Stars Untouched
Wow, MikeAngst. Now here's something I never thought I'd write. -Shrugs- My background story for Leo and Mike won't leave me alone lately, so I tried to write it. It started out kinda sweet, I swear ....
Disclaimer: Power Rangers fans should be glad that I don't own them, otherwise Leo's name really *would* be Leo Sunshine Corbett, 'cause I'm just evil like that.
Warnings: Child Neglect and slight Child Abuse
Stars Untouched
He could name the exact day that his brother had begun to hate him.
Leo was seven years old, Michael was still living with them, and he had just started sixth grade. Now that he didn't come home at the same time, Leo was forced to walk home after school by himself (As if Michael would ever get off his lazy butt to actually take care of them). He'd walked the route with him several times before school started, showing him things to avoid and places to hide if he ran into someone bigger than him. He showed him a few cheap tricks for getting out of a tight spot, and Leo listened with wide and attentive eyes.
But there was nothing he could do to help Leo handle Michael, and he knew it.
There was no other explanation for it that he could think of. No signs of a struggle on the path home - and he checked everyday, just in case. No rumors floating around school about 'Those Corbett Kids' again, and none of the teachers had subtly pulled him aside, knowing he was more likely to handle any situation Leo had gotten himself into than Michael was.
All he knew was that he came home to find Michael gone, and Leo in the kitchen, quietly nursing a bowl of Spaghetti-O's and icing the largest black eye he'd ever seen.
"What happened?" he demanded, rushing over to gently pry away the towel from his brother's face.
To his surprise, Leo tried to swat him away. "It's nothin'." he muttered.
"Leo, I can see that from under the towel. Now lemme see," he demanded, trying to keep his touch light.
Leo flinched anyway.
"Come on, Sunshine," he coaxed, knowing the name was the fastest way to calm his little brother. "Just let me - "
"Don't call me that!"
Mike paused, staring at him in surprise. "You love it when I call you Sunshine," he said slowly, trying not to sound as hurt as he felt.
"Well, I don't anymore," Leo muttered stubbornly, the way he stared at the floor making it all the more obvious that he was lying. "S'a girl's name, anyway."
Mike was silent for several minutes, eventually letting out a slow sigh. "Okay, Leo. I won't call you that anymore," he promised quietly.
It had never hurt so much to say his brother's name before.
Somehow he *knew* that Michael was the reason behind Leo's sudden hatred of his middle name, unlikely as it was that he‘d actually come out of his shell to show signs of life. And that just made it worse, because Mom had given him that name. Calling him Sunshine was one of the few ways Mike had of keeping her alive for him.
~His mommy, so tiny with such a huge tummy, smiling and humming to herself as she rocked back and forth. Her hands traced careful patterns over around her tummy, the smile never leaving her face. His mommy had always been pretty, but now she *glowed*.
"Baby Bird," she called softly. "Come see. Your brothers are trying to say hello."
He approached hesitantly, eyeing the large bulge in front of him. "Say 'lo?" he echoed.
"That's right," she said with that same endless smile. "Put your hands out and feel."
Slowly, carefully, he pressed both of his small hands against her.
To his surprise, something pushed *back*.
He screamed in surprise, stumbling back, but his mommy caught him. "It's okay, Baby Bird," she cooed. "That's just Sunshine saying hello."
"Sunshine?"
"Yup." Gently, she pulled his hand back, pressing it lightly against her stomach again. "This one here is Sunshine," she drew his hand across to the other side, "And that's your other brother, Moonlight."
"Sunshine an' Moonlight?" he repeated, making a face.
"Special names for my special boys," she affirmed, tapping her finger against his nose. "Almost as special as my Baby Bird."
There was another push from where she'd said Sunshine was, and this time he tentatively pushed back. The push came again, and he giggled a little. "Hi, Sunshine," he whispered. "I'm Mikey. I'm gonna be your biggest brother."
"That's right. They're going to need you to help take care of them, now that you're the oldest. You'll have a lot of work to do. Sunshine feels like even more trouble than you," she teased softly, reaching out to stoke his hair.
