Penny rubbed her shoulder nervously. Gumball reached out his hand, which she gripped tightly.
"Hey, you know we can just call it off, right? I mean, if you want. We don't have to be-"
"No." Answered Penny. "We need to have this, no matter how poorly it goes. You said it yourself, they deserve to know."
"Alrighty. Just know we can always bail." Gumball looked at the bottle in his hand. "You really think they'll like this?"
"Of course, they'll love it." She reassured him. "Now, are you ready?"
"Yep. Are you?"
"Not at all."
"Oh. Soooo, do you wanna go home then?"
"No, I want to do this." Penny huffed.
"So are you ready then?"
"No!" Penny snapped. "Gumball, can you please just give me time, I-"
"Is someone there?" A muffled voice called out from inside the house. Gumball and Penny watched in anticipation as the door began to slowly creak open.
Judith stepped out, a messy apron tied around her waist. "Gumball!" She beamed, hurrying over and smothering the cat in a big hug. He swore he heard a few bones crack before she released him back to the ground.
"Hi Mrs. Fitzgerald." he grimaced, resetting his spine.
"Oh, you know not to call me that, dear, it's Judith." She smiled reassuringly. "It's so nice to see you!"
"You too!" He presented the bottle in his hand. "I uh, brought this for you. Penny said that you guys are big fans."
Judith examined the gift. "Spencer's Sparkling Grape? Gumball, you shouldn't have, this stuff is far too expensive!"
"What can I say?" He shrugged. "Only the best will do."
"Er, speaking of Penny, is she going to be arriving soon?"
"Huh?" Gumball looked around, noticing Penny had disappeared. He spotted her hiding in the bushes by the stairs, the fairy holding a finger to her lips. Gumball sighed. "Come on out, Penny."
Penny glared at her boyfriend, masking it with a smile as Judith spun around. "Penny! Oh sweetie it's been too long, how have you been?" She picked up her daughter, squeezing her even harder. "I'm so happy to see you looking well."
"Hi Mom…" Penny said, gritting her teeth. "It's so good to see you!"
"What were you doing hiding in there, honey? Were you getting cold feet?"
"Oh, no!" Penny lied. "I was just… checking on your flowers. Wow, they're really coming along!"
Judith chuckled. "It's okay Penny, I understand. I was nervous too about all this. Anyway, come in you two, come in! Dinner is almost ready."
A younger peanut sat slumped against the stairs, scrolling through ElmorePlus. "Polly, look who's here!" The girl looked up from her phone as her mother escorted their guests in.
"Oh, Penny, Gumball, hey!" The teens' eyes lit up, and then were immediately drawn to Penny's stomach. "Oh, hey uh did you get-"
"Is that Penny?!" Patrick shouted from upstairs, interrupting his daughter. He charged down, his eyes widening as he saw who was standing at the front door.
"Penny!" He cried, embracing her with a force far stronger than his wife had given her.
"Dad…….. too…... tight." She squealed.
"Oh honey, I'm just so sorry about everything, we were so glad when you said you'd join us." He set Penny down, the fairy gasping for air.
"Patrick," Gumball said, reaching his hand out. "Thanks for inviting us. It's great to be here again."
Patrick reciprocated the handshake, essentially crushing his paw. "Our pleasure, son, it's so good to see you again."
The feline tried his best to smile through the pain as he massaged his broken hand. "Haha… yeah… you too…. excuse me, I just need to go to the bathroom."
"Oh, yeah of course, still just down there on the left." Patrick directed him.
"Thanks!" Gumball squeaked as he rushed off.
Penny snorted "Wow, you weren't kidding about that counselling." She remarked. "Shouldn't he be calling you, 'Mr. Fitzgerald' and saluting you, 'sir'?"
Patrick sighed. "Penelope, the night you walked out on us, it really opened my eyes. I've spent a long time just… getting mad at things I can't change when I should just accept them. You and Gumball love each other and I want you to know, I support you."
"You… you really mean that?"
"Of course I do. You're my daughter." He retrieved a folder from a nearby drawer. "There's something I want to show you after dinner. Would that be okay? I really think you'll like it."
"Umm… yeah, alright."
"Excellent." Patrick smiled. He glanced at his wrist. "Hey hon, how long til' the food's ready?" He called to the kitchen.
"Few more minutes!" His wife responded.
