Chapter Text
The last thing Brian ever expected was to get a phone call at three in the morning saying he was now the legal guardian of his youngest cousin. Let alone that said cousin was in the hospital due to negligence and abuse or that CPS hadn’t been able to get ahold of the child's older sister.
It was a lot to take in. Brian was only twenty-three, what was he supposed to do with a kid?
But Brian also remembered Evan. Remembered how excited the kid was on the rare times that Brian had actually gone to see his extended family. How happy the kid always was to be away from his parents, going with practically a stranger just because. How excited he was to see Brians beat up old car that he had been working on at the time. What would happen to that smiley kid if Brian didn’t take him.
Apparently Evan had already been hurt enough by people he was supposed to trust.
Brian was not going to let him down.
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Keeping Evan under wraps from the Feds was easier said than done, but he managed it. Who was going to look that closely into his file anyways. All they saw was a pretty boy. A reckless cop who wanted more than he could ever have. No one would ever trust him with an actual kid.
Keeping Evan hidden from the Toretto's. Not so much. Not with how often he was hanging around their home and in their garage.
It would be impossible.
So Brian made a decision. And on a cooler morning a few weeks after collecting Evan, they both showed up outside the garage.
Evan still had a black eye and a cast on but was bouncing around jumping over cracks in the pavement like it was a trampoline. Brian stood motionless, leaning against his car. Not the Truck he’d been driving around in, his actual Nisan. The one that was owned and had plates in his name. The one that now had a car seat in the back and if the Feds found out he was driving, would be repossessed in a heartbeat. Legally or not.
Dom came out the garage door and stopped, watching Brian, watching Evan, who was still bouncing around before finally looking at the car.
“The hell is that Spilner?”
“Which part Dom?” Brian asked with a sigh, slowly rocking forward, hands itching to snatch Evan back from where he had paused at the new voice.
“All of it.” There was a hard glint in Dom’s eyes now and Brian was almost positive that if Evan wasn't standing in between them, Brian might have been shoved into the hood of his car like he was during that fight at the store.
“We should probably go inside.” Brian said, nodding towards the darkened interior of the garage.
Evan scampered backwards and grabbed Brian’s hand. His cast made it difficult to move his fingers too much. Dom watched all of it carefully before nodding his head and turning around to go back in.
Brian kept a tight grip on Evan’s little fingers. The kid had a knack for getting into things and in a garage like this, that could spell a lot of trouble for everyone.
Letty was under the hood of one of the cars in the bay, and Vince was picking through one of the toolboxes that lined the wall. ‘At the moment,’ Brian thought, ‘Vince and Dom are definitely the bigger threat.’ he plopped Evan on the couch in the corner, and told him to stay put, before turning to Dom.
By now, they had caught Vince’s attention and he watched them all carefully, especially Evan.
“Alright.” Dom growled, once Brian had seen Evan settle back on the couch. “Spill.”
“Look, I’m not gonna BS you. I’m a cop. LAPD liaison, technically. I was sent to ID who’s behind the semi jackings.”
Dom snarled, hands curling in fists, “And you’re telling me this why?”
“Because I’ve got him.” Brian whispered nodding towards where Evan was finally dozing off on the couch.
“He’s my cousin. My responsibility. He is worth more than any fucking job. But it’s not safe for me to be out here with so much to lose.” He took a deep breath. “I took the assignment before I got custody of him. Didn’t know anyone would be crazy enough to leave me in charge of a little kid, but they did. And now he’s more important and I need him to be safe, and I need to be safe for him so… I had to tell you the truth.”
“So, what do you want us to do now!” Vince snapped, finally losing his cool. “You want to threaten us with something, is that it?” he was stalking forwards now, voice rising even as his Brian felt the bottom of his stomach fall through the floor.
“Vince don’t.” Brian growled, stepping in front of Evan slowly. Dom noted that it was more likely that Brian would take a punch first than ever let the kid be targeted, but Brian should have known they wouldn't go after the kid. Right?
“I knew it. I knew there was something about you.” Vince was practically howling now, right up in Brian's face. Brian didn’t flinch. “Too smooth. Too quiet. Too interested in everything we were doing! I told you Dom he’s a damn rat!”
Vince reared his hand back almost like he was going to take a swing Brian, but before he could do it a small voice stopped him.
“Bri…”
Evan was awake.
Evan was awake and watching as his guardian was about to get beat to hell.
Evan was awake and listening to everyone bad mouth his cousin who saved him.
Evan might not have been very big, but he was brave.
Stumbling off the couch, blurry eyed and confused, Evan shoved between Vince and Brian, kicking at Vince’s legs when he didn’t step back quick enough.
“You jus.. Jus stay away from my Brian!” Evan yelled, holding his hands out like he was going to protect them both from Vince if fists started flying. Brian was already trying to yank him back behind him. A bigger body being the better shield.
Vince jumped away from both of them like he’d been burnt. Dom and Letty stood silently.
