Title: The Bonds of Kin
Fandom: Post Power Rangers In Space
Author: BlackCrimsonLight
Siblings: Rocky/Justin
Romantic Pairings: Adam/Rocky
Prompt: #49 Finding My Place
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Don't own them. So don't sue, I don't have any money. I do own my version of the DeSantos family.
Summary: Justin tries to adjust to a new family.
Warnings: Death of character, and bit of slash.

He finished putting his shirts inside the closet and sighed. He owned too much blue. Even for someone who wasn't a Ranger anymore.

He ran his hand absently over his left wrist. He had being doing that a lot. He could still feel it, even if it wasn't there. His powers were … gone, just like the other Rangers. Zordon's energy wave had disabled them, all of them. It made sense to him. Andros had told the Earth Rangers that Zordon's wave cleaned the Universe from evil. If there was no more evil, there was no reason for Power Rangers to exist. That made him sad, though. Sure it was a good thing that Earth and the rest of the Universe were finally safe, but … he felt like a part of himself had gone away. Again.

He sighed and ran a hand through his now short and spiky hair. He had been feeling like that for a long time. When Tommy, Adam, Tanya, and Kat passed their Powers, when the Power Chamber was destroyed, when he lost his Turbo Powers for the first time, when T.J., Carlos, Ashley, and Cassie left without him, when Storm Blaster left after giving him his Powers back. And now, with him losing his Powers forever and … losing his dad.

He sat on the bed, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. He felt like he should cry, but … he didn't. He missed his father, of course, but still … he was never too close to him. He had grown away from the anger towards him for leaving him behind. He learned that it was better like that, or that would end up eating him up. He was used to people leaving him now.

But this was different. He was gone, forever. When his mother died, he cried - he cried so much - but he couldn't bring himself to do the same now. He missed his father. Their relationship was slowing changing with him finally settling in Angel Grove, but they never had the chance to truly connect.

He didn't feel sad, but he felt guilty. The day his father died was the same one of the invasion of Astronema's forces on Earth. When he saw on the TV what was happening, he couldn't just stay at home and do nothing. So he left, without telling his father. He morphed and went fight the good fight. After the mayhem had ended, and his Powers vanished, he kept helping the people.

He was at the hospital when Adam found him. His father had been one of the many victims of the battle. Adam didn't know how it happened, but he knew. His father had left to look for his thirteen-old son who had disappeared during a massive invasion. And that's why he had died. Then why couldn't he cry?

"Justin?" he heard someone call from outside the bedroom.

He cleared his throat before answering. "Yes?"

"Can I come in?" the feminine voice asked.

"Sure." He automatically got up from the bed and turned his back from the door.

Lindsay DeSantos entered the room and looked sympathetically at the boy. She knew he needed his space, but she couldn't bear to see him like that. She looked around the room that once belonged to her older brother Stephen. Everything was already set. Justin was the complete opposite from her other brothers.

"I see you unpacked everything," she told him.

"Yeah." He still had his back to her and looking through the window. He knew it wasn't polite, but he wasn't in the mood to face anyone right now.

She fidgeted a bit, not knowing what to do. It shouldn't be this hard to deal with a boy her age. But Justin … he looked thirteen, but he acted like thirty. Just like Rocky did a few years back.

"Well, I … came here to tell you that Mama made some food. If you're hungry …"

"I'm not," He replied shortly.

Lindsay was taken back a bit by his response. "Ok … well, I should go then." She turned to leave.

Justin sighed. "Lindsay." He turned to face her. She, like the all the DeSantos children had light brown hair and big, brown eyes. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap at you."

She smiled. "It's okay, Justin. I know you didn't mean to." She nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Justin sighed at himself and shook his head. This isn't how you're supposed to treat the people that took you in their home. The people that were your new family, the people who are going to adopt you.

He still couldn't believe that the DeSantos were adopting him. He didn't know exactly why, sure, he did feel at home with them, and Mrs. DeSantos always treated him like her son, but to adopt him just like that? He shouldn't be complaining about it - not that he was - but he was just curious. Mr. and Mrs. DeSantos did have seven kids already. Of course, they all didn't live there anymore, but still, he was curious. He just knew Rocky had something to do with it. He shook his head again. He shouldn't think like that. He should feel grateful. That's all he should feel right now, he told himself.

