Author's Note: I know, I know. I said I would try to update more often and that went out the window with this chapter arriving over a month later. However this chapter has gone over so many revamps. This is literally the sixth and finalized version of this chapter, because of course I want only the best for y'all. Also, I have plans to make small one shots of other fandoms, hence another reason why this chapter and the future ones took so long in the oven. I am also thinking of posting a bloopers story for this fanfic, which could include older versions of certain chapters that were heavily edited in the end. Let me know if I should! Anyway here is chapter 12, and ofc happy pride month, coming from RiverWater46!
Brandy sat around, chewing loosely on a spinach leaf, which she felt guilty of doing so. Despite the recent breakup between her and Bandit, she continued to help herself to his meals. He had told her multiple times that it was fine, that she should feel free to eat if she wanted.
She declined initially, but depression started to take over her quicker than she anticipated. She would lay in bed for hours, daydreaming of being a blushy bride to that damn chow chow, imagining the fine texture of his lips on hers, his fluffy warm coat against her short, brushy one.
It started to get harder to get up and do basic things like combing her fur and cooking. Cleaning was nonexistent unless Bandit found himself having free time between the chaos of being a uni student, a pizza delivery dog, and the lead singer of a band. Brandy felt the physical pain of financial loss every time she ate outdoors which was daily.
Outdoors, as in Macca's and gray hamburger meat at the local petrol station. It was the only place she felt appropriate in with her tangled coat.
The process of writing novels had become terrifyingly bad. Chapters were always late. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, it was just how things were. Her manager had a few...choice words to say over the dilemma.
She was lost in another daydream when Rad burst into her room on accident. It was also important to state that Bandit took the couch on most nights, save for the few nights where both cattle dogs were drunk and awoke one on top of the other in shameful regret, so the room was now hers.
"Oh sorry mate," Rad said automatically, forgetting to knock, before noticing Brandy's dazed look again. "Staring at the ceiling again?"
Brandy's ears didn't move and her gaze stuck firmly against the ceiling.
"Brandy," Rad said again, alerting the red heeler this time.
"Oh, I'm sorry Rad," Brandy blinked away from her beautiful ceiling with golden edges and a chandelier to her boring, blank, popcorn ceiling one. "What's going on?"
"Nothing, just wanted to check on you," Rad said. "Bandit's been worried about you, mate."
"He is? Oh, he is." Brandy was sure to hide the slow tears incoming in her gaze.
"Yeah, but so am I. Please take care of yourself Brandy. I know I've been gone most of the time I've been in Brisbane again, but today, I was thinking of taking it slow. Do you want to go out for a walk?"
Brandy looked at him, finding a reason to get up and dig into her drawer for her missing comb. "Okay, sure. I'd like that."
Bandit returned to an empty apartment, knowing his brother had the day off and Brandy was prone to sulking in her bedroom. Curious, he peeked into her room, but found nothing out of the ordinary except her comb laying on the drawer once more.
Suddenly, he heard the door behind him open, revealing a relieved Brandy with a dazed Rad.
"Hey Bans," he slapped his younger brother's back. "Brandy and I went out on a walk and got some food on the way back."
"Yes, we did," Brandy sighed. "Thank you, Rad. You've given me a lot to think about."
Rad nodded while Brandy walked over to her room and shut the door right, leaving the two brothers alone.
"Mate, she is a handful." Rad stretched his arms, speaking in a low volume. "Trying to get her to open up was like trying to open a sticky lid on a jar. Once you get the lid though...she's like a never ending stream of shit."
"Yeah mate, she tends to lose her filter once you push her enough," Bandit stared at her room longingly. "She's not just full of shit though. She has some good qualities...amazing qualities."
Rad patted Bandit's back, knowing Bandit was heartbroken. Despite both wanting to break up for a while, the impact of it actually happening was one neither of them anticipated or were at all prepared for.
"Like what?"
Bandit spoke his mind truthfully, in a tone loud enough for Brandy to make out the words.
