Well well well... We meet again Fanfiction. For those who don't know me, I will provide a brief introduction. My penname is LovelyInspiration, and you can find my work in the LR archives. I started out last summer and have continued posting to this day. However, I am stepping into a new fandom today - well, new-ish. I didn't expect to write an EF story so soon, but I had an idea; so I figured: "Why not?" This is my first time writing any of the Mighty Med characters, so please excuse any OOC-ness to them. (Man, I'm just making up a ton of words right now.) I do believe, however, that I did a pretty nice job writing the characters. It was intimidating at first, but the finished product makes me happy. Hopefully you enjoy it as well. Prepare for some feels!
I do not own Lab Rats Elite Force.
Oliver shivered, pulling the warm mug of hot chocolate to his chest. The fire had burned out long ago, and Kaz wasn't awake to relight it. In fact, no one in the Penthouse was awake but him. After they returned from battling Roman and Riker, Oliver had a hard time getting back to sleep. Although, he couldn't quite sleep before they left, either.
He looked around the room, taking in every detail. This place certainly was sleek and spacious. From the modern decor to the spacious balcony to Mission Command, everything screamed "superhero." This was a life that Oliver always wanted to live – having powers, living in a swanky urban city, defeating villains. Thanks to Mr. Davenport (whose personality Oliver was still if-y about) he got to achieve his dream.
That being said, why did something feel wrong? As awesome as this Penthouse was, it didn't appeal very much to him. It was empty instead of roomy, overwhelming instead of relaxing. This was going to be Oliver's home for a while, but he didn't feel secure here. He didn't feel warm or happy or any feeling you're supposed to get at home.
Maybe that was just it. This was merely a house – not a home.
Oliver never fared well sleeping in places that didn't feel like home. There were only three places in the world that he considered home, but none of them where available now. The first was Mighty Med (despite its frequent tendency to be attacked by super villains.) Of course, the hospital was destroyed, so that wasn't an option. The second was Kaz's house. Although Kaz's slew of siblings tended to make things chaotic, Oliver knew the house was always full of love. Despite a lack of love in his own home, it was still the third and final place he felt safe sleeping. After all, he had slept there almost every night.
However, Oliver was starting to question the alleged safety of his home. What he hadn't realized for a long time was that he was sharing Cheerios with a super villain. On top of that, the villain was his own mother. Sure, she wasn't the most approachable mother in the world, but Oliver never felt threatened by her. Bridget was a bit controlling and often disapproving, but he always believed that was just her way of showing concern and care.
After he discovered the truth, however, Oliver doubted everything his mother ever said and did. He truly wanted to believe that she loved him – of that she kept trying to convince him. It was just so hard to connect a loving mother with such a… a… cruel and horrible plan. As if it wasn't hard enough that his father had left, Oliver now had to deal with his mother, as well. He had been betrayed by both of his parents.
Oliver never really talked to anyone about the problems with his parents. He preferred not to make a big deal about his emotions. Not even Kaz truly knew how Oliver was fairing with his predicament. On the outside, Oliver appeared to be stable and unaffected, but that's because he tried to make sure no one saw his pain. However, he hurt. He hurt a lot. It wasn't like Oliver could turn to his parents. His dad was in England, and his mother was a villain. Even if that wasn't the case, he didn't like to be seen as so… needy and helpless in front of others. Oliver saved the people who saved people. How embarrassing would it have been for a superhero doctor to show insecurity?
Oliver really didn't have much time to let the news about his mother marinate. Whatever love that remained, his mom was still a super villain who needed to be apprehended. After that was completed, Oliver thought he'd have plenty of time to break down. Yet, another disaster presented itself in his life. Surprise, surprise. Shortly after turning his own mother over to the authorities, he returned to his number one safe place only to find it destroyed. That presented another task that needed his immediate attention.
Then, somehow, he wound up here on the Davenports' couch. Oliver now realized that this was the first moment in weeks that he's had to meditate on everything that went wrong. The pain, the realizations, the reality of it all was finally sinking in.
Both his parents were gone – his mother behind bars and his father in another country. He had been abandoned. Oliver officially had no parents. He had no adult to go to for help or to fall back on when he was cornered by life. Nearly everything in life that he cared about was swiftly taken away. The hospital, some of his superhero friends, his parents. He had been robbed of so many important aspects of his life.
He was officially alone.
