Mirror Image: Cold

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does, though I'd love to take the twins home with me.

Pairings: Fred/George

Summary: The twins are confused and angry...and start to pull away from each other. The family can't help but notice. What happened to make them so distant?
Song: Glass to the Arson by Anberlin

Fred walked into the kitchen and stopped, staring at the table. The family was sitting, gathering food onto their plates, a normal breakfast scene. But something was off.

Ahh. That was it. There was no empty spot next to George. He and George always sat together, always, no matter where they were or what they were doing. It was just a twin thing. Ron sat to George's left, and Ginny to his right. Mrs. Weasley looked up and smiled.

"Sit down and have some breakfast, dear." she said, pointing to the empty spot between Bill and Ron. Fred reluctantly sat, feeling odd as George continued to eat, avoiding his gaze entirely. Fred ate, all the while stealing glances at George, who never once looked up from his plate.

----

Tonight my heart is cold
lost in your lies, shallow replies

----

Fred sighed. "Sorry, mum, I'm not feeling too well. I think I'll just go back to bed, if that's alright." Fred stood up, grimacing and holding his stomach. Mrs. Weasley looked a bit alarmed and escorted him back to the twin's bedroom, making sure he was tucked into bed. Fred made sure to add in a few groans here and there to be convincing.

"You stay in bed and rest, hear me?" she said, somewhat menacingly, before bustling out and closing the door behind her. Fred sighed and turned towards the window, staring out at the sky, the passing clouds, the top boughs of a tree gently blowing in the wind. Anything but George. Of course, he couldn't think of anything but George.

----

And gravity prevails this time its over
And you think you're the one

----

As he watched a wispy cloud slowly disappear, torn apart by a particularly strong gust of wind, he thought of how cold his brother had been acting. It felt strange to him, to feel distanced from his twin. The awkwardness between them had grown and grown, until it was as if there were an elephant in the room with them at all times, filling the room until they felt almost suffocated. Last night the elephant had grown considerably. Fred felt now as if it were stepping on him, crushing him under it's immense weight.

He buried his face in his pillow and let out a frustrated sigh. Now he really did feel ill. He tried to dash George from his mind and sleep, but for the next ten minutes he could only stare at the fabric of his pillowcase. Sleep refused to return. The sunlight glaring in through the windows didn't help, and Fred put the pillow over his head, trying to block out everything; the sounds from the kitchen, the sunlight, George.

----


Calm me with your lies your simple tragedy
It's all I wish to hear tonight
and your all I wish to be
And this is how we all fall

----

George was silent all throughout breakfast, and his eyes never strayed from his plate. A nervous energy rushed through his veins. Fred was so close, and George felt so strange. Last night...and this morning...what was going on? He wished he could tell what Fred was thinking. Usually he knew exactly what was going through his twin's mind, but Fred was impossible to read now.

As Fred made his exit, George finally looked up. Bill was giving him a funny look. George silenced it with a glare and stood up, the scraping of his chair deafening in the silence as everyone stopped eating and watched him with mild curiosity. He washed his plate off, set it in the sink with more force than necessary, and stalked out the back door to the yard. He headed for the shade of the tree next to the gardening shed, sitting in the dirt and leaning against the trunk of the tree with a sigh.

He saw Ron staring at him through the kitchen window. He sent Ron scurrying with a death glare and sighed, leaning against the tree and looking up at the clouds. His eyes drifted to the window in his bedroom, and his thoughts wandered to Fred. George knew his twin was faking. The atmosphere in the kitchen had been so suffocated, so awkward. Fred felt it; he must have. He practically ran out.

"Do you really want to get away from me that badly?" George whispered aloud.

----

Tonight my heart is cold
Lost in your lies, shallow replies
Tonight I'll just let go
Lost in your eyes, transparent cries

----

Fred pushed himself up onto his elbow, peering over the edge of the windowsill. Was that George? It was. What was he doing? Fred leaned forward to see.

