He felt dizzy. Parker’s feet seemed to have weights attached to them as he attempted to dance in the middle of all the strangers that were pressed up against them. He didn’t know a soul in the entire house, but that hadn’t mattered. Maybe they thought he was Reed, maybe they didn’t care- he knew that he didn’t. It had been unusual, sneaking out of the house, but somewhat exhilarating all at once. Parker wanted to live, and Reed seemed to enjoy himself, so why not become a carbon copy of his twin? They were identical looks wise, and it wouldn’t be so difficult to imitate any mannerisms. Possibly not all of them, but Parker could definitely get on bored with the whole drinking thing. Nameless girls with little clothing had poured him a number of shots, giggling as he grinned at them, tilting the glass towards them before necking each one. Maybe he’d kiss one of them that night. That would be a very Reed thing to do.
As if thinking of him brought him into reality, as Parker glanced up, he spotted someone that looked eerily like he did. Parker attempted to duck away and hide in the masses, eager to continue the night and not have Reed drone on at him, but their gaze met before he had the chance, and before he knew it his brother was storming over. Adopting a lazy grin and holding his hands up in mock surrender, Parker acknowledged his twin. “Reed! Okay, you caught me. I’m being very un-me.” He laughed at that, dropping his hands and tilting his head back. “Care to join in on the fun? There are some lovely girls here, and there are some pills that aren’t meant to be completely insane. I think you’d approve.”
As Reed approached his twin, who tried and failed to hide from him behind the cluster of people that had accumulated around him (Parker's natural ability to attract people had always made Reed sneer in jealousy; although quiet and far less confident than his younger brother Parker had the effortless power to draw people into his space and keep them entranced, a skill Reed had spent years trying to perfect), the boy felt his annoyance tinge with genuine concern and knew that even if he had to drag him, he was going to get Parker away from this toxic environment Reed knew far too much about to let his brother become addicted to. His eyebrows knitted together and his mouth turned into a deeper scowl the moment Parker started talking, the slightly slurred words sounding so unlike him. Ignoring the squeals that emitted from the girls once Reed had joined them, knowing that in their drunken state a pair of equally attractive twins in the same vicinity was enough to excite them to the point of hysteria, the younger twin sternly grabbed hold of Parker's elbow, as if he were physically trying to pull him back down from whatever high he was on.
"I'm not interested in girls or pills, you idiot." Reed hissed, just loud enough for Parker to hear him over the pounding music and incessant giggling around them. Seeing the lazy grin attached to his identical's face and the complete lack of care the older boy usually held, Reed was struck by the realisation that Parker was acting like him, and Reed knew with a tug of guilt in his chest that if the roles were reversed he would have told Parker to piss off if the boy had sought him out, which he probably had a hundred times while Reed was too drunk to notice. Reed's voice turned softer in his next words, though his grip still firm on his brother's arm, ready to march him out of the house party if necessary. "Mom and dad are worried sick about you, you know that? You can't do this shit, especially not after..." Reed couldn't say the last few words, and chose to ignore the fact he did the same thing to Parker every week, left him worried sick when he didn't return home for a day or two only to come stumbling home without a care. But the difference was that Parker had parents who worried about him, and noticed his absence barely minutes after it had gone. Reed didn't have that. "This isn't you, Parker, so stop being such a twat and let's get the hell out of here."
