(no subject)
Title: Lonely Child
Author: liberateourtime
Characters: Lincoln, Michael
Rating: PG
Archive: Ask first
Spoilers: The only thing I can think of is the age difference between Lincoln and Michael. That might not even be true if my sources aren't reliable.
Summary: Michael was the reason that Dad skipped out. Lincoln swore that he'd never love his brother. Unbetaed ficlet.
Note: This will probably be made AU as the series goes on. I'm making up backstory here. Woo.
Eleven year old Lincoln was halfway across the dying grass of the front lawn when he spotted his six year old brother sitting in the middle of the cracked driveway, his small form hunched over something. Lincoln scowled and took the cigarette from his mouth, tossing it to the ground and stamping on it. He didn't smoke, he just liked to hold the cigarettes in his mouth. He thought that it made him look cool.
He arrived at the driveway and raised his eyebrows, staring at all the simple math equations, written in bright blue chalk, that littered the dark pavement of the driveway. 4+5=9. 2+4=6. Michael was six and doing math problems on the driveway.
"You always have to be such a nerd?" Lincoln sneered. He felt no love in his heart for this boy. Lincoln had heard the fights between his parents before Michael was born. Dad hadn't wanted another child, but Michael had come anyway. Dad had left. It was Michael's fault that Lincoln didn't have a father. Lincoln could never forgive his brother for that.
"'m practicing for school." Michael replied matter-of-factly, "Whoever gets the most problems right on the quiz tomorrow gets a basketball." He looked up from his work, blue eyes focusing intently on Lincoln for a moment. It was only for a second or two and then Michael was back at it again. Lincoln felt a shiver run down his spine. For someone so young, Michael always appeared so calculating, like he knew exactly what was going on everywhere at anytime. Lincoln gathered back his nerve and kicked at the ground with his dirty sneaker,
"Whaddaya want a basketball for? You're bad at sports." It was true. Lincoln had watched time and time again as Michael's tiny build worked against him and destroyed any chance of the younger brother having a natural gift for sports.
"So?" Michael responded defiantly. Lincoln scoffed and didn't bother to reply. He whirled around and stormed back into the house. Michael shrugged his small shoulders lightly and went back to work. He had a plan.
A week later, Lincoln had forgotten about Michael's math problems. A thunderstorm had washed away the chalk on the driveway and Lincoln had other things to find wrong with his little brother. The math problems thing was just one of many. Michael was always pretending he was a spy, coming up with secret plans and sketching secret hideouts. Lincoln had caught him doodling a pretty accurate drawing of Lincoln's treehouse, an act that had led to a serious beatdown and two weeks of grounding for Lincoln.
Lincoln was hovering around the basketball courts of the school. It was the end of the day and he met Michael at the courts everyday so that they could walk home together. Of course, "walk home together" translated to "leave the grounds together and then Lincoln ditches Michael". Michael was late and Lincoln was about ready to just leave him and go home when the tell-tale pitter patter of fit sounded. Lincoln's eyes found Michael's small form sprinting across the playground, his backpack banging against his back as he ran and a large basketball clutched to his chest. The basketball that Michael had won during the math quiz had finally arrived.
Michael came to a stop by his brother, a full smile broken out across his face. Lincoln raised an eyebrow and looked down at him with a puzzled look on his face. "You're that happy about a basketball?" Lincoln still couldn't figure out why his sports hating brother would want it.
"It's for you!" Michael exclaimed breathlessly holding it up like a sacrifice. "I know yours got stolen a while ago, so I won this one for you." There was an awkward silence and Lincoln gingerly reached out and took the ball from his brother. Michael grinned again.
"Um, thanks." Michael nodded and Lincoln didn't know how else to react. Michael was the reason that Dad skipped out. Lincoln swore that he'd never love his brother, but as the years went on, that promise became harder and harder to keep. Sure, Michael drove Lincoln crazy, but they shared a bedroom. Lincoln was starting to find redeeming qualities in the little worm. Michael always volunteered to do Lincoln's chores and wanted to tag along when Lincoln went out with friends. Then, of course, there were the random gifts such as the basketball.
Lincoln was starting to like Michael and it bothered him. What would their relationship be like in ten years? In twenty? Surely, Michael would grow up and this weird fanatical devotion to his older brother would end. Right?
"C'mon, let's go, midget." Lincoln said gruffly, tucking the basketball under one arm and pulling Michael under his other. The two began to walk home. This time Lincoln wouldn't ditch Michael. It was the least he could do.
Maybe Michael wasn't so bad after all.
