Chapter Text
"This ain't us, Lil! This ain't you!"
Brick's own words echo in his head as he pulls his tattered duffel bag out from under his bed in the Crimson Raider headquarters. He tosses the bag onto the bed and opens his locker, hastily packing his belongings. He doesn’t bother to fold his clothes; he just balls up his garments and tosses them in the bag in a rage. His mind replays the scene of Lilith giving the firing squad the order to kill Athena. He remembers his conversation with Roland after he killed Shep Sanders. How Roland wouldn’t stand for it. How Roland was right. He knows if Roland were here, Lilith would be exiled too. But Roland isn’t here. Just Brick and his bag.
He’s almost done gathering his things when he hears the door squeak open. Familiar footsteps pad into the room followed by a familiar voice, "Hey Brick! Tina wants-- what are you doing?"
Brick shoots a cold glance at the door. It’s Mordecai standing there. Anxiety washes over Brick. His decision was such a snap judgment he forgot about Mordecai. He’s dead set on leaving but doesn’t know what to do about Mordecai. He remembers finally asking Mordecai to be his boyfriend after Jack’s death. They’ve been together for a few months and things are great. He’s torn between his love and his convictions.
Brick steps aside, his body no longer blocking Mordecai’s view of his duffel bag bursting at the seams. "What does it look like?" he asks.
Mordecai takes a few more steps forward, the implication of the bag on the bed sinks in. "You're not… Over Lilith giving the firing squad an order?"
"If Roland was here, that wouldn't have happened," Brick declares.
"Well he's not here. Lil's in charge now,” says Mordecai. He’s trying his best to gently diffuse the situation.
"Yeah? And who decided that?" Brick questions.
Mordecai hasn’t thought about it before. He pauses for a second before saying, "I guess. She did actually."
"Right. Well if executin' Athena and everyone in her story is what to expect out of her leadership, I'm gone.”
Mordecai feels his heart drop into his stomach. He knows how stubborn Brick is once he’s made a decision. But this is a very sudden decision so Mordecai thinks he can change Brick’s mind. He starts to defend Lilith, "Can you blame her? She was mad about--"
Brick cuts him off sharply, "Trust me, Mordy. I know about mad."
"You of all people should understand her then," Mordecai says.
"I understand that she didn't learn shit from Roland exiling me," Brick replies, feeling his anger bubbling up.
"This is. Different."
"How is this any different?"
Mordecai takes a deep breath. "Jack took Roland from us. That wouldn't have happened if Athena-"
Brick cuts him off again, "Oh and Jack wouldn't have destroyed New Haven if Shep Sanders hadn't sold us out? If it wasn't him, it would've been someone else. If it wasn't Athena, it would've been someone else."
Mordecai scrambles to finish his thought, "Athena was part of his whole rise to power. They're not comparable. Did you even listen to anything she said?"
"What I heard was Athena regrets everything she did in his name. That would've been good enough for Roland so it's good enough for me,” Brick says. He folds his arms and his brow furrows. He thought Mordecai might see it his way. Apparently he’s wrong.
"What Roland would've thought doesn't matter now," Mordecai says calmly. He instantly regrets it.
"Like hell it doesn't!” Brick roars, throwing his arms up in exasperation. “Roland brought us all together. He made the Raiders. Lilith will never be half the leader he was if all she wants to do right now is revenge kill everyone who ever worked with Jack. I'm leavin'."
Without another word, Brick takes the last of his clothes out of his locker and furiously shoves them in his duffel bag. He only bothers to zip it up halfway. He slings his luggage over his shoulder and picks up his prized possession, Sledge’s hammer. A tribute to the good old days, before any of the drama ripped the family apart. Brick makes for the door, shouldering past Mordecai. But he feels Mordecai’s slender fingers touch his scarred shoulder and he stops.
"Brick, wait. What does that mean for us?" Mordecai asks nervously.
Brick wishes he knew. He wants so badly for Mordecai to run away with him. But he can’t ask that of him. Someone has to stay behind and save Lilith from falling into a cycle of bad decisions. For a second he considers maybe that person could be him. But ultimately he decides, no, he doesn’t have the patience for that. He turns to face the scrawny man. His large hand moves to cup his boyfriend’s cheek. "I love you, Mordy. But I can't stay here."
Under his goggles, Mordecai is about to cry. He doesn’t want Brick to go but deep down he knows Brick is right. He briefly considers packing his own bags, but he realizes Lilith is in an hour of need. He belongs here, for now at least. His brain grasps at straws to get Brick to stay, even if it’s just for a few hours. Maybe some extra time to think will change his mind. "Before you go. Can you at least spend some time with Tina? She's already lost Roland. I don't want her to lose you."
Brick lets the head of his hammer touch the ground. He does need to unwind a little bit and spending time with Tina was good for that. He agrees to it, "I guess. But I'm outta here by nightfall."
Brick spends the next couple of hours with Tina and Claptrap, listening to Athena tell her tale a second time. And then a third. The sun begins to set and that’s his cue. He tells Tina he has to leave for a while. She’s confused but Brick assures her he’ll see her again soon. He heads back to the headquarters to say his goodbyes to Mordecai. The men both fight back tears after Brick kisses Mordecai’s forehead and promptly leaves. He’s in Pierce Station, typing the coordinates to Thousand Cuts in the fast travel when he’s confronted with the one person he didn’t want to see.
“Where are you going?” Lilith’s voice comes from behind him.
“Anywhere but here,” he grunts in reply.
“Is this about what happened earlier?” the siren asks.
Brick snorts. “What do you think?”
“Brick let me explain--”
Brick shuts her up, “Uh-unh. Nothing to explain, Lilith.” He turns around, a mix of anger and betrayal in his eyes. “You were gonna kill Athena. An unarmed prisoner. And for what?”
Lilith avoids eye contact, “She helped cause everything that happened with Jack. I know nothing could undo that but I got… mad.”
Brick’s voice grows sterner than Lilith has ever heard, “Lil. I know about mad. But when I killed the guy who sold us out to Jack, Roland kicked me out. And he was right. Roland was a leader. If you’re gonna act like that, what makes you think you could live up to him?”
Lilith is at a loss for words, “I--”
“That guardian saved you from a mistake. But you still made it. I hope whatever it told you was worth it,” Brick says. He turns back around and finishes entering his desired location into the fast travel.
In a last-ditch effort to get Brick to stay, Lilith tells him what the guardian said, “It just said there was a war coming. And that I’d have to make a choice.”
“Yeah, well keep your war. I’m out.”
Brick vanishes in the glow of the fast travel terminal’s light and doesn’t look back.