Leo took your hands in his and rubbed his thumb soothingly across the back of them. You just wanted to feel every inch of him, press yourself against him for forever, but after a few moments he pulled away. He inspected your fingers, looking at the scrapes and chipped nails unhappily. "Come on," he finally said, voice regaining its usual gentle qualities, “let's head back.” You leaned your head on his shoulder for a moment more before turning with him to walk down the darkened street.

Leo guided you, murmuring softly to you every little while until you felt more steady. By the time you made it to your front door, your hands were wrapped in his careful ones because you wanted them to be, not because you needed them. He unlocked the door carefully with his key before walking inside and pulling you with him. Concern was etched into his brow as he watched you close the door and drop your purse.

"Come with me," he said, and you smiled at him with mild amusement. Your apartment was pretty small, where exactly did he expect you to go? Still, you followed without complaint. You thought of the time when you had scraped your knee, of Leo's panic as he had carried you to the bathroom. He had eased wince then, perhaps becoming more human, but you could only imagine how hard he was trying not to whisk you away given your current state. If you looked anywhere near as bad as you felt, he was going to tuck you in bed and never let you leave.

"I'm okay, Leo," you finally said as he pushed open the bathroom door. He didn't speak, only shook his head and pointed to the counter.

Obediently you went and stood in front of it, about to haul yourself up to sit on it when Leo grabbed your arms. He the sink, waited for the start to get lukewarm, and then reached for your hands wordlessly.

"Leo," you asked after a moment, voice shaking, "why won't you speak to me?" He was beginning to worry you. Only a little while ago he had spoken louder than you ever expected out of him, and now he wouldn't even open his mouth. He tested the water temperature, found it acceptable, and carefully guided your right hand under the faucet.

You hissed in pain at the sudden stinging sensations, but Leo firmly held your hand and let the water rinse away the grime. Oh. For the first time you saw yourself in the light and took in the extent of your own injuries. Leo's reaction seemed much more fair now, as a myriad of small cuts on the pads of your fingers were fully revealed along with several shattered nails, one of which was bleeding profusely. You didn't even remember it happening. A quick glance in the mirror didn't help anything; unusually pale skin and perpetually wide eyes were staring back at you. You looking like you had seen a ghost.

Your attention jumped back to your hands as Leo began to gently rub your finger and clean the cuts completely; there were more continuous spears of pain, but this time you held your hand sill on your own. When he decided that that hand was taken care of properly, he pat it dry with a towel cautiously and then repeated the entire procedure with the other hand.

You felt like mornings must be upon you by the time both hands were dry, dizzy and tired of standing. You were lost in the rhythmic motion of Leo's fingers over yours. He watched you carefully, still saying nearly nothing but appearing to take careful consideration of how you were feeling.

"Take off your pants next."

You slammed back to reality with a sizable blush, eyes meeting Leo's in shock. He wanted to- to- now?! The first time he talked was for this? You could barely stand upright without leaning on the counter, and--

Your thought process slowed to a halt as you registered the expression on his face. There was none of the desire that you had expected to find; instead, his expression was nearly frozen, a hint of fear showing in the way his brow was knit together. You realized that your legs were what he was after, trying to see what marks were left under the patches of dirt he glanced at occasionally.

You took a step forward, putting a hand on each of his cheeks and then getting closer, kissing him gently with your lips over his. The kiss was warm and gentle, innocent, and you willed it to convey to him that you were alright. Shaken, startled, sore, but alright. You didn't want him to ever worry this much on your account. Come back, Leo.

He barely responded, even as you pulled away. "I'll go put on shorts," you said, dropping your hands to your sides and departing the room.

You rece changed, but Leo hadn't moved even a step. "Leo...?" You were already as worried about him as he was about you, but panic began to crawl up your throat as you wondered when the last time he had taken care of himself was. He needed to do that charging thing; you never bothered to ask, but what if he had forgotten and haven't--

"Leo come here." You demanded, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the living room. "You should have told me you hadn't charged, I don't mind really, but it would be better if--"

The world spun for a moment and you stumbled, the grips of exhaustion coming at you again. Before you even had the opportunity to right yourself, Leo was there, arms pulling you off the floor into a princess styled embrace that left you breathless. He tucked his head into the crook of your shoulder as you caught your breath, suddenly broken from his revere.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, voice hoarse; he sounded nearly in tears as he began to slowly rock you back and forth. "It must hurt."

His gentle voice was at odds with such pained words; they didn't suit him. You put your arms around him and began to pet his head, running your fingers through your hair.

So I tried to post this last night but there was some problem and it wouldn't let me; sorry for the long wait! I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow. I also realized that I forgot to post the actual poll with the last chapter, so here it is; let me know what you think about N! nhttp://www.asianfanfics.com/poll/vote/106850

Thanks for all of your support, I hope you enjoy!