Pete always averted his eyes around the homeless man downtown. Whether it was because he got awkward around social interaction or felt unwarranted guilt about the man’s situation, he’d never managed to look the man in the eyes before. He couldn’t describe his face if he tried.
That changed after Jägerman.
The things that used to be uncomfortable really weren’t anymore. After holding court with the Void, a man on the street really doesn’t seem all that intimidating. Ruth and Richie would’ve made fun of him if he was scared of the little things after the whole ordeal, he knew. It helped him to imagine their reactions. Coping and whatnot.
His walk home was lonelier. As were his study sessions and social life. But the walks home were when he really felt their loss. Even though Pete and Ruth lived in the opposite direction, they’d walk with Richie to his place, and then cut through downtown to get back to the other side of town, where he and Ruth would part ways near the Coldstone, both going to their respective homes.
He still followed that route. Coping. And whatnot.
It was just after noon. Pete had his AP statistics final in the morning, and had no class in the afternoon, because his teachers were proctoring other exams around the school. So here he was. Peter Spankoffski, walking through downtown Hatchetfield, alone. Steph had a full school day, so he wouldn’t see her until later.
“Excuse me, do you have a minute to talk about saving our planet?”
He turned. The Green Peace girl was at it again, with a wide smile and a clipboard in hand.
“It’ll only take a minute of your time,” she continued, now holding out a brochure. Trying to reduce the amount of time he had to talk to her, he took it wordlessly.
“I, um—” his voice cracked, and his face flushed red. Nobody else his age was still having voice cracks. He cleared his throat. “I’ll take a look at it. Saving the world and all.”
Not like he hadn’t done that once already.
The Green Peace girl smiled even wider, and did a little bouncey turn on her heel. The way she bobbed off reminded Pete of Steph when she was in a particularly happy mood. This thought relaxed him a bit.
He tucked the brochure into his pocket and continued walking, though he didn’t get far before he was cut off by someone else.
“Spare change for the homeless?”
Of course he knew that voice. Anyone who spent more than five minutes downtown knew about the homeless man.
Before he even looked at the man in front of him, Pete reached for his wallet. He’d just gotten a bonus at work, so he figured he had a few dollars to spare. Besides, his movie theater job paid surprisingly well.
He grabbed a $5 bill and turned to the man.
“Here you—”
He knew that face.
Older, sure, and a little lost-looking, but there was no doubt about it. Pete was looking at…
“Teddy?”
The 20 year age gap between the Spankoffski boys left them with an interesting dynamic. It was hard to feel like brothers sometimes when one of them was coming home from kindergarten while the other was getting a full time job at CCRP.
But they had their moments. When Pete was learning how to drive, Ted would let him use his car, even though he hadn’t gotten his license yet, or the night before freshman year, when Ted gave Pete his ‘Spankoffski guide to charming the ladies’ guidebook.
Hand trembling, holding out the $5 bill, Pete looked into the cloudy eyes of his older brother. His older older brother.
Somehow, some way… Ted was standing in front of Pete, a shadow of his former self.
“That’s way cool, man,” he said, taking the $5 from Pete. No sense of recollection could be seen.
“Ted, what happened to you…?” Pete watched Ted pocket the money. And then Ted… walked off. Just like that.
“Ted, wait!” Pete called after him, but Ted didn’t turn around. He simply tugged his hat down over his ears and walked off.
With trembling hands, Pete reached for his phone. He spent no more than 3 seconds looking for his brother’s contact info and hitting the call button.
One ring.
Two.
Three.
Four…
“Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”
Pete sighed in relief at the sound of his brother’s voice on the other end of the line.
“No,” he said, “my AP exam was today. Ted, I—” he paused, realizing he had no idea what he was going to say. How do you ask someone if they know that they’re the homeless man from downtown.
He lost his nerve.
“…I was just wondering if you want to hang out later. I— I got a new game, and—”
“Yeah, sure whatever. I get off work at the usual time.” A sound came from Ted’s end of the line, fabric shifting, like he’d adjusted how he was sitting. “Is that all? Because I was about to pull the ol’ Spankoffski charm on this barista that Paul is trying to snag.”
