I think in a ColtlandGentry AU no one talks enough about the fact how it’s TERRIFYINGLY DIFFICULT to raise twins. Especially if you’re a kid yourself, like Court in most of the scenarios. It’s already pretty hard if it’s two baby brothers but twins? That’s where the insanity starts.
They do everything simultaneously. No, not like that. They do EVERYTHING at the same time. Especially when they are infants. One got hungry? The other one will be just as much, if not more, a moment later. One woke up at the night? Just a second and now there’s the other. One is crying? You guessed it right, now they are crying in unison. It’s almost shocking how tuned they are to one another. Even in different rooms, they still can synchronize. They share this connection that no one can break.
So imagine Court, a kid himself, forced to deal with all that. Barely old enough to realize that something in his house is wrong, barely old enough to understand pitying glances from neighbors and barely old enough to understand that mom won’t come back. And now there’s two babies, two twins. Just imagine the amount of strength it takes to take care of the them, when you’re a kid yourself. And make it ten times harder, considering the fact that Court’s and twins’ father wasn’t probably a great help. So yeah, Court is in tough situation. He has to keep the twins fed and clean, mixing infant formula and cleaning the whole place, as he still needs to finish homework for school. He’s running on fumes, forgetting what time of day it is and how to breathe. He’s a kid himself, he doesn’t know if Ryland’s cry is something in normal range. He doesn’t know if Colt cries out in need for something, out of discomfort or out of pain. Court doesn’t know anything and he hardly can turn to his father for help. Everyone expects something from him. School expects flawless tests, his father expects Court to act like a “real man”, the twins expect their food. And there’s no pause. No time to catch a breath as something comes to bite Court in the ass the second he dares to take a break.
Court knows nothing about raising kids, so imagine his fear when someone tells that small kids need constant nurture. That someone has to teach them how to speak, that someone has to make sure they can hold the weight of their own heads, that they should know how to roll on their sides. Court doesn’t understand anything, he’s spiraling down in panic that his brothers somehow won’t be able to do all that.
So when Colt burbles out “Cory” Court is crying. He doesn’t know if that’s okay or not. He doesn’t know what to do.
Only latter he’ll realize that no, it wasn’t okay. The kids’ first words should be “mama” or “papa”. But that would happen when he will be a teen.
A teen with another big problem.
The twins are identical. And not because of the appearances, but because any difference can cause a fight. The identical toys of different color? They’ll fight for the blue one until the end of the world. A candy wrapper was slightly torn? They’ll forget about completely the same candy, trying to get that one with a tear. One shirt has dino print and the other has a car print? Each day there’s a battle for who wears what. And each time it’s something different.
Court is teen now. He barely has the time to keep his head above the water, as he has to find a way to get more money. Stealing from father’s wallet doesn’t work anymore for two reasons: a) their father started buying alcohol on an unimaginable scale and b) twins’ needs grew with them. Food, hygiene items, clothes, shoes… The list is endless. Court doesn’t have a choice but to run from one gig to another, scraping together each dollar and cent. He doesn’t have time and strength to tolerate everyday screams about non-identical things. He doesn't have the money to buy everything in duplicate.
So one day he snaps. He yells at Ryland, that was trying to get Colt’s car, and he yells at Colt, that was trying to take Ryland’s ball. Court rarely allowed himself to raise his voice at the twins. They all were dealing with more than enough from their father as it is. But it’s hard to stop. His emotions got out of control lately. His anger was easier to flare when he's already on edge. He wants to punch walls, he wants to snarl at every one, he wants to snap something in a half, he wants to tell the world to fuck off. He fells like a rabid dog lately… Hungry, tired, sick dog that is chasing its own tail.
The twins froze, staring at Court as if he suddenly became someone else. And that scared Court to the core. He doesn’t want to be like their father. But his emotions are sharper now, harder to control. He doesn’t know what’s going on with his body, so he hid in his room, desperately trying to find a way to do something. Anything at all, that didn’t include being a violent asshole like his father.
So yeah, Court Gentry had one hell of a ride in his childhood. Because raising twins is a hard job.
