So...I'm back with chapter 9. This one is mostly the buildup to chapter 10 and 11 (though the story keeps going!). I am so so happy this chapter did so well comment and like-wise. I got a huge increase in reader count and I couldn't be happier with my audience. I always appreciate reading your comments; they're all so sweet.
Interesting thing to note: Bluey and Bingo will eventually be a part of this fic, some people in my PMs were curious about them being included. They're not born yet- or in Bingo's sense, they're invisible right now!
To answer SunnyPopsicle's question, yes, that portion of chapter 8 was indeed an Aggretsuko reference, which I'm recently getting back into because of season 5's release date being so close! I'll also have to check out "Bandit's Belt" by The Home Blue, a fic inspired by my fic. To the new commenters, I'm glad you've found my story and are enjoying it. I hope this chapter satisfies y'all!
Chilli rocked slowly on the rocking chair, looking up at the night sky as she sipped some tea. The stars completely covered the sky, as expected in a town that was pretty inland compared to where most dogs lived. Out where her sister and friends lived, not many stars could be seen and there was always background noises whether that be cars, wild animals, or parties happening nearby.
A small porch light illuminated a small area, reflecting back on the novel she held in her paws.
She started thinking about the last talk she'd had with Bandit, Mort, Aunt Linda, Tori, and Trixie. All the talks went back and forth about life, little pet peeves, and such...but they all crossed the topic of Brandy.
The night Brandy took off to the bar, Bandit had called her, thinking that maybe she went to visit Mort, but she hadn't.
"Brandy isn't here, no," Chilli told him, her paw brushing against Comets, a novel she bought home with her the day she dropped off Brandy's order. "Why would she run away like that? Did you bark at her?"
Chilli chuckled, but was met with an awkward silence.
"I'm sorry, I know it's not the right time to joke around," she apologized. "But she's done this before. She'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" Bandit paced around the room, paws sweating nonstop.
"Back then when we were younger, we'd sometimes live with our aunt and uncle for a while because Dad was in the military and was gone for a long time. Every time someone would bark at her, she'd bike off around the neighborhood and then come back a little more refreshed."
"She took the car," Bandit added. "But if she's just wasting petrol, I guess there's nothing dangerous about it. She's never come back hurt?"
"Nope," Chilli confirmed. "You know...I'm glad she's found someone that really cares about her. You've done a good job breaking through her shell, and not just for yourself either. I heard Brandy's slowly becoming friendlier with everyone back in the city!"
Bandit's tail started to thump lightly across the wall, finally standing still. He decided to sit down on the bed and relax for a bit before he'd let the rest of his worries catch back up with him again.
His tail hadn't wagged in such a long time.
"You really think so? Me? I think you'd be the one to really break her shell if she would just talk to you. You're such a sweet girl," Bandit complimented her. "Do you know why...?"
"I'm about as clueless as you," Chilli laughed. "But I'm serious. I don't know. All I know is that she did slowly start to lose her grudge towards me when you came along. I'll be honest...I thought you were toying with her! I mean, what type of dogs fall for each other that fast, right? But you're so kind, so...understanding. It took me a while after returning home to see it, though...Thanks for being patient with not just her, but me."
Bandit's tail wagged a bit faster. He was grown-or at least he saw himself as grown-but he was still a silly puppy who always got excited through compliments.
I'm the good boy. Bandit thought, really only hearing Chilli call him a good boy in the longest way possible. It took him a brief moment to really understand what she had said.
"It's all good," he tried to roll on his tail to make it stop. "It all happened so fast...we acted like naive teenagers about the whole thing. I decided I liked her before really knowing enough about her. Sheesh, she's so great; all I'd do in her paws is make amends with you. But sometimes it does get...well...tiring."
"Yeah I get that," Chilli's tail started to wag slowly.
She really pulled a catch. Her cheeks went a little pink. He's so...
"I've always wondered what made my sister feel so much...hate towards me," Chilli started to open up. "I was thinking maybe it could've been hockey or maybe I wasn't too kind to her stories. I know Brandy wanted to play hockey alongside Dad and me, but she was never good at it. She tripped a lot and had trouble swinging the stick and pretended the losses didn't get to her, but I know they did. Then as she got into writing more and more, I'd often accidentally delete her documents."
