Breakfast at BnB's
This was not correct.
Being awake at this hour was an outlier for Penn.
And yet Isis had just watched him stumble out of the car, shaking in the middle of the night. His heartbeat and breathing were elevated, and his movements were sudden and jerky. He quickly pulled up his sleeves and the bottom of his shirt, exposing the scars from the puncture wounds Salem had inflicted on him. Even though they were healing quickly, they would always leave permanent marks on him, both physical... and mental.
It appeared that he had experienced another nightmare. Just as he had regularly since returning from Salem's imprisonment.
He took several deep breaths, beginning to calm himself down as he walked across the campsite to where she was seated by the smoldering remains of that night's fire.
"Never again... never again..." he whispered to himself. "Isis?"
"I am here.""I got outsmarted... REALLY outsmarted... Salem had me twelve ways to Sunday, knew every turn I could take, saw through every plan I could make up on the fly."
Isis's simulations projected that voicing her agreement would have a negative impact on his psyche.
"Never again..." he repeated. "Isis, from now on... I want to start setting up fallbacks. In-case-of-emergency plans, code words, protocols. Stuff like that. Missy won't always be there to translate when I need to talk in code, and I never, ever, want to be caught off-guard like that again."
Isis perked up somewhat.
"Understood. Where would you like to begin?"-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Come ooooooooooon!" Sunset whined in her most annoying voice.
"No! I said 'no' and I meant it!"
"Come ooooooooooooooooooooon...." Missy whined, her voice at an even higher pitch than Sunset's. "Pleeeeeease?"
"Look, committing fraud and larceny when I can just jump back out a portal if things go wrong and instantly be back in my home dimension is one thing," Penn held up a finger to punctuate his point. "Doing it in my home dimension is another entirely! I don't want our road trip to turn into living on the lam for the rest of my life!"
"I can assure you, it would be quite safe, provided that you all spend frugally. I can assure you that there is no chance of my being caught by the United States government, let alone any other nation's law enforcement.""And what happens when I have to file my taxes and they realize how much I've been spending doesn't line up with how much I've been earning?" Penn asked.
"I can falsify financial records perfectly. In the end, banking and economy are simply ones and zeroes. Those are, as you have said before, my specialty."Sunset clasped her hands together and gave Penn her biggest puppy-dog eyes, and Missy immediately joined alongside her from the backseat.
"Pleeeeeeease?"
"Pleeeeeeeeease?"
Penn tried to look as though he was ignoring them, but they both saw his eyes move away from the road and onto the two of them for a moment.
"We are NOT going to use Isis to steal money for us!"
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"WHEEEEE!" Missy screeched as they stepped into the house, instantly flying into the other rooms and out of sight. "COMMITTING FRAUD IS THE BEEEEST!"
Sunset took a deep breath of the fresh smell of the bed and breakfast they had rented for the weekend. It was a nice place, far nicer than Penn's house. It was basically an upper-middle class home that had been left empty and ready to be lived in by whoever paid the rent. Consequently, Sunset couldn't help but feel a little bit as though it had been made for them, and after weeks on the road it was an absolute godsend. She glanced over at Penn, noting the grimace on his face. She smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder. "It'll be fine, bud. Besides, were you planning on having Isis airdrop us stuff forever? And she's only stealing fractions of a cent at a time, from all kinds of transactions. Nobody's going to miss money they never knew was there..."
Penn pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled loudly.
"Yeah.... Yeah. Sure. This is fine... As long as Missy doesn't out us to the cops, herself."
"GRAND LARCENY FOR THE WIIIIIIIN!"
Penn closed his eyes, looking like he was genuinely in pain. "If I wind up in prison, I'm blaming all three of you."
Sunset leaned in, raising her eyebrows. "Well, no offense, but the inside of the car IS starting to get a little... ripe. This would be a great chance for a little cleaning, vacuum, air it out..." She pretended to think about what she would say next, as if it hadn't been rattling around in her head since they'd packed up camp this morning. "Maybe Isis could send you a couple air fresheners? You could hang them right next to that creepy doll on your rearview mirror!"
Penn narrowed his eyes at her before poking his finger into her chest.
"Mimikyu. Isn't. Creepy."
"But it IS smelly, just like the rest of the car." Sunset smirked and gave his nose a poke before walking into the house. "I'm gonna go find the biggest, softest bed and claim it for myself!"
