Loose Change, PG (Horrible/Penny)
Title: Loose Change
Author: episcopalianfan
Rating: PG for language
Pairing: Horrible/Penny
Word count: 965, to be continued
Summary: Horrible finds the being in the League is not a dream come true. His colleagues constantly taunt him about his fear of a certain location in Los Angeles…
Moist returned to the house to find Horrible slouching morosely on the couch....which was odd for several reasons. One: He was on the couch. Horrible knew better than to sit on the couch which was perpetually wet from Moist’s contact. Second: Horrible didn’t live or work here anymore. His lab had been relocated to the ELE center (where Dark Horse could keep a closer eye on him). Third: Yesterday Horrible had exploded- rather inexplicably- and had sworn that he would never set foot in this “sentimental house” again. He had also mentioned that he never wanted to see Moist again.
But friends were friends not matter how cocky they got about being in the League or perpetually angsty they continued to be about an accident they couldn’t prevent. Moist just let Horrible’s mood swings slide off like water of a duck’s back.
“What’s up?” Moist said as sensitively as possible. He got a groan for his efforts, but Moist was patient. He shifted the bag of groceries slightly. “Is He Who Whinnies found something else to be suspicious about?”
Recently, Dark Horse’s paranoia had been fully directed at Horrible, so much so that Horrible had become paranoid in return. Horrible believed he was bugged by Bad Horse and every time he mentioned Bad Horse's name the bug would be activated.
“Don’t tell me that’s happening too,” Horrible said with a grimace. “As if Professor Normal and Dead Bowie aren’t enough….”
Moist considered what to say next and scrapped the response, “Well, you know they say you should never meet your heroes” since while appropriate it could be misinterpreted and opted for a sympathetic mumble instead. This, unfortunately, inspired a mood swing.
“I just can’t get over it! No one trusts me and everyone is always jockeying for power. And some of them don’t even deserve what they’ve got- I mean Fury Leika is the most apathetic bunch of villainy to even saunter through life! She has done anything in ages…Damn seniority! And don’t even get me started on Professor Normal-”
His rant was interrupted by the clatter of soup cans falling through the weakened wet bottom of the paper bag to the floor.
“Shit” muttered Moist. Horrible kicked one of the cans and gave Moist a glare that made Moist decide not to pick them up.
“I am not a coward,” said Horrible seemingly on a new topic.
“No,” Moist said quickly.
“I can do whatever I want.”
“Of course.”
“I just have changed my lifestyle because I am in the upper ELE.”
Moist suddenly realized where this was going and was surprised; Horrible may have apologized once but not anymore. “Listen, I am not upset about you leaving.”
“I don’t need to go to some damn laundry shop anymore.”
Or maybe Horrible wasn’t apologizing- it seemed to be about Penny.
“I’m not going to lug around spare coins in my pockets! I am horrible enough to have someone else do my laundry.”
Moist sincerely hopped he wasn’t going to be asked to do laundry. He’d never get the clothes back dry.
“But Dead Bowie won’t let it go. He keeps saying that I am afraid.”
“There’s no way he knows about Penny-“Moist hastened to reassure him.
“It has nothing to do with Penny! I am so over her-“
Moist nodded to reassure Horrible even though he was pretty sure someone who avoided copper colored coins was not over a certain girl.
“Listen things take time…”
“You think so too don’t you?” Horrible was visibly angry and leaned forward on the couch, “I am not weak anymore.”
And he wasn’t he’d had it all ripped away from him over six months ago.
“I wasn’t implying-“
“I’ll show you-I will go to that damn store. I’ll even go according to schedule.” Horrible got up and stamped towards the door.
“Listen you don’t have to prove anything to me.” Moist was concerned for Horrible’s health. If he couldn’t look at the profile of Abraham Lincoln on a coin without tearing up he was pretty sure that he couldn’t handle Penny‘s favorite hangout. The door slammed and Moist sighed as he leaned over to pick up the scattered (and now trampled upon) groceries.
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It was ten to six and Moist decided that he’d slip by the Laundromat to be there for Horrible if he had a meltdown. Well, hopefully not a literal one, because Moist would only make it wetter. He stationed himself next door at the little Mexican restaurant. The minutes ticked by and at five to six a fancy limo pulled up to the little row of shops. Horrible got oudisguised bin a pair of jeans and a red hoddie. He had even remembered to bring laundry which was carried by a stooped over henchman. Moist couldn’t help rolling his eyes. Hopefully none of his fans would figure out that Horrible was here.
But Horrible was already running into problems. He was frozen several feet away from the door just staring into the room. Moist knew it was time for an intervention and slipped out of the restaurant.
“Billy?” Moist said approaching him carefully, checking his face for signs of what was wrong.
“She’s here.” Horrible whispered.
“It’s okay, bu-“ Moist stopped remembered that buddy happened to be the least comforting thing to say to Horrible ever. Moist patted his evil friend on the shoulder. “Let’s just go...”
“No…” Horrible looked transfixed. “She probably hates me but I must say something.”
“Look, Penny is,” Moist spoke as he followed Horrible’s eyes into the shop. “gon-“
But there she was looking exactly as she did in Horrible’s dozens of photos. “She’s alive?”
Moist’s whisper seemed to set Horrible into motion. He stepped carefully towards the door, as if in a dream that would shatter any minute.
This is definitely to be continued.