.

"I am overjoyed." Penny said in a deadpan, eyes on the ceiling. She lifted her arm up so it was closer to her face, "Anything entertaining happening out there?"

Judy snorted, "Just a lot of posturing. Are we making fuel? Are we building a light tower? Are we gonna start farming?"

"Any fights yet?" Penny asked.

She wasn't actually *hoping* for fights. But she was looking forward to making fun of the alpha to beta ratio when they inevitably occurred.

"No. Victor's pretty good at keeping everyone in check," Judy started in on a long explanation of what was surely a great preview of what colony politics was going to look like.

Penny tuned it entirely, "How long till I'm out of here?"

"Another hour, maybe," Judy huffed and Penny smirked. It wasn't often that she could annoy her sister so effectively with just a single question.

-.-.-

"So, wait, they're testing Will for his phenotype?" Penny's face scrunched up as her mother went through the checklist of medical tests they all had to get done.

Maureen looked up at her, brow furrowed, "Everyone who hasn't presented will be tested, yes."

"But I thought those tests were like, outdated or inaccurate?"

Penny looked to Judy, who shrugged lightly, "They have a 65% accuracy rate."

"Sounds dumb," Penny nodded, very aware of her snappish tone. Her mother was frowning.

"It helps them plan out supplies over the journey, not to mention on the colony itself," Maureen explained it with a matter-of-fact tone.

As if it was totally normal or reasonable to want to know how a 10 year old or a 6 year old was going to present.

"What happens when they plan wrong because of their tests?"

Judy huffed, "They're experts, Penny. They've already had over a dozen successful colony missions."

Humming, Penny shrugged, leaning back on her heels before walking away, "Only takes one bad grade to tank your average."

-.-.-

Penny practically fled the Jupiter the second Judy gave her the all clear. If practically meant literally.

"Freedom!" Penny cheered as she took in her first gulp of fresh, non-recycled air in over 50 hours.

It garnered her many, many looks. Including what she could only describe as a scowl from Victor when most of the work on what was obviously a giant flashlight came to an immediate stop.

"That is significantly taller than I was expecting," Penny tilted her head back to look at it as Victor shouted at all the various scientists and engineers working on the thing.

"Do you have to be so dramatic?" Will hissed at her. Obviously still pouting about being separated from Robot. Or trying to keep a low profile so he could sneak off to visit said Robot.

She didn't care either way.

Penny flicked his arm, "My bathroom breaks had to be coordinated with three people I don't share a last name with, Will." Leaning over him, eyes narrowed, "This is me being contained."

Will's eyes widened and he took a step back, "Noted." He pursed his lips and then quietly slunk off towards the tree line.

Sneaking off to see Robot it was.

"Why don't you make yourself useful, huh?" Maureen came up to her, eyebrow quirked. She nodded towards the ramp Penny had just come running down, "Instead of causing distractions."

Smile tight, Penny nodded, "No promises."

Given her mother was pulling a bunch of crates towards the chariot, Penny was betting her 'distraction' and drawn more attention to the Jupiter than her mother wanted in that moment.

Victor wasn't fast enough though and Maureen was gone before he could catch her. So... no harm, no foul.

Penny walked around the site, made herself *useful* helping Judy lug things off the Jupiter.

That was when she spotted Vijay again. Having his own parental spat over the placement of MREs.

Prime bonding material that.

"That looked pleasant," Penny offered as she approached him. She started handing him MREs to repackage.

He shrugged lightly, eyes flicking over her, "He's stressed." Penny snorted. Vijay's brow rose.

"Who isn't stressed? And what are they taking?" Penny said, grinning sardonically. He laughed, ducking his head.

Definitely a point for her there.

"Thanks by the way," Penny cleared her throat, tried to smile prettily, "for keeping our secret."

Vijay's face shifted, humor draining away, "I'm not keeping a secret. You're blackmailing me remember?"

Penny shrugged, "Still." He narrowed his eyes. She threw another MRE at his chest and it fell into his hands, "It's appreciated."

"How much longer am I keeping this secret anyway?" Vijay sighed, boxing up a full package and moving it to a wheelbarrow.

"Till its not a secret anymore?" Penny shrugged, leaning forward onto the stack of boxes.

Vijay moved a second box to the wheelbarrow. He kept an eye on her as he grabbed for the box, taking it from the stack farthest from her.

"Can I ask you a question?" Penny puckered her lips, eyes narrowing on Vijay as he moved.

His eyes snapped to her. He had nice eyes. She'd called them kind before, but... they were deep too. A little guarded.

Dark circles too. But who wouldn't? Mysterious and dangerous alien planets are not conducive to proper sleep cycles.

