Chapter Text
Copia's life hadn't been the easiest up until this point, but if there was one person he could always count on, it was his brother. They'd had their differences, sure, but Perpetua was pretty much the only person Copia could consistently rely on. His relationship with Marika and Mr. Psaltarian was… complicated to say the least. It had gotten better as of late, but things were still… difficult, and he didn't feel like he could tell them everything. Perpetua, though? Perpetua always had his back. They had been pretty much each other's only friend growing up, and that closeness had continued into their adult years. Granted, it wasn't quite the same nowadays, since they were adults with their own lives and responsibilities, but no matter what happened, they knew they could always count on each other when they needed someone.
Which was why, when he got the call from Sister Imperator to come to the main Ministry building to talk about him becoming the new Papa, Perpetua was the first one he called. They were stationed at different churches at the moment, but maybe if he got this job, he could convince Sister Imperator to hire his brother at the main Ministry building. He couldn't think of anyone he'd rather be experiencing this with.
"Seriously? That's awesome!" Perpetua exclaimed. "Guess all those Employee of the Month awards are finally paying off, huh?"
"Maybe if you got a few more, they'll consider making you Papa after me," Copia teased.
"Hey, I'm not that far behind you," Perpetua protested with a laugh.
"Far enough to still be third~"
"Gee, thanks for reminding me." Copia could practically hear his brother rolling his eyes. He couldn't help but smile, the tension leaving his shoulders a bit at the familiar banter.
In all honesty, he was absolutely terrified about how his meeting with Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator would go. He was ecstatic about the opportunity, but also terrified of his dream being snatched away from him. He didn't want to get his hopes up only to have them dashed at the last moment. He'd worked so hard for this moment, dreamed about it for years, and now it was almost in his grasp. He didn't want to lose it.
"Hey." He was snapped back from his thoughts by Perpetua's voice. "You got kind of quiet. You okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm okay," Copia answered. "Just, y'know, nerves."
"It's gonna be fine," Perpetua assured him, his voice softening slightly. "They'd be idiots not to promote you."
"Don't let them hear you say that," Copia playfully chided him. "You might get demoted."
"I doubt I'm on their radar enough for them to care," Perpetua said.
Something about his tone gave Copia pause. There was a bitterness to his brother's words. Someone else might not have noticed it, but Copia had spent enough time around Perpetua to be able to pick up on it.
"You're not… jealous, are you?" He asked slowly.
Copia suddenly felt a bit guilty. He hadn't considered how his brother might feel about Copia's promotion. Being Papa was a dream they both shared, after all. It would make sense if Perpetua were a little bit jealous that Copia had been the one to achieve their dream.
"What? Of course not!" Perpetua scoffed. "You deserve this, C."
"I mean, I'd totally get it if you were," Copia said. "I'd be jealous if it were you getting called in."
Perpetua went silent. Copia waited somewhat anxiously, fiddling with the cord of the phone. He didn't want this to drive a wedge between him and his brother, but he wasn't going to give up this opportunity.
"Alright, maybe a little," Perpetua admitted after a moment or two. "I'm still happy for you, though. I meant it when I said you deserved this."
Copia let out a small exhale of relief, letting the cord drop from his fingers. "Thanks, Pep," he said, smiling to himself. "Maybe we could, eh, go out to dinner or something after I get back?"
"Sounds great!" Perpetua replied. "It's your turn to pay, by the way."
"Wha-? It is not!" Copia sputtered. "I paid last time!"
"You did not."
"Yes, I did!"
"Did not. We went to that little French place, and I paid because I wanted two slices of cake."
Shit… That was right. Copia groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"This'll be a celebration for me. I shouldn't have to pay for my own party," he grumbled.
"Mmm. I guess you have a point," Perpetua hummed in thought. "Alright. Fine. I'll pay. But I get to pick the restaurant."
"You better not pick a bad one on purpose," Copia said, although he knew there was no way his brother was going to deliberately eat bad food just to get one up on him. They were both too old for that now.
"Don't give me ideas," Perpetua snorted.
There was a sound in the background on Perpetua's end, and Copia could barely hear someone saying something.
"I'll be there in a second," Perpetua said, his voice a bit muffled, as if he'd covered the receiver. When he spoke again, it was much clearer. "I've gotta go. Call me after the meeting, okay?"
"Talk to you then."
Then they both hung up.
.
