Fic: Flashes of Life
Title:Flashes of Life
Author:EtherealFlaim
Rating:PG
Fandom:Prison Break
Characters:Lincoln, Michael
Summary:Lincoln makes a startling realization.
Dedication:To the beautiful and talented foxriverinmate! May your muse never sleep and your inkwell never run dry.
Author's Notes:I really missed these guys all over again, not to mention all of my dear readers. This is the result of a plot bunny that I had awhile ago, and while I don't think I did the original bunny justice, I can't recall the full details of my inspiration. But, it flowed very well and I like how it turned out nonetheless. I hope it's up to the same standard as my latest fiction, but I won't be surprised if I've regressed a little bit in having neglected my muse for so long. Enjoy!
Lincoln was furious. He could feel the worn tile floor beneath his feet withdraw slightly with each pounding footstep as he trailed behind the Dean of Students. If I lose my job over this, he thought, I'll... but the thought stopped there. Even at his angriest, Lincoln knew he would never hurt Michael.
The oversized, self-important man in front of Lincoln stopped at the door to the boy's locker room and peered imperiously at Lincoln before opening the door with one hand and stepping out of the way. Lincoln took the hint and walked into the warm, damp locker room and walked across the tiled floor without really paying much attention to what his feet were doing.
Lincoln stopped in his tracks, feeling the anger disappear faster than an unattended laptop in the midtown library. Michael sat, clothes soaked through and eyes glazed over, in the corner of the shower. It didn't sink in until he saw the water running off of his brother's expressionless face that he hadn't been called out of work because Michael had been kicked out of school... he'd been called from his job because despite the school guidance counselor's best efforts, he was the only one who understood Michael. He'd never realized that before.
--
Lincoln deposited the comatose boy on the cot in his room. He tried to remember the last time he'd actually slept on it, and gave up. As he briefly stroked the short-cropped hair of his younger brother's head, the boy's eyes fluttered opene and their eyes met. Before lincoln could even open his mouth to say--well, he didn't know what he was planning on saying, but--Michael shut them tight again and rolled into a fetal ball against the opposite side of the cot.
"Mikey?" Lincoln softly inquired. There was no response. He took up a position at the edge of the cot behind Michael's balled-up form. In a brief flash of sensitivity which surprised even him, the older boy silently reached down and drew his brother into a tight embrace. He breathed slowly, knowing somehow that in saying nothing he was saying everything that Michael needed to hear.
After what seemed like a week to Lincoln, Michael shifted slightly in his brother's embrace and took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Linc."
Lincoln just hugged his brother a little tighter, assuming that wasn't all the boy was going to say.
"It's been awhile since I've let anything get to me like that." Michael paused, taking a deep breath and sitting up from his brother's embrace. "But I guess Love was never supposed to be easy."
Lincoln thought about that for a few seconds. "I don't think I even knew what love was at your age, Mikey. And that's assuming I do now."
"I think that's what it's called when you would willingly step in front of a bullet for soneone, Linc. And when you feel more and more incomplete the farther you are away from them." Michael paused for the briefest instant before meeting his brother's eyes before adding: "And when the only thing you think about is holding him and being held in turn."`
Lincoln felt an electric shock as the pronoun landed a solid blow on his brain, catching himself only in time to prevent the tremor which was threatening to shudder through him. He knew he'd be lucky if his brothe rhadn't noticed anyway, but knew that Michael would never let on that he'd seen.
It wasn't as if Lincoln had never suspected... he would have considered himself a terrible (well, even worse) brother if such news came as a complete shock. It was simply something he thought he'd never actually hear, let alone from his scarcely pubescent brother himself.
"Oh, Mikey."
Lincoln wrapped the younger boy up in his arms and held him close to his chest again, wishing that he could somehow prevent the hardship that he knew was down the road for his brother and knowing full well that there was nothing he could do.
"Love is never easy, but you've got it bad. It's not fair, but maybe it'll make you a stronger person in the long run."
The words were so ineloquent that they even pained Lincoln, but smooth speech was always his brother's forte... not his.
"Just know, Mikey, that I love you and will always be here, no matter how many boys break your heart.
"And if anyone ever threatens you or calls you names, I'll make sure they learn a lesson in tolerance, okay Mikey?"
His promise felt so ineffectual and pale in comparison to what his brother must have been going through, but he felt the younger boy smile into his shoulder anyway, and the tension in his body began to ease. Practically before he knew it, Michael was asleep in his arms.
