This choice: When you woke up Ty's gone, leaving only a note. Dammit Tyler where'd you go • Go Back... The sun was starting to peek through your window as the alarm on your phone was blaring unsympathetically, ugh mornings, wiping the sleep from your eyes you began the painful process of waking up. Stretching out in your bed in a desperate attempt to get your tired muscles limbered, and finding it the smallest bit strange you could do such a thing at all. After stretches yielded sub-optimal results you decided to bring out the big guns and plodded off towards the kitchen to start your morning coffee. As you waited in the kitchen, coffee pot torturing you with the sweet sounds of peculation, you realized with a grimace you'd probably better shower before heading in to work. Daring to lift your arm and check with a quick "sniff test" you were heartbroken to find that you very much would need to get clean, when you lowered your arm though your eyes caught sight of a note on the fridge that just said "Tim, I'm sorry."
Feeling instantly like you'd been hit by a truck you realized your brother was gone, "Fuck, fuck, fuck, Tim you dumb piece shit how didn't you notice!" you berated yourself while frantically looking around the house, desperate for Tyler just to be in a different room. This was provably not the case though as Tyler was nowhere to be seen, his duffel bag containing all his worldly goods was gone, and the little shit shaker car he'd arrived in was no longer parked outside. "Ty what the hell are you thinking?" you asked aloud before a rush of epiphany hit you, "Oh God..." was all you could think or say when you remembered last night your brother had climbed in to bed with you wearing fuck all. After his reaction yesterday morning there was no telling how he would have taken waking up in his state. WHY, why, why, had you let him drink, no you didn't let him drink you'd encouraged him "Tim you are a real fucking piece of work," you said pulling out your phone to try and call him, "No, beat yourself up later. Ty comes first." Predictably his phone went straight to voicemail "Damn it!" you swore before dialing anew to call in sick to work, there was no way you'd just let your little brother aimlessly wander as he tormented himself, least of all when it was your fault.
Work, shower, and coffee forgone, needing nothing more than adrenaline and a rising sense of panic as stimulant, you dressed as quickly as possible in yesterday's clothes and made for the garage. You weren't exactly sure where to start looking, but you'd be damned if you didn't. After two odd hours of aimless driving, desperately hoping to see his car somewhere or for him to just magically be walking down the street, your adrenaline was officially fighting a losing battle against your fear and guilt. Stopping for gas you decided to check your phone again as you waited on the pump, hoping it'd suddenly produce a detailed map to your brother's location. Since this morning you'd devotedly hunted all his social medias down, desperate for a clue, but site after site was proving to be useless. Hanging your head as you returned the pump you got back in your car and were about to head off again. With one last look at your phone though your mood instantly brightened as you noticed an automatic check-in on one of his feeds, thank you invasive technology! It was the slightest bit dated after thirty or so minutes and it wasn't his exact location by any stretch, but it was more than you'd had all day and by God it gave you hope again.
When you reached the neighborhood he'd been in, if it could even be called that, your heart sank again when you spotted his rusty old car hoisted up on cinder blocks and Tyler nowhere to be seen. An unparalleled terror overcame you as your mind was flooded with all sorts of terrible scenarios before you began patrolling around the general area in search of him. Pulling past an alley your heart nearly exploded when you saw your little brother face down next to a dumpster. Not even waiting for the car to come to a full stop you jumped out and desperately ran to him, "Tyler! Tyler, are you alright?!" you frantically yelled when you got close enough to see all the cuts he know wore, as well as being soaked in something green and foul smelling.
Thanking every God of every religion you could think of, and some you couldn't, your brother lightly stirred before weakly muttering, "Tim? Is that you?"
"Yes Ty, of course it is! Now c'mon let's get you back home," you said beginning the arduous task of hoisting him up.
"But...but I...I..." he whimpered while you walked him to your car, voice clearly on the verge of tears.
"None of that is important Tyler," you interrupted him, "All that matters is we get you home." With that the both of you got into your car and started home, though Tyler was fiercely determined to remain silent and simply look out the window the whole way.
Once home you helped your brother to the bathroom so that you could dress his wounds and draw him a bath to wash away the grime. "Tim I'm...I'm really sorry about...about everything..." Tyler said as rushing water filled the background. "I just...I didn't mean to..." he confessed, tears welling in his eyes.
"How many times do I have to tell you Tyler?" you asked as you put iodine on another cut, "You did absolutely nothing wrong. If anyone is to blame it's me for being such a shitty older brother..."
"Nuh uh," Tyler immediately protested, "You've done so much for me, you're doing so much for me. You opened up to me when I had nowhere to go and now you're trying to fix this whole stupid mess I made."
"But I should have known you needed somewhere to go before it came to you practically begging for sanctuary, what kind of person knows so little about what's happening to his own brother?" you fought against the praise, riddled with guilt, "And what kind of idiot let's things get so out of hands in the first place!"
"Stop," Tyler told you plainly as he put his hand under your head and tilted it up to meet his gaze. When your eyes locked though it was proving difficult for either of you to continue the conversation, something magnetic about each other's deep mysterious glance was rendering the both of you silent.
After an imperceptible amount of time you managed to free yourself from those icy blues and divert focus, "So...it looks like the bath is ready," you said turning of the faucet, "Are you sure you don't need a hand? You still seem a little shaky."
"No, thank you, but I'll be alright," Tyler said limping over to the tub and giving you his best reassuring smile.
With that you left to relax in the living room and finally take a moment to process the insanity that had consumed your morning.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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