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He couldn’t believe it when the news broke.
Jango had fallen on Geonosis? Impossible, he was their teacher, their bajir and yet.. He couldn’t deny the headlines he’d seen, or the holoimages he’d seen on the holonet. Slain by a Jedi.
Alpha-45 was supposed to be stronger than this. He couldn’t let his emotions get the better of him. He was supposed to be the best of the best, the strongest. And yet, as he’s sitting alone in the barracks, he feels torrents of emotion well up from inside him, piling and building up until he couldn’t hold it in any longer.
A choked sob escapes from him as he hurls the data pad he’d been viewing against the wall, the device clatters roughly against the floor as Alpha-45 wept to himself.
Memories of Prime… no, his buir seized him and flashed through his mind like blaster bolts. That’s right.. Jango had been their buir in all but name. He spent so much time with the Alpha’s and taught them so much, and looked out for them, protecting them from the Kaminii.
You’ve done well today in our training session, 45. I’m pleased.
The galaxy is a harsh place. I’m teaching you these skills so you can survive. Because I care about you. That last part was left unsaid, but you didn’t need to be a genius to realize his meaning.
“I’m sorry, fa-a-ather… I’m so sorry…” Came his raspy, hoarse voice. It echoed off the empty walls of the barracks. “I should’ve been there, I should’ve been there…”
He begged for forgiveness from Jango, pleaded for it, he pleaded again and again crying out for absolution, for failing to have been there to–
A pair of arms suddenly wraps around him and interrupts his mourning. This new person pulls them closely to their chest. He didn’t even hear the footsteps. Alpha-45 was alone, or was supposed to have been.
His breath hitches as he looks at who's sitting with him, and cradling him.
It’s Alpha-17.
“Seventeen.. How did you know I was here..?”
“You didn’t show up for early meal or mid meal, and you weren’t answering your comms. I was sent to check for you.”
“....” He’s silent as his vod explains.
“I heard you crying. It’s about Prime, isn’t it?” Seventeen’s voice is soothing.
Alpha-45 gives a hesitant nod to his brother’s question.
“...I know. You aren’t alone, Aed.” Seventeen gently rustles through his brother's hair. “Believe me.”
Seventeen lets go of his brother and stands, extending a hand towards him.
“It’s almost time for late meal. I know it won’t ultimately take away what you’re feeling, but you’ll feel a bit better once you’ve got some food in you. Afterwards, I promise to listen to all that you have to say. I’ll let you cry on my shoulder for as long as you need.”
Alpha-45 wipes away the tears in his eyes, takes his vod’s hand, and together, the two brothers depart from the empty barracks.
Although he still hurts, he felt a little better knowing that his brother would be there for him. Through thick and thin.