Leon Urie (Adopted By The Uries) ~COMPLETE~

Chapter Twelve

Brendon was worried. The morning after the call, he took Sarah into the bus's kitchen, which doubled as a living room, and told her quietly about what had happened. Sarah listened with a horrified expression, and when Brendon was done, she was quiet for a minute.
  Finally, she asked, “Leon reacted like that because of his-” she paused. “Because of what his dad did?”
 “I think so,” Brendon sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Jeez, the kid doesn't deserve all this shit. And- I haven't been a parent long enough to know how to deal with this sort of thing. How to make him feel better, you know?”
 Sarah nodded, biting her lip. “All we can do is be there for him.” She put a hand on Brendon's shoulder, making him look over at her. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.
 “I love you, Sarah,” he told her sincerely.
 “I love you too, Bren.” Sarah replied, smiling softly. “For the record, I think you're a great parent.”
 “I don't know, babe,” Brendon said, but smiled at her anyway. Then his eyes brightened as he got an idea. “Hey Sarah, you know that surprise I have planned for the last show?” Brendon looked over his shoulder to check that Leon wasn't up yet. “Should I do that sooner? Like, tonight even?”
 Sarah looked surprised, but nodded. “Sure, do you think you can get Zack to change the setlist?”
 “I’ll work at it.” Brendon said.
 Leon awoke a few minutes later, opening his eyes to the familiar sight of the ceiling of the alcove he slept in on the bus. He reached under his pillow for his phone, squinting as he checked the time: nine-fourteen a.m. There were three unread texts from Frankie, and he quickly unlocked his phone.
  Hey, I just want you to know that I'm okay. Please don't beat yourself up, read the first one, from yesterday night. I love you, Leon. You're my best friend <3, read the second. The final text was from that morning. Don't let this stop you enjoying the rest of tour, just remember when you get home we'll get to see each other again.
  Leon felt slightly comforted, typed a quick reply, and rolled out of bed to see who else was awake. Walking into the bus's kitchen, which doubled as a dining area, Leon found his mom sitting at the table, drinking coffee.
  “Good morning, Leon,” Sarah told him as he sat down. She reached her arm across the table to take his hand.
 “Good morning, Mom.” Leon smiled. He could tell by her expression that Brendon must have told her about the events of the previous night. “Is there some food?”
 “Actually, we're about to stop for breakfast. The fridge is empty,” Sarah replied apologetically. “Does that sound okay?”
  Leon nodded. “Yeah, sounds fine.”
 They didn't talk about the events of the night before as they had breakfast. There wasn't a table large enough for all of them, so they all split up to sit in groups. Nicole sat with Leon and his parents, and she and Sarah and Brendon talked while Leon zoned out, Brendon keeping a careful eye on him to see how he was doing.
  Breakfast was over quickly. Leon didn't eat much, not because he wasn't hungry, but because he was still thinking about Frankie, wondering if he should believe her. He noticed both Sarah and Brendon glancing at him more than they usually did, but couldn't blame them for being concerned. He had his remaining breakfast bagged in case he felt like eating it later, and this seemed to reassure his parents a little.
 After breakfast, Brendon, Zack and the rest of the band and crew were due for a sound check at the venue where the show would be that night. Leon assumed that he and Sarah would hang out there, but instead Sarah suggested that they walk downtown for a little shopping trip. Leon agreed, a little confused, but happy to oblige. He assumed that Sarah wanted to talk to him about Frankie.
 The first store they found was a thrift shop. Leon found a felt hat and a stone-washed denim jacket, similar to the one his dad owned. He kept waiting for Sarah to mention Frankie, but it never came. He was glad.
 They left the shop, walking further down the main thoroughfare. When they stopped at a Starbucks for iced coffee (the day was turning out to be quite hot and sunny), Leon finally got the courage to ask, “So, why are we doing this?”
 Sarah smiled a sort of secretive smile. “I just thought you'd like a little excursion.”
 “Oh, okay,” Leon shrugged. He hung back as Sarah ordered their drinks.