All at once, he was staring at wood. Peeling himself off of the bedroom floor and rubbing his shoulder, Fred crawled to the windowsill on his knees and peered outside. His twin was leaning against the tree next to the garden shed, looking quite peeved. What was he glaring at? Fred ducked a bit, until only his eyes and the top of his head were visible, as George looked up. He didn't seem to be looking towards their- oh, no, he was definitely looking towards the window now. Fred gasped and froze, feeling himself flush, and wondered if George saw him. He was paralyzed; his eyes were drawn to George and no matter how he tried, he couldn't bring himself to duck down and break his gaze.

Then, all of a sudden, his twin's face fell. What was he thinking about?

Fred didn't need to ask himself that. He knew what George must be thinking about.

"Elephants." he said aloud.

----

And innocence derailed
Savage the poison
Unhurried compass east

----

Ginny was passing by the twin's room in the hall when she heard a loud thumping noise. Startled, she stopped and backed up a bit, standing outside the door. Listening, she heard some scuffling, and then it stopped. Ginny slowly reached for the door handle and silently twisted it, pushing the door open a crack and peering in, her natural curiosity getting the better of her.

She had seen the awkwardness creeping into her brothers' conversations, their presence when near each other, and she wondered what had happened. Ginny wasn't sure, but she knew that Fred wasn't sick. He was avoiding George, and she was determined to know why, even if it got her pranked horribly for spying on Fred.

Fred was kneeling near the windowsill, looking out as if mesmerized by something. Hadn't George gone out on that side of the house? Maybe Fred was doing some spying of his own.

"Elephants." Ginny's bewilderment grew. Elephants? Maybe Fred was ill. He was acting very, very odd. Should she say something, or just leave? Before she had a chance, something jabbed her in the ribs and she let out a shriek that would've waken the dead. Which was accurate, as the ghost in the attic began moaning and clanking about, disturbed from his nap.

Even as she was slapping Ron for sneaking up on her and ruining her mission, Ginny knew she was doomed.

----

Calm me with your lies your simple tragedy
It's all I wish to hear tonight
and your all I wish to be
And this is how we all fall

----

George's eyes widened. He could've sworn that Fred was looking out at him. He got to his feet, straining to see something, but was greeted with the sunlight reflecting off the windowpane and washing everything out in an array of light. He turned his eyes away from it, striding inside again and heading for the living room.

He had just sunken comfortably into the couch when he was startled to his feet again by an unearthly shriek from the hall. George dashed up the stairs to the landing to see Ginny ripping Ron a new one. What had he done now? Ginny angrily stalked off and Ron slunk to his bedroom, holding his red cheek but grinning triumphantly, leaving George to stare absentmindedly at his bedroom door.

Suddenly, the door shut quite loudly, and George nearly jumped out of his skin. He cautiously tiptoed over to the door, leaning toward it, his ear almost touching it, and wondered if he would finally get a bit of a clue as to what was going on.

----

Tonight my heart is cold
Lost in your lies, shallow replies
Tonight I'll just let go
Lost in your eyes, transparent cries

----

Fred let go of the windowsill and whipped his head around as he heard a shriek coming from the entryway to his bedroom. Had his door been cracked this whole time? Ginny. Damnit. She was such a nosy little pest sometimes. Fred resolved to get her back later- sneak a Puking Pastille into her soup? Tar and feathers? Blackmail? Turn her into a giant canary? The possibilities were endless - and stood, striding over to the door and shutting it quite loudly considering how little space there was between the door and the doorjamb, and locked the manual locks in addition to magically locking it.

Turning with a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Fred tossed his wand haphazardly onto the nightstand and flopped face-first onto the twins' bed. Even from there he could smell Ginny's shampoo. A grin spread across his face. George really needed to look at what he was picking up before he washed.

