Hey all! I'm sorry for the lack of updates lately as I've been busy with school starting in just a few days. This fic began as a series of random one-shots that I was struggling to complete, until I found a way to weave them all together. I hope you enjoy this one, and I'm working diligently on the next chapter of 'A Man's Worth'. :)


Better Than Perfect

I. Taste

Ironically enough, his sense of taste hadn't changed since the "Accident". His teeth had been replaced with synthetic ones but otherwise his mouth, and thus ability to taste, had remained largely the same since...well, since Gadget could remember. He really didn't give it much thought in those first few months of recovery after the surgery, too focused on trying to master his new body. And then his young niece had come into his life and Gadget had far more important things to worry about.

He had read every book the local library had on parenting and rearing young children, determined to be the perfect parent. One of the first goals Gadget had set for himself in those early days was to cook nutritious meals for his new family. His first attempt at making blueberry pancakes had ended with him, Penny, and Brain (as well as most of the kitchen) covered in pancake batter and splatters of blueberry.

Penny had giggled at his dismayed expression while Brain had licked the batter off of his face, hugging him and insisting that they could learn to make pancakes together.

From that day on Gadget had a favorite taste.

Blueberries reminded him of summer, of home and lazy Sunday mornings when all he had to worry about was what they would do together as a family that day. Pancakes were always a part of their Sunday ritual. Sometimes they would switch it up and try new combinations like strawberries and cream, or pineapple and cinnamon, but blueberry remained Gadget's favorite.

II. Smell

"Uncle Gadget, did you know that the sense of smell is the only one of the five senses that triggers the brain separately from other senses?"

Gadget lowered his newspaper at his niece's voice, blinking in surprise. "Is that so? Wowsers, I didn't know that."

Penny nodded from where she was stretched out on the floor, books and papers spread in front of her. "We learned about it in school today. My teacher also said that smell is the only cranial nerve that can regenerate. That's so cool!"

Gadget smiled at his niece's enthusiasm before returning to his paper. Over the next few days he thought more about what Penny had told him. Like his sense of taste, his ability to smell hadn't been affected by his new bionic state. He had never really given it much thought before now. He didn't really have a favorite smell, at least until a few years ago. He wasn't sure how to describe it and struggled to think of a name for it.

He finally got his answer later that evening. All three were curled up on the sofa together, Brain on one end, sprawled out contentedly, and Gadget on the other. He had one arm stretched across the sofa's back, Penny curled into his side. At some point she shifted so that her head was resting on his shoulder.

Gadget smiled fondly at his niece and kissed the top of her head, a gesture that he had done since she had been very young and had never been able to stop. As he did the familiar scent of Penny's hair washed over him and he realized that was the smell he had been trying to place. He wasn't sure if it was just Penny's shampoo or her natural scent - probably a combination of both, he thought - but it was the same warm, sweet scent that never failed to soothe him.

"Are you okay, Uncle?" He looked down to see his ten year-old niece looking up at him worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine," he said quietly, seeing that she was close to nodding off. He placed a large hand on her golden head and very gently guided her head to its previous resting place against his shoulder.

Penny sighed and curled closer to him, yawning. Gadget smiled again and pressed his nose against her soft hair, suddenly thankful that at least one of his senses still worked.

III. Hearing

"Alright, Inspector. Just a few more tests and then you're free to go."

Gadget nodded as the young physician scribbled some notes down on his clipboard. While he had never really liked the annual exams Professor Von Slickstein asked that he go to, Gadget knew it was important that he be in tip-top shape. After all, he was always on duty.

"Everything looks great so far," the young man continued. "Weight is excellent - you've gained 1.4 kilos since last year but that's all muscle - and your bone density scans show additional strengthening. So that puts your current weight at -" he paused and glanced at his notes - "127.3 kilos with a height of 192 centimeters."

"So he's healthy?" asked Penny. She and Brain were seated on either side of Gadget in the large clinic they had been waiting in for the past two hours. Penny was anxious to leave, not for herself, but because she knew her uncle didn't like hospitals or doctors. At least this young man treated her uncle with respect and not like some lab rat, she thought with a surge of protectiveness.

The physician smiled reassuringly at Penny. "Perfectly! We just need to test his VO2 max and then we're done until next year."

Penny nodded and watched as they started her uncle on the treadmill. Gadget smiled at his niece. "Why don't you and Brain grab a snack from downstairs? Once this is done we'll get some lunch."

