Going Against the Grain (13/?): "He'll Get Over It"
First chapter
Last chapter (Chapter 12)
A/N: I'm wondering if I should begin to abide by the norm and use a cut... Would you guys like it? Dislike it? Not care?
Disclaimer: I hold no legal ownership over anything contained in this fanfiction. Dr. Horrible and all things related belong to Mutant Enemy.
-She was lost in the kiss for a moment, relaxing in his arms, when her brain kicked in. Something was very wrong. She pushed against him, trying to get up. His arms flailed for hers again, but she was stronger than him and managed to get to her feet. She scrambled up, hitting the light switch on the wall.
Horrible was standing and blinking in the sudden light. Before she could yell at him, he apparently got his bearings and began to prattle awkward apologies. “Tie Die! You were-wagh! I am so sorry, I don’t know what I just did and I…” He backed himself into a corner. “I don’t know… what I just…” he trailed off as his head slumped against the wall.
She heard the door open. “What just happened?” a bleary-eyed Moist asked. “Oh. Hi, Tie Die.”
“I don’t know!” she answered his question, flabbergasted. “I came in and he was at the table. He was sleeping but he was shivering and sweating, and he had a fever and suddenly…”
Moist ran past her to the mad doctor’s side. “Doc, you all right?!”
Horrible looked up but his eyes seemed to focus on something behind Moist. “Moist? You… she…” He eventually seemed to see him. He drew in a sharp breath and let it out. “Penny,” he said sadly, leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes.
“What is going on?” Tie Die asked Moist.
Moist felt Horrible’s forehead. “Just bad dreams. Penny, you know. He’ll get over it.”
“Get over it?!?” She heard her voice rise in pitch. “He’s hallucinating with a high fever and just tried to wrestle me to the ground and-well, he’s definitely not fine!”
“Just go back home, Tie Die. He’ll be fine in the morning.”
She pointed out the window. “It is morning!”
“Barely!”
They had both been ignoring the man in the corner, who was now standing up only a little shakily and put a hand on Tie Die’s shoulder. “I’m fine, Tie Die,” he said quietly. “Just a bad dream. I’m sorry I overreacted. Why’d you come?”
She ran a hand through her hair. “I wanted to see how the rays and stuff were doing.”
“I…” Horrible paused. “You were right before; I need to catch up on my sleep. Staying up for days at a time kills my immune system. My brain’s acting weird. Can I talk to you about it in a day or so?”
“Um, yeah. I’ve been getting up early; I could probably do with a nap or something too.”
“You want to take the couch?”
Tie Die felt uneasy. “No, I think I’ll just go back to my car.” Moist, she noticed, was slipping out of the room to where she assumed was his bedroom.
Horrible rubbed his neck as Tie Die slowly backed up. “No, don’t do that, I just-”
“Then would you mind explaining to me what all that was?” she gestured the floor where she and Horrible had just been, trying to keep from shouting.
“It was just… a bad dream.” Tie Die crossed her arms angrily, silently demanding further explanation. Horrible took another deep breath. “I guess I was dreaming about Penny. She was my laundry buddy, you know,” he added rather awkwardly. “I was feeling pretty bad one day, about the whole situation with Hammer and the League and everything, and we were sharing frozen yogurt.” He smiled slightly at the memory. “She tried to cheer me up even though she was feeling pretty bad herself. Afterwards, she put her hand on my leg, and we both kinda leaned in, and…” Tie Die blinked. She never knew that Horrible had liked Penny in that way-“Then she mentioned Hammer and pulled back. Mister Corporate Tool ruins my life in yet another way.” He snorted, but then his eyes softened. “I was just remembering that time, but it was so much more… colorful, and there was music in the background, and we actually--”
He cut himself off. “I’m so sorry, Tie Die. Probably the only way to make the situation worse is talking about Penny, huh?”
Tie Die felt like she couldn’t breathe. “I guess. You know what, I’m going to go back to my car. Just get some sleep, ‘kay? In a real bed this time?”
“Yeah.” He looked down guiltily. “I’m really sorry, Tie Die. If I’d have known what I was doing, I’d have never done anything like… that.” Tie Die knew he was referring to the kiss.
She nodded an acceptance and left the room to get back to her car. She started the motor and gently eased into a darker part of the street to be less conspicuous. After a thought, she locked the car’s doors, then pulled her seat back and closed her eyes.
