Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Pete peeled himself off the pavement of the Pasqualli’s parking lot.

Max and Jason were long gone, leaving Pete crumpled in a ball, bruised and bleeding, with all of his newfound confidence destroyed.

He managed to sit on the curb, and pulled out his (now badly cracked) phone. He opened his camera to see the damage left behind. There were several cuts across his face, all bleeding waterfalls. It also featured a split lip and a swollen shut black left eye, and he didn’t even want to look at his ribs knowing how badly they hurt.

He sighed and started to text his dad to come get him, but then remembered that Ted’s apartment was a 5 minute walk from the restaurant. It was also a night that ended in Y, so he was probably with a woman (how the hell should he know which one?).

Pete slowly got up and started walking toward Ted’s apartment, limping down the street.

The climb up the stairs was difficult, and he figured if anyone passed him, they would panic.

But he wasn’t a stranger to being beat up.

Sure, this had been one of the worst ones yet, but this was essentially a routine now. That’s what he told himself to keep as many tears inside as possible.

He fumbled for his keys and noticed the marks on his arms from where Max held him down, he winced as he turned the key in the door.

Once he was inside, he didn’t bother turning on the light, he just headed to the kitchen to look for an ice pack, and maybe some food. He didn’t care too much about the noise he was making, believing he was the only one home, but a dark shadow crept toward the main light switch and flicked it on.

Pete jumped and screamed, only to turn around and see Ted brandishing a baseball bat wildly in his boxer shorts.

After the brothers realized they were looking back at each other, they tilted their heads in confusion.

“What the fuck happened to you?!” Ted demanded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d be home,” Pete said quietly. “That’s not an answer, what happened?”

All at once, Pete broke down into sobs. Ted tossed aside his weapon, and ran toward his brother, locating his injuries.

Charlotte Sweetly shyly emerged from Ted’s bedroom, “Is everything alright, Ted?”

Ted briefly forgot that he had someone over, but was very grateful to have an extra set of hands. “Could you get me the first aid kit? It’s in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. And you, Pete, you’re going to sit on that couch and tell me what happened”.

Pete recounted the night’s events while Ted and Charlotte took turns dressing the wounds and applying ice packs.

“You know, someone’s going to teach Jägerman a lesson one day, and I can’t say I’m going to feel sorry for him,” Ted grumbled.

Charlotte slapped his shoulder, “Ted, that’s not very nice”.

Ted put his hands up in surrender, “Fuck me for caring about my brother, I guess”.

Pete laughed as much as his bruised ribs allowed.

“Here, sweetheart, put this on your chest,” Charlotte said, gently handing him a pack of frozen peas.

He carefully laid it on under his shirt, wincing in the process.

“I’m going to run to the pharmacy on the corner to pick up some things, your first-aid kit is low,” Charlotte announced, grabbing her coat and purse.

Once the door clicked shut, Pete turned to his brother with a smirk, “She seems nice”. Ted rolled his eyes, “You’ve met Charlotte before, dorkus”.

Pete’s smirk remained, “Not since I was, like, six. The last time I saw her was probably when you brought me to take-your-kid-to-work day so that you could hit on people at work. You guys look cute, though”.

Ted looked down, he had an odd look of despair on his face. “She’s married, Pete”.

Pete’s eyes widened, he wasn’t surprised that his brother was playing with fire (he did that all the time), but he was surprised over how upset it seemed to make Ted.

“Yeah, she’s married to that cop, Sam Sweetly. I’m shocked you didn’t know,” he said, bitterness creeping into his words. “I guess I’ve just never seen them together, and you never talk about her,” Pete responded.

Ted laughed sadly, “I try to keep that part of my life out of yours the best I can, it’s not your problem”.

Pete rolled his eyes, “Cause no one in Hatchetfield will ever guess that the kid with the last name ’Spankoffski’ could possibly be related to you”.

Ted chuckled, “It’s one thing for us to talk and joke about it, and it’s another for people to treat you badly for my choices. I also owe it to Mom and Dad to look out for you, dumbass”. Pete laughed, “I could say the same for you”. Ted rolled his eyes, “I can take care of myself, I am an adult”

Pete playfully slapped his brother’s shoulder, “Just because you can doesn’t meant mean you have to”.

“Shut up, you all worry too much”.

The brothers then sat in comfortable silence as Ted worked.

“So, Stephanie Lauter, huh? Congrats on finally growing a pair”.

Pete rolled his eyes, “It’s not like that, I was just helping a sort-of-friend out. If tonight wasn’t an indicator that it’ll never happen, I don’t know what is.” Ted laughed, “If you say so, Petey”.

Charlotte came back from the pharmacy not too long after. Once the two of them got Pete all tidied up, they helped him off the couch and said goodnight.