"Sure, Uncle," said Penny, reluctantly standing. She didn't want to leave him alone but knew that Gadget didn't like anyone, even her, seeing the bionic parts of him that he tried so hard to hide from everyone. Penny gestured for Brain to follow her but she was too restless to wait more than half an hour. They headed back upstairs to find that Gadget had finished the testing.

They had clearly been pushing him hard. Gadget was stripped to the waist, monitors stuck to his chest and his wavy hair clinging to his brow in damp tendrils. His entire upper body shone with sweat. Penny quickly grabbed a towel and joined her uncle as he sat on a bench.

"Are you okay, Uncle Gadget?" she asked, keeping a hand on his sweat-soaked shoulder.

Gadget nodded, looking exhausted but proud. "Just fine, Penny!" he said, wiping at his face with the towel before pulling his t-shirt back on.

"Yes, your VO2 max is nearly that of a racehorse," added the physician. "Let me go print some copies for you and then you can go, Inspector."

After he had gone Penny smiled at Gadget. "I'm proud of you, Uncle," she said softly, wrapping her arms around him. Gadget pulled her close and Penny rested her ear against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. That familiar rhythm had comforted her since she had been very young and one of her greatest fears was never hearing that sound again. She'd protect her uncle no matter what, Penny thought. She felt Gadget's arms squeeze her gently and knew he'd do the same for her. And Penny wouldn't have it any other way.

IV. Sight

His vision was the sharpest of his senses, his once brown eyes replaced with platinum-grey ones that shimmered with electricity in the dark. And yet Gadget's gaze had never seemed cold or unfeeling to Penny - just the opposite. True, he often didn't see or notice things around him, even when his own safety was at risk. But that was alright, Penny thought. She and Brain would look after her uncle. That was what families did - look out for each other. And while her uncle usually missed things that any other person wouldn't, in other ways her Uncle Gadget could be extremely perceptive and observant when it came to his niece.

He could always tell when Penny had a bad day at school, for example. He could see it in the way she bit at her lower lip and rubbed at her brow (a habit that Gadget had quickly recognized as a sign that she had a headache). When Penny was older he saw how she would grow pale and less energetic at certain times each month, and made sure that she rested and ate well during those times. Whenever Penny had a nightmare, he could always tell the next morning by the shadows under her eyes and made certain that her sleep was untroubled the following nights.

Yes, Penny told people, her uncle could be clueless to most things, but he saw the little things, and that was what was most important.

V. Touch

For once it hadn't been a M.A.D. scheme that had required Gadget's attention, but instead a construction accident where the Metro City PD had been called in to help with rescue and crowd control. A large construction crane had collapsed but amazingly no one had been killed and the injuries were, so far, minor.

Gadget had been helping move some debris to make the area more accessible to EMS when a piece of steel rebar that had been dangling precariously suddenly crashed to the ground. Shrapnel and razor-sharp pieces of concrete flew up everywhere as the first responders scattered. Gadget threw himself to one side and winced as he felt a hot flash of pain across his left cheek. Alarmed, he quickly clapped a hand to his cheek. He felt blood and oil welling between his fingers and grimaced, clenching his teeth. While he was normally glad that his face retained most of his "normal" skin, this was the one time he wished the nerve endings weren't as sensitive.

Fortunately he had been able to drive himself to the hospital before any of the news crews could see...well, what was underneath his skin. He was glad of the privacy when a nurse quickly showed him to an empty room but jumped when he heard a familiar voice.

"Uncle Gadget, you're hurt!"

He looked up to see Penny and Brain rushing towards him. They were accompanied by an officer who gave Gadget an apologetic look and shrugged. "I picked her up from school and was going to take her home like you asked, Inspector, but she insisted on seeing you first."

Gadget nodded and after the officer left gave his niece a smile but winced again when the motion jarred his injury.

"It's nothing, Penny. I'm quite alright. Just a scratch," he said, keeping his hand firmly clamped to his face as he turned his head away from her. "I'll be right as rain in no time, Professor Von Slickstein should be able to…"

"Uncle."

He stopped his rambling at the sound of his niece's soft voice. Penny's face was filled with concern. She reached up and gently tugged at his wrist. Swallowing hard, Gadget reluctantly let her pull his hand away. He watched as Penny's eyes widened as she saw the wires and circuitry beneath the damaged skin that he had tried to hide.

