"Great...great, great, great- Just friggin' great!"
Rain started to pour from the grey clouds surrounding the once-blue sky above the premises of Starr Park, just several miles away from the security bots' residing apartment. It was another rainy Autumn afternoon, and the concrete was already wet enough for Lawrie to end up slipping and falling onto the ground, frustrating the strict sibling himself even more.
Hence being frustrated, both siblings ended up losing their first match in days after a rough battle with Hank - the war-faced shrimp himself. Even though Hank had also lost a battle and gone into 6th place, he thought it wasn't as bad as the twins already going into 10th place in an instant. One-hit KO from the two. The shrimp already had a few dust marks after dodging a few projectiles, but he was more than happy to defeat his first ever brawler in months. Lawrie on the other hand was more than furious even when he and his brother instantly lost a battle from just a tiny creature, no matter how hard Larry tried, he was more than worried his brother would end up snapping at him.
And on that fateful day, Larry's nightmare would soon come true.
Lawrie felt tired and irritated as he and his brother arrived back at the living room in their apartment, staring directly at the couch where it remained standing. Letting out a gruff sigh, the strict sibling trudged towards the couch and sat down. His outfit was drenched with dirty rain water, and covered in nothing but burn marks and dirt stains all over.
Larry would let out a nervous sigh as he went back to his room, staring directly at the stuffed animal's button eyes. It was Stella, and she was waiting for her friend to be cuddled with. The robot would approach the stuffed border collie and open his mouth to speak. "It'll be alright, Stella.. Larry just had a bit of a rough day.."
He continued staring into the plush's blank eyes and walked off, leaving the stuffed animal in his room where it remained sitting on his bed. Returning to the kitchen, Larry would slowly open the fridge door to help himself with a light snack, but before he was merely seconds away from grabbing a cheese stick out of the shelf, a loud, masculine, yet robotic voice echoed across the room, causing Larry to jump out of shock.
"Larry.."
The shy robot turned back at his robot, who was now staring directly into the blank television screen. Lawrie was already sitting on the side of the couch, his eyes were baggy from stress, and his outfit was wet and dirty from earlier's match and falling onto the wet concrete on their way back home.
"L-Lawrie, I-"
"What have we talked about earlier?" Lawrie kept his eyes glued towards the television screen, not bothering to make eye contact towards his brother's. Larry would slowly trudge towards his twin brother, but only a few feet away from him out of fear. His heart raced and sweat started to trickle down his head.
"I- I don't-"
"Always prepare before starting a fight.." Lawrie snapped back. "Larry, how come you never knew about this in the first place!?"
The sudden shout made Larry jump. His heart continued racing, and more sweat bead started to form across his head. It felt like he was going to be in so much trouble.
"I-"
"Oh, so you don't remember, huh!?" Lawrie was about to get off his seat, but took a few deep breaths and kept himself glued onto the cushions of the couch. He opens his mouth to talk, but nothing comes out. "Get over here, Larry.."
Larry thought his own brother had a change of heart. Was he still furious? Of course he was. Was Lawrie disappointed his brother made him and his twin brother lose the fight in an instant? Yes, he still was. Lawrie could already calm himself down for a few moments before ordering Larry to sit down next to him.
Was this going to be another lecture? Alas, it would be.
The look on Lawrie's face felt like he's gone into defeated mode, but a part of Larry tells him it wasn't. Sitting down right next to his brother, Larry kept his eyes away from the other robot, instead keeping his eyes glued to the walls of the apartment living room.
That is when Lawrie's tired look shifted when Larry began speaking.
"L-Lawrie, are you-"
"Mad? No.." Lawrie growled. Just when Larry was about to speak, the look on his face changed as he stared directly into his brother's eyes, now furrowing with rage and pity. "I'm furious.."
Larry kept himself silent for a few moments.
"Do you know why we lost today?"
Another moment of silence, then finally, Larry opens his mouth to tell the truth. "B-Because I...wasn't paying atten-"
"No, Larry!" Lawrie snapped back, startling his brother even more. "You chose to play the hero part when I told you not to unless stated otherwise!"
