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Faking it
In case you were wondering what, exactly, had gotten poor Carew in trouble.
Leo knocked, then opened the door and stuck his head into Cya's house. She wasn't anywhere in sight, but hey current Kept came hurrying to the door as he looked. "Hey!" Leo gave him a friendly smile and stepped the rest of the way inside, closing the door behind him. "Is Cya in?"
The boy - Cary? Something like that - looked at him, considering. "She's out for a minute."
"Oh. Darn." Leo frowned in thought. That was the trouble with dropping by unannounced, he was learning; sometimes it meant she wasn't there. Well, he could come back later, or if her Kept didn't mind--
A fist slammed into the side of his face, sending him stumbling a few steps backwards and into the closed door.
"What the--" Leo broke the curse off short, putting a hand up to his face and staring incredulously. Cya's Kept had just punched him? Cya's Kept had just punched him.
He hadn't even realized they were allowed to.
"You couldn't have just, I don't know, faked it?" The boy snarled, bristling. "She's stupid in love with you and you couldn't just let her have that?"
Faked it. The words sank in - the realization of what had just happened started to dawn - and the beginning of a cold anger started creeping through him as he carefully schooled his expression to show nothing. "Excuse me?"
"She's in love with you. She's miserable with it, and you can't just... let her have that?" The boy was still angry; starting to look slightly less certain about what he was doing, but still angry.
Leo, on the other hand, showed nothing.
"Let me get this straight," he said, decades of self-discipline letting his voice come out perfectly calm. "You just punched me in the face because I'm not a fucking liar."
Cya's Kept seemed to be realizing that maybe punching an Ellehemaei several times his age was not the smartest thing he might have done and took a step backwards - a gesture Leo would have felt amused or even gratified by at any other time.
"...She's hurting," he complained. "And it's because you don't love her."
Because you don't love her. It was the last straw; this little piece of shit whose idea of romance was built by the hellhole of social interactions called Addergoole was giving him advice. Was telling him how he, Leo, supposedly felt. Was telling him, who had lost a lifetime of memories and relationships to a fictionalized, made up reality, that he should have just pretended to be something else. The edge of anger turned into an overwhelming flood of icy rage.
"You think I don't know that?" He stepped forward, not caring anymore if the anger showed in his voice. "Do you think I don't care? I've been with her since before your parents or even grandparents were born, and you think you know what's going on better than I do?"
"Then why...?" The boy took another step back, looking like he finally regretted having said something.
Too fucking late, kid.
"Then why don't I let her live a lie for the rest of her life? Because it doesn't fucking work, that's why. Because." Leo advanced on him and grabbed the front of his collar, yanking him forward until they were face to face. "I might not love her the way she wants," he snarled, letting every ounce of his fury out into it, "but I do love her, more than you possibly ever could, and I am not going to let you tell me what's best for her. Do you understand?"
The boy cowered, his voice squeaking in a panic. "Yes, sir... yes sir."
"Good." Leo let go and made himself step back, taking a slow, deep breath. Cya would forgive him if he broke the kid's jaw (and nose and maybe arms) - but suicidal moron or not, hurting something or someone of Cya's would leave a bad taste in his mouth.
He breathed slowly one more time. "I'm not going to break your face in," he said, once more sounding calm, "but I hope you appreciate that's only because you Belong to Cya."
The boy swallowed and nodded, then bowed nervously. "Yes, sir. Yes. I'm... oh god. Sorry, sir."
"Hrm." Leo gingerly poked at the rapidly growing bruise, eyeing him. He should accept the apology, really... but no. Not beating the shit out of him was being more than nice enough. "I was going to ask if you mind if I stay until she gets back, but I change my mind. I'll wait whether you like it or not."
In the first smart thing he'd done since Leo walked in, the boy didn't argue. "Can I... get you anything?"
"You can stay where I don't have to look at you. I'll be in the back yard." He stalked off, determinedly ignoring the boy as he fled out of the way.
