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toastedjeans · 2 months

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Siren Tower AU!

I wanna keep this more on the silly side, but here's the basic gist of it.

There's a huge tower submerged in the ocean where many sirens and other sea creatures have found a home, and somehow humans have discovered it. They want to study and explore this tower, and the sirens are NOT happy about it, not wanting their home to be potentially destroyed. Pretty reasonable. But now, this random middle aged pizza baker somehow gets roped into this whole mess.

And here's the characters! (I tried to keep their heights accurate but idk if i succeeded)

And down there is some more info about everyone!

HUMANS (and Brick)

Peppino

He still has his pizzeria, but it's located a little closer to town. While business is slightly better than in game, he still has debts. But hey, he has his own apartment!! No more sleeping in the back of the pizzeria or on the floor!!

Peppino will sometimes just come to the shore or the port in the evening or at night to clear his head or be alone with his thoughts. Depressed guy. Will sometimes talk to himself when he thinks he's alone. He isn't necessarily afraid of the ocean, but because he can't swim, once he's in water the fear kicks in and he starts panicking.

He doesn't believe in sirens, mermaids, or other such creatures. Thinks they're just made up to tell scary stories of the sea. Jokes on him, he's about to meet the jolliest shark gnome man he's ever seen.

Brick

A gigantic rat that lives with Peppino, who didn't get a say in this. Just appeared one day, and no matter how many times Peppino tries to get rid of him, Brick always comes back. After a while Pep reluctantly accepts him and sometimes even takes him for a walk.

Brick actually loves to swim, but doesn't stay in the water for too long cause Pep won't join him. Like, he'll just leave if Brick stays too long. Kinda rude if you ask me.

Mr. Stick

Tax and debt collector, and a friend of Peppino. He often comes over for a pizza, then proceeds not to eat much, and rarely pays (he either says he's deducting it from Pep's debts or he lets someone else pay). He's kind of a piece of shit but outside of the whole money business he can be pretty nice.

He strikes me as a gambler tbh, either he's extremely lucky or extremely unlucky. Likes playing poker, and invites Peppino and Hazel to play after work from time to time.

Doesn't believe in sirens, but if he ever saw one he'd try to exploit it for money. He wouldn't kill it or anything though, mainly because he's too weak and he doesn't know how to handle guns.

Noisette / Hazel

She runs a little cafe near Peppino's pizzeria, and is good friends with him, but can sometimes be a little annoying. They hang out after work from time to time. When she notices that Peppino is having a rough day, she'll sometimes bring over a free cup of coffee or a slice of cake for him. Sometimes experiments with... interesting... food combinations, which are strangely popular.

She has loved mermaids and sirens since she was young and is very fond of them. Once she discovers they're real, she becomes even more fascinated and obsessed with them. You better believe she wanted to be a mermaid when she was young.

SIRENS

Gustavo

A little round shark man who is perfect in every way. He's curious and adventurous, and even though sirens and humans are enemies since, uh. A long time. He doesn't believe that humans are inherently evil. He'll help out whenever and however he can, but can get very aggressive when his friends or brethren are threatened. You will regret it if you anger him.

Noise annoys him often but they don't harm each other. He isn't really friends with Noise, but he will defend him if he's threatened or attacked.

One day he saves Peppino from drowning, which makes other sirens sceptical of him, especially those who think humans are evil. He will later try to learn human language to be able to communicate with Peppino better.

Noise

Goblin shark. He can theoretically go on land for a bit, but needs some water nearby. He's a little sceptical about humans, but not outright hostile. He likes annoying pretty much everyone, especially Peppino once they meet (he thinks his reactions are funny).

He throws sea urchins and pufferfish at others like bombs, as he (like most sirens) is immune to their poison / venom. While he's usually an unhinged gremlin, he just about melts when with Hazel. But of course he tries to hide this from others.

