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Chase massaged his temples.
This was exactly what he wanted to deal with right now. Not like the pain stabbing in his sides was enough. No, he had to have the football idiots teasing and taunting him relentlessly, their high-pitched mocking and loud laughter scraping through his super eardrums and grinding on his brain.
He didn’t even know what they were picking on him for this time. Chase had been focused on keeping himself upright and not imploding from the sudden influx of noise as they all but pounced on him the moment he left the nurse’s office.
Chase grimaced as Trent leaned into his space with his stupid smirk.
“What do you want?” he deadpanned, too exhausted for false pleasantries or usurping Trent’s dumb ass with his far superior intelligence.
“I dunno,” Trent hummed. “I guess it just makes perfect sense. Really balances it out.”
Chase raised an eyebrow. What was he on about now ?
He leaned back on his heels with a triumphant grin at Chase’s clear perplexion.
“Y’know, three brothers, one sister. Figures there’s two and two.”
“What?” Chase asked, purely confused now.
“That you , Davenport,” Trent jabbed his finger into his chest. “Have a little secret to share.”
Immediately alarm bells went off in Chase’s brain.
He knows. He knows we’re bionic. He’s going to tell the world and we’ll be carted off and Mr. Davenport will go to jail and-
“You’re-”
His reality was imploding.
“A girl!”
“I- …. Wait, what?”
“You’re a girl!” Trent beamed nastily. “We overheard your little conversation in the nurse’s office! You’re a girl! And an ugly one at that!”
His jock buddies laughed.
“No,” Chase rolled his eyes. Honestly, he was mostly just surprised that Trent knew what Midol was. “No, Trent. Men can need medicine for menstrual cycles too.”
At the mention of it, pain slashed through his sides again. Tasha was right. Chase really should have stayed home.
That made their laughter turn into an uproar.
Chase flinched, uncaring about dropping his textbooks on the filthy ground for once in his life as the horrible blast of noise raked through his ears, making his vision blur as he stumbled, clasping his hands over his ears for some form of relief.
Everything began swaying. His stomach and sides burned.
Oh no, he was going to-
All thoughts screeched to a halt as Trent’s fist buried in Chase’s polo, slamming him against the lockers, hard .
“How stupid do you have to be to believe that ?” Trent laughed. “I mean, c’mon ! What’s your real name, you fake?”
If Chase was any more lucid, he would’ve acknowledged how much that hurt and confused him. He was a boy. He knew it from the point of his creation that Donald had given him the wrong body. It had taken the man a while to adjust, but he’d gotten everything necessary for Chase to be who he was meant to be. He figured it was normal for some people to be born in the wrong form. Why was this such a big deal? Chase was a boy. He was. Right?
Chase’s head clanged into the lockers again.
The jocks' jeers and taunts were like shoving atomic screwdrivers in his ears.
His vision began to sway and darken as whatever Trent was spouting turned into static.
Jabbing agony tore through his insides as nausea bubbled in his throat.
Chase’s vision turned white as a terrible ringing took place of any other sense.
As it began dissipating, he could make out Trent exclaiming in disgust, and the others either doing the same or laughing harder.
“Alright you freak,” he growled, a dark stain on his blue Dingoes jersey. He loomed over Chase, who was still clutching his sides in pain. “You’ll pay for that-”
“What the hell is going on here?”
Chase could’ve sobbed from relief at hearing his older sister’s voice.
Trent jumped from her sudden appearance.
Bree stood, hands on her hips, in between Chase and the bullies. And oh boy, was he glad she was on his side. He could feel the rage radiating from her, even from behind.
“Get lost.”
“Wh-” Trent seemed almost afraid for a second before he squared his shoulders. “Or what? Who do you think you are?”
“I’m a highly irrational teenager with a rapidly depleting patience reserve. If I were you , I’d leave my little brother alone before I get even angrier.”
“Brother?” Trent said, a disgusting smirk reappearing. “Don’t you mean sister?”
“What?”
“She’s a fake. And we all know it now.”
There was a palpable silence.
“Excuse me?” Bree’s voice had dropped to a whisper.
Chase could see her fists clench.
Trent grinned in victory.
All too quickly, the tension melted from Bree’s shoulders.
“Oh, okay,” her tone turned sickly sweet. Well uh-oh, she was going to kill them.
Trent and his lackeys tilted their heads in confusion.
“Oh, Adam!” Bree sang.
That got their attention. Adam had bashed a locker into bits next to the heads of one of the idiots who had tried to sell that Leo couldn’t possibly be their family, due to his race, right in front of the whole team just last month, commenting on his bad aim before the other siblings pulled him away. He, Bree, and Chase still didn’t quite understand what made them different. Or Leo supposedly “less than”. Leo tried to explain it through his being distraught, but they still didn’t get it. It was a similar situation to how Chase was feeling, quite confused and suddenly self-conscious about something he’d never batted an eye to.