“If you need anything, just holler or text me. The mood’s been killed, so we’re not going to be doing anything fun anyways,” Ted winked at Charlotte, she gave off a slight giggle.

Pete rolled his eyes, “Glad I trusted you with my immediate need for medical attention”.

Ted cackled, “C’mon, Petey, I know you love me!” Pete flicked him off over his shoulder as he walked towards his room.

“Goodnight, dorkus!” Ted called out. “Goodnight, asshole,” Pete grumbled as he shut the door.

After a few seconds, Ted’s face fell, Charlotte wrapped her arms around his torso, “Your brother is as sweet as you said he was”.

Ted sighed, “Yeah, he’s so smart, but he’s unfortunately as stupid as me”.

Charlotte frowned, “You’re not stupid, Ted”.

He turned around to look at her, his expression saddened, “Char, what are we even doing?”

She was taken aback by his question, that was never something she ever thought she’d hear him say. “What do you mean?”

He sighed, “I don’t know how ‘casual’ I want this to be anymore”.

Her eyes widened, “But what about-“

“I-I know, but I just want you to know that these last few months with you have been…wonderful”.

Charlotte paused for a moment, then smiled, “I feel the same way”.

Chapter Text

“It’s Hatchetfield, people go missing everyday”.

That’s what Pete tried to tell himself over and over again as Ted drove him to school.

It was the Monday after Max Jägerman’s death, so he had all weekend to reflect on the event, but it felt way worse actually going back to school. It felt like somehow everyone would know what he did, even though he realistically knew that they didn’t, right?

“You’re awfully quiet today. Everything okay?” Ted asked with an awkward laugh.

Pete startled a little from the sudden noise, “What do you mean?” Ted looked at him with a worried expression, “You know, you’re a bit of a chatterbox, especially in the morning, I think even you can admit that. Are you mad at me or something?” Pete shook his head, “No, I’m just stressed about other things”.

It always made Ted sad to know how much Pete didn’t like going to school. Of course he loved learning and the academic side, but Ted knew he would rather do that anywhere but Hatchetfield High.

Ted put on a smirk to lighten the mood, “I hope you and your little study buddy were able to get that project done. If I remember correctly, she said it was due today. Though, I’m sure it was hard for the two of you to get through it without getting distracted-"

“I already told you, Ted, we’re just friends, and we’re going to stay just friends, absolutely nothing has changed since the other night! God, it’s always in one ear and out the other with you”. Pete glared out of the window.

Ted’s face fell at Pete’s sudden outburst, “I’m sorry, Petey-“

“Can we just please get to school? I don’t want to be late”.

Ted nodded and kept driving, the car filled with awkward silence. They pulled into the Hatchetfield High kiss-and-ride line, Pete immediately got out of the car once it was stopped.

“Wait, before you go, are you going home with me tonight, or are you going home to Mom and Dad? I just want to make sure I have your favorite snacks and stuff stocked if you’re planning on staying,” Ted said hopefully.

“I’m going home to Mom and Dad,” Pete said plainly before turning around and walking into school.

“Something is definitely wrong,” Ted said to himself.

An angry parent behind him honked, he glared at the rear view mirror, “I’m going, I’m going, fuck you!”

Ted arrived at CCRP, parked his car in his usual spot and headed into the elevator to his floor.

Usually, he greeted every woman in his department with a sleazy one-liner (and giving an extra-special and thought out one to Charlotte), but he quietly went to his desk, as if he were another faceless worker.

Paul Matthews noticed this, and against his better judgement, he approached him.

“Hey, Ted, I was thinking of going to Beanie’s, do you want an iced chai?”

Ted stared blankly at Paul, then shook himself back into reality, “No, thanks, Paul, I’m good”.

He attempted to start doing his work, but completely blanked.

Paul’s eyebrows knit in worry, “I know that it’s none of my business, but is everything alright? You seem kind of out of it”.

Ted paused, then turned back to Paul. “Has Richie been acting weird at all?”

Paul stared in confusion, “I didn’t see him this weekend, why?”

Ted debated on whether or not he should actually talk about his worries, or if he should bottle it up and pretend like nothing happened, or maybe a little bit of both. “It’s probably nothing, just teen hormones and shit, but Pete’s been in a mood, and I thought I’d compare notes or whatever”.

“O-okay, I’ll keep an eye out,” Paul knocked his knuckles together.

Ted turned to carry on with his work, but turned back immediately, “It’s just- Pete and I had a little heart to heart the other night, and I thought that put us in a more open space to talk about things, but it kind of feels like we took a few steps back this morning, and I don’t really know why”.

Paul was silent for a moment before responding, “Maybe try giving him some space. He’s obviously going through something, he’ll talk when he’s ready”.

Ted gave him a small smile, “Okay, thanks, I appreciate it”.

As if a timer set off in his head, Paul looked for a way to get out of the conversation, “Okay, bye, Ted”. He took off like a bolt of lightning, leaving Ted alone with his thoughts.