"B-But-"
"NO BUTS, LARRY!"
Larry's face scrunches a bit. It felt like he was about to cry, but Larry fought the urge to. He didn't want to cry, no.. He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to cry right in front of his own twin brother.
"I TOLD YOU A THOUSAND TIMES TO STAY WITH ME, DIDN'T I!?" Lawrie grew closer towards the now shaking Larry, already quivering with nothing but fear. "DIDN'T I..?"
"N-No.." Larry uttered. He could feel the tears starting to form across his eyes, but managed to fight them off.
"Yet you chose to not listen to me," Lawrie responded as he backed away from his brother. "You chose to put yourself and I in so much danger, WE BOTH COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!"
"But-"
Lawrie opened his mouth to talk, but nothing came out.
"L-Lawrie, please! I-"
"IF YOU HAD BEEN MORE CAREFUL, WE COULD'VE WON!" Larry would already curl himself into a ball as he watched Lawrie pointed a finger towards him. "BUT NO, YOU CHOSE TO FUCK EVERYTHING UP! EVERYTHING! YOU FUCKED IT UP!"
After saying those words, Lawrie snapped out of his thoughts and let out a worried gasp, wishing he'd never said those horrible words towards his own brother. The robot's look of rage soon turned into a mixture of pure regret and fear as he stared directly into the now curled-up sibling's eyes, filled with nothing but oil-like tears. It hit Larry like a pile of bricks, and so did Lawrie. He could already feel the pang of remorse wash all over his face.
"N-No.." Lawrie would mutter out the first word, "L-Larry, I didn't mean it-"
Larry immediately hopped off the couch and stormed right back into his room, filling the hallway with his heavy sobs. Just before Lawrie could get a chance to apologize, a loud slam of the door can be heard across the room, startling the once-strict twin robot.
"Larry, I'm sorry!" Lawrie cried out. "Don't..." He would then let out a sad, regretful sigh soon after, heading back to the couch and sat down, his head hung low and eyes furrowed with nothing but regret. He couldn't believe it. First he snapped at his brother, now he wished he'd never said those things towards Larry.
"H-How could I..? No..!"
Back in his room, Larry was seen crying into his pillow. His body had fallen limp and was already quivering from sheer horror. He'd never heard his brother say those things like that, and never in his life would he ever hear about him ever again. He was nothing but a sobbing mess, and he could already tell his pillow was stained in his tears. Pulling his head back, he would stare directly into the stuffed border collie's button eyes, then back at the tear-stained pillow in front of him.
"I-It doesn't even m-matter, Stella.." Larry sighed between sobs. "L-Life, hic- would've been...a lot better without him.."
The stuffed animal continued staring blankly into the robot's tear-stained face.
"E-Even him partnering up with..R-T would've been easier.."
He continued staring at the plushie awaiting a response. Even though Stella is a stuffed animal, she couldn't really talk. In his mind, he would imagine the stuffed animal trying to talk him out and calm him down, yet in reality she couldn't do anything.
"Y-You're right, Stella.. Lawrie really is the worst.."
Larry could feel his cheeks burn up from his sobbing, but before he could say anything, an idea popped up.
"Perhaps being all by myself would've been much easier than being with the worst brother I had.." He would grab his backpack and proceed to pack as many things as he wanted to bring. His extra clothes, a flashlight, even his beloved stuffed animal. "I hope you're happy, Lawrie.."
Finally, he would grab a pencil and a piece of notepad paper and wrote down the following words, "Dear, Lawrie. If you wanted to become the worst brother possible, then life would've been easier without me. It hurts, everything hurts and I don't even know why.. I'm sorry, Lawrie, but life would've been easier without me.."
He would place the note onto his bed, and walk towards the window. He stared at it for a few moments. He didn't want to fall to his death, so there's got to be something- A rope. Perhaps he could tie it against the handle of his bed and pull himself down. He decided the rope would be a much easier process than falling to his death.
