When Leo first met Ken he was very abrasive. He didn't yell and he wasn't violent but Leo could tell. Everyday Ken would come into the book shop Leo worked at. He'd look through the shelves, pick a book, sit in the lounge area in the far back of the shop and leave after reading for an hour or two. He never bought anything and he never spoke to anyone. He didn't show any signs of being standoffish but Leo could tell. There was an air about him, the way he slumped his shoulders and always had his head down.

Leo never thought he would fall in love with Ken. And he never thought he would have to lose him either.

Not one of his co-workers knew why Ken did what he did, nor did they ask. But Leo's curiosity was killing him so one day he bought a muffin and a hot coffee from the cafe next door and put it in Ken's usual spot before he arrived. When Ken saw he looked around in confusion before picking up both and sitting down. He finished both before he left.

The next day Leo included a note that said You must really like books huh? Why not go to a library though? His response was a blown nose into the napkin he wrote it on.

He tried again with a different flavor muffin and a note that said That wasn't very nice. Let's start small then, what's your name? Ken left the napkin that day. K-E-N was written in messy script on the back.

It continued like that for a few weeks. Everyday Leo would ask Ken a question and everyday Ken would respond with a short answer on the back. But whenever Leo tried to ask why Ken came to the shop everyday Ken would destroy the napkin. It was like two steps forward, three steps back.

Leo left a book along with the usual coffee and muffin on the third day of the third week since it started. The note simply stating that he thought Ken would enjoy it. Ken read it, and when Leo checked the napkin after he left he found Thank you written on the back.

Ken started asking him questions after that. They were as safe as Leo's except for the question about why he was so interested in Ken in the first place. Leo told him because he looked like he needed a friend.

Ken told him not to try and be his friend. His script looked very angry that day.

Leo revealed himself a month and a half in. Ken didn't come back for a couple of days.

When he did come back the coffee and muffin were waiting, along with a note bearing a sad apology. Ken told him he didn't leave on purpose, he had something important come up and didn't have time.

Those “something important”s came up more and more often since then. And Ken got thinner and thinner. Leo got a new supervisor at work who found out about Ken reading and not buying anything. He told Leo to kick him out or lose his job.

Leo lost his job. And Ken was banned from the book shop anyway.

Leo ran into Ken on the street a month later. Ken ran away. Literally. He pushed past Leo and ran. Leo chased after him. If you asked him at that moment why he chased down someone he barely knew he would have said “Maybe it was the gauntness of his face. Maybe it was how the clothes that used to fit him hung off his body. Maybe it was the look Ken gave me when he recognized me.” Looking back, Leo knows it was love.

Love for someone he barely knew. Love for someone who blew his nose in Leo's thoughtful questions when they got too personal. Love for someone who cut Leo's food budget in half because of his coffee and muffin. Love for someone who looked like they needed a friend.

Ken didn't run far and Leo caught up to him easily. He screamed at Leo. He told him he hated him and he didn't get why he was harassing someone he didn't even know. He screamed until he was hoarse. And then he broke down in tears. Right there in the middle of the street. Leo hugged him and carded his fingers through his hair until he stopped.

Leo told him to stop running. He told him that he didn't have to run. Leo told Ken that he wouldn't leave Ken, no matter what reason he was running. Ken gave up then. He told Leo why he had to run. Why he couldn't be Leo's friend. Ken told him why he missed going to the book shop some days. He answered every question Leo threw at him.

Ken told Leo he was terminal. He told Leo that the doctors didn't know what it was, just that it had no cure. Some days he went to the doctor. But most days he was too weak to get out of bed. He couldn't eat without his body rejecting it and many other things. Ken told Leo that no one knew other than the two of them. His family lived in a different country and it was easy to push his friends away. He told Leo that he didn't know how long he had and he didn't want anyone to know he was even gone. He never wanted this. He never wanted to be the cause of sadness in someone else. He never wanted to know he was dying.

And when Ken was done telling Leo everything he started to try and convince Leo to forget about him. To pretend he never met the hopeless case and to live his life as happily as possible and he wouldn't even know when Ken was gone. Leo told him to shut up. And then Leo kissed him.

He put every emotion he ever felt toward Ken into the kiss. Curiosity. Disappointment. Confusion. Frustration. Longing. Empathy. Kindness. Anger. Sadness. Happiness. Love. Leo didn't care if Ken kissed back, he just wanted to tell him all the things he couldn't say with words. But Ken did kiss back. He kissed back with all the desperation a dead man walking would kiss with.

They were happy after that. As happy as you can be when you know your love can't last. Ken continued to get worse, and he continued to try and convince Leo to leave him. Leo ignored him whenever it was brought up. He continued to take Ken to his doctor's visits. He took care of Ken when he couldn't get out of bed. He tried to help him keep food down because maybe if he gained weight his body could fight the disease better.

Leo's efforts were in vain. Everyday Ken got worse and everyday Leo felt another piece of his heart break. It got to the point where Leo thought he was dying with Ken, his heart hurt so bad. He wished he had. Living without Ken was so much harder.

Leo was there when Ken's heart stopped. Ken asked him that night if Leo would hold him. The past week had been the worst yet and they both knew it was almost over. Ken died in Leo's arms. And Leo might as well have died with him.

Leo tried to honor Ken's wishes. He tried to let him go. He tried to move on. He tried to fall in love again and be happy like Ken wanted but it was a losing battle. So he tried to live Ken's dream for him instead. He sang. He joined a band and he traveled the world making people happy. He visited Ken's grave as often as he could and he read to him. He lived to be an old man and he lived in a house filled with the books Ken loved so much. He ate muffins and he drank coffee and he never fell in love again.

But how could he? His heart died with Ken. And when Leo's heart stopped beating he had a smile on his face. When he died Ken, and his heart, were waiting to welcome him home with a muffin and a hot coffee.

A/N: I swear I don't hate Ken. I love Ken. He's awesome. Blame Bobbie for this,  it's completely her fault. Also, I still don't have internet OTL