The Hits Just Keep on Coming (Odion)

[Declyn O'Callahan]

It was almost Christmas and everyone was so filled with cheer and happiness. Except Declyn.

Usually Declyn was ecstatic for the holidays, not because of his parents or the presents, but because it was a great time to capture moments of people enjoying life. It was usually such a happy time in everyone's life, but there were those few that didn't have anyone to celebrate it with. People like Odion he guessed, though Dec knew Odion had friends that would be more than willing to. Lani among them.

After the whole big fight they'd had, they'd gone a while without talking and honestly it hurt. Dec's main purpose of coming to Hammel had been to find his brother and after finding him, they'd already drifted back to being complete strangers. But Dec couldn't handle Odion tearing Cameron down anymore and now that they were dating...it would only make things worse. And he knew that if he didn't make the effort to seek out Odion, there was no way his brother would come to find him. After all, it wasn't like Odion really saw him as a brother anyway (as far as Declyn saw it at least).

Despite the fight they'd had, Dec still stuck up for his brother at every chance he was given. Whether it be a remark Cameron made or the most recent confrontation with his roommate, Odion was his flesh and blood brother, they may not get along, but Dec would always be there for his twin. Maybe not literally next to him, but in order to stick up for the redhead, Dec would.

After the incident with Lei, Declyn had rushed out of his room as fast as possible and headed straight for the gym. He needed to blow off steam and it was best that he didn't take it out on his roommate. Once he was calm enough he planned on going to Cam's dorm to talk to him about the whole thing. He wanted to make sure Cameron was alright and that his boyfriend knew he wasn't mad at him. First thing was first, he went towards the lifting area of the gym and went straight for the bench. It wasn't smart to be doing this alone, but Dec didn't really care at this point. He was strong enough to deal with it.

During his sets he gritted his teeth and a flow of curse words flew from his mouth. It was the most he had cussed in one day, but at least no one was around. Well, as far as he'd known. Upon hearing a noise, he put the bar back in it's holsters and sat up to see his brother standing there awkwardly. Instantly the walls went up and Dec's eyes dropped to the floor. "Odion...what are you doing here?"

[Odion Martins]

Odion wasn’t sure about this. Hell, he wasn’t sure about anything anymore, but something told him he didn’t need to be sure about everything to try. After having a good heart to heart with Lani, Odi realized that he was probably in the running for the world’s worst brother award. He hadn’t tried to get to know Declyn, he hadn’t tried talking to him, and he certainly hadn’t even tried to go out of his way to say hi to him. He was actually avoiding him. It was sort of a slap in the face, but after realizing the courage it must have taken for Declyn to come here, Odion knew he wasn’t pulling his end of the bargain. Declyn had come here expecting a brother, and Odi wasn’t doing a good job. Point and case, he was truly sorry about piss poor attitude he had, and he had to make things right. Maybe they hadn’t gotten off on the right foot, but things could still be made right.

If Odion had been given the opportunity, he would’ve stuck up for Dec as well. And although Declyn couldn’t see it now, Odi really had been looking out for his best interest when it came to Cameron. Odion knew it wasn’t his place to say who Dec should and should not date, and he sincerely hoped everything was well between them. He really hoped his brother was being treated properly and he hoped Declyn wished the same for him. But that didn’t mean he had to like Cameron.

Oh if only Odion knew about the encounter Dec had had with Leiken... At least they would have something to bond over. Hell, Odi would probably even be proud of his twin. The whole concept of family and having a twin was still mind boggling to him. It was easier to pretend like Declyn didn’t exist than actually acknowledge that he had a brother who was human, and had very human feelings. Did he even know what Declyn’s powers were? He’d only been here for what? Three months now? Odion shook his head. No one could be more disappointed in him than he was right now.