Tying the end of the rope against the handle of the bed, Larry opens the window and throws the rope over to where he could land. Staring at the rope for a few seconds, Larry lets out a determined breath and adjusts his bag. His hands were placed against the rope, and prepared himself for impact. Shuffling himself out of the window, Larry took more than a few minutes between hops as he climbed back down. Thankfully the room he and Lawrie were staying at wasn't as tall compared to other apartment rooms, but it was enough for Larry to finally land in an instant.
His feet landed onto the grassy ground and bolted off. Finally, Larry disappeared into the distance.
Meanwhile, Lawrie was in the kitchen of the siblings' apartment, grabbing a bottle of water off the shelf. He would then return to the living room, cracking open the cold water bottle and staring at it for a brief seconds before proceeding to chug down at least half the bottle. His eyes were already tired from earlier's argument, and he could already tell he'd regret yelling at his own brother.
"I should talk to him.."
Lawrie got off his seat and placed the water bottle onto the coffee table, trudging towards the door before he came to a stop. Was Larry still upset at him? Of course he was, and it felt like Lawrie needed to apologize to him after what he's done. His hand was against the doorknob and as he turned it open, Lawrie's eyes shrank as he gazed upon the open window in front of him.
"L-LARRY!?"
Lawrie checked through his room only to find the robot, completely missing. He would notice the piece of paper that remained sitting on the bed, dancing from the rainy breeze. He snatched the paper and read, "Dear, Lawrie. If you wanted to become the worst brother possible, then life would've been easier without me. It hurts, everything hurts and I don't even know why.. I'm sorry, Lawrie, but life would've been easier without me.."
"W-What...?" He shook and dropped the piece of paper that blew towards Larry's nightstand. "I-I'm...the worst..?" Tears would finally start to prick through Lawrie's eyes. He couldn't believe it.. Larry - his only brother, now gone missing. "E-Easier without him..?"
Lawrie would fall to his knees and start to sob. Tears started to fall from his eyes, his oil-like tears starting to stain the hardwood floor in the process. He opened his mouth to talk, but that is when he realized. He's a security bot, he's supposed to be on the lookout for someone.
"I've got to find him.."
Tears already had stained Larry's face. The wires that were programmed in his legs started to wear out, it felt sore. Way too sore.. He was already running away from both the apartment and his own brother, crying his eyes out. It felt like torture, so much torture. He'd suffered enough as it is, and he's had enough. He's got to find somewhere else to stay at, and some new friends to support him.
Lawrie is right, he really is the worst brother Larry could ever lay his eyes on..
His breathing hitched and his heart raced as he bolted towards the entire city, spending so much time looking for somewhere to stay. It felt like ages to find somewhere nice and cozy, yet no matter how many homes he tried to look for, many people tended to either kick him out or threaten to call the police. Despite Larry actually being a police officer like Lawrie, he never wanted to get arrested.
He tried the first house, yet to no avail. It was locked. He tried the other, no people there. The third house, still locked. Fourth house, still locked as well. Many houses later, and most of them are locked completely. It hasn't been at least an hour, and now Larry started to feel hungry. Thankfully he had money in his bag, so it would be enough for food.
Unfortunately for him, it would take several hours for Larry to walk to the nearest restaurant; especially Bull's Diner. He has to find something to eat, there has to be! He looked all over the city, still no restaurants. The old town, still nothing.
More than an hour passed, and still no luck. Larry could already feel himself sore from spending so much time walking, and it felt like he was going to pass out any second now. His vision would start to glitch for a few seconds before going back to normal. Letting out a shaky breath, Larry halted his walking and sat down on the nearest benches, taking his moment to regain his breath.
His stomach growled even more, and it hurt. Hunger pains. He'd spend so much time walking around, he didn't even have time to grab a proper meal to eat or a restaurant to find. His breathing grew heavy and hitched, and his vision started to glitch even more. Unfortunately he didn't grab anything to eat or grab his water bottle before the fight with Lawrie, and just when he ran away, he never found anything to consume.
