#listen fake peppino is everything to me.

[snallygayster]

obsessed with the playable fake peppino mod so i made some rank screen mockups for fun

[pizzabox-box]

How does Fake Peppino and Peppi-no perceive themselves? I assume from the clones post that Fep sees himself as peppino (to some extent), but also knows that he isn't as "real" as the real peppino (and that being real is better? Or is that something Pizzahead told him?) Does Peppi-no still see himself a bit as Peppino, or does he just consider himself the monster that killed peppino?

The best way to describe how Fake feels about himself would be like this:

" I may not be "The Real" Peppino but I'm still a Peppino! And I will try to be the best Peppino I can be! I'm not just some messed up clone... I will prove how good of a Peppino I can be! You will be proud of me! Just you wait! I will show you! I will show you all! "

Fake Peppino seems himself as a Peppino, but at the same time he's aware that he's not the original. He doesn't want to admit it to himself, but the fact that he's just a butchered clone of someone is eating at him.

He doesn't see himself as the monster most view him as. He's just making pizza, what's so wrong about it? There's some doubt and second thoughts but it's deeply repressed. There's no time for being sad when you're running a restaurant!

So now onto Peppi-no, what does he think of himself?

"I'm Peppino! Of course I'm Peppino! I have to be Peppino. People need their Peppino! What else would I be if not Peppino. This is what I always wanted. ... "

But he knows he will never be The Peppino, real Peppino is dead. He Killed him.

"Oh, who I'm I kidding. I'm a terrible selfish monster. I took a life of another for my own selfish desires. No better than a stupid ravenous animal... "

But there's no time for self pity, he has a restaurant to run! "Friends" to meet. An act to put up. He can't risk anyone finding out! So he shoves these thoughts in the back of his mind. But no matter how hard he tries, they come back to haunt him again. Each time more intense and more aggressive.

This song fits Peppi-no very well:

I realized in my last life That I hate the light So I keep running And running I'm trying to hide From everything that's inside This heart that I've tried To erase and wash away all the shame

He regrets what he did, and is trying to hide from the consequenses

Scared to death of what's within There's bleeding kind of beating, deep beneath the skin Feel it rattle, ravage, all my sin Hear it scream behind my chest again

Flashabacking

No alchemy can give me what I wish I could be So I'll try a different body Just a dash of this and that A touch of blood and add some mud My wishes, fears, and painful tears I wonder when I'll have enough

He can't undo what he did. He takes real Peppino's place, runs his restaurant. Worries about how long he can do this.

No form of love can give me what I wish I could be I pray just change me I'm broken, torn, and tattered I'll never be full again I'll close my eyes and shatter My heart, rebuild from the start Dis-gus-ting

Talking about how much he regrets doing what he did, he was fundementally changed by the piece of real Peppino.

Even if I somehow find a way to feel alive, I Realized in my last life That I hate the light So I keep running And running I'm trying to hide From everything that's inside This heart that I've tried To erase and wash away all the shame To erase and wash away all the shame

Didn't know what he was doing until it was done and now he's stuck with the consequences

Stuck in the mud in my mind, if I clean up, I swear that I'd shine I am confined to what is inside Eating away at the thoughts that I'm trying to hide And I'm sick of all this wondering if I even deserve to live I think it's best I rip these feeling out with the rest of it

Hating himself for what he did

The breath of life was my demise I'm cursed until the day I die Perhaps a better set of eyes Will blind me from this sin of mine

taking Peppino's life was a terrible decision, he wants to return to blissful ignorance, before he took the bite

I've been forsaken, I'm breaking, can't take it again So take from me my mind and let me be

Reaching his breaking point. Wants all the guilt to stop

I'm lower than the dirt A worthless Homunculus Sick. of. this.

self hate again

Even if I somehow find a way to feel alive, I Realized in my last life That I hate the light So I keep running And running I'm trying to hide From everything that's inside This heart that I've tried To erase and wash away all the shame To erase and wash away all the shame

self explainatory, he's trying to run away from what he did

Toil all day, till this rotten clay Water and blood just aren't enough To fill my heart up Over and over I try to reshape Crying in shame as I take the pain out Maybe that can change me That can save me

day after day he takes Peppino's form to continue his act, hopes he will weasel his way out of this mess, hoping that maybe someone can help him

I'm broken, torn, and tattered I'll never be full again I'll close my eyes and shatter My heart, rebuild from the start Disgusting Even if I somehow find a way to feel alive, I Realized in my last life That I hate the light So I keep running And running I'm trying to hide So maybe in my next life I'll finally find Find a way to wash away all the shame To erase and wash away all the shame

already went over this, a lot of guilt, self pity, self hate. And he's trying to run away from of it.

[unexpectedbrickattack]

Okay so i know this is your askbox and everything but I want to say that i feel like the bosses would start to hate pizzahead after peppino tells them what he was planning on doing, because as far as I know they were simply hired to guard the keys and look out for peppino.

I have some very minor tweaks to this but for the most part i agree!

put under a readmore bc i dont wanna clog up any potentially Non-Exploded pt tags lmao

-Pepperman, the eccentric man that he is gets shown 1 (one) image of a fucked up drawing of peppino and hes like ‘yes yes fat little human man, got it.’ And continues sculpting as if he hadnt heard pizzahead at all. Hes the MOST startled when peppino enters his arena bc he literally forgot he had to fight him 😭 hes like WHO is this little sweaty human in my fucking ART STUDIO????!! and then immediately gets stomped.