"Great." Patrick returned his focus to Penny. "Why don't you go wash up sweetie." He looked down the hall. "And maybe check on Gumball? Hope he didn't fall in. I'm just gonna see if your mother needs a hand."
"Yeah, okay." Penny nodded. She made her way down the corridor, staring at the various pictures of her family that adorned the wall. Amongst the baby pictures of herself or Polly. One stuck out in particular. The four of them standing on a beach, their family portrait from the year prior.
Penny stopped, gently taking the picture off the wall to get a closer look at it. Her face, though well hidden, was plastered with a forced smile. The result of her trying to convince her father that Gumball should be allowed to join them for it.
"Gumball is not family."
Penny frowned, hanging the picture back up. A sour memory in a house full of many. Her eyes shifted to another one close by. She and her boyfriend embracing under a tree at Christmas time, both wearing matching Santa hats. She remembered her dad's smile while taking that picture and the toast he made with the cat after.
Did her father really accept Gumball after all these years? She couldn't decide. Taking a deep breath, she stepped away from the photos, and placed a hand on the bathroom's doorknob.
One month ago.
Penny held the small stick in her hands, anxiously awaiting the results. This was the third test she'd done that week, but if she was going to tell these people, she had to be sure.
Positive.
"Positive." She relayed into the phone.
"You're sure? You're completely sure?!" A voice asked from the other end.
"Gumball, we've been through this. This is test number three now, the doctor said if there was going to be a negative result, it would have shown up by now."
"You sure we shouldn't go to the doctor and get another proper check just to be 100% sure?"
"I know what I am." Penny growled quietly, trying not to let her family hear.
"Okay, okay okay okay." Gumball said, taking several deep breaths. "So. You're gonna tell them?"
"At some point. Not tonight." Penny gulped. "Look, I'll come over later and we can talk more alright? Right now, I gotta go join them for dinner."
A heavy silence hung for several seconds, though they ticked by like hours.
"Alright." Gumball said. "Love you Penny."
"Love you too." She switched her phone off, shoving it into her pocket next to the test.
The fairy walked downstairs. Her parents sat around the dining table, their gaze locked onto the stairs. Penny recognised this layout. The sign they wanted to talk to her.
"What's… this about?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Penny." Judith sighed. "We wanted to talk to you about your future."
"What about it? I told you, I want to be an art- no I'm going to be an artist."
"That's a hobby, Penny, we're talking about a real career." Patrick grunted.
"Art IS a real career! I like it, I've been paid for it before!"
"We wanted you to consider this." Judith slid a folder on the table over to Penny. "We think it'd be really good for you."
The fairy picked up the folder, flicking through it.
"Irene's insurance… secretary position?"
"I pulled some strings with a friend." Patrick leaned back in his chair, smiling smugly. "You start Wednesday."
"It's easy work." Judith added. "You just run errands for people, get them coffee, write emails, deliver their mail. It would be a great start for your career."
"And, well." Patrick put in. "You're ideal for it."
"Ideal?!"
"Well," Judith rubbed her thumbs against her chin. "You're… young, and pretty. A bright and likeable girl like you, just give it enough time and maybe you can work your way up to manager there."
Penny's face went red with fury. "So you want me to spend my life just fetching coffee and being ogled by old creepy guys?! What about the coffee shop? That pays well enough for now!"
"Let's be realistic, Penny. That's a dead-end job, it's a terrible way to make a living."
"And this isn't?!" What about my art?!"
"You can do that in your spare time."
"Oh so five minutes a day? I want art to be my career, not this!"
"Do you want to end up on the boardwalk painting stupid renditions of people all day?"
"I don't care if I do, art's fun to me!"
"'Fun' does not put food on the table!"
"I'd rather starve than waste my life at an office!"
"So where are you gonna live then huh?" Patrick thundered. "Because if you're going to throw your life away to chase some dream, you're not living in this house!"
"Patrick.." Judith put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we should thi-"
"Maybe I don't want to live here then!"
"Penny!" Judith gasped. "You can't be serious."
"I am! I'll go with Gumball, he'll support me!"
"Gumball?"
"Yeah, Gumball."
"Penelope..." Patrick pinched his forehead in frustration. "I know you love that boy, but running off with someone because of what could easily be a passing- do you have any idea what his parents did? Do you want to end up like them?!"
Penny scowled. "Why wouldn't I want to be like them?! They love each other!" It took all her energy to resist turning into a dragon right there.
