“Kiddo?” Michael’s voice came from the opposite side of the door. His hand hesitated near the door. He debated whether or not he should knock. Yeah, he probably should. With a deep breath, he knocked on his younger siblings door. There was no answer, once again.

Maybe trying to relive old memories and pretend everything is the same as it used to be wasn’t the best way to go about it. But what else could he do? He’s desperately trying to hold on to the glimmer of hope that he might be able to mend his relationship with his sibling.

He wants to be a good big brother, the same one his younger sibling admired, the one that would be able to hear the laughter. But things changed; it would be a lie if he said he didn’t know why. The two siblings drifted apart as the years went by. It didn’t help that he traveled back in time and helped save the world and become a hero; as a result, he lost time with his sibling.

He’s tried giving an action figure to his younger sibling. He even found one of himself, which he personally had made! Michael thought that was a good idea, right? Wrong. It turns out his sibling doesn’t have an interest in toys anymore. How was he supposed to know that? There wasn’t a moment when his sibling wasn’t carrying one around. He would’ve regretted how he teased his sibling for that, but he remembered how adorable his sibling’s face was.

Maybe he should’ve guessed that. People change, but he didn’t expect this drastic of a change. Was he really away for this long? His sibling’s room is completely different now—not a toy in sight. Being cooped up in a room all the time couldn’t be healthy, could it?

He’s trying so hard. It’s frustrating. Nothing works. In the back of his mind, he’s thinking of how this is a lost cause. He could imagine Skeets laughing at him.

Michael was about to turn around with his head down and admit defeat before the door suddenly opened. His face immediately lit up until he saw his sibling’s expression. “Oh, uhm, hey!”