He is definitely indifferent to pizzahead; he didnt really care about this weird man and even postgame hes like well. This sly dog led me straight to my muse so I cannot be too angry with him 🤔

-Vigilante is like ‘hmm. Never seen this man round these parts; whatd he do?’ And pizzahead is like if you need a reason; its no longer just a simple request; its a bounty. And Vigilante it like ‘well... A bountys a bounty; if he wanders into my town he aint comin back out’ and pizzahead is like great! Fantastic! Im holding you up to that 🧡

Vigilante is probably the one most angry about pizzahead. Hes not exactly lawful good but he does Not like being used as Hired Muscle. He hunts down Bad People; not a human some weirdo has a personal vendetta against. He doesnt know exactly WHAT that vendetta is but its not worth his time and its not worth getting his cheesy ass handed to by Peppino again 😭

-The Noise craves violence and destruction. Hes a little menace! He also likes money. LOTS of money. And lucky for him, Pizzahead had seemingly Infinite Funds. Funds that he used to hire the Noise; to utilize this brats WEALTH of questionable tools and contraptions in case Peppino climbed his way through the tower. The noise was like ‘ur hosting this shitshow on TV? give me a 40/60 split from whatever ur filming and you have a deal’ and he does NOT find it troubling at all that Pizzahead is so eager to accept this.

He never figures out that the recorded content was never actually hosted anywhere. He eventually tries searching it up, asking his agents to look up anything recent with his face in it but they all come up emptyhanded. When asked about a name or title or scheduled tv slot and publishing, hes a bit sheepish to admit he never asked. Thats not his job! Thats his agents job! Hes so weirded out though; Pizzahead gave him a Ton of money. Obviously not alot by the Noise’s standards but more than what most people could even remotely afford. Weird. Well he got money and Peppino doesnt try to kill him unless he ignores the restraining order placed on him so its okay ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-Fake peppino cant really comprehend hate. But he does comprehend…distrust. A man comes up to him, gives him a picture of some human, asks him to make sure this human does NOT make it to the top of the tower- ‘nononono. Listen to me. He does NOT make it past you. Do you understand that? I am serious. If you see this man come by your sorry excuse for a shop, kill him. Maim him. Eat him; i dont care WHAT you do as long as he does Not get this fucking key.’

And Fake Peppino just nods. But hes so wary despite his dopey expression. Hes got little goosebumps prickling along the back of his neck as the man hands him the key and a picture of the human. A human that looks like him. JUST like him. In the back alley of his poorly lit pizzeria. Just like him…Hes a bit taller than the man in the picture but…just like him… just like him just like himjustlikehimjustlikehim- ‘Yeah, yeah, just like you, but listen- listen; hes messin' with My business and you gotta understand that, right? You have a business too! Whatever this…*gestures weakly* is. You would be. Sad. If someone destroyed your business. Right?’

A slow nod.

‘Exactly! See? Right on the same page! Thats why im countin on you!’

When Fake Peppino gets to see that Human Peppino has his own Pizzeria; a pizzeria that almost got destroyed (a BUSINESS just like his...) everything seems to click into place at once. Hed probably maul Pizzahead like a chimpanzee 😭 WHAMWHAMWHAM BASH THAT DOUGHY FACE IN !!!!!!! Peppino doesnt need the manpower, but its Nice to have the equivalent of a bulldog guarding his shop

[sauce-machine]

Perfect

My first Pizza Tower fic, and first fic in ten years. (Angst, Yelling, Mentions of abuse.)

“Are you-a serious?! Again?!” Peppino shouts so loudly one would think the walls of the pizzeria were shaking. It was loud enough for the rats in the back alley to scurry away, for Gustavo and Brick to fully turn their attention to the kitchen, and for his clone to slither backwards into a corner in fear.

Since the tower fell almost three months ago, the beings that inhabited that tower went to live in other places. Some integrated into the wild, others had families to fall back on. But not all of them.

Peppino’s clone would skulk around outside of the restaurant during hours, sometimes trying to get in, other times digging for food in the trash. At the mere suggestion that they take in the clone, Peppino would sputter and throw a fit. He wanted NOTHING to do with that clone.

That’s what he would say, until Gustavo finally wore him down.

The clone would only help with odd jobs in the back for some food, nothing more. It would stay in the back where customers wouldn’t be able to see it.

For the most part, his clone was pretty good at being told what to do. Sweep the floors, take out the trash, clean the bathrooms, fold the pizza boxes. It made things easier around the kitchen.

But every so often, his clone would get too ambitious. Accidentally knocking over orders, spilling sauce, minor mistakes in the eyes of the everyday working man.

But Peppino was a workaholic, with a temper that could explode at any given moment. And when his clone happened to drop an order flat on the floor, these were one of those moments.

“Fucking hell! The moment I turn my back to you, you mess-a everything up! What the hell are we going to do with you?!” Peppino shouts at it. His face is red and sweaty, not too far from his usual state.

Gustavo comes running in. “What happened?! Is everyone-a okay?” Gustavo asks. He immediately sees the pie face down on the floor. “I see, I see. Peppino, just-a give me the order and I’ll remake it-a.” Gustavo said softly. His eyes wander over to the clone cowering in the corner. It was almost a pile of mush at this point.

Peppino glares at Gustavo. “Gus! It shouldn’t even-a had the pie in its hands! If this thing would just listen to me--” Peppino argues.

“I think you’re being-a too hard on him. Look, Peppino..” Gustavo says as he softly gestures to the clone in the corner.

The mushy pile that is Fake Peppino gurgles a few things. “...Yrros..Yrros.. ...yrros m'I…” It says.

Peppino shakes his head. “No, enough is enough! I’ve-a had it! I want this thing OUT!!!” Peppino yells from the back of his throat, pointing sharply at the clone.

As soon as he does point, the clone jumps up and screams. It’s much more rattling and sharp than Peppino’s yell, and even more inhuman. It spreads its limbs out, holding itself up in the corner of the room. It lets out a hiss at Peppino as it jump’s into the air ducts.

