Chapter 18

Hank howled in fury, smashing the villain into a wall, the wall crumbling. The scum would live. He didn't deserve too. Hank ran back to the limp body on the ground, scooping it into his arms.

"Don?" His choked whisper, so desperate, was barely audible, as he cradled the broken form in his arms. The suit was actually torn, the blue and white stained with so much red. He hated red. "Donny? Can you hear me? Please?"

Don didn't respond. Hank sobbed. He couldn't move his brother. Don was so broken… he would never make it to the hospital. But Hank couldn't lose him! There had to be something… there had to be! But Don's breathing was growing more ragged. Blood was soaking Hank's own suit, the red quickly replacing the white. Hank stroked over Don's face, barely able to see anything through the tears. And then there was light.

"Dovelan. He saved us." It was one of the aliens Don had saved. Right now, Hawk felt like tearing the things head off.

"We can save him." Everything froze.

"You can save him?"

"Yes. Our species is quite advanced in healing."

That made sense: they were from a very advanced civilization, and were good at pretty much everything except fighting. They were apparently advanced beyond fighting.

"We shall take Dovelan to our world. It shall be everything he has ever wanted. I regret not being able to take you also, Hawklan."

Hawk still wasn't used to Hawklan, the "lan" at the end was used to show respect. But the message stood. And that life… no violence, just peace. It was everything Don had ever been trying to accomplish. And he would live. He would live. And Hank would die. Because he needed Don. Needed him more than anything else in the world, needed him to be there to love him, to fall asleep in his arms, to keep him steady, to smile. He needed that. Needed it more than anything else in the world. But Don needed to live. And Hank had to let him go.

Still crying, he offered the broken form to the alien, and buried his face in Don's chest.

"I love you, Donny." He whispered, shattered. "I love you so much. Be… be safe. I'll always love you."

And then Don was taken away. And Hank was broken.

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Hank lay in bed, unable to sleep. Don. He should be here. His small body should be pressed against Hank's own the way it always was after something terrifying had happened, and they both needed to know that the other was there; real. It was something they never told anyone else about, there were already enough rumors they were in love.

And they weren't. But even after he wasn't scared of thunderstorms, when something else happened; someone died, or after a particularly scarring mission, Don had always slept beside his big brother. Hank always drove the nightmares away, and Don's small form always reassured his brother that everything was alright.

But now nothing would be alright again. Because Don was gone. And nothing would ever change that. Hank felt his tears soak the pillow; his arms felt so empty without his little brother there to fill them. And then there was a flash of light. Hank bolted up… and there was Don. Whole, smiling.

"Don?"

Don smiled, and threw himself into Hank's arms. "Hank!"

"DON!" Hank wrapped himself around the boy's body, sobbing in relief, and nearly crushing his younger brother. "You… you came back! But… that was everything you ever wanted!"

"Not everything." Don whispered, snuggling in deeper. "They didn't have the most important thing of all. They didn't have you."