Fic : Christmas Again
Title: Christmas Again
Fandom: Dr. Horrible/Whedonverse
Characters: Billy/Penny
Word Count: 1069
Prompt: under the mistletoe
Written for: vampwolflove at the whedonland Fic Fest
Rating: PG
Penny woke up laughing. Most mornings were like that. Billy was getting used to it although it made him jumpy to feel the bed shaking with her silent shakes before moving toward a heart-stopping giggle. Penny’s dreams were always amusing.
“What was this one about?” he asked, his left eye twitching only slightly. She smoothed a finger over the spot which only made the muscle jump even more.
“You were there. And that man that got run over by the truck on the first day that I met you. When I was getting signatures? What was his name?”
The twitch grew worse. “Uh, I don’t remember his name. Or, rather, I don’t think I knew it.”
“I vaguely remember his name had something to do with a wrench. Or a hammer. Anyway, he didn’t get killed. But he wasn’t very nice to you. But he was able to get the new homeless shelter off the ground.” And she sighed, as she always did when talking about the homeless shelter.
The need had grown but the finances just weren’t available for the additional expense to the city. Try as she might, Penny just couldn’t get enough funding to make the project move along as swiftly as she would have liked.
And when she sighed, Billy’s stomach knotted up. He funneled some of his ill-gotten gains toward her dream but there wasn’t much he could do without jeopardizing his entrance into the Evil League of Evil. If Bad Horse discovered that he was helping Penny, he could give up any hope of joining the team. Or of surviving to see the next sunset. He liked sunsets now because Penny liked sunsets.
“What did he do?” Billy asked, trying to keep his voice light. “This man with a hammer on his shirt.”
She blushed. When Penny blushed, Billy blushed. He hated blushing. “He talked to the Mayor. Seems what this guy wanted, he got. And he… wanted me.”
“Did he get you?” This time it wasn’t possible to keep his voice light. Billy knew where this was going. Captain Hammer still haunted him from Penny’s dreams. Over and over, Penny had bits and pieces of dreams from a timeline that no longer existed. It had taken five years of work and more money than most countries saw in a good tax year but he’d succeeded in building a time machine.
“Is it important?” Penny asked, her voice cracking as she tried to gloss over the lowest point in his life to date. “I mean, he’s dead now. You have me. That’s all that matters.”
“It is.” He kissed the top of her head, pulling her close and reveling in the fact that she was his now. She snuggled against him, falling back into a light sleep as he brushed his hands through her soft hair. He loved touching her hair like this. It was his right. Penny was his.
No matter that she didn’t really remember her time with Captain Hammer, it had happened in Billy’s memory. He was Billy but he was still Dr. Horrible, the man who had overthrown Bad Horse and taken the Evil League of Evil to newer heights of Evilness.
He had given up that future for this one with Penny. It was the better future. He’d rather have mediocrity with Penny than fame without her.
Pulling on his jeans, he padded into the living room/ dining room/ den/ kitchen nook that served as the library in their small apartment. He’d been hiding the small box for this special occasion. December 25th. Christmas.
“Penny? Why don’t you come out here and we’ll open packages.”
She bounded out of the room, tying the sash of her threadbare robe. “You said we weren’t going to exchange gifts. Oh, you didn’t! Did you?” Her squeel of joy made his heart race.
“Stop!” He held out his hand in the universal sign that every school child knew. When she did, her eyes wide with questions, he pointed up toward the mistletoe. “You have to stand just there so we can kiss under the mistletoe. It’s tradition.”
Penny bit her lower lip. “My Billy. Such the romantic.”
A muscle in his shoulder made him hunch slightly until he could calm down his racing heart. The tics were getting worse but he figured it was all the worry that she’d find the small package. He held it out to her now. “This is for you, love.”
Her scream this time was soundless as she held the box in her hands a gently as if it was a small bunny. It would have been cheaper if he’d bought one of those. Maybe next time. “Is it a… a… oh, Billy.”
“Open it, silly. It’s your present.”
“I didn’t get you anything. Why didn’t you tell me? I could have knit you a scarf or sewn you a new shirt. Something.”
Billy hugged her tight to stop her gentle ravings. “I don’t want a present. I mean… you’re present enough for me this year. You’re my bright Penny.”
She pushed away from him, staring at the box as if it held all the gold in the world. It wouldn’t buy her the homeless shelter. It wouldn’t even pay for a cup of coffee down at the corner gas station. He’d been funneling money away for this present for awhile, hoping to get a good deal when the time came. And he’d make it up to her next Christmas with a bigger diamond and a better band. He’d give her the world soon. It would be hers just for the smile she would give him.
The box lay open in her palm as her eyes grew wide. “A ring. Billy, does this mean what I think it means? It’s a ring.”
“Yes.” He nodded at her, not entirely because he wanted to nod so much as that’s the way his muscles wanted him to move. “Will you…” He took a deep breath and nearly choked on the odor of the mistletoe. It really was vile stuff. “Will you marry me, Penny?”
Her smile was glorious. “Of course. I love you, Billy.”
He tried to repeat the words back to her but they wouldn’t come out. She never noticed but he remembered that he couldn’t say him. It haunted him and no amount of trips back in the time machine could change his ability to say them.