Taking the gift wrapped box, Odion wondered if Dec would even like the gift. It just went to show that Odi didn’t know Dec well enough to get him anything he would truly like. But it was a peace offering of sorts. Odi had carefully wrapped it himself, and there was a little card on top:

To Declyn,
I hope you like the colour.
Merry Christmas

Inside the box was a handmade scarf and, the family crest Odion had stolen from Dec’s room. Yes, it was about time he told Declyn about that little habit as well. Knocking at the door, Dec’s roommates didn’t know where he was, so Odion wandered the halls. Maybe he’d gone home for the holidays? Or worse, maybe he gave up on being at Hammel altogether. Odion sighed and shook his head, why did he always have to jump to the most outrageous conclusions? After checking the lounge and cafeteria, Odion wondered if Dec might be swimming and headed for the gym. Well, he’d found him, and he wasn’t swimming. Odion couldn’t help but smirk at the string of curse words leaving Dec’s mouth. Ah, so they were brothers after all. Odi was on the dressier side as usual, wearing a solid grey sweater and black jeans. “Got a lot on your mind?” He asked rhetorically. Fiddling with the gift in his hands, Odi approached Dec, sitting on one of the workout machines in front of his brother. “I was looking for you actually,” he said, understanding full well that Declyn might not take to well to this.

[Declyn O'Callahan]

His brother’s question struck a nerve and he looked down, “Perhaps I do.” Dec knew he probably shouldn’t have said that, but he couldn’t very well talk to Cam about everything right now. He didn’t want to because it was only going to make him feel worse about all of it. Dec knew that the feeling between Odion and Cam was mutual and it bothered him when Cam said things about Odion because both boys just didn’t know the other the way Dec knew them. He always looked for the best in people. Most of the time it worked.

Unfortunately in Lei’s case, it did not.

“Well you found me,” Dec said indifferently. No, he wouldn’t be a jerk to his brother even if he was already in one of the worst moods he’d ever been in. Odion hadn’t put him in this mood, if anything he was sort of hoping his brother would help take him out of it before he went to see Cam. The whole thing was just bound to make Dec feel worse about himself though. Worse about the whole incident that had just happened in his dorm room. He hadn’t meant to get so angry but with all of the stress he was being put under, he finally just couldn’t take it anymore.

Declyn pulled his legs up onto the bench and wrapped his arms around his knees as he watched his brother set on the workout machine in front of him. He noticed the little gift in his brother’s hand and looked away. He didn’t want Odion’s bribery; all he wanted was for his brother to finally see him as a brother himself. Was that such a terrible thing to ask for? Of course he probably should have been acting more like a brother at the moment too, but all other times he’d been shot down and felt more distant from Odion after every conversation. Dec was sick of feeling like he had come to Hammel for no reason.

[Odion Martins]

Odion was a dark cloud who liked to rain on everyone’s parade. But when the storm subsided, there was always a rainbow, and this cloud had a silver lining, fine though it was. The redhead frowned slightly as Dec admitted to having more on his mind than he was willing to talk about, but Odi pushed his intrusive nature to the side. He wasn’t here to interrogate Dec, he was here to make things right. Odi always looked for the worst in people, and he always found it. But he had a feeling there was a lot of good in Dec and he could learn a thing or two from him if, as his twin had suggested, he just listened.

Odion understood the familiar position. How often did he wrap his arms around himself like Dec was doing now? It was eerie, but even though their parents had kept them apart, and even kept the knowledge away from Dec for eighteen years, they still managed to find one another. And their mannerisms were often so alike, Odion saw himself in Dec. But he would never wish the kind of life he’d had on his brother. Slowly, he was starting to be happy about even having a brother, happier still that their parents had found him. Something about putting himself into Dec’s shoes.

“I’m sorry you’re having a hard time here, and I’m sorry I haven’t been helping you.” And he really, really was. Odion meant every word, just as he had meant all the words he’d said to Dec before. “And to think, if I just stayed at Kocher instead of coming here, we could’ve met sooner.” And, maybe Odi wouldn’t have come here at all. Maybe Dec could’ve saved him from the pain Rhett caused, but then again, Odion wouldn’t have met Lani. But Dec didn’t know about any of that and probably thought Odion was drunk or something for talking more than he usually did.

“I came to Hammel for a reason similar to yours,” Odion said, trying to start the conversation over, “I found someone I really cared about, maybe even loved and he left me at Kocher, so I came after him. We got together here and he treated me like a dog, an object, someone who’d always come back to him no matter how he treated me. And for a while, I accepted it.” It was the only kind of love he had ever known. Odion blinked away the tears, staring down at the present in his hands. He’d never spoken like this to anyone before, not even Lani.

