Title: Home

Rating: K+

Genre: Family, friendship

Fandoms: Lab Rats, 2012 & Lab Rats: Elite Force

Characters: The Dooley-Davenport family, Taylor, Logan, and the Mighty Med trio

Pairing(s): None that aren't canon. There is a slight one-sided Skase mention, but Skoliver is canon

Summary: '"It never snows in the city," she tells him. "Never snows at the Academy," he replies. He notices that neither of them say "home". He wonders what that means.' / Or, the time when they all see each other again. (EF wiki final contest)

Warnings: None

Notes: This is for the final EF wiki contest. It's technically an EF fic, I guess, but the narrator is from Lab Rats exclusively. It's a pity you can't put one story in two categories, like you can on AO3. Oh, well.

Anyway, the prompt was "December Holidays", and I've been brewing about with this vague idea since last year (yeah, remember that? Lesson learned: don't promise what you can't deliver, Lo! *smacks forehead*), so I figured I'd smash the idea and prompt together to make this. I hope you enjoy it. And yeah, I'm a little early for the actual holidays, but I have a deadline to follow and probably am going to be very busy the next two weeks.

This takes a place a few months after the events of "The Attack". Enjoy.

They go home for Christmas.

Well, technically, none of them are actually in their house. The last seven months have brought the reassignments of the soldiers, and for some of them, a relocation to the New York branch of the Davenport Bionic Academy. And crime doesn't stop even for the holidays. Nevertheless, they're all together.

Finally.

"Adam!" an angry voice yells somewhere down the hall as his older brother runs in, cackling. Leo groans, shaking his head and sitting on the couch in his and Daniel's living room. Adam clutches a present under his arm as he furtively glances around before diving behind the counter.

Chase runs in, face flushed from both the running and what appears to be slight anger or frustration. "Adam!" he yells again. He glares at Leo, who shrugs and tips his chin at the counter. Not like Chase didn't already pick up the sound of their brother breathing. Like a broken record, Chase yells, "Adam!" again before storming behind the counter and yanking the box away.

"Hey!" Adam yelps, jumping to his feet.

"Hey!" Douglas echoes as he skids to a stop in the doorway. "Adam, I was going to…" he suddenly seems to notice the teenage genius and corrects himself, "totally not prank Chase with that!" Yeah. He's a horrible liar.

Leo takes that as his cue to leave.

(He knows he made the right choice when he hears their yelling echoing down the halls moments later.

Nevertheless, it's comfortingly familiar.)

"Hey, Leo!" Bree smiles as he walks into the main shared living room. She's sitting at the table across from Taylor and Logan, a plate with cookies between them. Skylar, Kaz, and Oliver are sitting across the room, absorbed in conversation, but Skylar catches his eye and waves. He gives her a small nod of greeting.

"Hey, guys," he grins back at his sister as he slides into the seat next to her and grabs a cookie. "What's up?"

"Well, Bree was explaining Christmas to us," Logan says.

Leo nods. "Oh, that's right. You haven't had an actual Christmas yet."

"It sounds like fun, I suppose," Taylor replies. "But I'll be honest, I don't get what all the many holiday celebrations during this time of the year even are."

"Oh!" Bree gasps. "I forgot to explain those, too!"

She launches into an explanation and Leo, though he tunes her out, smiles fondly at the three of them.

His definition of "family" has been hazy since… well, since forever. But he thinks he can say that they're his family now.

(He loves them. This is what family must feel like.)

"You've done a great job," his stepfather says to him.

"I haven't done anything," Leo replies honestly.

"Well, we both know that's not true," he laughs. "You've kept Adam from blowing anything up, you've helped Daniel finish his training, you've made sure Taylor and Logan are ready to be on your team. You've kept a level head despite all of the craziness with the new location and your little sister and all." He smiles at Leo. "I'm proud of you."

There's a pang in his chest that isn't sadness, but several somethings mixing together in a combo that makes him insanely happy. "Thanks, Dad."

