Domestication
I wanted Mike and Leo brotherly fluff, but couldn't find enough to be satisfied. (Seriously, people. This fandom is severely lacking in sibling fluff. Why is that?) Somehow that turned into thinking about how my Leo and Kai ended up with kids. This is why I don't let my mind out on it's own very often: it wanders into strange places.
This takes place in the Bright Skies universe, several months after Terra Venture crashed on Mirinoi. Much love for BlackCrimsonLight, who helped me figure out Mirinoi growth rates so this would be possible, and phantom_blue for her help with Validated and Loved.
Introduced
"Tribe Children?" Leo echoed, staring at Maya blankly. "You mean ... these kids are all orphans?"
Maya nodded. "Not everyone survived Furio's attack on Mirinoi," she explained quietly. "The children who lost their parents live here, where the tribe takes care of them."
"Maya!" A tanned boy who couldn't have been older than four raced towards them, flinging himself into Maya's arms.
She caught him with ease, gently running a hand through his long curls. "Doron," she greeted quietly, a gentle smile on her face Leo hadn't seen before.
He looked up at her after a moment, his expression fiercely determined. He took a deep breath, blurting "Maya, will you be my mother?"
"You'd have to ask Kendrix," she replied easily, not seeming the least bit surprised by his question.
He frowned, looking uncertain now. "Do you think she would want to be my father?"
Leo tried not to choke at the image his wording produced. Yes, he knew Maya and Kendrix were together. It was hard *not* to, after the 'welcome' Maya had given her when she came back to them - in full view of everyone. Kai had been scandalized, but Leo liked to think that was because he wasn't as comfortable with being open about their relationship as Maya apparently was.
"You'll never know until you ask," Maya reminded him sagely. "I believe she said she'd be by later today. You can ask her then."
Doron bit his lip, nodding.
Maya knelt down in front of him, touching his cheek with a soft smile. "I'm honored you love me so much, Doron. And I'm sure Kendrix will be thrilled. Why don't you play for now, while I show Leo around?"
He nodded again, flinging his arms around her one more time. "Love you, Maya," he declared. He pressed an awkward kiss to her cheek, and raced off without bothering to wait for a reply.
Leo was still frozen when Maya rose gracefully to her feet, and she laughed in a way that wasn't mocking when she looked at him. "On Mirinoi, we don't restrict by gender, the way Earthians do," she told him. He wondered at the word 'Earthians'; she hadn't called them that in months, not since she'd gotten routinely corrected after she joined them. "For us, mother is the one who nurtures the family, while father is the one who brings discipline."
In that sense, he supposed he could see Kendrix as a 'father'. She was more likely to enforce rules even when Maya thought they were silly.
"He's cute," he said finally. He glanced at her sidewise, smirking faintly. "Congratulations."
She smiled warmly in reply. "Thank you," she said sincerely. Either she hadn't gotten the joke, or she was ignoring it. Either one was likely with Maya.
A soft cry caught his attention. It shouldn't have - it was low-pitched, and barely audible through the din of the other children's play. But somehow he was drawn toward the sound.
He found himself standing beside a basket, starting down at the largest brown eyes he had ever seen.
The infant stared back at him, lower lip trembling as she sniffled. Beside - him? her? - rested another infant with matching auburn hair and chubby cheeks, this one resting quietly.
He reached for the baby without thinking, lifting it carefully to settle against his shoulder. To his surprise, the child quieted instantly, continuing to watch him with those large eyes. He raised a hand, wiggling his fingers experimentally. He grinned as the eyes followed his hand in rapt fascination.
"That's Neoma," Maya informed him, keeping her voice low as she offered him a bottle. She considered him for a moment. "She doesn't usually take to strangers so quickly."
"I've always been good with kids," he replied, shrugging his free shoulder in disinterest as he adjusted Neoma and gave her the bottle. She sucked contentedly, her eyes continuing to watch him.
"Normally she's very hard to calm," Maya persisted. "Her brother is the quiet one."
"Her brother?" he repeated, glancing back at Maya with a puzzled frown.
