“You punched a man so hard that he steamrolled through two concrete walls, out a penthouse story window and exploded, just from the force of your rage.”
Klaus lifted his gaze from Leonardo’s slumbering form to look up at Steven, Michella‘s request for Klaus to watch over her brother still ringing in his ears. “Possibly.” He admitted.
Steven huffed in amusement. “I was standing right next to you when everyone else shouted their attacks, and you didn’t utter a word. Just-“ Steven mimicked throwing a punch. “Pow. With your battle aura all lit up, not even using your Brain Grid Technique.”
Klaus inclined his head, acknowledging Steven’s words. He’d hoped no one had noticed that he hadn’t used any of his trained techniques, but unfortunately looked like that wasn’t the case.
He’d been a little wound up after having his instincts insisting that there was something wrong with Leonardo after the battle with the Blood Breed, then discovering Leonardo had sent them a secret message, 10-33, the police code for ‘Emergency, Need Immediate Assistance’.
And then walking into the room and finding Leonardo covered in blood, so determined to protect his sister from the giant Beyondian, the smell of burnt flesh from Leonardo overusing his eyes wafting through in the air. Klaus hadn’t even thought, he’d just reacted.
All of his intellect, and much vaunted control, thrown to the wayside as his temper had taken control.
Still, he couldn’t find it in himself to regret it. Just that he’d been so slow to discover Leonardo’s cry for help, and protect the young agent of Libra.
Leonardo looked like a mummy. There wasn’t much of his body that had escaped injury, although most of it, aside from his eyes and right hand, was superficial. He would make a complete recovery.
The thoughts how close it had been lingered in Klaus’ mind. Leonardo had been in danger for hours, and they’d never known.
“He’s yours, isn’t he?” Steven said quietly, tucking his hands into his suit pockets. “Your special person.”
Klaus startled slightly, staring up at Steven’s placid expression.
Most Libra agents all had something or someone to ground them, a link, to give them a reason to keep fighting. To get back up again.
For Zapp, it was the women he slept with and his own ego, although that link seemed somewhat volatile. Klaus wasn’t so sure on what was Zed's, it almost seemed as if he was grounded in himself or his books.
But for most of them, it was a special person. For K.K., it was her children. For Chain, it was Steven. For Steven, it was Klaus.
For Klaus…. For many years, it had been his code of honour, fighting Blood Breeds, and protecting people. Then Libra itself, creating and continuing the organisation.
Then he’d met Leonardo, and somehow that had shifted.
He didn’t know what Leonardo’s special person or thing was. For all of Leonardo's talk of his sister, the connection didn’t feel quite right.
“Yes.” Klaus said, staring up into the eyes of his dear friend. “I’m sorry.”
Steven was his best friend, his brother forged from battle and spilled blood. There was no one Klaus trusted more at his side.
But Steven was not Klaus’ special person the same way Klaus was Steven’s. No matter how much Klaus cared for Steven.
Steven huffed, closing his eyes as he shook his head. “I’m glad.” He said, his lips curling into a smile that was as sweet as it was bitter. “Was starting to worry we weren’t enough to keep you.”
“Steven.” It wasn’t quite a rebuke, but it made Steven laugh softly and pat Klaus’ shoulder.
“I’m happy for you.” Steven said simply, then headed for the door. “I’ll tell Gilbert-san not to expect you until the morning, after young Leonardo has woken up.”
“Thank you.” Klaus rumbled. He didn’t mean just for Steven passing on the message to Gilbert. Steven glanced back with a smile and a wave of acknowledgement before closing the door behind him.
Klaus took a deep breath and let it out, his gaze falling on Leonardo’s slack features again.
Leonardo would not be alone when he woke up.
Klaus’ first thought upon meeting Leonardo Watch had been that their newest member looked so small and soft.
Of course, appearances were deceiving, in Hellsalem’s Lot more so than the rest of the world, but there was absolutely nothing threatening in the other man’s appearance. From his small stature, fluffy mass of hair, the oversized clothes and the tiny mach honkey on his shoulder. To the confusion in his face and gentle blue aura.
Just… soft. Like a lost fuzzy bunny.
Very unlike most Libra agents, who tended to be more prickly and Klaus had been concerned about how well their new member would fit in with their organisation.
The fact that Leonardo wasn’t Johnny Landis and lied about his identity to get Zapp’s assistance to escape an everyday bomb threat had emphasised that softness.
