Chapter 73: Drive Responsibly!

It was a frantic weekend at Leo's house, as for once the fates converged to bring their entire family under one roof with no obligations to speak of.

Naturally, it didn't take long for the butting of heads to occur, primarily between his mom and Serra.

"Serra! How many times do I have to tell you? You can't just stuff your coat into the washer without emptying the pockets first!"

"But isn't a washer supposed to clean 'em out? I'm just speeding up the process!"

"Rocks jam up the works!"

"Oh, well sorry, moms! I'll make sure to remember next time! I gotta run!" As per tradition, Serra went out jogging faster than their mom's reprimanding comments could hit her ears.

So instead she stood at the door flubbing her attempts and eventually settling on throwing her arms down, biting her teeth with a hiss, and retreating back into the house, "That girl, I swear…"

Leo's dad was on the couch chuckling, prompting his mom to twist her head and bludgeon him with her glare.

He turned to her with a cold sweat and gestured at the TV, "I-I was laughing at a joke on here. I swear!"

She pulled her head back and then after rolling her eyes she made her way over to the couch and plopped down.

Leo then watched his dad scoot closer to her and give her a light nudge on the shoulder. Then he tried it a few more times, forcing a smile out of her.

He wanted to take notes about their relationship, but felt they were two rather unique cases to be focusing on.

He kept shifting between his homework and texting Lyra. They didn't have any spare time to hang out recently, so he took what he could get.

She had a lot to say today about this restaurant her and her dad went to last night. It was Italian, apparently, and she enjoyed eating some spicy meatballs.

"Like spicy foods…" He murmured in a slight trance, only realizing afterwards that he wrote that fact down on his homework.

He grabbed the paper and after the error stared him in the face for a while, he blushed and set off to grab a fresh piece of paper and start over.

Along the way he detoured to the kitchen and grabbed a drink from the fridge, "Either of you thirsty?"

His dad raised a glass of his patented strawberry lemonade, his mom hummed before deciding, "I-I'm good…thanks."

But upon returning to the table to pick up from a fresh slate, he was ambushed by his mom who shyly remarked, "Everything…going ok over here? You've been pretty quiet."

Leo smiled back at her fondly and chuckled, "Aren't I always?"

"Haaaa, true." She admitted with some embarrassment.

Then her glance strayed to the right and Leo knew where it would land on. She picked up the messed up paper and while he tried to sneak back to work naturally, the moment she went "'Who' likes spicy foods, Leo?" He was already traveling halfway into embarrassment city.

"...Lyra." He admitted.

"Aaaaaah," She replied with a slight teasing air and then set the paper back down, "I haven't gotten to meet her yet."

And then of course his dad saw that as a chance to jump into the conversation, "Neither have I!"

His mom flinched and then turned around to proclaim, "This isn't your conversation, Mew!"

Mew flicked his hands up and chuckled, "I can't just turn down my amazing hearing, Kairi!"

She propped her fists on her hips and murmured, "That's a 'you' problem."

Nevertheless, now that he put himself into the conversation, he got off the couch and walked over, causing Leo to feel a little more…compressed for lack of a better word.

"Well, she's welcome over anytime!"

Leo coughed and then glanced the other way to try and get his parents' stares off him for a bit, "I-I already invited her over a couple weeks ago."

"Huh? Really? …" His dad scratched the side of his face and remarked, "My memory's not going already is it?"

To which his mom added, "Is MY memory going bad?"

"Ha ha, you're both fine. She just came for a quick visit and was gone before either of you got home."

"...Did you guys kiss?" His dad asked nonchalantly.

"MEW!" His mom clocked him gently on the arm.

"Whaaaat, I could've said…the other thing."

As Leo's face continued to get redder and redder his ability to get things in order was being compromised. So he settled on trying to politely ask, "While I appreciate your interest, mom, dad…I AM trying to do my homework."

His dad waved his hands up like a pair of flags and smirked, "Say no more. Consider me invisible."

He then silently wandered back to the couch.

However, his mom bobbed her head around and after some light groaning, decided to take a seat next to her son and lean in with a murmur laced with eagerness, "Do you need advice?"

Leo raised a brow, thought about it some, then whispered, "No, but…there's something else you could help me out with."

"Say the word!" She blurted out.

"...I…I was thinking about getting my driver's license."

Reappearing like a ninja performing an ambush, his dad stood at the edge of the table with arms crossed as he proudly remarked, "Y'know, I know a few things about driver's tests…"

His mom slanted her brows unamused as she remarked, "Like going 100 in a 70 MPH zone?"

