Hello again Internet! For those of you now out of school (like me), happy winter break! I thought I'd celebrate the break by posting this Bree-centric, very emotional two-shot. It was supposed to be a one-shot, but I find it difficult to read 8,000-word stories in one sitting, so I decided to break it up to make it a more convenient read.

This is my first T-rated story, so I will explain why I rated it that way. Supergirl's Kryptonite was given a T rating for safety reasons, because it does contain things that might be triggering to some readers. This includes negative self-thoughts, mentions of anorexic behavior, an emotional breakdown, and a harmful line of thought that I most definitely do not advocate. The rating is mostly for safety, though. This story shouldn't be considered dark, but it is very angst-y and emotional.

A good song to accompany the first chapter would be "Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara. For the second chapter, I recommend "A Little Too Much" by Shawn Mendes. They are both great (and clean) songs that I referred to as inspiration. How lovely, right? xD oh, me and my lame puns...

Well, I think that that just about does it for the introduction. Enjoy the story!

I don't own Lab Rats.

Bree Davenport was a lot of things. The public knew her for her acts of bravery and swiftness as a bionic hero. Friends and schoolmates knew her as a confident, spunky, wise-cracking teenage girl. Her family recognized her for these things as well, but they also knew of her flaws. In times past, she had the tendency to forsake her superhuman duties for an opportunity to do regular things. It was no secret that she craved a normal life. Bree loved helping people, but the stress and responsibility were often too much to handle.

She also had obsessions with clothes, makeup, and things of the like. She had internal conflicts common of a teenager – the desire to stand out yet fit in, the decision about what type of person she was going to be. Bree may have been bionic, but she was still human. To top off the list, Bree was boy-crazy. She had a few imperfections, but who didn't?

Bree had a long list of admirable qualities, too. She carried herself in a respectable and honest way. Mission Creek High students knew that Bree was never one to stir-up drama by starting rumors, divulging secrets, or mocking anyone. She was trustworthy. People felt comfortable sharing personal things with Bree. She was a great confidant, and everyone knew that she wouldn't spread things around. Bree attracted friends at an unparalleled rate. There was just something about her warm disposition and charming personality that drew others to her. She was very much the "social butterfly" type.

In addition, Bree was no damsel in distress. She showed time and again that she could take care of herself. Such conviction was rare, and people seemed to respect that. After all, Bree saved lives practically for a living. No protector ever needed protecting. She devoted tons of her time to helping the public, rescuing the innocent, and defending the civilians. The work that she – and her brothers – did was highly admired and commended.

Overall, everyone viewed Bree Davenport as a good person.

That is, except for Bree Davenport herself.

The one thing that people didn't seem to know about Bree was her insecurities. Yes – Bree had insecurities. Not many would've believed that the supposed courageous and self-assured bionic superhuman looked down on herself. Bree never carried herself in a way that suggested low self-esteem. Her own family, her own brothers didn't even notice. It wasn't their fault, though. Bree refused to let people see that side of her. It was her secret shame, a very embarrassing trait that she possessed. And what about Bree's life made her insecure?

Abandonment and betrayal.

She had been abandoned by many guys, all of whom had been crushes of hers. What with how boy-crazy Bree was, she didn't take too well to her ex-boyfriends (if they could've been called that) ditching her. The reason for all the betrayal was unknown, so she had no choice but to blame herself. Of course, that's skipping too far ahead. It wasn't that way in the beginning. Bree's self-doubt grew slowly in her heart over a long period.

It all started with Kavin. She was the new girl, and he was the cute boy that tried to help her assimilate to MCH. Being that she had no friends at the time, it was a relief to meet someone willing to talk to her – the fact that he was a cute guy making it even better. He had invited her to her first party, which turned out to be held in her own living room. All the same, she was excited about the prospect of experiencing normal life. Regular teenage girls got to hang out with the guys they liked, and it looked like she would, too.

However, Kavin stopped talking to her after the house party. He wasn't bitter that it ended early; he was bitter about his face. The doctors did, indeed, need to drain the fluid from his nose, and it cost his parents a ton in medical bills. They found it best if he stayed away from her, as did he. She was surprised by his sudden change in attitude. At first, he seemed fine with the swollen nose she accidentally gave him. The reality of a surgery apparently awakened him to the facts: Bree might've been pretty, but she had hit him in the face with a ball.

