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Having been unjinxed by the cosplaying red heeler, Bandit was left with his thoughts once more. Up until now, he'd been thinking of all the ways he would get back at Rad, and especially Stripe for what they put him through during his jinx.
However, reflecting on his mum's words, as well as the events that unfolded moments ago, he felt waves of guilt washing over him, one for each time he insulted, harassed and undermined his little brother. His heart felt heavy, and only got heavier with each passing memory of abuse he had put Stripe through. He couldn't forgive himself. Not yet. That had to be earned from his brother first.
Bandit finished up at the shower block quickly and sprinted towards their caravan. He was struggling to think of what to say. How to say it. A simple "Sorry, bro! My bad," would not suffice. He thought of scripting it, but quickly shook away the thought. It would just sound disingenuous and lifeless, and his brother deserves more.
"I'm just gonna have to let my emotions speak for me." He concluded.
In the sea of caravans, Bandit spotted theirs and walked up to the door before stopping due to an overwhelming sense of doubt.
Bandit contemplated. "Would Stripe really forgive you? I mean, c'mon, think of all the things you've done to him throughout the years... You think he'd really let all those things slide?" He took a moment to consider it more.
No. Of course he wouldn't. But that's precisely the scenario Bandit was prepared for. He expected it, honestly. Deserved it. He had already accepted that. With this resolve in mind, he fought back all unnecessary thoughts and...
*Meanwhile, inside the caravan*
Stripe was busy reading comics inside the humble family caravan. It was not by any means luxurious, but it was comfortable and consisted of everything a caravan needs: a functional kitchen, a bed on each side and a small bathroom. Stripe was situated on one of the beds and was completely consumed by his comics and could barely register what was going on in his environment. However, he did manage to hear the caravan door unlocking. As the door slowly creaked open, he greeted his mum and dad, thinking they had come from their walk at the beach. But to his surprise, Bandit revealed himself from the other side. A smug expression suddenly took over Stripe's face, as he began searching through his vocabulary for more words that he could combine with Bandit's name.
"Let's see... Bandina? No, wait, already used that one. Uhh... Bandingus? Ooo, that's a good one! What else is the-"
"Hey..."
Stripe's train of thought was put to a sudden stop when Bandit unexpectedly spoke up.
Stripe was in disbelief. Did he forget about his jinx? No, that wasn't it. The punishment for speaking while jinxed was far too severe for him to simply forget.
Since when had he been unjinxed?! And more importantly, by who? And how?!
Is he lying about it? Wrong again. His brother was many things, but a liar isn't one of them (well, for the most part).
So he really was freed from his jinx. An improbable stroke of luck for Bandit that had left Stripe frightened. Frightened of what his brother was going to do next as he stepped into the caravan.
...
Bandit opened the door and locked eyes with Stripe. What lasted seconds in reality, felt like minutes to him. His chest felt tight and his muscles tensed up slightly at the sight of his little brother. Still, he pushed through. He had to do this.
He decided to say something simple,
"Hey..."
Instantly, he saw the smug grin on Stripe's face briefly transform into one of confusion, then once more into a face of worry and fear. Normally, this would've entertained Bandit and he would've continued to torment his little brother. But not this time. He felt his heart sink as he noticed his brother back up to the furthest edge of the bed, away from Bandit. This is the damage he has caused. There was no hostility behind his words, yet it was enough to cause Stripe to shrink. Can he really fix this?
He had to keep going. He had no other choice. He entered the caravan and began his slow march towards Stripe, his demeanor calm, yet cautious. He didn't want to instigate a bad reaction from him, but it seemed too late for that, as Stripe was already stumbling his way off the bed and onto the floor where he backed up even further into the caravan. Bandit cringed. He couldn't bear to watch what was unfolding in front of his eyes, as all of it was his doing.
He could hear Stripe plead endlessly, make reckless promises, just to avoid a punishment from Bandit. He took another step forward
"P-please, Bandit. D-don't do it. I, uhh, I promise I'll give you anything you want! Just s-stay away!" Stripe begged.
Bandit didn't respond.
*STEP*
With each step he took, Stripe felt more and more uneasy. It was almost unbearable. Bandit's pace was slow, and it was killing him. He just wanted to get it over with.
Bandit, on the other hand, felt his heart sink further down by the second. His face was that of mild sadness and pity, details that went unnoticed by Stripe, who was too afraid to process anything beyond, "He's gonna beat me up."
Bandit was now within striking distance of Stripe. The little brother stammered, curled up into a ball and raised his hands in front of his face to avoid any incoming blows there. He closed his eyes. Bandit raised his arms slightly and leaned towards Stripe as if he was going for a chokehold. Strangely, Stripe felt his arms slowly go around, then behind him. The aura that emanated from his brother's arms and years of bullying granted him a certain instinct whenever his brother was about to do something.
"Stripe..." Bandit said quietly
Stripe braced himself and took a deep breath to prepare for the chokehold. Here it comes.
...
Stripe felt himself being slowly, calmly, carefully pulled into Bandit's warm embrace. It was an unusual scenario. An impossible one, even. Yet here they were. Bandit had never hugged him willingly, and yet...
"I'm sorry," his voice broke slightly. "I'm so, so sorry, for everything. I've been such a crappy older brother. I've bullied you constantly these past years just 'cause I thought it was funny and I feel sick about it. I don't want that anymore. I don't want you to be scared of me anymore. I... I-" Bandit choked on his words and began crying.
"I-I'm s-sorry," he managed to mumble in between intermittent sobs and hics. "I p-promise to be better! I promise to be like Rad! Please, don't hate me!" He was now completely overtaken by his emotions, uncontrollably crying.
Stripe was left speechless, confused about the situation. At first, his mind was bubbling with doubt and he didn't want to fall for another one of his tricks. However, his brother has never been an emotional dog, so to let his pure, unadulterated emotions run wild like this was his realization that... He was being genuine, no trickery involved.
He really did want his forgiveness.
Now, Stripe thought he would be stuck in a dilemma, to forgive or not to forgive. But before he could register his own actions, he returned Bandit's hug. He himself didn't realize it up until now, but deep down, he had been longing for his older brother's approval and affection, and having finally received it, the dilemma became a rather easy decision.
Bandit was shocked to say the least. A variety of questions plagued his mind, but the simplest one stood out,
"Why?"
He wanted to know why he forgave him. Why so easily? Why so quickly? He clearly didn't deserve it, even he realized that, so why??? Before he could ask, Stripe's voice broke ever so quietly,
"I love you, bro."
Bandit couldn't help but cry again. He tightened his embrace on Stripe and he returned the gesture. Through happy tears, sniffles and sobs, he managed to blurt out something long overdue.
"I love you, too."