Chapter Text
Barry gets up late if I let him. Every morning is the same. I get up at five-thirty. I use the shower, I get dressed, and I wake my brother. Sometimes I stop, and I stare at his face. I wonder if mine looks the same when I sleep. My fascination with being identical didn’t enthuse Barry. His nose wrinkles, and he twitches a little bit. Then, I lean forward and nudge him. “Bar’... Barry, it’s me. Wake up,” I whispered. Barry groans and tries to bargain with me for a few more minutes of sleep. I shake my head and turn his light on.
“Am I late or am I early?” Barry asked as he draped his hand over his forehead.
“You’re gonna be on time. Hurry up. I’ve got a meeting with the writing agent again,” I whispered. Barry smiled and planted his feet. He always lit up when I talked about the book. I think he was proud of me.
“How’s the book going? I heard a lot of grumbling and groaning in the living room yesterday. I’s thinking… ” Barry yawned. “You and me. We should go to the museum like we did when we were little.”
“I’d like that, but you have to go to work today… And the book’s going alright. I’m on schedule, but I think they’re gonna ask me to go in a different direction with this chapter,” I replied.
Barry squinted up at me. “Do you like the direction you’re going in?” Barry asked.
“Uh… Yeah,” I replied as I turned away. “But it’s no big deal.”
Barry rolled his eyes. “You want me to go in there and speak for you? I’ll do it,” Barry offered. Barry fought tooth and nail for everyone he liked. He hated injustice. Actual and perceived. I, on the other hand, avoided confrontation at all costs. It frustrated Barry to no end that I hated a fight. It’s not that I couldn’t protect myself. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had my fair share of tiffs, but it takes a lot to get me to that point, and it takes a lot more to calm me down.
I played with my earlobe, smiling weakly as I answered with a meek and unconvincing, “Well… I’m oscillating—.”
“ You’re oscillating. Cool. Yeah. Get real. You gotta stop letting people walk all over you,” Barry interrupted.
“And you, my friend and brother, have to get ready for work. I’ve gotta drop you off,” I replied. Barry stood up, stretched out his arms, and kicked his legs out.
“Send me the chapter. I wanna read it on the way to work… And I think I might ask Iris out if I see her,” Barry whispered.
“Okay… Go go go. Get dressed,” I replied. Barry said that every day. I thought about telling Iris a few times myself, but I didn’t want Barry to bite my head off. Barry was a little bit of a slowpoke when it came to meeting deadlines, but he was one of the fastest thinkers I’d ever seen. He caught everything.
Even as the older twin, I felt a great sense of admiration for Barry. He seemed to breeze through life without any worry or care. He was laser focused when he wanted to be, but he was always so warm and lighthearted about it. You could never tell when he was stewing over something. I could see it sometimes, though. He wanted to fix everything and everyone. Barry believed in everyone. He wanted to give the whole world a chance. I was a bit more cynical. People weren’t always as good as Barry believed they were. His faith in humanity was baffling considering what we’d been through. But I don’t want to talk about that. I want to talk about the week that changed our lives forever.
“Whoa, I just realized you’re shadowing me in the lab tomorrow!” Barry shouted from the bathroom. “Are you nervous?”
“You’re the one testing the fibers and stuff. I’m just there to take notes!” I replied as I headed to the kitchen to grab breakfast from the fridge. “I don’t want to get in your way! Do you want oats?”
“Had oats yesterday! Can you nuke a breakfast burrito for me?” Barry asked.
“Consider it done!” I shouted.
Breakfast was my favorite part of the day. It was the only time other than dinner— which Barry usually took care of— that we really got to sit down and talk about our very different lives. Barry saw crime every day firsthand, witnessing the worst humanity had to offer, but he was so upbeat and bubbly with everyone he met. I, on the other hand, spent my days indulging in fantasy. Writing and reading and editing things as I imagined them, but I could only see the harsh realities of the world around us. At breakfast, though, I got to see the world through Barry’s eyes. It was the perfect start to our mornings. I usually let Barry dominate the conversation because he acted as an unwitting muse for me.
The microwave beeped, and Barry left the bathroom, still drying his hair as he held my jacket up with his free hand. “Are you wearing this today?” Barry asked.
“No, I’m wearing my denim one today… Do you want a hoagie for lunch?” I questioned as I looked through the fridge at all the things I prepped over the weekend. I liked everything to have a specific order, i ncluding lunch. Barry would probably forget to eat lunch if I didn’t remind him.
“Sure. And an apple if you can spare it,” Barry answered as he took his burrito out of the microwave and sat in his chair. “Malcolm, can I ask you something?”
“You already are. But you can ask me something else,” I replied.
“I have some vacation time, and you’re almost done with your book. Why don’t we go somewhere fun? Take a big vacation somewhere nice and warm,” Barry suggested. “A week and a half in the place of your choosing.”
“Hm… I don’t know, Bar’—.”
“Come on. You earned this,” Barry interrupted.
“Where?” I asked. Barry looked up at the ceiling.
“Hmm… I’m thinking Costa Rica?” Barry suggested.
I laughed and shook my head. “Costa Rica is where you take a woman. Costa Rica is not where you take your brother,” I replied.
“You’re so gloomy all the time, though… And you love the water. We can go to the beach,” Barry suggested. “Actually… I have one more question, since you mentioned women—.”
“Aaaaah!” I shouted to avoid the subject.
“Are you still going to the coffee shop way out of the way just to creep on that—?”
“I’m not creeping on her. I’m just… a fan of her barista skills,” I lied.
“Why don’t you ask her out?” Barry questioned.
“I don’t know… Why don’t you ask Iris out?” I replied.
“That’s different. I talk to Iris. You sit in the same spot and type on your laptop, while you try extra hard not to look like an abandoned child,” Barry explained. “Not that it’s weird. You’re shy… I get it, but what’s the harm in asking her on a date?”
“I could ask her out if I wanted to… I just—.”
“Liar,” Barry teased.
“Fine. I’m going to ask her out today, so you’ll shut up about it. I bet you’re not even gonna ask Iris out today—.”
“Wanna put your money where your mouth is?” Barry asked. Darn.
“Terms?” I questioned.
Barry grinned. “Loser pays for the entire Costa Rica trip. If we both lose, we split the cost of the plane tickets and hotel. If we both win, I’ll pay for the plane tickets. The goal is just to ask. Super low stakes,” Barry smiled. I groaned. “Deal?”
“Deal,” I muttered.