He nodded, leaning forward to press his cheek against his mother's stomach. "Don' worry, Sunshine," he whispered solemnly. "I'll be the bestest big brother ever."~
Swallowing hard, he finally forced Leo to surrender the towel and sucked in a sharp breath at the growing bruise. "Who did this?" he demanded. He shook his head as Leo started to do the same. "*Tell me*, Leo," he demanded. "Who hurt you?"
Leo's chin firmed, his normally soft hazel eyes turning a light green that bordered on blue. They always turned lighter when he was angry, just like Mom's had. But then, Leo looked so much like her ...
"Doesn't matter," the younger boy insisted.
"Leo, it's my job as your big brother to beat up everybody that's been mean to you," Mike explained, trying to force lightness into his voice and failing. Someone had *hurt* his little brother, and whatever this was, it was worse than a black eye. Something was bothering Leo that went deeper that that, and he for some reason, wasn't willing to let Mike know what it was.
"I don't need you to!" Leo snapped.
There was a long, awkward silence. "Why not?" Mike asked finally, fighting to keep his voice level.
Another pause, and slowly Leo stood. Those bright green eyes met his directly, as he snarled "Because I don't need *you*."
And Mike remained frozen, staring at his brother's retreating back as the world shattered around him.
****
He could hear the sound of soft sobbing coming from Leo's room. He waited for as long as he could, trying to give him some privacy, but finally he couldn't stand it anymore. He slipped out of bed, absently noting that Michael *still* wasn't home, and knocked gently on his little brother's bedroom door. "Leo?" he called softly.
There was no answer.
Taking a deep breath and stealing himself for whatever Leo might have to say now, he pushed the door open slowly, his eyes immediately finding the bed. A small lump was curled under the covers, it's breathing soft and even. It didn’t so much as twitch when he opened the door, which was the first thing that gave him away.
Ignoring the calm scene, he tiptoed over to his little brother's bed. "Leo?" he whispered. He paused, tentatively adding "Sunshine?"
Nothing.
He sighed, bowing his head for a moment and swallowing hard. After a moment, he reached out slowly, gently brushing Leo's hair back and drying the tear tracks on his face. He leaned over to kiss his little brother's cheek before pulling away to tug his blankets up around him again. "I love you, Sunshine," he murmured. "And I'll always be here for you, whenever you want me."
He left as quietly as he'd come, shutting the door carefully behind him. He'd barely made it two steps away when another sob reached his ears.
Clenching his fists, he forced himself to make his way to the kitchen.
Michael was sitting at the counter, head buried in his arms.
"You're finally home?" Mike asked, not bothering to lower his voice.
Michael jumped slightly, turning to look at him with bleary eyes, his face splotched and red. "Mikey ... ?" he murmured, blinking rapidly. "What ... what are you doing up?"
Mike snorted, walking past his father to the refrigerator. "Oh, so you remember I'm alive tonight?"
"Mikey, don't be like that."
Arms came around him suddenly, and Mike stiffened. But a large hand ran over his hair gently, and he was pulled back against his father's chest. "M'sorry, Mikey," Michael murmured. "Don't pay enough attention to you boys anymore, do I?"
"Try never," Mike snapped back, ducking swiftly out of the man's reach. His heart was pounding, and he fought to keep from showing it. For a the briefest of moments, his father ... *Michael* ... was almost ... almost ....
"You *never* pay attention to anything," he continued, clinging to his fury. He couldn't deal with this tonight: not his brother's sudden attitude, or Michael suddenly seeming to care about him. He was slipping, and anger at the man who'd forced him to raise his little brother on his own was all he had left. "I'm amazed you still have a job, let alone that we have a *house*. Why don't you just crawl back into your room and leave us alone?"
"Mikey ... " Michael was staring at him, stricken. After a moment, he bowed his head. "M'sorry, Mikey. I ... " He shook his head, moving toward the door, and paused to rest his hand on the frame. "Tell Leo I'm sorry, too? I didn't mean it ... I'd never .... I just .... "
He was at his father's side in a heartbeat, grabbing his arm with a strength he didn't know he had. "What did you do to Leo?" he demanded. "Are you the one who hit him?" Michael's eyes were dimming, growing distant again, and he shook him hard, trying to keep his attention. "What did you do to my baby?"
