[ psl ]

[androit]

WHO Junior (androit), Kylo Ren (derriphan)
WHAT Two brothers separated by fate, brought back together again by the same.
WHEN Uhhh, just pre-movie. During the search for Luke's map.
WHERE Finalizer, I think!
WHY because why not

After coming to blows with a contingent of Stormtroopers planetside, Junior hadn't really expected to wake up in one piece. Or wake up at all, that had always been a possibility. Despite the fact that he wasn't a fighter, he did dangerous things for the sake of his mother and the Resistance, or his father and their smuggling. There was always risk involved, a cost-benefit analysis that he tended to ignore in favor of being there for his family. It wasn't quite a conscious reaction to the Ben's abandonment fifteen years ago, but if someone poked at it, he couldn't well deny the possibility.

Everything involving Ben had a lot of complicated feelings surrounding it, after all.

His whole body ached, senses flaring out in pain before he could stop himself and, even if it was obvious he was awake by now, Junior kept his eyes closed and took stock before anything else. His back was a blazing sun of pain where he had taken a tonfa just barely shielded by his meager knowledge of using the Force to move and hold objects. The rest of him was a mass of pain and bruises but his back was probably the worst-off. Not a good scenario if he wanted to get back home anytime soon. Next, he reached out with his Force sense — one of two things that came naturally to him — and halted almost immediately for the presence sitting right above him.

Eyes shooting open, Junior found himself face-to-face with a hardened mask. One he had never seen before in person, but depictions and dreams were more than enough. "Ben?"

Comments

[androit]

"You realize I can't actually help you trace anything," Junior said mildly. There was only so much he could do for the sake of his brother, but the fact of the matter was that this was still the enemy's stronghold, still completely unsafe waters. Just because Ben was here did not mean he could cooperate, especially not for the sorts of information the First Order was going to want. Even if they took him in for torture or other forceful means, he wasn't going to bend on that — as much as he was capable of.

He sighed, grimaced. He wanted to help Ben but for now there was nothing he could do. Ever the helpful sidekick, he felt rather wretched for being put in the impossible scenario where he still had to consider his brother's allegiances counter to his own. He couldn't imagine what it was like for Ben right now. "Doesn't mean we can't put on a show."

[derriphan]

Inclining his head, you could almost hear the way his mouth ticked upward. "I expect nothing less than total obstinance."

It was a warning as much as an observation. He didn't doubt Junior's resolve in the slightest, which if anything only concerned him further. The idea that he might have to torture his own brother made his stomach churn unpleasantly.

No, it wouldn't come to that. He'd make sure of it.

"I mean it. You don't speak to anyone, you understand."

[androit]

It wasn't hard for the two of them to find a wavelength again. No matter what they'd gone through in their own time, they were still the same people underneath it all, still brothers, still had things in common that just couldn't be denied. This was something they knew was going to happen even if it was going relatively unspoken. Junior let his eyes crinkle in something between amusement and unpleasantness.

"Afraid they might hear it in our voices?" he asked. Even with that mask on and the voice-changing effects, there was something undeniably similar about their tones and cadences. No doubt their luck would dictate that someone might put the two together enough for suspicions to rise. "Don't worry, I'll keep mum. Maybe pretend they got my throat in the attack."

[derriphan]

"Doubtful but not impossible." Much as he might like to needle Hux about his people's incompetence, the First Order tended not to employ fools. Someone - and with their luck the wrong someone - was bound to notice something eventually.

"Good." He debated whether or not it might be worth having a word with the Medical Officer currently on duty. Persuasion had never really been his strong point, preferring a decisive show of force as opposed to relying too much on more persnickety skills.

"Try to rest in the meantime. When we move, we move."

[androit]

That was that, then. What else could they do? Lashing out aimlessly wasn't going to help, and whatever time limit they were against wasn't something they could broadcast in the hopes of making the First Order move up Junior's importance in their plans. No one had any idea what — or who, really — they were sitting on with his capture. It was mostly a curse, but a minor blessing since it gave them time to sit down and talk before everything would crumble down around them.

"And we move together," Junior said, feeling a dread that somehow Ben still hadn't gotten onto that same thought. It was paranoia, plain and simple, his faith in Ben not extending to Ben's own well-being. Not after all this time in the hands of Snoke. Ben needed someone to watch out for him just like he had done for Junior when they were small. Lifetimes ago.

Regardless of that thought, he really did need to rest. Sighing, Junior tried to settle further into the cot and turned his gaze to the ceiling. "It's too bad you can't stay, but I doubt there's a way to excuse you sitting by a prisoner's side the entire time he's sleeping."

[derriphan]

Turning when Junior spoke, and it was a good thing he had the mask - even if his brother had a way of parsing even his slightest expressions.

His concerns were his brother. His concern would always be with his brother, the drive to protect him practically written into his DNA - of course it was hardly unique to him, which was why he could already see the impending argument that would ensue when the time to act finally came.

However, for the moment he focused on what he did know. That, for the moment at least, they had some wiggle room, provided Junior could keep his mouth shut.

Still. He reached over, curling his fingers around Junior's wrist and squeezed - he'd had to keep himself from doing this while he'd slept, afraid of the scrutiny it might draw, but perhaps that had been a mistake and if things didn't work out as he'd hoped he didn't want their last moments together to be ones filled with regret.

[androit]

Worrying about Junior speaking up was never the problem. He was quiet and difficult to talk to by nature; being put under some legitimate form of distress was only going to worsen that. When it came to communication, their connection as twins was generally more valuable than using the Force simply because Ben had always known what those feelings meant on the personal level. Never mind that Junior's own connection to the Force had been meager at best until their connection had been clouded fifteen years past.

Breath came to Junior like he was trying to extract oxygen from water. Choking up here and now wasn't going to do anything but even the contact through cloth and leather, small and brief and overall inconsequential, felt powerful enough to move the stars. He swallowed against it, forced his lungs to keep working against the tide of emotion. His lips curled into a small smile, one of hope and assurance, before it faded only for the sake of posterity. "Go. Do your dark lord thing," he implored. The slight crack to his voice was telling enough that drawing attention to it would only make it worse.

They were going to get out of this. They were. Maker take them all, Junior would not allow this opportunity to pass them by.