Penn Zero Fanfiction

Author's Note

Okay, so first of all, I know it's been a long time since I updated, but I had been going through some family issues. Couple that with the fact that our report cards were coming up and our projects were getting harder and harder and we had to get so much done so fast and I was way too stressed to even think to work on this. At one point, I tried but I just couldn't think. It was that bad. I had to deal with all my real life problems before I could deal with this. So for that, I'm sorry.

So, on to the actual chapter. I feel like I've sort of lost my touch a little bit but I want to hear what you guys (and girls) think. This chapter's a bit short but like I said, I've been going through a lot so I couldn't really spare a lot of mental energy to work on this. Anyways, I am going to upload three consecutive chapters to make up for the lost time. This is the first of them so let me know how you guys (and girls) like it. Enjoy!

3 Big Problems

"And Sashi was just like 'No one's gonna die, stupids! Dodgeball!" Boone said in a surprisingly decent imitation of Sashi.

"Hey!" Sashi exclaimed. "I don't sound like that!"

Penn and Boone gave her a deadpan stare and Sashi shrank back in embarrassment.

"Okay, fine, maybe a little."

Penn and Boone turned back around and Boone continued recounting their adventures as if Penn hadn't been there the whole time. While Sashi found herself getting a little annoyed, she noticed Penn listening patiently, a warm smile on his face as he gave Boone his full attention. Then she noticed Boone and his eyes shone with a childlike excitement as he continued to talk while Penn listened. As she thought about this, Sashi realized that she did that sort of thing with Penn too and she was glad that neither Penn nor Boone could see her blush.

"So," Penn said after a while of Boone going on and on about their mission. His voice caught Sashi's attention and she looked up.

"Saving the world by dodgeball," he went on. "That's a new one."

"I guess now we know why they teach it in schools," Boone said.

Penn and Sashi stared at him.

"What?" he said confusedly.

The two chuckled lightly, causing Boone to become even more confused.

"What?" he asked again.

"Nothing, Boone," Penn said, still chuckling lightly. Boone frowned suspiciously but he accepted Penn's answer.

"Well, I guess I'll go home now," Boone said. "See you guys tomorrow," he called out. Penn and Sashi said their goodbyes as well.

"It's getting really late," Penn said as he looked up at the sky, which was now pitch-black, making the stars seem to shine even brighter against the blackness. While some of their missions could be done in a couple of hours, a fair number of them took the whole day and more often than not, by the time the three of them finished and walked out of the theater, it would be nighttime.

"We should get going," Sashi said. Penn agreed and the two of them started walking.

"I can't wait to see the look on my parents' faces when I tell them we saved the world because of dodgeball," Penn said, a grin on his face.

"Well, that stupid game has to be good for something," Sashi said.

"Hey, I think it's a pretty fun game," Penn said.

"Yeah, well I don't," Sashi shot back, a suddenly sour look settling itself on her pretty features. Penn noticed this and frowned.

"Really?" he said. "Well, you looked like you were really enjoying yourself today," he pointed out. Sashi shot him a dangerous look but he remained unfazed. He knew he was crossing a line with her but over the last few weeks, he'd realized that if he ever wanted to make any progress with Sashi, he'd have to take risks. Besides, he was sure that things wouldn't escalate too far. No matter how angry she got with him, she would never truly hurt him. She was Sashi, after all.

"Well, I wasn't enjoying myself," she said to him, her tone telling him that she wanted him to drop it.

"Is it because I won?" Penn said, now getting annoyed. "Are you really that much of a sore loser?"

"I'm not a sore loser, okay?" Sashi said, sounding more frustrated.

"Then why does it bother you so much that I won?" Penn said. "You even beat me up for it."

"I don't care that you won, Penn!" Sashi said. "I care that you lied to me to do it."

"Seriously?!" Penn said disbelievingly. "You're mad just because I played a little trick on you to win?"

"Oh God, Penn, you don't understand," Sashi said, exasperated.

"Then explain it to me until I do," Penn demanded.

"Why?" Sashi said. "Why does it even matter now?"
"Because it's you," Penn said.

Suddenly, Sashi stopped dead in her tracks. Even as Penn stared determinedly at her, she didn't react as she tried to gain control over her surprise.

"Sashi," Penn began, "if I did anything to hurt your feelings, I want to know. I need to know so I don't do it again, okay? So just tell me."

"It already happened, Penn. Why do you care about it?"

"I don't care about it, Sashi," Penn said. "I care about you."

Sashi stopped, then sighed, pointedly ignoring the effects his words seemed to have on her. She gave in, knowing how unbelievably stubborn Penn could be when he set his mind to something. In that regard, he surpassed her by far. She knew that he wasn't going to let this go, no matter how much she begged, pleaded, or complained. So she opened up.

"I got so mad because you did to me what you would've done to anyone else."

Penn gave her a confused look. "What?"