"Addi, her brother," she returned, nodding to the baby still sleeping in the basket. "They're twins."
He froze, staring down at the baby girl he held with a new sense of dread, as his world tilted sideways.
Her brown eyes stared back at him calmly.
Desired
"Hey, Leo," Kendrix called cheerfully, working her way through the toys to meet him.
"Hey," he said distractedly, catching Neoma's hand as she tried to smack her brother for the tattered blanket he was holding. "No," he told her firmly. "Don't hit your brother. Share."
Neoma pouted, flashing those big brown eyes at him again.
He raised his eyebrows. "Share," he said again, taking a corner of he blanket and handing it to her while making sure Addi still had a portion of it.
"You look like you're having fun," Kendrix told him as he straightened, sounding amused.
He shrugged. "They keep me busy," he said easily. He glanced at her. "So. Doron find you yet?"
To his surprise, she actually blushed. "Yeah."
He waited as she looked embarrassed, then sighed. "And?" he asked pointedly.
She glanced up almost shyly, shrugging a little. "It's a boy?"
He grinned, impulsively moving to give her a hug. "Congratulations," he said sincerely.
She blushed again, ducking her head slightly as she leaned against his shoulder. "It's a little more sudden than I expected," she admitted. "Apparently the only requirement to adopt a child on Mirinoi is that the parents and the child accept each other. I tried to ask Maya about it, but she seemed to think it was strange that we'd need something more than a roof over our heads and the fact that we want him. So, since Doron asked, that means he's ours now."
"I'm happy for you," he told her. "I mean it."
She smiled a little, glancing up at him. "And what about you? You seem to be pretty happy here."
He shook his head, his good mood fading a little. "No. Not me. Kai isn't ready for kids."
She eyed him for a moment. "But you are," she realized quietly.
He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm still waiting for Kai to be willing to actually tell people we're more than roommates," he reminded her, keeping his voice too low for anyone to overhear. "After that ... Well, we'll see."
Her expression softened, and she reached out to touch his arm in sympathy. "Leo ... "
"It's fine," he interrupted. He glanced over at the twins, who were starting to tug-of-war over the blanket again. "I'm fine."
He went to separate them, pretending not to notice that way Kendrix was staring at his back.
Validated
"There are other children to play with, you know," Karone commented mildly.
"Addi's been sick, and Neoma needs someone to keep her busy," he returned, keeping his gaze on the child as she happily waved around the stuffed toy he'd given her.
"That someone doesn't have to be you," she pointed out.
He shrugged. "Neoma responds better to me." He wasn't boasting; everyone who volunteered their time at the shelter had noticed the way the little girl had grown attached to Leo almost instantly. More than once he'd come in for the day to find a relieved person thrusting her into his arms before he made it all the way through the door. He wasn't sure why she liked him so much, but ... Well, that didn't matter much in the long run, did it?
Karone sighed, folding her arms and leaning against the wall. "Leo," she said quietly. "I'm getting worried about you. You spent all your time here, and you're always with these two kids. Is something wrong?"
"No." It came out faster than he'd meant it to, and he swallowed back the sudden surge of discomfort. He tilted his head back for a moment and closing his eyes. "It's not wrong," he said finally.
"But it is bothering you."
He sighed quietly, because this was Karone. And while Karone was sweet and innocent and childishly naive at times, he knew about a side of her that no one else had gotten the chance to see. Somehow, he owed her for that. If anything, just because he knew she didn't think of it that way.
He took a slow breath, steeling himself. This wasn't something he liked to talk about, and the last time he'd even brought it up had been with Mike, just after he'd come back. And that hadn't exactly been a pleasant conversation.
"I ... " He stopped, running a hand through his hair. "They're too young to really understand how important they are to each other," he said finally, keeping his voice soft so no one else would overhear. "They've already lost their parents. I don't want to see them lose each other, too." He swallowed. "They don't deserve that."
She studied him for a long moment. "You had a twin?" she asked at last.
He probably should have been surprised at how quickly she figured it out; he wasn't.