XXXEVENINTHEDARKNESSXXX
She waited until it was late afternoon to go back to Horrible’s. The waiting didn’t really matter to her-she realized that she had been steadily losing sleep the last few days anyway. Five or six hours of sleep a night wasn’t going to cut it on a daily basis. She had gotten a couple naps in and finished reading a villain’s manual that was in the glove compartment that she had been wanting to get through for some time. She eventually got out of the car, though, and walked the block or so back to the apartment. This time, she gave the door a loud knock.
Horrible answered, and Tie Die was glad to see that he seemed much healthier by this time. “Hey, Tie Die.”
“Hey. You look better. How’s the fever?”
“Took some painkillers and it’s gone now.” He looked away uneasily. “I really am sorry about last night-”
Tie Die put a finger on his mouth to quiet him. “It’s fine; just don’t make it a habit. Did you want to show me any of those rays?”
He looked up enthusiastically, his gloom evaporating. “Yeah, come on in!” As he brought her in, he began to explain. “The freeze ray’s definitely a hundred percent; just have to run some tests and it’ll be ready to go. The memory wiper’s coming along great, thanks to the Metallion stuff you got, and it should be working now. I need to figure out how to program in certain areas of the brain to focus on, that is, the memories, which is really the point, but otherwise it’s working out well. I mean, the ray form adapts to it beautifully! The mind-switcher isn’t going to be a ray, so it’s totally new territory for me and I have to do some more research, but I think I’ll be fine. It’s theoretical right now, but…”
“So when are we going to do the plan?”
“Give me a week.” She gaped at him. “You have to promise not to come back for the week, though. I don’t want a replay of last time…” He looked away and muttered, “What I remember of it, anyway.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll need some more all-nighters, but I’m so close to success… I can almost feel it! Just need a little more time…”
Tie Die scowled. “At least wait to start until tomorrow. Give your body some time off.”
He looked relieved. “Sure.”
Next chapter (Chapter 14)
A/N: Happy Easter, everybody! Have some lovely exposition.
Reviews make my day. Please, just a small note of thanks or a reason for not liking the story?
Last chapter (Chapter 12)
A/N: I'm wondering if I should begin to abide by the norm and use a cut... Would you guys like it? Dislike it? Not care?
Disclaimer: I hold no legal ownership over anything contained in this fanfiction. Dr. Horrible and all things related belong to Mutant Enemy.
-She was lost in the kiss for a moment, relaxing in his arms, when her brain kicked in. Something was very wrong. She pushed against him, trying to get up. His arms flailed for hers again, but she was stronger than him and managed to get to her feet. She scrambled up, hitting the light switch on the wall.
Horrible was standing and blinking in the sudden light. Before she could yell at him, he apparently got his bearings and began to prattle awkward apologies. “Tie Die! You were-wagh! I am so sorry, I don’t know what I just did and I…” He backed himself into a corner. “I don’t know… what I just…” he trailed off as his head slumped against the wall.
She heard the door open. “What just happened?” a bleary-eyed Moist asked. “Oh. Hi, Tie Die.”
“I don’t know!” she answered his question, flabbergasted. “I came in and he was at the table. He was sleeping but he was shivering and sweating, and he had a fever and suddenly…”
Moist ran past her to the mad doctor’s side. “Doc, you all right?!”
Horrible looked up but his eyes seemed to focus on something behind Moist. “Moist? You… she…” He eventually seemed to see him. He drew in a sharp breath and let it out. “Penny,” he said sadly, leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes.
“What is going on?” Tie Die asked Moist.
Moist felt Horrible’s forehead. “Just bad dreams. Penny, you know. He’ll get over it.”
“Get over it?!?” She heard her voice rise in pitch. “He’s hallucinating with a high fever and just tried to wrestle me to the ground and-well, he’s definitely not fine!”
“Just go back home, Tie Die. He’ll be fine in the morning.”
She pointed out the window. “It is morning!”
“Barely!”
They had both been ignoring the man in the corner, who was now standing up only a little shakily and put a hand on Tie Die’s shoulder. “I’m fine, Tie Die,” he said quietly. “Just a bad dream. I’m sorry I overreacted. Why’d you come?”
