Leon Urie (Adopted By The Uries) ~COMPLETE~

Chapter Nine

Leon hadn't thought that his life could get better, but in the weeks following his fifteenth birthday, it sure seemed to.
Leon started hormone treatment, and got used to calling Brendon and Sarah Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad. Leon loved them.
Frankie and Leon continued to stay at each other's houses whenever possible. Leon loved her company, and she seemed to love his company as well. Everything was going well for Leon until he showed up at lunch one day just before Christmas break, a little late because he'd gotten a call from his mom, to find his usual seat next to Frankie taken by a tall, lanky boy with short blond hair. Leon vaguely remembered his name to be Jake or Jack, or something similar. He was all the things Leon wasn't: tall, muscled, popular, good at sports, confident. Leon's hackles were immediately raised as he sat down with his tray. Frankie was talking to the jock with a wide grin, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. She said a quick hello to Leon as he sat down, but then went right back to the conversation, ignoring him.
Leon looked down at his phone, pretending to check notifications. He was biting his lip to keep from saying something rash.
"See you tomorrow then, Frankie," the jock stood up finally, and Leon watched him head over to his own table.
"That's Jace." Frankie told Leon a little dreamily. "We're going to a movie on tomorrow night."
"W-what, like a date?" Leon's eyes widened.
"Yeah!" Frankie grinned, oblivious to Leon's hurt expression.
Leon bit his lip and put on a smile to hide his sudden urge to run out of the cafeteria. Frankie suddenly grabbed his arm and said, "Don't worry, Leon, I'm still your friend. I won't let this get in the way of us."
Leon nodded, not trusting himself to talk in case he started crying.
That afternoon, when Leon got home, he was so preoccupied that he forgot to say hi to his parents. He just took off his shoes and went straight up to his room, throwing his backpack by the bed and flopping down, staring at the ceiling. The confused, hurt tears came just a few minutes later.
When they'd finally run out, Leon felt oddly better. He sat up and turned on his old CD player. Frank Sinatra's voice came through the speakers, crooning softly. Leon sighed, rubbing his puffy eyes with the heels of his palms.
It was starting to really get cold, and Leon found out the hard way that he didn't have any winter clothes when he took a quick walk to the nearby coffee shop on the first morning of Christmas break. He returned with blue fingers and lips, teeth chattering despite his hot coffee.
"Why didn't you say you were going to get coffee? I could have driven you there, silly," Sarah told him. Ignoring his quiet reply that he didn't want to bother her, she continued, "I've been thinking we should get you a warmer jacket anyway. And maybe some gloves and a hat. I need a new scarf, too."
That afternoon they set out to do just that. They got a green corduroy jacket lined with a woolly material for Leon, and fingerless gloves. Leon argued that he still had his old beanie from orphanage days, so he didn't have to get a hat as well.
After Sarah had bought a red wool infinity scarf, they sat in a café to warm up from their walk from the department store. As they sat and drank hot chocolate, snowflakes started drifting past the windows.
Sarah and Leon talked about holidays and what they should get for Brendon's Christmas present, and how Leon's voice was finally changing a little from his testosterone treatment, until Leon's phone buzzed loudly, in long consecutive rings that signalled a call. He dug out his phone and looked at the display. Frankie. He looked up at Sarah, who smiled and said, "Go ahead, Leon."
So Leon went ahead and took the call. "Hey," he said, picking up.
"Hi! Sorry for not talking yesterday. I wanted to know if you could hang out at my house tomorrow." Frankie sounded upbeat and normal, not exactly how Leon felt.
"Um- just a minute, I'll ask my mom." Leon held the phone to his chest and asked Sarah, "Could I go to Frankie's house tomorrow?"
Sarah thought for a moment, then nodded. "What time?"
"A-about what time?" Leon asked Frankie through the phone.
"Maybe for lunch, and my mom can drive you home anytime at night or earlier."
Leon relayed the message, and Sarah gave a thumbs up. "Yeah. That sounds good."
"I was going to bake some Christmas cookies tomorrow, do you want to help?" Frankie asked, full of enthusiasm.
"Uh- I don't really know how to bake...." Leon admitted.
"That's okay! I'll teach you, boo," Frankie said brightly.
When Leon had hung up, he sighed and propped his chin in his hand.
"Is everything alright with you and Frankie?" Sarah asked, noticing how Leon seemed listless all of a sudden.
"Wh- yeah, everything's fine." Leon replied quickly, sitting up. "It's just- it's nothing."
"But there's something bothering you, isn't there?" Sarah prompted gently.
Leon shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm just overreacting, probably."
"What is it, Leon?"
"Um- Frankie went on a date with this guy from school. He's on the track team, I think...." Leon shrugged again, trying to seem nonchalant. Sarah saw right through his charade. "She doesn't even know him."
"And... that hurts because you like her?" she finished for him.
Leon nodded. His face was red.
"I'm sure she'll realise that you're more interesting than some boy who suddenly took an interest in her," Sarah assured him.
Leon sure hoped so, but he really couldn't see it happening.