Immediately the group began to squirm, nervously murmuring and glancing around for the eldest Davenport to appear.
“F-Fine,” Trent said, nervously edging away. He glared at Chase. “But you’ll never be a real boy-”
“Leave,” Bree demanded. “Or I’ll get him in here for real. Or kick your sorry asses myself.”
They scurried off, muttering little attempts to save face.
His sister swiveled on her heel, snatching Chase’s wrist and marching him to the nearest bathroom, despite the way his sides protested.
“Bree-” he started.
She didn’t bother to look at him, going over to the paper towel dispenser.
Was she mad at him?
Of course, she was.
It was his fault.
He was so stupid.
“Shut up,” Bree ordered, making Chase jump in surprise.
“I-I didn’t-”
“Yeah, I know,” she interrupted, turning on the sink. “But I can practically hear you thinking. And I’m assuming they’re self-deprecating thoughts.”
Chase avoided eye contact.
She snorted at the confirmation.
There was silence as she continued doing whatever it was she was doing.
“Sorr- mmph-” Chase’s apologies were cut short as Bree shoved a damp paper towel onto his face.
“What are you apologizing for?” Bree muttered as she scrubbed.
“...”
“My point exactly, Chasey.” she shrugged, taking a new towel and running water over it. This one she pressed to his forehead. He hadn’t noticed how warm he felt until the coolness washed over him. He shut his eyes as some semblance of just feeling okay took place for the first time that day. “Nothing to be sorry for,” Bree murmured.
“How are you feeling?” his sister’s question snapped him out of it. Chase took notice of the ache lacing itself through his muscles and the throbbing in his head.
“Terrible,” he whispered, laying his head on the wall he leaned on. Which usually he’d find abhorrent due to the germs, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care. He could see Bree’s brow furrow because it took a lot for Chase to admit to any form of pain or sickness, as he’d taught himself to lie as to not fall behind on his training.
“Did you get some medicine?”
He nodded.
“You know, Tasha was right. You shouldn’t have come in today.”
“I know.” It was meant to come out at speaking volume, but all that Chase managed was a miserable whimper.
He did. He knew his cycles were godawful, worse than both Tasha and Bree’s, and far more debilitating than he ever let show. He figured it was because of his bionics and the way the pills he took could affect them. But ever since he missed his first day of school, and since they were pulled out all the time for missions, Chase wanted to experience as much school as he possibly could. But this time was bad . Maybe the worst yet.
“Alright.” Bree squeezed his arm, pulling his overshirt over his head, to which he gave her a look of confusion. Until he saw the dark stain on the polo. Well great. He had vomited all over himself and Trent. Fantastic.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
No would be Chase’s usual answer. But he was confused and tired and hurting so so badly, so he spilled it all to his sister. Every last thing those guys said to him. “I still don’t get it.”
Bree’s expression was unreadable for the first time.
“Take a seat.” she gently pushed him down the wall, running water over the shirt. “I’m gonna go get Adam.”
She sped out before Chase could protest. Great. She would tell him everything, Adam would break someone’s nose, and Chase would have an even bigger target on his back.
This was far too exhausting. He almost considered laying down on the tile and not waking until this nightmare was done.
His eyes slipped shut as the door banged back open.
Chase flinched as his older siblings walked in.
“What’s this about again?” Adam asked, stuffing chips into his mouth as he followed Bree inside. Chase’s internal clock told him it was lunch. The thought of food made him feel sicker. “I was pretty busy not doing my homework.”
She pointed to where Chase was.
“Woah!” Adam crushed his chip bag and tossed it into the trash can with a grin on his face. “Dude, you look even worse than normal!”
Chase sighed. Here we go.
“Adam,” Bree elbowed his ribs. “Knock it off.”
He frowned at that, crouching to examine Chase closer. “Okay, you look way worse. What’s goin on?”
“He’s having really bad cramps from what I can tell,” Bree filled in. “I brought you here so you could carry him. We gotta get him home.”
“No,” Chase interjected, struggling to stand. “I-I have to stay.”
He’d miss class.
Leo and Tasha would worry.
Mr. Davenport would be upset.
He shakily stood for a solid two seconds, before his knees buckled. He landed with a soft oof in Adam’s arms. That meant things were bad. Normally Adam would’ve either laughed or simply not caught him.
Chase made no attempt to push away, simply giving in and trembling against his brother’s chest. He could make out Adam’s frown deepening before the lights got to be too much and he hid his face in Adam’s shirt.
“Bree, what happened?” Adam continued rather seriously, holding Chase with more gentleness than he thought his brother was capable of, super strength or otherwise.