"How does that happen?" Bandit held in a laugh, a small giggle still escaping him. "Accidentally deleting her hard work?"
"Well, you see, we shared a computer as teens," Chilli continued. "I'd play computer games and she'd spend hours typing away words into her documents. She'd leave them open without saving, so I'd exit out and start playing around when she'd come back, feeling so much anger I thought she'd kill me. And this happened a few more times because I was forgetful and wouldn't know if she was done typing or if she was taking a small break.."
"Silly mistake," he responded. "Still, both of those things seem too minor to really be the reason. Brandy's an emotional one, I'll tell you that, but she's not irrational. You didn't mean any harm by beating her at hockey or accidentally deleting a few docs whenever.."
"Yeah, I really didn't," Chilli advocated for herself. "I can't write a story for shit and her art is so wonderful to look at. She knows all about wildlife and she's one to...feel jealous that I'm good at tossing pucks around with sticks? It makes me feel so awful too. She's so talented, but so blinded with hate that she can't see it.."
"Don't feel bad," Bandit tried to tell her. "I know you don't mean any harm. You're one of the sweetest and kindest people I know, Chilli. I'm sure one day Brandy will finally open up and we can put this whole thing behind us."
Chilli smiled, clutching her copy of Comets a bit harder as her tail wagged.
The two continued talking for what felt like minutes, but quickly turned to late night hours until the phones needed to be recharged once more.
Would it be wrong if she...was starting to feel a little more attracted to her sister's boyfriend?
She sighed, her cheeks hearing up again.
Dog, what's gotten into me, he's my sister's boyfriend for crying out loud!
She wouldn't dare admit it to anyone even herself, but her tail wagged like it had a mind of its own whenever she would recall anything from that conversation.
I'm waiting for Brandy to slip up, honestly. Chilli joked to herself in her thoughts, cringing the moment after. Dog, I'm so weird.
In an attempt to distract herself, she remembered talking to Trixie and Tori the day before the call happened.
She had driven a couple of minutes over to the only market near town before she got a call. Pulling her phone to her face, she saw Trixie's name before opening it.
"Hey Trix."
"Chilli! How've you been?" the gray heeler said in a happy tone. She was busy admiring her own reflection on the mirror, trying on her mother's suits. Her tail wagged, knocking off a few things from the shelf. Thick tail problems, amirite?
"Good, good," she continued, opening the door. Dad's craving some pavlova. Better to get the ingredients while I'm here, I guess. "You seem excited though. I can hear your tail through the phone!"
"Yeah, I just got some really great news!" Trixie said as humbly as possible. "...Mum's given me most of her work suits!"
"Oh, no way!" Chilli exclaimed. "You're going to take over so soon?"
"Well not now," Trixie calmed the mood. "She's gotta teach me how to manage the company and what exactly I'll be doing once I inherit it. Plus, so much paperwork's gotta be done. But do you know what this means? I won't have to work at that bloody awful supermarket anymore!"
"Well I always liked their chip aisles," Chilli mentioned. "So you won't be "taking" any more chips home then?"
"I can't have my cake and eat it at the same time."
"Yeah, still though...think about how much money you owe to that place. You did take a few bags a month.. Still though, I'm so happy for you, you little thief!"
"Thank you," Trixie smiled. "I'll be sure to get you something real nice once I start working at my real job."
"Aw, you're so sweet," Chilli smiled, grabbing a pack of kiwis and strawberries to take home. She looked around for the rest of her 'to-get' list when something caught her eye.
"Yeah, well enough about me," she bragged a little longer. "What's up with you?"
"You know, the same old stuff. I'm looking to get out of my dad's fur soon though. I want to be closer to the city, and when I say city, I don't mean the singular road out here with the store and the two petrol stations next to it," Chilli walked closer to the very small book aisle. There were only three books in the basket, each half priced, and one of them was Comets by Mitzi Cattle. She touched the cover softly, watching her faint reflection on the cover.
"Yeah," Trixie agreed. "Can't blame ya. Maybe move in with your aunt and uncle or Brandy? Wait.."
