Work Text:
Betty was running, running to the sound of Simon’s voice- screaming and yelling in a sudden panic. She swiftly weaves through the kitchen to whisk an iron frying pan into her tight grip.
“BETTY, HELP- AAAGH !!” She ran into the open bathroom where she saw Simon sitting on top the tank of the toilet and just one foot on the closed lid.
“Simon, what is it?!”
She gasped out, catching her breath after practically teleporting to Simon with how quick on her feet she was.
He covered his eyes under his glasses, and pointed into the corner of the bathroom. “Th-th-there’s….! Just look over there, look!” Betty turned her head to look at the rest of the empty bathroom.
Simon continued his rambling, unable to stop his heart beating rapidly.
“It just ran out and skittered across my feet and eeEUGGHH, Betty, it's little hand and claws were touching my body!!.” Simon whined and whimpered shakily as Betty walked over to inspect the direction he pointed.
She drew back the shower curtain to see a fat brown mouse hiding- and darting between her feet once spotted.”Oh, crap!” She turned around quick, falling forward as she dived to shut the door in time to trap the rodent.
Simon’s hands came off his eyes, but they were still wide with shock like he had just seen the devil himself.
“Betty, it’s out?! It’s loose in the whole house with us now-! Who knows where it’ll jump out next?”
“No, no” Betty waves her hands at Simon reassuringly. “It’s still in here, but I can catch it easier this way.”
Simon’s face paled and his eyes darted all over the floor like he’d lost a contact. “NO! Where??” He gasped like he was trying for a role in a soap opera, grabbing his hands backward onto a high shelf as he lifted his foot and tucked his other knee against his chest.
“Betty, get it! Get it, you can get it can't you?!”
Betty laughed, but not mean spiritedly at him, “I just said I could, hold on!” She got on her knees to open the cabinet under the sink and find a bucket or glass of sorts to capture the mouse in.
In the meantime, she really had to wonder- “Simon I’ve seen you stepping right over a snake as a cloud of mosquitoes and other various insects attacked your face.” She said, remembering the memory fondly as soon after that he had tripped and fell- where they sat together for an hour before moving on.
“So… what’s the deal with this rat?” She asked closing the cabinet as she now crawled on the floor with a glass jar like she was a spy avoiding laser traps.
“ Uhh -?” Simon watched Betty, his current hero in this situation, before answering- “I just never really liked mice I suppose. It’s an, uh- an irrational fear, I can’t control, sorry.” He replied nervously.
“Why are you apologizing for a phobia?” She smirked and knit her eyebrows together in confusion as she continued prowling the tiled floor.
“It’s not that, it’s-“
“Aha!” Betty yelled in victory as she cupped the mouse into glass and gently flipped it over before loosely caping him, ready to go and release the little guy. She stood as she held the mouse jar in her hands on full display.
Simon shrieked, nearly knocking the lid of the toilet tank off and crashing it into pieces. His arms flailed, instinctively trying to protect himself from the animal still. And his foot managed to flush the toilet in the process- as he thrashed about in a panic.
“ Betty , Go, Go, Go, Go !!” He forced her out the bathroom with his terrified words, and shrieks that could shatter glass.
“Oh!” She ran out, off to go outside and free Simon of the burden. He listened closely as she opened the door, heard the clink of the jar tap the concrete and soon enough, the door closed again with a tight pull.
“ Whew… ! We got it.” She said, turning into the bathroom to see Simon still sitting at the highest point of the toilet with his back against the wall.
“WondERfU-“ his voice cracked terribly, he coughed into his fist before correcting himself “Wonderful, eheheh..” He chuckled nervously, embarrassed as he looked away from Betty- blushing and scratching the back of his head.
“Are you…going to get down?” She asked, seeing Simon sit in a more relaxed look and posture than he had before. But he looked over to her, and his fingers drummed against the porcelain below him.
“Oh. Uuuhh, well mice can be known to travel in packs. So where you find one, you may just find-“ He stopped to swallow “ That- that there’s bound to be others.” He finished explaining simply, in his gargoyle position.
Betty put a hand up to hide her mouth, definitely not laughing. But her round cheeks raising and pushing upward gave her away. As did the glint of giddiness in her eyes.
“It’s-! It’s not funny, it’s true.” he said defensively.
“No, I know! But, Simon, are you asking me to track down any and/or all the rest of the mice in this place?”
He nodded, “Yes.” He said quickly with no hesitation. Then realized he may have made himself look a tad silly, “Or aah- an exterminator. You can look in the yellow pages.”
“Oh, I can look?” She said snickering, as everything they did, they did as ‘we’. So this fear may have been a bit more irrational than Betty assumed it could be.
“Please?” He said with a wobbly smile, and a nervous chuckle.
“Are you going to be in here the whole ti-“
“I am going to be in here the whole time.” He confirmed.