The familiarity of the conversation was enough to ease Pete’s worries. Sure, he’d held court with the Void, lost his two best friends, nearly got shot executioner-style, and ran into what he was certain was some version of his brother in the streets… but all that didn’t matter because somewhere in downtown Hatchetfield, Ted Spankoffski was fine. And so was Pete.
“I don’t say it a lot, but I’m glad you’re my brother, Teddy.”
“Sorry, I was talking to Charlotte. Did you say something?”
Pete smiled and hung up.
Maybe the universe was bigger than he knew and could ever understand.
So what.
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obsessed with how daud canonically chooses to forgive billie when she gives him the choice between killing her and showing her mercy after she betrays him
obsessed with how just a few months later, daud does the same, placing his life in the hands of a man whose life he completely ruined, asking to be spared and, against all odds, walking away from that encounter alive
obsessed with the alternatives you're given to those options as well
how, if you choose to kill billie in low chaos she helps you guide the blade. how she looks up at you and smiles as you stab her. how you hold her hand as she dies and don't let go even after she's gone
how, in high chaos, you just don't get that choice. her death is brutal, just like all the other deaths at your hand. like she said, what's one more body? but she's not just one more body. she's your second in command, your confidant, the closest thing you have to a daughter. you don't kill her with the same detachment you do for everyone else. you don't simply pull her onto your blade, you grab her by the throat as you stab her. it's brutal and it's personal, and that makes it so much worse
how, if you end brigmore witches with high chaos, corvo will kill you because you are not true to your word. you say that you feel remorse over jessamine's murder and yet your actions speak otherwise. you are not sincere in your words and while corvo may not know that, the game does. and it's telling you that that's the only way it could end. that if daud goes down that path he will not ever better his ways, nor will he be given the chance to. the only way daud can live is if he is actually committed to change
but despite all those options, in canon, daud gives billie the chance to leave and make a new life for herself. and corvo does the same for daud. and that is a parallel i think a lot about
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Eddie's One Rule
prompt: cake | wc: 311 | rating: T (for language) | for @steddiemicrofic's August prompt :)
Eddie had been perfectly clear on the “No Strippers” rule for his bachelor party. Tacky Las Vegas casino? Sure. Concerning amounts of tequila served in glow-in-the-dark shot glasses? Whatever. Karaoke at a space-themed diner?
… Okay. He’ll admit - that last one sounds fucking awesome. He’s been rehearsing a thrashy rendition of Mr. Roboto for weeks now. In all honesty, strippers were his only veto.
But here they are, standing in a dimly-lit club that’s not even remotely close to the Vegas strip.
“Low blow, man. Really.” Eddie gestures to the pole in the center of the room, then back towards Gareth. Should’ve revoked his Best Man privileges while he had the chance.
Gareth ignores him and yells, “Bring it in, fellas!”
“Bring what in-”
The low strums of ‘I Touch Myself’ by the Divinyls flows through the speakers as the backdoor opens. The rest of Eddie’s wedding party begin rolling out a wooden cart with goddamn cake on it.
And it’s not an ordinary cake - not even an edible one. This one is clearly fake and almost six feet tall.
The cardboard lid pops off, revealing Eddie’s fiancé emerging from the top, fucking shirtless (which is the least surprising part of the evening).
His anger dissolves behind the sound of Steve belting the song, head swaying offbeat. Looking so damn happy. Eddie hasn’t made many good decisions in his life, but Steve is by far his best.
“Still wanna marry me after this little stunt?” Steve asks, pointing at the cake structure around him.
Eddie saunters over, rolling his eyes despite that swirling pulse of love in his chest. Steve automatically bends over from the center. Kisses him, still humming the song as their lips meet.
“Why wait?” Eddie smiles. He brushes a few strands of Steve’s hair behind his ear and whispers, “We’re in Vegas right now, baby.”
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