Popstar Comics
Author's Note: People have been asking whether or not this story is supposed to be AU, and I will confirm at this point that yes it is, however, it takes a lot of inspiration from the canon Nintendo universes, as you saw with the comic books in the last chapter. I'm aiming at writing something that sits in between canon and AU, in other words a universe that borrows from both sides of the spectrum. The story is still in its beginning stages, so we're going to take this chapter to explore more of Kuro's relationship with his brother since that is something important that I would like the readers to understand before we continue. As such, this chapter is on the shorter side, but all the more significant in the grand scheme of things. Thank you to Light My Crazy Diamond, flowslikepixels, SolarEnergy, Varanus K, ChaosxPaladin, prowessMaster, Artic01, bladewielder, Dario Flaman, and Kinkajou321 for leaving reviews last chapter. Also, Kinkajou, I apologize for not replying to you before! You've been a great follower for a while now, so I just wanted to say thanks for everything and I really appreciate your comments and insight. Let's play some Pokemon again sometime eh?
Anyway, onto chapter 4.
Chapter 4: Angel's Shadow
My relationship with my brother has always been a complicated one. The thing is, both Pit and myself have completely different outlooks on life, but strangely enough neither one of us could be categorized as wrong. He believes in working hard and bringing out the best in others, while I prefer to get by and have nothing to worry about but myself. Moreover, Pit's weakness lies in the fact that he can't survive without having someone else in his life, whereas with me, I'm much more dependable on my own.
I've been called selfish, snobbish, and sometimes rude on occasion. I personally prefer to see myself as a mixed basket, but negative qualities can be positive ones when put in the right context. For example, a person who is selfish always gets the things that they want. And honestly, I don't ask for much. Give me food, give me shelter, give me freedom, and you'll have yourself a happy Kuro. The annoying part is when Pit purposely tries to take control of my life because the way I do things doesn't correspond with his own beliefs. I need to be a hard worker, I need to be more respectful to others, blah, blah, blah. I can be both a hard worker and polite when I feel like it; the trick is catching me in the right place at the right time.
It is because of the contrasting ways in which we treat each other that I usually prefer to play the devil's advocate. Sometimes I find myself disagreeing entirely just for the sake of disagreeing, but that's not to say that I actually hate my brother. He's more like an annoying wart that I've grown used to living with. A wart that does the laundry and cleans the house almost every day, and I'd be conceded to say that I wasn't grateful to have him for that at least. He's much better than I am at staying on top of the chores anyway, leaving me to do the weekly tasks such as taking out the trash. He also cooks most of our meals, unlike me who typically grabs a T.V. dinner, or orders takeout from some backwater Chinese restaurant down the street. We never ate dinner together until recently however, when Popstar Comics became a prominent thing in my life.
He's just lucky that I felt like coming straight home today instead of mucking about after work. Normally he was used to me returning late, but after talking to Dedede today I found myself too distracted to bother wandering around Station Square. I just wish I could—
"So Dark, how was work today?"
Pit's question startles me like a hollow knock in a silent room. I realize that the clock on the wall is ticking, and for a moment I almost ask him to repeat what he just said.
"Fine," I reply, and I'm back to chewing on a microwaved beef strip. "Been busy."
I debate whether or not I should tell him about my new responsibilities, unsure if it would be relevant after the next few days. Probably not.
"Oh yeah?" He scoops in to his artificial mashed potatoes. "Are you still moving boxes around?"
I hear his question as an insult even though I know he doesn't mean it like that. He was just reiterating what I had been telling him since I started working there. The funny thing is, I wasn't far from the truth with those vague descriptions either.
"No," I say. "I've been setting up the displays, reorganizing some of the stock…" I hesitate, scrounging for any other evidence that doesn't make me look like a monkey that simply moves things. Wasn't there anything else besides the new hire?
His eyes drop slightly. "Is that Dedede guy still giving you a hard time?"
I remember telling him about Dedede and how much of a hard-ass he can be sometimes. In fact, all he ever heard from me was complaints about the place, but still he persisted in asking about my day as if he knew I was putting up a wall to keep him out. None of my co-workers were all that bad, but it's true that Pit only ever heard one side of the stories that went down. As far as he knows, Dedede is a fat slob who watches porn in his office all day, Fox is a reclusive high school dropout, and Falcon is a drug addict. I call them the Popstar Bunch, and they're on WB every night from eight to nine. Ten o'clock on Sundays.
"He's better," I say. "He hasn't been watching me as closely as he used to. I actually have room to breathe now."
"That's good." He pauses. "Are you still having thoughts about quitting?"
I know my brother, and at the end of the day, all he wants to hear is whether or not I'm sticking with the job. He's been thinking about it since the day he first brought it up to me, an annoying thought that lingered in the back of my mind. I don't care one way or the other if he's disappointed, but I absolutely refuse to be happy on account of a decision that he made for me.
I can be unhappy and have a job at the same time. There are a lot of people in the world like that.
"A little," I mutter. "But it's easy money, and if I keep a good relationship with them, I could probably land a raise or two real soon."
My response makes him smile, and for that I'm somewhat relieved.
"Well, I'd say you need to spend a little more time there before anyone starts thinking about raises," he jokes. "But I'm glad you like the job. It was a stroke of luck that I managed to see their ad in the paper. Lady Palutena sure works in mysterious ways."