But it was too late; Michael had already retreated back into himself again. "M'sorry ... " he mumbled numbly. "M'sorry ... Summer .... "
Mike swore softly, letting go and shoving the man away in disgust.
Frustrated and angry, he abandoned the glass of milk he'd been about to get and went out to the porch instead. He jumped the crooked and broken steps, flopping down in the overgrown grass instead. He should probably mow that this weekend ...
He sighed, bracing his head against his hands as he laid back to stare up at the stars.
~"You see that one, Baby Bird?"
He squinted, trying to see what she was pointing at. "The three stars together?"
"That's right." His mommy's voice was filled with pride as she ruffled his hair affectionately. "That's Orion's Belt. And if you keep looking around those three stars, you can see the rest of him." She sighed dreamily, as she always did, one hand drifting down to rub her stomach. "That's going to be your baby brother's name. Orion Corbett. And your little brother will be Leo the Lion."
He made a face. "Tha's a weird name."
"It's a beautiful name," she corrected. "Orion and Leo, two of the strongest constellations in the sky ... "
He frowned. "Mommy? Wha'd you wanna name me, if I didn' get Daddy's name?"
She smiled, one hand idly drifting across his forehead. "You, Baby Bird, would have been Taurus, after the great bull that charges across the sky."
"How c'n I be Baby Bird *an'* a bull?"
"Because you have the totem of the Eagle, watching over you and driving you to fly high," she explained. "But I also see the Bull behind you, pushing you toward your goals and giving you strength. So, my little stargazer, someday you'll fly high among the stars, with a strength that no one will ever match. A strength in here," she touched his forehead, "Here," a hand on his arm, "And here," and her hand pressed over his heart.
"Really?" he breathed, amazed at the light shining her eyes as she looked at him. "You really think so?"
Another warm, loving smile that lit up her golden brown eyes. "Someday Baby Bird, you'll touch the stars, and come back to tell us all how warm they are."~
He reached up, his hand grasping, reaching for the three twinkling stars clustered together.
But his hand came back empty, and he let out a slow, shaky sigh.
Disclaimer: Power Rangers fans should be glad that I don't own them, otherwise Leo's name really *would* be Leo Sunshine Corbett, 'cause I'm just evil like that.
Warnings: Child Neglect and slight Child Abuse
Stars Untouched
He could name the exact day that his brother had begun to hate him.
Leo was seven years old, Michael was still living with them, and he had just started sixth grade. Now that he didn't come home at the same time, Leo was forced to walk home after school by himself (As if Michael would ever get off his lazy butt to actually take care of them). He'd walked the route with him several times before school started, showing him things to avoid and places to hide if he ran into someone bigger than him. He showed him a few cheap tricks for getting out of a tight spot, and Leo listened with wide and attentive eyes.
But there was nothing he could do to help Leo handle Michael, and he knew it.
There was no other explanation for it that he could think of. No signs of a struggle on the path home - and he checked everyday, just in case. No rumors floating around school about 'Those Corbett Kids' again, and none of the teachers had subtly pulled him aside, knowing he was more likely to handle any situation Leo had gotten himself into than Michael was.
All he knew was that he came home to find Michael gone, and Leo in the kitchen, quietly nursing a bowl of Spaghetti-O's and icing the largest black eye he'd ever seen.
"What happened?" he demanded, rushing over to gently pry away the towel from his brother's face.
To his surprise, Leo tried to swat him away. "It's nothin'." he muttered.
"Leo, I can see that from under the towel. Now lemme see," he demanded, trying to keep his touch light.
Leo flinched anyway.
"Come on, Sunshine," he coaxed, knowing the name was the fastest way to calm his little brother. "Just let me - "
"Don't call me that!"
Mike paused, staring at him in surprise. "You love it when I call you Sunshine," he said slowly, trying not to sound as hurt as he felt.
"Well, I don't anymore," Leo muttered stubbornly, the way he stared at the floor making it all the more obvious that he was lying. "S'a girl's name, anyway."