"Yeah, Brandy would die at the idea," Chilli sighed sadly, grabbing the novel. "Aunt Linda and Uncle Lorence aren't against it, but I've already bothered them enough growing up. I kinda want my own place, y'know?"
"Yeah I get it. There's me, with the rest of my family sprawled in the outback and with no siblings to turn to. It's either stay with my parents in the city or go and see my various aunts and uncles who really live in the middle of nowhere."
"It's like I don't even have a sibling to ask because I know she'd growl in my face," Chilli placed the book in her basket. She'd probably really chew my face off for even thinking about it. Plus Bandit and Bruce are already living with her anyway.
"I'm sorry, I know things are tense between you two-"
"Like it always is."
Trixie empathized with her friend, wishing she could lighten her up with a hug, but to go see her was about an hour away. "I'm sorry, Chilli. I wish I could come give you a hug. You'll get through this, I know you will."
"Thank you," Chilli put other foods in the basket, careful not to crease or bend the book with the foods' weight. "I know it seems like she's an arse, but I know she's going through stuff too. How's she been lately, you hear anything?"
"She's been fine as far as I know. I know she and Bandit were going through a rough patch for a while because Bandit and I talked about it during that time, but I think they got through it. She's been friendlier, actually. A lot friendlier than usual," Trixie shrugged. "Just a week ago, Bandit and Brandy ran into Wendy and me at the store. She was happy. Laughing a lot, cracking some jokes."
Chilli brought the phone to her face, wondering if Trixie was playing a prank on her. "Oh come on, she was laughing, especially when you were with Wendy?"
"Oh come on, Brandy doesn't even know Wendy!" Trixie retorted. "And I'm dead serious!"
"I don't know how you put up with her sometimes," Chilli said honestly. "She's always judging your every move and I know she thinks of herself as superior than the rest of us."
"You need to get to know her more," Trixie gave the phone a half-eyed stare. "I know she looks a bit uptight, but she's really a sweet person who just happens to be brutally honest when you need it. Plus, you never like anyone. Remember the Bandit thing back in London?"
"The Bandit thing was so long ago," Chilli laughed. "I was just..."
"Jealous?" Trixie finished her sentence.
"No! I don't see Bandit in that way-"
"I wasn't talking about Bandit," Trixie smirked. "I was saying maybe you were jealous that she opened up so quickly to a stranger before you. It's understandable why you'd be if it's true...but now I'm thinking maybe you like him too. You sounded a bit flustered over the phone.."
"Well you have a point-"
"So you do like him! Can't blame you, he's pretty cute and by the looks of it, he's-"
"No, not about Bandit," Chilli blushed. He's cute, but nothing to swoon over. "The part about Brandy is. What did I do so wrong for her to open up to a literal stranger before me?"
Chilli sighed, cheeks turning pink again. I wouldn't like him if I had just not answered the phone that one time. But I wonder what sparked Brandy's change?
Just then, her phone started ringing, distracting her from opening the novel, as most things did. For whatever reason, Chilli couldn't make herself open it. Something always came up- whether it be making Dad's pavlova, chatting up friends, taking care of the plants, or TV. She was unnerved, to say the least.
What will be said about me in there? Bandit did tell me about Comets when we called. It's so surreal. I might actually find out the answer to all of this.
She looked at the name. Brandy.
He fingers flexed hopelessly on the phone, wanting to answer yet wanting to chuck it out into the unknown at the same time. When's the last time she called me first?
She slowly opened her phone. "H-hello?"
"Chilli," Brandy's voice rung from the other side. "How are you?"
Taking a moment to think of an appropriate response, she decided on keeping her response vague but satisfying enough. "I'm fine. You?"
"I've been fine too," she answered almost instantly. "I wanted to ask you, do you prefer pink or orange?"
"Orange," Chilli blurted out instantly, feeling like an idiot. "...why?"
"You'll see," Brandy said in a teasing tone. "Tomorrow."
"What's tomorrow?" Chilli asked, confused. She looked behind, only seeing the faint light of the television through the window with her dad's ears peeking up above the couch. I turn 21 tomorrow, but that's one of her concern.
"Duh, your party," Brandy said quizzically.
"You're coming?"