Late morning on Tuesday, Leon was dropped off at Frankie's house by his dad. Frankie met him at the door with a wide grin, ushering him inside the warm house. She waved at Brendon, who gave a thumbs up back, and drove away.
Frankie was wearing her typical high-waisted skinny jeans, paired with a long sleeved black shirt that had an upside-down smiley face printed over the heart. When she turned around, Leon saw that it said, "Don't talk to me." on the back in bold white letters.
"Do you like my Dan merch?" Frankie grinned, noticing Leon mouthing the words on her shirt.
"Yeah, it's really cool," Leon smiled at her.
"I got it for my birthday last summer," Frankie told him. "I'm hoping to maybe get some other Dan and Phil stuff this Christmas."
Leon thought of his own present for Frankie that he'd picked out at Hot Topic recently. He hoped she'd like it.
They ate pasta that Frankie had made for lunch, and then got down to baking business. Leon was an utter flop at it, but Frankie made up for it by being good and only laughing when Leon stirred too forcefully or read an instruction wrong.
By late that afternoon, they had produced three batches of cookies. Frankie's mom came home just when they'd pulled the last cookie sheet out of the oven.
"How was your date, mom?" Frankie asked as her Primrose took off her jacket and rubbed her hands together to warm them up.
"It was lovely, sweetie. Is your brother still at Jay's?" Primrose asked.
Frankie nodded. "Yup."
Primrose nodded too and disappeared into the bathroom.
Frankie's phone buzzed, and she checked it as Leon started taking the cookies off the sheet.
"Aw," Frankie said fondly. Leon looked up at her.
"Who texted you?" Leon asked curiously.
"Jace," Frankie said, and Leon noticed that she was blushing a little. "He asked if I wanted to go out again tomorrow."
"Oh," Leon went back to lifting cookies onto the counter. His good mood suddenly soured a little.
"Is something wrong, Leon?" Frankie asked, genuinely confused.
"No, no," Leon did a better job at hiding his discomfort than he had the day before with Sarah. "I just hope Jace is- is the right guy for you, you know? I just worry." he felt bad for lying to her.
"Aw, Leon, that's so sweet," Frankie came over and hugged Leon. "I promise I'll ditch him at the slightest sign that he's a jerk. But honestly, he's super sweet to me."
When Leon was dropped off at his house by Frankie's mom, he was toting a paper plate of cookies, little consolation for the war waging in his head and heart.
Christmas Eve was distracting enough to take Leon's mind off of Frankie. He and Brendon both helped in the kitchen, listening to Christmas music. Occasionally there would be a song Brendon especially liked, and he would pull Sarah away from whatever she was doing at the moment and dance her around the kitchen table. Sarah always protested at first, but at the end of every song she was giggling and dancing along. Leon found himself wondering a few times if he would ever have a relationship as steady and happy as theirs. He hoped so.
By the time dinner was finished, it was seven thirty. After they'd eaten, they migrated to the living room, where the Christmas tree was standing, tall and sparkling. Leon had helped his parents put it up just that morning. He'd been amazed at the full-size tree, used to the two old, fake, tiny ones that the adoption center used to put up for the holiday seasons.
They watched How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Sarah insisted that Leon should have seen it at least once). Leon sat snuggled between his parents, Brendon's arm on the back of the sofa, casually familiar.
The movie was kiddish, but funny, and Leon liked it. After it was over, he felt drowsy and comfortable. Sarah asked if they wanted one last cup of hot chocolate before going off to bed, and both Leon and Brendon did.
As Sarah set about that, Leon hesitantly leaned against Brendon, putting his head on Brendon's shoulder.
"You tired, kiddo?" Brendon asked, ruffling Leon's hair, letting his hand rest on Leon's shoulder.
Leon nodded silently against Brendon's sweater. He had never been this close to a person before, and he found that it was surprisingly comfortable. He felt protected, at home. Brendon shifted, settling a little lower into the sofa, and Leon could hear his heart beating steadily.
"Are you happy here, with us?" Brendon suddenly asked.
Leon lifted his head and looked at him. The answer came easily, truthfully. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm so happy here."
"You have no idea how amazing that is for me, kiddo," Brendon smiled widely. "And for Sarah, too."
Leon was smiling too, but he had an ache behind his eyes as if he was repressing tears. He was filled with conflicting emotions. Impulsively, he hugged Brendon, mumbling, "I love you, dad."
"I love you too, Leon. I'm so happy we found you," Brendon hugged his son back, tightly.
"Aw, did I miss some family bonding?" Sarah came in with three mugs of hot chocolate balanced on a tray. When she'd set it down, Leon jumped up and hugged her as well, making her laugh in surprise as she hugged him back.
"Love you, mom." Leon told her.
"I love you too, Leon." Sarah told him gently, kissing the side of his head affectionately.
Christmas morning, Leon woke up to a flash blizzard. It dropped three inches of snow on everything, including Leon's window sill. He sat up, a smile spreading across his face as he remembered that it was Christmas Day. He couldn't wait to finally have a good Christmas.