He shook his head. "Not really. He - uh, it, died before it was born. My mother was in a car accident when she was eight months pregnant. I was the only one who survived."
"It was your brother?"
He sighed again, nodding. "Supposed to be," he murmured.
He found himself wrapped in a hug before he quite realized what was happening, and hugged her back instinctively. "I'm sorry," she said simply, and released him. She stepped back again to offer him a soft, sweet smile. "Do what makes you happy, Leo. If helping them is it, then that's what you should do."
He frowned. "You sure changed your mind fast. A few minutes ago, you thought I was obsessed with them."
She shrugged lightly. "Well, you are. But not for the reasons I thought you were, so that makes it okay."
"The reasons you thought I was?" he repeated, slightly alarmed.
"It's not important." She flashed him a bright smile, grabbed a large ball, and walked away, calling "Who wants to play?"
He stared after her for a moment, starting as he felt something pat his hand as it rested on the side of the basket. He glanced down to find Neoma staring up at him, waving her stuffed toy again. He grinned, leaning down to swoop her up and raise her high above his head.
She squealed in delight, and he pushed the memories away once again.
Wanted
Addi snuggled close, drinking contentedly from his bottle. Neoma was already sound asleep, and he kept her close enough for him to watch and her to see him if she woke up. He smiled faintly as Addi blinked up at him sleepily.
He didn't look up as a shadow hovered behind him, because he already knew who it was. He shifted Addi a little, carefully removing the bottle as the little boy's eyelids lowered further, and moved him to his shoulder. "You might want to step back," he murmured absently.
Surprisingly, the questions waited until he'd finished burping Addi and laid him to rest beside his sister, tucking them in carefully and pausing to run a hand over the soft wisps of hair on each infant's head. Addi snuggled into his touch, while Neoma tried to cling to his finger. He leaned over to kiss her forehead lightly as he gently pried himself free, and turned to look up at his brother.
Mike was watching him with an expression he couldn't read. "You really love these kids, don't you?" he asked finally.
He paused, looking up at him warily. "I ... " He hesitated. "Yeah," he said finally. "I do."
Mike nodded slowly, looking down for a moment. "Is it ... because of .... ?"
He didn't bother pretending not to know what he was talking about. "At first," he admitted quietly. "I didn't want them to end up like me, you know?"
"Leo - "
He shook his head, effectively silencing his brother. "But it's not like that anymore. I just ...." He shrugged, glancing down at the sleeping children. A warm feeling swept over him, and he could feel the smile on his face as he gazed at them. "I love them."
Mike was silent for a moment. "You told Kai?" he asked finally.
Leo gave him a wry look. "Did you actually need to ask that?"
Mike rolled his eyes in response. He'd made no secret of the fact that he didn't like Kai's stance on their relationship, if only because it wasn't what Leo wanted. So far things had stayed peaceful between them, more because Leo had threatened to disown them both if they started fighting than because of their own friendship. "He should know."
"Why?" Leo asked practically. "So he can feel guilty about why I'm always here? Kai's not ready for kids, and that's fine. I'm okay with that. I know he loves me, and that's what matters."
"Is it?" Mike gave him a pointed look. "Leo, you know that I - "
"Just want me to be happy, yeah, I know." He gave his older brother a fondly amused smile. "I'm happy, Mike. Really."
Mike let out a long sigh, reaching out to pull him against his side in a one-armed hug. The movement was slow and careful enough to give him time to move away if he wanted, but he allowed it. It was nearly a year now since thought he'd lost his older brother, but the feeling of Mike not being there still lingered. There were awkward moments when Mike didn't know how much he could get away with, and Leo wasn't sure how much he was willing to let him, but in general, the front he'd once put up for his older brother was gone now.
Mike had already proven that he wouldn't abandon him.
He was leaning against Mike without realizing it, and it came as a surprise when he finally noticed. He hadn't been this touchy with his brother in years - at least until he'd come back. Mike of course hadn't said a word, clearly enjoying whatever companionship he was willing to give at the moment.
"So," Mike said at last, and it was strange to hear that voice so close, the word spoken so quietly. "You're planning on making me a grandfather already?"
