Hero Complex
by: gypsyeyes91
Major props go out to D R O W N – I N – S E Q U I N S, because she was the inspiration for this style.
When Nate Black was eight years old,
he was going to have
a brother
a real, living, breathing
baby brother
to watch over
and play with
and teach basketball to
(and to tell which girls
were cool
and which girls
were just annoying).
Did it matter that they would be
eight years apart?
Of course not.
His parents were just glad
Nate was adjusting well;
they didn't know that he had been wishing for this
his whole life.
Baby Dylan was perfect.
Or, as close to perfect as you could get.
His ten tiny little toes,
his ten tiny fingers
(that curled around Nate's own
index finger)
and his tiny nose.
He stood in awe
as Dylan opened his eyes
(his blue, blue eyes)
for the first time.
The fuzzy hair on the
baby's head was
lighter than his own.
He thanked God
for creating the
most perfect angel baby brother
in the world.
Nate demanded that they share a bedroom;
he didn't care if Dylan cried at night.
He didn't mind.
He loved his baby brother.
Then, one night, baby Dylan just
stopped
breathing.
His brother was
gone
(to something called SIDS)
and Nate was all alone.
Again.
He blamed himself and
took on a huge cross to bear
at only eight years old,
He should have noticed that
something was wrong,
that Dylan needed help.
He promised himself
he would never let anyone
slip away like that
EVER
again.
Tess Tyler needed saving.
She was so tragically,
beautifully broken.
She had everything,
but nothing at the same time.
(Nate could understand that.)
He wanted to be the one
to help her,
to save her the way he
couldn't save Dylan
all those years ago.
She needed fixing, and
(though he'd never admit it)
so did he.
Maybe together, they could be whole for once.
Deep down, he was afraid he'd fail;
that if he grew too close, he would lose her like he lost his brother.
He didn't know if he could handle that kind of pain.
She had her walls up, and so did he.
But, even though he hardly knew her
(but boy, did he know the Tess Tyler of
sparkles, manipulation, and the pursuit of perfection),
he felt like he needed to.
For her sake and his.
He needed to do something
to heal the ache in her heart so
he could heal the ache in his.
Because Nate Black was just as badly broken as Tess Tyler.
--
Just a little note—SIDS is a real condition, known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Infants basically stop breathing in their sleep and die. No one knows exactly why this happens, but researchers say that there has been a correlation between sleeping on your tummy and death from SIDS. This kinda popped into my brain, so I wrote it out, kind of from a sibling's perspective. If you know anyone affected by this, my heart (and in a way this story, kind of?) goes out to them.
That being said, it would totally make my week if you reviewed, and/or checked out my Jeggy fic. Yeah, I'm pimping. I know.