"Of course I am, we're sisters," Brandy's voice faltered, a bit hurt, but unsurprised by Chilli's assumptions. "Why wouldn't I go?"
"I dunno. Probably because I will be there," Chilli felt a jolt of annoyance rise within her. How can she act like nothing is wrong without a proper explanation?!
A brief pause lingered, Brandy caught tongue tied. "I'm sorry."
Chilli choked on her saliva, unsure of whether she had heard Brandy correctly.
"I mean it, Chilli," Brandy spoke again, a few shuffles heard on her end. "I'm sorry for how I was all this time. I wanted to tell you this tomorrow, but I guess it came up now."
"I don't know what to say," Chilli said, looking for any rational explanation to this. "Is Bandit making you do this?"
"Bandit has nothing to do with this," Brandy raised her voice. "I promise I'll tell you everything tomorrow."
"I'd rather you just tell me now," Chilli put her foot down.
"It doesn't feel right telling you on call," Brandy's voice shook.
Chilli sighed, wondering if she should get Dad involved. When she turned around to see him again, he was out cold, his ears out of view. I don't want to stress him out more than I have to. "Okay, then."
After hearing the cashier hand Brandy her change, she'd thought of her final reply. "Tomorrow then. I love you too much to push you away now that things are finally changing. But please, please, do this because you really want to and not because the people in your life are telling you 'it's the done thing' and whatnot."
"Thank you," Brandy sighed from relief, yet slight annoyance. She's talking about Bandit. I wonder if she really believes that he's minding his business for once. "And trust me, there's no one else pulling my strings."
"Good to know," Chilli replied. I'm not sure what to say. How should I act? What should I say? Why is talking to my sister so difficult?
"So these past few weeks have been crazy...since the whole bar incident," Brandy spoke. "Bandit told me about the call."
"Oh, um, yeah. He was worried about you."
"Yeah. Sorry I burdened you with him," Brandy tried to lighten the mood. "He gets...paranoid whenever the slightest thing goes wrong."
"It's fine. I like talking to him anyway," the younger heeler clarified. "You should be happy he cares for you so deeply."
"I know, and I am," Brandy walked out of the store, bags on her paws while she held the phone as close to her ear as was possible with her ears perked up and her shoulder doing all the work. "But sometimes he takes it too far. Sometimes...he doesn't realize how simple things can hurt someone."
Please. Chilli held the urge to sigh. He's so sweet. What, did he say her fur was matted once? "Oh. What'd he do?"
"I'll tell you tomorrow," Brandy ushered out her sentence, making sure no one she was friendly with was around the area.
"Brandy, you can't bring stuff up and then not tell me," Chilli shook her head.
"You're right," Brandy said, placing a few bags down on the sidewalk. A shadow loomed over her, the older heeler's ears cowering with slight fear. "Look, I've got to go- but I'll see you tomorrow."
Strange. Chilli thought. "Um, yeah okay. Goodni-"
She heard the disconnection beeps before she could even tell her goodnight and to stay safe. That's strange.
"Brandy," a surprised voice approached from behind. A male chow chow stood in her view, casting a small shadow over her. "Haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?"
Putting her phone away quickly, she stared at him. Stunning eyes, really. Martin never stopped being hot. Now, as an adult, he's taller and he's been looking after himself ever since. Her eyes couldn't look away from the faint outline of muscles he had, his body fur trimmed and now short. His head still had the longest, softest fur and just behind her, her tail began to move slowly.
"Martin. Wow. I didn't expect to see you here," Brandy stared at him some more. "Looking quite good as ever."
He smirked. "A picture lasts longer, you know."
"I was just being nice," Brandy playfully insulted him. "Man, you're as full of yourself as you were back then."
"And you're as naggy as I remember," he poked at her. "Plus I'm already with someone. No need for extra attention, but I always appreciate it."
"I can tell," Brandy muttered to herself before looking at him again. "Who's the lucky girl?"
"Her name's Wendy. Funnily enough, she's also a chow chow. We're just a hot breed, I guess," Martin laughed. "You seeing anyone?"
"Yeah," Brandy grabbed her bags and began walking ahead. "Doubt you know him though."
"So you know Wendy?"
"She's got a nice curl on her head and a brooch on her chest," Brandy described her. "Her last name's Fetter, and she's from Cambridge, yeah?"
