(no subject)

[fry_sandhu]

Over in one corner, there is a quiet... pop, pop, pop noise.

If you follow the noise, you'll find Fry lying contentedly on a rug, with a two metre square piece of bubble wrap, methodically popping one bubble at a time.

He looks pretty happy about it. If you ask him nicely, he might let you have a go at the other end of the wrap...

Comments

[herr_bookman]

Autor approaches quietly, and crouches down next to Fry. "What on earth is that?"

[fry_sandhu]

"Bubble wrap." Fry says. "Do you want to play?"

[herr_bookman]

"Play? It's a game of some sort?" Autor says, tilting his head.

[fry_sandhu]

"Not really, you just pop the bubbles." Fry says. "It's relaxing. Start at the other end."

[herr_bookman]

Autor blinks. He picks up the end of the bubble wrap as instructed and picks at a bubble. Then he presses down with the pad of his thumb. "Oh!" he says, as the plastic gives way with a pop. "That's rather satisfying."

[fry_sandhu]

"Keep going. I've popped four hundred and sixty eight." Fry says, continuing along his row.

[herr_bookman]

Pop. Pop. Pop pop pop. Autor eases into a rhythm, popping one bubble at a time and keeping count. His shoulders loosen, and soon he stretches out on the floor, lying on his belly.

[fry_sandhu]

Fry smiles slightly.

"Scientists say that repetitive fine motor skills aid relaxation." he says. "They should have just asked a person with autism, we could have told them without them needing to do a study."

[herr_bookman]

"And this is called stimming, right?" Autor says, not taking his eyes off the bubbles he's slowly popping.

[fry_sandhu]

"Yes." Fry says. "I have a rubix cube too. And I had a fidget spinner before they came into fashion, but I don't use it any more."

[herr_bookman]

"I don't know what a fidget spinner is," Autor says, pressing the plastic down with his fingers without using his nails.

[fry_sandhu]

Fry digs into his pocket and hands it over to Autor.

"Well, I don't use it in public." He says. "But it's smaller than the rubix cube so I carry it for emergencies."

[herr_bookman]

Autor takes the fidget spinner in one hand and uses the index finger of the other one to spin it around. "I see," he says, offering the tool back to Fry. "And that calms you down?"

[ostro_goth]

"Oooh, so much bubble wrap!!"

That's the former 'foxbus', followed by a cat.

[fry_sandhu]

"Do you want to play?" Fry asks, offering him a corner on the other side.

[ostro_goth]

"Oh yes thank you!" Egil says politely, sitting down on the floor. "Not you, Nahts!" he adds when the cat bats at the bubble wrap.

[fry_sandhu]

"I'm glad I'm not shrunk any more." Fry says. "Or I wouldn't be able to do this."

[ostro_goth]

"But you could have jumped around on it, like a bouncy castle!" Egil declares, trying to elbow Nahts aside.

[fry_sandhu]

"It's true that I also like bouncy castles." Fry admits.

"Maybe we could get one in the garden one day!"

[ostro_goth]

"For midsummer!" Egil says. "There will be a party. Baze is making fireworks. Did you see Baze when he was tiny, too?"

Egil grins.

"He was cute, like a doll pirate," he then stage-whispers to Nahts.

[fry_sandhu]

"I caught sight of him, but because we were shrunk, he kind of just looked normal." Fry says.

[ostro_goth]

"Yes, I guess that makes sense," Egil says, carefully popping a bubble.

Nahts jumps at first, then pounces at the source of the noise.

[fry_sandhu]

"Do you go to school yet?" Fry asks, starting a new row of bubbles.

[ostro_goth]

"I wish I could," Egil says. "There is no school in Milliways."

[fry_sandhu]

"How old are you now? Maybe Bonnie could teach you." Fry suggests.