This is an AU of "on a night under the shining stars", where Bandit and Brandy do INDEED stay with one another. I'm aware of the strong Brandit fandom, and I'm here to serve you some Brandit content! For the beginning of this story, start with "on a night under the shining stars" chapter 1 all the way to chapter 11, then come here. The story may be a little chaotic with Chilli not ending up with Bandit at all, but that's why this is an AU while the other story is a prequel-esque. This means that the conflict between the sisters may be a little muddy, but this is a ROMANCE story, so expect some good romance rather than good drama!

Also, this fic is rated M compared to OANUTSS' rating of T. Read at your own discretion.

Credit to therealjakeforreallife on Discord for the title, a reference to the song "Brandy".

To join the discord, use the invite: https/discord.gg/Z2jQcHBWDT. You MUST be 16 or older.


Time passed. A lot of it.

Brandy had broken up with her love, Bandit Heeler, about half a year ago and every day she woke up in her flat facing no one in her bed, she felt this wave of melancholic denial hit her.

I don't need him, I don't want him. He doesn't want me. He's fallen for Chilli.

Bandit and Bruce were gone by now, having gotten a lease at another apartment complex not too far from Brandy's. She'd see him running in the evenings when she drove near the area-often only doing so so that she could see him one more time.

Brandy hated to admit it, but she was still madly infatuated with him, even though she firmly believed she made the right choice in leaving him. She thought she had liked Martin, she thought Bandit was better off away from her, and while the latter may be true, there was still hope in her soul that told her she needed him back in her life, one way or another.

This is how she ended up in front of Bandit's door, her light fist shaking before the door, afraid to give it a little knock. Her foot tapped impatiently. What if this old rickety place had cameras and she was caught standing there for a suspicious amount of time?

She bit the bullet and knocked.


Bandit's ears perked up, turning around. I wasn't expecting any visitors, and Bruce isn't supposed to be back for another 3 hours or so. The blue heeler subtly approached the door, expecting family, like his mum or brother, but when he opened the door, he was blown away by whom he saw.

Brandy...but she wasn't anything like how he'd last remembered her. Her fur wasn't matted (though dull, expected after a depressing breakup), her eyes shone richly brown in the sun, and she had some makeup on, making her look slightly older and more...mature.

"Brandy? What are you doing here?" Bandit started to unintentionally brush his coat with his fingers, pulling out the tangles. The mini-depression had gotten to him too, his coat riddled with split ends and a dull, saturated blue. "...Why are you here?"

"I am asking myself that right now," Brandy grit her teeth, feeling her fists tighten with embarrassment. "Bandit...I didn't want to separate myself from you forever. I thought it was right...to break up because I believed we were holding each other back."

"You were right, Brandy. We were," Bandit sighed, a dead, monotone look in his eyes. "I'm sorry you're doubting yourself, but you did the right thing. Had it gone any further, that would've been more time wasted on both of our ends."

"But I never meant that we could never see each other again!" Brandy yelped a little too loudly.

Bandit let out another internal sigh, but invited Brandy in, leading her to the couch.

"Yeah, no worries. We can be friends," Bandit let a little of his attitude fade away. He wanted her so badly, in every single way he's ever had her. As a listener, as a talker, as a writer, and as a partner. He knew it was likely that Brandy's guilt was the only thing that had led her to his flat in the first place, and she was probably adamant on not getting back together but he'd be lying if he said he would be able to maintain a friendship without some little feelings within him. "I'm sorry for how I acted...it's just been a long day for me. You know the gist, Domino's delivery."

"It's okay...," Brandy understood. "I understand you being mad...the last time we saw each other..."

The two stared at one another, a painful expression on their faces. Bandit spoke first. "I wasn't mad, Brandy. I...I admittedly was thinking of leaving you too. It was just that...things were getting so distant and neither of us could just talk to the other. And I have a confession to make."

Brandy knew what it would be, but braced herself anyway, knowing the impact would break her heart about the same as that day she decided leaving him was best.

"I was talking to Chilli," Bandit stared at her, like a puppy who had just gotten grounded. "And I know it was wrong, even before we broke up. I am so sorry Brandy, believe me. And please don't get mad at her...it was all me. I flirted with her, and she always made sure to bring you up. And in the end, Chilli started dating someone else, but by that point I had accepted that I still had feelings for you. I used her as a rebound, and I made sure to apologise to her...but I was too scared to ever reach out to you."

"It's okay," Brandy felt a sting in her chest, traveling down to her abdomen. She swallowed hard, trying to forget what she had heard. She knew, she had overheard them talking late at night. As hypocritical as it was, Brandy was not mentally handling this confession well. "I was talking to someone too, Bandit. It wasn't just you who did this. He was a friend of mine back in grade school and that night I went out to shop for Chilli, I ended up on his tail. But he's dating Wendy, and I would never intentionally drive a wedge between them. And...like you said, he was just a rebound. I don't love him...like I loved you. You made me feel safe, beautiful, powerful, relaxed...loved."

