Welcome To Leo World (Leo Valdez x Reader)

Growing Up With This Feeling

{A/N}

Chapter dedicated to @Diamondbaby7. I hope you like it!

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[Age 7]

I sat outside of the doctors office, my feet swinging back and forth underneath the chair that was too high up. I stared at my light up Sketchers, unable to entertain myself because my mother was inside the room with my older brother, who had had another one of his breakdowns. She couldn't control him this time so she brought him here. It was scary seeing that happen, but I knew not to show it. He couldn't help it, so I shouldn't fear him. But. . .sometimes I did.

You see, (brothers name) had autism. Ever since I was born my mother struggled to take care of him and me. I tried my best to help, but I felt like I just got in the way. My mother was kind enough not to say it, but I saw it in her eyes when she wanted me to just sit and be quiet for a while. (Brothers name) was a little hard to handle, he had one of the most severe cases of autism. I did love him, I could never dislike him, yet sometimes I didn't understand. It was something that I could never truly understand. 

Sighing I looked over to see a boy sitting across the hall, waiting outside of a doctors room just like me. He wore messy overalls with a red t-shirt underneath and dirty sneakers covered with dust. I tilted my head to the side as he took some things out of his pocket, which looked like pipe cleaners, and started to make something. Staring was rude I knew but it was mesmerizing. The boy looked up at me all of a sudden and I blushed quickly looking away.

I sat still for a while, my eyes wandering anywhere but at him. As I bit my lip, singing a song over and over in my head, footsteps made me look up. The boy was right in front of me, his cheeks a bright pink. He then thrusted a flower made out of the pipe cleaners he had had earlier and quickly looked down at his feet.

"Um. . .it's for you," he mumbled and I stared at the flower in my hands, a smile gracing my lips.

"Thank you, um. . ." My voice trailed off and the boy looked up.

"My name's Leo, what's yours?"

"I'm Cara, thank you for the flower." I smiled and Leo grinned back, showing off his missing two front teeth. He then hopped into the seat next to me and started to swing his feet in time with mine.

"My mama's getting a checkup, that's why I'm here. Why are you here?" He asked and my eyes went down to the flower in my hand.

"Um. . .m-my brother is in there with my mom. He. . ." I didn't want to reveal what had happened, I was made fun of in school because of my brothers autism, but I didn't let it bother me. I fought back surprisingly a couple times, that's why I was suspended at the moment.

"Oh, is he sick?" Leo asked and I bit my lip.

"Not. . .exactly,"

"What's wrong?"

I looked up into Leo's warm brown eyes, this feeling of trust overcoming me. I couldn't help but want to tell him, to talk to him about it. So, I spilled. Leo hung onto every word I spoke, not once did his face read disgust or hatred. He listened and nodded and never interrupted.

"So, that's why I'm here." I finished and Leo's eyes fixed themselves on the wall across from us.

"My Uncle Carlos had autism, when he would visit he would share candy with me. Caramel was his favorite, mine was pop-rocks. They're fun to feel in your mouth." Leo seemed to smile at the memory. "I gave him some one time and he got scared, he threw the bag onto the ground and knocked me down. I didn't get mad or scared though, I was mostly upset. Upset with myself because of how foolish I was. My mama sang him a song though, and that calmed him down. So, I know where you're coming from."