Mike was silent for several minutes, eventually letting out a slow sigh. "Okay, Leo. I won't call you that anymore," he promised quietly.
It had never hurt so much to say his brother's name before.
Somehow he *knew* that Michael was the reason behind Leo's sudden hatred of his middle name, unlikely as it was that he‘d actually come out of his shell to show signs of life. And that just made it worse, because Mom had given him that name. Calling him Sunshine was one of the few ways Mike had of keeping her alive for him.
~His mommy, so tiny with such a huge tummy, smiling and humming to herself as she rocked back and forth. Her hands traced careful patterns over around her tummy, the smile never leaving her face. His mommy had always been pretty, but now she *glowed*.
"Baby Bird," she called softly. "Come see. Your brothers are trying to say hello."
He approached hesitantly, eyeing the large bulge in front of him. "Say 'lo?" he echoed.
"That's right," she said with that same endless smile. "Put your hands out and feel."
Slowly, carefully, he pressed both of his small hands against her.
To his surprise, something pushed *back*.
He screamed in surprise, stumbling back, but his mommy caught him. "It's okay, Baby Bird," she cooed. "That's just Sunshine saying hello."
"Sunshine?"
"Yup." Gently, she pulled his hand back, pressing it lightly against her stomach again. "This one here is Sunshine," she drew his hand across to the other side, "And that's your other brother, Moonlight."
"Sunshine an' Moonlight?" he repeated, making a face.
"Special names for my special boys," she affirmed, tapping her finger against his nose. "Almost as special as my Baby Bird."
There was another push from where she'd said Sunshine was, and this time he tentatively pushed back. The push came again, and he giggled a little. "Hi, Sunshine," he whispered. "I'm Mikey. I'm gonna be your biggest brother."
"That's right. They're going to need you to help take care of them, now that you're the oldest. You'll have a lot of work to do. Sunshine feels like even more trouble than you," she teased softly, reaching out to stoke his hair.
He nodded, leaning forward to press his cheek against his mother's stomach. "Don' worry, Sunshine," he whispered solemnly. "I'll be the bestest big brother ever."~
Swallowing hard, he finally forced Leo to surrender the towel and sucked in a sharp breath at the growing bruise. "Who did this?" he demanded. He shook his head as Leo started to do the same. "*Tell me*, Leo," he demanded. "Who hurt you?"
Leo's chin firmed, his normally soft hazel eyes turning a light green that bordered on blue. They always turned lighter when he was angry, just like Mom's had. But then, Leo looked so much like her ...
"Doesn't matter," the younger boy insisted.
"Leo, it's my job as your big brother to beat up everybody that's been mean to you," Mike explained, trying to force lightness into his voice and failing. Someone had *hurt* his little brother, and whatever this was, it was worse than a black eye. Something was bothering Leo that went deeper that that, and he for some reason, wasn't willing to let Mike know what it was.
"I don't need you to!" Leo snapped.
There was a long, awkward silence. "Why not?" Mike asked finally, fighting to keep his voice level.
Another pause, and slowly Leo stood. Those bright green eyes met his directly, as he snarled "Because I don't need *you*."
And Mike remained frozen, staring at his brother's retreating back as the world shattered around him.
****
He could hear the sound of soft sobbing coming from Leo's room. He waited for as long as he could, trying to give him some privacy, but finally he couldn't stand it anymore. He slipped out of bed, absently noting that Michael *still* wasn't home, and knocked gently on his little brother's bedroom door. "Leo?" he called softly.
There was no answer.
Taking a deep breath and stealing himself for whatever Leo might have to say now, he pushed the door open slowly, his eyes immediately finding the bed. A small lump was curled under the covers, it's breathing soft and even. It didn’t so much as twitch when he opened the door, which was the first thing that gave him away.
Ignoring the calm scene, he tiptoed over to his little brother's bed. "Leo?" he whispered. He paused, tentatively adding "Sunshine?"
Nothing.
He sighed, bowing his head for a moment and swallowing hard. After a moment, he reached out slowly, gently brushing Leo's hair back and drying the tear tracks on his face. He leaned over to kiss his little brother's cheek before pulling away to tug his blankets up around him again. "I love you, Sunshine," he murmured. "And I'll always be here for you, whenever you want me."