They all stood stunned for a second before panicked breathing finally caught up to them.
“Oh Sunshine…” Brian sighed quietly, leaning down to scoop Evan into his arms, hand carding through curly hair, careful of the tangles. “Shhh, shhh, it’s okay sunshine. No one is going to hurt you. Never again. I would never let it happen. Just breathe, okay?”
Evan was still gasping for breath, cries turning to near hysterics before any of them could make out what he was saying. “I—I messed up—he’s mad—he’s gonna hurt you—I—”
“No. No, he’s not. I promise, kid, I’ve got you. Nobody’s gonna touch me. Nobody’s gonna touch you. You hear me?”
The shuddering did not stop; in fact it increased when Brian said that.
“It doesn't seem like he trusts you very much, Arizona.” Letty side eyed Brian, but her comment made Evan snarl. Not that it was much of a scare tactic, what with tears still dripping down his face and snot running from his nose. The growl was almost kitten-like. But it was enough to make everyone freeze.
“Don’t you be mean to my.. My… my Bri no more!” He went to lunge out of Brian's arms ready to attack anyone who thought they could hurt his Brian.
“Easy Killer.” Dom almost chuckled. If the situation weren't so serious he would have found the relationship between the two startlingly strange but familiar. It would have reminded him of him and Mia honestly. But at the same time there was so much to unpack. So much to learn and come to term with. So many lies.
“Lets take this to the house. Letty would you mind closing the shop down. Vince head on up to the house and grab Mia, Leon and Jesse. Family meeting time.”
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“First off I want to say that I wasn't going to turn you in.” The glares Brian got from that were numerous and frosty. “I didn’t even really realize it was you guys until a few weeks ago…”
“Then why the hell are you still here?” snapped Vince, losing his patients again.
“Because I can't just disappear on an op!” Brian snapped, fists clenched at his sides. “And do you realize it’s not just LAPD after you! You have feds coming after you. Federal Government! Do you realize the truckers are arming themselves? Because they are! And I’m still here because, unfortunately for me, I got fucking attached!”
It was like the room exhaled.
Nobody spoke.
Brian took another deep breath and began again. “Here is what you're going to do. ONE!” he held up his fingers for emphasis, “you're going to go to ground, no truck jackings, no racing right now, you keep your heads down and you stay out of trouble! TWO!” another finger went up, “I am going to plant some evidence in the Tran’s garage. Hopefully that will take the heat off of you guys. So long as you keep your damn heads down. THIRD… if you tell anyone I’m helping you, we are all screwed.”
There was a general consensus to keep their heads down and their mouths shut. Before anyone else could start interrogating Brian a tiny voice caught their attention. “Bri… I’m hungry…”
Brian let out a tiny sigh before turning towards the little head that had peaked around the corner. “I know Sunshine, we're almost done here and then we can go to McDonalds. Okay?”
“K.” and the little boy was gone again, back to the living room where he had been sitting on the couch.
“You have a kid?” Jesse asked, eyes fixed on where Evan had been previously, like he could still see the outline of him on the wall.
“Yep, sure do.” Brian nodded distractedly, turning back to the crew. Mia gave him a dirty look.
“And you didn’t tell us, why?” She had been angling to position herself in Brian’s good graces, maybe get a date out of it before her brother scared him off, but she had no intention of being a mother.
“I just got him.” Brian grinned, sharp, daring anyone to question him further. Mia’s face darkened, like she didn’t believe him at all, but Brian didn’t care. Dom, Letty and Vince already knew he had just gotten custody. They could fill in the gaps for the others.
“You're not taking him to McDonalds. That’s crap.” Dom finally said, as Brian scooped up some of the evidence, he would be planting off the table and turned to leave.
“Hey I grew up on that stuff; I turned out fine so far.” Brian said sarcastically. “Plus, it’s almost his bedtime. Schedules are good for kids.”
“No shit genius." Vince’s eyes darkened, “He meant you're eating dinner here. Then when we’re done, we can plant some evidence, and someone will be here to watch the kid.”
“Oh, so now you're invested or something?” The scowl on Brian’s face would have frozen anyone else, but Vince had been receiving that look from day one. Vince didn’t give a damn.
“Apparently, Buster. And better the kid stays here than wherever you were going to stash him away.”
“Don’t you dare try and tell me how to raise my kid Vince. I will kick your ass.”
“I’m not trying to tell you how to raise your kid, I'm telling you, you both are staying here!”
Everyone else had been silent for most of the exchange, just watching the verbal boxing match and contemplating how deep Vince could dig himself into a hole before Brian actually punched him.
Brian took a deep breath, eyes narrowed, before that cold glaze crept over him.
There was a reason they called him snowman, and it wasn't just because he was a white boy.
“I am going to go feed my kid. Then we are going to go drop some fucking evidence. After that… After that I’ll get the hell out of your hair, and you won't ever have to see me again.”