Peppino sighs, but gives himself a weary smile. He claps his hands together. “Well! It-a seems to have-a gotten the message. Now, to fix that order..” Peppino says.

“Are you really going to-a let it suffer like that?” Gustavo asks.

Peppino rolls his eyes. Gustavo is his closest friend, in fact, many creatures and people consider Gustavo to be their close friend. He has a knack for befriending the weird, creepy, unsettling, and unnatural. And also Mr. Stick.

“That thing can’t-a suffer. It has no heart.” Peppino says.

“Oh, really? What makes you-a think that?” Gustavo asks.

“Because it wants to-a be me! I bet that moment I close my eyes tonight-a, it’ll sneak into my apartment and slit-a my throat!” Peppino loudly exclaims, making a knife cutting motion across his neck.

“It’s been-a months now! Don’t you think it would have already-a tried to do that?” Gustavo asks. He begins to clean up the mess on the floor, Brick slinks in to help.

“Maybe it’s-a waiting for the right moment. When I’m alone and don’t-a expect it.” Peppino mutters as he carefully places the toppings on the pizza.

Gustavo places a few dirty rags in a bucket of water, finishing up with the cleaning. “Oh, well, I hope you’re not-a too afraid.” Gusatvo says.

“I’ve-a got the gun upstairs.” Peppino says.

“And why do you-a have the gun upstairs?” Gusatvo asks.

Peppino hated that question. Gusatvo knew the answer, why even bother asking it? He keeps it upstairs in case…

Because…

He just…

Peppino chose not to answer, and instead, just kept working.

The rest of the day was quiet. A few more customers coming in and out, nothing special. Closing time has come yet again. Another day, another dollar, until the rent is due. Again.

“Have a good night, Peppino.” Gustavo says while riding Brick out.

Brick does not squeak a goodbye. How odd.

Peppino waves them off. He has to count the earnings from today, then, he can finally go to bed and forget about this nonsense day.

DING!

Cash register is open.

“One, two, three, four, five…” Peppino begins counting.

Drip….Drip.…Drip….Drip.…Drip….

Where was that dripping coming from? Is it a leak? Better not be, just another damn bill to pay..

“Six, seven, eight, nine, ten…” Peppino continues to count.

Drip….Drip.…Drip….Drip.…Drip….

The sound is…getting closer? What if.. No it can’t be. That thing ran off, but still…

Peppino looks around for the source of the dripping. He doesn’t have to look long or hard at all, as he sees flesh colored ooze dripping from the air duct above him, and a single eye looking down at him.

“EEEEEYYYYAAAAAHHHOOOUGH!!!”

“!!!HGUOOOHHHAAAAAYYYYEEEEE”

The two of them scream. Peppino feels his heart shoot up in his throat. His entire chest beating like a drum, wanting to escape.

The clone immediately drops from the air duct and onto the floor, where it tries to run away, but instead backs itself into a corner.

“You!!” Peppino shouts. “You almost-a gave me a heart attack!”

The clone melts into a little pile of flesh again, gurgling apologies.

Peppino approaches the mass of flesh. “What-a the hell is the big idea, scaring me like that?!” He can really feel his anger rising now. “Am I going to have to beat-a some sense into you?! Is that it?!” Peppino yells at the clone.

His clone stops shuddering for a moment, it regains its usual shape. Tall, disproportionate, googly eyes, pink cheeks, all that it was missing was its goofy smile.

The clone’s hand reaches back to the kitchen, searching around for something. Peppino is left completely in the dark. “What-a are you-?”

CLANK!

The clone drops a knife in front of Peppino.

He stares at it.

“What it…Why?” Peppino asks.

“.tnemhsinuP” Utters the clone. It nudges the knife closer to Peppino with its foot. “.tnemhsinuP” it repeats.

“You’re-a going to punish me?! For what?!” Peppino hollers.

The clone winces and shakes its head. “.tnemhsinup yM. tnemhsinup yM.” It gestures towards itself with one arm, and sticks out the other one as if it’s waiting for something to happen.

Silence fills the pizzeria, an uncomfortable and heavy one. Peppino had no idea what the clone was getting at, but he didn’t want to say anything. For once, he was analyzing the situation before him instead of just acting upon it.

Until finally, he spoke. “You want-a me to-a punish you? Why?” Peppino asks.

“.azzip depporD..” The clone gurgles sadly.

“But why would-a that--”

“.tnemhsinup sa tuo hself ym fo stib tuc dluow daehazziP .rewot eht ni pu ssem dluow I nehW.” said the clone. Its eyes stared directly into Peppino’s, despite them always being a bit lopsided.

The clone steps closer.

"...pu ssem dluow I revenehw os ,tcefrep eb ot em detnaw eH .uoy fo enolc a ot teg dluoc eh tsesolc eht saw I" said the clone.

".pohC" It bubbled.