"I-"
"What your father means" Judith interrupted, grabbing Patrick's hand. "Is that we want you to have a plan for your life. To know where you'll end up in ten years."
"I know exactly where I'll end up if I stay here." Penny muttered. "Miserable." She stormed upstairs to her room, grabbing her suitcases. She started hastily stuffing in clothes, devices, her plushy replica of Mr. Cuddles. Everything of value to her.
"Penny, please, think about this." Judith begged, standing in the door. "I have." Penny responded, barging past her. "And I don't want anything to do with either of you."
She huffed downstairs, Judith frantically chasing after her. "Penny, please, just wait!"
"No, I'm leaving!" Penny arrived at the front door. As she twisted the knob, she caught a glimpse of Patrick still sulking at the dinner table. She looked at him, her face screwed up with a mix of anger and hurt.
"What are you still doing here then…" he mumbled. Penny felt her heart crumble. She flung the door open, grabbed her other case and charged out, slamming the door behind her.
Immediately after she had fumed her way down the stairs, the fairy felt the tears forming in her eyes. She managed to make it to the bus stop at the next block before dropping her cases, shifting into her dragon form and roaring at the sky.
An innocent trash can nearby faced the brunt of her attack, receiving dents, scratches, kicks, punches, all before being torn in half.
Penny morphed back to her original self, breathing heavily as the trash can parts pelted down around her. The anger eventually subsided into depression as she fell to her knees sobbing.
She felt a buzz in her pocket, pulling out her phone to see the latest message from Gumball.
"hey, u doin good? :)"
"no :c"
Immediately she saw the three pulsing dots pop up, knowing a tidal wave of support was imminent. She had something else to say in mind, however.
"before u say anything else gmbll, can i ask something?"
"sure"
"think i could stay at ur place?"
"yea of course. ill have to ask mom first, but, how long?"
"a while i think. we had a fight"
"oh. that bad huh?"
"yeah. right now im homeless :D" She attached a streamer emoji, as if that would lighten the situation a little.
"oh man. ill go ask mom right now. well figure it out penny, promise 3 love you lots"
"love u too"
She placed her phone back in her pocket, feeling the stick from before. She pulled it out, examining it. The little positive sign reminding her of the future. Penny looked back to her former home, debating if she should tell them.
Would it make things better? Who was she kidding, it'd make them furious. But maybe it'd be good to rub it in his face?
Penny shook her head. She raised her arm, throwing the test as far as she could into the street. Hearing it shatter against the road, she inhaled, turned around and began walking herself and the other future Watterson to their new home, as far away from the Fitzgeralds as they could go.
"You doing okay?" Penny asked, gently pushing the door open.
Gumball rubbed his hand, still yowching at the pain. "Why does your family show love by hurting?"
"It's just their way." Penny laughed. "I heard my great grandparents met by getting in a fistfight over a car accident."
"Really?"
"Yeah, they bonded in the hospital room together. They even got married there."
"And I thought my family was crazy."
"No, yours still is." Penny smirked. She took hold of Gumball's hand, rubbing it softly. "Oh poor baby. Does this make it feel better?" She kissed his throbbing paw.
"A little." The cat purred. "How about this?" Penny kissed him on the cheek. "Ooo, much better."
"This?" She kissed him on the lips. Gumball stood in a daze as his cheeks burned bright red. "Yep. I'm all better."
"I'm glad to hear." Penny grinned. She walked up to the sink, rinsing her hands, then standing up to look at the couple in the mirror.
"We tell them at dinner." She said, firmly.
"You're sure?" Gumball asked.
"I'm sure." She nodded.
"Penny! Gumball!" Patrick called. "Dinners ready."
Deep breath. "Showtime." Penny whispered.
The pair settled into their seats as Judith brought out the large roasted chicken, laying it in the middle of the table and began carving.
"Wow, looks amazing Mrs Fitz-"
Judith shot him a look, halting her carving, pulling out the knife a little.
"I mean… looks amazing Judith!" Gumball said with a nervous smile.
"Why, thank you Gumball!" She chirped, dishing a slice onto his plate.
"So, Gumball." Patrick said, digging into his food. "I heard you ran into Polly the other day."
"Oh, yeah haha, small world huh?"
"Hey Penny, did Gumball tell you about that?" Polly asked. "He said you were at some painting thing."
"Oh, uhhhh, I think so?" Penny laughed nervously. "Oh, oh yeah he did! I was just so, y'know, tired from painting."