“He said he’d never leave me again and you know what? He did. And after three months, he came back and I almost got back together with him.” Odi laughed at how stupid he had been. All his life he had been treated like a mutt and he almost believed it was his destiny. Odion had Lani and his own stubbornness to thank for giving him a backbone. Dec would know now why Odion became so protective over who Dec dated, even though he had no right to be, and Odi realized that only recently. “Now I’ve found someone better, and you showed up in the middle of me falling for him,” Odi laughed bitterly at the timing of it all. “And he made me realize something,” he said, knowing that they both knew who he was talking about, “that all my life I’ve longed to know my family and when you finally showed up, I didn’t know what to do, I was scared, and I just want to make that wrong, right.” Odion took a deep breath. He had rehearsed this in his head so many times, and he hoped Dec could see the sincerity through it all.

“Truth be told, I’ve found other reasons to be here now, and you’re one of them.”

[Declyn O'Callahan]

This whole situation was a little odd. Talking to his brother after so long, Dec really wasn’t sure how he was supposed to be acting. Odion wasn’t one to talk often and Declyn had no desire to talk really, so what was the point of this? It wasn’t as if they would make any progress if neither of them spoke. He was expecting that, for there to be nothing gained from this whole thing because that was how things had worked out before when he was just trying to talk to his brother about dating advice. Talk about a mess that turned out to be.

Dec had even been avoiding his brother after the Halloween dance and then the whole cafeteria announcement made by Cameron. There was just nothing that made him want to talk to Odion because he knew that it would only end in an argument. Odion seemed to think that Declyn was all for their parents and might as well have been an exact replica of their attitude towards his brother. The other twin just didn’t understand that Dec didn’t worship his parents, he was not thrilled with them about the separation from his brother and that they had lied to him since they came back to find him. Odion thought he understood, but he really didn’t any more than Declyn did.

As Odion began speaking, Dec just watched him and waited for him to stop again. But his twin kept going and he had to admit, it was a little weird hearing so much from Odion. It was probably the most he’d said since Dec had been around him. Not helping was an understatement, if anything Odion had been making it harder on him because it had made him feel so unwanted. And then to put Cam down for making him feel wanted, yeah Odion hadn’t been doing a very good job at being a brother. To be honest it did sort of seem like his brother was drunk, but he was having no problem with words slurring.

Declyn stayed quiet throughout the whole thing, just simply watching his brother as he explained his story. When he brought up the guy he fell in love with, well Dec was sure he was referring to Cam pulling a similar stunt, but he kept his remarks to himself and waited. Once his brother finished, Declyn really couldn’t even say anything at first. He wanted to call bull shit, he wanted to be pissed off at Odion for being such a prick before and he wanted Odion to realize that he had no right to give him shit for dating Cam because Cameron wasn’t like that Rhett guy and he wasn’t going to screw him over.

But Declyn didn’t say anything, he kept all of those things to himself because in time, Odion would see that Cam was different. The whole thing that had just happened proved that Cameron wasn’t a bad guy. After all, he had been completely honest with Declyn after Lei practically molested him. No, Cam wasn’t always completely honest with him about what he said about his brother, but he hadn’t cheated on him like Odion was waiting for and he had yet to treat Declyn poorly. Why couldn’t his brother see that yet? Oh right, because he hadn’t been around for it.

“Oh so now you want to have a brother? It took you how many months for you to come around? What do you want me to say Odion? That I’m glad you’ve finally accepted me?” Declyn shook his head and looked down, his jaw clenching. “I get it alright, I get that you’ve been hurt and screwed over and that our parents and this guy fucked up, but I’m not them. And Cameron isn’t either. I don’t care if you like him, I don’t care if he likes you, but I can’t handle both of you tearing each other down and saying it to me.” He looked up at Odion and ran his fingers through his hair, “I want to believe that you actually do want to get to know me. I want to believe that you want to give a shit but after this long, it’s hard to really see that. Every time I tried to be a brother, it blew up in my face and I can’t keep dealing with that Odion. I just can’t.” Declyn’s voice cracked on the last word and he looked down as tears filled his eyes.

Today was just not his day.

[Odion Martins]

Odion had only wanted to be honest when Dec told him about the people he was interested in. It would’ve been worse had he lied, and that wasn’t something he wanted to do with his brother. There were too many people he had done that too and he was determined to make this different. Maybe that’s why it had taken so long to figure out what he wanted to say.

