A/N: Okay, so… this is either going to really work or it really isn't. Chances are, it's going to be a trainwreck, but bear with me anyway. I don't know how I thought of this, I must have just said to myself one day, "Hey, what if Bobby Brady was bisexual?"

I don't know. Read it and tell me whether it works or not.

I'll leave you to it.

...

Bobby Brady was fourteen years old when he started having feelings he wasn't supposed to have for someone he wasn't supposed to have them for.

It wasn't exactly abnormal as far as he knew—or, rather, it didn't feel abnormal. It felt fairly ordinary. Perfectly natural. It didn't feel bad, or wrong. He'd felt it before. He just… had never felt it about the sort of person he felt it about now.

Years had passed since that encounter between his and Millicent's lips. He'd seen skyrockets. He knew he had—they had filled his vision, his mind, his body. They'd lifted him until he was floating above the ground.

But with this person… with this particular person, he only had to look at them to get skyrockets.

And it scared him.

"You'll understand when you're older," Peter and Greg had told him, as they drove off in cars bound for picture theatres, or pizza places, or wherever they took their respective dates. "You'll understand."

Bobby didn't know how old he'd have to be to understand. But this was the first time he'd felt like this since Millicent and he was almost certain neither Peter nor Greg had brought another boy home before.

Bobby Brady ran a hand through his hair in frustration and tried to concentrate on the equations on the board. This was pointless. Why did they teach you this stuff in school?

Why didn't they teach you important stuff? Stuff you needed to know, like how to pick apart your feelings and put them back together in a way you could understand?

Bobby had been staring at the board for ten minutes now, and all he had figured out was that he was taking all the wrong classes.

Sighing exasperatedly, Bobby tapped his pencil against his teeth. Perhaps he could just try and forget about it, ignore it, and it would just go away…

Finally, after fifteen minutes of restraining himself, Bobby finally allowed his eyes to flick across the room to where a sandy-haired boy sat, gazing down at his maths textbook, a smattering of cinnamon freckles visible across his nose in the early afternoon sunlight that enveloped the classroom. Bobby felt his heart leap in his chest.

William Chase had always retained a somewhat clumsy perfection. Bobby just hadn't noticed it until this year. With his lopsided hair, his hazel-green eyes, his freckles, and his adorable laugh—he wholly eclipsed the youngest Brady boy.

And the only thought that Bobby could detangle from the situation was that, for one reason or another, he wasn't supposed to.

So whenever he glanced in Will's direction and butterflies erupted in his stomach, alarm bells would simultaneously begin clanging in his mind.

Bobby drew his gaze away from the other boy and tried, once more, to take in the equations on the blackboard. He bit his lip. This was useless.

"Bobby, are you having trouble?"

Bobby almost jumped three feet in his seat when he heard his teacher speak from behind him. He whirled around to face her.

"Uh, no, Mrs Cameron." He stammered.

Mrs Cameron glanced down at the empty page in his workbook and frowned.

"Well, then, get on with it," She said, turning away, "But if you have any problems or don't understand something, be sure to ask me."

Bobby looked at the equations on the board, and let his eyes train over once more to William Chase. If only Mrs Cameron could help him with something other than expanding brackets.

If only she knew.

…..

"Hey, kiddo, why the long face?"

Bobby glanced up from his feet at Alice, who stood in the kitchen, mop in hand. He bit his lip, mulling over what to say. Eventually, he replied with the standard: "Nuthin'…"

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Bob, I've been working for you Brady's for seven years now—I know when something's up. Now come on," She gestured towards Bobby, before moving to sit on the kitchen stool, "Spill it."

Bobby let out a sigh. "Maybe there is something wrong, but I don't wanna talk about it,"

Continuing out of the kitchen, he heard Alice's voice behind him.

"Wait, did something happen at school? Did you have a fight with one of your siblings?"

Bobby turned momentarily, shaking his head, before exiting the kitchen. A weight had begun to build on his shoulders.

