Where the Lines Overlap

"Happy birthday!" I screamed, causing Ken to jump awake in shock, before tumbling off the side of his bed to the floor. I couldn't help it, bursting out laughing at the sight of Ken wincing on the floor.

Ken groaned, pulling an arm over his eyes. "I hate you. I absolutely hate you. Forget everything else I've ever said, I hate you," he groaned.

"Yeah sure. C'mon wake up."

"It's my birthday, I wanna sleep," he whined, not making any attempt to get off the floor. I rolled my eyes at him, nudging his side with my feet. "Stop that," he said calmly, still not moving a muscle. I ignored him and continued to poke him in his side with my toes. "Kev, just let me be." This time his voice showed a little hint of irritation.

"C'mon, Mom told me to wake you up. We already let you sleep longer today. She wants you to have breakfast before we get our test results."

"I don't want to go to work today."

"Well you don't have a choice. Seriously Ken, if you don't move, I'll haul you downstairs myself," I said as I poked him once more in the side.

"Be my guest. I don't want to move on my own."

I rolled my eyes, getting down and picking up my twin brother, throwing his body over my right shoulder. He didn't protest, instead lying limp against me. I was halfway out the door when I figured the perfect way to torment him. "Oh by the way, Alena is downstairs."

In an instant, his body went rigid. "What?" he asked, still somewhat drowsy and slow on the uptake.

"She and Taron arrived a few minutes ago. I told you to get up but you didn't want to so—"

"Put me down," he interrupted but I wasn't about to give up so easily.

"Nah, I think it would do you good for Alena to see your bed head," I said, continuing down the stairs.

"No! Kevin, I will kill you." He started hitting me in the back, kicking his legs in a futile attempt to get out of my grasp.

"It will be worth it to see your face flushed with embarrassment. Besides, I asked you nicely before. Now you have to suffer the consequences," I smirked evilly, throwing in a classic villainous laugh at the end for added effect.

"Kev, I'm begging you don't do this to me." He went from abusive brother to pleading brother so quick I had to laugh. Trust Ken to come up with every known trick to get me to comply with him. I followed his request, putting him down, although not because he asked me to but because we were already in the kitchen, where Mom, Dad and our two elite guests we seated.

"Don't do what?" Alena asked. Ken's eyes grew twice in size when he realized that he was about to embarrass himself in front of his crush. Without saying anything, he tried to make a run for it but I caught him and spun him around, facing him towards a smirking Alena. "Nice hair," she laughed, which made Ken turn a bright shade of red and frantically trying to comb his hair into a more presentable form with his fingers. Alena got out of her seat, walking over to Ken and wrapping him I a tight hug. "Happy 21st Birthday Ken," she said before I saw her whisper something in his ear. Whatever it was, it made the blush on Ken's cheeks deepen.

Letting go of her hug, Alena returned to her seat, smiling as she went. Next up was Mom, who came up and hugged Ken as well. "Okay, it's not only my birthday. Why am I the only one getting smothered?" he asked.

"Like I said, we let you sleep longer. My smothering is over. Now it's your turn," I said, walking behind Taron and draping my arms over his shoulder, resting my chin on his head.

Taron tilted his head up slightly, giving me a look that said, 'oh your smothering is far from over if I have anything to do with it'. I smiled at him, patting him on his chest.

Breakfast went by pretty uneventful after that. Ken went to get ready with Alena tagging along with him while I waited in the living room with Taron by my side. With an arm around my shoulder, Taron held onto me as I leaned into him. We had all agreed that Ken and I receive our test results independent of each other, so as to allow both of us to focus on our own and not on each other's. Personally, I think it was just a ploy to allow Taron and me some alone time. Mom and Dad gave us our space, knowing that they would be the first to know once we got our results, opting to stay in the kitchen.

"You nervous?" Taron asked, to which I shook my head in response.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to become a mechanic."

"But let's say, hypothetically, you don't. Are you gonna be okay?"

I chuckled at him. "Of course I'll be okay. The test is supposed to know what I'll be good at right? I'm sure whatever it gives me, I would grow to like it. Ken on the other hand, well if he doesn't get posted to the Lunaris Research Centre, I'm sure he would be crushed."

"I wish you and your brother could switch places. Then I'll be able to see you at work too," Taron said.

