Title: "When You Grow Up With Women"
Rating: T
Genre: family, friendship
Character(s): the Dooley-Davenport kids and some OCs, but it's mainly Leo and Bree
Pairing(s): mentions of Leo/Janelle, Bree/Sebastian, Taylor/OC, and Leo/OC
Summary: He's not fazed with these things anymore. Not really. After all, he was raised by and grew up with them. Oneshot.
Notes: This is just a fun little story brought about by a few things, one of them being a theory that Leo grew up surrounded by (mostly) women. It went hand in hand with personal experience, as well as comparisons and observations of men who grew up in that similar environment and how it later affects their relationship with other girls and potential mates. It's also influenced by a video I saw a while ago.
Anyways, this is going to have a heavy focus on the sibling relationship between Bree and Leo, but other relationships will also make their appearances. As far as the time when these took place, it's spread out between seasons one to four, and one is post-Lab Rats. Just a word of caution: I upped the rating to T because there will be topics here that may be uncomfortable to some people. They're not bad or vulgar; they just involve normal girl things. If you feel like you don't want to tackle or know these, I will not be hurt if you hit the back button.
As a last thought to this colossal note, just want to clarify that this story is not meant to offend anyone. If something doesn't sit right with you after this, leave me a note at the review. I'm open to talk and make peace. :)
Whew! With all of that said, I hope you guys enjoy this short one-shot!
Open display of emotions, no matter the reason, doesn't (really) scare you.
After a long day of work and taking notes of what needs to be improved in the Academy, Donald comes into the Living Quarters to speak to Chase. Instead, he finds his stepson comforting his daughter as she sobs on his shoulder, her tablet precariously balanced on her knees. "Hey," he says, alarmed by what he's witnessing. "What happened? What's the matter?"
Seeing that his sister can't speak yet, Leo looks up to his stepfather with a soft, sympathetic smile. "Teen Fiancée just ended. It was the series finale," he says. He hugs his sister closer to him.
"I really liked that show," Bree squeaks, evidently heartbroken.
Donald stares at his children for a moment, completely puzzled. "Uh, okay," he says.
Not knowing what to do or how to help, he chooses to leave.
You understand the power of humor—and you know when to use it.
"It's so stupid," Bree laments as she sits up and wipes her tears, smudging a bit of her mascara in the process.
"Well, that was your favorite show. I felt the same way when my show ended, remember?" Leo tells her. "We can just find a new show. I think I saw something you may be interested in. It's pretty good. I've been checking it out, and it's great."
"No, I'm not talking about the show. I'm talking about Sebastian." Bree's bottom lip quivers as another set of tears roll down from her eyes. She sighs. "I feel so used, like – he didn't even mean anything that he said. I was really falling for him."
Leo seethes inwardly as he watches his sister cry. Of all the things that resulted from that awful rebellion, this has got to be one of the worst. He hates seeing her like this. However, he knows that exuding that anger is not what's needed right now. So, he just says, "Well, I can't say I understand how you feel. You fell for him. I fell on the jerk."
Bree laughs. "You got the better deal," she says, sniffling as she reaches for the box of tissues.
Leo smiles as he sees the spark of joy in his sister's eyes. "Oh, definitely," he says, happy to see her happy. "Definitely."
You give and get unsolicited (and sometimes brutal) clothing opinions.
"What," Leo says as he sees his sister scanning his outfit with a frown.
Bree shakes her head softly. "That tie doesn't go well with that shirt, Leo," she says, walking over to the mirror where her brother stands. "The colors are clashing. It's too busy."
Leo turns towards the mirror for another look at his outfit for this date night. "No, it's not," he disagrees thoughtfully.
"Yes, it is. Green checkered shirt with an orange paisley tie? What are you, a salesman for navel oranges?" Bree says as she digs through the small collection of ties in his closet. A moment later, she pulls out a patterned but still matching green and light blue tie. "Here. This one will look better," she says as she hands it to him.
"Does it really matter what I wear? I'm sure Janelle's not going to notice."