Up in his room, Bobby opened his textbook and tried to immerse himself in algebra equations, but to no avail. His mind would not cease to wander to Will's sandy hair, his dusty freckles, that laugh of his…

He threw his pencil down in frustration. Who cared about whether 2a + 7b equalled 9ab or not, when William Chase owned the most adorable and most unattainable laugh in the entire Californian state?

Picking his pencil up again, Bobby sighed, swinging his legs and doodling on his exercise book as he searched for a way out of the labyrinth that was his own thoughts. He almost didn't notice Peter entering the room.

"Hey Bobby, have you seen my geography textbook?"

Bobby jumped a little in his set at his older brother's sudden appearance. "Uhm, no."

Peter wandered over to the desk and looked at the math-less page in front of Bobby, leaning on the back of the chair. Bobby bit his lip and glanced up at Peter momentarily. Oddly, he was smiling.

"What're you smirking about?" Bobby asked fiercely, not liking the way Peter was grinning. It was the sort of knowing grin that made Bobby's heart sink, and he immediately put his guard up.

"What's her name?" Peter asked brazenly.

"What?" Bobby frowned.

"It's a girl, isn't it?" Peter's grin was growing wider, and Bobby felt his stomach flip.

"No!" The younger boy denied, feeling himself grow pink. Oh god, if Peter found out…

"It is," Peter's face was almost splitting, his smile was so wide. "My little brother has a crush!"

"It's not a girl!" Bobby spluttered. He wasn't lying, strictly speaking. His mother and father had always taught him not to lie… then again, they had also taught him to make his homework first priority, and that boys liked girls…

"It is so,"

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Peter looked at him expectantly. Bobby blinked several times. How to reply…

"Uhm…"

"What's her name? Is she groovy? Do I know her?" Peter plonked himself on the closest bed and stared at Bobby, waiting for an answer.

"I already told you," Bobby sighed, "It's not a girl."

Peter rolled his eyes, "You're hopeless."

And he was gone, presumably looking for his geography textbook—or perhaps going to pump one of the other kids for information. Bobby sighed again and slid down in his chair.

…..

At dinner Bobby tried not to look up from his food. Bits of conversation bounced across the table like shuttlecocks; Marcia's graduation at the end of the year, Cindy's science exam, the likelihood of rain on Wednesday. Bobby could care less about most of the trivial matters that came up, but he nodded and smiled in the right places, which was all he needed to do, really.

"Bobby, are you alright?"

Bobby looked up into his mother's concerned eyes. He swallowed his mouthful of meatloaf. "Yeah…"

"But you've hardly said anything since you sat down," Carol continued, frowning.

Peter smiled slyly. "Bobby's got a girl on his mind, is all."

"I have not!" Bobby cried indignantly.

"You have,"

"Ooh, a crush!" Cindy grinned, "Who is she?"

"She doesn't exist," Bobby rubbed his eyes exasperatedly. Why wouldn't everyone just leave him be… "I haven't got a crush on a girl."

He didn't emphasize any words in particular, so strictly speaking he wasn't lying yet again.

Peter shook his head. "I still reckon you do."

"Just because I was daydreaming doesn't mean I was daydreaming about a girl. I was just thinking!"

"Really? Did it hurt?"

"Cool it, boys." Mike stepped in. "Now, if Bobby has a crush, it's his decision whether or not he tells. And you shouldn't jump to conclusions based on unverified evidence; right, Peter?"

Peter looked down at his plate and muttered, "Right, dad."

Bobby looked down at his plate too, grateful for the termination of the conversation.

…..

It wasn't until later that evening that Mike came up to the boy's room to speak to Bobby; not about the alleged girl, but the behaviour that had brought about Peter's assumptions. Bobby had heard him coming up the stairs and down the hall, and braced himself for the questions, pencil tightly gripped in one hand, partially finished algebra homework lain out in front of him.

"Bob, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Bobby looked up at his well-meaning father and swallowed. "Uh, sure dad."