"Oh, Uncle," she said softly. Gadget finally managed to meet her gaze and saw only compassion and worry, no fear or disgust.

"I'm fine," he said, wincing again as a few sparks shot out from the damaged circuits. Brain whined and rested his head on Gadget's knee.

Penny didn't say anything. She simply leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her cheek against his chest. Gadget stiffened and she looked up at him in concern.

"Did I hurt you?"

Gadget almost laughed at the question. He could bend steel bars with his bare hands but this tiny slip of a girl was so much stronger than he ever would be. He shook his head and returned the embrace, comforted by his niece's touch that was far more healing to him than any medicine could be.

VI. Touch Redux

It had been a brutally exhausting week, even by Penny' standards. She had gotten less than six hours of sleep over the past two nights due to chasing after her uncle and trying to keep up with her schoolwork. Her grades had always been excellent and she knew that if that changed her uncle would be worried and start to ask questions.

It was a punishing schedule for any teenager and Penny was rapidly reaching the limits of her endurance. She was barely able to change into her nightgown and collapse into bed, grateful that tomorrow (or rather, today, since it was two o'clock in the morning) was Sunday.

A soft knocking at her bedroom door woke her. It was a rainy, overcast day and weak grey light spilled into her room. "Come in," she croaked, wincing at the hoarseness in her voice.

Gadget poked his head inside, stepping in further when he saw that Penny was awake. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" he teased gently. "Wowsers, Penny, you must have been tired last night to sleep so late."

Penny frowned in confusion, her brain still fuzzy from exhaustion. "Wha-what time is it?" she mumbled, wincing at how hoarse her voice sounded.

"Nearly eleven o'clock," said Gadget, stepping further into the room. His grey eyes studied his niece's pale face and the dark shadows underneath her eyes. "Were you up late studying?" he asked.

"Um...yes." She hated lying to him but knew the truth would be far worse. Brain shot her a sympathetic glance from where he lay at the foot of her bed.

"Then you must be hungry! No, stay in bed Penny," he said quickly when she started to get up. "If you were that tired you might be getting sick. I'll bring your breakfast up."

Gadget smiled at her again and she and Brain listened as the clattering of pots and pans (as well as a few crashes) sounded from downstairs. He reappeared about twenty minutes later, carrying a tray in his hands. "Here we are, Penny! One hot breakfast, or rather brunch," he said proudly.

He settled the tray over her lap as he spoke and Penny felt a surge of affection as she smiled up at him. "You didn't have to do this, Uncle."

"Nonsense, Penny. You're my favorite niece, after all."

She giggled as she reached for the orange juice, taking a sip. "I'm your only niece, Uncle Gadget."

"All the more reason for me to spoil you," making Penny smile again.

After she had finished eating he took the tray and then returned to her side, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Are you sure you're not getting sick, Penny?" he asked, reaching out to smooth her mussed hair.

She shook her head. "I'm just really tired," she said, wincing as her head throbbed. She always got headaches whenever she didn't get enough sleep.

Gadget saw her wince and helped her lie down, smoothing the bedsheets. "Try to get some more sleep."

"I can't, Uncle, I have school work-" she tried to sit up again but Gadget very gently nudged her back down.

"And it can wait," he said firmly. "You may not be sick, but you will be if you don't rest."

"But you always say that school's important," she murmured, already struggling to stay awake.

"Nothing is more important than your health, Penny." Gadget's voice was soft but there was a firmness to his tone that Penny rarely heard from him. She looked up at him in surprise as he turned off the lights before returning downstairs. She tried to relax but her mind just wouldn't shut down. Some time later Gadget poked his head back in, clearly dismayed to see that his niece wasn't sleeping.

"Can't you sleep?" he asked as he carefully sat on the bed's edge.

She shook her head. "Head hurts," she mumbled, wincing as her temples throbbed.

Gadget watched her for a moment, looking uncertain, before stroking her hair again. Penny closed her eyes as she felt the familiar weight of his hands stroking through her hair. His hands were heavier and stiffer than her own, but they never lost their gentleness as Gadget carefully rubbed the back of her neck, easing the stiffness out of her sore muscles. She shifted and sighed and he paused in concern. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," she murmured, blinking her eyes open. "Keep doing that?"

Smiling, Gadget nodded and continued to rub and massage her neck and upper back, alternating between gentle kneading and long, slow sweeps up and down her spine.

Before she knew it Penny was drifting off to sleep, comforted by his familiar touch.