Odion didn’t think Cameron was like Rhett, and that wasn’t the point. He understood why Dec would be defensive now, but Odi hadn’t told that story to lay blame, he just wanted Dec to understand why he had freaked out at the news. And Odi really hoped that he would receive similar advice from a brother who had already been through some of what life had to offer. Frankly, Odion didn’t want to know the sweet things Cameron did for Dec, that was the best part about a relationship after all, and those special moments didn’t need to be shared. Odi had never been a fan of public displays of affection anyways.

And just like Dec had expected something good to come around from meeting his brother, Odi was hoping something good would come from this. But Dec only had harsh words to say and Odion steeled himself once more. It hadn’t been that long, had it? Odion watched Dec closely, wishing there was something he could re-do, and he could, but it wouldn’t be right. He wasn’t even trying to say Dec was those people who Odion had talked about, he just wanted to open up to his brother, because he hadn’t ever done that with anyone before. Feeling hurt and regret in the pit of his stomach, Odi was reminded of why he didn’t like sharing his stories with people. And by the sounds of it, it seemed as though Dec was ready to call it a quits too. Declyn couldn’t do this to himself, and Odion tried to understand. He gave a weak nod and sighed, all the momentum he had earlier slipping between his fingers. He wanted to ask what was bothering Dec, but he didn’t have a right to.

Instead, Odion stood up and turned slightly, leaving the present behind for Dec to do with what he willed. This was Odion trying again, and he’d said that. There wasn’t anything he could do now, and he held back everything he felt, feeling it clench in his throat. Crying was Odion’s Achilles heel. And just like everyone else, Dec had only half listened to Odion. He wanted to be there for Dec, but he didn’t know how. “I’m sorry Dec, I’m never going to be the brother you’ve dreamed of,” he put his hands together and looked towards the exit, “I don’t even know how.” Now would be the time to make his exit.

[Declyn O'Callahan]

He wasn’t trying to be a jerk and he wasn’t trying to give up on this, but Dec just didn’t know why he had to try so damn hard when Odion had only put effort into this one time. Declyn had been trying for weeks before he stopped, Odi gave up after their last fight and now all of a sudden thought he would make things better before the holidays? What was Dec supposed to do? He didn’t want to just give in like he was used to doing. He was sick of being such a pushover with everyone and after what had just happened, he wasn’t about to let it happen again.

The major problem between Odion and Declyn seemed to really have was that they were a little too protective of each other though neither would admit it. Odion didn’t like Cameron and Declyn was tired of being told who he should date. Declyn didn’t like Lani and Odion thought it to be hypocritical. They were both being hypocrites, but were too stubborn to say it. All Declyn wanted was for Odion to accept that he was falling for Cam. They didn’t have to like each other, but he was sick of hearing them both bash each other right in front of him. It was wearing on him and he couldn’t keep dealing with it.

Declyn wasn’t trying to shoot down Odion’s story right off the bat, but he wasn’t about to accept it just like that either. Why should he after every time he had tried to patch things over and Odion shot his attempts down? He just couldn’t. He was sick of the pain he was feeling and he was sick of the problems he had. Neither of them understood what the other was going through even if they wished they did. They both had their own problems and they both were afraid of letting someone in for fear of being abandoned. If only they could get it through their minds that they were more similar than they thought.

For instance, Odion wasn’t the only one who had a problem with crying. After the whole thing with Lei, Dec couldn’t keep it in anymore. He’d let out his anger and now he just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry for hours. More than anything he wished he could cry in front of Cameron without feeling like a wimp and even more so, he wished he wasn’t about to cry in front of his brother. Crying meant weakness and Declyn couldn’t have that, and yet he couldn’t stop it either. Tears stung beneath his eyes as Odion apologized and turned to leave.

Standing up from the bench, the tears having begun to fall, Declyn finally lost it. “So that’s it? You’re going to keep running from the problem? You know that’s the problem Odion! You don’t fight for it. At least I tried more than once to actually fight for this. I mean god dammit why don’t you care enough to try harder?” He sat back on the bench and curled in on himself again, sure that Odion would bolt right then and there. “I don’t know how to be one either, but I’m trying so damn hard…”

[Odion Martins]

Dec hadn’t tried all that hard, not by Odion’s standards. Some things would just take some time, and Odi was explaining why. It wasn’t that Odi didn’t want to try again, he just didn’t want to try doing something when the person didn’t want any part of him. Not that he had made it easy on Dec, and he hadn’t given his brother any hope, but he was going on a limb by pouring his heart out to someone he barely knew. That’s exactly why he had done it though, to try and let Dec get to know him. Isn’t that what Dec wanted? But maybe, in hindsight, Dec realized he didn’t want to know Odi’s ugly past.

