Benjamin was outside. Gasp! Considering that he was a video game addict who sepnt most of his time glued to a console and monitor, this was quite the shock. Well, not really. He did leave the apartment once in a while,.. like now, to go see if the local tech store had gotten the new shipment of games. Benji came in every Monday to check, regular as clockwork.

Today, his attire consisted of black jeans, chunky black sneakers, and a vividly green t-shirt that seemed to glow, even in sunlight. Especially in sunlight. Particularly the black Atari symbol on the front. He looked like a neon sign had escaped and had assumed the form of a very tall, broad-shouldered human. With a mop of mustard-yellow hair that seemed to refuse to be tamed, and also a pair of large iridescent brown eyes. He'd been tempted to put on eyeliner before he went out - he liked to call attention to those peculiar eyes. But... the last time he'd tried eyeliner he'd poked himself in the eye with it. He was leery of trying it again.

He paused by a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. As he waited, he tugged a small digital personal assistant from his pocket and began tapping away at it with the stylus, organizing his next week's schedule (which was fairly empty of anything that didn't involve microchips in some way).

Keye was on the other side of the street, spacing out and looking the other way. He hadn't noticed Benjamin.
And for all that Keye's hair was blonde (a product of bleach and dye), he was a little shorter, and his eyes were covered by sunglasses, the resemblance was striking.
More than striking, in fact. Someone who didn't know one of them very well might have trouble telling the difference.
...and interestingly enough, Keye was headed to the same place. He'd just stopped to rest and look at the sky.
Hanging from his too-thin frame was a baggy, black long-sleeved T-shirt with a boxed white 'Z?' in the center. For once he was wearing simple blue jeans rather than something in an inexplicable color.

Oh - and there's the light.

Benjamin hurriedly pocketed the handheld, and and quickly made his way across the street - you could never trust those lights to stay lit any longer than they needed to be.He stepped up onto the curb and ... his eyes were drawn to the other young man. He mentally dismissed him, the way you'd dismiss any stranger. Then he stopped and did a double take, refusing to walk any further until he'd stared at this guy a while. His jaw dropped.

He doesn't look like me that much,he thought, trying to convince himself he was imagining it. Finally burned his eyes out from staring at the computer screen too long, yes, that must be it. I mean, he's ... smaller. Different hair color...

No,... he does look like me.
He took a tentative step forwards, but was as of yet unable to find words.

Keye readied himself to start walking again. Out of habit (paranoia, you know), he turned and glanced behind...
And froze.
His first thought was Ohmygod, someone stole my body!, and then his mind went blank. He just stared at Benjamin, utterly confused.

"Uh..."
That was the only sound he managed to make for a long time. He clamped his mouth shut, swallowed hard, then tried to speak again. This wasn't a time where he could just stare and say nothing.

"...hi...?" he said, traces of shock and curiosity mingling in his eyes.

There wasn't a lot of curiosity in Keye's face...mostly just shock and confusion, and...maybe a bit of fear. He wanted out of there.
He made a noise that might or might not have been a response to the 'Hi'.

Benjamin's outgoing nature caused him to, rather jerkily, offer to shake hands and give a weak grin. He looked like he'd just finished testing the voltage of an electric fence with his bare hands, and had been stunned silly.

"Hi," he said again. He didn't state the obvious, 'You look just like me' - goodness knows why. Instead? "I'm Benjamin."

"..."
Keye took a step back, staring at the offered hand like it was a deadly snake, rearing its head.
"What do you want?"
His voice was timid, shaky.

"I... nothing. Um,..." he hesitated, dropping his hand to his side."Well, you - tell me if I'm imagining things, but... you look like,... You look like me."

Of course he hadn't imagined it - the other guy look just as shocked as he did, so he must have seen it too. What if this is the guy those other two said I looked like? 'The resemblance is...'
"...uncanny," he murmured aloud, seeming lost.

"I don't look like you," he snarled suddenly. "You look like me! And I..."
He took another step away.
"...want my face back."
Well, that sounded stupid. He flushed, biting his lip...he was close to tears.

