Chapter Title: Better
Series Title: Unlikely Brothers
POV: Dashen
Ages in this chapter: Tanner (11) Dashen (17)
Chapter Summary: Dashen takes a beating for the sake of his little brother.
Not sure how we'd gotten here. One minute we were enjoying a relaxing meal in the sun, the next I was defending my little brother from some nut job who'd found out he was a Jedi. And now, the last memory I could actually recall was being cold cocked and body slammed into a stone wall. Lights out.
Now I was here. In the dark - I couldn't see a damn thing - slouched up against Colton bruised and bloody - I felt the coopery taste in my mouth - talking to myself in a way that made no particular sense to anyone.
"Shut up, Dashen." Is what he said to me. Fine. The big guy could stop my babbling outer monologue but he couldn't touch my inner monologue, damn it.
I did spit out one final word. The most important one.
"Tanner?"
"Here. Safe. Now shut up."
His voice was different. Not loud and booming as it could be. Annoyingly so. It was soft and hushed. That was weird. That wasn't Colton either. Was this even him that I was pulled against? And where were we? What was I sitting on? Was Tanner really there? Why was my brain moving in eighteen different directions?
"Colt."
"Damn it, Dash, shut the hell up. I'll explain when it's safe."
That was a little more information. More confusion. When it's safe? What…
My entire aching body lurched forward when wherever we were rammed into something or something rammed into us. We were on a ship? On the ground? A strong arm pulled me back when I threatened to face-plant onto the floor. I groaned. It hurt like hell. More than that. Was that possible? That same arm, its hand wrapped around my head – my head that felt like it was split in two - to smother me? No, that was wrong. To shut me up probably. I was about to babble again. My head buried into Colton's side involuntarily.
"Don't move. Don't speak."
The voice might be hushed, but it meant business. That was a direct order from Colton, not a suggestion. I tried hard to obey. I really did. But I was so jumbled up and confused in my own mind. "What's happening…" slipped out and that same hand slapped across my mouth for a second time in as many seconds.
No further words followed the hand plastering to my face, but it stayed put there, correctly assuming I wouldn't keep my mouth shut.
Moving against the immovable, I tried to worm my way out of Colton's grasp to reach across him, looking for Tanner. Feeling for him really. There came an occasional flash of dim light, but wherever we were remained in pitch black. Whatever had rammed us before returned and pushed us sideways - or so I thought. My reaching hand never made it past Colton, as he grabbed it with the hand he had wrapped around me and squeezed hard. The type of squeeze that said stop being an idiot or fingers will break.
That was all fine and well, but I needed to know about Tanner. I couldn't see him, but if I could touch or hear him the asteroid sized lump in my stomach would, if not dissipate, then maybe lessen just a notch. But Colton was having none of it. He'd told me Tanner was safe. He wouldn't lie to me. I had to trust him.
I did trust him. With my life. With my brother's life. I hurt though. I tasted blood. I felt blood. My head felt ready to explode. My thoughts were scattered. My heart seemed like it was beating through my chest. At this point, just understanding what was going on would be welcomed, but Colton was unwavering, especially as we got knocked sideways again. Were we moving? At one point I'd thought we were in a vehicle, but I wasn't sold on that idea now. All I know is it was dark, cramped, and... low? Were we under something? That was it. Hiding. We were hiding. No wonder Colt kept telling me to shut up. But why was he hiding? And how was he hiding? The man was very large and veiled places were generally very small.
Around (above?) us, blaster fire erupted. Heavy boots. A lot of yelling and general chaos. Probably felt more amplified in my head than it actually was in reality - or maybe not - who was I to know anything about anything at this moment in my life. All I knew was that I hurt after being hurled into a wall at warp speed and that I had no real physical proof that my brother was okay. Neither of these was a good thing, but I'd take my brother safe over my own self any day.
Hours - or minutes - later, all went silent. There was an annoying thump-thump sound coming from the left, or maybe that was just in my head. No attempts were made to move, I'd learned my lesson there. Colton was still. Quiet. An iron-clad hold on me and I hoped Tanner on the other side.
There came the thumping again. Not random though. A pattern. At least I thought it was a pattern. Either that or my brain was singsonging a pattern from nothing. It was possible. My head hurt that much.
One... three. Pause. One... three. Pause. Then four in rapid succession. We moved then. Quickly. I wasn't much help on that front, but Colton snatched, lifted and literally carried me somewhere. We went up, that much I could tell. Into the brightest light the galaxy could produce - which was probably just outside - and we ran. Well, he ran, I bounced along in his arms. He had both arms on me so there was no way he was dragging Tanner along. Where the hell was my brother and why was the sun burning the life out of my retinas?
"Colt..." I tried to say, sounded more like "umph", one arm pounding on his to stop running and where was Tanner...
Words came and went with the wind. I heard "run", "left", "underground", "dead" - that one was worrisome - "slimy bastard". Slimy bastard? I heard no words that sounded like safety or Tanner or home or we can stop running now.