The two briefly made eye contact, looking away in shame, wallowing in past regrets.

"I still love you, Brandy," the blue heeler corrected her. "And I understand if you just want to be friends, but I can't string you along like this. I want you, and not in a friendly manner."

"I feel the same way. I love you, Bandit," Brandy sighed. "But...before we react hastily...we need to talk about it first."

Bandit nodded. "Anything you want, love."

Brandy got up and walked towards the kitchen and into the pantry, pulling out the strongest alcohol she saw, and placed it on the coffee table adjacent to the couch, next to Bandit.

"Brandy..." Bandit gave her a concerning glance.

"Not now," Brandy raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "It'll help us open up a little more. Sober...well, we can just hide our truths and then what's the point? But yes, we can have a sober conversation first. I just need to tell you something I was too afraid to tell you."

"Oh, okay...I understand where you're coming from. And what else do you need to confess? I don't think it can get any worse than what both of us already did..."

"No...it's the reason why our relationship got so...distant," Brandy already started undoing the bottle cap, grunting as she tried her hardest.

Bandit grabbed it from her, the brief hand contact making Brandy's cheeks go red. He opened it flawlessly, and gave it back to her.

Once he had processed the words she had spoken, all he could muster up was a shaky "Oh.", worried about what the reasoning could be. I never did anything else before the distance came along. Every other woman out there were just like guys..people I only wanted a friendship with.

"Do you remember...my miscarriage?" Brandy started to tear up, ashamed that so many months later, she still felt the need to avoid the subject completely to not break down. Bandit pulled her in for a hug, whispering an "I do" in her ear, rubbing her back as comfort.

"Do...do you remember what you said?"

Bandit thought back, continuing to rub his crying ex's back, taken aback by her sudden reaction. What I said? Bandit thought back to that painful day, seeing how pale and malnourished Brandy had looked during the instant noodle binge, finding her fur on random places in the flat. How hollow her eyes appeared, how he could hear her throw up at night, the bone-chilling way she had looked after the operation, Bandit carrying her to the car and driving her home, worried about what she had endured. He remembered constantly checking her pulse that night, wondering if she was dying before his eyes. The late night talks they would have, where Brandy revealed multiple times since then...that she dreamt of being a mother.

"If we knew back then, we would've gotten an abortion anyway. It's not your fault."

Bandit felt his stomach drop, now knowing exactly what she was going to say.

"Brandy...I am so sorry," Bandit hugged her tighter. "I...I wasn't thinking right...I was only up for t-ten minutes when you woke up and...and..."

"You figured it out," Brandy ravished his hug, rubbing her face within. "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier...I wasn't thinking straight...I wanted to be a mother so badly. I didn't think about anything else even you..."

"And I get it," Bandit replied. "I didn't think about your feelings, only mine...And I have no idea how I'll make it up to you...but I hope I can someday."

The two were openly embraced in one another, missing this feeling for a dreadful amount of time. Brandy was the first to pull away and start pouring her glass full of whiskey, motioning for Bandit to get his own glass.

Once he did, she poured him a glass and the two said "cheers" in a not so cheerful tone. They clinked their glasses together and gulped them down.


"But why? Why couldn't you love me?"

"Because I love myself more..."

Brandy and Bandit watched the TV, the sky now completely dark and the two very much so tipsy, which may have been putting it lightly.

Bruce had something come up with a friend and Bandit had offered her to stay, which sounded like more than a deal to her drunk ears.

"I hate this," Brandy huffed, her filter completely off as usual. "Why do people watch this crap?!"

"It's background noise, Brandy," Bandit chirped in, feeling the distortion around him. "Besides, wouldn't people think the same of us...? Like...What am I supposed to tell...Bruce? When he comes home.."

"It'll be fiiine," Brandy sighed, placing her head on his thighs, Bandit's paw on her shoulder. "I understand it almost."

"Understand what?"

"Why people go back so often," Brandy burped a little. "You know...when I was single, I didn't give a damn on what other ugly cunts thought of me. I was alone, for the better or the worse...But when I met you again...well...you made me happy, Bandit. Just the thought of you got my t-tail wagging. I cried for days when I left you...because I realized how much my life...how much my life fucking sucks."

"I know," Bandit started. "You're successful...but if you don't have people to celebrate that with...well...it's horrible. I would have killed myself in your paws..."

Brutal honesty, the reason why Brandy had suggested the whiskey in the first place. Sober Bandit would have comforted her first before sharing her pain.

"But...Brandy?" Bandit looked at her. "You're one of the strongest people I know...You've been through all kinds of hell...and yet, you're still here. I'm proud of you, so...y'know...don't kill yourself. That would be what I would do, not you. And...I'd miss you far too much."