(He hasn't used the title "Dad" for anyone since… well, since way before his mother remarried. It's nice to finally let himself say it.)

"It's weird," Daniel says. They hang back. Watch the orderly chaos unfold.

"Yeah," Leo agrees.

"Bree and Chase are here."

"Hmm."

"And the superheroes."

"Yup."

"Everything's different. We're different."

"Yeah." More of a breath than an actual reply.

"My parents—"

"You miss them," he supplies.

"Yeah." A beat. "I'm not sorry I'm here, though."

(Leo isn't, either.)

At eleven o'clock on Christmas Eve, everyone in the facility gathers in the living room. It actually isn't that many people. Tasha has already put the baby to sleep, so she's free to join the rest of them.

Leo's glad for that. It's not like he doesn't love his little sister, but he misses his mom sometimes.

They agree to all open one present and save the rest for actual Christmas day.

"Aww," Adam complains. "I wanted to open more!"

Chase rolls his eyes, and Leo, Taylor, and Logan laugh as Bree just shakes her head.

"Just one, kids," Tasha says firmly. She turns to stare menacingly at Skylar, Kaz, and Oliver. "Even you three."

"Wow," Oliver whispers. "She's scarier than my mom." When Tasha gives him "the look", he hurriedly tacks on, "but with a lovely disposition!"

She gives him "the look" again, but more amused this time, before turning to her husband and brother-in-law. "You only get one each tonight, too."

"But—"

"You still seem like kids to me on Christmas," she says with a tone of finality as Douglas dramatically protests, Donald kisses her cheek, and the actual kids all laugh.

(This feels normal, despite the situation definitely being irregular.)

The gift he opens is from Bree. The first thing he pulls out of the box is a picture. The first one he took with his siblings in the lab. He smiles fondly at it for a moment before reaching back in the box. And with a gasp, he realizes that it's…

"Bree, how did you know? How did you even get these? I've been meaning to build these for ages!" He grins as he slips the silver gloves on his hands.

"Taylor and Logan may have mentioned that you've been looking for a way to have your powers in both hands, not just one," Bree admits. "I actually built those myself in the Centium City lab, though Chase checked them over to make sure they won't blow up. When you use your powers, they basically copy it onto the other glove so you can use both hands."

Leo reaches out and hugs her.

"Thank you."

(It's one of the most thoughtful things he's ever seen.)

Daniel opens the present Leo gave him. The boy's eyes widen when he sees it.

"Seriously?" he asks, looking up at his cousin. "You got me the Mech X-4 toy?"

"I did do that," Leo affirms with a nod and a slight smirk. He's glad the kid likes it. They've gotten close in the last few months, bonding over a mutual love for comic book stuff and a mutual hatred of Adam's food combos. "I also may have made a few slight modifications."

"Like what?"

"It shoots real, but definitely nonlethal, lasers. And can fly. Go crazy, Danny."

"Oh my god," the kid lets out a small shriek before fanboying over the toy, not even protesting the use of the nickname. Logan tries to discreetly edge away from the flailing teen and crashes into Taylor instead.

"You sure that was a good idea?" Chase whispers to Leo.

"Nope," Leo says. "But hey, it got me points with the kid, so."

(He'd say it was worth it. Also to see the crushed looks on everyone else's faces when they realized they definitely weren't going to come up with a better gift.

He still loves Bree's the most.)

"What's it like?"

The three exchange glances. The commotion is still loud, wrapping paper everywhere, but he's somehow gravitated toward them over the past half hour.

"What?" Skylar asks, looking up from the sketch pad Kaz bought her.

"To… do what you're doing," Leo elaborates. "Being superhero ex-fugitives with no homes to go to."

"I haven't had a home since my mom left," Oliver says slowly, tossing the pair of socks from Adam he unwrapped in front of him.

"I don't think we need one," Kaz frowns, knocking his shoulder gently into Oliver's and glancing at Skylar. "We have everything we need right here."

(It's a good way to look at it, Leo thinks.)