“Pohcpohcpohcpohcpohcpohcpohcpohcpohcpohcpohcpohcpohcpohcpohcp̸̰͉̯̲͈̒̈́͂̀́̈́͋̈́ơ̴̱͔̭̤͛̅̈́͒͒h̶̛̟̞̲͖͔̙̝̯͓͙̣͔̝͔̝̋͐̈́̆̅c̵̲͔͋̈́̿̀̆͌͘̕͝͝p̶̨̡͉̃̑̏̐͑̐̔ͅo̴̜̻̗͉̖̱͙͆̂̂̃̾͌͋̽͂̏͂̕͝h̵̢̙̜̻͕̕c̶̢͈̰̮̦̘̖͍̑̚p̴̝͕̠͈̭͔͈͖͚͖̩̟̓̍̀̈̍̕o̵̲͊͂̏͑h̸̞͇͓̘̞̲̿̂̅̚͝͝ç̴̐͛̃͛̄̂̂̌̂̃̑̚͝͠p̷̡͕͚̞͚̬̻̣̝͉̝̰͍̤̈́o̴̧̞͉̙̳͔̜̲͍̩̺͂͛́̿̅́͂͐̀̿̈́̏͜ḩ̷̼̣̺͍̾́̇̀̀͐c̶̹̮̆̄͗̓̑̃͘ͅp̴̨̧̥̬͇̪̫̰̬̗̰̫̝̜͝o̶͎̳͉̲̎̅͆̊͐̔̀͘̕͝ḧ̴̛̟͉̯̝͕̝́̎̉͒̓̆̾̓̆̆̅͝͠͠č̵̩̿͂͊̏̐̈́͝p̶͉̑̔̎̃͑͛̍̀̈́͑̓̀͛̚͝o̴̧̭̪̤̟͉͖̪͚̹͖̞͇̒̈́̊͆̃͜͠h̷͇̩͇̟̗̤͎͍̬̐̋͊͐̌̒̽͊̾͛͌̔̔͘ç̸̧̺̫̹̲̠̝͍̩͌̐̆̈́̉̈́…” The clone kept repeating itself over and over until even it just kept repeating a garbled mess of backwards words and cries. It melts again into the floor, but the arm is still up at Peppino.

Disturbed. Peppino always felt a bit disturbed at the sight of his clone. But this time, he didn’t feel it towards the fake, but instead himself.

What the hell did Pizzahead do to this thing? All it does is act like a weird dog, sniffing things, occasionally eating restaurant equipment and the odd rat. His clone didn’t deserve that, nobody did.

Peppino looks down at his clone’s hand, and takes it. His clones shudders, morphing and changing against its will in a fit of unbridled anxiety and fear. This thing is just like him..

This thing is him..

It acts like him, it mimics his speech patterns, it even cooks like him. Which makes Peppino wonder if his clone suffers the same way he does?

“Mio dio… When the hell did I become-a so heartless?” Peppino sighs as he gingerly puts his other hand over his clone’s. “I’m not gonna hurt you, compango.”

“?ognapmoC” his clone uttered softly.

Peppino kicks away the knife between the two of them and sits down. “Now, I don’t-a know what-a Pizzahead did to you in-a that tower. I almost-a don’t want to know… But rest assured, I will never-a do that to you, capeesh?” Peppino says. He explains it sternly, like a father talking to his kid.

His clone slowly regains his form, building up from the pile of flesh it once was.

“I’m not-a exactly used to having you here yet. If I’m-a being honest, you still kinda freak me out. But, I’m-a sorry for yelling. I’ve let-a my anger go unchecked when it comes to you. You didn’t ask to be brought into this-a world, so why should you be punished for it?” Peppino says.

He notices his clone poking at his hand. Peppino takes it and gives it a firm but loving squeeze. “I’ll be more-a patient with you from now on.” Peppino says.

For the first time in what feels like a while, his clone smiles again. It was that moment, Peppino learned to appreciate his clone’s big dopey smile.

[phantomdoofer]

Tower Town, Chapter 32 - Espansione

Peppino sat in his office, shuffling papers, opening and closing spreadsheets. He hadn't felt this anxious in a while. The new franchise would be opening soon, and he'd have to be there, of course. What kind of owner doesn't show up to his own franchise opening? To say nothing of the fact he would be handing it off, officially, to his partner, Gustavo.

Peppino was a bit mystified by the fact the gnome hadn't moved into the new house with him and Tony yet. I know he values his freedom, but… I built that for us to be together!

He irritably waved his hand. No time to worry about that, now. He had to find time to attend the opening, take care of Tony, run his own restaurant, balance the budget, order the-

With a gloppy, bubbling noise, Fake ooze down from the ceiling into the chair in front of Peppino's desk.

Peppino shrieked, clutching his chest. “Madonna Santa!” He cried, for a brief moment terrified. “Fake! Don't-a DO that!”

The goopy clone still loved to occasionally spook the big Italian - normally doing their glutinous laugh.

This time, though, the clone looked entirely serious.

“Peppino… wwwwe need to talk to you.”

Peppino angrily gathered the papers he'd tossed in his surprise. “Va bene, but did-a you have to almost give-a me a heart attack? All you had to do was-a ask!”

Fake shook their head. “Yooou've been cloistered in this office for days, Peppino. We barrrely see you. The other workerrrrs have expressed their concerrrn for your well-being to us.”

Peppino snorted irritably. “Tell them I'm-a fine, Fake. Niente di cui preoccuparsi.”

Fake shook their head again. “Peppino, you arrre not fine. We have been trying to get your attention for days, now. There have been several problems with the pizzeriiia, which you have ignored. We took care of them for you.”

Peppino blinked. “Problems? and you didn't tell me?”

Fake actually looked angry. “We did, Peppino. You've simply been too preoccupatooo to listen. So we decided to scare you. To force you out of this… this rrrrut you've been following.”

Peppino paused, feeling the anger drain away, replaced with concern. “Have I really-a been so distant?”

Fake reached out, their arm stretching to touch Peppino's face. “Peppino, you are spreading yourself too thin. You did this before. Have you looked in a mirror, recently? Really looked?”

Peppino blinked, then pulled out a small mirror he kept in a drawer - he always wanted to make sure he was presentable… and sometimes he did forget to take care of himself.

He held up the mirror…

His hair was as messy as the days of the Pizza Tower… and as long as it had gotten, it was quite the rat's nest. His skin was greasy and pale. There were fresh bags under his eyes, lurid against the pale skin. Even his mustaches were dropping. “Mio Dio, I look-a like a zombie.”