Mew faked being disheartened by hanging his shoulders and murmuring, "None of you will let me live that down…"

Leo however just tilted his head, puzzled, before offering a suggestion, "You'd probably be better off teaching Serra how to drive, since she listens to you more."

He gestured to his mom, "No offense to you, mom."

She took a deep sigh and grumbled, "Truuuuust me, I'm totally…well ok not TOTALLY, but I'm fine ENOUGH with him taking the reins there! Of course, we all know what'll happen if he tries."

All three simultaneously imagined Serra's reaction to being asked to get a license. She was standing there with her blank stare wondering, "Huh? Why do I need a license! Running gets me anywhere I wanna be!"

To which their mom rubbed the front of her face down, while their dad had a jolly laugh.

"Yeah, that's her alright."

Their mom remarked, "She can't live like that all the time! And she's NOT running 60 MPH to work."

"She totally could though." Their dad boasted, to which she glared at him.

He waved his hands up in defeat and again backed off to the couch, "Well, good luck, Leo! I know you can ace it!"

Leo then looked at his mom, who after shaking off being flustered by his charming antics, turned to him and gathered her thoughts, "Well first off, we should get you a provisional license so you can practice around here under my supervision."

"I mean, it doesn't have to be right now…" Leo whispered.

"No way, I insist!" She patted him on the hand and then got up and grabbed her coat.

Leo shrugged and realized he could put this homework off for later, it wasn't that hard of an assignment.

So he got his jacket on and headed out the door with her, but his dad requested, "Hey, we're outta milk, pick some up please."

To which his mom bit back by pointing out, "You have a car yourself, mister!"

He leaned back into the couch and stretched his arms like he was exhausted, "Awwww, I'm gas pedaled out. Pleeeeease? I'll give you a massage tonight in exchange."

"Over a gallon of milk…?" After she hung on that point for a bit, she curled a smile and chuckled, "Try and forget the milk more often, Mew."

It wasn't that hard to get what they needed at the government building, even on a weekend.

After returning to the neighborhood, Leo swapped seats with his mom, who was looking a little flustered.

"A-Are you ready? We can totally take a few minutes to do some breathing exercises first!"

Leo looked at his mom and her eyes were dilated, "You go ahead, mom. I can wait."

She took deep breaths for a good while and then started to sweat, "W-Whoa, who turned the weather up out there ha ha…"

She took her coat off and tossed it in the back. All of these gestures were piling up on Leo's mind and making his grip on the wheel tense.

She soon faced him and but her teeth in a hiss, "S-Sorry, am I getting in your head?"

She raised her hands before he could speak up, insisting, "I'll give advice when you ask, otherwise, just assume I'm not here!"

"Mom." He spoke softly.

"Huh?!" She jolted upright.

He smiled and gestured at her seatbelt, or rather lack of one.

She put it on lickity-split and then eased back into the seat with a deep breath.

"Oookay. Go ahead."

Facing the quiet suburban roads came with a little nervousness and a lot of responsibility.

Leo's brain had a layer of fog but he collected his scattered thoughts and turned on their ignition and put the car in motion slowly.

Thinking back to all the times either of his parents drove him around, he recalled his mom being an expert of cautious driving, but it meant she was very meticulous about taking turns.

He chalked it up to how she didn't want him or Serra getting hurt.

Contrasting with the few times dad was allowed to drive them around. He made decisions that were bold but not reckless. He never got in accidents.

When he was driving it was the only time Serra didn't look upset being cramped inside a vehicle.

The hardest part of taking the wheel wouldn't be taking turns or making decisions. It would be the speed.

He's seen the world pass by at different paces, but now he could control it.

His feet twitched on the gas pedal, wanting to get just a little bit faster.

But the speed limit was 10 mph due to how tight everything was.

His body tensed up and he put on the brakes, and once they were at a complete stop his mom asked, "You know…maybe we should try driving somewhere less…?"

"Crowded?" Leo murmured.

"I was going to say 'populated' but I guess that's the same thing." She hastily swapped seats and drove them to a less active road still within city limits.

Leo felt a lot better about this now, comfortably taking the wheel and managing to get a grasp on how to reach the right speed limit within a few attempts.

It was oddly easy to apply pressure to the pedal.

Just to make sure he understood it fully though, he kept slowing down and speeding up, which helped him test the brakes too.

However, his mom let out a few inhaling gasps and pushed herself against the seat, like she was frightened by his actions.

Worried, he pulled them off to the side of the road and asked, "Mom, are you…?"