Had to be done. Bandit and Brandy thought.
It was difficult soon afterwards. Things grew tense and Bandit was starting to resent the feeling of constraint in the one place that was meant to be a safe space to decompress and enjoy what life had to offer.
Admittedly, yet shamefully, he started to find himself excuses to get the hell out of the apartment. He went as far as to drive all the way to what seemed like the outback just to find a distraction. In fact, he was walking to the lake with said distraction.
Chilli Cattle.
"I get it," Chilli placed her paw on his. "You've done all you can do though. However Brandy chooses to deal with it is all up to her- and as her roommate of sorts, you just gotta take it how it is."
"I worry, though. I know I don't love her anymore, but I still care about her. I want to help, but I find myself getting away from her and the flat. I know that makes me a bad person. I miss being able to feel comfortable in the same place I sleep and eat in."
"It doesn't make you a bad person," Chilli offered her insight. "Brandy's trying her best to change, but one thing's for sure. When she doesn't seek out your paw, don't try and help. She'll drown you with her."
"Truest thing I've heard in a long time," Bandit said, observing a playful family of poodles. The youngest dog, who appeared no older than 6 years of age, pretended to drown as the older sibling yelped in shock and swam quickly to where the bubbles were coming from, aiming for the paw barely peeking above the water. When he got ahold of his sister's hand, she pulled him underwater and rose back up, laughing as she snorted excess lake water from her nose. "I hope she reaches out to one of us though."
"Me too," Chilli sighed. "In the meantime...to clear your head a bit, do you want to swim?"
"I'd love to. The weather is ridiculously hot," Bandit cringed at his sweaty fur's texture. Chilli dove into the water and peeped back out, staring at him with her captivating brown gaze.
Bandit felt...different this time. He joined in after some light teasing from the red heeler and the two laughed some more as they shot water at each other.
"Ooh, how romance," the younger poodle sister awed at them, catching the duo by surprise. "Just like mum and dad!"
Bandit gave her a cheesy smile before joining back in on the game with Chilli.
"You're not gonna correct her?" Chilli asked with a sly smile, an eyebrow perked up.
"There's not much to correct though, is there?" Bandit returned the expression, Chilli blushing.
...
In the end, Brandy ended up moving away. The power couple had fallen for each other hard...and the oldest heeler had to "take it how it was" despite so.
Her new home didn't come without its merits, though..
She opened her eyes, now aged 31, and in England once more. Her new flat was very customized to her liking and she lived alone, though Tori had moved here a couple months before she did and convinced her to take the big step. It's been 8 years of living here with Tori always a couple of blocks away though time was growing scarce the more Brandy thought about her life.
She had gotten into other relationships here, even gotten pregnant twice in the last 8 years...though those pregnancies ended in miscarriages, each one as painful as the first one she'd lost with Bandit. Tori was by her side through the aftermath of both failed relationships and her inability to conceive, always lending out a paw whenever she needed it, which was quite often.
She stared over at the big mirror shelf she had, a small invitation on top of it. She held it before some more flashbacks of recent events popped into her mind. Just a couple of months ago, this wedding invitation had made its way to her complex. To say she cried was an understatement, though it wasn't from happiness.
Bandit Heeler and soon to be Chilli Heeler (Cattle)...
Cute little hearts and flowers decorated the margins around the huge size and crazy font of their names; reading the actual details at the bottom was a challenge.
...formally request your company at their wedding ceremony and their wedding party, on June 13th, 2009.
The addresses were shown, along with a plane ticket attached on the back. Typical RSVP request was at the end, though Brandy didn't feel like confirming her visit or not.
"It's been too long," Chilli said on one of her many calls with her older sister. "I haven't seen you since Christmas five years ago! I miss you."
"I miss you too," Brandy sighed. "Sorry I don't visit; I'm always busy with my writing and I recently picked up a shift at this nearby café...I promise, I'll try to get a couple weeks off to see you again."
"Remember, Bandit and I always have that extra room in the flat for you. And speaking of visiting, we got you a plane ticket."