The light threatened to burst my head into flames when we dropped. Suddenly. Dropped into something. I hated this. I really hated this. Colton was about to hate this too, because my next trick was to puke my guts out from the pain in my head, which I did. Kinda felt a little better too after that - for a single fleeting moment at least. Pretty sure Colton didn't feel the same way. That was confirmed with a string of curse words flying out of his mouth faster then I'd ever heard. Lots of words I'd never heard too. Huh.
He was a man of many talents.
One of those talents was not telling me where we were or what was going on. Would I have understood or comprehended? No idea. I'd wager no.
A small towel was shoved into my face - where'd he get a towel from? Clumsily I grabbed it and wiped my mouth right before puking again. Hello concussion my old friend.
More blaster fire erupted. Violence was happening all around us or above us. Colton shoved me against a wall, what I assume was a wall, and told me to shut up and stay, threatening to kick my sorry butt if I disobeyed. He'd do it too. It was dark down here, wherever here was, but I could make out the outlined form of someone other than Colton. Someone much smaller. Much much smaller. That form was soon shoved against me and also told to stay. Without the threat of butt kicking, I might add. My hands reached out.
"Tanner?"
"Shh. Don't talk Dash."
Really? Him too?
I lowered to a bare whisper.
"Please tell me what is happening and are you okay?"
"Fine. You aren't. Shhh."
"Pretty sure that my head is cracked in half and I've been puking all over Colton."
Tanner gave up on trying to shut me up and wrapped his arms around me instead. I stopped talking and fell into the warmth. Whatever was going on around us, Tanner was safe. I was safe.
I settled down then. Head still screaming in pain. Body still aching all over. The not-so-sweet smell of vomit penetrating my senses. But Tanner had achieved in a matter of seconds what Colton had not with his flinging me from place to place - I assumed to save our sorry butts. My brother, he knew that when I was so rattled, touch was the best way to get through to me. He also knew that I'd been worried sick about him since this all began.
He kept me pinned to him until Colton's dark form made it's way back to us.
"Come on, boys, it's over. Safe. Let's get you home."
Tanner released his hold on me and I sat slowly up. "Colt, I may not be much help in moving my sorry butt. My head hurts so bad, I know I've got a concussion and I'm dizzy and nausea and I think I'm bleeding from every part of my body."
"Not every part. I'll get you there, Dash, don't worry. Tanner, I'll take your brother, I want you pinned to Sy's side until we get into the speeder. Understand?"
"I do."
See how Tanner didn't question or argue with people? I should have such abilities.
But alas, I did not.
"Good." Colton said. "Let's move."
Up in arms again, literally, as Colton moved me out of the sewer type hole we were in and toward the speeder across the way. Sunlight again burning out my eyes, but I held them open just long enough to see that Sydenious Greyer - Colton's head of security and everything else - had taken Tanner under his arm. It was a picture. Sydenious, taller than Colton, dark mahogany skin and no nonsense attitude, protector for my smaller-than-average, Jedi-in-hiding, brother. Tanner's head barely reached past the man's waist. The odd couple they were, but I trusted few others completely with the life of my brother.
When Colton finally got a really good look at me, he decided a pit stop to the healers was in order. As they scanned over me and cleaned me up, I got the story of what exactly had happened after Tanner's past had become known. A battle had ensued. The man had friends. Greedy friends who would've liked nothing more than to turn Tanner into the Empire and rake in the reward - right before Tanner would be executed. Colton had grabbed me right after I'd slammed into the wall. Sydenious had grabbed Tanner. The world had gone black then. But we'd gone into hiding. Blaster battles ensued. We ran and hid again. More blasters. People died - the bad ones did. Sy suffered a few minor injuries. Nothing the big man couldn't handle. The guilty party that started the chaos - long dead now. His remaining party of three, including the one responsible for hurling me against that wall, they were now permanently without their ability to well... breathe. The threat was no longer a threat, nor would it ever be again.
Quin the healer picked at my head, shined weirdly bright lights into my eyes (why?) and jabbed me with at least forty seven hyposprays. Okay, maybe it was only two hyposprays, but whatever. She then sent me home with instructions to not do anything stupid. I swear at times, she sounded just like Colton. No wonder they got along so well.
Said criminal carried me into the house and upstairs into the apartment, depositing me onto the small couch that Tanner and I shared in our main living area. Having been cleaned up - face and wounds - in the hospital, I only had the issue of my soiled clothes. They were coated in dirt and grime and blood and Colton lifted the tunic off me.
"Raise your arms." I did and he carefully pulled them free. Tanner handed him a fresh tunic and just like that, my upper half was good to go. The bottoms followed and I was as clean as I would be until a shower could be had tomorrow. "You got him now, kid?" Tanner nodded at our fake uncle. "Good. I've got some clean up of my own to do."
Not the same kind of clean up, trust me. The city would be scoured for anything and anyone who knew of the now-dead bad guy. Issues - if they arose - would be eliminated. More information than I ever cared to know or think about as my head fell back against the cushion and my brain began checking out. Quin said the concussion was moderate, but enough to put me down for a day or so. Everything else consisted of small wounds and bruises. No, my entire body wasn't bleeding. It had only felt like that. I'd gotten off lucky, Quin had said, and she'd get no argument from me.
