Protection
As the baby of the family, one four years out of the box, Lenny was used to being the one in the family to be closely watched, the one the other family members looked over their shoulders after, the one that all the rest would check in on to make sure he was okay. Lenny could barely remember their parents, but through his older siblings he had come to understand that through their death, they had as a family been brought closer together, drawing together into a tight circle of protectiveness with each other, and that he was the in the center of them all, the focus point of their bond. He was only twelve years old, but without them saying so aloud, Lenny had gotten the over time that without him there as something for them all to agree on, someone to ban together to keep safe and cared for, they might have long ago drifted apart in bitter feelings and physical distance.
He was aware of his importance to the family and was happy for the role he played, the significance he held to them all, because as annoying as it could be to be the one they all were most concerned with, the one that was given the least freedom and the least trust to be able to make decisions for himself, their attention to him nevertheless was a demonstration of their caring. He was never in school long enough to get to know other children very well, but from what he had seen, Lenny was the only one with brothers and a sister as cool as his were, and he was definitely the only one that got so much attention from his older siblings.
He had only wished sometimes that they would trust him just a little more, give him just a little more chance at having some responsibility for himself and spend just a little less time blocking off any chances he might have to prove himself as capable as they were, entrust him just a little more with being able to maintain the family's safety. He was sure he would be better at being secretive and stealthy than the twins, at least. After all, they were usually the ones who got them in trouble, not Lenny.
But he had accepted nonetheless that for the time being, at his age, he was still to be the "baby" in their eyes, Lenny who was fun to play with and laugh at, but who was too young and not mature enough to be trusted with anything that mattered. He hadn't minded very much; after all, being the one that could make them all laugh and lighten up just to play was a fun role to have.
But when the time came that more was asked of him, when Lenny was not only expected, but NEEDED to be more for them, Lenny took his part with utmost seriousness, but without the joy or excitement he had expected. He knew only that his sister needed him to rescue her, that David needed him to be the one to do it, and if he could not do his part, if he could not be the protection to her that she had always been to him, then their family would not survive his failure.
As Lenny had run as fast as his super-human speed would allow, finding Darlene in her bound state and releasing her from her ties, he had tried not to think of what might have happened to her in the time that he had not been present. His sister had not allowed him to touch or hug her when she was first free of her makeshift cell; instead she had strode ahead of him with her chin lifted, her eyes narrowed until hardly any blue sheen of her irises could be seen, with the intent of violence evident in every muscle. It had not been until afterward, when all the necessary parties lay dead by their hand, that she had turned to Lenny and hugged him, thanking him with a brief but nevertheless sincere smile, that Lenny had finally been able to stand tall, to feel his first stirrings of pride.
For once, he had been the one to protect, and he thought he'd done a pretty great job of it.