"Wait, what?! It's not a good time Chilli-" Brandy exclaimed, gasping in shock. Why didn't they discuss this with me first?!
"If you're wondering about the occasion, Bandit and I are tying the knot next year," she eagerly stated on the other side, the pure excitement in her voice making it difficult for Brandy not to smile if not for the news that she had just broken out. "I'm not sure if the invitation has made it to your place yet? It said it should've come in yesterday..."
"No, it hasn't...and congrats! ...I'm really happy for the two of you. Hey, tell me the date so I can try to clear my schedule by then?"
"June 13th, next year," Chilli spoke. "I hope that gives you enough time to settle things? I won't take no for an answer!"
"Of course! No worries. Chilli, I will try to be there," Brandy reassured her."
Is it bad that I'm second guessing myself now? It's going to be a lot warmer than here... So should I cut a bit of my coat? No, if I cut it, I won't be able to hide my spots anymore. Dog...these random spots and splotches of red make me so...hard on the eyes. I wish I could hide those things...
Brandy stared at her reflection in the mirror. A heeler's coat wasn't known for being symmetrical and evenly colored, but of course Chilli's coat was simply wonderful to look at. She also had a wide array of spots on her back and tail, but her muzzle and abdomen were perfectly cream colored while the rest of her was muted tan. No random spots there or anything.
Of course she has the better coat as well... Brandy sighed. It's what I get for taking after Mum though.
She turned on the television and zoned out for a while, setting aside her anxiety to see not just Chilli, but everyone back home for the first time in so so long. She used to visit a lot in her early years of living here, but visits started to dwindle the more she saw Chilli live her dream- a happy life with a caring lover, excellent dad, and amazing friends.
When was Chilli ever sad anymore? Not that Brandy wanted to see her sister in a tough spot, but she was genuinely curious. Had Chilli ever stopped smiling since she finally repaired her relationship with Brandy?
To be frank, Brandy knew she was the one being toxic, hence not visiting much if at all. She knew lingering around would only reopen closed wounds that she'd rather bury beneath the 50 kilograms of thoughts she had in a day. I heard from Trix that they were already planning it for a long time before now, but I didn't think it would sting this much.
Maybe I shouldn't go. She doesn't need me there.
Her phone began ringing loudly, showing off some of those new downloaded ringtones Brandy had recently purchased a while back. Tori had told her all about it and she thought some of the ringtones were cute- so why not? The subscription was slightly pricey, however.
Brandy pulled her phone near her face to see who was calling.
Chilli.
She sighed and placed the phone back on the dresser, eager for it to stop ringing on its own before she fell into a light slumber.
"Oh, she's not answering," Chilli's expression fell, wondering why her sister wasn't answering. It was nighttime in Brisbane, so she assumed it would be the early afternoon over in London. Brandy must've been awake.
"Don't fret too much, love," Wendy comforted the red heeler. Wendy had decided to throw a small "party" of sorts to celebrate her anniversary with Martin. She had comfortably moved in Martin into her new home, which was quite coincidentally next to Aunt Linda's house. Chilli thought about popping over the fence to greet her and Uncle Lorence, but she figured they would already be sleeping by this hour. They were getting older after all. "You'll get to see her soon, won't you?"
"Hopefully. I talked to her in November last. She said she would definitely come, but I haven't heard back since," Chilli sipped some of her wine. "Oh, I'm sorry Wendy. I didn't mean to sour the mood at your own party."
"It doesn't bother me a bit," Wendy gave her friend a half hug. "We are friends, so we look after each other." As for Bandit though...I really don't get what Chilli sees in him. He's such a nuisance and a loud one at that.
"Thank you," Chilli smiled. "Hey, so where is Martin anyway?"
"He's...playing rugby with his friends," Wendy smiled weakly, not wanting to get too deep into the subject. Funnily enough, Martin hadn't bothered to show up at his own anniversary party and it had been three hours since the party started.
