The scene was immediately familiar, a vivid memory from years ago. He made his way up the stairs in his old apartment building, a note clutched in one hand and a sword in the other. He was on his way to fight Bro for the Sburb beta disks. Bro. He was dead, he had been dead for years now, and Dave felt apprehensive at the thought of seeing him again. His brother, his father, his teacher. The guy who used to kick the shit out of him on a weekly basis. The asshole that used to leave plush rump puppet booby traps all over the damn apartment. The raging douchebag who just fucking had to have a billion shitty swords taking up space in the fridge and in the closets and pretty much anywhere else he could think of to shove them. Dave opened the door to the roof and all he could think was one thing: He really fuckin' missed his brother.
The fight began immediately, and Dave was ready for him. He was faster now, and he could keep up with Bro's onslaught. He managed to block all of his initial attacks, and even managed to take a swing or two himself. He was still no match for his brother, but he was fighting back, still on his feet, and he hadn't taken a hit. That should count for something. Bro flashstepped behind Dave and he was only just barely able to block the blow from behind. He spun fast around, his sword meeting his brother's with a loud clang. To his surprise, he was smirking at him. "When did you get so fast, kid?" Without waiting for an answer, he flashstepped again and this time Dave was too distracted to block in time. He took the blunt side of the Katana hard to his right shoulder, almost knocking him over. He regained his balance quickly, ready for another attack, but it never came. He stood there for almost a minute before he finally lowered his sword.
"Bro?" He looked around and he saw Bro leaning against the AC unit, head down and arms crossed.
"You lost this fight."
"You remember?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"You kicked my ass."
"I always kick your ass, little man." He looked up at him, face completely blank. The perfect poker face. "Bigger little man." He paused. "Am I dead?"
"…Yeah." Dave answered, a little hesitant to say it.
Bro stood in silent contemplation of this for a moment, and then he looked at Dave. "Are you?"
"No."
"Good." Dave could not ignore the implication of affection behind the response.
"Things have been pretty fucked, Bro, but me and the others, we're still fighting. Gotta admit, it's weird you not being around." Bro raised one eyebrow, and Dave glared at him beneath his shades. "Don't give me shit for that, you've been dead a while, it's expected that I have some lingering affection for the man who raised me." Bro smirked at that.
"You look like you've done alright without me." He paused for a moment, and then continued, "You grew up good, kid. I didn't expect anything less." He walked up to Dave and held his hand out and Dave took it in his, palm to palm, and he pulled him into a hug (the quintessential bro-hug). Bro, hand still grasping Dave's firmly, looked him straight in the eyes through their shades. "I'm proud of you, Dave."
Dave did his best to keep a straight face, but hearing that broke something down inside him he had not known existed. With one final squeeze, he freed his hand and turned around. "I don't want to see you again, so don't get yourself killed, Kid. I'm serious, I will kick the shit out of you if I see you again." Be careful.
"Yeah sure." Dave responded. "You goin' somewhere?"
"Where is there to go?"
Dave picked his sword up and looked over to his brother. "Bro. Roof now."
He turned at that and smirked. "You're in the shit now, Kid. I'm not gunna go easy on you."
"Don't insult me, old man. Stop trash talking and strife." He gripped the sword in his hands, his body situated in a perfect fighting stance.
Then Bro flashstepped.
I wrote this originally for a dream bubble sequence in my fic Between the Minds, but after writing it I decided it wouldn't fit. This encounter still happens within the confines of that universe, between chapters 9 and 10. Hope you enjoy.
-CS