Fake nodded. “Such is our point. You have grrreater responsibilities now, Peppino. You must learn to delegate.”

Peppino threw up his hands. “But there's so much only-a I can-a do! I have to run-a the ristorante, keep-a the books balanced, take-a care of Tony, keep-a my exercises up…” he put his hands down, feeling overwhelmed as he stopped to consider everything he was doing. No wonder I'm so tired.

Fake tapped the desktop. “You do not have to do all that alone, Peppino. Hire someone to do the books. There are any number of trustworthy accountants around.”

“Credo…” Peppino muttered. “But what about running the ristorante? There's no one else to…” he stopped, thinking.

Fake grinned widely. “You have an answer there, as well. We would take over the management of this establishment.”

Peppino's eyes went wide. “You, Fake?”

The clone nodded. “Rrremember, part of us ran a successful ristorante of our own for many years. Whether you realize it or not, you have been delegating this place to us often, recently. Have there been any problems arising from this?”

Peppino had to concede that. Bruno ran a tight ship. “No, no problems. I… I just-a…”

Fake nodded. “You are reluctant to hand over control of what you have held dear for so long to someone else. We understand.” They reached out, patting the Italian on the shoulder. “But you are killing yourself, Peppino. We are fine with running this place. It is our home now. Delegating to us doesn't mean you have to leave. It would simply relieve you of a great burden.”

Peppino squirmed. “I know. It's-a just… hard to think about. I've-a put so much of-a myself in this place.”

“And will continue to do so,” Fake said. “Make it your home base. You should give as much to your other ristorantes.” They paused. “You are planning to open more, are you not?”

Peppino looked surprised. “Sì. I am. Paolo has expressed interest, and I've-a been approached with other offers.”

“Peppino, it is time for you to expand your horizons, again,” Fake said. “Leave this one to us. We promise we will treat it with utmost care.” They grinned again. “And there's nothing that says you cannot come out and be a good host, from time to time.”

Peppino nodded, smiling. “I suppose you're-a right.” He paused. “It's-a hard to believe we used to be such-a bitter rivals.”

“Time and trauma can make allies of the deepest enemies,” Fake said. “Our story is, for the most part, done, Peppino. Yours continues. Go and live it.”

~~~~

Peppino walked through the door to his home, and he heard Tony babbling in the next room. The sound lifted his heart like little else did. My little figlio.

He rounded the corner and found both Giuseppe and Anita there. He grinned. “Well, well, Giuseppe I-a expected, but what spurred you to-a come along, Anita?”

His sister-in-law, now three months along and just starting to show, grinned. “I haven't gotten to be with my nephew in a while, Pep. I wanted to come get a little time… and maybe some practice.” She rubbed the now-clearly-visible bulge. “This little scamp will be running the show soon enough. I better get my hand in.” She smirked. “Especially if we're gonna have two little hellions making life interesting.”

Peppino picked Tony up from his brother's lap, and the boy babbled happily. “Infatti!” He tossed the boy into the air, and the baby shrieked and laughed. Peppino laughed along with him, caught him, and snuggled the boy up to his cheek. “What would I do without this little polpetta?”

Giuseppe and Anita exchanged glances. “You, uh, sure you're OK, Pino?” Giuseppe said, a little worry creeping into his voice.

Peppino sat, sitting Tony on his knee. “I've… I've-a had a lot on my mind, lately. The new ristorante is opening-a next week… Paolo's wanting to open another, and-a there's more interested. But… I can't handle it all… as Fake rather-a pointedly made me aware of, today.”

He told the two about Fake's scare tactic, and the decision to hand over management. “Honestly, Pep, I think that's for the best,” Anita said. “Gus told me what you were like, before, and…” she reached over, ruffling Tony's hair - “you can't afford to live like that, anymore. I had to come to the same decision, not long ago.” She gently caressed her belly again.

Giuseppe nodded. “Delegation is a big, important skill, Pino,” he said. Then he looked searchingly at Peppino's face. “That's not all there is, though, is it, Pino?”

Peppino blinked. “No, nothing-a else, why?”

Giuseppe looked skeptical. “Pino, I know that look. I see it in the mirror some mornings. Something else is eating at you. Tell us.”

Peppino sighed deeply. “It's… it's about Gustavo. He's been… he's been more and-a more distant lately. When Tony was-a first born, he was-a here every night, but…” he gestured around. “He's-a not here, more often than-a not. He hasn't-a said another word about moving in here, either. I'm afraid…” he trembled. “I'm-a afraid he's going to abandon-a us.”

Giuseppe and Anita looked at each other forlornly. “Pep… I know you love the guy. We do, too, but…” Anita sighed. “Sometimes it just doesn't work out.”

“That doesn't mean giving up, though, Pino,” Giuseppe said. “Maybe he just has commitment issues. Or values his freedom. Has anything happened lately, between you two?”

Peppino shook his head. “No, no, nothing that I-a know of. He just-a seems… distracted.” Then he stopped, blinking, and Tony looked up at him, making a worried noise. Peppino’s face dropped. “Wait. Have either of-a you seen Brick lately?”

Both of them looked surprised. “Well, we're not around those two as much as you, but…” Anita nodded. “You're right. I don't think I've seen her, lately.”

Giuseppe nodded. “Those two are bound at the hip. If she's missing, that would definitely have him out of sorts.”

Peppino nodded. “I should-a ask him. I can't believe I didn't-a notice she was gone.”

Giuseppe shrugged. “You have had a lot on your mind, Pino.”

“Sì, but…” he sighed. “If-a he's my partner, I should-a be looking out for-a him.” He bounced Tony a bit. “Fake is-a right, I need to-a delegate more. It's breaking my brain.”

“So… how you planning to go about that?” Giuseppe said.

“Well, Fake already agreed to manage the pizzeria… I guess I need-a to find an accountant.”

Anita winced. “I know this suggestion probably won't go over well, but… maybe you could ask the Noises? Noise does own an entire production studio. He's gotta have at least one really good accountant on hand, to do that.”

Peppino scowled. “That might-a be true, but his idea of-a getting an accountant was to lock-a Mr. Stick in his basement and make him do it.”

“I wondered what happened to that guy,” Giuseppe said. “After everything you said he did in the Tower, he just kind of… vanished.”

Peppino waved a hand. “Help is-a stretching it a bit. Blackmailed and held-a hostage might be a better term for what he did. But Noise keeps him fed and-a sheltered, and Stick does love-a his numbers.” He snorted. “Keeps him out of-a our hair, anyway.” He sighed. “No, I’ll just-a have to search around.”

Giuseppe nodded, and stood, Anita following suit. “Well, we'd better head home, it's getting late. Same time tomorrow, Pino?”

Peppino nodded. “Don't know what I'd do without-a your help, fratello.”

“Don't mention it,” Giuseppe said, smiling and rubbing Tony’s hair. “Good practice for when our own gets here, too.”

Anita smiled. “You'll have your hands full, with two.”

Giuseppe laughed. “Ah, after twenty years of dealing with military red tape, snotty generals, and everything else involved with that, honestly, a bambino or two is almost a relief.” He opened the door, waving back. “G’night, fratellino.”

“Good night, Pep,” Anita said. “We'll see you later.”

“Ciao, you two,” Peppino said. As the door closed, he sighed and turned Tony, looking into his son's eyes. “Ah, but what are we going to do about your Papa, eh?”

Tony's face screwed up, and he blubbered for a moment… then…

“Ba…? Bapa…? Pa-pa!” His face got progressively happier as he mastered the word. “Pa-pa!”

Peppino's face lit up. “Mio Dio… your first word!” He smiled hugely, standing and whirling the child around in the air. “Your first word, figlio!”

And your Papa wasn't here to hear it.

Peppino's face fell. “Ah, amico… where are you?” What are you doing?”