"Oh, so you do know her."
"Through a couple of mutuals, I do. She's quite pretty, but she seems high maintenance," Brandy noted. "Though I guess she is a great person to talk to."
"Right on the high maintenance part," he stretched, grabbing one of Brandy's bags. "She's sometimes on about how I could manage my fur better or start working out."
"Not surprised there," Brandy turned to get a better view. "Your fur is messy but somehow, you look good that way, but she's posh, so you know how she is."
"Yeah, but she's great to be around once you put aside her initial personality and the little comments she'll say," he blushed. "So how about your man?"
"He's...great," Brandy tried to smile, forcing her ears to stay alert. He's great, really. Just wish he could understand me a little more.
"Don't sound so sure on that last part," Martin raised an eyebrow.
"No, he's amazing, really. The nicest man I've ever met and he's so handsome, it drives me nuts," Brandy blushed. He treats me well and he's hot, so why do I feel...better when I keep my distance?
"So why do you sound so unsure about it?" Martin kept poking. "If he's as kind and hot as you claim, you wouldn't be sounding like you're reading those words off a script or something."
"Well he can be a bit...pushy at times. Especially now, with the stuff I've got going on with my sister and-"
"You have a sister?"
"Yes," Brandy nodded, surprised that she was getting asked this instead of Chilli for once. "So...he tries to get us to sort out our own issues because all he's ever known was brotherhood. Can't comprehend the idea that siblings might be better off at a distance. So he gets pushy about it."
"I see. I'm sorry," Martin empathised with her, who noticed the small smile she had fade into a frown. "Try to communicate to him. Be gentle about it. If he still doesn't understand by then, then you've done all you can do."
"I'll keep that in mind," Brandy nodded. "Damn these things are heavy.
"Want some help?"
"Thanks," Brandy handed him a bag.
"So what's your sister's name?" Martin got a bag from Brandy as they turned towards her complex. "Really never knew you had one. Did you never tell me?"
"It never came up," Brandy laughed. "But you know her. Chilli. Red heeler like me, but her pattern's a bit different. She's younger than me."
"Oh, her. Oh, CHILLI?!" Martin gasped. "B-but-"
"I know we don't look the part because we aren't exactly close, but believe it or not, it's true."
"You two are nothing alike," Martin stared at Brandy, trying to picture Chilli in his mind to compare. Surely enough, he couldn't make her out too well since they haven't seen each other since high school. Their eyes look similar though. I guess I never noticed. "Well, you do have her eyes and the coat color, but everything else..."
"Yeah, I take after our mum more," Brandy clarified. "My coat's got the same textures hers had and my random spots are placed in almost the same places hers were. I did inherit my grandma's nose though..."
"Man, speaking of ageing...I'm afraid I'll lose my beautiful coat once I get older. Like your mum's coat...it must be shaggy by now right? No offence- I know heelers aren't known for having a nice coat-"
Brandy gave him a look that made him stop talking. "Breed superiority, huh?"
"Just being honest."
"We'll call it that," Brandy eased in. "Well for one part, our mum died young. She never got to the age where your fur starts falling out and the skin underneath is all wrinkly. She was only 5 years older than I am now when she died, and I'm only 22."
I'm really insensitive. Martin thought to himself. "Darn, I should've shut up. I'm sorry for acting like a fool, I had no idea."
"It's fine, like you said, you didn't know," Brandy comforted him. Her cheeks were reddening slightly and she had no idea if it was because it was slightly chilly outside or because of Martin's beauty.
"You know, I lost my dad when I was young. I'm sure I told you my story when we were kids, but it still gets to me a couple years later. Just seeing him deteriorate further and further on the hospital bed is something I will never be able to erase from my mind. Still though, I got to talk about it. Should've seen it, it was so helpful. You saw it- I went from being that shy reserved angry kid to the hottest boy in school back in like year 8," he smirked at her, noticing her wandering eyes. "Did you ever get to talk about your loss?"