At that time, Klaus never would have expected Leonardo’s kindness and strength to be something that Klaus would come to depend on.
The second, more instinctual and lasting thought Klaus had concerning Leonardo Watch was that the small man was someone Klaus needed to keep close. Klaus' body had moved without a thought, to protect Leonardo as the demon’s arm and giant sword that had appeared in front of them.
The second thought had stayed with Klaus more than the first, even before they had learned about the immense power Leonardo possessed.
It had taken a while for what that meant. Not until he had seen Leonardo standing with the sunrise behind the bearer of the Eyes of God, shouting about light and hope, trying to save the world with all the kindness in his heart.
Klaus had looked at Leonardo, and felt the world shift irrevocably around him.
He could sense Zapp’s presence as the pale haired man attempted to sneak into the office. Attempted, was the key word.
For all of Zapp’s skills as a practitioner of the Big Dipper blood fighting, he was lousy at masking his presence. It wasn’t usually a factor, but it did make it difficult for Zapp to sneak up on anyone with any sort of sense of their surroundings.
Klaus kept a portion of his attention on Zapp’s approach, the rest divided between the reports he was reading, and Leonardo sleeping on the couch, making a soft breathing sound that wasn’t quite a snore. Sonic was nestled in Leonardo's hair, making an accompanying whistling noise as they both slept.
Someone had recently changed the layout of the couches next to Klaus’ desk, rotating them by 90 degrees so that Klaus was no longer staring at the back of one of the couches.
Previously, Leonardo's habit of taking the far couch meant they were always within view of each other, which made it easier for them to speak. The change in layout now it meant that Klaus could keep an eye on Leonardo as he slept and healed no matter which couch he chose to rest on.
Leonardo did have a worrisome habit of getting injured. Although Doctor Gamimotz notwithstanding, he’d been getting better as of late.
“AN OPENING!” Zapp shouted, having crept close enough for an attack. Klaus lifted an arm to counter-
And realised a second too late that he was not Zapp’s intended target, as Zapp came down on the couch Leonardo was sleeping on.
Leonardo’s eyes snapped open, the blue glow of the Eyes of God flaring as he screamed.
And the world dissolved into flashing lights and chaos.
Klaus struggled to stay upright and not to vomit as everything seemed to turn inside out and upside down all at the same time. He could hear multiple voices screaming, and vaguely realised he was as well.
As abruptly as it started, the world snapped back into perspective, the sudden transformation back almost as unnerving as the incident itself. Klaus discovered he was tightly gripping his desk, having risen but not making more than a step before everything had changed.
“Is everyone alright?” Klaus asked, looking around, the ringing in his ears making him feel queasy. Steven was curled up in his chair, clutching his head, Zapp was on the ground in a fetal position, and Gilbert was by the door, leaning against wall for support as if it was the only thing keeping him upright.
“What the fuck was that?!” Zapp growled, rubbing his mouth with the back of his arm and Klaus wondered if he’d thrown up. He couldn’t smell any, but it still looked that way.
“Sorry.” Klaus looked around and realised that their smallest member was half hidden behind the pillow he’d been napping on. “I didn’t mean to project that to everyone.” Leonardo had his eyes shut, but still somehow managed to look alarmed.
“Project-?” Steven echoed, and Klaus exchanged a worried look with him. “That’s what you’re currently experiencing?”
“Yeah, I always get headaches after over using my eyes.” Leonardo gestured vaugely towards his head.
Zapp picked himself up off the ground, dusting off his clothing with a grumble. Sonic screeched and launched himself at Zapp, who yelled and flailed as the mach monkey furiously expressed his ire through scratches and bites. Everyone ignored him.
“I’ve never noticed.” Klaus mused. Leonardo always seemed fine after a rest.
“That’s cause it’s gotten better.” Leonardo shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal. “It was so much worse when I first got the eyes. I’m kind of used to it now.”
Klaus felt a great deal of sympathy for Leonardo if the pain they had experienced was weaker than the pain Leonardo had endured after getting the eyes.
On the other hand, that was a highly effective weapon.
“Still.” Gilbert said firmly. “Is there anything we can do to lessen the severity? Painkillers, perhaps?”
“Thanks, but they don’t really do anything for this.” Leonardo rubbed his eyes, sounding exhausted. “They’ll just make me sleepier than I already am. And if I’m going to take a nap, I’d really rather do it here.”
Where he could rest without having to worry about being attacked. Usually, anyway.
Klaus glanced over at Zapp, a disapproving look on his face. “Zapp.”
