In The End (a PeteZahHutt fanfiction)

Chapter 1

To those of you who follow me for Mianite content: No, this doesn't mean I've stopped writing Mianite stuff! There is no need for despair. I'm allowed to be in more than 1 fandom at a time. XD That being said, if you want to check out PeteZahHutt, he's a youtuber who's currently doing minecraft, ARK, and Rocket League. 10/10 would recommend.

Today was a good day. I stomped a hacker in Money Wars, and I went up a rank in Rocket League. And it was only noon! Now I was craving the one thing that always made a good day great, and that was pizza. So Mikey and I found ourselves outside Discord—the pizza place I'd experimentally started up a few months ago. I ran a chain of Fancy Pants casinos when I wasn't out adventuring, but I'd wanted to try something different. Discord had lived up to the idea of "different", and then some.

"I still can't believe you hit that shot. I'm not sure which was better, the look on your face or the look on our opponents' when you scored with that cross map aerial." Mikey's laugh brought me back to the present as we walked up the front steps of Discord.

I laughed too, looking over at my friend. We'd already changed out of our helmets and driver suits, and he now wore jeans and a white t-shirt sporting a sunset and palm trees. He hadn't noticed the smear of motor oil on his face, and I didn't plan on telling him. At least, not yet. "That was pretty good. Now I just have to practice aerials, and I might start hitting shots like that on purpose."

We stopped outside the front door, knowing once we went inside we wouldn't get much chance to talk. I could already hear the music playing inside and smiled. Someone was playing a Thrice song on the jukebox. Could this day get any better? "So, practice tomorrow?" Mikey asked.

"You know it; gotta get ready for that tournament in a few weeks."

With that, I pulled the glass front door open, and the smell of baking pizza hit me. The pizza parlor was a bit old fashioned in design, with the typical black and white floor tiles and the spread of tables and booths. A jukebox rested in one corner, but that was where the old school ended. The playlist was all newer songs from my favorite bands, and the walls bore dozens of framed pictures taken in the worlds I'd visited. One wall was layered in corkboard and reserved for pictures of the adventures my customers had been on. The bell on the door chimed as we entered, and the busy conversations around the seating area stilled for a moment. Wait for it.

"Hey, Pete!" Everyone yelled at the same time, drowning out the music in their enthusiasm.

I grinned and waved to everyone before walking up to the front counter. Conversations slowly started back up as we passed, but I knew that as soon as I had my food, most of them would want to talk to me. Ah, the problems of being a semi-celebrity, I thought wryly.

Libby was at the front register today, probably covering for someone on break or out sick. Usually the managers weren't the ones taking orders. "I'll have a medium Canadian bacon and sausage." Mikey gave her his order; then we got our drinks and headed for the VIP section to await our food. It was really just a section cordoned off by some velvet rope, but it helped...sometimes.

Strangely, today only a few people came over to chat. Everyone else was acting like I wasn't here, which was really weird. I wondered what they'd done this time. Last time they'd acted this suspicious, someone had made a very inappropriate Cards Against Humanity deck. I'd have to ask the waiters later if they'd seen anything.

Speaking of waiters, Stephen appeared from the kitchen then, dressed in his usual black totodile t-shirt and blue jeans. I'd tried enforcing a work uniform once upon a time, but that didn't go over well. Now the employees just wore aprons over their normal clothes. My mouth started watering as he set the pizzas, fresh and sizzling, on our table. Mikey tore into his, and I picked up a slice of my own. I heard a faint snicker from one of the tables across the room and glanced over. The group quickly turned to look away, but they had definitely been watching me and trying not to laugh. I ignored them and went to take a bite when I realized my pizza didn't smell quite right. Okay, Canadian bacon and sausage do not smell like that.