𝓞𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓽𝓼

Tennessee × ....Tennessee

This was a request, sh. I lost braincells writing this, and did not bother to do smut so....

~~~~~

The night was still. Tennessee rested, at ease in his bed. He knew that, soon, the end of peace would arrive and that war would drop its ugly jaws and enclose upon him an empty world. More bullets, faster, no surrender. It was the same story once more, a fine poem that he had grown accustomed to. Defend this, attack that, it had been what he had done all along. To exist had been a war. To ensure he was really alive, battles. Right now, he did not feel afraid. He had never feared guns, nor death. It had always been a simple trial, because lives seemed easily breakable to him. Tennessee thought of none of these matters. He was simply grateful for night time right now.

The darkness overtook his world. Tennessee retired for the night. Or so he thought. However, a brilliant light accompanied by a weight on his chest awoke him, the light right in front of his eyes..... Eyes. No, sunlight had not flooded the room just yet. It was a lit candle, and holding it? It seemed like himself? But he was here, so why was he also on himself in his room which was in his house in his state in his city? The body on top of his own prevented him from getting up. "Wake up, we have a problem." The other Tennessee(was that really him? Tennessee was uncertain.) said. "I'm up, I'm up! Get off of me." Tennessee told.... Himself.... This was odd. Really odd. Like, not every other Saturday odd. Suddenly, his whole body ached as if he had been kicked around for a few months or something. It felt like he had not eaten either.

Tennessee(?) got off of our Tennessee. "What are you doing? And why are you me?" Tennessee asked the imposter as he got out of bed. They crossed their arms. "You have some issues to sort out, none of this is my fault. Go have a look in a mirror, here." The other Tennessee(?) handed him the candle which they had used to awaken him. Tennessee took the candle and approached a mirror in the dark home. He used the candle to illuminate his facial features in the utter darkness. Woah.... His flag.... Where had he seen this pattern before? Tennessee thought back to when he last saw Virginia. This had been the Virginian's new battle flag. The Confederate one which Virginia had worn.... Worn recently. During the war. No, that isn't right.... The war has not started yet? He placed a hand on his face and looked back at the dark figure of.... Well, himself. So, this was it then. The rabbit hole had finally dragged Tennessee in. Tennessee approached the other, holding up the candle so that they could see each other as clearly as possible without being awkwardly close. "So I.... We.... We entered, then?" He questioned. The other paused. "We did no such thing. You did." The other him responded. This promptly confused Tennessee. "What do you mean?"

Tennessee(?) looked at him as if he were odd. "We cannot exist without each other." Tennessee watched as his duplicate began to pace around in the darkness, as if accustomed to the room somehow. He noticed that they limped occasionally and that they too seemed tired. "But, what do you mean?" Tennessee asked them. They looked back at him. "I'm your fault. You're my fault. We're his fault. We've been over this, dumbass." Okay, now the other Tennessee is bringing a "him" into it. As if this weren't confusing enough, now there's a third person involved. What is this, a fever dream? He watched as the seemingly out of wack Tennessee(?) stopped. "If I did not run away, he would have been left trapped in his own decisions. We have freed him from a cycle, yet tainted him further than necessary." Tennessee(?) looked over at Tennessee in the darkness. "Do you not understand me, or are you too dense?" Tennessee(?) asked, coming closer. Tennessee remained silent. He felt hot candle wax drip onto his arm and set the candle down while he sat on the corner of the bed. Tennessee(?) shook their head. "We aren't real. We are him. We need to reunite again, or it won't be long before we break further. It will be a world of pain. That's how it's meant to be anyways.... Me and you. Why don't you remember?" Tennessee(?) turned suddenly. "It was supposed to be us against the world. But we're broken." they said, their voice slightly shaking, generally repeating what they had been saying this whole time. Tennessee(?) gently tugged on his arm.

Confederate Tennessee did remember. It had not been he who layed down in this bed a few years ago.

Quietly, Union Tennessee pulled him closer. He was not sure if he was open or closed to this, but apparently things would be solved. They drifted closer, until finally reality twisted into something it wasn't. It felt like they were home now.