"TOO LATE!"
"MISSY! You can literally sleep three feet off the ground! What could be softer than AIR?"
"A DOWN-FREAKING-COMFORTER, THAT'S WHAT!"
"Come ON!" Sunset followed Missy's voice to the master bedroom, where she was already curled up in a plush-looking bed with a fluffy white comforter... that looked as if it could fit ten of her.
"I'll duel ya for it!" Missy smirked.
Sunset narrowed her eyes before pointing her finger at the little duel spirit. "I'm taking a shower, and when I get back, we are going to decide this fairly..."
"Too late..." Penn muttered, walking past the door with a towel slung over his shoulder. "I'm gonna enjoy this nice and slow..."
Sunset sighed, not able to bring herself to argue any more to start off what she knew was going to be her most relaxed night in AGES.
"Fine... Just let me know when you're done, I'm gonna see what's on TV..."
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"Are any of you guys pokemon trainers?"
"Yeah, I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet, and I wanna be a pokemon master!"
"I'm Brock, and I wanna be your boyfriend!"
"Thanks, but no thanks..."
Sunset raised an eyebrow as they started on their third movie from this same series of the night, but didn't say anything to oppose it. She and Missy were both kicked back on the couch, laying on opposite sides so they could both fit. Sunset was enjoying having a place to sit where she didn't need to keep her legs bent or pulled in, and Missy was clearly enjoying not being tied down by a seat belt.
An enticing aroma was filling the house, spicy and warm in a way that made the whole place feel like a home. Penn was off in the kitchen, where he had been for several hours. He'd come in for almost the entirety of the second movie, letting the food stew on its own before he left a few minutes before the ending. He hadn't told them what it was he was making, just that it was one of his favorite recipes.
"I'm a trainer, too! Wanna battle?"\
"Go ahead, Ash!"
"Alright, a workout will help me stay in shape for the Johto League!"
"Excuse me, but first let's see if you're even in MY league!"
"COME AND GET IT!" Penn's voice echoed through the house. "I'M YOUR CHEF, NOT YOUR WAITER!"
Sunset and Missy both looked at each other from their places lazing around on the couch, and in less than a second, they both knew:
It was every woman for herself.
"Well get ready, 'cause I always play to win!"
The music of the opening credits began. Both of them threw off the blankets, and Missy flew into the air, trying to fly over Sunset's head. Sunset wrapped her hand around her ankle, yanking the duel spirit back and herself forward. She snickered as she began to run towards the kitchen, leaving Missy in the dust.
"First bowl's MINE, Missy!"
Sunset's eyes widened as she ran face-first into a familiar revolving door, feeling herself spin several times before suddenly finding herself running back into the living room.
"PBBBBBBT!" Missy blew a raspberry as she flew past, tugging down on one of her eyelids with a mocking expression.
Oh, you wanna play dirty? Sunset grinned as she spun around "You just triggered my TRAP CARD, Missy!"
Missy drew up short, her eyes widening as she searched desperately for any signs of a malevolent card effect. Sunset used the opportunity to sprint past, ducking underneath her. "PSYCHE!"
"Why, you-" Sunset felt Missy grab onto the back of her shirt, but it did little to slow her down as they both crashed into the kitchen in a heap.
Both of them found themselves staring at a pair of sharp-looking dress shoes. Their eyes traveled upwards, finding themselves staring up at the ghostly figure of Ghostrick Alucard, holding a still-steaming bowl. They both looked around the room, realizing that they were both last in line for a portion of the food after all of the Ghostricks. Alucard simply rolled his eyes and walked away, shaking his head disapprovingly. Penn snickered as he ladled another scoop out into Yuki-Onna's bowl.
"You snooze, you lose, girls..."
They both groaned, and Sunset felt Missy bury her face in her back.
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Sunset let out a contented sigh and patted her stomach. In the end, there had been plenty of Penn's chicken-and-sausage gumbo to go around, even with their "dinner guests." Upon finishing her first helping, Sunset had even raced back to the kitchen for more. Between the two of them, she wondered if she and Missy might have finished half of the entire stock pot Penn had filled. Now they were all curled up together on the couch, watching the last of the movie together. She and Penn were both sitting on either side of Missy, who seemed to be enjoying the attention and warmth under their shared blanket, and the rest of the Ghostrick monsters were sat around the TV, completely enraptured by the adventures of Ash Ketchum. Sunset felt like her heart was going to explode from the sheer cuteness of watching them all react to every moment together, cheering with the victories and gasping in horror at every setback, sometimes starting to chatter amongst themselves in a way she couldn't understand, only for Missy to shush them from her place on the couch, almost instantly settling them down again.