Scooting forward, Fred buried his face in George's pillow, his arms slipping underneath it to hold it, and let the intoxicating scent of his other half overtake him for a moment.

All at once, Fred was on his feet, anger flooding him, frustration, hurt, and he glared at the pillow as if it were George and not just his pillow.

Why won't you just talk to me? Why does it seem so impossible to overcome? I can't stand to be around you anymore! I have strange thoughts, and wishes, and I don't know what you're thinking anymore. I don't know how to tell you anything anymore. It's growing and growing and soon the elephant that is always present in the room with us will step on us and it'll all fall to pieces.

"George... what happened?" Fred felt his glare slowly fading into sadness and carefully circled to his side of the bed, slipping under the covers and sighing into his own pillow, pushing George's as far to the other side of the bed as possible, and wishing that Ginny didn't use such strong shampoo.

----

And we are, we are, we are the arsons
who start all of your fires

And we are the arsons
who start all of your fires, burning
Burning your city down

----

Ginny left Ron in the hallway with a nice red mark on his face, storming to her bedroom and shutting the door before sitting on her bed. Amidst her anger lurked a thought; was that George that had come up on the landing as she was leaving? She hadn't really payed attention to her older brother, as she was too busy punishing Ron.

Perhaps George would talk to Fred and they'd sort something out. She peeked out of her door cautiously, looking down the hall.

George was listening at the door. He faced away from her, so she couldn't make out his expression. Damn. Ginny slipped back into her room, defeated for now, and fell onto her bed, looking up at the ceiling.

Her anger at Ron faded quickly as it was replaced by fear and a morbid curiosity, George pushed temporarily out of her mind. What would Fred do to her? She had a sinking feeling that it might involve Puking Pastilles and swallowed nervously. Well, that settled it, she wasn't eating for at least a month. Maybe two.

----

Tonight my heart is cold
Lost in your lies, shallow replies
Tonight I'll just let go
Lost in your eyes, transparent cries

----

"George... what happened?"

George had pressed his ear against the door in case Fred continued, but there was silence. George bit his lip. He heard the creak of their bed as Fred settled back into it with a muffled sigh. George sighed himself and turned, leaning his back against the door and staring at the wooden trim along the seam between the hallway ceiling and the wall.

That hadn't helped at all except to tell him that his brother was as clueless as he was. What had happened? They were falling apart. They were surrounded by guilt, shame, anger, confusion...they were surrounded by something huge.

"Elephants." George whispered.

----

Tonight my heart is cold
Lost in your lies, shallow replies
Tonight I'll just let go
Lost in your eyes, transparent cries

----

03/11 I finally finished!! Sorry for the wait, guys. Please read and review, tell me how you liked it. Also, I've a bit of a poll question.

Do you prefer writing your fics out on paper, or typing them on the computer?

I personally like the computer. I try to write them down, but I find that my ideas flow more easily with a keyboard at my mercy. Maybe I'm just lazy. Ahaha:

Thanks for reading! I'll update again as soon as I can, maybe after I get some reviews. wink

-Char-

03/12 Review!

fly-away-free: I really liked it! I'm a big twincest fan, but this fic is killing me!! I feel like taking Fred and George and putting them in a room, and yelling, "TALK TO EACH OTHER!". And I prefer writing on the computer, for everything except essays for English class.

Thank you! Ahaha, I know, even though I'm the author and I sort of know what's going to happen (well, not entirely, sometimes ideas flow out that surprise me), I want to do the same. Throw them in a closet, lock the door and let them work it out. wink! Thanks again for reviewing and answering my poll question type thing!

Angels-above: ooh this is so kl! yeah I hope that fred and george figure some stuff out soon! go twincest! lol! and in answer to your question, i find it hard to sequence ideas on paper, so pc definitly, and then you can read it through, and it is actually legiable!lol! anyway please update soon this is very very good! well done!