Chilli gave her a look, but figured it was a subject she didn't want to get deep into. She knew Martin was a bit scummy by nature...she'd been involved with him as teenagers, though she didn't dare mention this to Wendy. He was only nice outwardly for so long. Still though, it only seemed morally right to tell her. "Wendy...how could he not come to his own party?"
"I don't know," Wendy sighed. "He's been growing distant for a while now. He was so crazy for me a couple of years ago and now he can't bear to be with me alone..."
"He hasn't changed a bit," Chilli sighed before her stomach fell to the ground. Shit.
"What...do you mean?" Wendy looked at her, an eyebrow up.
"I mean...he's always had a history of ignoring his partners back then. I mean after a while." Chilli said matter-of-fairly. She doesn't need to know everything. "He needs constant excitement, if you want to have him hooked."
"I see," she didn't bother asking for more information. "Anyway...I heard you and Bandit are tying the knot soon?"
"That's right," Chilli tried to stop her tail, which just grew a mind of her own. It felt wrong for it to wag after Wendy's story despite her true excitement at the thought of being married to him. Bandit had been simply amazing over the years. Sure, they squabbled a bit from time to time, but it was no lie that they were perfect for one another. "In July. You'll be coming, right?"
"Of course!" Wendy laughed. "I wouldn't miss it. Though I hope Bandit doesn't accidentally eat wax if there's cake involved..."
Knowing what Wendy was referring to, Chilli blushed from second-hand embarrassment, but also joined in on the laughs.
Bandit could really be a klutz at times, even though he was generally incredibly smart. His inner idiot popped out at least once a day, and when the duo and their friends got together a couple of months ago to surprise Bruce with a birthday party, they'd gone out shopping for the cake. Unfortunately for Bandit, he had gotten pretty wasted at the time of the party and ended up eating three mini candles on his slice of the cake...
Needless to say, his facial expression had made everyone's day.
"Well to be fair, we were all wasted that night anyway," Chilli said in between chuckles. "Bandit's not that dumb usually. Well...that's also debatable. But you know, you gotta take the good with the bad!"
"Well he is sweet I guess," Wendy started in. It was a typical habit of Wendy's to try and brag where she could. It was one of the red heeler's pet peeves, but she put up with it anyway as she'd grown to like Wendy's company over the years. "But I couldn't take him seriously after he ate and swallowed candles...now every time I see him, I see the face he made after swallowing them. Did he ever get sick from it anyway?"
"Nah, doctor said he was fine, but he couldn't get rid of the aftertaste for a couple of hours afterwards," Chilli shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal. We've all done dumb or even dumber things."
"How's it going, Wendy?" came Bandit, who sat next to Chilli and snuggled in closely. Wendy waved awkwardly, secretly a bit annoyed that her time with Chilli was now over. The couple gave each other a quick smooch before Chilli caught Bandit up on what he hadn't heard. "Oh no, not the wax story.."
"You've got to admit, it was pretty damn funny," Chilli laughed, teasing her fiancé. "It was all like..."
The red heeler made a bunch of irked faces, imitating Bandit that night. Wendy stared at them, pure awkwardness in her expression. How did Chilli go from a composed sweet woman to whatever this is, making faces like a child looking down at their veggie plate? Bandit's influence was strong on her, to say the least.
"I don't know why everyone reminds me of the wax story and not the time Stripe projectile vomited fairy floss everywhere. That was much funnier."
"It was disgusting," Chilli lightly elbowed him, reminding him of who he was in front of. Chilli often got the idea that Wendy didn't like Bandit very much and her discomfort only added to her suspicions. "Sorry about that, Wendy. We didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"Oh, no- no, it's alright, love," Wendy reassured her. Bandit's an oversized child, that's all. "Bandit...haven't you eaten yet?"
"No...why?" Bandit scratched his lovely mullet, proudly showing it off. Sure, the style's been dead for a while, but he thought he looked amazing with it! Even Chilli would compliment his lovely fur these days. "You mean I could've eaten that pavlova I saw on the table? I'm not in the mood for pizza, honestly, so that's why I didn't eat.."