Lawrie's voice was silent despite spending several hours looking for his brother, yet to no avail. Larry never cared less anyway, the fight was more than enough to distance himself from his strict sibling.
He went back to walking, but he could already feel his legs grow clammy and useless. He wanted to move, but he was too hungry and exhausted to move. He wanted to walk, but he couldn't. It hurts. Everything hurts..
A few more minutes of walking passed and Larry could already hear the ringing in his hearing. Something tells him that he was going to pass out at any given moment now. He wanted to move, but he was too hungry to do so. That is when as he gazed upon that little figure walking across the area, his eyes started to glitch out, and his hearing buzzed like a television static. His heart raced, and that is when as the little figure stopped to notice the unfamiliar being struggling to move, everything grew dark.
"MAMA! Someone passed out!"
A groan escaped from his lips, and his vision glitched even more before going back to normal seconds later. He would slowly open his eyes only to find the junker and support brawler herself - Pam. She was seen returning to the living room with a bowl in both hands. Her face was nothing but sure worry, but she was more than glad she found the robot alive.
"Ya' caused a big scare out there, didn't ya'?" A feminine voice startled Larry a bit, but he was already too exhausted to move. "Didn't mean to startle ya', but ah' did got ya' somethin' to munch on.."
Larry stared at the bowl for a few moments before registering what it looked like. It appeared to be a bowl of fruit Pam prepared earlier ago. Strawberries, pineapple, grapes, and lastly pieces of Dragonfruit. He popped a piece of dragonfruit into his mouth, and the taste of sweetness soon hit his taste buds. He'd never tasted dragonfruit in his life, right until now!
"Eat up, buddy. Ya' gotta have that energy back.." Pam said as she went back to her reports. It felt like heaven ever since Larry was sent here. The air conditioners hit the living room, sending the area in a bit of a chill, but just enough for Larry to regain his body temperature. Fresh fruit already in his stomach, it felt like ages since he'd eaten anything.
Nani was already seen in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge for Larry to consume. A large bowl of the same fruit Pam prepared earlier, some leftovers from last night, and mostly dairy products and vegetables stored in the fridge. The pantry also contained a couple of unopened cereal boxes, cookie jars, a few ramen packs, a box of saltine crackers, soup cans, and other unedible packs stored in there. It felt like there could be something for that robot to eat, but what could it be?
Nani went through the freezer, and all she could find were a couple ice cream tubs, freezer popsicles, television dinners, ice packs, and unopened meat packs. Perhaps she could cook him something..
"So it turns out ya've gotten yerself low blood sugar.." Pam spoke as she turned back towards Larry. "Even as a robot with...robotic blood, it also happens to ya' too.."
Larry could jolt himself out of his seat, but he still was too weak to move.
"This is what happens when ya' don't eat enough." Pam continued as she stared deeply into the fruit bowl Larry was eating. "Yer' more than lucky I gave ya' that just to get yer energy back.."
Larry still was too weak to speak. The only thing he could do was to let out pained groans. Pam's face shifted as he heard those noises, and let out a sad sigh. "Listen, Ah' know it's rough, but you'll feel better eventually.. Ah' promise.."
Larry could only nod in response as he continued eating the fruit bowl until it was empty. He would carefully place the wooden bowl onto the stand before Pam could take it away from him and return to the kitchen to wash it off. She turned back at Nani as she started washing the wooden bowl, before an idea popped up.
"Nani, can ya' prepare Larry somethin'? He's still a bit hungry.."
That is when Nani started to prepare something nice and big for the still-hungry robot himself. She would grab a few things - a soup bowl, a can of tomato soup, basil, cheese, and bread slices. Turns out the little robot was going to prepare grilled cheese and tomato soup for Larry.
She would stack both cheese slices onto the bottom piece of the bread before slapping the upper part. Buttering the pan, Nani placed the cheese sandwich onto the pan before starting off with the tomato soup. Careful not to burn it, she would turn the handle on low-heat before moving on to the soup itself. She would pour the entire soup can onto a clean pot before turning the handle on low-heat, stirring the tomato soup filled with a pinch of basil she'd put in. Going back to the sandwich, Nani flips it over to find golden brown marks, which means it's close to finishing.