Fake Peppino

Created by Pizzahead from DNA of frogs, newts, and Peppino (obviously). He was meant to be a weapon for sirens against humans, and thus is supposed to be hostile. Unfortunately, he turned out to be extremely affectionate, and he loves hugs. Much like Gustavo, when friends are attacked, he can get downright deadly. He can also regenerate body parts like an axolotl, unless his brain has been damaged. Like, you can rip both his arms off and they'll grow back within a day.

He becomes close friends with Gustavo, and is kind of fascinated by Peppino (other humans too, but mostly Peppino). He would play in the water with Brick once they meet, and become friends with Hazel. Can go on land as well, but prefers the water. He communicates with croaks, gurgles and other noises, and can speak very limited human language (very few fractions of words or sentences, it just sounds like gibberish), taught to him by Pizzahead.

Pepperman

Lumpfish (idk either just roll with it). He's kind of indifferent to humans, but he does think he's better than them. I could see him making a brush or something out of seaweed to draw. And then always getting upset that his drawings never stay cause of the water, but he keeps drawing anyway. Blames Noise for destroying his art even if he knows it's the water (Noise thinks it's funny). "Borrows" seaweed from Vigi's farm to make new brushes. But he'll also make statues out of various rocks and other things he finds laying around. Mostly of himself. Some humans think they're built from ancient civilizations, while others think it's some sort of elaborate hoax. Nobody recognizes Pepperman's talent :(

Vigilante

Sea slug. He genuinely believes humans want to kill sirens for nefarious reasons, possibly cause he's a little older i guess. Hands just appear when he needs them.

He has an underwater equivalent of a farm (like, he grows and tends to seaweeds, anemones, corals, etc), that he inherited from his grandpa. He'd love to just tend to the farm all day, but feels obligated to punish anyone who does wrong. Unofficial officer / sheriff of the sea. He still has his cowboy hat because i said so let me be silly on main.

Pizzahead

Ribbon eel. He can give others a little shock as if he had like a hand shocker thing. It mostly just hurts a bit and isn't lethal cause cartoon logic. He does not like humans, but mostly because he grew up with everyone around him telling him they're evil. Actually he's very curious and fascinated by humans, which is why he decided to clone Peppino. Mostly cause he sees him the most on the shore. Somehow. How he actually got his DNA is a mystery.

Later on he decides / attempts to make Fakey into a weapon after witnessing how strong Peppino is. He obsessively learns human language and tries to understand as much about human culture as he can. But he'll twist things around and tell others that he does it to "better understand their weaknesses". Right.

Pizzaface

Stingray. The leader of sirens in the elusive Siren Tower. He HATES humans, especially after some divers discovered the tower and continuously come there to explore. Basically just doesn't want his and his fellow sirens' home discovered or threatened. He's disappointed in Pizzahead because he taught himself human language, even after given an explanation (or excuse).

SPECULATION CORNER

Aka characters i can't quite figure out what to do with yet

Burton

A whale shark bc I can't get enough of sharks apparently. Sharks are cool okay

Alternative: just Mr. Stick's husband who sometimes comes with him to Peppino's

Gerome

A sentient rock and John's older brother, who always took care of him and helped him with the tower. Now just does maintenance and keeps John company.

Alternative: Peppino's janitor, but still made of rock because that's silly

John

A sentient rock that used to carry the tower around through the oceans but somehow got cursed and is now part of the foundation and can't move anymore. Was he a siren before? Or just a pillar? Or maybe a fish made of stone? We don't know.

#pizza tower #pizza tower au #Siren Tower AU #peppino spaghetti #gustavo pizza tower #brick pizza tower #mr. stick #the noise #noisette #fake peppino #pepperman #the vigilante #pizzahead #pizzaface #toasted art #it's finally done #i hate being so slow with drawing but hey #to the three people who liked this idea. hope you enjoy #to everyone else. hello look at this silly fish thing

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toastedjeans · 3 months

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This was originally meant to be just platonic but i couldn't help myself so.. here you go, pepstavo enjoyers

Tw for blood and injuries

It was finally done. That wretched tower was no more, and everyone had made it out alive, without sustaining any significant injuries. Well, at least not during their escape. The battle atop the tower had left everyone a little battered and bruised, some moreso than others. Nonetheless, nobody was lethally wounded.