"Sure," Vijay shrugged. His throat bobbed.

"Why do you keep the foot of distance between us?"

His eyes fluttered, "What?"

"You're the only one who does it," Penny told him, nodding her head towards the people working on the tower, "Here. On the resolute. People don't really do that."

"Oh." His brow furrowed, and then he shrugged. His head tilted to the side slightly, "My mom always told me it was important. Respectful. So I just... do."

Penny smiled at him, "It's not a bad thing." His cheeks still flushed and he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.

Her eyes followed the movement.

The neckerchief he wore covered the scent glands on his neck. Not that they'd be visible anyway. Unless they were swollen.

Not that she cared, or anything.

"Is that why you got that alpha to leave me alone back on the Resolute too?"

Vijay's eyes fluttered at that question. His throat bobbed and when he finally answered, his voice cracked, "I guess?"

Ha!

He was avoiding eye contact now.

"I just knew you were the only omega in our group and figured you could, uh, use the assist," Vijay managed to ramble off an actual answer as he moved another box. "And the only unmated omega without an omega in your family too so-"

"Wait, how did you know I'm the only omega?" She narrowed her eyes on him, watched his shoulders tense, "Will hasn't presented yet."

Vijay bit his bottom lip as he turned to face her, "It might be in his crew file."

Her eyes widened and hew jaw dropped open, "You read his file? No one is suppose to have access to those except..."

He shushed her, hands flailing.

"Your dad has access," Penny smirked, pushing off from the pile of boxes and picked the top one off, "Sneak."

Eyes squeezing shut, Vijay cringed.

"Come on, Dhar, we don't have all day," Penny laughed, taking two steps backwards until Vijay reached to pick up his wheelbarrow. He led the way, pushing the wheelbarrow towards the spot his father had pointed out to him earlier.

She dropped her box down at the new position and then turned to help him unload. He paused as he handed it to her, their bodies closer than they ever had been.

"You can't say anything," Vijay whispered, eyes darting around. Penny nodded mutely.

The fact that her breath literally caught in her throat meant nothing.

He breathed out carefully, eyes focusing on her face, "My dad would kill me if he knew I used his passcode to access those files."

"Secret's safe with me," Penny breathed out. She swallowed her next gulp of air with... minor difficulty.

Stepping backwards, she took the box and Vijay seemed to let out a big breath himself.

Probably why he didn't her own, very subtle, reaction.

"What's in those files anyway?" Penny asked quietly as she took the next box from him.

Vijay's forehead wrinkled, "Normal stuff. Qualifications. Stats. Measurements. Test results."

"Measurements?" Penny raised both eyebrows at that bit. His face flushed again, eyes dropping to the ground as he tried to stutter out an explanation.

"For like, space suits and stuff, I think."

Penny kept staring at him. Vijay's eyes flickered up, gaze trailing upwards.

"So, uh... is the, uh..." he gestured towards the trees, "...secret sentient?"

Least subtle attempt at changing the subject ever. She'd allow it, but only because his face was getting redder with every second that passed.

"He's a robot," Penny shrugged, stepping closer as she lowered her voice.

They were almost as close as they were with the box between them. Just outside that little foot of distance he'd kept to.

Except, without the box.

"But the swirling lights..." Vijay ducked his head, and Penny felt her mouth go dry as the faintest hint of his scent wafted into her nose, "He looked like he was thinking."

Penny crossed her arms, looking for some sort of barrier between them as he continued asking questions.

"Can I see him again?"

That one caught her off guard.

"No!" Penny frowned at him, looking up into his face as his nose wrinkled up. "We can't go... you just can't."

His head titled to the side, lips pursing, "Your parents don't know, do they? That you hid him?"

Her eyes fluttered, "Does that matter?"

Vijay scoffed, eyebrows shooting up, "In my experience? Yeah. A lot."

Scowling, Penny took a wide step away as she walked away from him, "I think I'm done helping you today."

She tried very hard not to look back him.

She failed.

But that was beside the point. Especially since he was still watching her. His gaze light, not predatory.

That was... nice.

Penny purposefully didn't look at her reflection as she passed by reflective surfaces on her way back to the Jupiter. Her face was bright red. She knew that. She had no interest in seeing it.

"Hey, you okay?" Judy asked her as she came back into the cargo bay. Penny groaned, face planting onto a crate beside her sister. Judy chuckled, "Flirting with your alpha crush not go well?"

"Shush," Penny huffed, pouting as she raised her head.

Judy squeezed her shoulder, "Not to say I told you so..." Penny scowled at her. Judy smirked, "But I did-"

"He smells like home."

The way her sister's jaw dropped was not nearly as satisfying as it could've been.

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