Soon, though, the movie came to its end, and the Ghostricks all bid them goodnight. Sunset glanced down, realizing Missy had fallen asleep between the two of them. She and Penn shared a glance.
"TOO CUTE!" Sunset mouthed
"I KNOW!" Penn mouthed back.
He nodded his head to the side, and Sunset carefully pulled herself up off of the couch, taking the blanket with her. Penn reached down, carefully sneaking his arms under Missy's unconscious body and scooping her up. Together, the three of them walked towards the master bedroom, passing through the kitchen as they did. Sunset's eyes widened as she spotted Alucard, his puffy white sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he worked on washing the dishes. His red eyes lingered on Missy's unconscious form for a moment before giving them a fanged smile and a respectful nod, which Sunset returned.
When they reached the big, fluffy bed, Penn deposited Missy under the covers on one side, and Sunset slipped under the big comfy blanket on the other, sharing the bed easily between the two of them.
Penn gave them one last peaceful smile before switching off the bedroom light, leaving the only source of light the open doorway, which he soon slipped out and shut without a word. Sunset smiled as she shut her eyes, relishing the softness and warmth.
It's not home, but... I don't think I'd trade these guys for anything.
On the nightstand, Sunset saw a softly glowing pink crystal appear as Isis's drone landed.
"Alarms for tomorrow morning have been disabled. Please enjoy your night's sleep."-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Sunset opened her eyes, she could see the sunlight streaming in through the window, dimmed somewhat by the closed curtains. That was the best night's sleep I've gotten in AGES... I feel like I could go right back to sleep and not wake up for a week. Beside her, Missy was still snoozing, turning over in her sleep with her hair a tangled mess and the feathers on her wings were all messy and sticking out at awkward angles. Sunset smirked, sitting up and taking a deep breath of the morning air. She raised an eyebrow as she realized that there was more than the scent of dewdrops on the morning air, though.
Nutmeg... cinnamon... and ba-
"...bacon?" Missy mumbled, rubbing at her eyes. "I heard that... where?"
"You... heard what I was thinking?" Sunset blinked a couple times before shaking her head. "Never mind... too early for that line of questioning."
Missy sniffed at the air, her entire body seeming to perk up at the smell.
"Penn... Penn made-"
"French toast?"
Missy floated a few inches above the bed, wobbling her way over to Sunset while still half-asleep and settling her arms and chin on top of Sunset's head. She pointed towards the door. "Onward..."
Sunset was too sleepy to argue, sliding herself out of bed and making her way towards the door. The two of them lurched into the kitchen, where Penn seemed to have gone all-out, wearing an apron and bouncing up and down to a cheery tune as he carefully laid another slice of bread in the pan.
"Morning, girls!"
Isis continued playing the music as Sunset and Missy both grunted half-awake greetings.
"Good mornin', good mornin'! It's great to stay up late! Good mornin', good mornin' to you!"
Sunset slumped into a chair at the dining table, reaching up and removing Missy from her head to set her in a chair of her own. Both of them practically slumped onto the table, barely able to keep their eyes open.
"Hope you like your bacon chewy, because I'm a heathen who cooks it like that!" Penn winked as he set plates down in front of each of them, polished off by a jug-shaped bottle of maple syrup in the middle of the table. He gave the syrup an enthusiastic point. "I had Isis drop off a little of the REAL stuff, none of that artificially flavored Mrs. Butterworth's crap, so don't waste a drop!"
"Sure, Dad..." Missy mumbled. "Thanks...
"Yeah, thanks Dad..." Sunset agreed.
There was a long pause of silence as everyone present processed what they had said. Sunset and Missy's eyes both nearly bugged out of their heads as their faces flushed, and Penn had frozen mid-flip of the next slice of french toast.
"Uhm, I uh, geez..." Sunset stuttered, slapping her palm against her forehead to try and wake herself up more. "S-sorry, it's early and- I was just following Missy's lead!"