Peppino, Gustavo and Brick made their way back to the pizzeria, with the smaller one riding atop his newly acquired giant rat, while the other insisted on walking back. Even after he was offered to be carried on the rodent's back, he refused, claiming that he was alright, despite his limping and pained expression he tried to hide. He had ran and fought the whole day, had been burned, struck by lightning, squashed into pizza boxes, stuffed in barrels and rolled around, and much, much more. Multiple times. All the while breaking through countless lines of enemies under immense time constraints. He was utterly exhausted, but wouldn't let himself show any weakness. He didn't need anyone's pity, nor their mockery.

When the establishment came closer into view, Peppino stopped for a second, almost stumbling over in shock. A bit of debris from the tower had seemingly been thrown all the way over here, hitting a part of his beloved restaurant and leaving behind a huge hole in the wall. Broken glass and wood was strewn about on the floor, dust and small rocks all over the place. He couldn't believe his eyes. As much as the sight devastated him, it made him significantly more furious. The whole point of bringing that tower down was to save his pizzeria from destruction, and now part of it had been destroyed anyway. It didn't even matter in the end. He would love nothing more in this moment than to find Pizzahead, just so he could kick his face in once more until he was fully unrecognizable.

Gustavo turned to look at his friend, noticing his sour expression as he stood at the broken wall, leaning against it. He could only assume what must be going through his head at the moment. After all, he knew how much the pizzeria meant to his friend.

Hopping off of his trusty steed, the small man made his way over to the other.

"Are you okay, Pep?"

Peppino's hands formed into tight fists, his jaw clenched, but then he simply sighed. It wasn't worth it to get worked up about this now. As he looked at the chaotic state his establishment was in, he quietly stepped inside, his aching leg making itself apparent again. He forcefully shut one eye, a small tear threatening to fall down his face, which he wiped away with his arm.

Gustavo followed his friend inside, a worried look on his face as he watched him, painfully slowly, bending down to pick up a few broken off pieces of a table. He wasn't going to do what he thought he would, was he?

Peppino winced as he struggled to get up again, holding his hand against his back in an attempt to stabilize himself. He ignored the pain spreading throughout his whole body, making his way over to the counter and placing the debris he gathered on it. His friend approached slowly, with Brick close by, sniffing around the wreckage in hopes of finding something to nibble on. He let out a short sneeze.

Gustavo watched as his fellow chef went to fetch a broom from the nearby closet, already sweeping up the floor. Or, at least as much as his aching body would let him.

"Peppino, come on", he started, "I know how much you love your pizzeria, but don't you wanna take a break first?" His voice was quiet and gentle, yet a little firm.

He shook his head, letting out a sigh, "I can't, Gus. You know I can't." He didn't even look at his friend, trying to push past him. "I have to fix all this", he gestured into the room, "and the debts aren't gonna pay themselves."

Gustavo sighed as he watched his friend struggle to move, his limping seemingly getting worse. He knew how stubborn he could get, something that sometimes could be a blessing, but it was mostly a curse.

"Of course they aren't, but-"

Just then, Peppino's leg gave in, and he fell to his knees, letting out a strained grunt. The other man quickly rushed to his side, carefully placing his hands on both his shoulders.

"You need to take care of yourself first."

Finally, he brought himself to look at the smaller one, exhaustion clearly evident in his eyes. His body trembled lightly, slowly losing more and more strength and energy.

"And if you aren't doing well", Gustavo continued, retreating his arms, "the pizzeria is gonna suffer from it. You know that."

But Peppino was persistent. With shaking hands, he pushed his friend aside once more, trying to stand up again. He couldn't give in just yet, not in front of Gustavo. He was supposed to be the strong one, the one in charge. What would he think of him if he just let himself show how weak he actually was? Not that he cared too much about what his friend thought of him, or at least he didn't admit that he did. The only thing he didn't want was to disappoint him, destroy this image of himself for him. He couldn't risk Gustavo seeing who and what he truly was, or at least to what extent. He was pathetic, an anxious wreck.

