Chapter Title: Sneak Attack
Series Title: Unlikely Brothers
Ages in this chapter: Tanner (32), Dashen (38), River (8)
Chapter Summary: River and Tanner try to sneak up on their big brother using the Force.
"Okay, don't let him see you. Quiet. Sneak attack. He'll never see it coming. Usually he doesn't, which is ridiculous after so many years. Big brothers can be so oblivious. Shhh, he's coming. Wait…"
Tannerlin Vai crouched in a corner, hand setting on the slight shoulder of his very younger brother, River Salvus. Twenty-four years the younger to be exact. And adopted. None of that mattered too much when it came to harassing their shared older brother, Dashen Lesedi.
In particular, harassing him with the use of the Force. Tanner-style.
River giggled in excitement to be part of the hi-jinx that was his older brothers. A hand covered his mouth to keep him quiet. He giggled right though it, giving them both away.
"Tanner, where the hell are you? I hear your little giggle-buddy. You know he can't keep quiet when there's fun to be had. As long as he keeps laughing, I'll find you."
"Not if I sneak attack you big brother! Incoming!" Tanner announced as he Force-hurled a pillow at the back of Dashen's head from across the room. From years of experience, Dashen knew it coming, held up a hand and blocked it. He was too slow to defend himself against the second pillow that launched from the front side however.
And he was far too slow to stop the assaulting tackle that came immediately after. The giggling dark-haired eight-year-old boy ran at Dashen at full speed, flanked by Tanner and they took Dashen down, wrestling him to the floor.
"Get him, Riv. Don't let him up. You know his weak spots!"
Weak spots (in eight year old terms) were tickle spots. For Dashen, that one spot was right in the pinchable place between his neck and collar bone. River aimed with tiny fingers while Tanner pretended to hold Dashen down. Dashen, of course, always willing to play along to make sure River got his fun in. The tall, lanky thirty-eight year old feigned defeat after a long minute, arms laying out to the side. River's head pressed close to his as the boy tickled his neck with pure glee. Giggles turned to laughs. Laughs turned to exhausted surrender.
"I give, I give. You got me, Pup. Although you kinda cheated with using Tanner's magic. I'll give it to you. You got me." Dashen left out a long breath as River stopped the tickle attack and sat cross-legged next to him.
"Tanner can throw stuff with his magic really good, right?"
"Right. Too good sometimes." Dashen tilted his head to catch the boy's blue eyes. "Have you tried it yet?"
River shook his head, "No, but Tanner's been teaching me stuff. He said I have to go slow to learn and it takes a lot of patience."
"You're pretty good at patience."
"Yes, but it's really hard since I don't know what I'm doing."
With a grunt, Dashen pushed himself upright and ruffled the boy's shaggy dark brown hair. "Your brother knows best when it comes to magic. If you have the ability to learn it, he can teach you. Now, help me up."
Another arm reached from Dashen's other side, Tanner took his hand. River latched onto his elbow. Together they pulled him vertical. Dashen towered over River and was significantly taller than Tanner. Still, he made it seem like River was the one that had gotten him upright.
"Whoa, thanks, Pup." Eyes flicked to Tanner. "And revenge is sweet, little brother. Remember that."
"Yeah, yeah," Tanner mocked, "You've never been a match for my flying pillows. Sucker that you are. River needed a good laugh. He had a tough day in school."
"Oh yeah? Anything bad?"
"It was parent day for his class. I forgot, he's a year behind his actual age group since he was late getting started with school. They do parent day earlier in the year. You did okay though, didn't you, River? Your teacher says you did."
River picked up one of the tossed pillows and set it back on the nearby couch. "I mostly listened and watched. But it was hard. Everyone had either a mom or a dad there except me. It felt weird, but one of the kids who had two parents with her, they let me join them with the assignments so I wasn't left out."
"That was nice of them," Dashen said, lifting the boy and setting him on the back of the couch, before pressing a kiss to his temple. "I'd have been there, Tanner too, if we had known. Sorry about that, kid."
Trying to make it seem less emotionally trying than it had been, River shrugged and frowned. "It's okay. You love me, that's what matters."
"We do. And next time we'll be there. Okay?"
"I'd like that." River smiled.
Dashen turned his attention to the other brother now, grabbing Tanner's Jedi braid. "In the meantime, throw one more pillow at my head, little brother and you're eating this braid."