"Oh, she will notice. And so will the people in the restaurant you're taking her to," Bree says. When she sees him hesitating, she urges with a grin, "Just try that on!"
"Okay, okay. Fine," he mutters under his breath.
As it turns out, that shirt and the tie that she chose is a better pairing.
. .
"Leo? Which of these shoes go along with this dress?"
Leo looks up from the show he's watching and sees Bree holding up the pink dress she's going to wear for prom. Above it dangles a pair of navy blue shoes. Hanging on her other hand is a pair of white shoes with silver glitter trim. "The white one," he says evenly as he looks back at the television. "The silver goes with the sequin on the dress."
"Oh, okay. Thanks!"
"Hm."
Undergarments are kind of a non-issue…
Leo pauses mid-stride into the lab when he sees the horrified looks on his older brothers' faces. They're both standing back from the basket of clothes currently perched above the cyber desk, specifically the one in front of Chase. He frowns. He's only known them for a year, so he can count how many times he had seen that kind of apprehension on their features.
He hasn't seen it quite like this, though. He hasn't seen it mixed with embarrassment.
He walks forward to see what it is that has alarmed them. When he finds it, he sighs. If he hadn't been so used to seeing and even dealing with things like that, he probably would have been as mortified as they are. However, after years and years of being around his grandmother, his aunt, and his mother, he's grown so used to it that it doesn't even scare him anymore.
Chase looks up at him with a frightened expression when he finally notices him standing there. "We were just going to fold our clothes, and… Everything got mixed up, I think," he says, sounding very lost.
Leo strides towards the basket where the pastel blue polka dot underwear is hanging out halfway. Pushing it back inside the basket, he says, "It's a bra, Chase. Not a bomb." He picks up the basket filled with more underwear, and then heads out to find Bree to give it to her.
As he walks away, his brothers watch as if they have just sent him to embark on a very dangerous mission.
…and periods are kind of a non-issue, too.
He walks in on Bree lying quietly on the couch, her face turned away from everything else but the back of the seat. She appears ticked off, uncomfortable, and in pain, but she's attempting to ignore the ill feelings by distracting herself with her phone. "Not feeling very well?" he asks as he continues into the kitchen to get something to eat.
"No," she mutters.
"Is it that time of the month again?"
She looks up, somewhat intrigued by the question. Then, a moment later, she shrugs. "Yeah," she says as she resumes to scroll through her Twitter feed. "I hate it."
"Need any pain medicine?"
"I'm out."
"I can get some from the infirmary. I think I saw a packet of Advil there somewhere."
"Oh. Will you?"
"Sure," Leo says, striding out of the Living Quarters with half a slice of sandwich to get what his sister needs.
Songs that they constantly sing or listen to gets inadvertently stuck in your head.
"And we're singin' out, hey…Turn it up all the way," Leo absently sings under his breath as he assesses the grades of his students. "Got the speakers up high tide, beach waves coming 'til late…"
A chuckle from behind him cuts him off and forces him to look up from his tablet. "S.U.G.A.R Inc.? Really?" Chase asks, smirking.
Leo's confused at first, not knowing what his brother means. Then, he huffs when he realizes what he was doing just a moment ago. Ugh, that song! he thinks. Why does she have to sing it so much?
You get acclimated to their mood swings.
From the moment it started, Leo knew it was going to happen. Adam and Chase came into the new lab, arguing over something nonsensical, while Bree was sitting uncharacteristically silent at the new mission specialist desk. There was a stagnant and lightly cross expression on her face as she searches for something on his desktop. It was clear that she was on her second day – at least to him it was.
"Well, okay. What if I use Leo's spinny chair to prove to you that—"
"What are you doing?" Bree asked, darting a rather deadly glare to her older brother as soon as he touched the armrest of her chair.
Catching a wave of the anger radiating from her, Adam, and even Chase, slightly reeled back. However, Adam didn't let up. "I wanna use the chair," he said with a chuckle. "Now come on, Bree. Get up."