Bree understood, and she didn't take his avoidance too harshly. She had just come in contact with the outside world, and she had to learn as she went. She didn't know what attracted or repelled guys. It was a case of trial and error. She and Kavin only spoke over the course of three days, anyway. It hurt, but she understood. She got over it.

Bree just made a mental note not to hit any other guy with a basketball.

Next was Ethan. Talk about a quick rebound. Bree met Ethan a couple weeks after Kavin. She was still the new girl, and he was the sweet guy that seemed to have chemistry with her. After all, it wasn't just a coincidence that they were lab partners. In the beginning, Bree didn't know if it was all in her head or if he requited her feelings. All was made clear when he finally asked her to the dance.

Even though she consistently made a fool of herself, Ethan seemed to like her. Fast forward a couple months and they had cute, math-related nicknames for each other. Leo claimed that they had "a weird little thing going", but Bree was totally smitten. She and Ethan did tons together.

So, imagine her surprise when Ethan called it off. He didn't even try to come up with a logical excuse. He just gave her the typical "it's not you; it's me" pity line. She was comforted with that until Leo told her it was a common saying which meant exactly the opposite: "it's not me; it's you." At that point, Bree broke down. She cried all day. Two days. Three days.

The thing that hurt the most was that she had no idea why Ethan dumped her. Things had been going so well – or at least she thought. Bree didn't want that to happen ever again. Break-ups were awful. There had to have been a reason for what he did. Bree still wasn't well acquainted with the outside world, so she didn't know who or what to blame for that situation. Eventually, she had to consider herself. Perhaps something about her made Ethan leave.

Once that thought entered her mind, she started down a dangerous path. In the beginning, it seemed innocent and harmless. After all, what could've gone wrong?

Her first thought was about her personality. Did Ethan feel that she came on too strong? Not strong enough? Was she too confident; did she come off as cocky? Did she seem too insecure, perhaps clingy? She had acted like quite a dork on a number of occasions. Perhaps that was her first mistake. She couldn't allow such a naïve side of herself to show. That wide-eyed outlook on life and excitability must've been too much for other people. If that was the case, she needed to calm down.

From then on, Bree tried hard to make sure she came off as likeable and popular. If ever she found a guy she was interested in, Bree would adapt her personality to what they liked.

Were they into funny girls? She'd crack tons of jokes.

Were they into perky girls? She'd make sure to put school pep rallies to shame.

Were they into good listeners? She'd keep quiet the whole time to focus on what he was saying.

Were they into talkative girls? She'd yammer all day long.

Were they into sensitive girls? She'd allow her emotions – whether real or… exaggerated – to show.

No matter what, Bree made sure her personality was appealing to all. It took a bit of effort, but she was only trying to accommodate people. Didn't everyone alter their personality just a little depending on which friend they were around?

Bree was just seeking to please. That was all. Nothing more, nothing less. It was fine – normal even. Totally normal.

After Ethan came Owen. It took Bree a bit longer to find him. Her first break-up didn't process well, and healing took time. When she met Owen, though, her time of healing had officially come to an end. She was no longer the new girl, and he was the tortured (not literally) artist. Bree was immediately attracted to his introspection and tendency to push the boundaries of societal norms. In his own way, Owen was edgy.

He was also very kind and smart and creative. Owen quickly became infatuated with Bree, dubbing her as his new muse. That was a deal-breaker for her. After all, what girl didn't want to be someone's muse? She enjoyed the admiration, and the attention was nice – dare she say: craved. Owen just seemed so evolved for a boy. He was deep. Bree had never met anyone that she could have such intelligent conversations with. Well, there was always Chase, but he was neither cute nor interesting.

Owen was also a great listener. He paid attention to her thoughts, opinions, and feelings. A lot of the time, he adopted her frustration and channeled it into a new piece of artwork. He then dedicated that piece to her, claiming that it represented her trials. She didn't always understand his philosophical ramblings, but that was his way of showing that he cared about her.

He often times sympathized with her negative feelings and made a comment along the lines of: 'I agree, Bree. I know exactly how you feel. If you ask me, it's all just societal oppression. People today are stifling the happiness of youth. Creative expression should be allowed to run free! You know what, I'm going to sketch my irritation.' What a dreamboat, right?

Then, it all came crashing down once again.