As he came down the stairs, he heard the familiar sound of Brendon singing as he made breakfast. Leon grinned as he saw that Brendon was wearing a Santa hat.
"Good morning, Leon," Sarah was sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of steaming coffee.
"Good morning," Leon smiled at her happily. Brendon stretched out an arm, asking for a hug, and Leon obliged, allowing Brendon to mess with his bedhead. "Merry Christmas," he told both of them.
"Merry Christmas to you, too," Brendon replied. "You want breakfast or presents first?"
"Um... breakfast, if it's alright with you. And then I'll go upstairs and grab some stuff," Leon replied.
"Sounds like a winner," Brendon smirked and flipped the piece of French toast he was frying.
Leon helped Sarah set the table, and then sat down as Brendon served the French toast, still proudly wearing his silly hat.
After breakfast, Leon raced up the stairs to get the cards he'd made for his parents.
As he came into the living room, Leon saw that there was already a small pile of presents at the foot of the Christmas tree. He recognized one of them to be the present he and Sarah had ended up getting for Brendon. He added the cards in their envelopes just as Sarah came in, closely followed by Brendon.
"Okay, first one is for you, Leon," Brendon presented Leon with a package wrapped in green-and-red paper adorned with golden reindeer. Leon unwrapped it carefully, Brendon and Sarah watching him. When the paper fell away, Leon's eyes widened. The box in his hand was for Sennheiser headphones, a pair that Leon had looked at about a month ago when he and Brendon had gone to Best Buy.
"Oh my god, thank you!" Leon said with wide eyes. "Whoa. These are really nice ones," he grinned.
"Yeah, we thought it was time for you to have some really good headphones," Brendon smiled.
The next present was the one Sarah and Leon had picked for Brendon. He opened it like a little kid, not caring whether the wrapping paper ripped or not. Finally Brendon held up the sweatshirt and laughed.
It was one of those fad sweatshirts that proclaimed the wearer wasn't single, or taken, but mentally dating [insert celebrity]. The one that Sarah and Leon had gotten Brendon was customised to say Brendon Urie.
Brendon had a good laugh about it, promising that he would wear it out in public.
Brendon had gotten a wristwatch for Sarah, which she loved instantly. There were a few more presents for each of the three, but finally there were only Leon's cards left.
"I- I made these for you," Leon handed Brendon and Sarah their respective Christmas cards. He had spent much of the last weeks getting them just right, and although he knew his parents would like whatever he made, he was nervous as they opened the envelopes.
"Leon! This is amazing!" Sarah gasped as she unfolded her card. He'd drawn her, in colour this time, wreathed in yellow roses with gold leaves and stems. Leon smiled happily at her response and looked at Brendon, who was studying the card in his hand with a slight smile on his face. As he noticed Leon watching him, he looked up with wide eyes and an impressed half-grin and nodded slowly.
"This is awesome," he told Leon.
Leon bit his lip and grinned. "I hoped you'd like them," he mumbled.
The doorbell rang, and Brendon sighed, getting up. He grumbled something about it being Christmas Day and that no one should ring doorbells on Christmas Day.
He came back a minute later holding a small brown cardboard package, frowning slightly. "There's no mail on Christmas." he said absently as he plunked the package down on the coffee table. "It's addressed to you, Leon. But, uh, your other name."
Sure enough, when Leon looked, there it was, scrawled across one flap of the cardboard box in black marker. Estelle Thomas. Leon swallowed.
Brendon had gone to the kitchen to get scissors, and now he returned, asking, "Do you want to open it, or should I?"
Leon but his lip, then held out his hand for the scissors, saying, "I can open it."
There was no return address, and had obviously been delivered by the person who it was from, because the Uries' address wasn't even on it. Leon carefully slit the packing tape and opened box.
At the top of the package was a piece of lined note paper. He unfolded it carefully and read.
Dear Estelle, it began. Leon hadn't been called that in months.
Hello, this is your father. I'm back in town. I would like to see my daughter again. You were just six when they took you from me, turned you into something wrong. Come back to you father, my daughter. I've enclosed something that might help you remember who you are.
Love, Garth Thomas. This was followed by an LA address.
Leon's breath hitched in his throat.
"Who is it from?" Sarah asked softly. Leon bit his lip and handed the letter to her. Brendon read over her shoulder.
"I- I don't- what does he want?" his voice trembled despite his efforts to keep it steady. Panic was rising in him, dark and hot. He made his hand into fists to keep them from shaking.
"You don't have to respond, Leon. Not unless you want to." Brendon told him, moving to put a hand on Leon's shoulder.
Leon took a deep breath, smiled at Brendon more bravely than he felt, and looked at the contents of the cardboard box. It looked like light green cloth. Leon carefully took it out and let it unfold in his hands. It was a small dress, edged with yellowing lace at the hem and the armholes. It was slightly stained with dirt and ripped in a few places. Something in Leon's mind lurched uncomfortably and he put down the dress quickly. He stepped away from the coffee table and crossed his arms over his chest, taking another deep breath as fragments of memories started to worm their way back into his consciousness.