Sequel to Ch. 3, 'Ice', because I think we all need some warm H/C fluff right now. To my fellow Americans in the states, stay safe and warm!
Gadget's assumption proved correct as he was called out again early the next morning. More ice had accumulated during the previous night and it was nearly eleven when he finally returned home, cold and exhausted.
He frowned as he noticed that the power was still off in their house. "Have you been warm enough, Penny?"
"I'm okay, Uncle," Penny reassured him. She had been comfortable enough in front of the fireplace, where she had gathered a mass of blankets and pillows, but it was starting to get even colder now that it was night. "Brain made sure I stayed warm, didn't you?" she added, smiling down at the dog.
Brain barked in agreement, nuzzling against Penny's knee before turning his attention to Gadget. The dog whined in concern and tugged at Gadget's soaked overcoat with his teeth.
"You're right, Brain. Wet clothes are never good for your health!" said Gadget, frowning as he shrugged out of the dripping garment. He noticed Penny shivering and gently nudged her back towards the fireplace. "I don't want you to catch a cold, Penny. I'll be right back," he added before going upstairs to change.
Penny didn't need any additional encouragement. She quickly added another log to the fire and hunkered back down into the blankets, biting her lip in concern. A quick glance at the thermostat showed it was about 14.4 degrees Celsius inside - not unbearable, but definitely uncomfortable.
"Wowsers, it's far too cold in here!" said Gadget as he entered the living room. Penny looked up as her uncle joined her in front of the fireplace, surprised to see him wearing only sweatpants and a t-shirt. She knew her uncle didn't get easily affected by extreme heat and cold, but still…
"Aren't you cold, Uncle Gadget?" she asked sleepily, struggling to stay awake. She shivered again, wishing the fire would build back up a bit faster.
"Not at all," said Gadget. He held out his forearm and opened a panel that Penny was familiar with - it controlled his core body temperature and could be manually adjusted if needed.
"I made a few quick adjustments," Gadget explained, fiddling with the wires before closing the panel again. When Penny gave him a confused look Gadget settled himself against the sofa in a reclining position and gestured to his niece.
"Come here, Penny," he said, opening his arms.
Puzzled but also curious, Penny scooted over and wrapped her arms around Gadget's torso. She let out a squeak of surprise when her uncle gently pulled her flush against his chest, and then gasped softly.
Warm. Her uncle's normally cool skin was warm and she could easily feel the heat through the layers of clothing between them. It felt like she was laying on a sun-warmed stone or sand at the beach. He was practically radiating heat.
"How did...is that you?" she asked, shivering in earnest now as she realized just how cold she was.
Gadget nodded, shifting his weight so that he could stretch out his legs. He grabbed one of the blankets and pulled it over Penny. "I just turned my internal core temperature up a few degrees and presto, an automatic heater!" he said with a smile.
Penny frowned as a thought occurred to her. "That won't hurt you, will it?" She knew how dangerous a fever could be for people and didn't want her uncle to accidentally damage himself.
"Not at all, so long as I don't overexert myself," said Gadget, smiling down at his niece. "I'm fine, Penny," he added when the girl didn't look convinced.
Penny nodded, starting to feel her earlier exhaustion creep back up on her. Gadget settled more comfortably against the sofa, wrapping his arms around her. Penny stifled a yawn behind her hand and tucked her feet under Gadget's legs to warm them. Brain happily curled up by Gadget's feet and was soon snoring contentedly.
As she lay there Penny realized that she could see the fine joints where Gadget's arms and hands could extend on their powerful pneumatic systems. Without thinking she traced one of them with her fingers. His forearm, wiry and strong from both flesh and metal, felt slightly different than her own skin but not in a bad way.
She felt Gadget twitch slightly and looked up at him in concern. "Are you okay, Uncle Gadget?"
"Yes, fine," said Gadget. He looked a bit...not exactly tense, but nervous, which was so unlike his usual confident demeanor. "Er, is this…" he paused and then pressed on. "Is this alright?"
Penny frowned in confusion, unsure of what he meant, and then she realized what was wrong. Her uncle was worried that she might be uncomfortable being this close to him, especially now that she could see more of the "gadget" side of him.
There was only one thing she could think of to do. Giving her uncle a gentle smile, Penny settled more comfortably against his chest. She squeezed his broad torso as best she could with her small arms.
"Yes," she said simply. "This is alright." She yawned again, fighting back her heavy lids. "Thank you," she murmured, touched that despite Gadget's habit of avoiding too much physical contact he had been willing to do so just to ensure that she was warm and safe.
Gadget didn't answer but she felt a large, warm hand begin to stroke through her hair. It was a gesture that never failed to make Penny feel safe and wanted, like nothing could ever hurt her.
She hoped her uncle felt that way too, she thought, eyes closed as Gadget continued to run his fingers through her hair. It was one reason she never hesitated to show him affection - she wanted to remind her uncle that he was still a human, not just some machine, and that it was okay for him to let his guard down sometimes. At least when it was just her and Brain, she thought with a small smile.
At some point Penny felt Gadget shift under her to lie down - he was obviously exhausted from working such a long shift - and curled up close to him. Gadget didn't let her go for a minute, holding her close.
Just before she let sleep sweep her away Penny thought she heard him murmur, "no, thank you, Penny."