"We look like each other," Benji compromised, his tone evening out. This is far beyond weird. Seeing him take a step back, he did the same, aware that he might be scaring the other. He wondered why he wasn't scared, himself. "...I never took your face, I've always had this one. Who are you?"

"Keye Tomlinson." he growled between closed teeth, staring at the ground. He wanted Benjamin to go away...not just to turn and walk away, but to be wiped completely out of existance.
Not that he wanted him dead, but he wished...that Benjamin had never existed in the first place.
It's an impulsive reaction. He'll probably get over it.

Benjamin was too curious and bemused to wish for anyone's disappearance at the moment.

"My name's Benjamin Millar. Benji to friends," he said. His grin grew a bit stronger, now that the initial shock had begun to wear off. He began toying with one of the keychains hooked onto his pants - it had a cold blue LED light that flickered off at the touch of a button. "Hey, you wouldn't know,... oh, fuck, what was his name.. Doctor,... Doctor something, anyway, it started with a B. I have a horrible memory for names..."

"Barclay?"
Startled out of his groundward gaze, he was forced to focus his attention on Benji's face.
"Y-you know...?"

"Not really. Just ran into him once. He was - kind of surprised to see me 'cause for a minute, I guess he thought I was you. Or vice-versa," he said, pausing a moment and frowning thoughtfully before continuing, "Provided you're the same guy he mentioned. The one who got all banged up?"

"Y-yeah. That's m-me."
Go awaaaaaaay...
"Um. More like c-completely d-d-decimated, though."

"Heh. Well... glad you're feeling better, anyway," he said sheepishly, clicking the light on the keychain in his hand, on and off, on and off. "Eh heh..."

He faltered for a moment, biting his lip. This was just too odd for words.
"I,... wonder why we look so similiar?" he said, phrasing it as a question in the hopes that Keye might have the answer.

"D-d-dunno."
A shuddering, halting sort of laugh.
"But it's really f-freaking me out."

"Likewise," Benji gave a nervous chuckle. He reached back to scratch a nonexistent itch on the back of his neck, and he blinked at the ground for a moment, smirking. "...Well, as far as I know aliens don't exist, so we're not alien clones.. Wonder what's the chances of our not being related, though...?"

We look so much alike,... we have to be. Somehow. Even if the odds are stacked against it, it's way more likely than just being random strangers who happen to look alike... This is so, so creepy. Like, Twilight Zone.

"Well..."
Faced with something involving actual thinking, he relaxed a little.
"I grew up with my mom. As far as I know, I'm an only child. But I never met my dad, so I reckon we could be half brothers."

"Me, I'm, ... I'm adopted," he said, with a sort of grimace. How lovely and complicated. "And I know nothing about my biological parents. At all. Never looked 'em up. My parents told me I was born in the U.S., but I don't remember ever being there. I wouldn't though, because we moved when I was still a baby."

He shook his head.
"Bizarre," he muttered.

"How old are you?"
He was still clinging to the notion of half-brothers, because what kind of sense would it make if social services had taken one child and left the other? Or for that matter if his mother had abandoned one child and kept the other?
He moaned, dropping his head into his hands. He was tired and achy and this was just too much.

"Twenty," he said.

Benji wasn't quite sure what to make of this yet beyond, (he was hoping) 'relatives'. He had adoptive family, sure, but that wasn't nearly as cool as this would be if it turned out to be true. It's not every day you run into a long-lost relative on the street.

Almost suspiciously, he added, "...When's your birthday?"

"Me too..." he sounded a little hoarse.
It was true, Keye had always wished he had a sibling (in a happy, shiny, fantasyland sort of way; he wouldn't wish his mother on anyone), but...well...this was a little scary.
"February thirteenth."

"No. Fucking. Way," Benji breathed. He rubbed the back of his hand over his eyes, then looked back at Keye. Am I seeing straight? Am I hearing this right? He just said 'February thirtheenth'. He did.