"You'll always be my muse," he had told her. "It's just that… creative expression can be my only love right now."

Owen couldn't balance a girlfriend and a career. She kind of understood. Bree did know a thing or two about balancing normal life with a huge responsibility. It gave her doubts, though – doubts about herself. This was the third crush in a row to bite the dust. She was no expert, but that didn't seem normal. Perhaps adjusting her personality wasn't enough.

And so, with that thought, Bree considered her physical appearance. She was pretty, wasn't she? Her family – and even past crushes – had told her so many times. Maybe she just wasn't pretty enough. What was unappealing? Her clothes? Her hair? She wasn't sure, but she didn't want to take any risks. She needed a stable relationship, and she was willing to try anything. This feeling of abandonment was not a nice one. It needed it to go away – promptly.

She then started the second major change.

Bree officially said goodbye to the colorful tops and rubber angle boots. No more graphic tees; no more neon colors; no more fun patterns. What had see been thinking, anyway? Bree was in high school, for crying out loud! She couldn't dress like a ten-year-old. No wonder Owen preferred his art. At least his paintings were less colorful than her clothing. It was embarrassing when she realized just how childish she had been dressing. Guys probably didn't take her seriously. This wouldn't, couldn't stand.

She decided to completely reinvent her wardrobe. No one even seemed to notice – or, if they did, they didn't see it as a problem. Teenage girls changed their style all the time. Bree was just playing around with some new things. It was fine. No big deal. Tasha had been elated to go shopping with her for some fresh outfits, anyway. That included several pairs of suede ankle boots, feminine tops, cute jackets, and a plethora of skinny jeans in different colors.

Once her new style was in place, Bree felt a lot better. These were outfits that were sure to up her mature-factor. Hopefully it would also help with her break-up problems.

She didn't stop there, though. Bree also opted to change her hair. She didn't know what exactly caused Owen to leave, but better safe than sorry. Besides, the more she looked at it, the more she realized how… bland it was. Something different was definitely in order. She couldn't have expected boys to like her with hair so dull.

Unfortunately, Davenport refused to let her dye her hair blonde – or even do blonde highlights. They were, however, able to come to a compromise. Bree tried a darker, more defined shade of brown – much like a chocolate bar. She also decided to add in some extensions. Not many girls at MCH had short hair. Maybe Owen preferred girls with long hair and she never knew. It was very popular lately. She needed to stay up-to-date on the trends.

Her family didn't say much about Bree's hair, either. Tasha assumed that Bree was finding ways to express her true self. After all, as Bree discovered more of the real world, she was bound to want to try new things. Who was Tasha to stop her from such a thing? The boys, on the other hand, simply didn't care to get involved in girly affairs.

It was nothing to fuss over, anyway. She just wanted to try something new. That was normal. Change was a part of life. She was embracing it. That was a good thing. It still seemed harmless.

Bree convinced herself that it was harmless.

Then there came Jake Chambers… It was a long time after Owen that Bree found another guy worth dating. Plus, after their secret was revealed, no guy had the nerve to even approach her. When Jake did, Bree jumped at the opportunity to date again. She didn't know how long until the chance might return.

Jake Chambers was one of her shortest relationships. He really did seem like a nice guy. But, needless to say, there had been some bumps in the road. He tried to play it off cool – she could tell. After all was revealed about what had happened at the dance, it proved to be too much for him. He told her that he wasn't prepared to deal with the crazy life of a bionic girl. She understood. More times than not, Bree's own life was too much for her, as well.

And, to be fair, she didn't exactly make the best first impression. Bree would've broken up with herself, too, if she had unknowingly been dancing with Chase. Ew. She still wondered, though. She wondered if there was anything she could've done to change his mind – to make him stay. After all, if she was really worth it, Jake would've stayed despite the accident at the dance.

But apparently, Bree wasn't worth it to him. She wasn't an amazing enough girl for Jake to overlook what turned out to be a rather comical mistake. She must've been lacking something. What was so horrible about her that he couldn't forgive and forget? She had already changed so much – her personality, her clothes, even her hair! There was still more? She still had an undesirable streak? What was it? Why would no one come out and tell her? Bree didn't want to go through yet another unsuccessful relationship. Rejection was painful. She wanted people to stay. She needed for people to like her.

