Trigger warning ahead: descriptions of alcohol and drug abuse, suicide, character death.

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It was eerily quiet in the street tonight. No vehicles were in sight, and there were only a few buildings who still have lights on.

It was one in the morning and yet, there was still a lone figure sitting on the side of the street, his body casting a faint shadow under the street light.

Ever since they had joined TAPOPS, they were thrust into a world of nonstop monotony of saving power spheres and fighting villains. They were always out, never having the time to take a break. It was chaotic, really. And he was tired of all the chaos.

The figure looked up behind him, noting the eyes that watched him through the dimly lit window. He tried to see who was it, but the figure from the window disappeared. He slumped back on the floor, his back resting against the thin frame of the street light.

Ice closed his eyes and pulled his jacket tighter around him as he shivered. He picked up the bottle of liquor beside him and downed its contents. Alcohol became his friend for a long time, helping him through the most stressful and painful moments of his job.

He felt someone sit beside him and he opened his eyes, blue eyes meeting orange ones. He reached out to him and smiled when he felt his hands intertwine with his, the warmth travelling through his body.

Blaze. The jolly, orange-eyed ball of stress. They had been together through thick and thin, from the easiest to the hardest missions that TAPOPS is making them do.

He was his best friend, his twin brother. He was with him even through late night drinking and getting high on drugs.

Blaze, of course, preferred drugs, while Ice preferred alcohol. The ice elemental could still remember the time he introduced his twin to the addiction.

When they were young, Ice once asked Blaze what he wanted to be when they grew up.

"I wanted to be free," Blaze only replied. "Free from this chaos."

"I can help you," Ice smiled, and tossed a pouch to his twin. Blaze caught the pouch.

He twiddled the pouch between his hands. "What in this?"

Ice took out a lighter and a weed pipe.

"It's your ticket to freedom."

He traced the length of the bottle with his gloved hand. He felt giddy, something that he hadn't felt for a long time. His grip tightened around the bottle as he savored the rare moment of pleasure. He couldn't be happier at that moment.

Something tugged on his hand and he resisted. He doesn't want to go yet. He was happy here. The tugging became harsher and he desperately looked at Blaze, but he was gone. Instead, he was looking at the familiar golden eyes of his oldest brother.

"Quake?" he whispered hoarsely. "Where is he?"

The earth elemental just smiled sadly and Ice completely lost it. Quake gathered the ice elemental in his arms as he broke down.

"He'll be okay, Ice. He's strong. He has survived for so long, he will survive now."

"I don't... I don't want to do this anymore," Ice said. "I don't want to go back there, to TAPOPS, under the spotlight, if it means that I'll lose everything I have."

"Shh, Ice. Everything will be alright," Quake whispered soothingly as the light elemental sobbed on his shoulder.

Soon enough, the sobs turned into deep, ragged breaths, and the earth elemental realized that Ice had cried himself to sleep.

Quaked sighed sadly and lifted his younger brother in his arms, subtly noting the smell of alcohol in his clothes. He brought Ice towards their shared room with Blaze and set him down on his bed.

"Blaze will be alright, Ice. Soon, you will be together again," Quake murmured against Ice's forehead, before planting a gentle kiss and leaving the room.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next day found Ice standing at the door of his brother's room in the hospital. He stared at the wooden door, hesitating. He didn't know if he had the courage to face his brother after days of not visiting him.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and Ice went face to face with Gempa.

"Please tell me he's awake," the ice elemental whispered hoarsely, to which Gempa shook his head.

"I'll leave you to talk to him, okay?" the earth elemental said, clamping a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be waiting for you back at home."

Ice nodded numbly as Gempa walked away. He took a deep breath and steeled himself, stepping into his brother's room.

The first thing that hit him was the strong smell of disinfectant and Ice winced. The room was mostly white, in contrast to the dark colors of their shared bedroom at home. There were some medical supplies in a shelf at the corner, but what really caught his eye was the figure at the bed.

Blaze looked pale, ghostly even. If it wasn't for the slight rising and falling of his chest, Ice would've thought he's dead. Now that's something he didn't want to think about.

"Hey Blaze," Ice whispered hoarsely, sitting down on the chair beside the bed.

"Remember when you and I would make things up?" he sang brokenly at his brother, reminiscing the times when they were having so much fun together. "So many nights, just take me down to the place we can hear them play."

"I m-miss that s-sound," Ice sniffed, trying to hold back is tears. "Because n-now we don't s-sing so loud to the drums of the city rain."