"What were you painting?" Judith quizzed, passing a slice to her own plate.
"Ummm clouds-"
"-Oceans." Gumball butted in. The fairy glared, sending daggers with her eyes more threatening than any hair snakes.
"Yeahhhh, clouds, oceans, hills. all that kinda stuff."
"Landscapes, you mean?"
"That's one way to put it, sure."
"Oh that sounds lovely." Patrick smiled. "We'd love to see it someday."
"I'll be sure to bring it next time we come over then."
"Wonderful."
Polly cleared her throat. "So um, Penny. Not to be rude but like, have you gotten into eati-"
"Polly!" Patrick scolded. "Don't talk about your sister that way!"
"But, come on Dad, you've gotta admit she's gotten… you know… bigger."
"I haven't left yet, Polly." The fairy huffed. "I can still hear you."
Judith sighed. "I hate to say it but Polly does sort of have a point. Penny, honey, you haven't taken up comfort eating, have you?"
Gumball felt the sweat trickle down his neck. "Well, Judith, actually she's-"
"-Chubby." Penny blurted out. "Yeah, I guess I've just let myself go, heh heh." She patted her belly.
Suddenly, Penny felt queasy as her stomach turned. They were always the kind to have poor timing, the Wattersons, and clearly this baby was shaping up to be no different.
"Oof, man, I must've had too much chicken already, excuse me." Penny hastily stood up, heading off to the bathroom.
"But sweetie, you haven't even touched your food yet."
"Oh, yeah." Penny choked out, trying her best to keep her stomach contents down. "We got food on the way over."
Patrick looked at Gumball's plate to see the feline had already cleared half his chicken. The cat himself seemed to forget he was mid-bite until that point, to which he slowly swallowed what was in his mouth with an audible gulp. "Gumball seems pretty hungry to me."
"Well, you kno-" Penny stopped herself, gagging and darting into the bathroom. The dining room occupants cringed as they heard Penny retching into the toilet.
"Penny?! Are you alright?!" Judith rushed over to the bathroom. Still green in the face, the fairy staggered out. "Yeah yeah I'm fine, just full."
"Penny, you've just emptied your stomach. In fact, it seems you haven't had a bite to eat all day, what's going on?!"
"Dad, I swear I-"
"She's pregnant."
Forks, guards and jaws dropped, as attention in the room shifted to the now sweat-drenched cat.
"She's… what?"
"Pregnant." Gumball repeated with a clear of the throat, slightly more confident. "Penny and I are having a baby."
Judith stumbled back, reaching for and collapsing into her chair. Patrick stood motionless, dumbfounded. Polly stared, her eyes darting between the four adults, waiting for something to happen.
"You're telling me." Patrick choked, pointing a shaky finger at the cat. "You got my daughter… pregnant?"
Gumball gulped. "Yes."
"You mean… you MEAN…"
"Yeah Dad. I'm pregnant."
"YOU MEAN-" His fists tightened. Gumball shut his eyes, bracing for impact. "I'm sorry!" He squeaked.
"I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDFATHER?!"
"Please I- huh?" He cautiously opened one eye. Patrick was- well for starters, not looking to rip Gumball's heart out, but he actually looked sort of happy. "…yes?"
"That's amazing! Honey!" He wrapped Judith up in a tight hug. "We're going to be grandparents!"
"I know, I can hardly believe it!" She squealed. "I'm gonna be a grandma, eeeee!"
Penny was stunned, seeing the joyful tears in her parents' eyes as they celebrated. "Wait, you're…. not mad?"
"Mad?! At this?! How could we be?"
"Well for one, we're not married. Not yet at least."
"Pff." Judith scoffed. "Married shmarried. Penny, you were almost two years old when we finally tied it."
"What? Why- why'd you never tell me?"
The older peanuts looked at eachother, bamboozled. "Well, why would we?"
"Well… you've always been so… so… traditional! You wanted me to go back in my shell! You make your toast over a fire! When we went camping, instead of using a compass, you'd follow the sun until it set!"
"... And because of that, I'd care about you having a baby…. why exactly?"
"I-" Penny stopped. She didn't really have a good reason.
"At the end of the day honey, marriage is just a ring and a piece of paper you sign. Love is a lot more than that." Patrick said, slinging his arm around his wife's shoulder..