"...Yeah. Yeah, go serve yourself a piece, Bandit," Wendy's short chow chow ears fell in annoyance. "Try not to devour the whole thing."
As Bandit's tail wagged irresistibly on the way to the table, Chilli turned to look at Wendy, a look of confusion on her face. "Are you sure you're okay Wendy?"
"Yeah, it's just the Martin rubbish again. I know it seems like I wanted to get rid of Bandit, but there's some things only other birds understand, you see?"
"Oh," Chilli gave her friend a look of sympathy, placing her paw on the chow chow's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"
Wendy debated a bit in her head. "...In a minute, love. I'm going to use the toilet."
Chilli waited. And waited. And waited, for what seemed like ages before she decided to take a quick breather outside. I wonder if I should check up on her...
She decided not to, as the last thing she wanted was to catch her on the dunny if she truly was just doing her business. A part of her felt like it wasn't just that, however.
As she slowly stretched on Wendy's staircase entrance, she caught a familiar scent. Her aunt and uncle were outside of their house, and they seemed to be discussing something rather important. Chilli's ears swerved towards their direction, interested in what they were discussing.
"The bills are absolutely insane," Aunt Linda moped around. "Honestly, what use do we have for the house anymore anyway? We never had kids-"
Lorence winced at the reminder, knowing fully well not to mention their son for fear of another meltdown..
"-and half of the house is practically empty. We don't need all that space."
"You're right, sweetie," Lorence nodded his head in agreement, hardly hiding the sarcasm in his voice. "But we can't just leave the house. It's been in your family for generations, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, you're right. I've considered maybe letting that Brandy get the damn house, but she's been living in England since forever ago..." Linda sighed. "It doesn't seem like she'd want to return any time soon, either."
"How about Chilli then? She's also family and lives here," Lorence suggested.
"I've thought about it too," Linda pondered. "It's just that the house typically goes to the eldest born, so it should go to Brandy. It'll be the first time breaking that rule. Should I even be considering her??"
"Honestly, just pick one and go through with it. We've had that apartment picked out for months and you're still hesitant to just pick one of the two. Brandy, Chilli, whatever, it'll still be in the family. Or let's just sell it. Houses like these go for a ton of money these days..."
"How can you even entertain the idea of selling it?! It's a family heirloom!" Linda raised her voice.
"Yeah, but we're paying double bills, which is why we're running short on money now," Lorence sighed. "I mean...we don't have kids, so in our case, we've already broken the "rule" that said it needed to be our oldest kid...so considering Brandy was already against the "rules". So honestly, just pick one of them and let's leave as soon as possible."
"Wait," Linda caught the familiar scent. "Is that...Chilli?"
"She was probably invited to that party next door," Lorence shrugged. "If I recall correctly, that chow chow's about her age anyway."
Chilli decided to reveal herself and slowly peeled over the wooden fence. "Hey Uncle Lorence, Aunt Linda."
"Hello, sweetheart," Linda waved, with a soft smile on her face. Lorence greeted his niece with a soft hush, as if not to let any more information out. "Sorry, we were just discussing some important matter. Come on over."
"I see," Chilli walked up over to sit near them. So that's what they're going to do. Pass the house down to either Brandy or me, but likely Brandy. "Something about the house, right? I didn't get to hear everything."
"Yes, yes. We just decided we're giving you the house," Linda smiled. "After all, you are marrying Bandit soon and it would only be right for a married couple to have their own house, right?"
Lorence gave her a look of shock, but it was nothing compared to Chilli's reaction. Her mouth fell agape and she was so surprised she couldn't even ask if her auntie was being serious.
"I'll have to get some paperwork involved...but its official, honey. We're getting old and don't have a use for this house anymore. I'm hoping a youngin like you finds more use here than we do."
"But are you sure?" Chilli finally managed to speak once more. "You've lived here for so long! And it's such a nice house...I can't accept it."
