Flowers to Transcend Time || Professor Membrane

14 // Hollyhocks

It had been two weeks.

Despite that Membrane had spontaneously decided to confess his feelings of love to you for the past three decades, he'd been unable to open his mouth about it. He'd suddenly start feeling the same as he did all those years ago in high school. His stomach churned, his chest swelled, and he began to dig his chin deep into his lab coat. Dear god, was it getting hot in here?

Basically, he was disappointing Dave.

He did manage to do one thing right though. "Your new room." Membrane spoke proudly as he opened the door to the newly installed room. It was spacious, and had already been stuffed with a bed, a bookshelf, desk, and a beanbag in the corner.

"It's perfect." You said as you immediately flopped onto the soft bed. You let out a satisfied hum as you sunk into the sheets and wrapped yourself up like a burrito. "It feels like forever since I've slept in a nice comfortable bed." You were slightly muffled through the blankets, but Membrane could hear you just fine.

He smiled underneath his lab coat, and the children peeked in through the doorway. You caught their eyes and popped your head right out of the blankets. "C'mere kiddos!" You said with a bright grin. "This is the softest blanket I've ever felt, you need to try this."

Dib immediately perked up and ran over to you, climbing onto the bed where you rolled out of the blanket and covered him with it instead. His head was sticking out but you could see him melt into it. Gaz was about to take a seat onto the beanbag to the side, but not before you caught her and wrapped her in the other half of the blanket, so the siblings were sitting beside each other, enjoying the warmth.

The sight nearly made Membrane's heart melt. Just how perfect were you? Really, any better and you might have been an angel. It was a good thing you were marginally chaotic, otherwise you might not be able to exist on Earth.

"Thanks so much, Goggles." You said wrapping your arm around his shoulders and pulling him to sit beside you on the beanbag chair. You propped open the blinds from your new window and let the light filter in. Sliding into a slouched position, leaning against him, you made yourself comfortable, and just relaxed.

"No problem." Membrane spoke almost breathlessly as you laid your head on his shoulder. This situation seemed perfect. He closed his own eyes behind his goggles, leaning against you as well. The warmth from the sunlight also shining down on him and everyone else in the room.

Well, almost everyone. "oOH! sO tHiS iS wHeRe EvErYoNe Is!" Membrane deadpanned, his eyes opening as they shifted their glare onto Clembrane. Right, he was still here.

"Hey, Clembrane." You, Dib, and Gaz spoke simultaneously, but still in the same relaxed state and tone. Right, you didn't care much about the abomination living in their home, but he supposed that was fine. The clone wouldn't have anywhere else to go anyways.

"YoU gUyS lOoK lIkE yOu'Re HaViNg FuN!" He stated. "i'Ll Go MaKe EvErYoNe LuNcH uNtIlL yOu'Re DoNe!"

"Thanks, Clembrane." Again, all three of you replied simultaneously, and for a solid second there, Membrane wondered if all of you had been brainwashed or something by the clone.

"Uhh, does that not phase you?" Membrane asked, staring at you just relax against his metal arm. One of your hands had been pressed against his metal one, but neither of you said anything about it.

You opened one of your eyes to stare at him with a deadpanned expression. "Goggles, I've seen your inventions before, and this Clembrane thing doesn't even come close to the weirdest thing I've seen in your house. Remember when you summoned a Kraken into your garage when we were 14?"

"YOU DID WHAT!?" Dib immediately perked up, his eyes shining with curiosity and gawking.

Membrane rolled his eyes. "It was not a Kraken. It was a giant squid from the Mediterranean Sea, and I didn't summon it. I used nanotechnology to recreate it from a few single celled organisms. I was testing it's regeneration feature."

You chuckled and looked over to Dib. "He's lying. We made a Kraken in his garage during Freshman year in high school. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Didn't you need glasses then?" Membrane commented, causing you to scoff and laugh.

"You can't prove anything." You mumbled.

Gaz watched the interaction between the two of you, and strangely enough, wasn't completely sickened by it. I mean sure, it was still painful to watch because of how dense the two of you were, but it didn't make her want to throw up immediately; only gag. Dib on the other hand was completely mesmerized by your relationship with his father, and by the fact that you loved his talk of mythology and space. After all, you were the one who sparked his father's interest in astronomy, and then his father taught him.

But both of them knew you were too good to be true.

____________________________________________

It was another hour before Clembrane and Foodio were done with lunch, and the four of you had to leave the comfort of your new room. It was a normal lunch, all of you talking during the meal and making jokes. What was different though, was that Membrane pulled you to the side after lunch to speak with you.

"What is it?"

Membrane cleared his throat, hoping not to stumble over his words. "I uh-... I would like you to attend the charity gala with me this weekend." Why was he so nervous? This was perfectly normal! It wasn't like he was asking you out to prom! Although, actually you had asked him. (Sadly for him, only as a friend, but the two of you still had fun).

You stared at him for a second and then chuckled. You could tell he was a little nervous, and simply couldn't help but think it was cute that he reverted back to his embarrassed teen self. "Sure." You replied. "Since it's professional, should I address you as 'Professor Membrane' when we're there?" You asked.

He shook his head, nervous enough for him to throw up his own organs. "N-no... I'd like you to address me by my name."

"So, just Membrane?" You asked again, becoming increasingly confused.

He shook his head again, and you could feel the anxiety he was having. "My name. My first name." He really hoped you remembered it.

Of course you did. He'd only told you his real name once, during Senior year after the two of you got accepted into different colleges.

"Oh."