"She died. "

You were sitting at the kitchen table, hands around to steaming mug of hot chocolate with Leo across from you, holding a similar mug. While you still sometimes questioned how he could process, food you figured it was better off unsaid. Under the table, your feet were entwined at the ankles, connecting you.

You had no idea if this was what was supposed to happen after you did it, but you found yourself pretty happy with it – minus the conversation topic. You just finish relating the events from earlier that day to Leo, and in contrast with the teasing and playful side of him you had seen in the bedroom he was now serious and silent. He didn't interrupt you even one as you spoke, listening with the utmost attention. You shifted in your seat uncomfortably, trying to think of what to say next.

Before you could come up with anything, Leo let out a little sigh. "I can understand," he said, "a bit. How he feels. If anything were to happen to you…" He trailed off, looking at you with such an intense gaze that you were forced to escape it, looking instead into your mug. "But," he continued after a moment, "I'm different than him. I won't let anything happen to you; I'll protect you."

You felt your heart seize at his determined words, forcing you to glance up for a moment. It was all it took to lose yourself in the warmth of his dark eyes. A safe haven, that was what you had found in Leo. You couldn't help but smile.

"I know you will," you responded, and you meant it; the severity of his expression eased.

"What do you want to do about him?" Leo asked, voice nearly too quiet hear. You let out a deep breath.

"Nothing, I guess." You wrapped your hands around a new part of the mug, looking for fresh warm. "I mean, what can we do?" Leo was silent, and you didn't blame him; there really was no answer. "As long as he doesn't kiss you again."

Leo blanched, scrunching his nose in distaste. "I agree, that better not happen again." You had raised your mug to take a sip, however a near hysterical laugh at his expression cautioned you to put it back down.

"I'm pretty sure you hated it more than me," you responded, still giggling. Leo smiled a little bit at your reaction to him.

"I probably did," he murmured, "I want to be only yours, you know. He ruined that."

You couldn't help but grin at him in embarrassment and delight, wishing you could cool your warming cheeks; something inside of you, you could swear it, was bouncing gleefully. Maybe it was a good thing N had kissed him after all.

Leo reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, more out of a desire to touch you than to get it out of your face. You grabbed him hand quickly and placed and small kiss on the back of it. Your own mark, you realized.

You spent the evening relaxing with Leo, a welcome respite to the past few days of high energy and anxiety. It was quiet and Leo seemed particularly pleased with himself, content, touching your back and shoulders whenever he passed. If there was opportunity, he let his fingers linger on yours for a moment too long. Finally, you called him out on it.

"So, are you lonely or something?" you joked, grabbing his hand one time as it caressed your waist. He looked at you in confusion, head cocked slightly to the side; you linked your arm through his. "You keep touching me," you said, teasing a little. "Can I touch you back?"

As soon as you said it you realized you made a terrible mistake; any second you wait for his eyes to turn dark and his smooth voice to turn into a primal growl. Instead there was simply a pause, and he blinked at you before unlinking his arm and grabbing your waist again to pull you against him and into a dramatic kiss. "Maybe," he murmured silkily, then kissed your forehead protectively. "But you're tired, so I will wait."

You were tired, certainly; it had been a relatively emotionally charged day, and only yesterday N had been jumping your boyfriend. But if Leo had asked, had wanted more, you would have fulfilled his request. Instead, he just looked at you with that slight smile that drove you crazy. He loved you, you realized. You had know it before, of course, from his own proclamation. But somehow the way her treated you spoke even louder than his own voice. He loved you.

You felt tears rise and quickly berated yourself for being an emotional and stupid wreck, even if you were smiling. You threw yourself into Leo's chest, burying your face in his shirt. Silently, he wound his arms around you.

“...can we cuddle?" you asked after a few minutes, and were greeted with a brisk nod of agreement. Ten minutes later, you were curled up on the couch, Leo's head in your lap. You were absolutely sure of it: you loved Leo, too.

When you woke up the next morning, you felt the most refreshed you had in weeks. Leo was sleeping soundly at your side, chest rising up and down rhythmically, with his hand loosely holding yours under the sheets. Quietly, you gathered your clothes and headed to the bathroom, getting ready for work.

It was new for you, having to work around someone else, trying not to wake him up. Actually, you were pretty sure that he would be a bit annoyed that you weren't waking him up to make breakfast and see you off, but there was something about his peaceful expression that you just couldn't disturb. He didn't need to sleep, of course, but still. You were out the door in record time and with surprisingly few loud mishaps, the biggest of which was you falling as you tried to put your shoes on. You paused for a minute, waking for a sleepy Leo to stumble out of the bedroom towards you, but he slept on. Amused by the game of getting out quietly, you gathered your belongings and headed out.