Mike made his way across the room and seated himself on the bed closest to the desk. "Now, I realize that you don't have a crush, but you have been acting troubled lately, and I just wanted to know what the matter is."

Bobby bit his lip. Could he tell him? Would his father understand? Mike watched him expectantly. He wanted to help. Bobby knew this; but could he?

"Uhm…" Bobby swallowed nervously, "It's… it's nothing…"

Mike scrutinized him like only a parent of six children knew how, "Bob, you know you can tell me anything. Your mother and I can help."

Bobby felt the weight pressing down on him. He could just say it. He could tell Mike right now and be over with it. His father could help him. He'd just said so. So why was Bobby so afraid…?

"Uh… I…"

Come on. William Chase's perfect face swam before his eyes. He could tell him… he was his dad…

"Dad… I…"

Mike waited expectantly, face open and encouraging.

"…I… I think I'm flunking algebra."

…

"Class dismissed," Mrs Cameron called at the ringing of the bell. "Bobby and Will, could you stay behind for a moment, please."

Bobby felt his stomach turn to lead. This was too much of a coincidence, wasn't it? She must know something, mustn't she? She must be going to punish him somehow, right?

Bobby shook his head a little as if to clear it from the fuzz. No, that was ridiculous, she couldn't possibly know about his crush on Will; he hadn't told anyone. But that didn't stop the nervousness as he made his way up to her desk.

Will walked up too, hands in pockets, absentmindedly brushing his hair out of his eyes. He gave Bobby a lopsided grin as their eyes met, and the youngest Brady boy looked away, face quickly growing pink.

"Now, Bobby." They were in front of Mrs Cameron now, and Bobby was forced to look up, hoping his blush was fading. "I have noticed, and your parents have informed me, that you are having trouble with our algebra unit."

Bobby swallowed. "Uhh… yeah." He cursed himself mentally; why did his voice sound half an octave higher than usual?

Mrs Cameron smiled good-naturedly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Bobby; algebra is a difficult mathematical concept to grasp. Which is why I have enlisted the help of Will here, to tutor you."

Bobby felt all the oxygen leave his body at once. "You… you mean, like… come over to my house and stuff?" He squeaked.

"Yes," Mrs Cameron was still smiling, "Will is happy to do so, aren't you, Will?"

Will nodded, "Oh, yeah, I'd be glad to help, Mrs Cameron."

Mrs Cameron turned to Bobby and beamed as if to say: 'See?'

Bobby felt like his world was falling down around him yet being built up all at once. Having William Chase tutor him was not going to help… yet at the same time, spending time with Will didn't seem like a repulsive idea…

"O-oh." Bobby said, not sure how else to respond. "Um… well, thanks, I guess."

Mrs Cameron clapped her hands together. "Oh, I'm sure this is going to work out splendidly!"

"When would we start?" Will asked.

"As soon as possible," Mrs Cameron said, "We wouldn't want Bobby to get any more behind, would we?"

Will turned to Bobby and spoke directly to him for the first time, "What about today, then?"

Bobby felt his breath catch in his chest. Today?! Today was far too soon; he needed time to mentally prepare himself for something like this—

"Uh, sure, that'll be fine," He heard himself say. Dammit, Bobby…

Will gave him that lopsided grin again, making Bobby's whole world smell like butter. "Groovy."

…..

"Ah, my room is upstairs," Bobby stammered, as he and Will walked through the sliding doors. They made their way past the kitchen, where Alice was kneading pastry dough on a floury countertop.

"Hi Bob, who's this?" She asked, glancing up as the two boys walked in.

"Oh," Bobby said, caught off guard, "This is, Will, my…" Unrequited male super-crush "…tutor for algebra."

"Oh," Alice smiled, "Hiya Will, I'm Alice. I'm the housekeeper."

"Nice to meet you," Will said smoothly, and Bobby almost melted in place. How could someone possibly be so perfect?

