[TANNER] revelations.

[colton denada strosteven]

Colton was playing air hocky with Trayce, teasing and taunting him. The two were always competative, jeering at each other. But when Trayce won, Colton rolled his eyes. It was a friday night, everyone at the arcade or the bar usually. Tonight instead of a drink, Colt had wanted to spend some arcade credits instead. He watched Trayce scamper off to go exchange his tickets for a silly gift, and smiled before reaching to fix the blue contact in his left eye. Running a hand through red and black hair, then down a tattooed arm, he turned and leaned against the air hocky table, looking around at the others playing in the arcade or bowling.

[tanner simon king]

Tanner didn't know what he was doing in the arcade. He hated being in public, hated the sound and the scent of so many "human" bodies pressed together in one room. Yelling, laughter, too much perfume, not enough perfume. All of it meshed into one giant ball that attacked all his senses. Tanner held his notebook tighter to his chest, keeping his head pointed to the floor as he shuffled further into the arcade. All he needed was somewhere to sit and then he'd be good for it. "Don't touch me. Don't touch me. Don't touch me." he muttered to himself, plopping down on the couch near the bowling alley and started scribbling into the notebook. Tanner kept his head down and refused to look up, not wanting anyone to come near him.

[colton denada strosteven]

Had Tanner been on the left of Colton, he might have realized the resemblence, that that was his brother, that there were so many similar features. But he'd been on his blind side, and Colton had been too focused on Trayce getting the stuffed bear at the counter and paying with arcade credits for a game of bowlig. Colton walked right on by, laughed as Trayce stuffed the animal in his face and scampered off to grab their shoes. "You're not winning this time Trayce," Colton complained. He was healthier now that they weren't on the streets. But at the same time there was a breathless undertone to his voice, their testing not quite right enough, causing problems.

[tanner simon king]

Tanner furiously scribbled into his journal worthless things. His tidbits of the past, his encounters with other patients. But nothing of his future hopes. Once you were in here, then there was nothing you could hope for. Absolutely nothing. As he wrote he chewed on his lower lip, tongue flicking out once and again to move the cold metal rings that continued to get in his way. Everything not connected to his mouth was on overdrive in an attempt to block out all the sounds, all the smells. Block out everything except the words on the page. However you could never quite block out everything no matter how hard you tried and eventually words drifted across his conscious mind, replaying themselves over and over until he payed attention.

You're not winning this time Trayce,...You're not winning this time Trayce,...You're not...

That voice was familiar, all too painfully familiar. It had a new breathless sort of undertone but he knew that voice like he knew himself. Because, in a way, it was his own voice. But it was impossible. The owner of that voice couldn't be here. He just couldn't. Tanner was here for both of them. How could they have gotten.. him? Dismay and guilt were displayed across his bloodless face as he slowly glanced away from his page to look towards where the voice had come from. God. No. Send him home. Please dear god... he thought as he glanced at the man who just couldn't be here. He couldn't accept it. He wouldn't accept it. Tanner stood up, letting his notebook drop to the floor as everything but that man faded from existence. Oh god... It's all my fault...

It was like staring into the mirror except for the eyes.. The eyes were different. Tanner reached up to touch his own right eye, paling even further as he stared at the man he wasn't sure he could accept as reality. The last memories he had of his twin weren't pretty. His brother had gotten blinded by another kid in the orphanage all because Tanner couldn't protect him. It was Tanner's fault Colton could no longer fully see and to atone for his punishment he has attempted to do blind his own eye. A faint scar could still be seen under his eye where he'd been about to gouge it out with a knife before they had got to him. Next thing that had happened was they were separated. He had never seen his brother again as contact to the outside world was forbidden. Tanner began walking towards the object of his childhood guilt like a puppet with it's strings being pulled, one foot in front of the other before he was beside Colton on the bowling alley. "Colton....?" he asked without too much hope, still wishing it was a dream or a hallucination. That his twin wasn't really there in front of him.