Another thing that makes us total opposites is the fact that Pit is a kiss-ass to some dead angel woman whose picture constantly haunts me every time I enter the apartment. According to him, Palutena is my goddess just so much as it is his, but I don't buy into any of that religious garbage. The mere mention of her name rolls my eyes. He ought to be grateful that's the only response he ever gets from me on this subject.
"If I do end up sticking with this job, you'll know the reason why," I say. "Slim chance of that happening though."
"Well, before you decide to quit, could you do me a favor?"
I reply silently, but curiously all the same. He wasn't normally one to ask for favors. Usually it was just him whining about why I'm the way I am. I swear he's hit his head against the wall with this issue more times than I've slammed my own on the bottom of the upper bunk.
"Ask yourself… if you truly are happy."
It's strange. He says it so simply, yet fulfilling that wish is more complex than it seems. As sad as it sounds, I can't be happy unless I'm better than him. I have to be stronger, smarter, and all around more likeable than Pit is. Then and only then will I be able to find true happiness.
Sometimes he just doesn't seem to get that.
"It would take a miracle for me to do that," I reply plainly. "I work at a dead-end job with lowlife nerds who have nothing better to do than talk about their stupid comic book collections." I see his eyes droop slightly in defeat. "The truth is, Pit… I'm not one of them. I can't be. I'm just a loser street punk. But you know what? I'm okay with that. I can be who I want to be without having to live up to anyone's expectations. And to be honest… that's all I ever really wanted."
He gives me a look, but I can't tell if it's sadness or disappointment I see. Maybe a bit of both.
"Then be who you want to be, Dark," he says. "I'm not asking you to change; I just don't want you to throw your life away."
Aw jeez. Is it really going to be another one of those nights again?
"You put me on this job," I say. "That was your decision, not mine."
"So what? It's not like I'm turning you to drugs or alcohol." He shoves his plate away from himself and puts his arms on the table. "I'm genuinely trying to help you get back on your feet, and it's hard enough without you trying to argue with me all the time."
"You're the one who always has to butt-in," I scoff, but truth be told, I didn't find much of a rebuttal in his statement.
"Don't make me the bad guy here." He's standing up now. "You're just too stubborn to admit that what I did was actually good for you."
"As if. You're probably just waiting for me to make enough money so that I can live on my own."
"So now you're a free loader?"
"That's not what I meant!"
I stand up as well, baring my teeth at him. I want to hate him, but the longer I stare, the more I start to see myself. The thick mat of hair, the soft round face, everything is a perfect reflection as if I'm standing across from the bathroom mirror. I see a sharp nose, bubbling eyes, I even see his outstretched wings, and judging from the tension in the room, mine were likely in the same state.
"Dark," he says. "I don't want to fight with you. I just wish you could be more like the brother you're supposed to be."
"And be more like you?" I reply instantly. "Not gonna happen. I've lived my whole life with people telling me to be more like you, and I'm sick and tired of hearing it."
"You don't have to be like me," he says. "You just have to be good."
"I'm not good though." Suddenly, I feel a speck of dust in my eye. At least, I think it's dust. "Look at me. Nothing about me is good. I'm just a shadow."
"Well if you believe that then you might as well be!"
"So be it then. This world has enough problems with one Pit in it already." A glare escapes me, intentional or not. "No point in there being two."
I push away from the table, knocking my chair over in the process. His voice urges me to stop, but I outright refuse to comply. I'm also not dumb enough to be trapped here in the house with him, thus I grab my jacket and shove out the door. This was usually the route I took whenever we got into an argument. At least I didn't flip any tables this time.
You know, it's weird for me to think about how different I have to be around him. Out here in the real world, I'm cool, clever, and a pretty decent guy all around. I work hard, I set my mind on something and I see it through from beginning to end. Anyone who wants to pick a fight with me can go right ahead, for I'm more than willing to make them regret ever setting foot in my hometown.
I can't be like that with Pit though.
When I'm around him, I have to keep to myself. I have to be cautious, distant, a mere shadow of what most people have come to recognize me by. I might as well wrap myself in my wings and be quiet, since the only thing that ever comes out of my mouth are words that strike a match over the field of conflict. I hate being the one who walks away first.
As I shuffle down a street of random faces, I can't help but wonder if Pit will be fine doing the dishes on his own. I can picture him clearing the table, wiping down the cloths, and tidying up everything in his white angel apron. He almost always took care of the house chores, and a while ago I never really gave it a second thought. Although, since I was there eating with him, I can't help but feel somewhat responsible for leaving him behind…
But I can't apologize. I absolutely cannot, must not, and will not apologize to him under any circumstances. Whether he's right about the job or not isn't the point. I'm just tired of having to look up to him, to depend on him for everything. If all I do is what he tells me, I might as well be a shadow. Pit's shadow. Or Pit-two.
Now that I think about it, being a shadow wouldn't be all that bad. I mean, for one thing I'd always have company to talk to. I'd also be pretty good at dancing, and maybe even jumping… or flying.
A shadow can't think for itself, however. It can only do, like how Dark has to constantly do what Pit tells him because Pit knows what's best for Dark. Pit doesn't know Dark though. Pit doesn't even know about Kuro.
Holy crap it's colder than I thought out here.