She ran a hand through her hair. “I wanted to see how the rays and stuff were doing.”
“I…” Horrible paused. “You were right before; I need to catch up on my sleep. Staying up for days at a time kills my immune system. My brain’s acting weird. Can I talk to you about it in a day or so?”
“Um, yeah. I’ve been getting up early; I could probably do with a nap or something too.”
“You want to take the couch?”
Tie Die felt uneasy. “No, I think I’ll just go back to my car.” Moist, she noticed, was slipping out of the room to where she assumed was his bedroom.
Horrible rubbed his neck as Tie Die slowly backed up. “No, don’t do that, I just-”
“Then would you mind explaining to me what all that was?” she gestured the floor where she and Horrible had just been, trying to keep from shouting.
“It was just… a bad dream.” Tie Die crossed her arms angrily, silently demanding further explanation. Horrible took another deep breath. “I guess I was dreaming about Penny. She was my laundry buddy, you know,” he added rather awkwardly. “I was feeling pretty bad one day, about the whole situation with Hammer and the League and everything, and we were sharing frozen yogurt.” He smiled slightly at the memory. “She tried to cheer me up even though she was feeling pretty bad herself. Afterwards, she put her hand on my leg, and we both kinda leaned in, and…” Tie Die blinked. She never knew that Horrible had liked Penny in that way-“Then she mentioned Hammer and pulled back. Mister Corporate Tool ruins my life in yet another way.” He snorted, but then his eyes softened. “I was just remembering that time, but it was so much more… colorful, and there was music in the background, and we actually--”
He cut himself off. “I’m so sorry, Tie Die. Probably the only way to make the situation worse is talking about Penny, huh?”
Tie Die felt like she couldn’t breathe. “I guess. You know what, I’m going to go back to my car. Just get some sleep, ‘kay? In a real bed this time?”
“Yeah.” He looked down guiltily. “I’m really sorry, Tie Die. If I’d have known what I was doing, I’d have never done anything like… that.” Tie Die knew he was referring to the kiss.
She nodded an acceptance and left the room to get back to her car. She started the motor and gently eased into a darker part of the street to be less conspicuous. After a thought, she locked the car’s doors, then pulled her seat back and closed her eyes.
XXXEVENINTHEDARKNESSXXX
She waited until it was late afternoon to go back to Horrible’s. The waiting didn’t really matter to her-she realized that she had been steadily losing sleep the last few days anyway. Five or six hours of sleep a night wasn’t going to cut it on a daily basis. She had gotten a couple naps in and finished reading a villain’s manual that was in the glove compartment that she had been wanting to get through for some time. She eventually got out of the car, though, and walked the block or so back to the apartment. This time, she gave the door a loud knock.
Horrible answered, and Tie Die was glad to see that he seemed much healthier by this time. “Hey, Tie Die.”
“Hey. You look better. How’s the fever?”
“Took some painkillers and it’s gone now.” He looked away uneasily. “I really am sorry about last night-”
Tie Die put a finger on his mouth to quiet him. “It’s fine; just don’t make it a habit. Did you want to show me any of those rays?”
He looked up enthusiastically, his gloom evaporating. “Yeah, come on in!” As he brought her in, he began to explain. “The freeze ray’s definitely a hundred percent; just have to run some tests and it’ll be ready to go. The memory wiper’s coming along great, thanks to the Metallion stuff you got, and it should be working now. I need to figure out how to program in certain areas of the brain to focus on, that is, the memories, which is really the point, but otherwise it’s working out well. I mean, the ray form adapts to it beautifully! The mind-switcher isn’t going to be a ray, so it’s totally new territory for me and I have to do some more research, but I think I’ll be fine. It’s theoretical right now, but…”
“So when are we going to do the plan?”
“Give me a week.” She gaped at him. “You have to promise not to come back for the week, though. I don’t want a replay of last time…” He looked away and muttered, “What I remember of it, anyway.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll need some more all-nighters, but I’m so close to success… I can almost feel it! Just need a little more time…”
Tie Die scowled. “At least wait to start until tomorrow. Give your body some time off.”
He looked relieved. “Sure.”
Next chapter (Chapter 14)
A/N: Happy Easter, everybody! Have some lovely exposition.
Reviews make my day. Please, just a small note of thanks or a reason for not liking the story?