He looked over to a picture frame he had of him and Pete from when he started his first day of kindergarten, taking note of how happy he used to look, especially in school. He sighed, “It would be really nice if that classic sibling disdain kicked in”.

After an hour of Ted shifting between answering phone calls with “Have you tried turning it off, and turning it back on again?” and playing solitaire, a text notification popped up on his phone.

PETE: Hey, I’m really sorry about this morning. I’m really stressed out about the project presentation today with Steph, and I haven’t been sleeping well these last few nights, so I took it out on you. Maybe we can go to Beanie’s when you’re off work tonight to make up for it?

Ted smiled at the message, then responded.

TED: Sure kid, see you at 5

Chapter Text

Sunday family dinners at the Spankoffski household were never anything fancy or ceremonious, but it always was the highlight of Cheryl Spankoffski’s week.

These dinners never failed to bring a happier atmosphere back into the house, filling it with energy and laughter. It was her time to not stress out about moving on to the next thing, and really living in the moment with her family.

But it also came with a side of wanting to fucking murder her children.

“What the fuck, Ted?! Give it back!” Pete yelled as he thumped down the stairs, chasing after Ted through the living room.

Ted held his brother’s phone like a football, “Not until you tell me who you were texting!” Pete glared at him, “I don’t owe you shit!”

Mrs. Spankoffski poked her head out from the kitchen, “Boys, language”.

Pete reached for his phone, but Ted still managed to keep it out of reach, “Oh, real mature, Ted”.

Ted cackled, “But I’m still the oldest sibling, so therefore I’m more powerful”.

“Said who, dumbass?”

“Me, dorkus”.

Ted took off running, making circles around the living room and the dining room, Pete hot on his heels. After a moment, Pete found a loophole in his brother’s path, he jumped onto the couch and used it as a launch pad onto Ted’s back. Ted successfully held on for a few seconds, then quickly crashed to the ground, pinned under Pete’s weight.

Pete plucked his phone from his brother’s hand, “Hate to break it to you, but you’re getting old, buddy”.

Ted rolled his eyes, “Fuck me then for caring about my brother’s happiness”.

Pete stood up and smiled at him evilly, “Oh, and for your information, I was texting Ruth, so I guess you were technically right considering she is a girl”.

Ted scoffed, “One day, you’ll be seriously talking to a girl, and you’re going to want my help, and I’ll deny you instantly because of this moment”. Pete laughed, “I’ll take my chances”.

Mrs. Spankoffski walked back into the living room, putting one hand on her hip, “Is any of this yelling necessary?”

“Yes,” Pete and Ted deadpanned.

Mrs. Spankoffski sighed and shook her head, “You ask a stupid question, receive a stupid answer”.

The Spankoffskis excitedly sat around the dinner table, loading up their plates with different kinds of pasta.

Mr. And Mrs. Spankoffski helped themselves to long strings of spaghetti, covered in red sauce, with a small side of caesar salad.

Ted grabbed farfalle and Alfredo sauce with meatballs, and dropped it all in the center of his plate.

Despite it tasting really good, his obsession with the pasta shape started out with him making fun of Pete for starting to wear bowties when he was in middle school, and it partnered well with the extra satisfaction of Pete rolling his eyes and saying, “That’s not what they’re actually called, the word translates to ‘butterflies’ in Italian, not ‘bowties’”.

Pete, of course, was eating plain cheese-filled tortellini, with the meatballs on the side, and a small corner for the Caesar salad his mom made with him in mind.

Mrs. Spankoffski turned to Pete, “So, is school going well? You seem much happier”.

Pete hesitated before answering, “Yeah, Steph and I are making great progress in her tutoring-"

Ted laughed, “And there he goes talking about Steph again”.

Mrs. Spankoffski gave him a warning look, “Ted, you know how Pete feels when you talk about her like that”.

He rolled his eyes, “All I said is that he talks about her a lot, god forbid a guy makes an observation”.

Mr. Spankoffski leaned in to whisper to Ted, “Don’t worry, I’ve thought the same thing for weeks,” the two of them started giggling like five year olds.

Mrs. Spankoffski lightheartedly rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to Pete, “That’s amazing, sweetheart, I’m glad you’re so happy”.

Pete nodded, and for the first time, Ted’s comments about him and Steph liking each other weren’t upsetting him. Obviously, he wouldn’t confirm or deny if he actually had these feelings, but she did get him to do things he never thought he could, and that felt exhilarating.

But unfortunately, the happiness had to fade.

Ted’s phone buzzed in his pocket, he looked at the text message with wide eyes.

“Pete, have you seen Richie the last few days?”

He looked up, feeling a twinge of anxiety at how the question was asked, “Not since the game on Friday, why?”

