Percy watched her go without protest, just as he had when Penny had kissed him. It wasn't until the door was closed that his shoulders sagged. Resting his elbows on the desk, he leaned forward until his forehead touched the surface, releasing a deep sigh.
It was a good decision, it was the right decision. Even aside from the fact that Charlie would pummel him for weaseling in on his territory, for no matter what Penny said about not being Charlie's girlfriend, Percy was a male and he knew that's what Charlie was thinking. The moment he had seen Penny's display of photographs on her apartment wall, Percy understood that she would be better off with his brother.
Still, after all that, Percy felt horrible. Wasn't there some unspoken law about brothers not dating one another's exes? He already had difficulty, comparing himself with the rest of his brothers. Even their little sister was closer to the rest, than Percy, with her tomboy nature and love for playing sports. Now he would always compare himself to Charlie... that Charlie was the one that got the girl, that Percy wasn't man enough, somehow. It was another insult to add to the general injury that Percy had inherited from his family: he would always be the Outsider.