 As they waited for their coffees, the doorbell jingled, making Leon's shoulders jerk together, and a teenager came in. Leon had looked over, and noticed that the teen was wearing a Panic! At The Disco t-shirt.
  The teenager ordered an iced tea, never taking their earbuds out of their ears. Leon watched them, feeling like he should go say hello.
  Sarah noticed him looking over at the fan, and murmured, “Go ahead, Leon.”
 Leon took a deep breath and got up. He could hear his heart beating fast as he crossed the shop casually. The teenager was looking at something on their phone as he walked up to them, but they looked up when he stammered, “H-hi.”
  The teen's eyes widened. They took their earbuds out of their ears and said, “Oh my god!”
  Leon smiled nervously. “I saw your sh-shirt, uh, and thought I-I'd say hi. Um- well, I guess you know who I am, but, uh, what's y-your name?”
 “Oh, uh, I'm Aaron. I'm such a fan of yours, you helped me come out to my family I'm non-binary, by the way.” Aaron grinned.
  Leon was taken aback. “Me? I- wow. I- I'm glad, but I never really did anything, except… getting adopted.”
 “Hey, don't put yourself down like that, man! You're really inspiring!” Aaron replied earnestly.
 Leon's face felt hot, and he knew he was blushing bright red. “Th-thanks,” he muttered.
 The barista called, “Urie”, and a few moments later Sarah came over and handed Leon his iced coffee.
  “Hi, sweetie,” she said when Aaron introduced themselves.
 “Hey- if it's okay, could I have a picture with you, Leon?” Aaron asked quickly, as if they were worried Leon might say no.
 “Um, s-sure,” Leon replied in surprise. No one had ever asked for a picture with him exclusively.
  Sarah took the picture, and then they and Aaron parted ways.
 “How was that?” Sarah asked when they were back outside.
 Leon exhaled. “Crazy. They really wanted to talk to me. Like, not about dad or you or anything.”
 “People can't help but love you, Leon!” Sarah said affectionately, ruffling Leon's hair. Leon grinned at her happily. His heart was still fluttering nervously.
 After lunch and a record shop, they met Brendon back at the venue, and the band split up to explore the city a bit before it was time to get ready. Zack joined Leon and his parents, going to a gelato bar that Zack had searched up on his phone earlier. Brendon and Leon lagged a little behind Sarah and Zack, the latter of which was telling the former about the night's venue.
 “You okay, kiddo?” Brendon asked Leon gently as they walked.
 Leon paused, then nodded. “Yeah. Um, Frankie told me she's feeling better. I don't know if she's just trying to keep me from worrying…” he shrugged.
  “Don’t worry, Leon. Her family has her back.” Brendon told Leon reassuringly. “She’s got people to talk to, and that's very important.”
 Leon nodded. “I didn't think of that.”
 Brendon slung an arm around his son's shoulder and ruffled his hair. “Look on the bright side. You'll be seeing her again in two weeks.”
 Leon grinned up at his dad, heart feeling considerably lighter than it had before.
  The gelato was exceptional, and Leon listened as Zack and Brendon cracked jokes, each one cheesier than the last.
  Brendon got up to get water, and Zack turned to Leon. “Can you believe that goofball is your dad?”
 Leon shrugged and replied, “I just have trouble believing you've put up with him this long.” He sounded much smoother than he expected, and Zack whistled.
 “Oh boy! The sass is real,” he chuckled.
  “Um- I didn't mean it to sound so mean-” Leon added awkwardly, and Zack shook his head.
 “I gotcha, kid.”
 Leon smiled. During tour, Zack had become sort of like an uncle to him.
 Just then, Brendon came back outside, but he wasn't heading back to the table. Instead he went in the other direction, walking up behind a girl with long green hair and a Panic! At The Disco sweatshirt tied around her waist. Brendon tapped her shoulder, and she turned in confusion. The look on her face immediately morphed into shock and she covered her mouth. “Brendon!” she let out a muffled cry.
 “Heya,” Brendon grinned. “Couldn’t resist saying hi.”
 The girl looked like she wanted to say something, but instead she ended up bursting into tears. She covered her face. “I’m sorry-” she wailed.
