A wave of relief flooded through you. It wasn't a coworker or a boss waiting for you on the other side of the door; it was N. He smiled when he saw you, an action that you happily returned.

“N!” You said, and pulled the door open wider. “Come in, I'll make some tea. Leo, it's N!” You called down the hall, hoping he would change quickly and get the hint that he didn't need to be hiding. N had met him already, after all, it wasn't something you could hide even if you wanted to.

“I'm sorry for dropping by so late, I just got off of work. I haven't talked to you lately, but I wanted to see how you were feeling...” You stepped to the side to let him in and took his jacket to hang near the door.

“No it's fine. I'm sorry I'm such a mess, I took a nap earlier...” You neglected to mention that it wasn't really a nap. You also found yourself exceedingly relieved that you decided to put in a bra earlier. “Come in and have a seat.” You motioned to the empty kitchen chairs while you went to boil water. You had a few boxes of tea in the cabinet that you brought down and placed on the table to offer him. He was looking through them when you heard shuffling from the direction of the living room.

“Hey Leo N is here, and would you mind getting--” You stopped short as you saw him meander into the room, not only wearing the onesie but with the hood drawn up and the ears and tail fixed to perfection. He looked at you wordlessly before turning to N, taking the seat next to him.

“Hello.” He said, voice quiet, and then turned his attention to reading whatever was on the side of one of the tea boxes.

“W-well N, this is Leo, I heard you met already?”

That was all the prompting he needed; N launched into the story of the other night, seeming to be completely unperturbed by the fact that Leo was sitting next to him in a cat onesie in the middle of the night in your house. You tried to show interest in his story-- since it involved you, you tried really hard-- but you couldn't help but stare at Leo's less-than-thrilled face.

“...And so when I found you, I was going to bring you to my apartment, but then your phone rang.”

You were pouring boiling water into mugs at that point; you nearly burned yourself. “Wait, the pho-”

You looked to Leo, but he wouldn't look back to you. “I want tea too,” he said, quiet but demanding, and you hastily got out another mug. You had assumed he wouldn't want any.

“Yeah your cell rang,” N continued obliviously, “and I picked it up without thinking, and Leo was on the other side of the line freaking out about where you were or what was going on...” N was grinning brightly at the memory, clearly a bit amused.

You slid the cup over to Leo as you turned your attention back to N. “And you came back to my apartment? Leo was here?” Of course Leo was here.

“Mh,” N responded as he sipped his tea. “Your cousin is very kind, I'm glad he's here staying with you while you're sick.

“Ah-Oh, yes, he is.” You glanced at Leo. He was staring at you beneath the cat ears, dark eyes boring into yours. So he had introduced himself as cousin. It had never even crossed your mind, honestly, that he could be anything other than a lover-- even if her wasn't yet.

N continued, seeming oblivious to your slight stumble. “I left my card with him, and my sister was over so I had her come down to help you change out of your wet clothes.”

“Oh,” you felt yourself blush. You had been convinced it was Leo. Had you two talked about that? N continued chatting, but your thoughts had turned to Leo. He was being awfully quite tonight. Usually he would chat with you through the evening, but he hardly opened his mouth now. His usual gentle tone wasn't present in the face of N's happy chatter, which continued until the mug was empty. You finally took it and began to stand to wash it, but Leo was quicker. “I'll do it,” he said quietly, cutting N off completely. “You should rest some more.”

“Ah,” N said, not skipping a beat. “You probably should. I've kept you up very late, though I have been meaning to ask you...”

He began to chat again, and the two of you reminisced about when you had moved in and he had helped you with the falling boxes. You couldn't help but laugh at the memory; it helped you hide the embarrassment.

Leo dropped a mug in the sink, the crash so startlingly loud that you couldn't help but jump in your seat. You spun to look at him, but he was already moving, passing the table and heading towards the entry way. “L-Leo?!” You called out in surprised, pushing back your seat, but before you could stand he was back, N's coat in hand. Fuming, he threw the coat on the table next to N, who looked up at him slowly.

“It's time for you to leave,” Leo demanded, the loudest he had been since N had come. For the first time, N looked awkward. He glanced between the coat and Leo, trying to figure out what expression to put on.

“Ah,” he finally said, gathering the coat and standing, “right. Well it was nice to see you, and I'm glad you're feeling better... maybe we can go get coffee sometime?”

You nodded, trying to salvage the situation. “I would love to. I have your card, I'll give you a call. Thanks for stopping by...” You were moving to the door at a shocking pace, and when you got there Leo already had it open. N threw a small smile at you and headed out.

“Look forward to hearing from you; rest up. Bye, Leo,” N scanned him quickly as he passed by, hardly making it out before Leo closed the door behind him and hit the lock.

“Leo, that was really rude, I know it's late but--”

You had no time to react as Leo grabbed your arm and pulled you towards the bedroom, grip forceful enough that you couldn't escape. The change was sudden and you followed behind with hardly again challenge. You murmured for him to wait, but he didn't respond, just threw open the bedroom door and pushed you towards the bed.

It was gentle enough that you weren't hurt, but still strong enough that you couldn't avoid it. You landed flat on your back, Leo standing over you while he looked at you, hungrily. Slowly, intentionally, he climbed onto the bed after you, moving with a sensual crawl that sent shivers down your spine. His eyes never left yours, darker than usual and promising far more danger.

“I didn't know that story,” he said, moving forward. “The one about when you moved in. I didn't know that happened to you. That's a memory you have with him, I wasn't there. I wasn't there to pick you up when you were sick, either.” His eyes trailed across your body as he continued, and your breath hitched as you met his gaze. “But he doesn't know about us, he doesn't know about our kiss in the rain...” He paused then, a hand coming up to caress your hair. “I should have danced with you then, too.”

You were expecting gentle Leo to reappear at any moment, but it wasn't happening. He moved closer until his face was only inches from yours, searching your face for just a moment before leaning down and attaching himself to your neck. You turned away, unintentionally granting him access as you searched for a nonexistent escape. You didn't even know if you wanted escape.

He bit you suddenly, a gentle nip that sent you squirming until he grabbed your wrists and held them. His focus on that one spot on your neck wouldn't be broken, not until he had claimed you completely as his and only his. A small voice wanted to angrily point out that it was his fault for introducing himself as a cousin, but all thoughts vanished as his teeth grazed over the mark he had created. He was breathing heavy as he pulled away, moving just enough to whisper in your ear.

“Mine.”

An extra long chapter because you're all the best and I just couldn't cut you off in that scene! Thank you all for all the support, I hope you continue to enjoy the story :)