He did a double take, looking up at him in total bewilderment. "*What*?"
Mike was grinning - no, *smirking* at him. "Well, I raised you already, didn't I? That means your kids will be my grandchildren."
Leo rolled his eyes. "You're such a dork."
And then there was the much hated tussling of his hair and brief squeezing his shoulders, done fast enough to keep him from stopping it before Mike stepped back again.
"Whatever you say, little brother."
Needed
"Yo, Leo!"
He glanced up, right arm tightening around Addi as his left went to hitch Neoma up higher against his shoulder. He winced as her little hands wound their way gleefully into his hair and tugged. "Ow - ow! Neoma, no. Stop."
He placed Addi in Damon's arms as soon as the other man was close enough, reaching up to disentangle Neoma, who promptly burst into tears at having her fun taken away. He sighed, rocking her gently and kissing her head before reaching out to accept Addi back with his free arm. The little boy watched his sister's crying in wide-eyed bewilderment. "Hey, Damon," he managed at last. "What's up?
Damon started at him, completely baffled. "I was about to say the same to you."
Leo smiled faintly, rocking Neoma back and forth and making soft shushing noises to calm her. "Usually she's better behaved than this," he told him ruefully. "Unfortunately it's almost n-a-p time."
"Nap time?" Damon repeated skeptically, looking at him like he was a few skittles short of the rainbow.
Leo groaned as Neoma began to scream at the forbidden word. "Shh, shh, it's okay, sweetie," he murmured, kissing her head again. "It's all right, no one's going to make you go to sleep. It's okay .... " He hummed softly, rocking his arms slightly.
As usual, Addi was out like a light within a few minutes of this treatment, which allowed him to lay him down and focus all of his attention on calming Neoma. It took every trick he knew: wrapping her up in his overshirt, holding her snug and warm against his chest with her little head resting near his heart while he rocked back and forth, continuing to hum soothingly to her, but eventually her eyes finally drifted closed, her hands fisting in his shirt.
He sighed and just tucked her in still wrapped in it; it wasn't worth waking her for the fight to get it back. He straightened to find Damon had snagged a seat in a rocking chair, and was still staring at him in completely and total bewilderment. "Sorry about that," he told him softly, moving slowly away from the basket so he wouldn't wake the twins. "Neoma doesn't like to take her naps. Did you need something?"
"So you really are taking care of these kids?" Damon shook his head in disbelief as Leo nodded. "No offense, but you're the last one of us I saw as a parent."
Leo smiled wryly. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
"Why?" Damon wanted to know.
He tilted his head, frowning at him in confusion. "Why do I get that a lot, or why am I taking care of them?"
Damon raised his eyebrows. "Both, I guess."
He shrugged. "Most people don't seem to think I'm very trustworthy, or that something can hold my attention for more than five minutes. Apparently I'm impatient, too," he added in afterthought, glancing over at the basket as one of the twins made a noise to make sure they were still sleeping. "I'm taking care of them because they need a lot of attention, and I'm the best at handling them."
"Yeah, right," Damon snorted. "So what's the real reason?"
Leo looked down, chuckling softly. "Honestly? I love them."
"You love them?"
He shrugged again at the skeptical tone, trying to keep from feeling defensive. "Yeah, I do. They're ... they're so small and helpless, you know? They need someone to look out for them. And they need more attention because there's two of them, so I just ... do it."
Damon looked at him for a long moment. It was irritating, because that made him the fifth one of his team to come and ask him why he was doing this, and then stare at him like they were trying to read some sort of extra answer he wasn't admitting to in his face. Like he had something to hide about why he wanted to take care of a couple of kids. Like the idea that he wanted to take care of them was strange.
At last Damon stood and offered a fist, which he bumped instinctively. "Whatever makes you happy, man," he said with a casual shrug. "Personally, I don't really do the kid thing. I've got enough stuff to worry about."
He smiled in spite of his irritation. "Yeah. Just wait until the girls ask you to baby-sit."
"Why would they do that when they have you?"