I turned to him, raising an eyebrow at him, "You're not gonna leave me for my brother right?" I joked.

"Ken? God no. I'd sooner cut off my own hands."

"Good boy," I said, patting him on the cheek.

"But then again your brother is kinda cute..." he started and I gasped playfully at him, feigning hurt as I backhanded his chest. "Kidding," he laughed.

Just then, my BIC started beeping. I took a breath and a last glance at Taron. It was time. Strange how I wasn't nervous at all prior to it, but the vibration on my wrist told me that this was indeed happening and I couldn't help but feel slightly on edge about it. I wouldn't call it nervousness, but I wasn't the epitome of relaxed either. "Well, here goes nothing," I said as I swiped across the screen of my BIC.

"This is an automated message in accordance with the Lunarision labor law," The female automated voice recited. "After receiving your posting, you are required to head to your reporting centre immediately. Directions will be forwarded to your BIC and you are to follow the designated route. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action...Vocation test results for...Kevin Branson, Lunaris ID 647-379-831-P. Occupation...Service mechanic. You are to report to...Venobay, 829 Keppler Drive. Congratulations on your new posting. This message was brought to you by the Lunaris Education Council." The message cut off.

I let out the breath I hadn't even realized I was holding in. Just like that, my nerves were washed away and I was once again calm. I felt a small smile creep onto my face, happy that I was indeed placed as a mechanic. "That went well," I said, turning to Taron. What I was expecting was Taron to be smiling back at me, sharing in my happiness, but instead I saw him staring dumbfounded at my BIC. "Taron? Are you okay?"

Snapping out of his trance, he blinked a couple of times, before looking up, meeting my eyes. There was something there in his eyes I couldn't read, but it seemed like sadness. Even the subsequent smile he shot me seemed to exude a sense of melancholy. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.

"What's wrong?" I asked, not at all believing him. His change in mood was too drastic and sudden to be nothing and I was sure it had something to do with my posting. I didn't know what though, seeing that nothing seemed out of the ordinary to me.

Before Taron could reply, Ken came bounding down the stairs. "So what did you get?" He shouted, Alena coming down after him, shaking her head slightly but smiling nonetheless. His outburst drew my parents attention, with them coming out of the kitchen listening in from the sidelines.

"Service mechanic. You?" I asked, to which Ken struck a superhero pose, with hands across his chest and looking off to one side.

"You sir, are looking at the newest research assistant at the Lunaris Research Centre." At his words, Mom beamed and went over to hug him.

"I'm so happy for you both. You both got what you wanted," she called out. My dad simply smiled as he watched the scene playing out in front of him.

Both Ken and I smiled at them, just basking in the afterglow of knowing our posting and actually getting what we wanted. Alena walked over to me as Ken and Mom busied themselves with conversation. Behind me, I could feel Taron's presence but he still hadn't said much.

"So, where are you posted?" Alena asked.

I was about to answer when my BIC answered on my behalf, the automated voice playing from the device, "Directions to Venobay, 829 Keppler Drive."

"I guess that answers that," I laughed but just like Taron, Alena's expression had morphed so suddenly to one of shock. "What?" I asked, really starting to wonder what was up with the people around me. It was only then did I realize that the house was quiet. Both Mom and Dad were staring at me like I had grown a second head and Alena had a look on her face that I could only described as worry. I could now feel the sadness emanating from Taron behind me, like it was palpable. I watched as Alena's gaze darted from Taron to my parents.

I looked to Ken who had a similarly confused look on his face. At least I wasn't the only one weirded out by the sudden change in atmosphere. "Oh sweetie," Mom started but trailed off, as if unsure of what to say.

"What's wrong?" This time it was Ken who voiced my thoughts.

"I'll tell him later," Taron spoke, his voice shocking me. He wasn't talking to Ken though, but seemed to be addressing the reply to everyone else in the room besides the Branson twins. I furrowed my brow. "C'mon, we should go," he said ushering me towards the door.

My gaze darted between the two elites and my parents, trying to make sense of what was happening. Alena sighed, walking over to Ken as they spoke silently to each other. Before I could ask anything else, I was out of the house and entering Taron's hovercar. I looked to Taron as he entered after me. Sensing the question that was on my mind, he immediately spoke, "Later."