Of course, the other knew him well, flaws, insecurities and all. But sometimes, he couldn't help but worry that the only person he truly cared about would leave him behind after witnessing him in a state of vulnerability. Just like everybody else in his past would.

"This is all I have, Gustavo", he managed to push out, "I've handled that damn tower, I can handle a measly hole in the wall."

Gustavo's face fell, knowing how much he tended to push himself to the brink of his limits. Whether it was to ensure every customer's satisfaction, or to meet deadlines, he always tried to give his all, and even more. And if anything didn't meet his self-imposed high standards, it wasn't good enough. He wasn't good enough. Everything had to be perfect. And by extension, he had to be perfect. It was no wonder the man was chronically stressed.

When Peppino managed to stand up again, his body was shaking even harder than before. Preparing to take a step, he sharply inhaled and threatened to fall to the ground again, if Gustavo hadn't immediately reacted and caught him. Despite his small stature, he firmly held onto the taller one's body with ease, clicking his tongue to get his pet's attention. The rat looked up from the rubble, a small piece of cheese in its mouth, before trotting over to the two men with an affirmative squeak.

"Look, I know you could handle it.", he said as he laid his friend down onto Brick's back, who let out a quick huff, not used to carrying this much weight.

"If this was any other day, it would be fine. But look at you, you can barely even stand."

"Stop patronizing me." Peppino grumbled quietly, turning his head away from his friend in shame. He hated being this vulnerable, this weak.

Gustavo exhaled quietly, patting Brick's side to signal that they were going to leave, and started walking beside his furry companion. Despite them only knowing each other since the beginning of this whole tower debacle, they perfectly understood the other, as if they'd been a team for years. Like a loyal dog, the abnormally large rodent stayed by his side, following him to wherever he would lead them.

"I'm not patronizing you. You're my friend, Peppino. I care about you."

His friend was quiet for a few moments, still averting his eyes. He only muttered a few weak protests in response, which the other didn't quite catch. But perhaps that had been for the best. A continued argument would just wear them out even more, and he didn't want things to become heated between them. Especially not when they both desperately needed rest.

---

The front door opened, and the group of three stepped into the cozy little apartment. Gustavo was lucky his landlord didn't see them walk in, he did not have the capacity to argue about the presence of an enormous rat in his living quarters right now. Having pets wasn't allowed, much less a rodent of this size. Hopefully he could persuade them that it was his new service animal or something similar.

Brick cautiously sniffed around the room, making himself familiar with the new place. He walked over to the small couch in the middle of the living room, plopping down in front of it, as if trying to hint at something. The man who still lay atop his back let out a short grunt at the sudden stop.

After locking the door and getting a few supplies, Gustavo quickly joined his visitors, helping his friend relocate from one surface to the other. As warm and fuzzy as Brick was, it was finally nice to sit on something that wasn't living and breathing. At least the couch wouldn't complain about his weight. Verbally, that is.

Peppino's eyelids twitched when Gustavo lifted his arm to examine it. There were only minor cuts and bruises, nothing too severe that needed immediate medical attention. Still, the touch stung a bit. When he moved on down to his hand, carefully hovering over his knuckles, Peppino could feel his cheeks warm up a little. He instinctively pulled his arm back to his side, avoiding the other's gaze once more while pouting. His friend just looked at him with a mix of confusion and slight disappointment, before releasing a quiet sigh. He was fully aware of his friend's aversion to touch, especially his hands and face. And of course he didn't want to push things or make him uncomfortable, but it would certainly make it harder to check for injuries, let alone tend to them. Then again, he could have asked before touching him.

"Pino?" Gustavo's voice was quiet, and he patiently waited for his friend to look back at him. Sure enough, Peppino's head turned ever so slightly, ever so slowly, until their eyes finally met. As was so often the case, his brow was furrowed in general unease. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable in the other man's presence, far from it. He just hated being seen in the state he was in at the moment.