"Hey! At least I can get away with it, I'm a kid..." Missy mumbled, popping a piece of bacon into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully as she glanced over and waggled her finger between them. "You two are what, two years apart? You've got no excuse, Sunset..."
"It's fine..." Penn finished flipping that particular slice before tossing in more bacon to cook in the edges of the pan. When he turned back around, he was chuckling to himself and practically radiant with a proud smile. Sunset caught him wiping a happy tear away from his eye. "I'd rather you girls be more comfortable around me than less! After going through so much together, we kind of ARE family, right?"
Seeing him so happy didn't do much to mitigate Sunset's embarrassment, and she couldn't help looking down at her plate as her face blushed harder.
"I guess we are, yeah..."
Penn pulled up a chair on the opposite side of the table, glancing between the two of them before grabbing the bottle of syrup. "Well, if neither of YOU are going to take it, I'm gonna have some of this one-hundred-percent maple goodness right here!"
"Oh, I want some!" Missy said, clearly already over her embarrassment and eagerly waiting as Penn drizzled the runny amber liquid over his own slices.
The moment was never brought up again for the rest of breakfast, but Sunset noticed Penn smiling a little wider for the rest of the day, sometimes chuckling to himself and shaking his head. For once, Sunset didn't need to be a mind reader to know what he was thinking, and her face would flush again.
I can't believe I said that...
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They all looked back at the house one last time as Penn locked the door behind them. It had been nice, but... it was time to get back on the road.
Penn dusted off his hands as he walked back to the car with them.
"Okay, double-checked my checklist... Dishes are done, we didn't leave a mess... Everybody have all their stuff?"
"Yessiree!" Missy cheered.
Sunset patted her lightsaber on her waist and her phone in her pocket. "Got everything important."
"I can account for all of this unit's assets.""Then it sounds like we're good to go!"
They all opened the doors to the car, and Sunset sighed with relief as she was met by the smell of lavender and lilacs. Note to self, remember to thank Isis for bringing us that upholstery and carpet cleaner...
Penn started up the car, pulling out of the driveway and setting them back on the open road. Penn sunk into the driver's seat with a smile.
"Hey, Isis... do you have that recording I asked for?"
"Affirmative.""Sure, Dad... Thanks."
"Yeah, thanks Dad..."
Sunset and Missy both froze, each turning to the drone sitting up on the dashboard.
"ISIS, DELETE THAT!"
Penn's laughter boomed through the tight space of the car as she scrambled to grab hold of the drone. Even Missy jumped up from the back seat, flying around wildly in the tight space.
"Get back here, you mechanized menace!"
"Seat belt ON, Missy!"
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I bet Penn is thinking "THE TEASING SHALL LAST FOREVER!!!!"
Shin Chou Densetsu Teasing is ONWARDS!!!
Least you cal him Dad and not Daddy, Sunset... Would have been a hundred times worse if you did.
10207959
Now I'm tempted to go put a version of this over in the unrated version and just change that single word
Every time Alucard is mentioned I think of Alucard from Hellsing Ultimate, but Fimfiction would need a rating way above Mature to have his show in this story,
10258374
We could bring in abridged Alucard to play therapist for Penn, he might actually be capable of overruling Penn's smarter-than-thou affectations.
10259334
"I just- sometimes I feel like I'm the ONLY one that understands what's going on around us!"
"So you always think you're the smartest person in the room and usually can back it up? Sounds to me like you've got an 'Integra Van Hellsing Complex.'"
"Except for when it blows up in my face and I wind up having to take a severe beating, and now I have what I think might be some REALLY deep-seated trauma."
"Why do I keep attracting kids with traumatic backstories? At least the last one was a big-tittied police girl. Look, you've clearly got feelings for this Sunset chick, but you're so caught up in white knighting for a LITERAL SUPERHERO you can't even see it. My advice? Start taking long walks at night. If it doesn't clear your head you'll at least find something evil-ish to beat to a pulp and get your 'justice' rocks off. Always helps me. NEXT!"
And this kids, is why we don't listen to duel spirits
Very cute. Warms my heart, Isis will probably start playing that whenever Penn is feeling down. It's nice being part of a close family like that.
"The blood of the covenant runs thicker than the waters of the womb" and all that.