Fandom: Dr. Horrible/Whedonverse
Characters: Billy/Penny
Word Count: 1069
Prompt: under the mistletoe
Written for: vampwolflove at the whedonland Fic Fest
Rating: PG
Penny woke up laughing. Most mornings were like that. Billy was getting used to it although it made him jumpy to feel the bed shaking with her silent shakes before moving toward a heart-stopping giggle. Penny’s dreams were always amusing.
“What was this one about?” he asked, his left eye twitching only slightly. She smoothed a finger over the spot which only made the muscle jump even more.
“You were there. And that man that got run over by the truck on the first day that I met you. When I was getting signatures? What was his name?”
The twitch grew worse. “Uh, I don’t remember his name. Or, rather, I don’t think I knew it.”
“I vaguely remember his name had something to do with a wrench. Or a hammer. Anyway, he didn’t get killed. But he wasn’t very nice to you. But he was able to get the new homeless shelter off the ground.” And she sighed, as she always did when talking about the homeless shelter.
The need had grown but the finances just weren’t available for the additional expense to the city. Try as she might, Penny just couldn’t get enough funding to make the project move along as swiftly as she would have liked.
And when she sighed, Billy’s stomach knotted up. He funneled some of his ill-gotten gains toward her dream but there wasn’t much he could do without jeopardizing his entrance into the Evil League of Evil. If Bad Horse discovered that he was helping Penny, he could give up any hope of joining the team. Or of surviving to see the next sunset. He liked sunsets now because Penny liked sunsets.
“What did he do?” Billy asked, trying to keep his voice light. “This man with a hammer on his shirt.”
She blushed. When Penny blushed, Billy blushed. He hated blushing. “He talked to the Mayor. Seems what this guy wanted, he got. And he… wanted me.”
“Did he get you?” This time it wasn’t possible to keep his voice light. Billy knew where this was going. Captain Hammer still haunted him from Penny’s dreams. Over and over, Penny had bits and pieces of dreams from a timeline that no longer existed. It had taken five years of work and more money than most countries saw in a good tax year but he’d succeeded in building a time machine.
“Is it important?” Penny asked, her voice cracking as she tried to gloss over the lowest point in his life to date. “I mean, he’s dead now. You have me. That’s all that matters.”
“It is.” He kissed the top of her head, pulling her close and reveling in the fact that she was his now. She snuggled against him, falling back into a light sleep as he brushed his hands through her soft hair. He loved touching her hair like this. It was his right. Penny was his.
No matter that she didn’t really remember her time with Captain Hammer, it had happened in Billy’s memory. He was Billy but he was still Dr. Horrible, the man who had overthrown Bad Horse and taken the Evil League of Evil to newer heights of Evilness.
He had given up that future for this one with Penny. It was the better future. He’d rather have mediocrity with Penny than fame without her.
Pulling on his jeans, he padded into the living room/ dining room/ den/ kitchen nook that served as the library in their small apartment. He’d been hiding the small box for this special occasion. December 25th. Christmas.
“Penny? Why don’t you come out here and we’ll open packages.”
She bounded out of the room, tying the sash of her threadbare robe. “You said we weren’t going to exchange gifts. Oh, you didn’t! Did you?” Her squeel of joy made his heart race.
“Stop!” He held out his hand in the universal sign that every school child knew. When she did, her eyes wide with questions, he pointed up toward the mistletoe. “You have to stand just there so we can kiss under the mistletoe. It’s tradition.”
Penny bit her lower lip. “My Billy. Such the romantic.”
A muscle in his shoulder made him hunch slightly until he could calm down his racing heart. The tics were getting worse but he figured it was all the worry that she’d find the small package. He held it out to her now. “This is for you, love.”
Her scream this time was soundless as she held the box in her hands a gently as if it was a small bunny. It would have been cheaper if he’d bought one of those. Maybe next time. “Is it a… a… oh, Billy.”
“Open it, silly. It’s your present.”
“I didn’t get you anything. Why didn’t you tell me? I could have knit you a scarf or sewn you a new shirt. Something.”
Billy hugged her tight to stop her gentle ravings. “I don’t want a present. I mean… you’re present enough for me this year. You’re my bright Penny.”
She pushed away from him, staring at the box as if it held all the gold in the world. It wouldn’t buy her the homeless shelter. It wouldn’t even pay for a cup of coffee down at the corner gas station. He’d been funneling money away for this present for awhile, hoping to get a good deal when the time came. And he’d make it up to her next Christmas with a bigger diamond and a better band. He’d give her the world soon. It would be hers just for the smile she would give him.
The box lay open in her palm as her eyes grew wide. “A ring. Billy, does this mean what I think it means? It’s a ring.”
“Yes.” He nodded at her, not entirely because he wanted to nod so much as that’s the way his muscles wanted him to move. “Will you…” He took a deep breath and nearly choked on the odor of the mistletoe. It really was vile stuff. “Will you marry me, Penny?”
Her smile was glorious. “Of course. I love you, Billy.”
He tried to repeat the words back to her but they wouldn’t come out. She never noticed but he remembered that he couldn’t say him. It haunted him and no amount of trips back in the time machine could change his ability to say them.