"Would you let me take a look at your leg?", the other finally asked, to which he crossed his arms in protest, huffing for further emphasis.

"It's fine! You're just wasting your time!" Even if the volume of his voice returned momentarily, he wasn't able to hide the way it sounded so strained. Yes, it hurt, his whole body did, but he would get through it. He had to.

Gustavo's expression fell a little, but he didn't want to give up just yet. It could be something serious, after all.

"At least show it to me. Please."

The bigger man hesitated, wringing his hands together. The concern in his friend's small eyes made his stubbornness waver little by little, and he finally released a breath he had been holding in. With slow and careful movements, he removed his boots and placed them next to the couch. Rolling up his pant leg, he sucked in a quick breath as the fabric brushed against his skin, slowly revealing what he had hidden from his best friend.

The cut on his lower leg was deep, the blood around it half dried. A thin crust had already formed on the sides. How he had gotten such a nasty wound without his pants ripping was beyond him, but at least the fabric seemed to have stopped the blood flow well enough. Fresh red liquid started to spill out of the gash once more, slowly running down Peppino's leg, which had begun to tremble.

Gustavo's eyes widened, his pulse quickened. He couldn't let his friend suffer with a wound like that. Something had to be done, and he would be the one to do it.

Without a word, he stood up from the couch to get some warm water, took some supplies, and sat down on the floor next to his friend. He gave the other man a hesitant look as he reached out to place his shaking hand on his knee. Peppino's brow furrowed with guilt and embarrassment, and even if the feeling of Gustavo's skin on his made his throat narrow and his chest heavy, he slowly gave him a short nod, allowing him to tend to his wounds.

Gustavo's hands were slow and gentle as he cleaned the big cut. The warm water felt nice on Peppino's skin, even if everything else was unpleasant and stung, making him wince in pain. Every so often, his friend would retreat his arms and glance up to check on him, to make sure he's as comfortable as he could be in a situation like this. He would give him an apologetic look before continuing to treat his injury, right before he did something he knew would be a little more painful. Brick had positioned himself on the couch, right next to the injured man, occasionally nudging his hand with his snout and offering comfort and distraction. Peppino was still wary about the huge rodent, but soon enough he found himself scratching Brick behind his ears and patting his back, while his best friend continued to tend to him. As much as he didn't like rats, this particular one seemed to slowly grow on him.

Peppino would never admit it, but it felt surprisingly nice to be taken care of for once. Usually he did everything by himself, very rarely accepting help from others. It wasn't that he didn't trust anyone else or that he was selfish. Although, sometimes he could be. But most of the time, he didn't want to burden anyone. Especially not people he was close with.

Gustavo was a dear friend to him, maybe even his only friend, always by his side, always supporting him. Even now, after he hadn't been honest with him, he continued to care for him, continued to stay with him. He just... couldn't understand why. Why would he continue to be his friend, when all he did was weigh him down, hold him back, burden him with his problems?

His face fell. He continued to pet the rat's soft fur, lost in thought. He didn't deserve to be treated with such patience and compassion. Why would he? All he did was complain and whine about his debt, and hide behind his constant anxiety. He wasn't good for anything.

And yet. The way Gustavo took care of him, the way he kept glancing back at him to ensure his comfort, the way his gentle hands felt against his skin. It felt strange, yet nice. Unfamiliar, yet warm and inviting. It made his skin crawl and his chest flutter, and it left him craving more. More of his touch, more of his warmth, more of his proximity. It made him feel lighter, more at ease, something he didn't even know he could feel like.

Gustavo's work was nearly done, he just finished wrapping the leg in bandages, careful to apply just enough, but not too much pressure. After all, he didn't want his friend and coworker to endure even more pain than he already did. He let out a sigh, his own exhaustion slowly catching up to him, and glanced up to Peppino. His cheeks seemed flushed, but it was hard to tell in the dim light of dusk. He wore a melancholic expression on his face, his eyes focused on the animal next to him, not quite realizing his treatment was over yet. As they wandered over and met with Gustavo's, the man's face remained still for a second, then flushed deeper, and he cleared his throat while turning his head away.