~~~~

Mio Dio, what am I doing?

Gustavo laid with his hand behind his head, looking at the moonlit ceiling. Beside him, his night's partner slept, oblivious to their lover's plight.

Gustavo rolled over pensively. It had been a month since Brick disappeared… and he'd nearly gone insane from the loneliness. He'd found himself looking for connection anywhere he could…

What had followed was a string of nighttime liaisons.

His heart was racing… and not in a good way. Even though she never spoke, he could hear Brick's voice admonishing him.

You have a family. A son, a dedicated lover! And you're out here jumping anything that’ll say yes!

He burned with shame… but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

He flipped back onto his back. The grand opening is tomorrow. How can I even show my face to Peppino? How can I show my face to Tony? He thought in the tiniest voice possible.

His heart clenched as he finally emerged from the cloud of disassociation he'd been living in for the last few weeks. What have I done? I… he rolled over again, and his lover grumbled and muttered something about “staying still.”

Gustavo's anger at himself suddenly transferred onto his bed-mate. “All right, that's it. I think you need to leave.”

She rolled over and gave him a searching, disgusted look. “What did I do?”

“I don't want you here anymore. Go home.”

She made a “tch” sound and stood, grabbing her clothes. “So, one night stand, eh? Just use me and toss me to the curb. A throwaway gal.” She sneered at him. “Like that Italian guy you used to hang out with.”

Gustavo's heart froze. It was a low blow… but absolutely correct, a snide little voice whispered in his mind.

His eyes were ice-cold. “You don't get to talk about Peppino that way. Get out.”

She shook her head. “Whatever.” She stood, dressed, and made for the door. “I know what you've got, right now. One day, it's all gonna come down on your head, rock. I hope it was worth it.”

As the door closed, he leaned back. Spiteful and venomous as the words were… they were true.

He laid in silence for what seemed like hours, and finally resolved himself. We've worked too hard to get cold feet now. I'll just have to… suck it up. Don't tell him. Start… start working towards what you said you wanted. Work on being worthy again.

And yet, his heart rebelled at the thought of settling down.

He felt his eyes well up. What kind of selfish bastard am I?

~~~~

Gustavo and Peppino stood beside each other, smiling for the cameras, a comically large set of scissors between them. Together, they cut the ribbon blocking the doors. “I declare this-a location… OPEN!”

The crowd cheered and clapped loudly. Cameras flashed and spun as local news recorded the event for sapient interest pieces.

As the two of them moved inside, the restaurant workers, mostly new but eager, took their positions, and customers began pouring in behind them.

Peppino and Gustavo walked towards the back, waiting for customers to filter in. Unlike Peppino's own shop, which still kept its fast-food, diner-esque feel, Gustavo's shop has a more traditional restaurant feel - stone walls, lots of foliage, wood and scrollwork everywhere.

Peppino stood proud. “I must-a say, Gustavo, I like-a your sense of taste. Very warm, very-a inviting. Did I see you're planning on-a offering a wine menu?”

Gustavo chuckled. “Yep. I figured this would be a more sit-down place.”

Peppino shrugged. “To-a be fair, mine is more like that than it used to-a be.”

Gustavo nodded. “Very true. I like that covered balcony and outside seating you put in.”

Peppino nodded. “I was-a getting so many stragglers off of Noisette's, I figured it would make-a the place more tempting. So far, it's working magnificamente.”

As patrons filtered in, Gustavo started to feel uneasy. I have to come clean, he thought. It's not fair to him. I gotta… I gotta…

“Why, Gustavo! “ A voice in front of him trilled.

Before Gustavo could react, the patron had him in a lip-lock. His eyes went wide…

And beside him, so did Peppino's.

He pushed her away. The woman from last night!

He felt the blood drain from his face.

She trilled laughter. “Ah, mi amor, I just had to come to the opening! I'm glad I was able to take the time!”

Peppino narrowed his eyes. “Can… can we help-a you, Signora?”

She turned, grinning brightly. “Oh, I couldn't bear not to be here! Gustavo has been so kind to me!”

Peppino's face went red. “Has he, now?”

Gustavo turned to Peppino. “Peppino - Peppino, this isn't what it looks like-”

She ran a finger down his chest. “Oh, come now. You haven't told him? I thought you said you were going to, today!”

“Tell-a me what, precisamente?” Peppino said ominously. He crossed his arms, a stormy look on his face… but his eyes held a much different look.

Fear.

He firmly pushed her away, motioning to the maitre’d. “Please escort this woman out immediately, Jackie. She's banned from the premises.”

As the young Pig escorted her to the door, she feigned confusion. “But I thought you said it was time! I'll come back…!”

Peppino's face was bright red.

Gustavo felt his heart sink. “Peppino…"

“Gustavo,” he whispered intensely. “What… have you been-a doing?”

“Look, let's talk in my office. We don't want to make a scene.”

After several tense seconds, Peppino nodded. “Sì.”

