Chapter Title: Our Turn
Series Title: Unlikely Brothers
Ages in this chapter: Tanner (11) Dashen (17)
POV: Dashen
Chapter Summary: It's the boy's turn to support Colton when their friend suffers a loss.
He sat next to me. Shoulder pressed to mine. Silent support. It's one reason I loved my brother so much. He accepted me for all my stupidity and all my faults and none of those things mattered to him. This day though, it wasn't me that needed the support. It was man that had taken us in and looked after us, protected us, given me a job, put Tanner in school, and a host of other things for which we could never ever pay him back.
He'd lost a dear friend. Unexpectedly. It hadn't been violence or accident. It had been sickness. Incurable and final.
I could count on one finger the number of times I'd seen Colton at such a loss. It was strange. Unnatural. This was a man who, most of the time, was larger than life. Tanner and I were able to rely on him for anything. He'd saved our lives and helped us move past horrendous losses.
Our turn.
I shared a look with my brother and stood in unison. We found Colton in the room that counted as his office but one he also used to escape the pressures of the whole life-as-a-criminal thing. Rarely did he ever let those pressures show, but they were there.
The room was quiet and comfortable. Colton was sitting on the floor. Another unnatural thing. Head in his hands. Also, unnatural. Tanner and I didn't bother to knock; had we, he would've ignored us. We split sides and each took up position next to him. Me on his left, Tanner on his right. Neither of us said a word. Actions only. Giving back what he'd given us.
I saw Tanner lean heavily toward him, head resting on the big man's shoulder. My head didn't lean, but my shoulder did and honestly I fully expected Colton to get up and walk away. He'd never been a guy to allow his emotions to get the better of him.
He didn't get up and walk away. He didn't even try to move us away, and he could have with very little effort. With his blunt physical strength and imposing size, he could toss us across rooms if he truly wanted to.
None of that happened.
What did happen was he let us see that part of him that maybe no one else had ever seen. I noticed the glassy eyes and the focused breathing. I had plenty of practice with those - been there, done that. Colton wouldn't completely collapse into an emotional whirlwind. Not like Tanner or I had more than a few times. That wasn't who he was, but it didn't make his reaction any less meaningful.
Mostly we just sat there in silence. First awkward, then as it went on... comfortable. Probably helped that Tanner was playing with a little of his magic. His power was subtle, but within that subtleness was absolute affection and gentle tranquility shared freely with those he loved.
At some point Colton's eyes fell shut. Be it his own sorrow and exhaustion or Tanner's influence, our favorite crime lord was worn down and worn out by an aching heart and the intense power of loss. The brilliant blue eyes that could stare you into surrender or fool you into weakness - they were neither of those now. Now they were only heartbroken.
His head leaned back against the wall and released a breath that I swore stuttered slightly. And still Tanner and I stayed silent. Where I needed to hear the words, Colton wasn't that way. He lived a criminal life full of quick glances and hand gestures. His life beyond the criminal one wasn't much different.
When the silence ended, he had to be the one to break it. With Tanner and me on either side, Colton reached his arms around our shoulders and held us close. "My boys. Thank you."
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. A miracle for me really. I did have a tendency to be slightly mouthy. Not today. Today I leaned heavier into his shoulder and felt Tanner do the same. Words, I left for my brother. He was better at them anyway and always to the point, without the unnecessary rambling.
"We love you, Colton."
There you go. See? Straight to the point. No wandering around it, just right into it's heart.
Tanner. He was a special kid.
Colton responded by kissing the top of Tanner's head and tugging me closer. He couldn't respond in any other way and that was okay. Really, it was perfect. It's what we were, the three of us.
Eventually Colton stood (we followed) and pushed the emotion through his breath. A hand on our shoulders and he told us, "I'll see both you in a few days." Meaning that he was disappearing. His thing. His way of coping. "Sy will be here. Will keep you safe."
And that was that. He'd leave his responsibilities behind for a time, but he made sure that his makeshift family of two formerly-wayward kids were protected.
Tanner and I shared a moment after Colton had left the room. Then we watched him disappear into his ground car and vanish from sight. A unmistakable presence loomed behind us. We turned to see the imposing dark figure of Sydenious Greyer. The man's deep barreled voice was softer than usual. Our time with Greyer was generally spent either irritating him or avoiding meaningful threats to be tossed through windows. Always an interesting relationship with Colton's right hand man. But now...
