Enorace Oneshots and Short Stories

Reveal (Part 2)

Chapter 5: Reveal part 2

Synopsis: The peculiars try to get Horace a girlfriend, but their attempts are halted when the truth comes out.

Set: After Library of Souls, in Florida

Genre/s: Angst/Fluff

Horace's next date was in three days time, and he spent every one of those three days trying to cancel it. But despite his best efforts, something always came along to jeopardise his attempt- whether it was a spray of Devil's Acre street-mud all over Penelope's clothes just as he began explaining why he didn't want to date her (he couldn't very well break up with someone who was already crying about her ruined clothes, for Bird's sake), or Jacob cutting Horace off mid-breakup speech to tell Penelope she was welcome use their loop entrance to visit Horace in the present as long as she didn't let herself age forward.

So by the time the date rolled around, Horace had been entirely unsuccessful in breaking up with Penelope.

"I can't do this anymore," he declared to Enoch the morning of the date. Enoch had been told to get Horace out of bed by the others, as he was now (very unconvincingly) feigning illness as a last resort.

"I won't lead Penelope on like this- it's not fair to her and it's not fair to you," Horace said adamantly.

Enoch shrugged, lying down on his back on the carpet and beginning to torment a squirming homunculus.

"I don't care- I think it's funny," he reminded him with a snort.

"Well it's not!" Horace snapped.

"Oh come on, it is a bit," Enoch insisted.

"Enoch..." Horace scolded him dejectedly, and when Enoch saw his face, he released the homunculus and sat up.

"Look, don't get all upset. Just break up with her already."

"I've already tried a thousand times- it didn't work!" Horace cried, throwing off his covers and storming over to the window. Some normal at another house down below was reversing their automobile down their driveway, heading to work. Horace envied their simple life.

He turned back to Enoch miserably.

"And besides, I can't just suddenly break Penelope's heart- that's cruel, especially without being able to give her a valid reason."

"Well give her one then," Enoch shrugged from the floor. "Tell her you've gotten bored of her or something. Or-" He poked the homunculus in the chest, watching it tumble backwards, and his face suddenly lit up with a joke. "-Or tell her you've gone off her because her fabric styles ain't complimentary enough- that'd be a laugh."

Horace gave him a withering glare.

"If you ever decide to break up with me one day, please dear God don't do it like that," he begged. Enoch snorted, but Horace had grown serious again.

"They all love her, Enoch. I can't break up with her- they'd hate me."

"They're your friends you idiot," Enoch scoffed. "They're not going to suddenly hate you just cause you've dumped some random girl they barely know."

"Well, fine. They may not hate me, but they'll all be so angry and upset... I don't want to disappoint them."

Enoch was on his feet now.

"Are you hearing yourself?" he spluttered. "You're seriously going to lie to yourself and Penelope- and your friends, by the way- just so you won't disappoint them? Screw them! It's none of their business in the first place."