The tension in the room had reached an all-time high. As much as no one wanted to admit it, Brian had become part of the team. He was one of them. And while none of them would voice it out loud (except maybe Mia) if Brian left, they were absolutely certain that his words would be true. They would never see him or the kid again.
“Brian.” Dom said quietly, stepping forward from where he’d been leaning in the doorway, “You’re going to need help. I know you don’t trust us right now, and our trust is kinda broken in you, but that kid is going to need a support system.”
Brian didn’t move, but his eyes were starting to thaw.
“Let’s get through the evidence drop first. We’ll go from there.”
And that was that. They heard the patter of little feet and Brian’s quiet voice mumbling something, and then the front door shut. The silence was deafening.
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The evidence that the police found in the Trans garage was enough to put all of them away for at least forty years.
The court case dragged on for a while, but in the end the heat slipped from the Toretto’s shoulders like a winter sun. Slowly sinking until there was nothing.
The crew did exactly as Brian told them. No racing. Keep their heads down. No trouble. By the book.
They did not see Brian.
They definitely did not see little Evan.
It took the crew a grand total of about a month before they broke down one Sunday after dinner and asked Jesse to hack the Police database and see what happened to Brian.
“He resigned.” Jesse smiled when he finally cracked the file.
“Does it say where he’s living?” Leon asked. He had been fairly quiet about the whole thing. He understood that a job was a job. He couldn't really hold it against Brian how he got said job done.
“Yeah… oof, that's a tough neighborhood.” Jesse paused, head tilted like a puppy, “well lookie here, we got the sealed file of one young Brian O’Conner.” the little grin on his face was mad with wonder. Jesse liked knowing things, not to be malicious, but because he needed to know, especially about the people he cared about.
“Let's hear it.” Vince smiled. He had been looking for the blonde for a few weeks. Casual, nothing to overt. He wanted to apologize. Maybe start over with the Buster.
“Hmm, Hmhm, hmhmhmmmm… Okay, home town of Barstow. Eww no wonder he didn't want to admit to that. That place is crap. Juvie from the age of thirteen until he was about fifteen. Three foster homes. Mom died of a drug overdose when he was sixteen. No father listed on any of his records. Lots of hospital visits under his belt though. Heh he was arrested for boosting cars, joy riding and intent to engage.”
“What was he doing?” Dom asked, leaning closer. He had assumed that Brian had a history with cars. No one who drove the way Brian did, didn't have a history of some sort. Besides that, Brian had admitted to some of it, when he was still pretending to be Brian Spilner.
“Well it wasn't drugs, so I can only assume it was himself.” Horrified looks form everyone in the room, but Jesse was still reading, “I could be wrong. It doesn't go into a lot of detail in that part.”
Vince looked like he was going to be sick. Dom didn't look much better.
Mia as always was the voice of reason, “Can we go back to the address please. So we can go get Brian and Evan.”
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Vince isn't proud of it, but they broke into the little house that Brian had been renting. Sadly it was easy to break in. Maybe that's because there was practically nothing in the house.
He could see where the chain on the door would be placed, and there were a few chairs that might be put under door handles and such, but this was not the best neighborhood at all.
“What the fuck is he thinking, keeping a kid in this place.” Dom grumbled, as he wandered in and out of rooms.
“Well it said he resigned. Did it say what he was planning on doing for a job?” Vince asked, honestly a little shocked at Brian himself. He clearly loved the kid, but this wasn't good for either of them.
Before Dom could respond, Leon signaled them from where he was standing by the window, “Brian’s back.”
Brian could clearly see his front door was open. He got out of the car slowly. None of them could see if Evan was in the back seat, but they hoped he was.
Brian eased his way towards the door. They could see the gun that was in his hands. He was almost to the door when Leon popped his head out, scaring all of them, “You might as well just get in here Bri. We ain't leaving otherwise.” The exhale that everyone let out was enough to power a small sailboat.
Brian glared as he turned back to the car. Evans' small head peaked out from behind the front seats, eyes wide.
The door opened and Brian swooped the kid up in his arms, a tiny backpack dangling from his hand.
Daycare.
The kid must have been at daycare.
Thank God Brian wasn't just leaving the kid all alone.
Leon grinned, waving casually at them both as they made their way inside. Evan waved back.
“What do you people want now?” Brian asked as he set Evan down at the table in the little kitchen, helping to get out the kids worksheets from the backpack.
None of them said anything as Brian eased himself around the kitchen, making a meager snack out of some peanut butter and crackers, and running a casual hand through Evans hair. Possessive. Protective.
“Well?” Brian snapped, finally looking up. His eyes looked tired.
“It’s time to go home, Bri.” Vince said quietly, thumbs hooked in his pockets. “We want you guys at home.”
Maybe they will never know if it was because Vicne said it, or because it was said in front of Evan, but Brian’s face almost collapsed at the statement. A look of silent resignation.
He turned around and sat at the table next to Evan, quietly passing him a crayon that had rolled to the edge of the table.
“Fine.”
It was almost a whisper, but it pierced the air like a gunshot would have.
“Fine.”