Ted looked back at his phone, “Paul just texted me. He said that Richie was supposed to be at his place this weekend, but he never showed up. His parents don’t know where he is either, and he’s not answering his phone".

Pete was rendered speechless as he tried to form a response.

As long as he’d known his best friend, Richie had the tendency of disappearing off the face of the earth for several days at a time with no warning, but it was really strange that none of his family members had heard from him. But he didn't want his family to see just how anxious it made him.

“I-I’m sure he’s with the football team or something, they like having weekend long parties after games,” Pete said, trying to keep his heart from racing.

“Even when they have a terrible loss to fucking Clivesdale?”

“Fuck Clivesdale,” Mr. and Mrs.Spankoffski anxiously mumbled.

Pete avoided eye contact with Ted, "I’m sure he’s fine, there’s probably a very reasonable explanation for this, and we’re all just overreacting”.

His parents exchanged worried looks.

Mrs. Spankoffski put her hand on top of Pete’s, “I’m sure he’s fine, he always is”.

Mr. Spankoffski rounded on Ted to change the subject, “So, how’s it going with, what’s-her-name, Charlie?”

Ted scoffed with a smile, “Charlotte, Dad, and it’s going terrible. We were looking into the possibility of her divorcing Sam, but she keeps chickening out”.

Mrs. Spankoffski glared at her husband, he wordlessly put his hands up in surrender, the exact same way Ted tended to do.

She turned back to her son with a smile, “Teddy, I know that you really care about her, and that you want her to be happy, but putting yourself in such a bad situation is only going to get you hurt”.

Ted laughed with no humor, “I’m always hurt, Mom. That’s why I am the way I am in the first place. I wasn’t good enough for Jenny, so this is what I deserve”.

Mrs. Spankoffski’s heart plummeted, “Don’t ever talk about yourself like that again, you deserve all the love and happiness you want”.

Ted sighed, “I think we’re long past that, Mom”.

She squeezed his hand, her expression stern, “Nobody talks about my son like that, not even himself”.

Ted stared at her for a moment, before forcing a smile, “Well, on that note, I unfortunately have a date tonight”.

Pete looked up, “A real one, or just another bone sesh?”

His parents cringed at the learned vocabulary.

Ted laughed, “Both, sweet little brother of mine. Dessert and drinks, Hallmark movie on the couch, then…you know the rest”.

Pete wrinkled his nose in disgust, “It’s not even Halloween yet, why are you watching Christmas movies?”

Ted circled back and slapped his hands onto Pete’s shoulders, causing the boy to jolt, “That’s the magic of the season, Petey. Those sick bastards know there are guys like me trying to get with girls like her, so they make fall-time ones as well”.

With a flourish, Ted headed for the door, putting on his aviator jacket, the one he thought made him look like Anthony Edwards in the movie, "Top Gun" (it didn’t).

“Bye guys, see ya next week!” he called out as he walked out the door.

“Please be careful!” His mom yelled after him.

Ted got into his Studebaker and haphazardly drove through the crisp October air.

What he didn’t tell his family was that he followed a familiar road to a familiar house, going all the way to the end of the caul-de-sac.

He rang the doorbell, just like always, it became the way the woman inside knew it was him.

She opened the door, excitedly awaiting Ted’s presence.

“You know, it’s really cold out here, any room inside that warm house of yours?” He said, punctuating it with a little wink.

“Of course, come on in, Ted,” Charlotte Sweetly essentially pulled him inside, promptly shutting the door behind him.

Back at the Spankoffski house, Mr. Spankoffski and Pete were cleaning up the table, his dad cleared his throat. “So, I’m not going to bully you mercilessly regardless of what your answer is, but if you do ever want to start dating Steph, there'll be absolutely no pushback from us".

Pete blushed, "Oh, thanks, Dad. We're just friends, though".

Mr. Spankoffski panicked, "And there's no problem with that, either. I'm mostly just saying that if you did want to date anybody, and if you wanted that 'anybody' to be Steph, we think that's a great idea. Your mom and I were talking recently about how your friendship with her has been a pretty great influence on you".

Pete tilted his head, "How so?"

Mr. Spankoffski got a little red himself, "Well, your self-esteem is way higher than it has been in a long time. She's also getting you to do things that we never thought you would do, like going to football games, and staying out late to actually do normal teenager things. Not to mention, the change in wardrobe-"

"What was wrong with how I dressed before?"

"Uh, n-nothing was 'wrong' per se, but this definitely feels more like your style. Smart, and put together, but still allowing yourself to be a kid. And I can't say that it had nothing to do with Steph, because I think we both know that wouldn't be true".

Pete thought about it as his dad continued, "You smile a lot more, and you let yourself be funny. We haven't seen you this happy and free since you were a little kid. Regardless of what happens, I hope she sticks around, because I missed you, Pete".

He smiled, "I hope she does too, Dad".