They made their way upstairs. As they neared the door, Bobby began to explain. "This is my room, but I share it with my brother, Peter. I used to share it with my other brother, Greg, but he's in college now."

He flushed scarlet, feeling as though he had been rambling, but Will didn't seem to notice. "Oh, yeah. I share my room with my little brother."

They entered the boy's room and Bobby thumped his books down on his desk. Will looked around. "Is there another chair?"

"Oh… uh, yeah." Bobby said lamely, going over to the desk in the corner to get it. Once they were both seated, Will flipped open the algebra textbook.

"So, ah, I guess we'd better start where you're having trouble," He shrugged.

Bobby took a sharp breath. Where to begin. How could he possibly reply to the question when the answer was right beside him asking it?

At that moment, the door flew open and Peter entered, voicing loudly: "Bobby, I swear you must have moved that geography textbook, I—" He noticed the blonde boy sitting beside Bobby. "Oh… uh, hi."

"This is my brother: Peter," Bobby said to Will, "Uh, Peter, this is Will. He's helping me with algebra."

"Oh, hi, Will." Peter said, moving over to the desk in the corner, "Bobby, are you sure you don't know where my geography textbook is?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Bobby said, "And can you get out of here, we're kind of in the middle of something."

Peter rolled his eyes, "I'll check downstairs." And he was gone.

Bobby turned to Will. "Uh… sorry about that,"

"It's fine," Will grinned, turning back to the textbook.

For the next quarter of an hour Will attempted to teach Bobby in the conventions of algebra. Bobby found it extremely difficult to concentrate with Will beside him, but the sandy-haired boy wasn't by any means a bad teacher, and soon the youngest Brady boy was actually beginning to understand things.

It was by accident, really, that Bobby happened to look up from writing an answer and Will happened to look up from reading the answer at the same time; but in that moment, their eyes locked.

Bobby's heart began beating wildly. Had there always been that many shades of green in Will's kaleidoscope eyes? He didn't notice at first, but slowly he began to realize that Will was leaning in closer. And by the time he realized Will was going to kiss him, Bobby was leaning in too.

Their lips met and skyrockets burst forth, exploding in flashes of light and colour. The filled his entire vicinity until he could scarcely breathe. He could feel Will's hand on his shoulder and his hair brushing lightly against his face, every small feeling magnified.

But when he pulled away his eyes were filled with fear. "Will—Will, I'm not supposed to like boys."

Will cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean?"

Bobby swallowed, shaking all over. What had he done? What had he done that was so wrong yet that he had enjoyed so much? "Everyone in my family is perfect, Will. We Bradys—we're so balanced, all the time. Three boys, three girls—and one day all three girls will have husbands and it's only fitting that all three boys will have wives," Bobby was rambling now, still shaking, tears beginning to spring in his eyes, "So where does that leave me?"

Will stared at him incredulously, "Bobby, you don't have to feel like you're just part of an equation."

Bobby rubbed his eyes, "But that's the way it is. Boys like girls and girls like boys."

"Why?" Will said quietly.

There was silence for a long while.

Bobby shifted in his seat, and finally spoke. "Can you keep a secret?"

"What?"

Bobby took a deep breath, "I really liked the kiss."

Will just smiled softly and kissed him again.

…..

Bisexuality.

Bobby loved the word like he loved Will's hazel-green eyes. He loved it like he remembered loving Millicent's lips. He loved it like he knew it was a part of himself.

And a person can't tear out a part of themselves. The numeral 1 will always be 1 no matter if it wants to be more or less. But to fully understand this, it must remove itself from the equation. Make itself the number 1, not just the number that makes up part of 6.

Which is how Bobby stopped being the youngest Brady boy.

How he started being just Bobby Brady.

…..

A/N: Probably the best part about this was the subplot with Peter and his geography textbook… *cowers and covers her face in preparation for the onslaught*

[EDIT 17/11/2015: So there's a poll up on my profile asking whether I should extend/create a sequel to this story, so if you think I should (or really think I shouldn't) head on over there and have your say.]