Another pillow whacked Dashen in the back of the head.
"Damn it! Come here!"
Tanner dodged his brother's long arms, jumping easily over the couch to avoid the incoming attempted tackle. "Same threat, same moves year after year, Dash, really?"
"Eh, won't matter. I could make you eat this couch and it wouldn't stop you from playing magic boy. Never has. If you teach the kid to hurl pillows at me…"
"I know, I know," Tanner said, "You'll make me eat my braid."
"Yeah, right. That. Oh, never mind."
River bounced onto the couch, sitting next to where Dashen was now. "When do I get to learn to throw pillows?"
He was then lost under a tackle-hug from Dashen. "Oh, no you don't, you little swamp rat."
After that, the only thing to be heard was the hysterical giggling from the bottom of the pile. Tanner snapped a holo of the scene. Had to remember this one.
"I give, I give!" River surrendered from under Dashen's hug, showing the galaxy's broadest smile as he came up for air. "Aaaah, that was fun."
"Because I am the best big brother ever!"
"You are, well, Tanner too, but you are the funnest."
"The funnest. Is that as word? Tanner? Ah, never mind. I am the funnest. Even when I'm dodging pillows from my two annoying siblings. Hey," with a hand, Dashen straighten the boy's tunic. "You finish your school assignments?"
"Yup!"
"You eat all your dinner?"
"Yup!"
"You have a bath yet?"
"Nope!"
"I figured." Dashen wiped at a smear of dirt on River's neck. "Go on and get cleaned up for bed."
"Okay. I got dirty today in class for parent day. We were dissecting a droid from the scrap yard. We had to take it apart and put it back together. It's was a little messy."
"I see that," other dirt smears made themselves seen as Dashen inspected the boy. "Looks like you had a good time. And learned something I hope?"
River nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, I told Tanner all about it on the way home and he told me about when he had to do the same lesson in class, except they went to an actual scrap yard! I wanna do that too!"
"That's another two years, I think, Riv. The junk dealers won't allow anyone under ten in their yards. But you'll definitely get to do it one day. It's so interesting. You're gonna love it."
That was Tanner - the love of school and learning always on his mind. River was much the same, even though he was one year behind in school. The brothers purposely holding him out of school until age eight, to allow him to get accommodated with non-slave life and letting him get completely comfortable with beginning on his own path. Tanner, being himself teacher, had begun home-lessons, but no actual school until this year, and then one year behind where his age would normally be. Giving him every chance to succeed was the goal.
Dashen let Tanner weave that portion of the kid's life, though they discussed every move as a team. River flocked to Tanner for anything learning and knowledge related. He flocked to Dashen for most other things, including those times when he felt badly and needed a hug. Apparently Dashen gave the best hugs around. Even Tanner agreed with that one.
"I can't wait to visit a scrap yard!" He exclaimed joyfully, standing to head toward the bathroom.
"Something to look forward to. For now, listen to your big brother and get cleaned up."
"Tanner, can I wear my new sleep clothes? They're so soft. Fen got 'em for me."
"Of course. Hurry into the bathroom, I'll get your clothes and leave them on the sink."
"Okay, but I still get to say goodnight to you both, right? Before I go to bed after my bath?"
"Always, Pup," Dashen replied warmly.
"And I still want to learn how to throw pillows with magic. Maybe not as fun as the scrap yard, but still fun!"
Dashen, got up from the couch, crouched low and chased River into the bathroom as he bellowed, "No more sneak attacks!"
All Tanner heard from the living area was the happy giggling of an eight year old boy loving his life - enjoying what he'd not ever had prior to his days with them.
And that was the best sound in all of the galaxy.
Dashen returned to the main room, grabbing a cold drink from the kitchen on the way. He handed one to Tanner.
"How lucky are we, hey, Mouse? That kid… damn he makes me happy."
Accepting the drink, Tanner agreed. "He's like this magic little pill that we get to take every day. Definitely makes life better. I was getting a bit tired of hanging out with you all the time."
"See? That's where he learns it from. One little swamp rat to another. Don't make me snatch that braid again."
Tanner fingered the braid and stuck it into his mouth, intimated a chewing motion and mocking his big brother. From a few feet away, Dashen tried unsuccessfully to hold back a grin.
"Damn Jedi. Damn little brothers."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You love us and you know it."
