It isn't just something that happens every day. It just happens to be something he thinks about. He doesn't notice it most of the time, but when he does it's on his mind for the rest of the day. And so he thinks, because what else can the super intelligent bionic human do all day?

He thinks about all the best things.

Like when it's Monday and he's overslept, and Adam is the one who wakes him up with that gentle, brotherly shove that he loves. Or when the team is finally going on a mission and Adam walks around his siblings, tightening the straps of their packs, straightening their mission suits, checking the equipment three whole times. Or even when he isn't around, but he still knows what Adam has been doing when he's not there. He sees the bags rearranged or moved out of the way so no one can trip over them and he realizes Adam is always looking out for everyone in that big mansion.

Like when he wakes up after a cat nap and finds himself wrapped in a blanket, and he knows it's Adam who did it because he can smell the sickening 'morning breath' that goes with his older brother. Or when he's at school and a few kids decide to push him around a bit and Adam walks over, scares them away with just a look, and doesn't speak about it ever because it's embarrassing to need your older brother to save you, but reassuring to know that he'll always be there to do it. Or even when Adam is insulting him, but there's that smile to prove his brother doesn't mean it. Adam doesn't really mean anything bad he says about him.

And when Chase finally falls asleep, still thinking about all the best things about his brother, Adam walks in the door with a cup of frozen yogurt and sees Chase on the couch, smiling in his sleep. So Adam sets down the frozen treat and hunts down a blanket, wrapping it around his baby brother gently so as not to wake him. For half a second as he goes to pull away, Adam could swear he sees Chase open his eyes. But when he turns back a second later, his brother is still sleeping exactly the same. Perhaps he might be smiling a bit wider, though...

It just happens. Chase doesn't mean anything he says about Adam, not really. He calls Adam an idiot, and he doesn't really mean the insult. It just happens, it's a brother thing. So, logically, Chase should know that if he doesn't mean what he says about Adam, Adam doesn't mean what he says about Chase. Hell, he does know that. It still happens.

He thinks about all the worst things.

Like when he's foolish enough to fall for it, listen to the beginnings of a compliment, and then it somehow always surprises and hurts him when Adam follows through with an insult. Or when he opens himself up for a just a second, like on that freighter, really says something important about himself, and Adam takes the opportunity to insult him in any and every way possible. Or even when he genuinely feels scared or unsure about who he is or what he's doing. Adam never passes up an opportunity to make him feel bad about himself.

Like when he really tried to help Adam, really wanted to take care of his brother, and Adam laughed about how he almost died for a week. Or when Mr. Davenport says something thoughtlessly hurtful, such as 'Hustle and Muscle... and Chussle', and he really thinks that maybe his brother will care enough to stand up for him, but Adam only laughs and piles on. Or even when his life is in danger after he saved their lives. Adam only jokes about his possible death.

And yeah, it really is stupid. But doesn't Chase deserve to be stupid? After working so hard to live up to the standards stacked so high, working so hard to be impressive enough to warrant attention with 'Hustle and Muscle' constantly stealing the spotlight, Chase deserves to at least be bad in his own mind. So Chase can think these things about his brother, these really horrible, angry, verging-on-hate filled thoughts because...who cares? If he complained about any of it he'd never live it down. Chase could already hear the insults about how sensitive and emotional he is. So Chase thinks it quietly in his head as Adam makes another crack about his height and Bree laughs too loud to not be insulting. And it's fine for now, but Chase can feel it coming. He knows he can only take so much before he snaps, and he doesn't know what he'll do when it happens.

And that thought terrifies him.

Thanks for reading this short little piece I've written. So, I've been wanting to write this for a while now and it's been distracting me from my other story. This is really just a short little nothing. I'm going to have one chapter for each person in the Davenport-Dooley household, Chase being the last, with one part for the best and one part for the worst. If it sucks, tell me so I can try to suck less in the future. And if anyone thinks this is actually good or cares to read more, I would love suggestions for who to write about next. Finally, I made a few indistinct references to Sink or Swim in here, if anyone noticed.