It only took less than ten minutes for the meal to be prepared, and that is when Nani finally returned to the living room with a tray. A bowl of tomato soup and a plate of the grilled cheese sandwich she had made. She placed the tray onto the small table for Larry to grab and eat, but just before he could take a bite, a couple knocking sounds can be heard across the room, startling Larry a bit.
"I'll get it!" Nani would let out a shout as she reached in for the doorknob, but as she pulled the door open, it revealed Lawrie standing outside the doorstep. His face was dusty and tired from all the excess investigating, and his outfit was dirty from sweat and dirt. His eyes were baggy from stress and worry, and just before he could open his mouth to talk, he paused and noticed Larry on the couch, still exhausted and hungry.
"L-LARRY!" Lawrie let out a shout but just before he could run towards Larry, Nani stopped him. "W-Wait! I-"
"You need to let him rest, Mr. Lawrie.." Nani spoke. "The poor robot is really exhausted at the moment.."
Lawrie could already feel his heart race as he noticed Larry, already struggling to eat. He then noticed the visible endoskeleton around his chest, and he was already too shocked to speak otherwise.
"We found Larry like this outside.." Pam spoke as she walked towards Lawrie. "His blood sugar dropped so we got him somethin' to eat."
"Didn't-" Lawrie tried to speak, but by seeing Larry's visible ribcage through his chest, he couldn't. It felt like he was going to pass out after seeing his brother so weak and exhausted, and...in such terrible shape. "H-How did.."
"F-Fault..." That is when both Pam and Lawrie shook and turned around to hear Larry's glitched voice. "My...fault.."
Lawrie lets out a sad sigh and approaches the weak sibling on the couch. "N-No, Larry... All this is my fault.."
"I...caused..all this.." Larry would speak between breaths, and Lawrie sighed in response once more.
"I know you're trying to help, but I didn't mean to scare you like that.." Lawrie sighed sadly. "I-I didn't mean to lash out at you like that, and everything else is my fault." He would place a hand against his brother's shoulderpads. "B-But, you chose to run away and almost got yourself killed! Y-You had me worried sick there!"
"I'm sorry..." Larry could feel his tears prick once again, and that is when Lawrie could feel another pang of remorse hit him, right in his head. Letting out another sad breath, "Larry, I couldn't finish the job without you, and if you're dead, what else can I do?"
Larry remained silent. Finally, Lawrie would then give his brother a hug. "I understand you're upset you lost, and so did I. I felt like I might've lost my temper there, and it was bad.."
Lawrie could clearly tell he'd took his rage a little too far, hence way Larry wanted to distance himself away from his brother, but that wasn't until-
"C-Can you forgive me?"
The robotic sibling kept himself silent for a few seconds before letting out a pained hum in response. Lawrie's once worried frown soon shifted into a relieved smile and scuffled Larry's head.
"Larry, you're always my little brother and I'd hate to lose you.."
Once the hug broke free, Larry would slump back onto the couch, leaving his food sitting on the tray.
"Is he going to..-"
"Larry's still gonna eat all'at.." Pam chuckled, before a frown formed across her face. "But, regarding that nasty, visible exoskeleton across his chest, yer brother's in no condition to battle or do anythin' for a few days or so.."
"I understand, Mrs. Pam." Lawrie let out a sigh, knowing well that his brother would end up staying at the junkyard for nearly a week for the sake of his recovery. Walking towards the door, Lawrie stopped and turned over to his still-weak brother, still on the couch with half-lidded eyes. "P-Please stay safe.." Finally, Lawrie headed back outside and disappeared into the distance.
Larry slowly got up and popped a spoonful of tomato soup into his mouth, smiling sadly. Even though he had forgiven his brother for earlier's actions, it also felt like Larry could use a nearly-week off to get the energy back he needs.
And it's going to be the most relaxing recovery yet..
THE END