something that i'm not | sbi au

1 | don't call me a liar

tw injury, hospital setting, blood

The plan was definitely not to get themselves stuck in the hospital, but that was how it had ended up for Tommy and his brothers.

Wilbur and Techno, the fifteen-year-old twins, sat in chairs next to one another, both looking like they'd rather be anywhere else. Tommy sat on the bed across from them, kicking his legs in idle boredom. They'd already been here for hours at this point, and one can only stand overhead fluorescents for so long.

Tommy gingerly brought a hand to touch the forming bruise on his brow, wincing at the slight touch. It didn't ache as badly as his ribs did, though, which he'd been told were bruised, as well. He'd managed to scrape most of the dried blood off of his face, but he was sure some still lingered from the taped cuts around his head. The twins didn't look much better, with Wilbur's eye blackened and his arms swathed in bandages and Techno's rapidly darkening knuckles and the blood he hadn't bothered to try cleaning off. He looked pissed, too, slouched down in his seat with crossed arms and a glare for anyone who came by. Strings of unbound pink hair fell into his face that he'd blow away like a warthog. Wilbur's brown hair was stringy and looked somehow sadder than he did, and he'd cracked the lenses of his round glasses. He held his head in one hand, as if it hurt. It probably did.

A nurse peeked her head into the room, pausing, and giving the boys a once-over yet again. "The police will be here soon. You should tell them the truth."

Techno glared up at her, baring his teeth. "We told you the truth."

The nurse looked disappointed. "I'm sure you did. And get your brother to stop kicking that IV pole."

Wilbur sighed and lifted his head just enough to mutter, "Tommy, quit it."

The rhythmic clattering hits stopped with a palpable pout. The nurse ducked out, appearing up to her ears in work and not at all amused by the tales these teenage twins and their ten-year-old brother threw at her.

"I don't lie," Tommy insisted. "I don't."

"I know, buddy." Wilbur didn't look back up. "We don't, either. It's just how it is."

"Then it should be different," Tommy argued.

"I know."

"We shou-"

"Whatever you're about to say," Wilbur said sharply, holding a hand in front of him. "I know, okay?"

Tommy hunched his shoulder, stuffing his hands between his knees and biting down on his lip while a knock sounded on the wooden door. Nobody bothered to reply; even if they said no, it wasn't like the officer outside would actually listen.

A woman entered the room, dressed in blue with dark hair and makeup-caked wrinkles, giving a smile that tried to be kind but missed her eyes. She held a notepad in one hand, tight-knuckled and tight-lipped, flicking a glance at each of the three brothers in front of her before settling to watch between Wilbur and Techno, since they were older.

"May I sit?" she asked, motioning to the seat at the opposite wall.

Techno huffed, Wilbur lacked a reply, and Tommy growled out a "no".

She sat anyways.

"I see we have a bit of an interesting case here," the officer started, looking down at a couple of notes she supposedly had before pausing to look at the twins once more. "Would you mind recounting for me- in full truth- what's happened this evening?"

"The 'full truth'," Techno said, "Is just what we said. There were two people in our basement. We looked away from them for too long, and the attacked us."