the police station was silent and owen sat in a chair in the lobby, completely still. the dread hadn't left his chest, and every time he zoned back in from a blissful moment of ignorance the reminder that his brother had killed his best friend came crashing down, choking. he sat there, numb and unmoving, only standing when he heard the door in the hall click open.
an officer came in and looked for the young man, eyebrows raised when they saw him.
"owen foster?"
"yeah." he responded, his voice so much quieter than he expected.
"we're gonna get you to come in to room 30, just down the hall, the detective will be with you in a moment."
"thanks." owen said, getting up from the chair and and heading down to where the cop had pointed to.
the hall seemed to stretch on for miles and a familiar faced red head came out of a different room. he saw owen, who glanced away, drowning in his own guilt.
"owen?" zero asked, an expression on his face of something akin to supressed rage.
"i'm sorry, it-" he said biting his lip, unable to finish his sentence. he felt a fist connect to his jaw and lost his balance when the red-head shoved him to the ground with every ounce of force he could muster.
the floor was cold and fresh tears sparked in owen's eyes.
"tell your piece of shit brother he can rot in hell." zero spat, though his voice betrayed his anger, cracking, his breathing short and hitched.
owen got up, crossing his arms, beginning to say something when a balding man in a suit came out.
"what the hell is going on?" he asked, frowning.
"nothing." owen said.
"your lip is bleeding, did he shove you?" the man asked.
"no. i tripped." he lied, wiping the blood away only for it to bloom back in a matter of seconds.
"i'm gonna go get some ice, i'm assuming you're owen, you can go on in and have a seat." the detective said, walking away shaking his head.
zero looked at owen with a pained expression. jesus fucking christ, he was so passive. why the fuck was he so passive?
"please just-" owen started, swallowing the tears that had threatened his eyes. zero wasn't so stoic, he blinked, and tears fell down his cheeks.
"fuck off." zero said, barely coming out as a whisper. he turned and left the station, leaving owen alone in the hallway.
a wave of nausea hit him and he stumbled into the small office room, sitting in the chair, balling his shaking hands into fists.