"That's my birthday, too," he said lamely, and gestured to the both of them with a flick of his wrist, "...Do you think we're,... I mean..."
He couldn't bring himself to say it. It sounded too, too impossible to be believed.

"Ho-ly shit."
He lifted his glasses, really scrutinizing Benji.
The same eyes.
"Were you...were you like, given up for adoption, or s-social services took you, or...do you know?"

"No, I don't know. I never tried to find out, either," he said, with a guilty wince. "Wish I'd thought to look it up, it might save some confusion now, mightn't it.."

He blinked a few times, the real similiarity between them striking him again as he saw Keye's eyes. If he was a little bit taller... and not quite so skinny,... I'd think I was looking at myself...

Well, Keye's one eye anyway. The other one was scarred entirely white.
"Well...that ain't your fault, anyway. D'y'think...your parents might know?"
He said it before remembering that he didn't want to know.

He shrugged.
"They might know the name. I never asked,... I don't think they had to know, in order to adopt. Sometimes the person who gives up the kid doesn't want their name known, so I don't know if it's possible or whatnot," Benji shook his head. "I can try and find out I guess - it's worth knowing."

"No, I'm pretty sure it can be anonymous..."
Note that he's just guessing here. He's never had any reason to look deeply into that system.
"But, I mean, shouldn't they know about the circumstances? So they know about any physical or emotional problems a kid might have?"

"I don't know," he said miserably, feeling that he should know this. "I know they have full access to my medical records and stuff. I was,... really little when I was adopted. Not enough time for any problems to develop, I geuss, or maybe they just didn't find any. I really don't know."

"Well...well..."
Could you ask?
"N...never...mind. N-not really important. I..."
He swayed, one hand to the side of his head.
"...don't feel so great."

"I'll definitely try and find out now - how could I not?" he said, with a weak grin. It was too bad there was nothing conclusive at this point, because he was desperate to know. "'Course, it might be a while, ...and paperwork...especially if there's that anonymity thing,... Wish I could go the easy way and just break into the computer where they keep the names and stuff."

He shook his head. He was far more interested in creating programs than finding ways to break into other ones.
"Hey, careful-" Benji reached out and grabbed Keye's arm, to steady him. "What's wrong?"

"I could break int'..."
He flinched back, distress flashing across his face.
"Don't touch me!"
Unfortunately, in pulling away, he messed up his already precarious balance and fell heavily on his behind.

"Whoa, okay, sorry, I-" he pulled back, holding up both hands palm-out to show that he hadn't meant to scare him. "No harm done, right? Here, lemme help you up?"

He offered a hand to Keye, with a hopeful smirk on his face. Benji was assuming he'd just startled Keye when he was already near to falling down, and that had been it. It was customary to wait for someone to take your hand before helping them up, and that was what he was waiting for now - otherwise he'd have pulled Keye to his feet already.

"No." he frowned stormily at his knees.
"I'm gonna sit. I feel really sick."
Sigh.
"I shouldn't have come so far."

"Oh. 'kay," Benji said lightly. He sat on his heels, to try and remain at eye level. "How far is far, exactly?... Hey, maybe I should call your dad to-..."

And now the error in logic comes up to bite him.

"Hang on a sec - back up. Just noticed something and I'm confused," he said, frowning slightly, "Dr. Barclay said you were his son. You said you never met your dad. You guys have different last names, too. What's with that?"

"Oh..."
He leaned his head on his knees, feeling rather faint.
"He...he said that...?"
Half a smile.
"Well, he kind of ad--well, no, not really...not legally, but I mean...I live with him."

The frown went away. "Ah, alright, good 'nough," he said, leaning his hands on the sidewalk to steady himself, "-... Well, I could call him so he could pick you up, if you're really not feeling that well. I don't drive, or I'd offer to do it myself."

"N...no. I think he's still at work. I'll just walk back home."
And throw up.
And probably hide under the bed for a while, too.
"I'm just gonna rest for a minute."