Brotherhood

Duo

He had no idea what he'd been drinking, but it felt like he was on the worst drunk ever. His head was lost in a fog. He couldn't move. It felt like he was somehow confined, held in place by hard rods. When he opened his eyes, the world had an odd green tint. It made his stomach churn, so he closed his eyes again.

"Brother?"

He opened his eyes, saw his brother standing before him. Unum's glowing eyes widened, a pleased smile spread across his face. "I see it's done."

He tried to sag, but wasn't able to. Something still held him in place. He looked down, saw the clamps holding him into a full body restraining chair that was somehow familiar. "Lemme go!"

"Of course."

Unum did something to the controls around the side of the chair, and the clamps released. He promptly fell out of the chair and would have collapsed if Unum hadn't caught him. Unum sat on the floor and gently cradled him in his lap.

He felt like there wasn't an ounce of strength in his long limbs. His head pounded, and he whimpered. "Shh, it's alright," Unum soothed, holding him close and rocking him gently. "I know it's hard. It's been a long time, but I remember." He smiled at him and playfully mussed his hair. "You did very well! How do you feel?"

He sagged, leaning against the smaller man. "Tired. Head hurts!"

"Your body has just undergone a massive change, and quite ahead of schedule," Unum explained. "It would have been far easier if we could have waited a few days, let the shards continue to work on you. But recent events have necessitated a hastening of our timetable."

He couldn't remember when he'd ever felt so bone weary, so utterly and completely exhausted. His eyes slipped closed again, and a soft snore escaped his lips.

"Now now, can't go to sleep just yet!" Unum laughed. "Murray, how are his readings?"

"Erratic, but he's stabilizing." Murray's voice was jarring, and he frowned, opening his eyes again. "You being there seems to be helping."

"He needs stable Shard presence," Unum declared. "That, I can provide."

"Fine. I'm heading back."

"Of course." Unum waited, giving her time to leave. Then he leaned towards him, looking like he was about to impart some great secret. "She's useful, but she isn't one of us, my brother. She's not even one of our trios. Not much more than enhanced monkey, really. You'll learn the difference in time."

His eyes were slipping closed again. Unum held him close and planted a kiss on his forehead. "That's it, my brother. Get your strength back."

Unum. He was so familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time. And the familiar was completely alien, while the unfamiliar felt like home. His brother was a perfect paradox. But Unum completed him. With Unum, he was whole.

So why was he shaking? What was this terrible fear that kept bubbling up in the back of his mind?

Unum was doing something now. He'd reached out his hand towards the vessel and was activating it, drawing the last of the failing energy from it. The way his brother held him, he was facing the vessel. He could feel it, the flow of the energy. Unum was passing the lion's share to him. Immediately, strength returned to his body, and with it came a dull, throbbing pain. "Hurts!"

"It will pass. Come, my brother, it is time." Unum ducked under his arm, slipped an arm around his waist, and got the larger man moving. They moved forward, stopping when the two of them stood directly in front of the vessel.