He ends up sitting next to Chase at around fifteen minutes to midnight. They don't speak for a while, sitting in comfortable silence, until Chase's voice shatters it.

"I don't know what to do."

Leo just gives him a considerate look.

"I'll be honest, you're probably the least likely person I should be asking this, but no one else would be any help at all," Chase explains.

"Okay."

"So, there's a… girl I met in the city," Chase says in a rush. "But the thing is, there's a guy who really likes her. And she likes him. I know that. They started dating. They're still dating. And I tried to get over her by meeting someone else, but… well, you know how Reese turned out. But I think maybe this girl likes me, too? Or liked me, at least. I don't know. And I always know what to do but now, I just… don't."

Leo blinks. "Yeah, I'm the least qualified person to help you with that." He immediately regrets saying that, because Chase's face turns an unusual (though admittedly amusing) red shade, and he buries his face in his hands.

Leo immediately backtracks. "Sorry. That was rude. No, I'll… I don't know how to help, but… I will say that, I guess, this girl is missing out on something great by not being with you."

Chase's face looks drawn and tired. "That's the thing," he murmurs. "I'm not sure she is."

(Leo doesn't miss the look he throws to a certain "girl from the city", who is currently trying not to fall asleep as to not kill anyone with acid spit. He wishes he could help his brother, but he understands when he says that she's happy.)

"Hi."

"Hey," Leo says, not looking away from the window as the couch cushion dips slightly as someone drops next to him.

"Ten minutes to midnight," Bree tells him. "Figured you'd like to know. And I brought your sweater. It's cold here by the window."

"It isn't New Years," he laughs. "And it's not that cold."

She grins goofily at him, shoving the sweater at him anyway, and he finally looks away from the window. "But it is almost Christmas Day. And yeah, this is New York. It's freezing."

"I guess it is."

(There's a comfortable span of silence. He hasn't even put the sweater on yet, but Leo has never felt warmer.)

He studies his uncle. "You okay?" he checks when they're left alone by the window for a moment.

Douglas turns and grins. It looks forced. "Yeah. Fine."

He's very obviously not fine. Leo recognizes the shadows beneath his eyes, the lines on his face. "The attack on Centium City," he says. "Reese, she—"

"Drop it, Leo," Douglas says sharply. His face suddenly softens, an apologetic smile making its way onto his face. "Sorry."

"No. I understand. It's fine."

(Really, it is. Leo knows what it's like to be reliving what could have been your death every night. He's been living with it for years, now. He knows it hurts. He knows what he remembers every time he looks at Taylor.

He knows his uncle will be okay. In time.)

"Can I come with you?"

Leo pauses at the door.

Says, "if you want to."

(He doesn't mind the company.)

"I missed you."

It's not something he feels comfortable saying often.

It feels natural right now.

The fond look he gets in response feels natural as well. "I missed you, too."

He smiles. Looks up at the sky when he feels something cold hit his exposed face. "Hey," he says. "Bree. Look."

His sister, who has taken her place beside him, looks up, too. "It's snowing." He watches a brilliant smile curve over her lips.

"What?" he inquires.

"It never snows in Centium," she tells him, shivering and moving a few steps closer. He lets her get close enough so they can share body heat.

"Never snows at the Academy," he replies. He notices that neither of them say "home". He wonders what that means.

They look at the sky for a moment, watching the snow turn the world white.

He watches the ice crystals gather on her eyelashes, on the hair sticking out from under her hat, on the ground. Laughs. "If this keeps up, there'll be so much snow you won't be able to run home," he teases, testing the word.

Her smile remains, but changes, somehow. She breathes out slowly, frosty in the air. "I am home. Here. With all of you."

(He finally understands: he's already home.)

Huh. I actually like how this turned out.

Okay, who saw the little reference I threw in there? I haven't seen the show yet, but I'm thinking about it.

Anyway, this is something I'm actually quite fond of. I think I actually did okay with this. Thoughts?

Thanks for reading, everyone!