He left as quietly as he'd come, shutting the door carefully behind him. He'd barely made it two steps away when another sob reached his ears.
Clenching his fists, he forced himself to make his way to the kitchen.
Michael was sitting at the counter, head buried in his arms.
"You're finally home?" Mike asked, not bothering to lower his voice.
Michael jumped slightly, turning to look at him with bleary eyes, his face splotched and red. "Mikey ... ?" he murmured, blinking rapidly. "What ... what are you doing up?"
Mike snorted, walking past his father to the refrigerator. "Oh, so you remember I'm alive tonight?"
"Mikey, don't be like that."
Arms came around him suddenly, and Mike stiffened. But a large hand ran over his hair gently, and he was pulled back against his father's chest. "M'sorry, Mikey," Michael murmured. "Don't pay enough attention to you boys anymore, do I?"
"Try never," Mike snapped back, ducking swiftly out of the man's reach. His heart was pounding, and he fought to keep from showing it. For a the briefest of moments, his father ... *Michael* ... was almost ... almost ....
"You *never* pay attention to anything," he continued, clinging to his fury. He couldn't deal with this tonight: not his brother's sudden attitude, or Michael suddenly seeming to care about him. He was slipping, and anger at the man who'd forced him to raise his little brother on his own was all he had left. "I'm amazed you still have a job, let alone that we have a *house*. Why don't you just crawl back into your room and leave us alone?"
"Mikey ... " Michael was staring at him, stricken. After a moment, he bowed his head. "M'sorry, Mikey. I ... " He shook his head, moving toward the door, and paused to rest his hand on the frame. "Tell Leo I'm sorry, too? I didn't mean it ... I'd never .... I just .... "
He was at his father's side in a heartbeat, grabbing his arm with a strength he didn't know he had. "What did you do to Leo?" he demanded. "Are you the one who hit him?" Michael's eyes were dimming, growing distant again, and he shook him hard, trying to keep his attention. "What did you do to my baby?"
But it was too late; Michael had already retreated back into himself again. "M'sorry ... " he mumbled numbly. "M'sorry ... Summer .... "
Mike swore softly, letting go and shoving the man away in disgust.
Frustrated and angry, he abandoned the glass of milk he'd been about to get and went out to the porch instead. He jumped the crooked and broken steps, flopping down in the overgrown grass instead. He should probably mow that this weekend ...
He sighed, bracing his head against his hands as he laid back to stare up at the stars.
~"You see that one, Baby Bird?"
He squinted, trying to see what she was pointing at. "The three stars together?"
"That's right." His mommy's voice was filled with pride as she ruffled his hair affectionately. "That's Orion's Belt. And if you keep looking around those three stars, you can see the rest of him." She sighed dreamily, as she always did, one hand drifting down to rub her stomach. "That's going to be your baby brother's name. Orion Corbett. And your little brother will be Leo the Lion."
He made a face. "Tha's a weird name."
"It's a beautiful name," she corrected. "Orion and Leo, two of the strongest constellations in the sky ... "
He frowned. "Mommy? Wha'd you wanna name me, if I didn' get Daddy's name?"
She smiled, one hand idly drifting across his forehead. "You, Baby Bird, would have been Taurus, after the great bull that charges across the sky."
"How c'n I be Baby Bird *an'* a bull?"
"Because you have the totem of the Eagle, watching over you and driving you to fly high," she explained. "But I also see the Bull behind you, pushing you toward your goals and giving you strength. So, my little stargazer, someday you'll fly high among the stars, with a strength that no one will ever match. A strength in here," she touched his forehead, "Here," a hand on his arm, "And here," and her hand pressed over his heart.
"Really?" he breathed, amazed at the light shining her eyes as she looked at him. "You really think so?"
Another warm, loving smile that lit up her golden brown eyes. "Someday Baby Bird, you'll touch the stars, and come back to tell us all how warm they are."~
He reached up, his hand grasping, reaching for the three twinkling stars clustered together.
But his hand came back empty, and he let out a slow, shaky sigh.