Odion didn’t know Dec was falling for Cam, and how would he? It wasn’t like Dec told him, and Odi didn’t expect him to either, not after how he had reacted to the idea of their dating one another. But then Dec couldn’t be upset about that when he didn’t know it was happening. Odion actually wanted Dec to like Lani, and that’s what bothered him. Odion wanted to like Cam, but he hadn’t been given reason to and he had the suspicion that Cam was going to hurt his brother somehow. Odi didn’t want to say ‘I told you so’ anymore, he just wanted Dec to live his life and to hell with what Odi thought of Cam, it wasn’t his choice. So long as he wasn’t subjected to double dates with that man, all would be well.

Odion had a way of blaming himself for why conversations often went wrong. It was because he didn’t know how, though he wished he could. And as soon as someone expressed their worry or dislike for what he had said or done, he took it as a personal attack, like the one he was talking to was out to get him and hurt him. For every word spoken, Odi took to heart. He was a culmination of everyone around him and he liked to keep those around him few and far between. There weren’t a lot of people who could make him cry, but Dec was one of them. Odion just wanted to be understood. He didn’t know Dec just wanted the same thing.

Odion was really starting to believe he wasn’t good for anyone though. He was always calling Lani a lucky charm, well, maybe Odion was a bad omen. Odion turned his head back to Declyn, a sense of relief filled him. Good, Dec hadn’t lost his fight yet, and of course, he was crying. Just another trait to chalk up to being twins he supposed. Odi had tears in his eyes as well, but if Dec didn’t need to ask for permission to lose control, neither did Odion. Maybe he had been meek and mild, but Declyn wasn’t having any of it. Turning around, Odion went back to where he had been sitting, snatching up the present before swiftly pressing it into Declyn’s hands. “I know I’m the problem here, but I am fighting for this. You think it was easy for me to come looking for you, knowing I could be rejected? I haven’t told anyone that story before, I spent hours just thinking about how to say it to you and all you have to say is how I didn’t try hard enough to start. Well I’m trying now, I’m asking for a second chance and you won’t give me one.” Odion wiped at his own face. “This is me trying harder. I want to know you better, why else would I have stolen our family crest from your room?” The very action of Odion turning around and coming back, well, sometimes actions spoke as loud as words.

[Declyn O'Callahan]

And there was the reaction he'd been waiting for from Odion.

His twin turned around and pushed the present into Dec's hands. At first Declyn wanted to throw it back at him and tell him that he wasn't about to be bribed into forgiving him, but Dec refrained and instead sat there listening once more. He hadn't known how difficult it was for Odion to tell him the story and honestly if he had, he probably would have reacted differently than he originally had. How was he supposed to know though? Odion barely ever spoke to him unless he was telling him who to date.

Seeing that his twin was also crying had Dec feeling less embarrassed. Must have been one other thing they had in common. He looked down, "Did you really expect anything less? You've done nothing but push me away the entire time I've been here! If I give you another chance how am I supposed to know that you'll be any different?" Dec looked back up at Odion and rubbed the back of his neck. He wanted to accept his brother's apology and he wanted to give him a second chance, but he didn't want to seem like the pushover he knew he was.

When Odion mentioned stealing the family crest from his room, Dec understood know why Lei had thought he was stealing from his own room. "Your way of knowing me better is stealing a crest that you could have just asked for? That's all you ever had to do was ask," Dec whispered. He was losing all of his irritability and anger, and now he just wanted to be done with all of the drama. "I'm sorry I snapped."

[Odion Martins]

Odion wasn’t trying to bribe him – why the hell would he do that? Odion didn’t bribe people into liking him, and he’d be damned the first day he ever tried to do that. Odi had used his words to try and let Dec get to know him, but if he couldn’t take that seriously, then a present sure as hell wouldn’t make a difference. The present was a peace offering, and something Odi thought Dec would like. Besides, didn’t families share presents during Christmas? Maybe Declyn didn’t do that with his… their parents. God that thought made Odion want to hurl. The fact that Dec already knew that Odion barely spoke as it was should’ve been a tip off, but not everyone paid such close attention to detail as Odion did, but now there was no reason to – Odion had told him up front. Talking to Dec about something so personal and close to his heart hadn’t been easy, no, it had been far from it.