Penny sat back down in her seat, burying her face in her hands. "All this time, I thought you'd be furious."
"Furious? Sweetie, no." Judith slid into the chair next to her daughter, patting her on the shoulder. "This is amazing! We're so happy for you!"
"Yeah!" Polly chipped in. "Do you know how cool I'd be at school if I said I was going to be an Aunt?"
"Soooo" Judith softly elbowed Penny, a sly grin on her face. "How far along are you?"
Penny blushed. "About two months…"
"Awww." Patrick gushed. "My little gi- two months?! You mean… when we… you were??!"
Penny's embarrassment was replaced by guilt. "Yeah."
"Well, I guess that explains your temper at the time." Patrick chuckled. "That must've been the real double whammy, finding out after all that happened."
The fairy squirmed. "Actually dad, we had found out a week before… everything."
"Oh."
"I wanted to tell you but, y'know…"
"Honey," Judith grabbed Pennys hand. "We're so sorry about everything we said that night. We were concerned about you and your future, we just didn't know how to show it. I'm sure your father's told you, we've been going through counselling, so we never have a fight like that again."
"I'm glad." Penny smiled, brushing a tear from her eye. "But, aren't you still scared?"
"Penny, it's us." Patrick pointed to himself and his wife. "Of course we are. We'll always be worried about you, it's our job. You and your sister." He added, noticing the pout on his younger daughter's face.
"We don't know how things will turn out. But," He looked at the fairy's partner. "We know you've got a good guy to go through it with."
Penny felt her heart melt. She wrapped her arms around her father. "I love you guys."
"We love you too." Patrick smiled, Judith and Polly joining the hug. "Gumball!"
"Huh?" The cat snapped back awake, having been distracted by the sheer wholesomeness of the scene happening in front of him.
"Over here now, boy." Patrick ordered, beckoning him with his hand.
Gumball complied, timidly scooching over and promptly being crushed once more, this time by all four family members. As they released him, he toppled to the floor, limp.
"Penny…" he choked. "I can't feel anything."
"Welcome to the family." She smirked, bending down to kiss him on the cheek again.
As she helped the cat back up, Judith passed a few more slices of chicken onto Penny's plate. "Uh, mom, I think I've got enough."
"No, no you haven't." Judith tutted. "You're not letting my grandchild go hungry. Now eat up, dear." Penny felt it futile to fight her mother on this.
"So, you guys got any names in mind?" Polly asked.
"Well, I thought if it's a boy- I mean, you know, born a boy, Zachary? Gumball's not too keen on it though."
"I hate that name." He hissed.
"Why?" Patrick inquired.
"Zach used to be Gumball's name before his family changed it." Penny explained. "And Gumball claims it tried to take over his body making him into the ultimate obnoxious skater dude."
"Zach's a scumbag." The feline snorted. "I don't want my kid being exposed to any of that."
"That's why I want to call them Zachary, not Zach."
"You're on thin ice with that and you know it."
The discussion continued until both the sun and the chicken were gone.
"See ya Polly." Gumball said, giving the peanut a parting high five as she retreated to her room.
"Later. Nice seeing you guys again."
The pair waved the teenager off, before turning back to their hosts. "Well as always, that food was great, Judith." Gumball sighed, rubbing his stomach.
"I'm glad you liked it." She smiled, stretching her arms out. The cat's fur stood on end. "Wait wait wait nononono- OW…" But Judith had already crushed him in another hug. "Okay…"
"Well, we should be going." Penny laughed, massaging her boyfriend's back. "I'm really glad we did this. I've…" She brushed a tear from her eye. "I've really missed you guys."
"Wait wait, don't go yet!" Patrick put an arm in front of them. "Don't you remember? I wanted to show you something."
"Oh. It totally slipped my mind." Penny smacked her forehead. "Sorry dad. Okay, where is it?"
"Well, it's not here, honey." Patrick opened the front door. "Follow me, we gotta take a little drive to get there."
Gumball and Penny shared nervous looks. "Uh, alright."
They followed the large peanut out to his car, climbing into the backseat together. Patrick backed the car out of the driveway then took off down the road. As street lights and signs blurred past, Gumball shuffled towards Penny.
"Where do you think he's taking us?" He whispered.
"I don't know, maybe another dumb job thing?"