"We insist," Lorence urged on his niece. "We won't take no for an answer!"
"Hey, love," Tori greeted Brandy as she entered the heeler's flat. She laid on the bed, her snout pressed against her pillow and her body laying limp without any sign of wanting to move.
"Hey," Brandy's voice sounded muffled against the pillow, but she had the decency to get up and stretch before walking into the small kitchenette, replacing the coffee filter with a new one. "Sorry, it's such a mess in here."
"It's okay, hun," Tori comforted her. "I know life's been hard recently...and I haven't had much time to see you lately."
"It's okay, really," Brandy shook her head, opening her oven and pulling out the leftovers she had cooked some hours ago. "You fancy some roasted chicken?"
"Ooh, yes please," Tori picked her piece before sitting down on the couch, turning the TV on. "By the way...not to be nosy or anything, but have you decided if you're going to Chilli's wedding yet? The plane tickets get cheaper if we buy more at once. Every pound counts."
"Honestly, I might just stay here. You can have my ticket," Brandy picked her own piece and added water in the coffee machine. "I mean...I left for a reason. There's people back at home I'd rather avoid. And of course I'd mail them something nice, like money."
"Brandy...come on, be honest with yourself, you'd regret not going at all," Tori reasoned. "She's your sister. Didn't you reconcile with her all those years ago? What happened to that?"
"I did, and I'm so happy I did," Brandy confirmed. "And I do want to see Chilli again. She's been dying to see me and we haven't for years now. There's just the fact that it's a wedding. Everyone will be there and catching up is going to be a pain in the arse.."
"Brandy, if that isn't the dumbest excuse I've ever heard," Tori side eyed her. "Who cares about all those other cunts? Just go for Chilli and Bandit. Their love's the purest I've ever seen, so of course we should go and celebrate their moment."
"Well...I don't want to see Bandit again. Or Martin for that matter. I know Chilli's friends with Wendy now, so she'll by default invite that idiot," Brandy sighed. "It's not that I like either of them anymore, it's just so awkward. I'd just get in the way of everything."
"I have a feeling that that's also an excuse," Tori chewed on the bone, getting a good look at her expression. It reeked more of insecurity than it did awkwardness of interacting with people who had crossed her path many years prior. "It's Chilli, isn't it? The catching up and exes play a part for sure, but I can tell it's Chilli."
Brandy sighed. "I'm gonna grab a cuppa. You thirsty?"
"Come on! Don't ignore what I said," Tori scoffed. "Are you jealous...of Chilli?"
"No, why the hell would I be? We're grown adults, we left that in the past."
Brandy sighed. "Oh, who cares? Yes, I'm nervous at the thought of seeing her again. I'm nervous of the thought of seeing Bandit again. She's so happy, and I envy her if I'm honest. The last thing I want to do is get in her way. How can I stop hurting her?"
"Brandy, can I tell you a joke?" Tori joined Brandy, getting the coffee maker ready.
"I guess?" Brandy looked at her in confusion. "I don't see why'd you tell a joke now of all times...but go on."
The dachshund shook her arm before talking, Brandy growing even more confused.
"It'll make sense, just hear me out. A guy walks into a doctor's office, and says 'Doctor, it hurts when I do this...' You know what the doctor says?" Tori gave her a look, wondering if the heeler knew where she was going with this.
"Don't do...that," Brandy finished the joke for her. She looked at the blank space in front of her, letting the joke's punchline settle in the back of her mind. "You know, that's...good advice."
"Yeah. It hurts when I shake my short arms like that, so I don't do it. But it'll hurt Chilli if you don't show up...so just go. I'll be there with you, and I'm sure you'd love to catch up with everyone else. I'm aware you had a strong friendship with Trix and Wendy back home?"
"Yeah, I did. But our communication is scarce. Generally, I'm awake when they're asleep and vice versa," Brandy explained. "But you are right, I should go. I'll see you there too, right?"
"Of course. We can even go on the same flight," Tori smiled. "I'm glad you've made up your mind."
-End-