Odion hated crying in front of people, he didn’t need people to think he felt anything. But Dec was different, he was his brother, and if he was trying to make things right, he needed to start with being honest. It was okay for Declyn to see he had a heart after he had tried making it very clear to the lad that he didn’t have one. Well, he did, and they were both blubbering idiots now. So be it if that’s what it took to get through to him. “You won’t. But how many times do you want me to apologize? No one has ever tried to get close to me before…” Before what? Before Declyn? Before Lani? It had all happened so quickly and simultaneously. Since when had he become so interesting? Dec wouldn’t be a pushover if he gave Odi another chance, he would be proving something great to Odion, and Odi needed that.

The ginger looked down upon confessing his pickpocketing habits. It was the first time he had ever felt ashamed for doing something like that. It wasn’t the first time he had taken something personal, but it was the first time he regretted it. Was that how he was supposed to feel for wanting to get to know his family? “I know, I thought of that later when I was talking to Lani.” Why did Dec think Odion was trying to return the thing now? And hadn’t he just told Dec that all Odi ever wanted was to know his family? “You know, you might want to take your own advice and try listening.” Odion could only take so much, and he could dish it out as much if not better than Declyn could – but he wasn’t trying to prove that, at least not at the moment. “It was understandable, but please, give me a second chance.” Odion was pleading with his brother here. “Do you want me to get down on my knees or something?” He smirked slightly at his way of lightening the mood. Jokes were easier after all.

[Declyn O'Callahan]

Declyn rubbed the back of his neck as Odion talked to him. No, he wouldn’t. And Dec understood that what Odion was saying, even if his brother didn’t think so. They were so painfully similar that it was like playing tug of war forever neither one of them budging. Dec was one of those types that usually would give into the pressure of having his heartstrings yanked on. He was not doing that in this situation. A little give and a little get is what needed to happen and right now was the first time Dec had been given a little of anything. “I don’t want you to apologize anymore. Apologies can only go so far. What I want now is to know that eventually you’ll actually see me as your brother and for you to see that I’m not our parents.”

Maybe he came off a little bitter, but it was only because of the current situation and his mind working too much. He was still worried about Cameron and he was still pissed at the guy that started this shit. All of it was building up and he was taking it out on his brother because it was easier. He had already been angry with Odion before this and now he finally was pushed to the point of freaking out. It was a bad way of going about it, but it had happened and there was nothing he could really do about it now other than fixing it with time.

Dec frowned, “You think I haven’t tried listening? Problem with that is that before this you never even tried telling me. How can I listen if you won’t even talk to me?” Yes, Odion was talking now and they were actually getting somewhere. It wasn’t even that Declyn was disappointed or even really cared that Odi stole the crest. He had enough of them and sometimes looking at them did sort of irk him. Odion had no reason to feel ashamed or regret stealing, it was just that he could have asked and Declyn wouldn’t have argued in any way. Dec bit his lip and nodded, “Alright, alright. You don’t gotta beg anymore, damn. I guess everyone deserves a second chance so I’ll give you one. But we seriously do have to work on this because I just, I want someone that I can talk to and not be judged by, ya know?”

[Odion Martins]

“I don’t see you that way, you think I just go around telling my life story to everyone within hearing range?” Okay, that came out a little harsher than he intended. But Declyn really wasn’t getting how significant this was. Would this really mean anything if he had told this to Dec right away? Wouldn’t the brunet think his supposed brother was just spinning tall tales? So long as Dec didn’t request Odion ever met their parents, Odi didn’t have reason to believe that Dec was anything like their parents at all.

Odion had plenty of time to fix things with. He rolled his eyes, “That’s a pathetic explanation coming from someone so adamant to get me to listen.” It was funny how no one could take their own advice.

Odion looked Dec over, already casting a judgemental gaze. “I’ll try,” Odion said, and that was as much as he could promise. “But I want to hear about our family from you,” he carried on, sitting back down on the gym equipment, “A nice perk about time control is the ability to forget certain things and start over.” He smiled softly, his eyes red from crying a little but that too would pass. “It doesn’t have to be now,” he added, seeing as Dec might have better things to do and Odion was also afraid about learning where he came from and who he could’ve been.