“Can I tell him?” Chase felt her hand gently comb through his hair. He grunted his approval.
He didn’t bother to listen to their conversation, trying to pretend he was at the lab, safe in his capsule.
That was until the door clattered open again, startling all three.
“I heard there was a bathroom party up in this joint!” their youngest sibling stood in classic dramatic Leo Dooley fashion. “No party’s complete without the Dooley!”
“Leo!” Bree hissed, finger to her lips.
Leo seemed to take in the situation for the first time, lowering his voice and shuffling to where they were clustered by the sinks.
“Woah, hey, what’s going on?”
He kneeled down, gently putting a hand on Chase’s back, which made him wince. Amplified super senses and chronic back pain really didn’t mix.
Leo withdrew his hand as Chase hid himself again.
Bree began to explain all over again.
Chase could quite literally hear the disbelief and anger in his brothers increasing from their heartbeats.
Once she’d finished, Adam carefully set Chase back against the wall and wordlessly stood.
Oh no.
“A-Adam-” Chase tried to stand. “Adam, wait-”
He bit his cheek as a wave of pain rolled over him at the movement. Chase used Leo’s shoulder to get himself up, stumbling after his brother, who had almost reached the door.
He locked his arms around Adam’s middle, far too weak at the moment to stop him and well aware his weight was nowhere near enough to be an obstacle for him, but for the first time in his life not knowing what else to do. Thankfully, he paused.
“Adam, you can’t use your bionics on regular humans!”
“Are we positive Trent’s human, though?” Leo quipped, earning a jab in the side from Bree.
“I’m not gonna,” Adam growled. “I got more than enough juice to break his arm without them.”
“But you’re too angry,” Chase protested. “Adam, you’ll l-laser his stupid face off or something.”
“Tragic.”
Chase was about to try again, but all that came out was a whimper of pain as more swept over him. His knees buckled, Adam turning to grab his shoulders and gently lowering him back down to the tile. Chase curled into himself, groaning.
“There’re more important things going on Adam,” Bree reasoned.
The eldest’s face softened considerably.
“Yeah okay,” he conceded. “But when I get back here someone’s getting a faceful of cafeteria garbage.”
Chase was too exhausted to argue. Leo whooped excitedly and Bree snickered. “Dude, I will actually pay you to do that.”
Adam regained his trademark grin.
“I’m gonna go make sure there’s no one in the hall.” she stood, speeding out the door.
“Mom was right, you should’ve stayed home today,” Leo shrugged.
Chase shot him a look.
The boy held his hands up in surrender, trying to hide his snort.
All three jumped when Bree flung the door open. “I don’t care , Felicity! Quit loitering! You wonder why your grades are so shit!”
There was a pause.
She closed the door, turning to her brothers with an innocent grin. “Alrighty, let’s go!”
Adam and Leo barked out laughs at this, Chase even managing a smile.
~*~
Davenport wasn’t too pleased. Ironic, given he pulled them out for missions and annual games of laser tag quite often.
Until he saw Chase’s state. He sighed gently, instructing Adam to take him to a spare room.
Once Chase was laid down, Tasha came in with hot water bottles, brown sugar and water warmed in a cup, several bottles of Midol, and Davenport Industries’ industrial heating pad.
Chase could tell she was containing herself for his sake, given the clear worry he could see because of his body language studies.
She set him up a pillow nest, climbing into bed beside him and gently pulling him to her chest. He curled against her, inhaling her rosewood perfume. It was one of few scents she wore that didn’t upset his nose.
Chase felt his siblings pile in too, Adam on Tasha’s other side and Bree and Leo on Chase’s. Thankfully the bed was obnoxiously large.
Tasha flipped on the tv, starting a movie.
“Tasha?” Chase whispered. His siblings were engrossed in the screen. She turned to him. “I’m a boy, right?”
She raised her eyebrow. “Obviously. Relax, sweetheart.”
Chase did.
Davenport walked in a few minutes later. “I talked to Perry-”
“Shh!”
Donald blinked at the family-wide shut up request. He shrugged, flopping down at the foot of the bed and using Adam’s calves as a pillow.
Chase smiled softly. He felt safe. He nuzzled to hide his face behind Tasha’s wooly sweater, drifting off.
If Trent got tossed into trash cans fresh from the lunch rush the next day, well, it was deserved.
~*~
“And besides that, my dad deadnamed me once,” Chase continued, leaning against Kaz’s chest. “So now every time he’s a dick or I want something, I just go: “Well I guess you would feel that way toward your daughter”, and he gets pale really quick.”
Kaz and Oliver stared at him. Chase examined his nails.
“I like you,” Kaz informed, kissing his lips.
“Me too. I need to remember that method,” Oliver scrawled rapidly on a receipt he’d found in Kaz’s pile of Kazzery.
Chase laughed.