Mirror [Reverse AU] [Completed]

Chapter 17

Everything fell apart too fast, like dominoes at the end of the line.

He was trapped. He was dark; he was light. He was evil; he was good. He was a villain; he was a hero. He was a brother; he was a friend.

Some part of him whispered that he should let go. Release the strings of the false hero life he lived. Another told him to embrace the darkness, and walk by the dark path alongside his brother.

But somehow... he didn't want to. He feared not the consequences, but his personal demons. He'll admit that his illusion of friends had blinded him, weakened him—but they were together as one. He'll confess that his brother was not the sanest, but yet was the most endearing brother and best friend he'll ever get and have.

There were only two sides of the same coin. He can't remain on the edge forever, keeping his fragile balance for eternity.

He had two hands stretching out to him, both beckoning him to return to their side. One was pale, and the other tan. The pale one belonged to his brother, who had fought desperately for him to return. The tan belonged to his best friend, who understood every bit of his pain and forgave him for every sin he'd committed.

He wasn't able to choose. He took neither for the time being.

* * *

Boboiboy woke to a comfy bed, the sun beams and his brother. Quite literally. His mind was groggy, but his senses returned to its prime state as he noticed a head of unkempt silver hair on the side of his bed, a blanket draped over the albino's shoulders as if he'd planned to remain in this posture the entire night.

Yawning, he brushed his hand through his equally chaotic brown hair, instinctively reaching for the alarm clock to check the time. The room's air was cold, which he wasn't used to. Tok Aba never installed air conditioning to conserve energy and bills; the same applies to TAPOPS.

Wiping away the tears produced by his bores, he blinked to acquire a clearer view of the clock. The digital screen displayed 9 in the morning, and it was by far the best rest he'd gotten in quite a while.

Replacing the alarm back to the dresser, he stared at the room before him. Now that his senses were clearer, he could get a more inspected view of the space he used to hide in, specifically from his abusive parents. The furniture and desks were visibly new, and the childish wallpapers replaced by harsh red. The floors were coated with a furry black carpet that people would stride on with socks to give people static shocks.

There were computers as well, one on each desk. The desks were mohagony, each placed across the room, against the walls.

It was every bit like their childhood room, but refurbished and renewed by the work of his brother. It was much better this way, rather than the putrid design their excuse of a parents scrapped together for them.

The bush of silver ruffled. Reverse lifted his head and promptly cracked his neck, sending sounds of his bones straightening in the room. That must've been sore for his neck.

"Look who's awake, sleeping beauty," he slurred, stretching his arms. The blanket fell off his shoulder and onto the ground. He clapped his hand over his mouth, yawning as he revisited the world of reality.

Boboiboy sniffed. "Don't you have your own bed?"

"Yup," Reverse agreed, standing up. He performed stretches on his limbs as they were asleep. "But you were crying last night, and you woke me up. Guess some things never change."

"I did?" The brunet blinked. He had no recollection of the previous night's events. Brushing his hand on his cheek subconsciously, he realized that there was a streak of dried tears. "Oh, I did." He frowned. "Why?"

The albino finished his stretches with a split and rose. Flexing his fingers, he bent over and picked up his blanket, which he discarded on his bed listlessly.

"I don't know," he admitted.

Fortunately, his brother didn't pursue the topic further. Boboiboy could vaguely remember the words, don't blame you from before. Maybe it was that. Maybe he just didn't want to remember. Maybe it was a memory best left forgotten, which he decided that it was the best option and consideration.

But something told him that it would only make his decisions harder for him to pick.

* * *

Reverse was many things. He was an awesome brother, a talented killer, a flawless psychopath and a killer of just about anything in food. This morning alone he debated with the manager of a café regarding the false ingredients used for their breakfast scone. The altercation parted with the café getting a lawsuit and a reinspection by the cleanliness government sometime this week.

"Jesus," he cursed, shoving his hands into his oversized jacket's pockets. "I'm a villain and you don't see me poisoning people with preservatives in their food."

"I think you're going too overboard." Boboiboy stared at the wad of cash that Reverse had tucked away in his pocket that he received for compensation. Instead of keeping it, the albino tossed the wad of bills into a trashcan nearby, rattling it.

"Nothing's too overboard if you're a villain."

The elemental user sighed in exasperation. He turned his head to comprehend the fact that he was now truly the same as his brother, despite having a number of kills under his name, and studied the layout of a shop that they were walking past. It was a regular buffet, with not many customers in its area. Most of them were seated, but there was a particular duo at the very centre of the dessert aisle. Something about them reminded Boboiboy of a certain incident with very, very hot magma.

Frowning, he stopped in his footsteps. His brother followed his lead and craned his head towards his gaze. The duo were clothed in green, the female wearing a hijab laced with gold.

"Never thought aliens would come to Earth for some cheap buffet," Reverse murmured.

"Last I checked, they're supposed to be at Volkania." Boboiboy arched an eyebrow. "I checked their files on everything yesterday."

"Well, there could always be a mishap." Reverse glanced at his brother. "Come on. They can't do anything to us. You beat them once, you can do it again. It might not be them after all."

Eventually Boboiboy sighed. Turning towards the front of the sidewalk, he nodded in confirmation at his brother as an indication that he was willing to take the chance and hopefully, hopefully put it all behind.

* * *

Sai glanced at his partner, mirror in hand that reflected the situation outside the restaurant. "Was that him?"

"It is," Shielda confirmed. Powering up the coms back to TAPOPS, she sighed deeply as she feared the worse. "Report to Commander: Target is acquainted with former deceased Cadet Boboiboy. Continuing the mission with no obstacles at sight."

The pair of twins exchanged grave stares, understanding the weight of the situation.

Then a girl walked up to them. "Um, are you two going to take all the cake?"

Sai stole the entire serving and bolted out the door, leaving Shielda alone to contemplate her choices of allowing him to be her partner.