"I talked to Dad and Chilli about it when it happened...but Dad was always away serving in the military and Chilli was eager to move on with her life after a couple of months. So we would stay and practically grew up with our aunt and uncle. Chilli was all set to return to normal after like 4 months. I never really got over it," Brandy explained. "I know Chilli was 9 and 9 year olds aren't known for being the best therapists, but she'd tell me to not talk about it whenever I'd get teary eyed listening to Mum's favorite song or reading her favorite novel. It would make her 'too sad'."
"You know, you should be honest more often," Martin encouraged her. "You can't keep hiding away in the corner like you did at school all the time, so say what's on your mind more often. You look slightly more at ease now after just talking about the tip of the iceberg."
"I guess...I should," she nodded. I should.
The two continued to talk, mostly about Wendy, a little about Bandit, and about mutual friends in common.
"Hey, watch your tail, it's hitting me," Martin pointed at her flailing tail. "What's made you so happy?"
I had no idea that thing could really even wag anymore. Brandy tried to get it to stop. "Sorry. I'm not sure why either."
"Well, it's creating a nice breeze. You're happy and I get to cool off a bit quicker after that rigorous workout," he stretched.
She smiled, and continued to let herself feel content.
Bandit rested on the couch, watching television mindlessly as Bruce continued babbling on and on about his screen-time being "taken away". If he didn't shut up, Bandit was afraid he'd lose it. Today hadn't been a very good day for him at all and Brandy hasn't been back in hours, leaving him with no highlights.
"Bruce, just sit down and stop talking, mate," Bandit stuck his pinky in his ear, scratching a small itch. "It won't be for long; I'm going to bed soon anyway."
"But Baaaaandit-"
"Bruce," he glared. "This is a habit of yours that you ought to kick. My brother's coming home in about two weeks or so, and this is not the side of you I want him to see when he does show up."
"...This isn't really about the telly or Rad, is it?" Bruce noticed his features fall. "Something happen?"
No use keeping it from him anyway. He's my closest friend... Bandit nodded. "Brandy's been out for like three days now, Dad and I just had another fight on the phone, and work was just shitty today. People have the audacity to yell at me for their order being wrong when I'm the delivery driver. I had nothing to do with their goddamn food."
Bruce nodded, taking his paw off the remote. "Dang, another rough day. I'm sorry, mate."
"It's alright," he sighed, numbing his emotions with the bland show playing. "Tomorrow, I get the day off and I get to see Chilli at her party."
"Oh, you're going too?!" Bruce piped up in excitement.
"Yeah, of course," his mood started to lift. "She's not just your friend."
"Yeah, but I'm l'm trying to show off a bit," he tried to flex his nonexistent biceps, Bandit chuckling a bit. "It's embarrassing living with my friend and his girlfriend when you're trying to impress someone."
"So you fancy Chilli?" Bandit stared at him, his stomach feeling like it had just dropped to the core of Earth itself.
"Who wouldn't? Well, not you, you're with Brandy, but she's very hot," he blushed, his tail wagging. "You've got to admit that you would if Brandy wasn't your girlfriend.."
Chilli's really a sweet person. Bandit fumbled around with his answer. She's so kind. And ever since that night we called...I never noticed how...beautiful she is.
"Bandit, your face is turning redder than tomato sauce," Bruce interrupted his thoughts. "You know what I mean, don't ya?"
...I couldn't stop thinking about her. She's a very cute girl.. Bandit grabbed at his fur. "No, actually, I don't. But good luck with her, she's gonna have other choices besides the guy that lives with his friend and girlfriend without a job."
"Rude," he huffed away. "I'll walk into that party single and come back out taken with Chilli by my side, you'll see."
The thought of Chilli grabbing Bruce's arm close to her while looking up at him with doll eyes was enough to make Bandit throw up in his mouth a little. "I'll believe it when I see it, mate."
"Oh you will," he walked away into the decently sized closet in between the bedroom and the toilet. "I'm gonna go and read for a bit, smell you later.."
Bandit was left alone, cursing himself internally. I wouldn't. I love Brandy after all. But does she feel the same about me? She never bothers to try and get closer to me like she used to. Now, we're always arguing or making the bed squeak at night..
Bandit sighed, switching the television off and walking into the bedroom. But maybe that'll change...Brandy's been a lot more social ever since she took some time for herself. It's the only thing I'd ever change about her.
-End-