You gaped for a moment before finally finding your voice. “You idiot!” You screeched, panic and embarrassment coloring you red and giving you extra strength. You ripped your hands from his grip with a herculean effort and reached behind you, grabbing a pillow from the bed. You swung it downward at full force, pushing Leo's head into your chest.

Holding back another cry you shoved him off of you and scrambled to your feet, wasting no time in running back at him with the pillow. Suddenly the atmosphere was shattered, and Leo was standing in front of you not as a god about to crawl into your bed but as an adorable man looking awkward in a cat onesie with the zipper sliding undone. You pummeled him about the head and neck with the pillow remorselessly as he put up his arms in defense. You hardly cared; your skin was burning from his touch and for all you knew N was standing outside the door. You shoved him out of the room, ignoring his feeble protests; he tried to hug you and apologize but got a faceful of pillow and relented. As soon as the doorway was clear you slammed it closed and locked it, heaving in the silence.

It only remained that way for a second before you dropped the pillow and ran to the mirror, turning on every light along the way. Leo tentatively knocked on the door but you ignored it in favor of staring at your reflection.

Ignoring the fact that you were a mess, there was indeed a mark on your neck, and not one that would be easily missed either. You had to go to work the next day, and there was no way your boss would believe you were sick if you came in covered in love bites. You stifled a groan of annoyance, though you couldn't tell if it was towards Leo for giving you the mark or your boss for accidentally prohibiting you from getting more.

You spun away from the mirror angrily. It was too hot for a scarf, not to mention a turtleneck. Was makeup your only option then? You bit your lip, though it was more like an anxious chewing. You might be able to make it work... you glanced backwards at your reflection. It would be tough.

Another quiet knock on the door. You ignored it and flipped off the lights, making sure your alarm was set. A minute passed, and then another knock. Another minute, another knock. Finally, as you curled under the blankets, you couldn't stand it and yelled.

“Dammit Leo I'm going to sleep! Go repent in the living room!” You huffed; you heard a quiet “okay” from the other side of the door followed by a shuffling, and couldn't shake the distinct image of Leo with the cat hood flopping into his face as he headed all alone to sleep on the couch. Now that he was actually sleeping, he would surely like a bed... You rolled over, uncomfortable with the thought.

* * *

When you got up for work the next morning, you glanced through the apartment quickly; Leo was sleeping on the couch, back to the entryway and you. You were shocked by the little feeling of freedom as you walked past without him waking; usually, he would come to you immediately. You appreciated it, actually; how were you supposed to act around him after the previous night? Your hand went to your neck unconsciously, thoughts of the mark and how it was created making you blush.

You returned to your room an quickly got ready, spending way more time than you would have liked concealing the mark. A small part of you wanted to wear it proudly; could you even imagine it? And if Leo accompanied you... you killed off the fantasy with another dab of cover up. That wasn't something you had time to worry about now.

When you did finally leave, Leo was still sleeping, or at least pretending to be asleep. He looked very peaceful, the little cat tail hanging off the edge of the couch and spilling across the floor. As much as you might have wanted to be angry with him, you couldn't find it in you. Leo being jealous... was unexpectedly charismatic. And besides, you felt bad for making him sleep on a couch he barely fit on.

“Goodbye,” you whispered before pulling open the door and leaving. You had to hurry as it was so you wouldn't be late. Too much time had been spent trying to hide the mark even if you were going to use the extra cover up you had brought in your purse for later.

You were overly aware of other's eyes as you made your way to work, wondering if they were seeing the mark as much as you were conscious of it. At work that day your coworkers must have thought you had a bladder problem, considering you went to the washroom every twenty minutes to check that it was still concealed. Luckily for you, the makeup seemed to be holding; you avoided the dangers of a scandal.

As the work day neared its end you sat at your desk and day dreamed, tapping the end of your pen rhythmically. You checked your phone occasionally, and had to hold back a little cry of excitement when you actually had a message from Leo, even if it was only asking what you wanted for dinner. You texted him back quickly, far happier than you should be over such a simple thing. It was the following text that you were mostly surprised about.

Okay, he said regarding the meal you had requested, a response that was completely normal. It was what followed that shook your heart, even if it was only a little.

And stay away from that N person from now on. You read the surprisingly long text with a fluttering stomach. I don't trust him with you, so be careful. Come right to me if something happens, I'll protect you.

You threw your phone down on the table and followed it with your forehead, startling a person walking behind. That damn Leo, he didn't even realize what he was doing to you; you would never be able to let him out of your sight if he continued acting like this.