Conversations no one wants to have, especially not Penny.

Awkward Conversations

There was a chance his mother's head was about to catch on fire. She hadn't said a word since his parents picked him up at the Robinson's jupiter. The silence was killing him.

"Can I just assume I'm grounded for like… ever?" Vijay leaned between the front seats, biting down on his bottom lip. He glanced from one parent to the next and received no answer. "Some sort of horrible chore list maybe?"

Victor shook his head as they drove into their cargo bay. By the time they got up to the main room, Vijay was basically vibrating. His fingers drummed against his legs.

"Are either of you going to say anything?" Vijay raised a brow as his mother plopped into a chair. Victor was already staring at the equations on his board again.

Prisha looked up at him, eyes narrowed, "Are you planning to listen this time?"

Pursing his lips, Vijay rocked backwards on his heels, "I always listen…" She snorted. "I do," he said forcefully, arms squeezing closer to his sides, "I just don't agree with you sometimes."

"Somewhere, my mother is laughing at me," Victor sighed, head falling back. Vijay blinked. Turning, Victor pinched the bridge of his nose, "What exactly are you expecting here, Vijay?"

"I don't know… I thought you'd be angry-"

"We are." Prisha cut in. Vijay's eyes flicked to her. The smile she flashed him was tight.

Vijay cleared his throat, hand rubbing at the back of his neck, "I figured I'd be in trouble."

"Well, obviously, grounding you has had no effect." Victor drawled. Prisha snorted again, arms crossing. With a shrug, Victor added, "And I'd bet any other punishment would have a similar result."

Shuffling his feet, Vijay had the good sense to duck his head. He could feel his parents looking at him. It was a bit odd, being on the opposite side of the table, facing them both.

"Since you're usually not this…"

"Stupid?" Prisha offered as Victor trailed off. They both stared at her as she continued, emphatically, "Reckless? *Idiotic?*"

"Rebellious," Victor settled on, clearing his throat. His gaze shifted back towards Vijay, brow raising, "We've decided to just let the natural consequences dissuade you from this behavior."

"Not that three nights in a med bay *in a row* has had much effect," Prisha huffed, standing. Vijay startled and his eyes fluttered as she walked out of the room. The swoosh of her bunk closing behind her echoed in the quiet jupiter.

Victor leaned on the table, head bowing, "Tomorrow, we're collecting the waste from the cave. Can we trust you to stay with the group? Or do I need to assign you to work with me or your mother?"

"It's not like I plan to…" Vijay clamped his mouth shut as Victor looked up at him.

"If you'd like to spend any time between now and Alpha Centauri outside your bunk, don't finish that sentence," Victor drawled before turning back to his board. His forehead wrinkled. With a groan, he waved a hand at the board and followed after Prisha.

Leaving Vijay standing by the table. Alone.

"Well… that could've gone better," Vijay sighed, hands moving to squeeze at the back of his neck as he trudged to his cabin.

-.-.-

Her mother was muttering over an alien device. Her sister was muttering over test results. It was a muttering sort of evening apparently. Even Will, who had nothing to mutter over, was talking to himself in the cargo bay. What about, she had no idea, but Penny wasn't too concerned about the whole thing.

Apparently crazy is a family trait?

"Ahem!" And there was her dad.

John Robinson was standing in her doorway, arms crossed, brows high. Penny grinned nervously, "Not helping mom with the alien engine huh?"

"Oh, she seems to be doing just fine on her own," John hummed, stepping into her cabin with a smirk, "Besides…" He sat down on the edge of her bed, "…I distinctly remember promising to talk with you tonight."

"I was hoping you'd forgotten about that," Penny cringed. She pulled her legs up and leaned on her knees.

"Nope!" John popped the p and blew put a breath.

Penny huffed, "Any chance we could forget it now?"

"None," John shook his head, leaning back on his hands. He turned his face towards her, "If it makes you feel better, it's far more awkward for me than you."

"Impossible, but okay," Penny puckered her lips and set her chin on her arms as she folded them over her knees.

This was going to be painful. Mentally scarring at best. Better to just rip the bandaid off and get it over with.

Not that her dad was doing a particularly great job of doing that. He was waiting, silently, just staring at her.

"Are you going to say anything?" Penny asked, squinting at him.

John pursed his lips, "I'm not sure where to start to be honest." Penny sat up, nose wrinkled. John raised a finger in the air, "No, wait, I've got it." He frowned at her, "What the hell was that?"

Penny rolled her eyes, "I found out the planet was dying and decided to make out with the boy I like. It's not *that* big a deal."

"I have a nose," John scoffed, head shaking, "*Making out* is a bit of an understatement."

"Planet. Dying. Boy. Cute." Penny gestured emphatically, hands moving downward to emphasize each word.

"Fair. But, you need to be careful Penny. Vijay seems like a…" John shrugged, lips almost curling as he spoke, "…good kid. But…"

"He's an alpha? I'm an omega? Judy mentioned that. A lot." Penny nodded, lips twisting into a scowl.

There was a chuckle that Penny did not appreciate as John ducked his head, "That's a bit of a concern. But, I'm more worried about the 'teenage boy' thing, personally."

"That would, in fact, be one of the things I like about him." Penny snorted.

John shook his head, palm pressing to his face, "I am, unfortunately, now very aware of that." With a sigh, he dropped his hand down to the bed again and made eye contact, "Do we need to have the birds and bees conversation again?"

Nose wrinkling, Penny shook her head emphatically, "I'm good."

"How about the safe sex one?" John cringed and Penny made a gagging noise.

"No. Actually," Penny waved her hands in front of her, blocking her father from view, "I'm upgrading that, hell no." John just laughed at her as he left.

-.-.-

"I don't know if this is a good idea?" Will whispered, fingers twisting together as Smith leaned against a wall in the cargo bay.

She leaned her head to the side, smile soft, "We have to protect Robot, Will. This is the best way to do that."

Will frowned. Smith leaned forward, "You've seen how people react to new things down here. Do you think it will be better on the Resolute?"

"No," Will huffed, nodding, "I heard my parents talking with the Dhars about Penny and Vijay." His nose wrinkled.

Smith raised a brow, "About the connection between them? The marks from the water?"

"You know about that?" Will raised a brow.

She hummed, smirking, "I wouldn't tell the doctors about it either. Not till I knew how they'd react."

"But… isn't this dangerous? What we're doing?" Will tilted his head, eyes wide, "What if something happens?"

"That's why we've got to keep it between us," Smith reached out to squeeze his shoulders, "The more people that know, the more danger to Robot. To everyone."

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