All that pain came crashing down on him. Oliver worked hard to breath around the lump in his throat. His hands shook, but he tried to keep them steady for the sake of his ceramic mug full of cocoa. Oliver stared off into the distance, hoping that that would keep him calm. It didn't. Against his brain's pleas, several rebellious tears escaped from his eyes. A few landed in his hot chocolate, no doubt adding a salty flavor to the warm beverage. His breaths were laborious and strangled. His chest and sides shook.
In the midst of his self pity, Oliver heard a pair of slippers tapping down the stairs. He turned to see who the interloper was. Oliver's eyes were met with the sight of Bree. He squinted to discern her features through the darkness of the room.
"Oliver?" Bree whispered, carefully making her way to the couch. "Is that you?"
He quickly wiped away his tears, sniffing a few times. "Oh, h-hey Bree. Yea – it's me."
"Why are you up so late?" She took a seat next to him.
He avoided her eyes. "Uh, why are you up so late?"
Bree squinted suspiciously. "Because my roommate decided to produce 'Skylar's Snoring: The Sequel.' Now, stop avoiding the question. Why are you up?"
"I just couldn't sleep! That's all Bree – no need to make a fuss."
"Any particular reason why you couldn't sleep?"
Oliver quickly glanced up at the bionic girl and accidentally met her gaze. Bree clearly saw his tear-stained face and let out a quiet gasp. "Oliver, have… have you been crying?"
He was about to deny the accusation, but with one look at Bree's concerned and heartfelt eyes, Oliver knew he couldn't lie to her. This, after all, was the most attention he's ever been shown in a while. He sighed in defeat. "Yes…"
"Why? Did something happen? Is everything okay?" She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Oliver opened his mouth to reply when the lights suddenly came to life. Surprised, both teens looked to the light switch by the stairs. There at the bottom stood the remainder of their team. Both Chase and Kaz looked curious, but Skylar was just plain irritated.
"Guys!" she began, "It's 2 in the morning! What is with all the noise down here? I was trying to sleep!"
Bree scowled. "Let me get this straight. You're upset because our hushed conversation woke you up, but when you snore like a bear with a chainsaw and disturb our sleep, we can't say anything about it?"
Skylar only glared in response.
Ignoring the bickering teenage girls, Chase asked, "Is everything alright down here?"
Bree looked back at Oliver. He was silently pleading for her to keep quiet, but she just couldn't. Bree wanted to make sure Oliver was helped - and what better people to help than his new team? She looked back at the others. "No; everything isn't okay. Oliver was crying, but he didn't get a chance to tell me what's wrong."
The remaining team members walked to the couch and gathered around Oliver.
"What's wrong, Buddy?" Kaz asked.
Oliver shrank back, uncomfortable with the irregular amount of attention on him. "N-nothing…"
They all looked at each other, no one believing him. In addition to the tear stains on his face, Oliver was easier to read than a book. Kaz pressed on. "Come on, Oliver. We all know that's not true. You have your mom's expressive facial features, remember?"
The ailing boy cringed at the mention of his "mother." Everyone seemed to notice and grew curious as to what made him uncomfortable.
"What?" Kaz asked. "What did I say?"
Oliver sighed, looking around at the caring faces. Two of these people he's known for several years. The other two he barely knows. Yet, all of them rallied together to help and support him. Oliver could already tell this was going to be a good team. And as a member of this new team, he shouldn't keep things from them. Teamwork relies on trust and honesty. There wasn't much of that on his part right now, though. If Oliver planned to have a good relationship with them, he needed to be able to tell them anything. Doing this wouldn't be easy, but Oliver felt it was the right place, the right time. He felt like he was in a safe environment. Nothing about his old or new friends gave him a bad vibe.
Finally, his shoulders fell in a sign of surrender. Oliver dropped his head, taking a sudden interest in his lap. "It's just… I'm... it's… my parents…"
Skylar creased her eyebrows. "Your parents? Well, what about them?"
"I just…" he gulped, "I never really shared this, but, you know, what happened with my mom really… hurt."
"What happened to his mom…" Chase quietly whispered to himself, putting on a thoughtful look. "Oh! Oh. You mean the… super villain thing?"
Oliver nodded solemnly. "I know I didn't make a huge deal out of it, but inside, I was really angry and shocked. I guess the thought of it just kept me awake. This is the first steady moment I've had in weeks to let everything settle."
