Chapter Text
Simon had always felt that he had failed everyone and himself.
He always felt that he was nothing more than a tool, nothing more than something easily discarded when broken.
He failed his father when he simply existed.
He failed his mother when he left home.
He failed the military when he left to care for his addict brother.
He failed himself when he isolated from others.
He failed his best friend when he led them on that hike.
And all of these hurt. He had done nothing but fall short of something great his entire life. Not the man his family believed he could be, but a failure and a traitor.
And Gary Sanderson died because of him.
So there Simon stood before a judge, innocent yet so guilt ridden he believed it.
He believed it when the judge declared him guilty.
He believed he deserved it when he was sentenced to twenty years for the brutal torture and murder of one Gary Sanderson.
But of everyone he ever failed, none hurt more than failing his brother. No broken rib, no sprained wrist, no bruised and beaten face could ever hurt more than failing Tommy. Nothing hurt more than the frown on Tommy's face. The face of a man Simon once saved.
The face of a man who doesn't know what to believe.