[colton denada strosteven]

His name was called. Colton didn't think much of it at first, figuring it was Zach, or maybe a doctor or staff. He turned with a smile on his lips --always smiling despite pain he had been put through, hiding it as best he could even if it still shone through in his eyes-- but the moment his eyes landed on the speaker, that smile fell. His eyebrows furrowed. No, his brother couldn't be here of all places. He was supposed to be out their making a life for himself, had had a second chance unlike Colton, who had ended up on the streets....


"Tanner..." The name lef his lips, and before he could think about it he had turned and was stepping towards his brother. Arms wrapped around him, pulling him close to his wavering chest. "My god I missed you.." But it still didn't erase the fact that he was here, being tortured as well. The stuffed bear slipped from his fingers onto one of the bowling tables as he buried his face in the crook of his neck, terrified of losing him again by letting go.

[tanner simon king]

His skin burned from his brothers touch, from the contact of another human being and he automatically flinched away from it before realizing that might hurt his brothers feelings. Tanner wrapped his own arms around his brother and held him close, not sure what to say to the one he couldn't protect. 'I miss you' just didn't seem like it would be enough of a response. However it was the only words he could come up with. As his brother nuzzled in closer he tightened his grip, afraid that he would disappear if given a chance. "Colton.. I... God... I missed you so much... I...I'm so sorry!" he rambled in a shaking voice. The realization that his own brother was here, being tortured to the point of nothing all because of him made tears form in his eyes. "God I'm sorry..." he whispered to himself once again.

Your fault. It's your fault. All your fault. He wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. How could you do this to your own brother?Disgusting.

[colton denada strosteven]

Colton felt him flinch and bit his lip. He'd never done that before.. But when his grip tightened, Colton rushed the thoughts away. It had been so long, if Tanner hadn't been his twin he probably would not have even recognized him. "Shh Tanner...it-..it's not your fault." He didn't want to tell Tanner he had been living on the streets. Teeth bared down on his lip carefully so he wouldn't cut his gums with the backs of the piercings. "Please don't blame yourself...god itms been so long." It was almost awkward. "I...are you okay? How..long have tou been here?" He felt breahless, let go to touch his chest absently.

[tanner simon king]

Tanner tried, he really did. He tried so hard to maintain his grip on his brother so he couldn't run away again. But after a few moments his chest tightened and his pulse increased, making his far harder to breath than it had been before. Needless to say when his brother let go he took in a rather rushed breath of relief, grabbing the edges of his jacket and pulling them closer. "I've been here... Longer than most... Admitted when I was seventeen... But they keep me in isolation most of the time... what about you?"

[colton denada strosteven]

Colton bit his lip guiltily at that. Seventeen? It had been so long, and Colton after several lost attempts at trying to get ahold of him, had given up. "About a week or two now.." He mumbled softly, biting his lip again. Gentle blue contacted eyes searched his brother's face slowly, looking up as Trayce scampered back, then froze. "Woah hey! You found your twin!" He stated rather bluntly.

[tanner simon king]

Tanner flinched when he saw his brother bite his lip, not able to stand he hurting in any sort of way. He might not be able to do anything about the pain of experimenting but at least he could stop his brother from hurting his lip. The second time Colton bit his lip Tanner reached out with a slightly trembling finger, tapping his brothers lip before retreating from the touch. "I... I'm sorry... W-what have they.... Done?..." he asked very softly, looking down at the floor for a brief second before turning back to his brother. As another person came towards them Tanner instinctively grabbed his brothers arm and pulled him away from the intruder, not caring that in the moment he was actually allowing himself to touch another being. "W-who are you?"

[colton denada strosteven]

[b;ockquote]

Colton let go of his lip with his teeth when it was touched. "They...are trying to make it possible for me to breathe under water..." He shrugged, huffing as Tanner yanked him back. "Hey..Tanner it's okay." His eyebrows furrowed. His brother never used to be like this. "That's my friend Trayce. I uh..lived with him before we got taken here..." On the streets... but he wouldn't say that. Trayce bouned, waving.

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