If you didn't know any better, you would say Leo had passed out, completely asleep, on your shoulder. His eyes were closed, his breathing slow and rhythmic, and he seemed to be nestling towards your warmth. For a moment, there was a flicker of panic as you thought back to his unconscious form on the floor, the terror that had led you to reading the manual. You hadn't read anything about this. Your heart beat quicker.

“Hey, Leo,” you said softly, patting his cheek. “What's wrong? Are you okay?”

He was stirring a little at first, still appearing to be asleep, before he sat up, blinked a few time, and rubbed his eyes. He looked at you blearily.

“Oh, sorry, I fell asleep.”

You looked at him in shock. “But I thought that you didn't--?”

“Oh,” he said, gathering himself. “Right, I forgot to tell you, I got an update.”

“An update?” You nearly jumped off the couch. “What the hell do you mean? You get updates to a new IOS like my Ipod?”

He paused for a moment, considering the comparison. “Yes, actually.”

“Oh my god,” you moaned, rubbing a hand over your face. “My boyfriend is a glorified Ipod.”

He gave you a little smile. “But you admit I'm your boyfriend?”

“Ya!” You screamed, reaching behind you to grab a pillow from the couch to hit him with. “That's not fair!”

He jumped away, competitive nature awakened, and began the search for his own pillow. “You just compared me to your phone!” He pulled one up into his arms just in time to defend from another strike from you; the movie, though at it's , was completely forgotten. You leaped off the couch after him, chasing him in circles while the hood came flapping down across his back. He slipped a few times on the floor, searching for an escape route, before finding none and being forced on the offensive.

He spun on with the pillow held in front of him to block your weak attack before launching at you. Surprised at his turn your movements were useless, and instead of beating him you found yourself at a disadvantage. Already giggling hysterical, it took one short hit from Leo for you to give up. You raised your hands above you head, pillow held limply, and between gasping breathes called for mercy.

“I didn't mean to insult you,” you said, laughing. Leo had thrown his pillow back on the couch, so you let yours drop to the side. “I was just surprised. Does this happen all the time?”

He dropped to the floor with you, both of you now sitting in the space behind the couch. “Sometimes, but rarely,” he responded. He had no breath to catch, though a smile was clear from the few creases around his eyes. He leaned forward and reached out to muse your hair.

“This time it--”

He was cut off by the sound of the doorbell, a rare occurrence for you. His hand froze, just barely touching the top of your head, before slowing dropping. The smile disappeared.

Slowly you stood, ready to head for the door. And then Leo caught your eye, and panic took hold.

You had no idea who it was, none at all; but there was a high likelihood that it was a coworker, knowing that you “lived alone”, who had come to check on you after your sudden little hiatus. A quick glance at the clock proved that it wasn't that, while late, it wasn't ridiculous. You didn't even have your phone with you, so if anyone had tried to call...

“,” you murmured, scrambling to put the couch back together. And worse than that, Leo was sitting there on your living room floor in a cat onesie. While it wasn't the most provocative clothing when zippered, it didn't exactly scream innocence either. And according to everything work knew, you were living on your own. Besides, if your boss or coworker waltzed in, you certainly didn't appear to have a good excuse for missing work; it seemed more like you had gotten a little too busy rolling in the sheets with Leo.

You floundered for a moment, grabbing a rogue blanket and beginning to fold it frantically. The movie credits were rolling. The room was a wreck. You scrambled to turn off the tv. “Leo, hide, it's gotta be someone from work, and they can't know you're here--”

You cut yourself off as you grabbed the hood of his pajamas and hauled him to his feet. It was a small apartment; there was nowhere he could hide. The shower? What if whoever it was needed to pee? No way around that one. Maybe he should stay behind the couch--

“Wait,” Leo said, trying to gain your attention with his quiet voice while you pulled him around the room aimlessly. The doorbell rang again. “But it's probably just--”

“Behind the couch it is,” you finally decided, and pushed him back there forcefully. As he landed on his and looked up at you you were gripped with guilt. You leaned down and pecked him on the lips.

“I promise I'll make it up to you later.”

You ran before he could do anything further or convince you otherwise, leaving him like a pouting child on the floor. Someone could walk behind the couch to access the shelves behind, however you would do your best to keep your surprise guest in the kitchen. And besides, it was late, so they surely wouldn't stay long.

You stumbled towards the entryway, finally yelling that you were coming before they were forced to ring the doorbell yet again. They had been pretty patient on that account, actually, since you had taken longer than was really polite. You tried to do something about your appearance, fiddling with your hair in the few moments you had but it was useless. Giving up, you went to pull open the door with one last silent prayer hoping Leo would stay quiet. It was too dark to see through the peephole; with a sigh, you pulled open the door.