Perhaps, perhaps she wasn't… in shape. That was a bit of a stretch, especially considering how active she stayed. Missions were quite the workout. Still, it was the only option left that came to Bree's mind. It was just a precautionary measure – nothing wrong with that. She was just covering all the bases. Process of elimination – that was an efficient way to handle things. What other explanation was there, anyway?

She could've lost a couple pounds, she supposed. It wasn't a huge issue, but it never hurt to get extra fit – right? What was the problem with a little diet? She didn't have to keep it up forever. The effort was worth not losing another crush. Bree needed to be liked. She needed to do this.

It was so sneaky that her family didn't even really notice. She made sure of that. Something told her that Mr. Davenport and Tasha would think she was being too drastic. They wouldn't have understood, but this was important. Bree knew how to control herself.

Smaller portions. No going back for seconds – ever.

No dessert. Only what she needed to survive: fruits, vegetables, the bare essential amount of protein and dairy.

Drink water. Only ever water. Doctors recommended that, anyhow.

Perhaps three meals a day wasn't completely necessary.

Two meals a day. That was good. It wasn't too much; it wasn't too little. She just needed to eat enough to keep her family off her back. No need for suspicion.

Dinner was the meal that got cut. If she was nagged by her parental figures, Bree might nibble on the healthier options on her plate.

If that didn't work, she complained about being tired or stressed about homework. That always got her excused from the table.

See? Harmless. Maybe some days she only ate breakfast. It wasn't like that every day – just some days. The days when she felt a little extra weight loss was in order.

She ate, though. She never starved herself. It was alright. She did what she had to do. This was the key to being liked. Being liked was the key to not being abandoned.

Sometimes she did feel hungry. So what? She still ate – just not as much.

The human body could go three weeks without food. She ate every day, so, surely, she would be fine.

Besides, she got used to the feeling of hunger. It wasn't that bad. The quality of life wasn't taken away.

If anything, she was making herself healthier. Getting fit wasn't a bad thing. No harm, no foul.

What Bree didn't realize at the time was that there would be harm.

She didn't see it, though. Her vision was narrow, set on making sure no one ever disliked her for any reason ever again. It didn't seem that serious. She lost weight; she accomplished a goal. So what if she didn't go back to eating normally? Bree wanted to make sure the pounds stayed off. It didn't make her feel any worse. Mostly.

So what if she tended to get dizzy? So what if she suffered from fatigue? So what if she happened to bruise easier? So what? She was trying to keep from being bruised emotionally. Her family didn't bother her, anyway. Even when they did notice her newly developed fragility, even when they did sense her lack of energy, even when they saw her dizzy spells, she convinced them everything was okay. After all, everything was okay. Bree learned to hide her symptoms very well. In a matter of one week, no one noticed any unusual behavior. Of course, her weight loss was something she couldn't hide. Few noticed. When they did, she brushed it off.

It was fine. Everything was fine.

After the fifth boy, Bree was officially desperate.

This situation was different from all the others. It was deeper; it was more painful; it was more shocking. She tried to understand on her own. How did such a cute, charming, confident guy turn into such a creep? Did the connection that they had mean nothing to him? Bree couldn't figure it out. She needed help – his help.

That's why she was currently walking down an eerie hallway with a guard at her side. She saw many doors in passing. All of them were tightly shut with some sort of safety mechanism. Either the equipment and information on the other side was top secret, or there were people on the other side that shouldn't get out – dangerous people; people like the boy she was about to see.

When she first contemplated coming to visit him, Bree was very hesitant. Part of her felt that it would do no good, possibly even making things worse. She also wasn't confident in her ability to come face to face with him without breaking down. In the end, however, she felt there was no other choice. Someone needed to help her understand. She wanted to know, not just why he did what he did, but also what about her wasn't good enough. She had already changed so much. Was she capable of doing anything more?

Finally, the guard stopped in front of a door. He took a keycard from his pocket and slid it against a keypad. After imputing an eight digit code, a green light flashed and the door unlocked. Bree took a deep breath to prepare herself as the guard let her inside.

"You have five minutes," he said curtly as she stepped into the small interrogation room. Bree nodded at the man before he closed the door behind her.

"You know," said a voice, turning Bree's attention to the center of the room, "When they told me I had a visitor, I hardly expected it to be you."

Bree looked straight ahead, beyond the dim light. There sat Sebastian Krane.