Brandy let out a small giggle. "I won't."

The two continued to watch the soap opera for a couple of moments, the couple on screen depicted in the climax of the show. They fought and screamed, leaving the heelers' ears pressed against their temples.

"But...why though?" Brandy asked as soon as the fight onscreen was over. "All I did...was bring you down."

"All you did was be the best partner I've ever had," Bandit smiled goofily. "I started to like you for many reasons. I mean, I thought you were cute at the party. Drunk...and vomit all over you...I still thought you were a catch. I think...the reason I like you so much is because..."

Brandy poured him another glass, only full to the middle this time. He drank it, setting the glass down with a heavier slam than intended, smacking his lips as he felt the hot sensation down his throat. "You're not perfect."

"You could say that again..." Brandy hiccup-laughed.

"You're kind of annoying with Chilli, you're particular...about the flat being as clean as possible..., your writing takes up a lot of time...but that makes you amazing. When someone looks and acts too perfect...they end up fucking you up so badly...that you end up needing a Brandy...to restore your faith in love."

Brandy knew immediately.

"When we spent time together...," Bandit started. "I had a feeling you were perfect because you were imperfect."

These were things only two drunk heelers could understand.

"God...I found you being so cheery all the time to be so goddamn infuriating. Like...I get it. You and your brothers get along perfectly. But it was so heartwarming...to see you and Stripe act like oversized kids...And if I ever have kids...I'm begging that they'll be just like you and them."

"If we ever have kids," Bandit corrected her. "We. And we'll raise them well...I'll make sure the older ones don't tease the younger ones..."

"And I'll make sure the younger ones look up to their older ones."

"It'll be perfect," both said together.

"I always wanted Biscuit for a boy," Brandy admitted. "Biscuit guiding his little siblings around, making sure they always stay out of trouble."

"I like Bingo for a girl," Bandit smiled looking off into the TV, not watching the show at all, but rather an aged version of him and Brandy, cuddling their children while reading them a bedtime story. "I'm sure Bingo would invite Biscuit to relax and watch TV, like we're doing. So Biscuit wouldn't even need to watch over her so much."

"I'd name him...Biscuit Ralph Heeler," Brandy let out a bittersweet grin, imagining this little heeler up.

He'd have his mum's short snout and his dad's blue coat. He'd have Brandy's eyes and mask and Bandit's nelly pattern. Best of all, he'd have Brandy's intuition and Bandit's loving personality...

It all seemed so close, within arm's reach...but that was probably the alcohol talking.

"I don't get to name him at all?" Bandit side eyed her, watching her get excited.

"...He's gonna have your last name, right?" Brandy lightly hit him on the shoulder. "Besides you get to name Bingo."

"Well...you should pick Bingo's middle name, if I get her first name and last name...To keep it fair."

"...Clarice. After my mother," Brandy nodded. "Bingo Clarice Heeler.."

She'd be a red heeler, resembling Brandy much more than her father, but having his same belly pattern someday. Her mask would be exactly the same as Brandy's mother's.

"Would you have my last name?" Bandit pushed the question, giving Brandy her own half-glass, which she slurped down like no tomorrow.

"People...typically get married before having kids...you know?" Brandy's sarcasm never died down, even intoxicated.

"So...you'd be a Heeler.." Bandit smiled. "I adore the way Brandy Heeler sounds...Brandy Ivy Heeler..."

The two looked at each other.

The two started to viciously make out, Brandy feeling the warm sensation of Bandit's tongue in her mouth. She let out a moan, pulling the blue heeler closer against her, not giving his mouth a break as what started off as a French kiss slowly dissolved into a sloppy mess as the two drunk heelers' tongues danced in each others' mouth. The taste of alcohol didn't deter them, in fact made them even thirstier, though neither knew if it was for more whiskey or each other.

"Please help me...make them exist...," Brandy begged him, finally pulling apart the kiss.

"Anything for you, my love...," Bandit started to grab her ass, eager to make both of their kids come to life before the doorknob turning caught both of their attention.

"Shit," Brandy groaned under her breath, slowly getting up as well as she could, brushing her fur with her fingers as to not give away what the two were about to do.

Bruce had opened the door at last after a few seconds more of fumbling around with the keyhole, surprised to see the likes of Brandy with his best friend, Bandit.

"I feel like I'm intruding," he said awkwardly as he closed the door and scooted away to his room, closing and locking the door.

Bandit and Brandy knew they couldn't make their kids today, but embraced each other's warmth anyway as they turned off the TV and the light and slept on the couch, Bandit's arms around Brandy's waist.

"Can...we really get back together?" Bandit asked her softly, the scare from Bruce making him a little more sober.

"It'll take a lot of work to make up for the lost time...But I'd love to, Bandit."

-End-