"So, you felt angry and shocked at first. How do you feel now?" Bree asked gently.
"Still that way – except sadder. I want to believe so badly that she actually cared about me, but how can I? She's been evil for so long; I just didn't know it. How is a loving mother evil at the same time?"
"Wow - that's pretty awful, Oliver. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."
"But… what about your dad?" Chase carefully inquired. Kaz and Skylar shot him a look that said: "You shouldn't have brought that up." Chase sunk back into the couch, embarrassed about mentioning a sensitive subject.
Oliver saw this interaction and said, "No guys; it's fine. It was a valid question." He paused, collecting himself for an explanation. "My parents divorced a while ago. My dad lives in England now. It was just my mom and me for so long. She was all I had left. Now, I don't even have that…"
A dense moment of silence fell upon the room. Everyone knew they should say something encouraging, but they were all too stunned to speak - that is, except for Oliver.
To everyone's surprise, he kept talking. "I-I just… It hurt when I lost my dad. Then, suddenly, my mom was gone too. I feel… abandoned. I mean, without parents, I'm just am orphan, right? That sounds scary. I don't want to be alone in the world."
Oliver bowed his head, finally finished expressing his emotions. There was another long moment of quiet. He wondered what his teammates were thinking. Did he just make himself seem weak and incapable? The last thing Oliver wanted was for them to give him special treatment or to baby him. Just because he was hurt didn't mean he couldn't fight villains with the best of 'em. Unfortunately, Oliver may have just ruined his chance to be taken seriously by his new team.
He twiddled his thumbs, expecting something patronizing or belittling to come from the people around him. Instead, Oliver suddenly felt himself being yanked from the couch. A pair of arms wrapped around him. He looked up to see that it was Bree embracing him. Soon, Skylar then Kaz and then Chase piled together in a massive group hug – and Oliver was the center of that hug. He stayed frozen in shock for a moment but steadily became more and more comfortable with the physical contact.
Oh, who am I kidding? This is the best thing ever!
Oliver smiled. They had no idea how much this meant to him, and he made certain to savor the moment. Apparently, his fears were unfounded. He truly did have some great friends by his side.
As the hug slowly broke apart, Skylar said, "You're not alone, Oliver. You have us. And as long as we have anything to do with it, you will never be alone."
"Yea," Chase agreed. "I'm sorry about your parents. No one should have to go through that. Trust me: I know how you feel."
"You do?" he wondered, raising his eyebrows.
"Absolutely," Bree supplied. "For 15 years, we thought Mr. Davenport was our father. Then, all of a sudden, we discovered that Douglas was our father. We felt that we had been betrayed, too. And, at the time, Douglas was evil – just like your mom. It's a frightening thing to be related to - to be the offspring of - someone so sinister. And to find out that a huge secret was being kept under our noses…"
Oliver was shocked. All the feelings that Bree described – it was exactly how he felt. He didn't think anyone would get it, but it was refreshing to have people around that understood him. They were suddenly more approachable, more relatable.
"None of that matters anymore, though," Kaz added. "Now, it's about us - our team."
Chase nodded. "That's right, Oliver. We'll help and support you; we'll help and support each other."
Skylar patted Oliver's arm. "From now on, we're your family."
Oliver grinned from ear to ear. That sounded like a plan to him.
Ta-Da! That's the happy ending to this teen-angst-filled one-shot. I hope everything seemed believable. I sure tried hard to keep things in-character.
As far as the motivation for this story, it's rather interesting. I was pondering Oliver's character one day (don't ask why) and I stumbled upon the realization that he no longer had a mother or father. I never looked at the situation that way before, and it struck quite a chord with me. Not able to let the thought go, I made the decision to create a one-shot about it. I feel like the show (both MM and EF) glossed over Oliver's possible feelings on the matter. It didn't make much sense to me that he just let everything go. Thus, this story was born! After creating this, I have to say: I have a new level of understanding and sympathy for Oliver.
(Just for clarification's sake, I want to make sure everyone knows that I am not switching from LR fanfiction to EF fanfiction. I am adding EF fanfiction to my list of writing fandoms. I don't expect to write for EF nearly as much as LR - mostly because I have more LR ideas and am more familiar with the characters. However, EF is on the board, so we'll see what happens.)
What's the reader's verdict, though? Let me know how you liked it and how I did writing Kaz, Oliver, and Skylar by leaving me a review! Until we speak again, have a great rest of your weekend.