"Because the nights don't last, and we leave alone. W-will you d-drive me back? C-can you take me home?"

Ice couldn't take it. He sobbed hard against Blaze's body. His friend, his brother, his twin, was lying on the hospital bed, fighting for his life.

"You've s-slept for t-too long already. I-I-It's time to w-wake up, B-Blaze, or Quake will have my h-head."

Normally, when Ice begs Blaze for something, he would stop whatever he's doing and do what Ice was asking. The reverse works as well.

But at that time, Blaze didn't move an inch. Nor his eyes fluttered for a little bit. He just laid there, unmoving.

Ice couldn't handle the pain. He ran out of the room and back home, not even bothering to use the scooter that Quake had left for him.

He ran up to their shared room, refusing to go out despite the others' pleadings. He didn't even went out to eat. The brothers figured that it would be best to give him time alone before they try again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next day found Thunderstorm and Quake coming back to the hospital to visit Blaze. However, something is different. Doctors are rushing in and out of Blaze's room, which made the two worried.

Quake stopped a doctor. "Sir, what's happening?"

The doctor sighed and mentioned for his acquaintances to go on without him. "He just flatlined a few minutes ago. We tried to revive him, but there's no response. The drug overdosage had completely poisoned him."

Quake drew out a shaky breath. "Thank you for telling us, sir."

The doctor smiled sadly at them. "You may visit him once we are done. But for now, no people other than the medical professionals are allowed inside the room."

Quake and Thunderstorm nodded and they watched as the doctor disappeared in Blaze's room.

"One of us should tell the others about this," Quake whispered in shock and grief.

"I'll go," Thunderstorm offered. "You stay here and wait for Blaze, okay? I'll come back with the others."

Quake nodded numbly and Thunderstorm sped home.

"Thundy?" Cyclone asked when he saw his eldest brother come home alone. "What happened? Where's Quake?"

"Quake's still at the hospital," Thunderstorm said softly, for once not berating his brother for the ridiculous nickname. "Blaze had succumbed to the effect of the drugs. He's dead."

"Oh," Cyclone whispered, tears pooling in his eyes. "I'll go get the others."

"I'll get Ice," the lightning elemental said. "Where is he?"

"He hasn't come out of his room yet. The door's locked though. I don't know where Quake leaves all the keys," Cyclone said before disappearing from his sight.

Good thing that Quake trusted Thunderstorm with the location of the keys. He got them from its hiding place and found the key to Ice's and Blaze's room. He inserted the key in the doorknob and slowly turned open the door.

Nothing could ever prepare him at the scene that greeted him. The smell of alcohol filled his nostrils upon opening the door. Blades and broken wine bottles were scattered on the floor.

But the sight that completely left him out of breath was the one above the bed. Ice was hanging from the ceiling Sayori style, his hoodie nearly falling down from his arms. His eyes and mouth were slightly open, and his face was gray from the lack of oxygen. There was a haunted yet peaceful look on his face that would give Thunderstorm nightmares for weeks.

The lightning elemental let out a strangled scream, which made his brothers rush to where he is.

"Thunderstorm, what happened?!" Solar almost screamed in panic. Thunderstorm wasn't the one to scream, and if he did, something really bad must've happened.

"Don't look," Thunderstorm whispered hoarsely but it was too late. His brothers had seen the scene inside the twins' bedroom.

"I-I'll go tell Quake," Solar said shakily as went away to call the earth elemental through the phone.

Cyclone and Thorn were sobbing, but Thunderstorm couldn't bring himself to comfort them. He too, was on the verge of tears, especially after knowing that two of his brothers had died today, perhaps even at the same time.

Thunderstorm soon found himself walking towards the scene, his feet carefully avoiding the broken glasses. His trembling hands reached out to remove the rope that hung his brother's body from the ceiling and gently set down Ice on his bed.

The lightning elemental choked back a sob as he used two of his fingers to gently close Ice's eyes and mouth, unknowingly copying Quake, who was doing the same to Blaze in the hospital room.

At least they were together now.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Audio in the media is Brother by Gerard Way. (The background picture of the video looks suspiciously like the sunset in out village.)

Lined in bold italics are lyrics. And yes, I purposely tweaked the arrangement of the lyrics.

Yes, this story is darker than my previous ones, and I made this for a little over four months. (Since August 29, 2019. Can you believe it?)

I initially had the full lyrics in the story, but I feel like it limited me, so I only based the story on the song.

Anyway, hope you like this.

Lovelots,

Glace, the Queen of Angst