She caught her breath and looked embarrassed. Then she fanned her face and wiped the sweat off her forehead, "Y-Yeah, it's just…a little warm in here. Lemme get my coat off."

She struggled to get it off and put it in the back. All the while, Leo nervously fidgeted his fingers on the wheel, wanting to speak up.

She made a passing glance his way and waved her hand out, "Don't mind me, go!"

"Are you sure you're doing alright, mom?"

She pushed her palms against her legs and groaned, "Yessss…"

Leo waited a few seconds before starting the engine and pushing the gas pedal.

"Wait!" And then his mom's blurting made him brake.

He looked at him with sincerity and combed his hair with her fingers before their eyes met and she murmured, "Mmm, you're taking after your father…"

She then pulled back, snapped her fingers and remarked, "Wow that sounds really weird right now…"

Leo took initiative to take the keys out of the ignition and tuck them away in his pocket for now, causing her to wonder, "Why did you do that?"

"Because you're worrying me, and I don't feel comfortable driving." He said, not disliking her behavior but simply wishing to figure her out.

His mom gripped the level and pulled her seat back with a mighty groan, the kind that's usually reserved for her husband, now aimed at herself.

She grabbed the front of her face and mumbled, "I am such a bad mother…"

Leo held his hand out and his face got more expressive, "No you're not."

"Yes I am!" She threw herself upright and stared out the window long and hard, "This isn't natural! You should've wanted to come out and practice! But noooo, I had to force the issue like I always do!"

She lightly punched her face with both hands, "Stupid Kairi…! Ugh!"

This was some rather intense distress even for her, "It's not like I hate this, mom…I wanted to do this eventually. In fact, I thank you for pushing me to-"

She peeled her hands off her eyes and glared at him, "Oh you're just being NICE…"

"H-Honestly…when you brought up your new girlfriend…I panicked." Her answer caught him off guard, not so much the focus of her dismay, but rather the emotion.

She settled down a little bit and tried to set the record straight, "I thought 'Oh, my baby boy is all grown up'."

And then dread settled into her face, "And then I thought…'Oh…my baby boy is growing up'."

"I assumed you wouldn't get a girlfriend until you were in college, despite all your good qualities and dashing good looks."

"T-Thank you?" Leo murmured with mild embarrassment.

"And the next thing I know you WILL be in college, away from home, away from ME…A-And I just flipped out!" She turned to him and patted him on the hand, "I'm not ready to say goodbye yet, Leo! We've barely done anything lately, and our opportunities are dwindling fast!"

"Mom…"

"S-So sue me! I decided to keep you all to myself however I could! What could this…'Lyra' know about you that I don't!"

"Mom…"

"I-"

"MOM!" Leo surprised himself with that outburst, but he earned a brief respite from seeing her act out on her worst impulses.

She pulled back, letting him breathe, to which he responded politely, "There is no world where I would abandon you forever."

"I don't think about the days you're not around. I think about when you ARE home. I think about how you raised me."

"Do I wish we spent more time together? Certainly…but I don't hate you. You haven't done anything to deserve that."

"Oh." She uttered in a completely deadpan tone.

She sucked her lips in, pulled back, and wondered, "I'm…just being an idiot then."

"I don't think so." Leo confessed, though admittedly, he didn't really understand women enough to make this judgment call.

But for now, it sufficed to help clear his mom's head.

"How did My…me-ism's, and Mew's Mew-ism's…somehow come together to create an upstanding gentleman like you?" She asked, shaking her head.

Leo humbly itched the side of his face and remarked, "Truth be told, I don't think I was really much of an outstanding person until I let Lyra into my life."

"She's opened my eyes to a lot of new and exciting ideas and interests. I…feel almost positive that I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

His mom put her hands down and nodded, "So you want to get a license to start taking care of her responsibly. Yeah. That makes sense."

She then scoffed and had a laugh at herself, "Reminds me of how I was forced to get my license after giving birth to you two. Cause I sure as heck wasn't gonna leave your dad up to the task."

Leo couldn't even imagine how much his fate would change if he had been exposed to his dad's need for speed lifestyle earlier.

His mom then flinched and wagged her finger at him, "Hey, just promise you won't end up more like your sister."

Leo laughed, "I don't think that'll happen. My changes are not THAT drastic."

"Ok, whew!" His mom breathed in relief.

Leo then made sure to check on her again, "Anything else you need to talk about, mom?"

"Well…" She leaned back into her seat and with a quick glance hastily wondered, "You two aren't…making peaches and cream…are you?"

Leo blacked out for a few moments before rapidly shaking his head and getting flustered, "N-Not at all…! We haven't even kissed."