Alena and Ken exited and headed for the other hovercar in a few moments. This time, Ken showed a sad expression, which led me to think that whatever was wrong, Alena had already filled him in during their short talk. The elite stopped outside the door, speaking to Taron,

"You remember what to do?" she asked, to which Taron nodded in reply. The look she shot Taron spoke volumes. Whatever was wrong, it was a big blow to not only me, but to him as well. "Stay strong," she muttered before walking off to her hovercar.

I now knew that it definitely had something to do with my posting. More specifically, where I was posted. "Where is it?" I whispered, loud enough for Taron to hear. He didn't answer me, instead telling the driver bot to head to Keppler Drive before the vehicle started moving. "Taron, talk to me."

He sighed, dropping his head down as he thought about what to say. I waited, growing more and more worried as the seconds passed. He looked devastated. I have never seen Taron like that before. I was about to speak again when my BIC interrupted, "Please follow the designated route. Failure to do so will lead to disciplinary action. First warning."

"Ignore it," Taron spoke, the first words he'd spoken since entering the hovercar. I wasn't concerned with my BIC though. Hell, I would have accepted whatever punishment if Taron just tells me what's wrong. This was eating me up on the inside. A minute passed and still Taron didn't speak.

Once again, my BIC interrupted just when I was about to speak. This time however, it wasn't a automated message but a live call. "Kevin Branson, you have received your first warning for failure to adhere to the stipulated route. This is your second and final warning. Adjust course or we will be forced to take disciplinary action," the lady said through my BIC. Even without seeing her, I could tell she was a fierce woman, someone who didn't take kindly to nonsense of any sort.

I was about to reply when Taron interjected. "Elite Taron Wolfrum, Lunaris ID E263-8482, requesting override on route parameters."

"Processing request. Please acknowledge on requestor's BIC," the lady said. I watched as Taron lifted his wrist, pressing buttons on his BIC screen before lowering his arm again. "Thank you. Route parameters overridden. Have a nice day." The call ended.

I sighed, lowering my wrist. "Can we talk now?"

"I...I'm still trying to process all this," Taron said.

"Fine. Just answer me this, Taron. Where is Keppler Drive."

Sighing, Taron answered my question, "Sector 76."

Sector 76? Shit, no wonder everyone was going all depressed on me. My Lunaris geography was a little rusty, but I'm pretty sure that sector 76 was halfway across the moon. That would explain everyone's trepidation. Sure it was probably only a few hours away from the city centre by hovercar, but it was as close to moving across the country on Lunaris. That was only one part though. Working so far away from my current residence, I knew that I would be relocated, which would mean the amount of contact with my family and friends was going to be severely cut short.

"Fuck," I muttered, letting the gravity of the situation finally set in. I was moving.

"Now you understand why I needed time to think this through?" Taron asked, looking out his window.

I looked at Taron, the way he looked out the window giving him a defeated aura. I had thought only about how it would have affected me, but I didn't take the time to think how he would have been affected too. We had just gotten together, working through some of the issues with our relationship, and already life was introducing new ways to tear us apart.

I started to feel like somehow it was all my fault. Not exactly mine, but most of our problems stemmed from me. I was the one who could have raped Taron. I was the one who was skeptical about our relationship. I was the one who had a panic attack the last time we got intimate. Now, it was my job that was putting a wrench into the situation.

I reached across the seat and wrapped my fingers around his hand, weaving our hands together. At my touch, Taron turned to look at me sending me a sad smile, before squeezing my hand in his.

"I'm sorry," I said plainly. I didn't know what I could have said other than that.

"It's not your fault," he countered, shaking his head lightly. "It's just life being a bitch as usual."

"Exactly how far is sector 76 anyway?"

"2 hour drive by hovercar. 3 by tram," he said. I tried not to flinch at the amount of time it took just traveling to work. "It's protocol for natals to be relocated if transportation time is more than an hour by tram," he added, but I already knew that. I figured it was just Taron's way of dealing with it. Somehow saying things out loud helped him accept them, he told me before.

"Doesn't mean it has to affect our relationship though. It's just distance," I consoled, although I don't think even I believed my own words.

