Looking At Those Same Stars Again
Chapter 1: V
The first time he caught on to what was going on, Jim was five.
They are in a toy store, and he is playing with a model starship. He thinks nothing of it, until Sam taps him on the shoulder, gesturing towards their mom. She is trying to hide it, but even at five, Jim can tell that she is crying.
Truth be told, he only barely understands what happened when Sam explains it to him later.
What Jim gets out of it is that starships make her think of his Dad, and to see Jim, who already looks so much like the man (even at a young age) playing with one was just too much for her. Well, Jim is going by Sam's (and everyone else he'd ever met's, really) statement that he resembles his father. For all Jim knows, his father had green skin and three eyes, since there are no pictures of the man anywhere in the house. But no, Sam would never lie to him. Not Sam, his older brother, the one he has looked up to every minute of the five years of his life. (Well, probably not the first few hours, but every second he had known his brother, at least.) Sam would never lie to him, and would always be there to protect him, as he had for the past five years.
Even at five, Jim is bright, and after the incident, he decides not to play with toy starships, anymore, because then, maybe, his Mom would stop crying all the time.
Things to look out for in this story (warnings for things hinted at and outright discussed because fic should be a safe place for everyone): neglect, mental health problems, near-death experiences, starvation, violence against children, Tarsus IV, alcohol abuse/alcoholism, chronic illness, body image issues/body dysmorphia.
If you need clarification on any of these, don't hesitate to ask!