"Haha, nope!" Patrick laughed, making the couple freeze with fear. He glanced in the rear view mirror at their terrified faces. "Oh, that? Just a Dad power." He chuckled. "You learn to pick up what kids say when they whisper, but anyway, that's not important right now. "
"So, what is it then, if it's not a job thing." Penny asked.
"Upbupbup, I never said it wasn't a job thing! I said it wasn't a dumb job thing, there's a difference."
"Yeah?" Penny crossed her arms. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, I heard the coffee shop's been kinda… dull recently, so it made it the perfect time to show you this."
"Wait, how'd you know?" Gumball asked.
"The construction guys told me. Said you seemed kinda bored." He semi-shrugged. "I don't blame you, it sounds mind numbing. That and that 'Shannon' character, ugh."
"Sharon." Gumball corrected.
"Same difference. Anyway, let it be known, she's what happens if you spoil a kid all their life."
"And you think this job will be so much better, why exactly?"
"This is a job I think you'll like, Pen." He smiled. "Trust me. Oh hey look at that, we're here."
The car pulled over, the three getting out to look at a small decrepit building stuffed between various small businesses.
"Tell me, honey." Patrick said. "How do you feel about running your own little business?"
"Um, I mean it'd be cool I guess, but I've no idea where I'd start- why do you ask?"
"Well, why not have a look outside."
Penny looked out. Hung on the door to the building was a sign.
"Penny's Paints (Name Pending): Coming Soon"
"Penny's Paints?" Penny cocked an eyebrow.
"Just a temporary name, you can call it something else." He shrugged "I talked to some friends, called in some favours. One guy had this old building his business wasn't using after they relocated. I was able to coordinate a crew and, starting Monday, they're gonna make this old hunk of junk into a venue for the greatest art store in town. That is, if you want it to be."
"Wait, I'm confused." She gasped. "What are you doing with this place?"
"Giving it to you two." Patrick's smile fell, as he rubbed his shoulder nervously. "Polly showed us some of your art. I never saw just how… stunning it all is. So I want to give you the chance to really make a living out of it. All this;" He gestured to the building. "It'll be yours."
Penny took another look at the place. This time, her mind embellished it with possibilities, where to put things, what to sell, how she'd decorate it. Her eyes widened with excitement as her brain raced with ideas.
Patrick cleared his throat. "Of course, we're not gonna do everything. Decorating, equipment, all that'll be up to you. We'll get the electrical and things up and running but after that, the place is in your hands. With all that said, what do you think, Penny?" He held out the small brown folder. "Wanna be your own boss?"
"Yes! Yes yes yes of course, thank you Dad!"
"You're welcome honey! Now uh, why don't you get out and take a little look around. There's something I wanna talk about with Gumball real quick."
Penny's excitement fell as she looked back and forth between the two. Patrick gave a comforting smile. "Don't worry, it's not about anything bad. Please, go take a look at your new place. We'll be out soon."
The fairy looked to the cat, searching for any hint of reassurance. Gumball gave her hand a quick squeeze. "It's okay, I'll be fine."
Penny solemnly nodded before shutting the car door and heading out to the building. Patrick dropped the smile, letting out a deep sigh.
"You know what I'm gonna talk about, don't you?"
"I uh, I don't think so."
"Alright, let me just cut to the chase then. Was it planned?"
Gumball looked down. "Kinda. It wasn't an accident. We talked about it, we said how we wanted to have one, but I guess it just kinda happened a little sooner than we wanted."
"Mhm." Patrick nodded. "Alright then. Listen, I've known a lot of jerks who'll get their girl pregnant and then either walk out or just become a total deadbeat."
"Patrick, I swear, I'm not either-"
"I don't think you're one of them."
Gumball was taken aback. Patrick being nice to him when Penny wasn't looking was so… foreign. Without the creases of anger that he was used to seeing on his face, Patrick almost looked… wiser to the young cat.
The peanut sighed again, leaning back in his seat. "I know you already know the drill. Don't ever make her cry, don't ever hurt her, that all goes without saying."
"I promise, I'll never."
"Then promise me one more thing too, Gumball. Don't do what I did."
Gumball raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Don't make your kid scared of you. Scared to make a mistake, scared to introduce friends or partners to you. Scared to ask you for help. That's not how a father should be."
"What? Patrick, you've done great."
"No, no I haven't." The peanut shook his head. "I tried to… shield my kids. Control what they did, who they talked to. I thought if I made the plans for them, I'd be ready for if things went wrong. But that's not how life works. And I wish I could've seen that sooner."