"I do. You're annoying as hell, like all the time… but at this point, I'm stuck with you. And the little one too. I'll manage somehow."
Soon after, River came shooting out of the bathroom, hair wet and dangling in his face, he laughed and tossed himself at Dashen by crawling over the couch, grabbing Dashen's neck and trying to tackle him.
A failed sneak attack.
"Aww, Pup, your hair's all wet!"
"I know. Tanner said to try my sneak attack again when you weren't expecting it. Did I get you?"
"You got me. I wasn't expecting it at all." Not a lie, never a lie. Not to his brothers. But a semi-truth to make River's night.
"Yay!" The boy exclaimed with hands in the air.
"Yay!" Dashen responded, taking the towel from Tanner's hand and reaching over to quick-dry the kid's head. When he finished, River's hair was sticking up in forty different directions and looked an absolute mess.
Taking a brush from Tanner, Dashen had River sit on the floor in front of him, shoulders between his knees while he combed out the disastrous hair. Knotty strokes at first that soon floated smoothly through the dark brown hair until it was tamed.
"Okay, Pup, all good."
"Can I read before bed?"
River had been taught to read by his brothers and now as an eight-year-old, he was up to level with his age-mates for reading ability. The brothers hadn't been surprised. The boy was quick to grab hold of what he truly wanted. And once he discovered the book series about a boy - Ridge Ember and his magic Fathier, there was no going back. Now, instead of others reading to him before lights-out, he read the adventures on his own.
"Thirty minutes." That was the agreement.
"Thirty minutes," River repeated Dashen's words before grabbing him in a hug. "I love you, Dash. So much." The nightly ritual, though River had added the 'so much' this evening.
"Love you back, Pup."
"Tanner!" River held out his hands to accept Tanner picking him up off the couch in a warm embrace. "Tanner, I love you!"
"More than Dashen?" Said Tanner, teasing as he let River down and took his hand.
"Well…"
Mock shock and Tanner said, "Whaaat?"
"Okay, maybe the same amount. Yes, the same amount."
"Hmmm. Sounds like you just made that up."
River laughed as the pair walked into his bedroom and Tanner Force-levitated him onto the bed.
"That's fun. Can I learn that one day too with my magic?"
"Remember what I said. Don't worry about what you may or may not be able to do with the Force. It's a long shot that you'll have a great power with it. I think you'll have some ability, but lifting heavy things? Probably not. But that's okay, right?"
With a wink, Tanner handed River his paper book and tucked him into his bed.
"Right. That's okay. I'll be good at some things and not at other things. Like you and like Dashen."
"Exactly. And you're only eight. Lots of time to figure out your life. For now, you read and enjoy your fictional adventures and I will see you in the morning before school." A kiss planted on the top of the boy's head. "Love you, Riv. Sleep well."
River had already told Tanner he loved him, but he couldn't resist one more.
"I love you, Tanner."
Lights dimmed just enough for reading, and sliding the door three-quarter's shut, Tanner returned to the living area and Dashen tossed him the holo-monitor remote.
"Told you we're lucky, hey, Mouse?" He said from the side. Tanner sat and picked up his drink. Then he lifted it in a toasting toward his big brother.
"Sure are. He's so excited about the smallest of things. A hug. A book. You wonder how anyone could mistreat such a soul."
Dashen touched his drink to Tanners. "That's in the past. That soul is now part of us. Here's to his amazing future and his place in our lives."
"Our lives are changing for the better every day, you think?"
"Sure seems that way. For the first time in a long time, Tanner… You know I'm actually looking forward to what's ahead."
"Me too, big brother. Me too."
A pillow smacked Tanner in the head. Dashen grinned sneakily.
"Including my version of the floating pillow sneak attack. Finally got you! Nice job on not spilling your drink there by the way. And I know, I know, you used your freaky magic to keep the cup vertical."
"Not freaky and not magic. Dash, seriously, how many times have we had this conversation?"
The pillow nailed Tanner again. "Not enough apparently. Too easy, little brother, too easy."
Dashen picked up the remote, kicked his feet up and relaxed back onto the couch. He flicked the monitor on.
"So, Mouse, what are we watching tonight?"
"There's a new holo-film called Sneak Attack."
"You, there… what… wait a damn minute."
A Force thrown pillow wrapped itself around the entire room and nailed Dashen in the head. Again.
"Damn Jedi. Damn little bothers."
Tanner could only smile in return.
END