--

"Don't worry Mama, I'm about to leave. I'll talk to him once I get there. I love you too, bye" He put the phone back on the receiver and sat on the sofa.

"Problems?"

Rocky turned his head to his boyfriend and nodded. "Justin,"

"Ah," Adam said, realizing. "You're going to talk to him, right?"

"Of course I am. Why people keep asking me that?"

Adam snickered and sat next to Rocky. "Because you have a fame for forgetting stuff?" He teased.

"Hey! I'm not Tommy, ok?" He crossed his arms defensively.

"I'm just kidding, Rocko." He squeezed his boyfriend's arm. "You know you're the one that Justin is the closest to. It's a great thing that your family is taking him in, but he needs *you* right now."

The former Blue Zeo Ranger sighed. "I know. He's been through so much. And he's just a kid Adam."

"He's not that young Rocky. You and I know should know that better than anyone."

"I know, but still … it's different. He went through things that we didn't."

Adam's face fell. "Yeah …"

Rocky put his arm around his boyfriend. "It isn't your fault Adam. He understands now why you guys did it."

"Does he? Sometimes I think he still blames me and the others for leaving him so suddenly, and not keeping contact like we should have."

Rocky took a deep breath. "Did you blame me?"

Adam looked at Rocky's eyes and was silent for a moment. "For a time, yes."

Rocky nodded. "But you don't blame me anymore, do you?"

"Of course not, but that's because I get why," Adam told him.

Once, when Rocky had left the Rangers and started to hang around the Rangers less and less, Adam felt betrayed, just like when Aisha had left. He had lost his two best friends.

But once he gave up his Powers, he understood. He understood the reason behind the former Rangers leaving the Ranger life behind completely and those who were still part of it. It was one thing for you to be with those you care risking your life every day. It was a completely different thing for you not to be there with them and not be able to do something about it. Every Ranger went through that; he realized that once he left. But for Justin, he still felt it was different.

"Well," Rocky got up and took his keys from the table. "I should be going. Do you want to come too?"

Adam shook his head. "No. Not right now, anyway. He needs his time."

"Are you sure?" Rocky asked, sensing his boyfriend was hesitating.

Adam bit his lip. "You should talk to him first."

"Okay," He leaned in and kissed Adam softly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Adam watched Rocky put his jacket and walk to the door. "Rocky?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell him … tell him …"

Rocky smiled. "Don't worry, I will."

--

He had finally dragged himself out of the bedroom, and now was walking through the corridors of the DeSantos house, heading towards the kitchen. The house was pretty big. Well, it needed to be; nine people used to live here. The DeSantos were a wealthy family. They weren't incredibly rich, but they had money. All the kids that graduated High School went to college, and they always lived very well. Estevan DeSantos was a very famous personal trainer. It was no wonder all his kids were perfectly healthy and athletic. And Carla DeSantos was the owner of chain of bakeries through the whole state of California. Justin could just imagine how happy Rocky was while he grew up.

As he went down the stairs, he looked at the many pictures on the wall. He felt a little out of the place being in such a big family now. Before, it was just him and his father, and before that was just him, his father, and mother. He never had siblings or even close cousins. He grew up by himself. And the only family he once had …

"Honey, I'm home!"

Justin turned to see Rocky entering through the front door.

"Oh, hey Justin," Rocky greeted.

Justin ran and hugged him without thinking. Rocky smiled at him, but Justin realized abruptly what he had just done, and quickly let go. "Um, hi Rocky," he said, looking embarrassed.

"So, did you get settled in alright?" Rocky asked, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Yeah," Justin turned away and started walking towards the living room.

Rocky sighed and followed him. This wasn't going to be easy.

He sat on a couch in the living room while Justin sat on a chair nearby. The two stayed in an uncomfortable silence, not knowing what to say. "Adam says hi," Rocky said finally.

"Oh," Justin nodded. "Uh, how … how is he?"

"Good, good." Man, this was hard. "He misses you,"

Justin stayed quiet at that. Rocky studied him. Was Adam right? Was he still mad at the other Rangers?

"So, how is your guys' dojo doing?" Justin asked before Rocky could say anything.

