Work Text:
Copia sat on the soft leather couch, twisting his hands together mindlessly. Anxiety and excitement ripped through every bone. Today was the day - the day he finally was able to see his replacement face-to-face. Replacement was a strong word, seeing as he was one himself. Still being a little salty about being replaced, however, he allowed himself the thought. Copia stood up, checking his watch: 12:35 p.m. V was late by five minutes. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at this. They were only granted twenty minutes together, and this guy had already wasted five of them. “What a bozo.” Copia sighed.
He plopped back down on the couch, resting his head on the back of it. The cold, damp room had been used as a smaller library that he often enjoyed. No one had ever come in here since the newer one was built. It gave him a place to go when everything became too loud. Right now, it was loud even here in the quiet. His heart thudded against his chest with every passing thought. Every question he had thought of since the day he was told of his brother flashed through his mind. The hatred he had for him, but also the curiosity. His mother had said V was just as curious about meeting him, too. This gave way to the hatred, but only slightly. The anger still bubbled up in him during late nights when he couldn’t sleep. When he knew V was on the stage singing in front of all of the adoring fans out there.
Copia’s chest tightened again. He missed it. The chaos backstage, the lights shining down on him, the fans screaming his name, the Ghouls. He had never expected his last show actually to be his last: no more tours, no more new songs, nothing. Everyone had insisted that becoming Frator Imperator was a grand promotion, but it did not feel like it to him. Yes, he was running everything now, but there was nothing quite like being on stage.
It didn’t help that no one at the ministry took him seriously either. His aunt treated him like a fragile child, and Mr. Psalterian still scolded him every chance he could. Nothing had truly changed. Copia knew this. He was given the title and the title alone. Everything else was null and void. This realization was hurtful, but his position of power was still something he could hold over his brother’s head. Something he would hold over him. At least he was still alive. That’s more than what he could say for his uncles.
The door slowly crept open, and cool air crept in as footsteps crossed over the threshold. Copia’s head lifted from its resting place, and there he saw him, standing tall over him, dark curls flattened on top of his head and puffed out at the bottom from the mask that was perfectly placed on his face. He wore an all-black suit with a small grucifix necklace around his neck. His fingers were adorned with rings. Copia couldn’t help but let out a small puff of air in annoyance. Of course, he was well put together on and off stage. ‘He would be perfect.’
Standing, Copia straightened up. His hands were twisting together again behind his back as the anxiety started to build up again. The first meeting was finally here. It was really happening. ‘Say something, stupid.’ He could have kicked himself for looking so dumb. He was a Frater Imperator. He ran the Clergy. He was the boss! So why couldn’t he open his mouth to speak when that was his favorite thing to do? He watched as Perpetua watched him curiously, almost like he did not know what to say either. “Um. Hello.” Perpetua’s voice was quiet, nervous, almost. Copia was taken aback by this. The man seemed so confident on stage, but standing right before him was an awkward man. This put his own anxiety at ease.
He really was just a man. Flesh and bone. Nothing special, Copia realized. He couldn’t read the man as well as he wanted. This is not the person he was expecting.
Copia nodded. “Hello, V.” He chewed at his lip for a moment after saying the name, spitting it out like venom. “How are you? How do you like the Clergy?” The sarcasm dripped from him. He didn’t actually care how he was liking it. He could say he hated it for all he cared, and it wouldn’t matter. Copia wasn’t planning on making it a warm welcome anyhow.
His brother hesitated for a moment, almost as if he was looking to come up with the perfect response. “It is nice here.”
An eyebrow shot up on Copia’s face. That’s it? That’s all he had to say? Who is this guy? “That’s great! Real, great. It is a nice place here. I run a tight ship, that’s for sure. Ya’know because I am the boss.” He smiled proudly, rubbing it into V’s face that he is the boss and runs things around the ministry, that he is Perpetua's boss. Though he knew that wasn’t really the case.
“I can see that, Frater.” The name stung Copia coming from his replacement's mouth. “You’ve done great filling our mother’s shoes. From what I hear at least…” Copia watched as the man looked down, his hand going to the back of his neck nervously. What did he know about their mother anyway? How could he compare the two when he knew nothing?
Copia scoffed, and a dramatic eye roll followed. “You don’t know anything about our mother.” He muttered. That tense feeling crept back up to his chest anytime someone mentioned the late Sister Imperator. The memory of her body lying on the ground as the paramedics tried to revive her flashed in his mind. Copia staggered back before turning away from the man in front of him. His fist met his mouth, biting down hard. He could hear his name being called from what sounded like a million miles away. Like he was underwater and drowning, fighting his way back to the surface with bricks tied to his feet. Hands were placed on his shoulder, and he was guided to the couch. The room began to spin as he saw that damn face in front of him.
“Copia? Copia, can you hear me?” The voice was still distant, but slowly coming closer and closer. “You need to breathe. Breathe with me, Copia. In. Out. Good, good. Keep going.”
A glass of water was placed in his hand as he slowly started to come back to the surface. Blinking back to reality, he stared into those eyes before him. His own eyes. His twins. The man whom he hated most was kneeling before him, helping him breathe through this panic attack. How could he hate this man who was so kind to him after every bad thing he said towards him? How different would their life have been if their mother had kept them together? If they knew? Copia often wondered if he would still feel this resentment towards him if Perpetua had been raised in the church by his side, preparing his whole life to become Papa as he had.
“Thank you.” It was hardly a whisper, but Perpetua’s eyes widened slightly at this. Copia looked away, ashamed. The one-sided hatred is obvious now.
“You’re welcome.”
They stayed like that for a moment, or minutes, or hours. Copia wasn’t too sure. His breathing evened out eventually, one final deep breath helping. The water was still in the glass, untouched. He stared into it, reflecting on his actions this past year. He had never had a family, not a true family at least. It was all he had ever wanted, and as soon as he was presented with that opportunity, he rejected it. He had rejected his own twin. It wasn’t fair to him or to Perpetua. Perpetua, who perhaps didn’t have a choice in the matter, just like him.
“I am sorry for how I went about things when you took over as Papa. It just… hurt, ya’ know? I loved it, and then the next thing I know, I’m out of a job, and my long-lost twin brother is taking over. It’s kinda a shitty situation.” He looked up at Perpetua, who was watching him closely, listening to his every word. “I don’t actually hate you. I thought that I hated you, Perpetua, but now I know you are just as innocent as me. A boy lied to and thrown into a world he could not possibly understand on his own.” His hand reached for his brother. Hesitantly, he placed it on his shoulder. “Maybe we can navigate it together? As brothers?”
A small wisp of a smile spread across Perpetua’s lips. “I wouldn’t want it any other way, brother.”