~~~~

Peppino sat with his face in his hand. Gustavo could see the deep red of his skin. Gustavo had told him everything - Brick's disappearance, his incessant loneliness… and his irresistible need for companionship.

Peppino didn't look up as he spoke. “And… and I… we… weren't enough, credo?” He said in a small, pained voice. “You said… you said-a so much. You seemed-a so happy with Tony…” He looked up, and the look of despair and pain in his eyes stabbed Gustavo right in the chest. “Was it all a lie?” he whispered.

Gustavo’s heart was racing. “Peppino, I- no, no! I- love- I really do-”

Peppino shook his head. “You love me? Love him?” He growled softly. “What kind of man abandons his lover… and his own son… for… for what? A new-a partner every night?” He looked ready to explode… then wilted and sighed. “You-a know, if you'd even-a said from the start you wanted an open-a relationship, I don't-a think I have-a minded. But - this, this sotterfugio…” a few tears ran down his cheeks. “Do Tony and-a I mean so little to you?”

Gustavo had no real answer. “I…”

“Gustavo… I understand loneliness,” Peppino said. “For so long… I lived with no one else in-a my heart. Oh, Mama was there… but that is a different kind of love. Not… someone you chose to allow into-a your heart, into the deepest, most-a secret parts of you.” He rubbed his nose. “And… and now… what will I tell-a Tony?” He paused. “Did you know he said his-a first word yesterday?”

Gustavo’s chest tightened. “No.”

Peppino snorted in disgust. “Of course-a not. You weren't there. You were probably off dormire with-a some puttana!”

Gustavo wanted to deny it… but it was the truth. With the woman who just blew it all open, in fact. “Peppino… I'm sorry.”

“Sorry?” Peppino said incredulously. “Sorry can't… can't-a mend a broken-a heart, Gustavo,” Peppino choked out. He stood. “I… this is… I-a can't…” he ran a hand down his face, his expression equal parts fury, despair, and humiliation. “We've-a come too far to back out of this now. So… keep-a the ristorante. Send me your numbers, keep it maintained. But…” he turned. “I don't… I don't want to see you around again. Don't come to the house… or the pizzeria.”

“Peppino, I…”

“Don't, Gustavo,” Peppino's whispered voice held more pain than Gustavo had ever heard. Even when he was dying in that ditch. “I owe-a you my life… so many-a times over. You were my friend, when no one-a else was. I loved you, as a friend… and as a partner.” He let out a single sob. “I just… thought I… we… meant more to you.”

Gustavo sat, feeling like his heart was ripped out, bleeding on the floor.

Peppino reached for the doorknob… and paused. “Do you know what your son's first-a word was?” He whispered.

Gustavo couldn't speak at first. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, finally managing to work a single word past the lump in his throat. “What?”

Peppino struggled to speak. “He said… he said, ‘Papa.’ ‘Papa.’” He turned. “He wasn't-a looking at me when-a he said it. He was looking… looking at-a the door. At-a you. At the only place he associates with-a you. The door… and away.” He opened the office door, and stopped. “Good… goodbye, Gustavo. I'll do my best to take care of our son. I hope… I hope you find happiness with your-a choice.”

As the door closed, Gustavo sat, still as a corpse. He felt his eyes run over, but he didn't make a sound. He wasn't even breathing.

He sat back, a living man with a shattered heart.

~~~~

Peppino gently closed the door to his home. Mine. Not ours. He'd taken a long drive, in the hopes he'd be more presentable to his family. To his son.

It hadn't helped much.

Giuseppe stood, a look of concern on his face. “Peppino! Where have you been? You should've been back hours ago! Tony's been beside himself!”

Then he saw the bleak look on Peppino's face, and his own fell. “What happened?”

Peppino took Tony, who gently touched his father's face. Peppino smiled, just a little. “Ah, il mio piccolo bambino sensibile. You already know, don't you?”

“Papa?” Tony said quietly. He leaned forward, hugging Peppino's neck.

Peppino hugged the boy tightly. “Mio figlio…”

As he sat down, Giuseppe sat across from him. “It's bad, isn't it.” It was a statement, not a question.

Peppino gently rocked Tony, looking at his brother. “Let… let me explain…”

~~~~

Giuseppe sat back, stunned. “I don't… I don't believe it,” he said. “How… how could he…”

“He was alone, and lost, and-a afraid,” Peppino said quietly. “Brick seems to have abandoned him. Gustavo apparently has a deeper-a fear of being alone than even I knew.” He squeezed Tony close. “He was-a desperate.”