"You're right. It's just distance." There he goes again, saying things out loud to convince himself. I'm not saying that I wouldn't try to maintain a relationship with Taron, I would, but I knew that it's things like this that eventually led to the breakdown in a relationship.

I was pretty sure that Taron too would have put everything he had into this relationship, but like I said, it's one thing to think something and a whole other thing in reality. I sighed, moving closer to Taron, leaning my head down on his shoulder. "We'll make this work, somehow."

"You're not gonna get away from me that easily," he laughed. His subsequent squeeze of my hand told me otherwise though. The way it lingered a little too long, told me that Taron was so far from actually laughing at the situation. He was being strong, whether for me or himself I didn't know, but he couldn't hide the hurt he was feeling inside.

For the rest of the 2 hour journey to Keppler Drive, we remained mostly quiet. Nothing needed to be said and quite frankly, speaking would have just made it all the more hard to keep our emotions at bay. We just sat there, hands locked between us, enjoying the warmth of each other's body. I knew I was going to miss this, all of it. Even if we stayed a couple, living so far away would mean that the amount of time we spent together would be inevitably cut short, so I savored it while I could.

Ever so often, I watched as we zoomed past places I didn't know. Moving from one dome to the next, I did notice that the further we got from the city centre, the less populated the areas became. Hovercars started disappearing, densely clustered buildings thinned out and the areas started becoming more barren. Other than that, I noticed the moon slowly getting darker as we went. Not surprising seeing that sector 76 was halfway across the moon. Lunar days were almost a month long so naturally, we would have transitioned from day to night as we traversed the sphere

"Make a wish," Taron said as he saw a distant comet shooting through space. Sure it wasn't exactly a shooting star, but it was close enough. I was never one to believe in such superstitions, but I didn't see how I had anything to lose. I closed my eyes and wished. It wasn't anything specific, just a little wish to help me through the next few, no doubt tough, weeks ahead.

'I wish everything would work out in the end,' I thought before opening my eyes. I turned to Taron to see him opening his own, finishing with his wish as well. "I would ask what you wished for, but knowing you, you'd probably say you can't tell me lest it won't come true."

"See, you're not that oblivious." I punched him in the arm in response. "Domestic abuse," he smiled, rubbing the spot my fist contacted his bicep.

"You deserved that."

"I'd gladly take anything you can dish out," he said, smiling at the start of the sentence before it slowly disappeared as he finished. What he didn't say was that he would take any kind of physical abuse from me, as long as I was there. He didn't need to say it out loud, but the way his expression changed told me everything. I knew, because I was feeling the exact same way.

"I promise to try and hit you everyday then." I joked, but instead of hitting him again, I turned his face to mine, lightly kissing him on the lips. It only lasted for a few seconds but it was surely one of the most emotional kisses I had ever experienced. "We'll survive this. You'll see."

All Taron replied was a sad smile he shot my way. The silence returned as we settled in each other's arms. It was another hour before we neared Keppler Drive.

"We're almost there," Taron said, subconsciously grabbing my hand tighter.

"The place looks...nice," I said. It was far from the truth though. The dome was basically an industrial area, with big factories and dirty alleyways. I realized that living in the shadow of the city centre definitely opened my eyes to the things I took for granted everyday. This place didn't even look like the Lunaris I knew.

"You don't have to lie to me, you know."

"Well, I'm not actually lying to you so much as I'm lying to myself. I'm just trying to make myself feel better about all this."

"Hey, you said it yourself, we'll survive this," Taron said, kissing me softly. "Now be a good natal and go to work."

I chuckled, at the same time feeling the car coming to a stop. I looked out the window, seeing the workshop that I would be working in for the rest of my life. It wasn't too bad, not much different from the one I interned in. I thought that perhaps I was being a little too critical. I had pictured a completely run down shop with paint peeling off the side of the walls, but it wasn't. This was definitely something I could live with.

"Wish me luck," I said, stepping out of the car.

"I would love to come get you once you're done with work..." Taron trailed off. I turned to see something like guilt written on his face.

"But you have work to do yourself," I finished on his behalf. It wasn't a big deal. Sure Taron was my boyfriend, but it didn't mean he had to be at my every beck and call. Taron, on the other hand, didn't seem to share my sentiment. "It's okay Taron. I've been friends with Alena for a long time. I know elites are busy, it's really no big deal."