Fake it. Like Leo hadn't fucking thought of that himself.
Leo knocked, then opened the door and stuck his head into Cya's house. She wasn't anywhere in sight, but hey current Kept came hurrying to the door as he looked. "Hey!" Leo gave him a friendly smile and stepped the rest of the way inside, closing the door behind him. "Is Cya in?"
The boy - Cary? Something like that - looked at him, considering. "She's out for a minute."
"Oh. Darn." Leo frowned in thought. That was the trouble with dropping by unannounced, he was learning; sometimes it meant she wasn't there. Well, he could come back later, or if her Kept didn't mind--
A fist slammed into the side of his face, sending him stumbling a few steps backwards and into the closed door.
"What the--" Leo broke the curse off short, putting a hand up to his face and staring incredulously. Cya's Kept had just punched him? Cya's Kept had just punched him.
He hadn't even realized they were allowed to.
"You couldn't have just, I don't know, faked it?" The boy snarled, bristling. "She's stupid in love with you and you couldn't just let her have that?"
Faked it. The words sank in - the realization of what had just happened started to dawn - and the beginning of a cold anger started creeping through him as he carefully schooled his expression to show nothing. "Excuse me?"
"She's in love with you. She's miserable with it, and you can't just... let her have that?" The boy was still angry; starting to look slightly less certain about what he was doing, but still angry.
Leo, on the other hand, showed nothing.
"Let me get this straight," he said, decades of self-discipline letting his voice come out perfectly calm. "You just punched me in the face because I'm not a fucking liar."
Cya's Kept seemed to be realizing that maybe punching an Ellehemaei several times his age was not the smartest thing he might have done and took a step backwards - a gesture Leo would have felt amused or even gratified by at any other time.
"...She's hurting," he complained. "And it's because you don't love her."
Because you don't love her. It was the last straw; this little piece of shit whose idea of romance was built by the hellhole of social interactions called Addergoole was giving him advice. Was telling him how he, Leo, supposedly felt. Was telling him, who had lost a lifetime of memories and relationships to a fictionalized, made up reality, that he should have just pretended to be something else. The edge of anger turned into an overwhelming flood of icy rage.
"You think I don't know that?" He stepped forward, not caring anymore if the anger showed in his voice. "Do you think I don't care? I've been with her since before your parents or even grandparents were born, and you think you know what's going on better than I do?"
"Then why...?" The boy took another step back, looking like he finally regretted having said something.
Too fucking late, kid.
"Then why don't I let her live a lie for the rest of her life? Because it doesn't fucking work, that's why. Because." Leo advanced on him and grabbed the front of his collar, yanking him forward until they were face to face. "I might not love her the way she wants," he snarled, letting every ounce of his fury out into it, "but I do love her, more than you possibly ever could, and I am not going to let you tell me what's best for her. Do you understand?"
The boy cowered, his voice squeaking in a panic. "Yes, sir... yes sir."
"Good." Leo let go and made himself step back, taking a slow, deep breath. Cya would forgive him if he broke the kid's jaw (and nose and maybe arms) - but suicidal moron or not, hurting something or someone of Cya's would leave a bad taste in his mouth.
He breathed slowly one more time. "I'm not going to break your face in," he said, once more sounding calm, "but I hope you appreciate that's only because you Belong to Cya."
The boy swallowed and nodded, then bowed nervously. "Yes, sir. Yes. I'm... oh god. Sorry, sir."
"Hrm." Leo gingerly poked at the rapidly growing bruise, eyeing him. He should accept the apology, really... but no. Not beating the shit out of him was being more than nice enough. "I was going to ask if you mind if I stay until she gets back, but I change my mind. I'll wait whether you like it or not."
In the first smart thing he'd done since Leo walked in, the boy didn't argue. "Can I... get you anything?"
"You can stay where I don't have to look at you. I'll be in the back yard." He stalked off, determinedly ignoring the boy as he fled out of the way.
Fake it. Like Leo hadn't fucking thought of that himself.