Sashi sighed again exasperatedly. Why couldn't things ever just be easy?

"Penn, you're a good person," she said, seeing how it seemed to catch him off-guard. The reaction hurt a little as it told her that he'd never expect to hear that from her. Pushing away the slight pain and guilt, she continued. "You're so nice to everyone. Not just by helping them, but even in the little things that you do. Even if you have something better to do, you give them your time. Even if you don't want to listen, you do. Even if they're talking about something that you don't care about, you let them talk about the stupid, nerdy stuff they like because you know that no one else will." Penn opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off. "And I know you're going to say that this isn't a big deal or that it doesn't matter but it does, okay? You can ask anyone you want. They'll say the same thing. I would, too." Penn's eyes widened a bit in surprise at hearing that from Sashi. "These things matter and you share them with everyone, not just me and Boone. But then there are other things."

She felt emotion start to well up inside her but she pushed it down again, determined not to let it get control over her. "Then there are other things that you save only for a few people. There's this wonder and happiness that you save only for your parents. There's that bravery and courage you save only for the people of the worlds we save. And then…" She paused. "And then there's that side of you that you save only for Boone. That side that does stupid things with him like make funny faces at each other or talk about all the stupid movies that you guys watch together or just think back to when you two were kids and all those good times you guys had back then. But what do you save just for me?"

The emotions in her were getting hard to force down now and Penn could now see her visibly holding back her feelings. The thought hurt him, as he had hoped that she thought she could be completely open with him.

"Whatever you do with me, you do with everyone else, too. You joke with me the same way you joke with your other friends. You talk to me the same way you talk to your other friends. You treat me the same way you would treat anyone else. So I keep asking myself. Am I just another friend to you? Because friends come and go. If they leave, they can be replaced. And I can't help but think…" She looked down and there was a sad look in her eyes. "Am I just another friend to you? Can I be replaced, too?"

Penn was silent as he took all of this in. Sashi waited for him to say something but was unable to look him in the eyes. Her face burned with embarrassment after having opened herself up so completely to Penn and while a very small part of her felt relieved of a burden it had been carrying, she felt completely exposed to him. Were it anyone else, she would have beat them until they swore on their grave that they would never speak of it again but she didn't even think about doing that to Penn. She trusted him like no one else and even now when she was feeling the overwhelming fear of judgment and embarrassment, that trust won out. So she waited to hear what he was going to say, feeling as if her pounding heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest.

"No," Penn said. Sashi looked up at how fiercely he had said it and she inhaled sharply at the deathly serious look on his face. "No, that won't ever happen, Sashi. It can't happen."

Sashi's mouth fell open a little at his words but he either didn't notice or he didn't care because he went on as if nothing happened.

"Sashi, how could you ever think that?" Penn said. "Look at everything we've been through. Look at everything we've done. Do you really think I can just replace all of that? My parents are gone, Sash. I don't know if I'll ever see them again. Every time I talk to them, I keep wondering if it'll be the last time. And every time I've ever needed someone to be there for me, who's always been there, huh? Every. Single. Time. Who's always been there for me?"

"Me," Sashi answered quietly.

"Do you think I can just replace all of that?" Penn asked. "Me and Boone mess around on our missions. Sometimes, we mess up on our missions. And every time we've ever needed someone, who's always been there for us?"

"Me," Sashi answered again.

"Do you think I can just replace all of that?" He sighed and smiled but it was filled with pain as if it hurt him to see her like this.

"Who do I get to teach video games to? Who do I get to talk with about how beautiful the stars are? Who do I fight with but still stay friends with just because we care about each other that much? Who do I fight for until I can't stand any more just so that I don't let her down? Who did I say mattered to me more than she could ever know?" He paused and stepped towards her and Sashi, without knowing why, didn't back away. "Who would I die for?"

Sashi's breath caught in her throat and she almost couldn't speak but she managed to say, "Me."

"Now what in the all the worlds could ever replace that?" Penn asked. He stepped away from her.

"Sashi, you're one of the most important people in the world to me. In all the worlds. And after everything we've been through, everything we've done for each other, how can you not know that?"
He turned back to her and she smiled gently at him.

"I do now," she said.

Penn smiled back. "That's all I needed to hear."

They spent the rest of the walk back to Sashi's apartment talking about meaningless, trivial stuff. Actually, Sashi realized it was mostly just her talking. Penn just smiled and listened, every so often saying things here and there to show he was listening, and Sashi couldn't help but love him for it. She knew she probably looked like one of those girls that Penn occasionally talked to that would swoon over him when they thought nobody would notice. But she noticed. And she didn't care. Because in the end, she knew that there was only one girl that Penn cared about. And that was more than enough for her.

And the night ended with the two of them talking and laughing about everything and nothing under the starry sky. Sashi almost regretted it when they reached her apartment. She waved back at Penn as he left. Penn waved back and walked away, a smile on his face for the rest of the way back to his house.