He laughed, watching his friend leave with a fond smile. Then he turned to look at his - the twins again, sighing quietly.
No, not his. Never his.
Loved
If there was ever a time when he'd wanted Kai to meet the twins, it wasn't while Neoma was in the middle of a full-blown temper tantrum.
He had fed her, changed her, tried to play with her, and nothing seemed to make her happy. Frustrated to no end, he'd finally flopped down in a chair, rocking back and forth with a twin in each arm. Addi was snuggled contentedly against him, while Neoma's cries finally died down into hiccups broken by the occasional soft sob. With a subtle sigh of relief, he leaned down to kiss each of their foreheads.
He probably should have expected the hand that settled on his shoulder, but he still had to fight not to jump. He knew, suddenly and without looking, exactly who was standing behind him. But then, he probably shouldn't have thought he'd be able to hide this for long. Taking a slow, deep breath, he looked up.
Kai's expression was strangely soft as he watched him. After a moment, he gave a faint smile, reaching out to gently run a hand over Neoma's hair.
Leo tensed slightly, but to his surprise, Neoma just opened her eyes to blink up at Kai. She stared at him for a long moment, and Leo waited for her to start crying the way she had when any one who wasn't him had tried to touch her. Then she yawned, rolled over, and snuggled back into him.
Startled, he looked back up at Kai to find that gentle expression on his face had turned wry, though about the look in his eyes was still oddly soft. Leo stared at him for a moment, heart pounding. Kai's emotions were always written on his face, and he knew what he was reading; he just wasn't sure if he wanted to believe it.
"Are you sure you're ready for kids, Kai?" he asked hesitantly, struggling to keep his voice quiet.
"I was ready for you, wasn't I?" came the retort, followed by a sigh and a gentle kiss pressed to his temple. "What do we need to do?"
"Tell Tanis we want to take them home." He smiled sheepishly at Kai's raised eyebrows. "Mirinoi doesn't really have an adoption process - Maya didn't really get why they would when Kendrix tried to ask. If we want them, and they like us, that's all anyone needs to know here."
"Convenient," Kai snorted, reaching down to take Neoma from him.
Leo waited, but other than another sigh before leaning to Kai, she didn't make a sound. He tried to fight back his surprise, tucking Addi more carefully against him as he stood. "Well, on a planet of empaths, I figure they'd know if we had any bad intentions," he pointed out.
Kai hmmed in agreement, adjusting Neoma higher against his shoulder before pinning him with a look. "You realize that I'm going to be at work most of the day, right?" While monitoring Terra Venture was no longer Kai's responsibility, he'd gotten involved with the Mirinoi branch of the GSA, which had him working on updating Mirinoi's technology with whatever could be salvaged from the ship's wreckage. And as a former Ranger, he was also the one usually stuck as a go-between for the Mirinoans suspicious of what they had to offer, and the irritated members of GSA who couldn't stand the idea of living without certain conveniences. It was rare to see him home before dark.
Leo grinned, because he knew in that moment that this was really happening: that the twins were *his*, that Kai was okay with it, that they were really taking them home. "Don't worry, Kai. I promise I'll feed them and water them, and take them for walks, and play with them every day!"
Kai looked at him for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh. "Hopeless," he muttered.
Leo paused, frowning, and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. What was the look for?"
Kai glanced at him. "You just sounded like yourself for the first time in months," he informed him bluntly. "If I'd known this was what it took to make you happy again, I would have done it a long time ago."
But he wouldn't have, and Leo knew it. Kai wouldn't have agreed to anything he wasn't ready for.
A warm feeling welled up inside him, and he leaned forward to kiss Kai impulsively. To his delight, Kai even kissed him back, ignoring the cries of disgust from some of the younger children around them. Maybe Kai was finally okay with people knowing about them.
Then he laughed as he pulled away, because if adopting kids together wasn't telling everyone they knew that they were a couple, he didn't know what was. "I love you, you know," he told him, just because he could.
Kai sighed, but his expression was fond. "I love you, too," he murmured. "Now let's go tell them we're taking your puppies home."