Giuseppe snarled angrily, standing up. “That's no excuse!” He started to yell, but Tony whimpered, and he lowered his voice. “That's no excuse. To abandon not only you, but his own son…”

Peppino motioned for Giuseppe to sit back down. “Seppe… I can't tell you what to do,” he said, “but… please, don't make-a this worse than it already is. I've… I've already broken with him, as much as I can.” He paused. “We remain business-a partners. To cut him completely off would-a hurt more than him. It would hurt his-a workers, too. They don't-a deserve that. He… he can run it.” Peppino’s voice dropped to a whisper. “We just… just won't-a be a couple, anymore. Or friends.”

Giuseppe stared at his brother in surprise. “But… what he did…”

“... he did out of-a fear, and pain, and loneliness.” Peppino said. “I don't-a condone it… but - there's-a no point in grinding it into the dirt.” He sighed. “You didn't-a see his face, Giuseppe. I could have-a stabbed him in-a the heart with a knife, and he'd have-a looked less pained. He-a knows he's done a terrible wrong.”

“Everyone else will find out,” Giuseppe said. “They'll probably feel the same way I do.”

“And they're welcome to feel-a that way,” Peppino said quietly. “But I've-a made up my mind.” He bounced Tony on his knee. “He'll be my business partner. Nothing more.”

Giuseppe's face shifted from anger to sympathy. “Pino…”

“Fratello, lascialo stare!” Peppino snapped in an intense whisper. His face was red, but his eyes held infinite pain. “Please… don't make-a this any harder than it is.”

Giuseppe looked ready to argue… then sighed in defeat. “If you say so, Pino.”

“I do.”

Giuseppe stood. “All right. I’ll abide by your wishes.” He growled. “Doesn't mean I have to like it.” He grabbed his keys. “ I… I better get home. Anita’s probably wondering where I am…” he shook his head. “And I'll have to tell her.”

Peppino nodded. “Sì. Good night, fratello… and thank you.”

“See you tomorrow, Pino.”

As Peppino heard his brother's car drive away, he hugged his son tightly to him, and looked around. The house we built. He felt tears begin to run down his face again, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

A tiny hand reached up and wiped them away.

He opened his eyes… to see Tony solemnly wiping his father's tears away. “Papa,” he said sadly. “Papa.”

Peppino choked and squeezed the boy even closer. “At least I have-a you.”

~~~~

Gustavo had been stunned at how quickly word of what had happened had spread. Anita had called him and given him the worst cussing he'd received since boot camp. It had gone on a good ten minutes… then she'd hung up.

He'd sat and taken it all. I deserve it.

Giuseppe had sent him a single text: You made your choice. Gus had felt the pain and betrayal bleeding through the four words on the screen.

He hadn't dared try to contact anyone else.

He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the shoes he'd be wearing. Why am I even bothering?

Finally, the answer came. Because there's people counting on you. Don't be selfish. Being selfish got you into this.

He slipped them on, his heart heavy. He stared out the window.

He looked over at Brick's empty bed. Guess I drove her away, too. This is nothing I don't deserve.

He picked up his keys, exiting his apartment, and turned, instinctively facing towards his friends. The friends I drove away. He stared for a long minute. I can't go back there. Not now, he thought forlornly. Maybe, someday, I'll be worthy of their forgiveness.

His heart heavy, he drove to the restaurant he'd worked so hard for. This is the life you chose, you selfish bastard, he thought, castigating himself. You had it all, and you threw it away for cheap thrills.

He parked, stepped out, and looked up at the beautiful facade.

Part of him hated it now. Then he shook his head. No. Don't blame others for your fuck-ups. He squared his shoulders. Be better. Become the man you said you'd be.

He took his keys and opened the door. Be who you said you'd be.

[silverstarsheep]

hhhh take care of urself please!! (Also absolutely get you with the fic stuff as I sit on a pile of fics that aren't getting any love)

So anyway, still, some fake pep stuff! I bet Fake has never been out of the tower in it's entire life until the collapse! They 'recognise' things to a degree but still so much is new to them! Things Peppino thought of as super mundane suddenly have a new light to them as he watches Fake discover things all over again, there's so much room now! They can run so far! Oh gosh so much room to run! Wow! Just everything that comes with having never left the tower and not interacting things seen as just so plain/everyday as much as everyone else so they're all new and fascinating.

idk I just feel like life outside the tower would just be so 'new' and different to them and everythings amazing they're learning and seeing so much!

thank you! I'm doing my best, but it's really difficult when you relax and cope via drawing, but drawing can cause you physical pain. apparently it's not carpal or cubital tunnel according to recent EMGs (though my body does it's absolute best to convince me it is), so who knows what I'm actually dealing with. painkillers don't work, which sucks greatly. getting a doctor to actually help with this has been a trick and a half, even down to getting them to listen to me when I express concerns about my prescription maybe making my thoughts worse.

ANYWAY enough about me, let's talk about the goopy boi.

I totally agree that Peppy's never been out of the tower before, heck, I don't think he ever really left his FLOOR. I think that bruno's pizza is a physical place in the world, tied to the tower via a Pillar John, but Peppy never went out of it. just used a portal right to his floor in the tower. I mean, he refused to chase Peppino further when he got out of the pizzeria!

lots of new experiences... he can touch grass for the first time. and lick grass. maybe eat it. not so good, but he liked the experience! and new sounds, more than just "bad part of town" noises and car sounds.

he has fun!! he loves it!!! he's going to run 300 laps around the area!!!!!!!!