Getting away from without seeing anything was probably the hardest thing Dawn had ever done in her life. Getting away from him without gawking… well that was something else entirely.

Because, in all honesty, she had something to gawk at. His earlier shapeless tunic-and-pants styled clothing hid the defined structure of his bones and muscles, all attractive and yet somehow still “beautiful”. She didn’t want him to put him clothes on; she wanted him to keep them off.

Of course, propriety held her upright enough that she would suggest no such thing, but even as she scrambled inside to hunt down some clothes she took an extra glance or two. Who could resist those collar bones?

Shaking herself from the thought, Dawn went into the old wardrobe in the corner of her grandmothers— no, Leo’s— room and dug through the clothes hanging there. Most of it was old or given from other people, but there was bound to be something there that Leo could wear. She ripped through the drawers when  none of the hung clothes worked, letting out a victorious whoop when she found a pair of loose short and a black t-shirt. Quickly she returned to the yard, finding Leo standing there shamelessly looking off into the woods. Thank god I’m not on a public street, she thought, wondering if he would even care if other people saw him. He didn’t seem at all perturbed about her being around, at least.

“Here, put these on.”

Dawn walked out into the lawn as far as she dared with her eyes closed and held out the clothing, praying to anyone and anything that they would fit well enough for now. Next time she went into town she could pick something up; for now, these would have to do.

“My clothes disappear when I shift; I’m sorry I didn’t warn you.”

As if that was the mystery she was focused on at the moment. In the end, it was probably a good thing she got this distraction; it kept her from thinking about what had just happened on her lawn. “It’s fine, I guess, it’s not like you could help it…”  Dawn tried to refrain from thinking anything uncouth and cleared .

“Thank you for the clothing; I’m dressed now.”

She opened her eyes to see Leo blinking at her with those ever-clear eyes, watching her every move with a scrutiny that made her uncomfortable. Did he catch her staring? But she didn’t even see anything, not to mention—

“You… aren’t afraid.”

Dawn’s heart thudded in her chest at the simple statement, Leo’s incredulously nearly tangible. Belatedly, she realized that her seeing him was unimportant, because he had just shown her something much more incredible than just his body. It wasn’t until he said it, though, that she realized he was right; she wasn’t afraid. She shrugged in acquiescence, unsure of what answer he was looking for.

Leo’s shoulders relaxed just the slightest bit, showing that he was holding tension even if his airy nature didn’t seem agreeable to stress. He offered her the slightest smile to accompany it.

“I knew you were a good choice. Fear makes people rash.” Leo took a few steps to close the distance between them, and then leaned over, resting his head on her shoulder. She froze, startled, her hands hovering in the air with a lack of placement.

“L-Leo what are you doing, it’s one thing for you to be a giant deer and completely another to— to—” Oh hell, did it even matter? She let her hands fall to her side and stood there while Leo rested, letting a small part of herself acknowledge that she was already in way too deep with him. Besides, he had sounded like he was in pain when he changed back. Mentally, she made a list of the near thousands of questions she wanted to ask him, starting with “how” and ending with “why”. He had mentioned that he had made a choice; what was all that about?

“Your soul… your essence.” Leo began to speak again after a few moments of silence and Dawn waited for him to continue, anxious to hear what he had to say. He didn’t move, but stayed leaned over with his pale hair tickling her cheek. “It’s clean. My soul, being what I am, needs to be like yours, but it isn’t anymore. Someone was hurt, and the darkness in me is keeping me from shifting.”

He trailed off into silence, and Dawn almost didn’t dare to breathe lest she distract him. She had not a clue where he was going with this, but she wanted to hear it to the end. “It makes it painful, and I can’t stay that way long. I’m stuck human. But you can help me.”

As he spoke the last few words he raised his head, suddenly close enough to make Dawn’s breath hitch as he stared into the depths of her being with his golden eyes. “Let me stay by you. Your energy can purify me. You can make it strong again. You have to do nothing but be near me; will you help me?”

Dawn felt like the world was falling down around her. The glorious rays of the sun illuminated Leo and made him seem like a god, so far beyond her that she should have fallen to her knees in reverence by now. Or maybe that was just all of the new information talking; she certainly hadn’t felt that way when he covered her floor in flowers. Still, she couldn’t deny her draw to him or the innocent plea in his eyes. She glanced away, the power of his gaze warming her cheeks, and felt herself nod in agreement.

“I mean… you were going to stay here anyway…” Dawn murmured. “You were going to be near me anyway.”

He grinned widely, eyes pushing up to crescents as he darted forward, shocking her by pecking her cheek. She drew back in shock but not displeasure, the blush that colored her cheeks before heating to nearly cause steam. She was struggling to find words, but Leo spoke first.

 “Thank you.”

Hey all! Sorry these chapters have been so crappy... but I'm having fun writing them anyway :3 Ready for unbearably fluffy fluff? I know I can't wait! Thank you all for supporting me thus far, and feel free to comment or message. Enjoy!