[Modern Family] Ch: 51 [Penny, Burgers & Mystic Warlords of Ka'a] (Patreon)

AN: Changed the kissing part a bit. Made it a bit more intimate. 🫡

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[June 19] [Friday] [Pasadena, California]

By the time Jason pulled up outside Penny's apartment building at one-fifteen, he was already looking forward to the afternoon.

He'd spent the morning inspecting his new Audi A8 L, admiring it in the garage, and checking his bank balance with considerably less enthusiasm. Now, sitting behind the wheel of the white sedan, he decided that spending nearly a hundred and forty thousand dollars on a car had at least made driving around Los Angeles extremely comfortable.

He sent Penny a quick text letting her know he'd arrived.

A few minutes later, she appeared outside wearing fitted blue jeans, a light yellow top, and sandals. Her blonde hair fell loosely around her shoulders, and she had a small handbag hanging from one arm.

Penny spotted the Audi, glanced at the driver, and stopped walking.

Jason lowered the passenger window with a smile. "Hey, gorgeous. Your Uber's here, and the driver's pretty cute."

Penny stared at him before looking over the car again. "Whoa. Okay, hold on. What happened to the other car?"

"Nothing happened. She's perfectly healthy and resting comfortably in my garage."

Penny walked closer, examining the Audi with growing amusement. "So, what, you just woke up this morning and thought, 'Hey, you know what I don't have enough of? Ridiculously expensive cars'?"

"Pretty much," Jason admitted, reaching over to unlock the passenger door. "The Nissan only has two seats, and I wanted something a little more practical."

Penny climbed inside and immediately looked around the luxurious interior. "Practical? Sweetie, my car is practical, well, when the check engine light isn't blinking at me. This looks like it belongs to a Russian mob boss who hoards fancy watches and has people whacked for scratching his coffee table."

Jason laughed as she settled into the passenger seat. "Well, I do collect watches, so I'm already halfway there."

"Oh, great. Remind me never to spill coffee in here."

Once she fastened her seat belt, Jason pulled away from the curb. Penny spent the next several minutes examining the various controls, occasionally asking questions about features she hadn't seen before.

When Jason demonstrated the seat's massage function, her eyes widened.

"Shut up, your car gives massages? Okay, that is officially the most ridiculous thing I've ever..." Penny exclaimed, shifting against the seat as the mechanism started working. "Oh, sweet Jesus. Never mind, nobody talk to me, I live here now."

"Please don't. The HOA fees on the backseat are brutal."

"Don't care. It's cheaper than a spa and way nicer than my couch."

They reached the burger restaurant Penny had chosen. It was a casual place with red booths, bright windows, and the familiar smell of grilled beef and french fries.

Penny quickly sat down at a booth by the window after ordering. Their food arrived not long after. The waiter brought over two cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and milkshakes. Penny looked at the tray and seemed happy with the order. The waiter set the food on the table and left.

"See, this is what I like about you," Penny said, reaching for a fry. "You can buy a car that costs more than some houses, but you're still perfectly happy eating a cheeseburger."

Jason unwrapped his burger. "A good cheeseburger doesn't become less delicious because you've got money."

"Exactly! Nothing beats a juicy cheeseburger with fries."

They laughed and continued eating, occasionally stealing fries from each other's plates.

After a while, Jason asked how things had been going with her acting career.

Penny's expression immediately changed.

"Ugh, don't even ask... I just found out yesterday that I didn't get this commercial I auditioned for last week."

"That sucks. What was the commercial?"

"Some new antidepressant."

Jason stopped chewing and looked at her.

"Wait. You auditioned for an antidepressant commercial?"

"Yes! And I nailed it, okay?" Penny replied, gesturing with a fry. "I knew all my lines, I wasn't even late, I hit my mark, and then I found out they passed on me because, get this... I was 'too perky.'"

Jason stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Penny immediately pointed the fry at him. "Don't laugh! I'm serious!"

"I'm sorry," Jason managed between laughs. "You're telling me you lost a commercial about treating depression because you looked too happy?"