As Lincoln sat, water dripping down from the sponge atop his shaved head, it finally hit him just who his brother had been talking about.
God, if you're out there, he thought, hear me just this once. I'll never ask anything from you again.
Get me out of this mess, and I promise I'll make it up to him.
And then the phone rang. Comments are always welcome!
Lincoln was furious. He could feel the worn tile floor beneath his feet withdraw slightly with each pounding footstep as he trailed behind the Dean of Students. If I lose my job over this, he thought, I'll... but the thought stopped there. Even at his angriest, Lincoln knew he would never hurt Michael.
The oversized, self-important man in front of Lincoln stopped at the door to the boy's locker room and peered imperiously at Lincoln before opening the door with one hand and stepping out of the way. Lincoln took the hint and walked into the warm, damp locker room and walked across the tiled floor without really paying much attention to what his feet were doing.
Lincoln stopped in his tracks, feeling the anger disappear faster than an unattended laptop in the midtown library. Michael sat, clothes soaked through and eyes glazed over, in the corner of the shower. It didn't sink in until he saw the water running off of his brother's expressionless face that he hadn't been called out of work because Michael had been kicked out of school... he'd been called from his job because despite the school guidance counselor's best efforts, he was the only one who understood Michael. He'd never realized that before.
--
Lincoln deposited the comatose boy on the cot in his room. He tried to remember the last time he'd actually slept on it, and gave up. As he briefly stroked the short-cropped hair of his younger brother's head, the boy's eyes fluttered opene and their eyes met. Before lincoln could even open his mouth to say--well, he didn't know what he was planning on saying, but--Michael shut them tight again and rolled into a fetal ball against the opposite side of the cot.
"Mikey?" Lincoln softly inquired. There was no response. He took up a position at the edge of the cot behind Michael's balled-up form. In a brief flash of sensitivity which surprised even him, the older boy silently reached down and drew his brother into a tight embrace. He breathed slowly, knowing somehow that in saying nothing he was saying everything that Michael needed to hear.
After what seemed like a week to Lincoln, Michael shifted slightly in his brother's embrace and took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Linc."
Lincoln just hugged his brother a little tighter, assuming that wasn't all the boy was going to say.
"It's been awhile since I've let anything get to me like that." Michael paused, taking a deep breath and sitting up from his brother's embrace. "But I guess Love was never supposed to be easy."
Lincoln thought about that for a few seconds. "I don't think I even knew what love was at your age, Mikey. And that's assuming I do now."
"I think that's what it's called when you would willingly step in front of a bullet for soneone, Linc. And when you feel more and more incomplete the farther you are away from them." Michael paused for the briefest instant before meeting his brother's eyes before adding: "And when the only thing you think about is holding him and being held in turn."`
Lincoln felt an electric shock as the pronoun landed a solid blow on his brain, catching himself only in time to prevent the tremor which was threatening to shudder through him. He knew he'd be lucky if his brothe rhadn't noticed anyway, but knew that Michael would never let on that he'd seen.
It wasn't as if Lincoln had never suspected... he would have considered himself a terrible (well, even worse) brother if such news came as a complete shock. It was simply something he thought he'd never actually hear, let alone from his scarcely pubescent brother himself.
"Oh, Mikey."
Lincoln wrapped the younger boy up in his arms and held him close to his chest again, wishing that he could somehow prevent the hardship that he knew was down the road for his brother and knowing full well that there was nothing he could do.
"Love is never easy, but you've got it bad. It's not fair, but maybe it'll make you a stronger person in the long run."
The words were so ineloquent that they even pained Lincoln, but smooth speech was always his brother's forte... not his.
"Just know, Mikey, that I love you and will always be here, no matter how many boys break your heart.
"And if anyone ever threatens you or calls you names, I'll make sure they learn a lesson in tolerance, okay Mikey?"
His promise felt so ineffectual and pale in comparison to what his brother must have been going through, but he felt the younger boy smile into his shoulder anyway, and the tension in his body began to ease. Practically before he knew it, Michael was asleep in his arms.
As Lincoln sat, water dripping down from the sponge atop his shaved head, it finally hit him just who his brother had been talking about.
God, if you're out there, he thought, hear me just this once. I'll never ask anything from you again.
Get me out of this mess, and I promise I'll make it up to him.
And then the phone rang. Comments are always welcome!