"Patrick, it doesn't matter, you raised an amazing person. Nearly two of them now."
"That's not me. That's her mother and the world around her. People like you. They're the ones who bring out that smile." Patrick pointed.
"No matter what you say," Gumball started, glancing out the window to see Penny inside the store fiddling with a defunct cash register, a massive grin on her face as it sounded with an iconic "cha-ching!".
"The person I fell in love with wouldn't be the person she is today without you, too."
All while Gumball was watching Penny, Patrick had been watching him. And he smiled.
"Please, Gumball, keep that smile around. And make sure your kid has got a reason to be just as happy."
"I will. I promise"
"Good." Patrick relaxed back into his carseat. He was a good kid after all. "Glad we had a chance to talk. Anyhow, you want to go take a look inside?"
"Sure." Gumball unbuckled his seatbelt. As the two stepped out, the cat stopped to stretch his back.
"Oof, that smarts."
"Hah." Patrick chortled. "Kid, it's all downhill from there. Hope your back's ready to spend all day bent over changing diapers. Oh, that reminds me. A tip for you, do not complain about that around Penny."
"Why not?"
Patrick merely pointed. Penny was wincing, rubbing her spine. "I love her, but Judith was always going on about her back, both times it was just non-stop "Ow my back, Ow my feet, Patrick can you rub my back?" It can get maddening."
"Okay, you try strapping a flour bag to your front and see how you like it." Penny snapped, barging out through the tacked-together door.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"
"I did not at any point agree with anything he said!" Gumball raised his arms, surrendering. "That was all him!"
"Oh won't someone think of the poor fathers?! Forget the people that are literally creating a person inside them, we need to focus on the real tragedy!" She sighed, dramatically resting a hand against her forehead, pretending to faint into Gumball's arms. "How do you go on like this?"
"Indeed, you're so admirable, Gumball, heh" Patrick smirked. "How are things looking inside?"
Penny looked up at the store. "It's nice. Cosy. I can't wait to get to work on it."
Gumball peered into the store. "Yeah totally. Hey Pen, where should we put the register?"
"We?" The fairy cocked her head. "Gumball, you don't want to… run the store with me, do you?"
"Uh, of course I do! I mean, unless you don't want me to, which I understand if-"
"No, no, I do! It's just, I thought you wanted, well, your own path…"
"Penny, I wanna spend as much time as I can with you. And this?" He gestured to the empty store around them. "This is a great place to do it!"
"So you're just gonna quit?"
"I mean, I can't quit right away now, can I? But once this place gets off the ground, I'm telling ya, it is goodbye to delivering pizzas!"
"But, don't you think it might be a bit ambitious for us?" Penny asked. "Really, Gumball, we'll have the baby to take care of, rent to pay, bills, I just- I'm not sure betting everything on this store is the greatest idea."
"Penny has a point, son." Patrick shrugged. "As cute as it'd be, it's still just an art store. They're not exactly known for raking in millions."
"Then who says it has to be just an art store?" Gumball offered. "What about, say, a cafe-art store?"
"Why would you only sell art of cafes? I feel like business would dry up pretty quick."
"Dad." Penny groaned. "I think he means a cafe that sells art." She leaned over, whispering into her boyfriend's ear. "That is what you mean, right?"
"Yeah, why not? Here is how I see it working; People see your amazing art and come in to get a better look, it's so pretty they start drooling and after long enough, they're so hungry they need something to eat."
"My art is not that good." The fairy blushed. "Wouldn't the main seller be your food? You're a great cook!"
The cat frowned disapprovingly. "Don't you EVER say my food is better than your art."
"But, it is-"
"LIES!" Gumball shrieked, pointing dramatically. "Your paintings would bring crowds in from miles away!"
"Honey, I think you better just take this one." Patrick whispered, nudging his daughter.
"Okay, okay! Gumball! My art is much better than your food, okay?"
"Finally! I'm tired of you pretending it isn't!"
"Yes, yes, but comparisons aside, are you serious about the idea?"
"Like I said, why not? Gives us a store we can run together. And plus, how cool would it be for our kid to say their parents run the most unique shop in Elmore?"
Penny crossed her arms. "Really? Most unique?"
"Okay, second most." Gumball conceded. "After the Awesome Store… and that place that only sells burning carpets… and the supermarket they filled with owls… okay it'll at least be a unique store. But anyway yeah, why shouldn't we?"