"I- uh... Thanks. For that..." Peppino managed to stutter, his voice barely audible. His face was still turned away, and he had crossed his arms over his chest, but his shoulders were hunched forward, as if he wanted to make himself smaller. His uninjured leg bounced with nervousness as Gustavo stood up from the ground and gave him a smile and a light chuckle, preparing to move Peppino's boots towards the front door. His friend held himself a little tighter, rubbing his arms as if he was cold. He still felt the lingering warmth of Gustavo's touch, or perhaps it was just the blood flowing through his leg, or the applied bandages. Either way, he couldn't help but yearn for more of this feeling, more of these sensations. More of Gustavo.

He shook his head. Ridiculous. He was a grown man, damn it! How could the closeness to another human being make him so... weak? It was ridiculous. He was ridiculous.

Gustavo returned to the other man's side with a big blanket and several pillows under his arms. He placed the biggest pillow on one side of the couch, fluffing it up for good measure, but stopped in his tracks when he noticed Peppino intently watching him, his arms held up to his chest.

"Are you okay with sleeping on the couch? I mean, I can lend you my bed too if-"

"N-no, I'm fine! It's. It's fine, I can- I can sleep here. No worries!" He waved his hands in front of himself, then formed an O-shape with his finger and thumb, forcing a nervous grin. Gustavo just smiled as he held back a giggle, his friend reminding him of the logo on his own pizza boxes. He sure could be cute when he was flustered.

After a moment of awkward silence, they both settled into their respective beds. Peppino finally managed to lay down, his leg cushioned by small, yet surprisingly soft pillows. The couch itself wasn't the most comfortable, but it beat the old and worn down mattress he usually slept on by miles. The blanket was so thick and warm, and it smelled so fresh too. This was certainly different, and a huge upgrade compared to his normal sleeping situation. He already wasn't sure if he would even be able to go back to his own bed after spending a night here. Or several nights. Or however long it took until he could walk without falling flat on his face. He hoped it wasn't too long. After all, he didn't want to take advantage of Gustavo's hospitality like this. It just didn't feel right.

"Oh, and Pino?", his host's voice nearly made him jump, he turned his head towards where it came from, "If you need anything... I'm right here. My door is open for you, okay?"

Peppino hesitated, then nodded and gave back a quick hum in agreement. He watched as Gustavo smiled at him, slowly turning around and disappearing into his own room again, and he sighed. He held his hand up to his face, forming it into a fist a few times, then brushed his thumb against his index finger. His brow furrowed once again. Why did it feel so nice when it was his touch, yet so... normal, almost dull when it was his own? Why was his smile so contagious, his laugh so magical? And why didn't he notice it until now? Has it always been that way, and he just didn't pay enough attention to him before? Should he tell Gustavo how he made him feel, or would he be mad at him, or even worse, disgusted or weirded out by him?

He felt a small nudge against his elbow, followed by a short sneeze. It was already dark, but he could still easily recognize Brick's face staring up at him from the floor, his big eyes focused on him. Peppino let out a slightly annoyed sigh, letting his fingers wander through the rat's warm fur. A delighted squeak escaped the rodent, and the man reluctantly continued to pet it, his previous thoughts pushed to the back of his mind, momentarily forgotten.

He'd have time to figure things out in the morning as well. The exhaustion finally caught up to him. For now he could rest.

#toast writing #pizza tower #peppino spaghetti #gustavo pizza tower #brick pizza tower #gustavo and brick #pepstavo #cw blood #cw injury #anyway i hc peppino to be ace and somewhere on the aro spectrum #like. he hasn't experienced romantic attraction before and it confuses him #that AND he's incredibly touch starved. but also touch averse #what do you mean I'm projecting no i would never #old man yearning hours <3

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