 “Hey, it's okay,” Brendon wrapped his arms around her. “It’s okay, kiddo.”
  As Leon watched the scene unfold, he thought of the nights when he'd awoken from an especially bad dream, and Brendon had been there to comfort him.
 The girl was calming down, wiping her eyes. She was talking quietly, and Brendon was listening intently, nodding, encouraging.
  When Brendon returned to the table a few minutes later, he was quiet for a while. Leon wondered what the girl  had told him, but knew it wasn't his place to pry.
 As it neared five o'clock, the group headed back to the venue, entering through a stage door. Leon settled on a couch in the main dressing room, half listening to the band’s banter as they got ready. He checked his phone.
 Scrolling through his packed Twitter notifications, he noticed a tweet someone had mentioned him in, and looking at the profile, realised that it was Aaron, the kid he'd met that day. He skimmed through it, then reread it carefully.
 Today I had the greatest experience of my year, even before the concert! I met @LeonIsLeon and @hellosarahurie close by the venue. Leon, if you're reading this, I can't say enough how talking to you today was such an amazing experience. Thank you for everything 💜💜💜. Attached to the tweet was the photo they had taken together.
 Leon found himself smiling widely as he typed out a reply.
  “Hey, kiddo.” Brendon's voice startled Leon, and he looked up at Brendon sat down. “You gonna be listening tonight?”
  Leon nodded, a little bemused. “I always do,” he replied.
  Brendon shrugged, grinning. “I know, just making sure.”
  Leon impulsively put his arms around his dad, mumbling, “Love you, Dad.”
 “I love you too, kiddo.” Brendon returned the hug tightly.
  Soon it was time for Leon and Sarah to leave the dressing room and make their way out to their seats. As the countdown started, Leon felt the excitement of the crown grip him. Despite having seen over twenty Panic! At The Disco shows by then, Leon never got tired of them. While other loud sounds usually made him anxious, the blasting music didn't bother him, because he got to watch his dad do what he loved most.
 The setlist was familiar to Leon by this point. A little more than halfway through, there was a break, and Miss Jackson would have usually been the next song, but instead, when the lights came up again, the black piano was rising out of the stage. Leon looked over at Sarah, who smiled back knowingly.
  Brendon was back on stage, holding something that Leon couldn't quite make out, speaking. “Y’all are amazing. Truly amazing. Thank you guys.” the stadium erupted into a roar of voices.
 “But tonight is dedicated to a very important person. The newest member of the Urie family, Leon.” Brendon turned to face in Leon's direction, finding his face down where Leon and Sarah were standing.
  Leon had covered his mouth with his hands, eyes shining.
 “Leon, I think it's safe to say that you are the most amazing thing that has happened to Sarah and I. I'm so glad you're with us.”
  Leon bit his lip, feeling his mom put an arm around him as he stared up at the stage.
  “So, tonight, I wear a special flag in support of you and everyone like you, Leon.” Brendon unfurled the thing in his hand, which turned out to be a blue, pink and white flag. Leon recognised it to be the trans pride flag. The screams grew impossibly in volume, then died slightly as Brendon spoke again, draping the flag around his shoulders. “Now guys, almost no one has heard the next song before. It's called Strength. This one's for you, Leon.” he took a seat at the piano and clipped the microphone into its holder.
  The song was slow, sad, made up of minor chords. Leon tried to concentrate on the words, but he was a crying mess by the third verse.
 “Nothing is forever, kid, but it feels like forever since you've become yourself… yeah, it feels like forever cos it's real.”
  The stadium had become quiet as Brendon sang. As the last chord faded out, the crowd seemed to regain its voice. Cheers erupted, but Brendon spoke again, quieting the noise.
 “Leon, I just want you to know that whatever you do, Sarah and I stand behind you. Love you, kid.” His voice cracked slightly, and he sniffed. “Damn. Made myself cry.”
 Leon had trouble stopping his tears as the show continued. The combined shock, gratification and love had left him an emotional mess. He ended up just hugging his mom for the rest of the show as she gently swayed on the spot to the music.