"Yes! The casting director literally said my 'baseline vibe' was too peppy for their target demographic!"

Jason leaned back, laughing harder. "That's incredible. Penny, you literally got rejected for being emotionally healthier than the advertisement."

"I know!" Penny exclaimed, although she was laughing now too. "What was I supposed to do? Walk into the audition looking like somebody just ran over my dog?"

"Maybe they wanted somebody who looked miserable before taking the medication."

"No! That's the worst part! I was reading for the girl at the end who's already on the pills and playing frisbee with a Golden Retriever!"

Jason nearly choked on his milkshake.

Penny threw both hands into the air. "Thank you! How am I too happy to play the girl whose medicine is working?!"

Jason wiped his mouth with a napkin, still grinning. "Maybe next time you should walk in crying, and when they ask what's wrong, tell them you didn't get the last antidepressant commercial."

Penny laughed so hard she had to put her burger down.

"Ok. That's terrible. I'm absolutely doing that next time."

Their conversation eventually shifted toward her other auditions, the acting classes she was considering, and what she'd been doing since winning the lottery.

Penny had paid off her credit cards, handled her overdue bills, fixed her car, and placed the remaining money into savings.

She was still working at The Cheesecake Factory.

"Honestly, having money in the bank feels weird," Penny admitted. "I keep opening my account and expecting the balance to be depressing again."

Jason nodded. "Well, at least you don't have to worry about rent every month anymore."

"Oh, you have no idea. Plus, I don't have to beg to swap shifts every time I get an audition. I'm still keeping my shifts at the restaurant until I book a real gig, though."

"Look at you, being all financially responsible."

Penny smiled. "Hey, watch it. I can be a grown-up when I want to be. I only bought two pairs of shoes this week from a sale."

After finishing their burgers, they returned to the Audi.

Jason wanted to go for a drive, and Penny was all for it, especially when he said they could use the massage seats.

They drove north towards the hills and got onto the curvy Angeles Crest Highway. Soon, there were fewer buildings and more hills, trees, and open road. Jason drove smoothly around the bends.

Penny rolled down her window a bit and enjoyed the fresh air.

"This is nice," she said, watching the scenery pass. "Way better than spending my Friday afternoon having some lady in yoga pants yell at me because her cheesecake has too much cheese in it."

Jason glanced at her. "Has that actually happened?"

"Twice! Last Tuesday a woman looked me dead in the eye and asked if the kitchen could scrape the cream cheese out of her cheesecake."

"Please tell me you walked away."

"I told her what she was looking for is called 'cake,' and walked away before she could tip me in coupons."

Jason laughed, and Penny settled more comfortably into her seat.

They continued talking about movies, terrible auditions, embarrassing childhood memories, and their favorite music. Jason told her about starting The Grid Lab, explaining how he'd been dismantling smartphones and putting them back together for videos.

Penny looked at him with amusement. "So your hobbies are playing video games, taking expensive phones apart, buying comic books, and occasionally winning lotteries?"

"Yeah, that pretty much covers it."

"Wow. And I thought my life was weird."

At one scenic overlook, Jason pulled over so they could enjoy the view. Penny stood beside him near the guardrail, looking out toward the distant mountains.

After a few minutes, she slipped her hand into his.

Jason glanced down before smiling and gently squeezing her fingers.

Penny looked toward him. "Hey... I had a really good time today."

"Me too. Glad you finally got around to asking me out."

She smiled before adding, "Yeah, well, don't let it go to your head. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this whole... sharing-a-boyfriend thing. I mean, Haley and Alex are great, really, it's just... I'm from Omaha, okay? This wasn't exactly covered in health class."

"Hey, no rush. We go at your pace," Jason said with a small nod.

Penny leaned against his shoulder briefly, and they stayed there enjoying the view before returning to the car.

By the time Jason drove back into Pasadena, the afternoon was nearly over.

At five o'clock, he pulled up outside Penny's apartment building and stopped near the entrance.

Penny unfastened her seat belt, then turned toward him with a smile. "Well, Mr. Miller," She said. "I think our first official date went pretty damn well."