"Get your hand off the chair, Adam."
"No. We need it."
"Move it or lose it," Bree warned.
"And if I don't? What're you gonna do about it?" Adam asked mockingly.
Bree glowered at him. There was a swift blur afterwards. The next thing they knew, Adam was locked inside his capsule. "What about you?" she asked Chase as Adam pounded in fear against the glass. "Do you want the chair, too?"
Chase shook his head fervently. "Uh, no. No, ma'am. I'm – I'm perfectly good. I'm happy being chair-less," he said. He backed up a few steps, and then ran away.
Leo shakes his head as he remembers the incident that took place just a few minutes ago. Adam's still pounding on the glass, now profusely apologizing to Bree and pleading for her to let him out. Bree, meanwhile, guiltlessly ignores him and only looks at the screen on the desk as she watches something. Should've let go of the chair when she told you to, bro, he tells Adam mentally as he continues to read his book.
It's a bit easier to build friendships with women outside your family…
"I don't know. Do you really think he's serious about me? I mean, what if he's secretly weirded out that we both have the same name? Isn't that kind of a turn off?" Taylor asks anxiously as she and Leo hang out at the Training Center.
Leo chuckles. "No, I don't think that's a turn-off. Taylor C seems to be a decent dude."
"You think so?"
"Yeah. He's crazy about you," Leo assures his close friend. "But, in case he is lying and is just playing around, tell him I know where he lives."
It's Taylor's turn to chuckle.
Leo only hitches his eyebrows.
"Wait. You're serious?"
"Yeah. He invited us to hang out with him last week, remember? Logan and I know where that jerk lives."
"We're still dating, you know. Don't call him a jerk."
"Right. Sorry."
After a moment of silence, Taylor says, "I'm also capable of making my point across by myself."
Leo looks at her. "We know," he says. He smiles. "That Logan and I are willing to protect you doesn't mean we think you're weak, Taylor. It just means that we get hurt when someone hurts you. If someone hurts Logan, wouldn't you be upset, too?"
Taylor thinks about it. With a grin, she swats widely to her left and grazes Leo's arm a little. "You goof. I hate it when you make sense," she says, making Leo laugh.
…and have a good relationship with that special someone.
Leo's brows hitched up when he sees Amaranth struggling on their couch, hand outstretched in front of her and right knee bent up as she tries her hardest to paint her toes. "Are you okay?" he asks her with a small grin, adjusting the box that's sitting on his arms.
"No," Amaranth says, slight dejection in her eyes. "I'm getting polish on everything but my toenails. Years of training, and I can't control a little brush."
Leo chuckles. He carefully places down the box (his mother will not be happy if he wrecks the wedding gift she got for them) and then sits down on the floor. "Here, I'll do it," he says, holding out his hand for the nail polish.
"Are you sure?" his wife asks him as she hesitantly hands the bottle over.
"Yeah." He grins as he twists the cap then begins painting. "It's not like it's the first time I've done this."
"Knock, knock," chirps Bree a minute later, a small box on her arms.
"Oh, hey, Bree! Come in," Amaranth waves her in. "Thanks for bringing that over."
"Not a problem. Is that the last one?"
"Yes, it is," Amaranth says with a smile. "Thank you."
"Uh-huh." Bree places her hands on her hips and cocks her eyebrows as she watches the newlywed, especially her little brother.
Feeling her gaze boring into him, Leo looks up. "What."
"Nothing," Bree says with a smile. "Hey, Amaranth, I gotta go. I need to meet up with Daniel about something. Just give me a call if there's something else you want from Cali."
"Okay. Thanks," Amaranth says with a smile before letting her full attention fall back to observing the bright color now covering her toenails.
"You're welcome."
Knowing that she's once again looking at him, Leo looks up at his sister.
Bree grins at him when their eyes meet, and she gives him a thumb's up to show her approval.
When she speeds away, Leo shakes his head and rolls his eyes. He will hear about this nail polish incident in a text later, he can already tell.
As mentioned, reviews and comments are welcome. :)