They celebrated after the meeting, as they'd promised they would, and then Copia began the work of being Papa Emeritus IV. He ended up a lot busier than either he or Perpetua had expected, what with the songwriting, practicing, and planning for tours, so their monthly calls suffered a bit. Copia was always apologetic about it, and Perpetua always said he understood, but he couldn't help but feel a bit… left behind. Copia was living the dream, and Perpetua was still in the same place he'd been for years. A part of him had always known that Copia would be the one to achieve their collective dream. Copia was ambitious and determined, even if his awkward demeanor tended to make people underestimate him. Perpetua had always been a bit more… Well, laidback wasn't exactly the best word for it. Maybe cautious was a better descriptor. He found it more comfortable to fade into the background, to do his work and keep his head down.
They'd both been like that when they'd been kids, keeping their heads down to avoid attracting the ire of the local bullies. They'd always been the outsiders and the weird kids. They'd had each other, though. Getting to the Ministry had changed things for both of them, but much more for Copia. Copia had flourished in a way that Perpetua still struggled to do. Perpetua loved his brother, he really did, but a part of him had always felt… second fiddle to Copia. He'd worked hard to carve out his own space for himself, but there was a subsection of the Ministry who knew him first and foremost as Copia's brother. After all, Copia had managed to become the right-hand man to Papa Nihil himself, even before being chosen to become Papa.
"You must be so proud to be his brother," people in his congregation kept saying.
And he was. But he couldn't help the jealousy that welled up in his chest as well. Especially when he saw Copia performing. Both he and Copia had always been rather awkward, but Copia seemed to come alive when performing in a way that Perpetua could never hope to match. He danced across the stage as if it were where he was always meant to be and interacted with the crowd with such ease. The mere thought of being in front of so many people made Perpetua break out in a cold sweat.
Pride and jealousy warred within Perpetua as he watched a video of Copia's performance on the old, beat-up computer in his office. Copia looked so right up on that stage. So happy and at ease. Despite himself, Perpetua couldn't help but smile a little, fingers tapping along to the beat of the music.
"He's doing a wonderful job, isn't he?"
Perpetua started at the sound of Sister Imperator's voice just behind him.
"Ah, uh, yes! He is!" He scrambled to sit up a bit straighter, trying to look a little more presentable. "Is there, uh, something I can do for you, Sister?"
"Oh, nothing," Sister replied calmly. "I just wanted to drop by to see how you were doing."
She'd been doing that a lot since Copia had left for his tour. It was… a little strange, if Perpetua was being honest. He'd noticed she acted differently toward him and Copia, but he couldn't fathom why. He could understand her having a fondness for Copia, since Copia interacted with her a bit more, but in his opinion, he hadn't done nearly enough to get on her radar.
And yet, here she was, checking in on him, just as she always did when she found herself in his branch of the ministry.
"That's very kind of you," Perpetua said with a polite smile. "I'm doing alright." Despite her perceived favoritism, he still always felt a little nervous around her. She was just such an intimidating figure. Not to mention, he got the feeling that between the two of them, Copia was her favorite.
"You know." Sister leaned on his desk. "There's a vacancy at the Ministry now that Cardi's been promoted."
Perpetua's heart skipped a beat. Was this going where he thought it was? Was he finally going to get an opportunity to move up in the ranks?
"Is there?" He asked, hoping his voice wasn't shaking too much.
"I was thinking, perhaps you could fill that vacancy," Sister continued. "After all, who better to be your brother's right-hand man than you?"
A part of Perpetua winced a bit at the reminder that he would still be playing second fiddle to Copia, but it was outweighed by the rush of excitement at the prospect of working at the main Ministry building.
"Are you interested?" Sister asked. For some reason, she looked rather hopeful. Did she really want him there? Well, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Of course!" Perpetua replied quickly. "I'd be honored!"
Sister's smile widened. "Excellent," she said, pulling back. "I'll put in the transfer paperwork." For a moment, she reached toward him, then quickly pulled away. "Be ready to move by the end of the week," she said brusquely before turning and exiting the room, leaving Perpetua alone.
.
When Copia got back to the main Ministry building after the tour, he was surprised to find his brother waiting for him. As soon as the door was opened, Copia found himself stumbling back as his brother launched himself onto him.
"You did amazing!" Perpetua crowed, picking Copia up and spinning him around.
"Wha-? Pep? What are you doing here?" Copia laughed as he was spun around. He certainly wasn't complaining, but it was unexpected all the same.
"I got promoted!" Perpetua beamed as he set Copia down.
"Your own promotion left a position vacant," Sister explained, nudging Copia's luggage inside and closing the door. "And I thought it might be nice for you to have your brother here."
"Really?" Copia lit up, looking between Perpetua and Sister.
"Really." Perpetua nodded. "We get to work together now! Isn't that great?"
"It is!" Copia nodded enthusiastically.
He'd been really starting to miss his brother. Being Papa was great, better than he'd ever dreamed of, but his new responsibilities had meant he had less time to spend with Perpetua. It had been the first time in a long time that they hadn't been in regular contact, and it had been… a bit difficult. It had reminded him of when he and Perpetua had first started spending time away from each other and how hard that had been.