"Um, it's doing pretty good. We've got a lot of students. You know how much martial arts are famous in Angel Grove. We've got Jason teaching some classes there now. You should go there sometime," Rocky suggested.

Justin just nodded.

Rocky sighed. He should just talk about it; "Look Justin,…"

"Rockford, you're here," They turned their attention to Mrs. DeSantos came in.

Rocky got up and hugged his mother. "Hi mama, you look good,"

His mother playfully swatted him. "Always the charmer," she smiled. "I'm glad you're here. Now you can help me,"

"Help you with …?"

"Dinner. Your sisters and brother are coming home today."

"All of them?" Rocky raised his eyebrows.

"Of course all of them. We're celebrating our newest family member," She smiled at Justin, who remained unmoving on the chair. "Now, come help me in the kitchen,"

"What about …"

"Lindsay is already helping me. You know how Dan is in the kitchen, and Natalie is not home right now. So yes, you're going to help me, come on," she said as she left, expecting her son to follow her.

Rocky sighed and turned to Justin. "We'll talk more later, ok? I promise." He left before his mother came back to drag him to the kitchen. He knew her very well.

Justin just sat there. Everyone was coming? Suddenly he felt very anxious about it. He had met the entire family before, but the circumstances were different now. Did the others know about him being in their house? When Natalie found out, she was taken back by the decision. Lindsay and Dan were ok with it, as it seemed to him anyway. But what about the others, how would they react? What if they didn't accept a stranger in their family? For all they knew, Justin was just some kid that knew Rocky, nothing more.

He needed air. Now.

--

A couple of hours later, everything was ready for dinner. Rocky hurriedly washed his hands. He was worried about Justin. The boy didn't come to kitchen and his mother kept him there helping her the whole time. After he dried his hands, he quickly left the kitchen and headed towards the living room. Justin wasn't there.

He went to Justin's bedroom. He wasn't there either. That was not good. Well, at least Rocky knew he didn't run away since his things were still in his room. At least he hoped he hadn't run away.

Ok, he needed to calm down. He was overreacting. Maybe he had just left to take a walk, or to get some air. Rocky had noticed Justin's face when his mother told about the DeSantos' kids coming to dinner. Maybe he wasn't comfortable with the idea. Could he be afraid that they wouldn't accept him? He had abandonment issues after all. Rocky shook his head. He needed to find him. But where would he go?

--

Justin sat under a tree in Angel Grove Park, looking at lake. It was almost sundown. It reminded him of the time he was here with T.J., Cassie, Ashley, and Carlos after they had lost the Turbo Megazord. Man, he missed those days. Not the days they lost, of course, but his Ranger days. He missed his friends. Not just his second team, but his first as well. He closed his eyes and sat back at the tree.

He was glad to be part of the DeSantos, he really was. But he kept wondering what if they don't like him? What if they decide it was a mistake? Would they just leave him? He gulped. He didn't want to think like that, but some things are hard to let go. Especially traumatic ones.

He sat there for a long time, unaware of the time passing. He opened his eyes when he felt someone sitting near him. He looked over at the person. It was Rocky. He wasn't looking at him. He was staring ahead, to the lake. The sun was already setting.

The two sat in silence. It was becoming a habit for them already.

"They are going to like you, Justin," Rocky said, still looking at the lake.

"What?"

"My family. They're going to like you. You already know most of them. There's no reason to worry."

"Rocky … I…"

"Look," He finally looked at him. Now Justin wanted to avoid Rocky's gaze. "I know what you've been through. I can't imagine how much it must have hurt, but that's all in the past now. It's time to let it go, don't you think?"

Justin looked down and then back to the lake. He snorted "When did you become so smart?"

"Hey, I was a Blue, wasn't I?" Rocky asked playfully. Justin couldn't help but smile.

"Maybe Zordon made a mistake with the colors," Justin thought aloud.

"Hey! I'm not a complete air-head." He shoved the boy, smiling.

The two laughed for a minute before going back to the silence.

"Justin, you know they never meant to do it. It's just … it comes with leaving the Power behind. Look, I didn't know about it until I passed you my powers. When my friend Aisha left, it … it hurt. A lot. She would hardly talk to us, or write to us. And I grew up with her and Adam. But when I left, it was like an epiphany hit me. I understood why she had done it. It's hard to see the people you care risk their lives every day, not knowing what might happen, not be able to be there with them. I don't know how Billy did for so long. Maybe that was why he decided to leave after all."