Jason grinned. "I'd give it a solid nine out of ten."

Penny raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? A nine?"

"Lost a point because you stole half my fries."

She laughed and leaned over, giving him a quick kiss on the lips before pulling away. 

Jason blinked, then smiled thoughtfully. "Okay, I'll give it a nine-point-five."

Penny stared at him, a playful pout forming even as heat rose in her cheeks. “Seriously? What happened to the other half-point?”

“Well,” he said. “I think I need a proper kiss to give an accurate rating.”

Penny smiled and leaned in again. This time she didn’t rush. Her lips met his slowly, lingering, soft at first and then deeper as she felt the warmth of his mouth and the gentle pressure of his response. A pleasant rush of jolt traveled down her spine. She could feel the intensity in the way he kissed her back, and for a few long seconds the rest of the world faded. She had never felt this way before and she could tell that there was something special about him.

When she finally pulled away, her pulse was a little faster than before.

Jason whispered against her lips. “Now, that's ten out of ten.”

Penny whispered back against his lips. "You wanna come upstairs? I'm not doing anything else tonight, and I could use some company."

"Sure, I've got nothing planned tonight."

[A few minutes later] [Upstairs]

Penny pulled out her keys as they reached apartment 4B, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Jason followed her into the living room. He looked around for a bit. The apartment looked cozy and like someone actually lived there. There was a couch facing the TV, a small area for eating, and a kitchen on one side of the room.

"Huh, this place feels pretty cozy compared to my house," Jason said, closing the door behind him. "I like it."

Penny tossed her handbag onto the couch and turned toward him. "Thanks. It's nothing fancy, but it's home. And before you say anything, yes, I know the couch is getting old. I'm thinking about replacing it."

"I wasn't going to say anything about the couch," Jason replied, sitting down. "It actually looks pretty comfortable."

"It is, which is why I haven't replaced it yet." Penny walked into the kitchen and opened one of the cabinets. "Anyway, would you like some wine? I've got a decent bottle I've been saving."

"Sure, why not?"

Penny took two glasses and a bottle of red wine, then joined him in the living room. She poured them each a glass before settling onto the couch beside him.

"Okay, spill. If your "practical" car is a six-figure tank, just how ridiculous is your house?" She asked.

Jason considered the question while swirling the wine in his glass. "Uh, it’s pretty big. Two stories, way too many bedrooms, a big garage, a yard, and a pool on the roof. Plus I converted a couple of rooms into a studio for my gaming setup and all my collectible stuff."

Penny lowered her glass. "Whoa, whoa, back up. Did you just say you have a swimming pool on your roof?"

"Yep. It's a pretty nice place to relax, especially during summer. The view's great, too."

Penny stared at him for a moment before laughing. "Of course you have a rooftop pool! Why wouldn't you? Meanwhile, I'm over here getting excited because my apartment building has working laundry machines."

Jason laughed and took another sip. "Hey, why don't you come over next week? Any day works. I'm thinking of buying a griller, and we can have a little pool party."

"Oh, I'm definitely taking you up on that," Penny replied. "I’m already mentally picking out which bikini I'm wearing."

They continued talking for several minutes, with Penny asking about his collectables.

Eventually, a knock interrupted their conversation.

Penny glanced toward the door and put her wineglass on the coffee table. "Wonder who that is."

She got up and opened the door.

Leonard stood outside, wearing his usual jacket over a T-shirt.

"Hey, Penny," he greeted her with a small smile. "Are you busy? Raj ditched our game night to go on a date, and we're short one player. I was wondering if you'd want to join us."

Before Penny could answer, Jason got up from the couch and walked toward the door.

Leonard noticed him approaching and stopped.

"Oh, hey! You're the guy from the comic book store, right?" Leonard said, recognizing him immediately. His eyes moved between Jason and Penny. "Are you guys...?"

Jason smiled as he stopped beside Penny. "We're dating. So, what's this game you guys are playing?"

Leonard opened his mouth to answer, but another voice came from the hallway.

Howard walked up beside him, having apparently heard the question.

"Mystic Warlords of Ka'a."