But they'd gotten through that then, and they'd gotten through this, and now he was back home, and he had his support system with him. All was right in the world.
"Ah, I wanted to tell you something," Sister spoke up, drawing Copia's attention back to her. "Just a little something. I… can't call you Papa." She grimaced as she said this, leading Perpetua to frown and look at Copia.
"What? Why?" Perpetua asked, and Copia could tell he was getting ready to argue about it.
"Probably because of the old guy," Copia said, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. It would probably be a little awkward to have her call him Papa and then for Nihil to think she was talking to him. "I get it."
"I mean, you'll always be C- You'll always be my little Cardi," Sister said, smiling gently at him and Perpetua. "Just like you'll always be my little Peppy."
Perpetua went a bit pink, ducking his head and muttering something about that being an embarrassing nickname.
"That's fine," Copia assured her. "I mean, when I'm back here, I always feel like Cardi. And, I mean, look at me." He gestured to himself. "I'm off now."
"Yes, good," Sister nodded. "By the way, if you go put your things in your room, there might be a little surprise there."
"Ooh, a little somethin' somethin'," Copia said, glancing at Perpetua.
"I helped pick it out." Perpetua looked particularly proud of himself, which could mean very good things or very bad things. Copia was going to assume that it meant good things since Sister probably would have prevented his twin from trying to prank him.
"And I've ordered your favorite dinner," Sister added.
Copia's eyes widened slightly. She really was pulling out all the stops, wasn't she? He hoped this wasn't a sign that she had some bad news to give him or something.
"And a little somethin' somethin'," he said, managing a smile. "Great."
"Well, let's go put your things away." Sister began to usher both of them down the hallway.
"I'll race you to your room," Perpetua said before taking off down the hall.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Copia immediately took off after him.
"Boys! Don't run in the halls!" Sister called after them, but neither paid her any attention, both intent upon beating the other.
Perpetua won the race, but not by much.
"It's not fair," Copia gasped as he threw his bags onto the couch. "You have longer legs!"
"It's not my fault I had a growth spurt," Perpetua said, hands on his knees. "Fuck… I'm really out of shape…"
"You should try training with the ghouls," Copia suggested. "They'll whip you into shape."
Perpetua laughed, straightening and stretching out his back. "I guess I'll look into it."
"So. What's the surprise?" Copia asked, looking around his room. Everything looked just as it had when he'd left.
"Just keep looking," Perpetua said, grinning ear to ear.
Copia rolled his eyes, but did as instructed, continuing to scan the room until his eyes landed on…
A new tricycle parked in the corner, complete with a big red bow and a card on the seat.
"Aaaw!" He bent over and picked up the card, flipping it open.
"Welcome Home, C!" The card read.
"Do you like it?" Perpetua asked. "I got one too, in purple. I thought we could ride them together."
"Thanks, Pep." Copia turned and gave his brother a tight hug.
Perpetua smiled softly, hugging Copia back. "You're welcome, but it was mostly Sister's idea, so you should really be thanking her."
"I'll thank her at dinner," Copia promised.
It was then that they heard the doorbell ring. The brothers glanced at each other.
"Round 2?" Copia asked with a mischievous smirk.
Perpetua grinned back. "You're on."
Copia won the second race, much to Perpetua's chagrin.
"I really do need to talk to the ghouls about that training," he muttered as Copia leaned smugly against the door.
"Yes, you do," Copia said before opening the door.
Almost immediately, both brothers stood up a bit straighter when they saw who was there.
"Mr. Psaltarian!" Copia forced a smile, stepping away from the doorway so that Mr. Psaltarian could enter. "Come in! Come in!"
"How are you doing?" Perpetua asked, fidgeting a bit with the strings of his hoodie.
"Fine," Mr. Psaltarian replied, as calm and collected as always.
"Good! It's so nice to see you." Copia awkwardly patted Psaltarian's shoulder before attempting to go in for a hug, which he decided against at the last moment. He tried instead for a first bump, which made Perpetua cringe, although he tried to hide it. Psaltarian put his hand on Copia's and slowly pushed it down.
Although the brothers were no longer children, they still had a healthy respect for and fear of Mr. Psaltarian. He had been their primary father figure while growing up, and they still wanted badly to earn his approval, even if they knew that wasn't something he gave out easily.
"Okay. Alright." Copia gave a little nod.
"We ordered food," Perpetua piped up. "You'd like that, right?"
Psaltarian turned away from both of them, tilting his head up. "I can smell it," he pronounced, sniffing the air.