"I don't know." Penny scratched her cheek. "It could be too much for us."
"You don't have to make a decision right now." Patrick reassured her. "Heck, we could even let you guys do a trial run of it, and see how you handle it. Either way, right now, there isn't any pressure. I can say from experience, starting a business and a family is hard work."
"Really? I thought it was easy?" Penny mock-gasped.
"Hah, I know right?" Patrick guffawed. "Aaaanywho, we should probably get you guys home. You can have a proper talk about it and come to your own decision."
"Alright, thanks Dad." The fairy turned back to her potential future store, smiling. "I can't believe we might actually get to own this someday."
"Yeah," Patrick nodded. "It's surreal to see, potentially handing my daughter and her goofball boyfriend a store. I'm sure you two would do great."
"He's not that much of a goofball, give him some credit ." She then looked around, confused. "Hey where'd he go?"
The cat suddenly burst out the front door, stretching his arms. "Ahhhh." He sighed, relieved. "Hey good news, the bathroom still works."
"What bathroom?" Patrick raised an eyebrow. The cat went pale. "Uhhh, nothing? Oh hey, Patrick, look at the time! We should get going, huh? Baby needs it's Penny sleep- I mean, Penny sleeps her need- I'll clean it up…" He darted back inside, making a beeline for the 'bathroom'.
"Now that I think about it, goofball may be too light of a word."
~
Patrick rolled down his window as the couple departed the car. "Night, honey." He called. "It's really great to see you two again. Well, three- you get what I mean."
Penny giggled. "Yeah, I get it, Dad. It was nice seeing you as well."
Patrick reached for his daughter's hand, squeezing it gently. "Really, Penny. Thank you for coming tonight. And thank you for letting us know."
"I should be the one thanking you, you're giving us a whole store after all."
"Oh, Penny." The peanut sighed. "You've given us so much more tonight."
The fairy scoffed. "Oh, don't be so corny, Dad."
"I'm not." He grinned. "I'm nutty!" Penny could only facepalm as the peanut drove away, chortling. As soon as the car was out of sight, she turned to the cat, sighing.
"So, it seems you were right."
"Mmm?" Gumball tilted his head innocently. "About what, dear Penelope?"
"Having dinner with them. It wasn't actually so bad."
"Oh, was it now? It wasn't the gruelling task you made it out to be? Who would've thought?"
"Hey it was still hard!" Penny frowned. "I think I still deserve some sort of reward." She sighed, melodramatically. "You don't know the stress it puts on mothers like me."
"What, you want ice cream for it or something?"
"Mmm, something like that, yeah."
"Why don't I carry you inside instead?"
"Wait, wh- WOAH!" Penny squealed as she was suddenly scooped up by her partner. "Gumball! Put me down!"
"No-can-do, Pens." Gumball tutted, carrying her towards the front door. "You were vewy bwave today, so this is your reward."
The fairy struggled and squirmed in his arms. "Okay, haha, very cute, now can you just put me down?!" The cat only shook his head. "How are you even doing this?"
"Because I love you, duh."
"Gumball, the two of us are way too heavy for you to carry."
"What are you talking about, you're lighter than air!" Gumball said through gritted teeth. "Not even breaking a sweat!"
"You know I can see your knees buckling, right? In fact, I can feel it"
"No you can't."
Penny shrugged. "Alright, if you're sure!" She wrapped her arms around the feline's body, putting as much of her weight against his arms as she could. Gumball's eyes bulged as his stagger slowed to a crawl.
"What's the matter, tough guy?" The fairy smirked. "I thought you coul-"
"WILL YOU TWO BE QUIET?!"
A certain neighbour bellowed. "SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO REGRET OUR LIVES IN PEACE!"
The couple immediately dropped the act, scurrying inside the house. Changing into their pyjamas, the two nestled themselves inside their makeshift bed.
"So, what do you think of the idea?" Penny asked.
"Balancing running a two-in-one store and raising a kid? Sounds awesome!" Gumball beamed.
"You sure it won't be too much for us?"
"Pen, considering what we've gone through? It'll be a cakewalk!"
"Are you sure?"
"Of course!" He leaned in, kissing his girlfriend on the nose. "I love you, I love our kid. What more do we need?" The cat let out a yawn, his eyes closing.
Penny smiled, feeling her own eyes grow misty with sleep. "Yeah. What else?" She murmured.