My head fell sideways as I slid to my left directly into Tanner - a fully prepared Tanner by the way. Ready with pillow settled on his lap for my head to fall onto. Always prepared for the trouble his big brother found himself in.
"Think I'll sleep for a week, 'k?"
Colton gave me one last look before disappearing. Tanner put a hand on my forehead to move some of those calming magical waves my way.
"Magic, Mouse?"
"The Force. You know it's not magic. And my abilities are nothing like they could be." Or should be, would've been the correct verbiage. Tanner deserved to be a full fledged Jedi in training and learning all this crap - the life he'd been a part of for his first nine years. He had the patience and temperament for it and damn it, it was who he was supposed to have been.
But... it wasn't happening. So the next best thing he could do was practice a little of his magic on me in the form of tendrils of calm. To varying degrees, it always helped and I'd learned not to fight it, but to allow myself to sink into the touch and let the feeling wash over.
"Sorry about today, Mouse." I babbled out, doing the exact thing I was not supposed to do. Fighting the magic - for the moment.
"Why? It's not your fault that man found out."
"Should do a better job of protecting my little brother from the evil of the galaxy."
"You can't protect me from everything, Dash. You do a lot, but you can't know and guess when things will happen or when they'll be found out. You can only be ready for them."
I huffed. "Wasn't ready for this one."
"Well, in all fairness, he did immediately slam you into a wall from twenty feet away. So in your defense, you didn't have much prep time and thinking while being hurled into walls is definitely not your strong point."
I would've smiled if it didn't threaten to split my head in pieces. "Funny kid. That's what you are."
"I have my moments."
"Thanks for not getting killed, little brother."
"Same for you, big brother."
And thus ended our conversation and my ability to stay conscious.
I woke up the next morning with my head still on Tanner's pillowed lap, wiping drool from the side of my face - always attractive. My head felt surprisingly not horrible. I sat upright.
"Dash?" Tanner. Concerned. Awake immediately too. Another Jedi talent he had.
"Yeah, m'gonna go to bed and stay there until forever. You got school today, you should go, and don't give me any lip about it. I'm not dead, not going to be dead - at least not today - and I just want to sleep all day. Nothing you can do. Go to school and then tell me about your boring day when you get home."
"School is not boring. It's fun and exciting to learn and read and..."
"Yeah, no. Later, Mouse. Much, much later. Please."
He took pity on me, kissed the top of my head and hurried off to get dressed into his brown school tunic. Getting me to my room was relatively easy, I only stumbled twice and managed to keep my feet under me both times. Go team!
"Have a good day, Tanner." No matter that I found school and learning the two most boring things in the universe, Tanner lived for them so I always wished him well.
"Yup, you too, Dash. I'm gonna call you during lunch, okay?"
"Sounds good. I'll keep my comm bedside."
"Thanks for getting tossed into a wall for me."
Now there was a line you didn't hear every day. Of course, I hadn't volunteered for it - the wall thing. Not to mention it hurt like hell and still did. But...
"Anytime. I'd do it again in a second to help keep you safe."
"Yeah, I know you would. I'm kind of lucky that way."
"Be lucky and on time. Go on now, off to school. Call me at lunch."
A quick neck hug and the little brown blur vanished out the door.
My day wasn't as restful as I'd hoped with visits by a healer and then Colton.
Colton. I guessed that his cleanup was done.
"There's no more threat, Dash, so stop worrying." I did worry. I had been worrying. About Tanner's safety. I'd sent him off to school only because I knew that Sydenious was watching him. Without the security, I'd never have let him leave my side until Colton had given the complete all clear.
"Sydenious?"
"Your brother is safe and sound at school. Sy will bring him home later."
"Good. Thanks. And thanks for everything else." It went unspoken what I meant.
"I may think you're an idiot, and your brother sometimes borders on it - lessons he's learned from you, I'm certain - but I take seriously the care of those under my charge. You know that. If I can help it, Tannerlin will always be safe with me. I still have no idea how I ever got roped into all this. You. The kid. You both in my house driving me to drink. But I did. I'm okay with it. However, if you open your mouth and say anything remotely idiotic, I may renege on everything I just said. Understand?"
Got it. I got it. I'd leave it be. "You're a good man, Colt."
"I am. Now shut up and rest."
Then he was gone. Always leaving me thinking that I'd peeled into another layer of the complex man that was Virgil Colton, but knowing that he only let me see what he wanted me to see. I think the only person in our group who was as you saw him - one hundred percent - was Tanner. He had no layers, at least none hidden. It's why he was good for me. For Colton. It's part of why we tried so hard to give him a good life. He made our lives better. A hell of a lot better.
That was evident again when he got home from school and the first thing he did was come see me, curl up next to me in bed and hug me tight. For a few moments, my splitting headache disappeared and the galaxy was a perfect place.
Yup. He made our lives better indeed.
END