"Well, let's, uh… They're waiting for us," Copia said. "So we can, uh, we can head over now."
"Let's go!" Perpetua agreed, already starting to walk.
Psaltarian let out a small snort before beginning to walk as well, Copia falling into step beside him.
"It is very nice to see you," Copia remarked.
"Same here," Psaltarian replied, with just the barest hint of a smile on his face.
The rest of the walk to the dining area was silent, and that silence continued even once they'd sat down. Nihil was already there, but Sister was strangely absent. Perpetua and Copia exchanged a glance as they sat down, each pulling a takeout container towards them. The ones that were theirs were marked with a C and P on top, presumably by Sister.
"Should we wait for Sister or…?" Perpetua whispered.
"She'll probably be here soon," Copia whispered back, reaching for his box.
Only to get hit in the head with a soccer ball that passed through Nihil's incorporeal form.
"Goal!!" Nihil crowed.
Mr. Psaltarian grinned, holding up his hands in the gesture denoting a goal.
"Nice catch, man," Copia grumbled, rubbing his head.
"You good?" Perpetua asked with a wince.
"I'm fine I'm fine," Copia waved off his brother's fussing as Sister entered the room and sat down at the table opposite him.
"Oh, stop," she chided Nihil and Psaltarian before addressing Copia. "You know, it's a celebratory dinner. Mr. Psaltarian, Papa Nihil, your brother, and I are very happy that you're back."
"Yeah we are!" Perpetua clapped Copia on the back.
Copia couldn't help but smile. It felt nice, having all these people who cared about him together like this to celebrate him, even if he wasn't entirely sure how Nihil actually felt about him. "Thank you very much," he said. "Very very happy to be home."
And he was. He really was. Touring had been amazing, but he was definitely ready for a little bit of a break. He had a lot to tell Perpetua about.
"Could you pass me the Beijing Beef, please?" Nihil asked, leaning over the table.
"Sure, I mean, you want some on your plate?" Copia replied.
"I'm starving," Nihil said.
This gave Copia some pause. How was Nihil starving when he was dead? He was pretty sure dead people didn't eat. Not to mention, Nihil was incorporeal, so presumably any food he tried to eat would just go right through him.
"Won't it just go through you?" Perpetua asked, giving voice to Copia's thoughts.
"I mean, I can put it directly on your chair if you want," Copia said. "Like he said, it's just going to go right through you anyway, dead man."
Perpetua let out a laugh that sounded like a whistling tea kettle. Even Sister and Psaltarian laughed, which emboldened Copia further.
"But, I mean, whatever you want," he continued.
"Okay okay, listen, let's get to the point," Nihil said, seemingly eager to change the topic. "Sister, Mr. Psaltarian, and I have decided you just started. You only did 26 concerts. You need to do 150 concerts."
Perpetua, who had been in the middle of slurping up some noodles, nearly choked on said noodles. "In a row?!"
Nihil continued as if he hadn't spoken. "And we've decided you must do… Technicolor television."
Copia blinked, looking to Sister and Psaltarian, who both nodded.
"Wait, are you- TV?" Copia had never been on TV before.
"Panasonic TV," Nihil said, as if that explained anything.
"Right, right," Copia nodded. "I mean… That's cool. I can do TV, I can dance, I can boogie, I can sing."
"You can't act," Nihil said, somewhat dismissively. "I can act."
"He can too," Perpetua insisted at the same time as Copia said,
"I can too."
There was a pause as both twins grimaced before Copia continued.
"Look," he said. "That's just totally your opinion, dude."
Judging from the way Psaltarian was shaking his head, though, he agreed with Nihil. Well, that wouldn't do. Copia could too act! He'd show them!
"I can knock down a little bit of an audition," he said. "An audition tape, if you will. You'll see what I'm made of."
Nihil scoffed, making a shooing motion toward the twins. "You go make an audition tape. You go."
His dismissal just made Copia even more determined. He would go and make an audition tape. And it would be totally awesome! "Sure, I mean, I've lost my appetite anyway," he said, standing up from the table. "I'll go do that. So, Sister. Psaltarian. Dickhead." He inclined his head toward each person in turn before turning to leave. "Excuse me for a second."
Perpetua stood up, following after him.
"Mind if I help?" He asked, falling into step beside Copia.
"As long as you stay off camera," Copia said. "This is my audition tape."
"And steal your spotlight?" Perpetua put a hand to his chest in mock offense. "I would never."
Recording the audition tape was… honestly a bit of a fiasco, but Copia had to admit, it was fun. Perpetua manned the camera while Copia did impressions. More than a few takes were ruined by one or both of them breaking into laughter or doing a dumb joke, but Copia didn't mind. He was just happy to be spending time with his brother.