"He's not all right." Greyer said, his ebony gaze staring down at us (the man was immensely tall). "You know that. But he will be. You know that as well. He did need the brief time with you both. It will help him and it was good for him. Colton does not attach easily. That he has taken to you, that's more significant than I think you realize."
So there was something. Admittance from the guy who spent many a day (I was sure) trying to determine how to best murder me in my sleep without anyone noticing. Yeah, Sydenious and I had a love-hate-I-plan-on-killing you-if-you-say-one-more-stupid-thing relationship. I was proud. Also, I was appreciative that he'd taken the moment to talk to us rather than offering a cold shoulder. We knew Colt would be okay, but it was good to hear it from the person who knew him best.
"And," Greyer continued, "Continue on your normal days. Lesedi, I will lay out your jobs for the days ahead. Tannerlin, you will check in with Kebrey per your regular routine. Not much changes except one of our own has suffered a great loss for which we will respect his need to grieve."
With a neutral face, the far-too-large man walked off.
"You know," I said to my brother, "that's the most he's ever spoken to me without threatening to kill me. I think I might finally be on his good side."
"Don't count on it, Dash. Give it a few days. You always loose to Sydenious." Tanner beamed.
He was right. Probably. I hoped not. Would be nice to be on Greyer's good side. Tanner was. But Tanner was on everyone's good side... except the Empire's.
"Well, until then, then. Right? Then. Wait."
"What?"
"Never mind."
"Dash..."
"Ugh! I'm all out of whack. Colton's off on some mission of grief. Sydenious is in charge. I'm not ready for change."
"It's only for a few days. I'm still here."
What a weird feeling. A few slight changes I'm thrown off kilter. I hated change. Had way too much of it in my seventeen years.
"Dash."
Tanner said my name loud enough to snap me back.
"Yeah? Sorry."
"Things will get normal once Colton comes home. We have to support him. He's always supported us. So, it's our turn. We can start by not causing any problems while he's gone."
"Yeah, Mouse. I know, you're right. My mind and my past get in the way sometimes. It's good. You and me, keeping things moving. Being the supporters while he's coping. Our turn, as you said. We're okay. We'll all be okay. Okay?"
Tanner reached up and smacked me in my head.
"Ow! What the hell!"
"You're babbling. Stop it. You babble when you worry. Come on, help me practice some Force exercises. That'll redirect you. I can toss pillows at your head."
That brought me back around. "You are not hurling pillows at my head. We've had this conversation far too many times. First, your aim is horrendous and second, hell no! And I mean it."
Tanner hurried out of the room and up the stairs to our apartment. Foolishly I rushed after him knowing full well what awaited me when I reached the top step. A pillow. Nailed me right in the forehead. Damn kid. Damn magic. Damn Jedi. I threw it back at him.
—-
A week later when Colton arrived back home, he walked in the door at the exact moment when another pillow came hurtling toward my head. With a big hand, he nabbed it, grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and half smothered me with the thing.
"What are the rules about practicing, training, or doing any of this nonsense in my house?"
"Colt! You're back!" I feigned surprise.
"I see the respect you've had for my place while I was gone. Remind me to never leave again without locking you in the basement."
"Wait.. you have a basement?" That genuinely shocked me.
"No, but I can dig one just for you if you keep it up."
"I didn't throw the pillow. Tanner did."
"He's your brother. Your responsibility. So with that technicality, you threw it. Do it again and you will get it shoved down your throat while you're unconscious."
"Yeah, that's not fun. Okay. Tanner!" I yelled and the pint-sized comet of brown and beige came torpedoing from nowhere to slam against Colton.
"Colt! You're back!"
Small but fierce was the definition of my brother when it came to his hugging ability. His arms didn't even make it all the way around Colton's broad form, but didn't stop the meaning behind it. The kid just had a way of making a person smile and feel a hell of a lot better, no matter what the day.
For Colton, a difficult week completed, he returned home to me being an idiot and Tanner full of pure joy and affection. We were normal again.
Yup, this was our way of being what we needed to be for our friend.
This was our turn to take care of the one who had risked so much for us.
END