Author: liberateourtime
Characters: Lincoln, Michael
Rating: PG
Archive: Ask first
Spoilers: The only thing I can think of is the age difference between Lincoln and Michael. That might not even be true if my sources aren't reliable.
Summary: Michael was the reason that Dad skipped out. Lincoln swore that he'd never love his brother. Unbetaed ficlet.
Note: This will probably be made AU as the series goes on. I'm making up backstory here. Woo.
Eleven year old Lincoln was halfway across the dying grass of the front lawn when he spotted his six year old brother sitting in the middle of the cracked driveway, his small form hunched over something. Lincoln scowled and took the cigarette from his mouth, tossing it to the ground and stamping on it. He didn't smoke, he just liked to hold the cigarettes in his mouth. He thought that it made him look cool.
He arrived at the driveway and raised his eyebrows, staring at all the simple math equations, written in bright blue chalk, that littered the dark pavement of the driveway. 4+5=9. 2+4=6. Michael was six and doing math problems on the driveway.
"You always have to be such a nerd?" Lincoln sneered. He felt no love in his heart for this boy. Lincoln had heard the fights between his parents before Michael was born. Dad hadn't wanted another child, but Michael had come anyway. Dad had left. It was Michael's fault that Lincoln didn't have a father. Lincoln could never forgive his brother for that.
"'m practicing for school." Michael replied matter-of-factly, "Whoever gets the most problems right on the quiz tomorrow gets a basketball." He looked up from his work, blue eyes focusing intently on Lincoln for a moment. It was only for a second or two and then Michael was back at it again. Lincoln felt a shiver run down his spine. For someone so young, Michael always appeared so calculating, like he knew exactly what was going on everywhere at anytime. Lincoln gathered back his nerve and kicked at the ground with his dirty sneaker,
"Whaddaya want a basketball for? You're bad at sports." It was true. Lincoln had watched time and time again as Michael's tiny build worked against him and destroyed any chance of the younger brother having a natural gift for sports.
"So?" Michael responded defiantly. Lincoln scoffed and didn't bother to reply. He whirled around and stormed back into the house. Michael shrugged his small shoulders lightly and went back to work. He had a plan.
A week later, Lincoln had forgotten about Michael's math problems. A thunderstorm had washed away the chalk on the driveway and Lincoln had other things to find wrong with his little brother. The math problems thing was just one of many. Michael was always pretending he was a spy, coming up with secret plans and sketching secret hideouts. Lincoln had caught him doodling a pretty accurate drawing of Lincoln's treehouse, an act that had led to a serious beatdown and two weeks of grounding for Lincoln.
Lincoln was hovering around the basketball courts of the school. It was the end of the day and he met Michael at the courts everyday so that they could walk home together. Of course, "walk home together" translated to "leave the grounds together and then Lincoln ditches Michael". Michael was late and Lincoln was about ready to just leave him and go home when the tell-tale pitter patter of fit sounded. Lincoln's eyes found Michael's small form sprinting across the playground, his backpack banging against his back as he ran and a large basketball clutched to his chest. The basketball that Michael had won during the math quiz had finally arrived.
Michael came to a stop by his brother, a full smile broken out across his face. Lincoln raised an eyebrow and looked down at him with a puzzled look on his face. "You're that happy about a basketball?" Lincoln still couldn't figure out why his sports hating brother would want it.
"It's for you!" Michael exclaimed breathlessly holding it up like a sacrifice. "I know yours got stolen a while ago, so I won this one for you." There was an awkward silence and Lincoln gingerly reached out and took the ball from his brother. Michael grinned again.
"Um, thanks." Michael nodded and Lincoln didn't know how else to react. Michael was the reason that Dad skipped out. Lincoln swore that he'd never love his brother, but as the years went on, that promise became harder and harder to keep. Sure, Michael drove Lincoln crazy, but they shared a bedroom. Lincoln was starting to find redeeming qualities in the little worm. Michael always volunteered to do Lincoln's chores and wanted to tag along when Lincoln went out with friends. Then, of course, there were the random gifts such as the basketball.
Lincoln was starting to like Michael and it bothered him. What would their relationship be like in ten years? In twenty? Surely, Michael would grow up and this weird fanatical devotion to his older brother would end. Right?
"C'mon, let's go, midget." Lincoln said gruffly, tucking the basketball under one arm and pulling Michael under his other. The two began to walk home. This time Lincoln wouldn't ditch Michael. It was the least he could do.
Maybe Michael wasn't so bad after all.