“I hear you!” Zapp flailed a hand in Klaus’ general direction, backing up towards the door as he attempted to avoid Sonic’s angry attacks. The Mach Monkey couldn’t do that much harm, nor was he attempting to, but he was persistent when riled. “No more jumping the pubehead when he’s sleeping.”
“Thank you.” Klaus said gratefully, standing up straight and rotating his shoulders, realising he’d been slouching slightly. “However, if you’d still like to spar-”
Zapp seemed to teleport to the other side of the room, his hand on the door. “Nope!”
And with that, he was gone. Sonic sat on the floor where Zapp had been a moment before, looking confused.
Leonardo chuckled slightly as Klaus sighed. “Zapp-san is Zapp-san.” Leonardo said fondly, giving Klaus an amused look. Sonic leaped over to Leonardo, cuddling up against his neck with a soft coo. Leonardo reached up and smoothed down Sonic’s ruffled fur, calming the mach monkey down.
“That he is.” Klaus agreed, allowing himself to smile, just a little bit.
“I’m going to put the kettle on.” Gilbert said. “Chamomile and mint good for everyone?”
Klaus’ stomach rolled a bit, still slightly upset, but it was Steven who answered for all of them. “Please.”
“You’re humming.” Steven commented mildly, not looking up from the computer monitor.
Klaus paused, realising with a start that he was. ‘I Dovregubbens hall’, or as it was more commonly known, In the Hall of the Mountain King, by Edvard Greig. He’d caught a snippet of it earlier, and it’d been playing on repeat in his head.
“My apologies.” Klaus murmured, slightly abashed at annoying his coworkers.
“S’nice.” Leonardo murmured from the couches, where Klaus had thought he was asleep.
“It is.” Steven agreed, leaning back in his seat and giving Klaus a crooked smile. “I only hear you humming when you’re happy.”
Klaus glanced around the office, at Steven, Leonardo, and Gilbert lurking in the background, three of his favourite people in the world within sight. There were no current disasters going on, everyone was safe and content. “Suppose I am.” He mused.
Steven’s smile turned into a wider grin. “Keep humming.” He instructed, a bit of teasing in his tone.
“Yeah. I think I recognise that one.” Leonardo added. “It’s from a cartoon, isn’t it?”
The smile on Steven’s face abruptly fell off. “Your classical education is sorely lacking.”
“Probably.” Leonardo sleepily agreed. “Doesn’t mean it’s not in a cartoon.”
Klaus chuckled as Steven looked like he had bit into a lemon.
And slowly, he began humming again with a small smile on his face as Steven began to lecture a sleeping Leonardo on classical music.
“What are you doing?” Klaus asked, making sure to moderate his tone to something gentle, curious.
“Hmm?” Leonardo paused in his actions, a length of thread with a needle dangling from the corner of his mouth. He still had a smattering of bandaids across his face, but he was looking better, much to Klaus' relief.
“Don’t feel like staring at a screen right now, so I’m adding hidden pockets to my clothes for cash and stuff.” Leonardo said, the thread still in his mouth as he held up what was clearly one of his baggy jeans. “I can do it elsewhere if it’s a problem.”
“Stay. It is no problem at all.” Klaus shook his head. He quite enjoyed Leonardo’s presence there, it was both unobtrusive and soothing. “I was merely curious, as I did not know that sewing was a skill you possessed.”
Leonardo shrugged a shoulder, adjusting the jeans in his grasp and pulling one of the pockets inside out. “I’m not the best at it, I can mend a bit, and do simple stuff like this.” He said, flattening the fabric out before taking the thread from his mouth, adjusting the needle in his grasp and making a quick, tidy stitch. “I can’t tailor things or make clothing though.”
“Still. An admirable skill to have.” A logical skill as well, especially for adding things to Leonardo’s clever arsenal. He wondered if perhaps they could add a tracking device or two to Leonardo’s clothing, such as his goggles. Something that wasn’t dependant on his mobile phone, which seemed to need to be replaced every few months.
Still a better rate than some of their other agents.
“Can you sew, Klaus-san?” Leonardo asked, giving Klaus a curious look.
“Some.” Klaus admitted. “Mostly buttons.”
Leonardo’s gaze shifted slightly south, away from Klaus’ face, and towards his broad chest. “I can see how that could be useful.” He said, just the fainted touch of pink on his cheeks, then looked back down at his sewing. “I haven’t figured those out yet.”