"You haven't kissed?!" She exclaimed in an offended tone. But then she coughed twice and admitted, "G-Good. Don't rush things."

"..." Leo set his hands back on the wheel after getting the keys in, "...Peaches and cream?"

His mom covered her face and laughed.

With her stress settled down for the time being, she remained mostly quiet while Leo attempted to drive down this road. He had a good grasp of all the manners of the road, and knew how to control the wheel and levers.

As it turns out, he just had a really good example to emulate.

About a week of practicing after school gave him enough confidence to think he was ready to take his license test.

His mom had the next weekend off and took him to the exam building on the outskirts of town. The same place his dad had gotten his license years back.

Needless to say his reputation precedes him, but Leo kept that out of his mind and focused on doing his best.

And after what felt like many hours of driving on the road, obeying the prompts, and making his way back to where he began…

He was able to happily secure a driver's license, leaving his mom boasting in glee the whole trip back.

Leo spent the whole trip drowning her out and focusing on the driver's license. He could hardly believe he, of all people, took this crucial step forward into adulthood.

He held this important memento of progress with respect and humility, bearing the weight of responsibility that came with it.

Of course, not like a license really changed everything immediately. He'd still need a car, which meant getting a job…

But that was a concern for another day. Right now, he just wanted to tell his dad of his success.

Once they got home, both him and Serra were waiting outside the house. Serra ran up to him and wondered, "I heard you went and got a driver's license!"

Leo presented it to her and she tilted her head with her usual blank expression, "Why would you subject yourself to the torture of riding a cramped vehicle? Just run wherever you need to go!"

Their mom planted her hand on Serra's shoulder and started pulling her towards the house, "That's it you, we're having a LONG talk about your priorities."

"Wha-wha-what? What'd I do, moms?!"

After they were gone, his dad approached with his arms crossed and his smile shining proudly, "Soooo, how tough was it?"

Leo shrugged, "Honestly, once I held my breath and focused on the road, it was easy."

"Except parallel parking, right?"

"Parallel what…?" Leo said with sincere confusion, causing his dad's eyes to widen with his mouth agape.

"You lucked out…" He then shook his head and patted his son on the shoulder, "I'm really happy to see you take initiative, Leo."

"I still have a long way to go, dad. But…thank you for your support. I really, really do appreciate it."

His dad smirked and started wiggling his brows, "Oh, well…you're REALLY going to appreciate me after…THIS!"

He put two fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle, turning his son to face the street, where Lunis came driving up next to the sidewalk in a brand spanking new car. Red coat of paint, purring engines, the whole works.

Leo's heart stopped and he started to flip out, "T-There's no way…"

After Lunis got out she tossed the keys over to his dad, who gave her a wave of appreciation before she headed out.

His dad then jingled the keys in front of his son's chest and whispered, "Consider it an early birthday gift."

Leo blacked out as the keys fell into his hands. He faced his father, who was looking the other way and whistling innocently.

"...H-How long were you planning this?"

"The details aren't important. Don't you have someone you want to show this off to?" He turned with a knowing wink, then proceeded to suavely nudge him towards the car.

"Now, there's only one condition…"

Leo clutched the keys and looked his dad in the eyes, as he looked ominously mischievous for once, "W-What is it?"

He patted him twice on the back and chuckled, "I'm gonna need you to give me grandkids by the time you're 20."

Leo's face lost all color and were his dad not providing support, he'd be hitting the grass right about now.

His dad reeled his head back and laughed, "I'm JOKING! I always wanted to pull that on you."

Leo let out a deep sigh and murmured aloud, "W-Why am I the target of these jokes, anyways?"

"Cause they'd bounce right off your sister like she's made of rubber." His dad said fondly.

Leo took another look at the keys, then after pocketing them away he gave his dad a big hug.

His dad hugged him back a little tighter and told him, "Go have some fun. Just make sure to call."

"You got it, dad. And…thank you. For everything."

His dad pulled away and brushed his hands up without a care in the world, "Eh, what can I say? I'm the coolest dad in town."

With a lot of warmth in his chest, Leo proudly strutted out to his new car and gave it a few tests. The fresh car smell and warm interior lighting just felt…PERFECT for him.

And it even had heated seats for Lyra's comfort.

After starting up to the engines, he was off. And his dad stood behind, shedding a single tear before looking up into the sky and appreciating that the weather was giving his son such a perfect day.

His kids were really growing up before his eyes, and honestly…It was hard to stomach sometimes.

But as long as he stood tall and strong, he'd keep doing what he can to give them that future they deserve.

Next Time: Brothers