Justin just sat there and listened. Maybe Rocky was right, but still … he still felt betrayed. His first team left him with people he didn't know, without even telling him until the very last moment, and then they just slowly disappeared from his life. Sure, he had made friends with the new Rangers, but he never considered them replacements. They had become important to Justin, but he still felt pain for the others leaving. And then, when he finally found another group of people he could call family, they left. Sure, he chose not to go with them, but it didn't mean he didn't want to. And then he had hardly heard from them. They had their reasons, sure, but would it hurt to let him know they were ok? They were always back on Earth. Had they just … forgotten about him?

He tried to understand the reason that Rocky had just given to him. But it didn't made sense to him. He still wanted to see his friends, even after he lost his Powers. He still wanted to be part of their lives. Was that wrong? Was the reason of why former Rangers leave their friends behind some sort of rule? It felt wrong, completely wrong to him. How could you just walk away from people that meant that much to you? It made no sense!

"Justin?" he heard Rocky calling him worriedly. He realized he was crying. "Are you …"

"No, Rocky, I'm not ok." He got up and stared at his predecessor. "How can you just tell me that it's okay for people to forget about me because they're no longer Rangers? How that does even makes sense to you?!"

"Justin, they didn't f-"

"But they did! They stopped calling me, meeting me, gods, even writing to me! And why? Because they weren't Rangers? What kind of lame ass excuse is that?!" Justin turned away, running his hands through his hair as more tears fell from his eyes. He was starting to loose control, but he didn't care.

Rocky got up and tried to reach for him, but the boy just shrugged him away.

"And then the others just disappeared, too. They never looked me up to know how I was or to tell me they were fine. How was I even supposed to know if the new Rangers were them?" Rocky realized he was talking about the second Turbo Rangers.

"Now tell me Rocky, why I still wanted to know about them? Why didn't I just do like you and leave them behind, not caring for their feelings?"

Rocky was taken back from that. "Justin, I never meant to -"

"To what? Hurt them? But you did, Rocky. Tanya was the one that dealt with it the best, but I could see that Tommy and Kat missed you. And Adam …" Justin shook his head. "You have no idea how he felt. I could see the way he used to look me when I first joined. How he slipped and called me Rocky." Justin turned to face Rocky, who was shocked with all that. "He never told you, did he?" Rocky slowly shook his head. "Figures. That's just how Adam is. Now, can you seriously tell me it makes sense you just walking away from your friends?! Do you really expect me to just forgive and forget because it's the way things are?! I'm sorry Rocky, but I just can't! I just … can't."

He took a deep breath after yelling so much, turning away from the older boy and slumping down to the grass. He still felt the tears falling down. Now he cried. Great, and in front of Rocky no less. He cleaned his face with his hands and swallowed. He was about to just fall back on the grass when he felt Rocky hugging him.

… What was he doing?

"I'm so sorry Justin. I know I can't apologize for them, but I'm sure they feel terrible. I know Adam does, trust me. I know things weren't easy for you, with everyone walking out of your life, but I promise you that it's over now. You're my brother now, and I will never let you feel abandoned anymore. I promise to you. And neither will the rest of your family, Justin."

Justin didn't say a word. He had trouble believing all that.

Rocky turned him to look at the boy's eyes. "I know it's hard to believe, but I promise things will change. Everyone will accept you. And I'll personally make sure that everyone apologizes to you. It's never too late to start again, right? I should know that." Rocky looked down for a moment. "You just have to give a try. So, promise me you will give it a try?"

Justin stared back at him. "Justin?"

"I … I promise I'll try."

Rocky gave him one of his trademark smiles. "Great. Now let's go," He took Justin's hand and pulled them both up. "Dinner must be ready and Mama wouldn't want us to be late."

Rocky started to walk, but Justin hung back for a minute. He took a deep breath and thought about everything that had just happened. He still felt bitter towards the people that left him, but maybe it was time to leave it all behind. Maybe he could find a way to trust people again, even his old friends.

"Coming Justin?" Rocky called for him

"Yeah."