Thanks!! Haha, so do I. Er, yeah, read the above review to make sense of what I just said. Haha! Yeah, I do too, I hate writing my stories out because I...I don't know, it's like I lose patience with my writing speed because it takes so long the ideas are practically fading away as I try to catch up to my mind!! I have a typing speed of somewhere in the 60's I think, last time I took a typing test (8th grade? I have no idea). So, yeah, in all honesty I think I'm just too lazy and don't want to wait to write it all out. Haha! I'll try, I've got loads of homework. Thanks again!

michiei: I LOVED IT! It makes me kinda sad. Are they going to end up together? I hope so. Anyway, I love it and I can't wait for the next chapter so...update soon! Thanks

Thanks! Hmm, I don't know, you'll have to wait and see. grin I'll tryyyyy! Thank you again!

StAtic Streetlight: oh my god, why don't more people review this fic? I absolutely adored it! You're really talented! I have read an A LOT of fanfics, and this one goes straight to my favourites! I loved how well you described the awkwardness between them, and the mood was just so right... and the songs fitted perfectly... and aww :3! it was so sweet how they touched each other when they thought the other was asleep. I hope they get together eventually, just don't make it too soon, you know, for credibility and such... but I don't mind at all that it has prospects of being long. Hope you won't give up on it, it has real potential! Hope you update soon ! p.s. just like rain-feathers I got an account just to review your story :P!

Wow! This review made my week!! Thank you so much? Yes, why don't more people review this? Rawr! I looooove writing this stuff...Yeah, they're not going to get any closer anytime soon, I have a feeling you all may be seeing just the opposite. sadface But never fear! The future is bright. This will definitely be long...I hope. I'll try to update soon, I'm just soooo SWAMPED. Stupid school. Wow! Thank you so much!

stolenenchantment:adores: oh, my god. I love this story. there is NOT enough twincest on this site anymore. keep it up girly

Awww, thank you!! I know, I totally agree. Twincest is amazing.

03/31 Well, guys, I just got back from prom! Ugh...I am so exhausted. But it was great fun. )

I didn't get to dance with the guy I wanted to. sadface

But it was still amazing.

I'm working on the next chapter, I swear! My teachers have spontaneously decided to pile on the homework and have their big unit tests all at the same time, and I am drowning in school. UGHHH. Tomorrow I'll work on it as best I can, but I have to make chicken paella for my Spanish project on Tuesday. I may just do it Monday night. This is insane. I can't wait until we're finally out and I can lie around and write fanfiction allllll day. ) ) ) )

Look for an update soon.

Love,

Char

04/12 Well, the play has officially started! I do Box Office and will be tied up until after Sunday. I've been working on Chapter 4...I'm so sorry, guys, it's been so hectic lately! I have hardly any time! But I have been working on it and have the next few chapters planned out as well. I'm trying!!

Love,

Char

More Reviews!

Jennicula: I use the computer. I sometimes can't read my own writing, so... lol. I love this story, the awkwardness is... interesting. Two people that know everything about each other are still nervous. Interesting...

Thank you! Yeah, the awkwardness is a bit odd...If I were a twin, though, and loved my twin I'd be a bit nervous, lol. Thanks for reviewing!!

Andiana: I love, love, love the way you type out your stories. It's not all from one perspective, very nice. I love Anberlin myself also, so when I read these chapters, I put on the song that you have through the chapter. Hah, odd, but it works. Continue your good work, I honestly can't wait to see what happens between Gred and Forge next.

Thank you!! Haha, yes, I listen to the songs as well as I type, though sometimes I let it shuffle to other songs and go with the flow, lol! Thank you so much! Me too! giggles

05/06 I've been frantically looking for my bloody plot thread. Without it, I've lost my ideas for the next few chapters and I'm entirely blank. Ugh. I'm trying guys, all my teachers decided to pile on the bloody projects and huge unit tests all at once. I'll try to get out the next chapter this week. Please forgive me.

Love,

Char