In the background, Steven snickered, and Klaus ignored him. “If you would like…” Klaus said hesitantly. He had a few moments, and nothing pressing that required his attention. “I could show you-?”
Steven made an amused sound in the back of his throat, like coughing on a chuckle, and Klaus ignored it.
Leonardo’s head shot back up, and Klaus got the impression Leonardo was blinking in surprise. “y-Yeah.” Leonardo stammered, then smiled shyly. “That’d be good.”
Gilbert, being Gilbert, magically appeared with a couple of shirts in need of button replacement and a tin of buttons. Leonardo loaned Klaus two of his needles and some thread, Klaus showing Leonardo the trick of sewing a little ‘x’ to anchor the thread before adding the button, and placing a needle on top of the button to make sure there was enough slack to make a shank before tying it off.
Leonardo watched in fascination, then began to follow his instructions. The first button was a little messy, but the second was better, and the third was practically perfect, Leonardo giving him a look of proud delight as he sewed the button on correctly.
“You do not need to finish the shirt, if you do not wish to.” Klaus informed him, looking at the remaining three missing buttons on the shirt.
Several other members of Libra had wandered in and where giving them a bit of space, watching with amused looks.
Except for Zapp, who appeared to be sulking because they were taking up the entire couch.
“I got it.” Leonardo waved it off, a pleased smile on his face. “Practise makes perfect, right?”
Klaus nodded in agreement. True. But he didn’t mean to make Leonardo repair his shirts, they had people they paid to do so, who took great pride in their work. He looked at Leonardo’s healing hand, which still bore the marks of Luciana-sensei’s work, and the reattached finger.
“What are you up to?” Chain materialised in front of them, crouched on the table, instead of one of their heads, as Klaus would have expected. She looked curious, as if she hadn’t been able to figure it out before she became visible. “Is that one of Klaus’ shirts?”
“Klaus-san is teaching me how to sew buttons.” Leonardo ducked his head, but retained the proud look on his face.
“Ooh?” Chain shot Klaus a sly look. “Our Chief is a man of many talents.”
“He really is.” Leonardo agreed, without any of the sarcasm that Chain had. Klaus raised an eyebrow at her, and she ignored it.
“I have a similar issue, buttons from popping off my shirts too.” Chain mused, motioning her blouse, which was gaping slightly more than could be considered professional.
Chain’s posture abruptly changed, her expression suddenly turning sultry. She leaned forward, a bit of lacy bra showing at the edge of her shirt, the broken button making it gap more than usual. “Hey. Think you could sew the button back on for me, Leo~nardo~kun~?”
Leonardo began to stammer quite profusely, parts of words and syllables getting jumbled up together until all at once Leonardo jumped to his feet, standing on the couch as he waved a finger at finger at Chain. “p-PUT THOSE AWAY!!” He screamed, his voice cracking. “I DON’T NEED TO SEE THEM, CHAIN-SAN!!!”
And then, just as abruptly, Leonardo seemed to shrink, curling into a ball, hiding his head behind his knees, wrapping his hands over his head. “Oh my gosh, this just like the time I saw Zapp naked and he wouldn’t get his dick out of my face.”
Every head in the room, save Leonardo’s, turned to face Zapp, a dangerous current running through the air. Zapp froze, making a soft squeaking sound of alarm as he glanced around at everyone.
When Klaus put Zapp in charge of Leonardo’s security, that was not what he had intended at all.
“It’s not what it sounds like!” Zapp tried to stammer.
“When was this, Leo-cchi?” K.K. asked with a sweet tone that was at odds with her lethal expression.
“When he was hunting me down to steal the pizzas I was trying to deliver.” Leonardo mumbled miserably, still not looking up. “I had to pay for the pizzas too.”
“Oh, really.” Klaus wasn’t sure where K.K. pulled her gun from, and decided that it was probably a mystery best left unsolved.
Zapp began to laugh nervously as he spread his hands wide as if to protest his innocence, even as he began to carefully back towards the door.
“Chain, why don’t you borrow one of my spare shirts while Leonardo-kun fixes the button on yours?” Steven said, a bit of false joviality in his voice as he opened a desk drawer, pulling out a neatly folded lavender business shirt.
“Okay!” Chain brightened, briefly disappearing to reappear and grab the shirt from Steven’s desk before disappearing again.
Invisibility. An under appreciated way to change clothing in a room full of people without anyone seeing anything.
“Zapp and I need to go discuss the current case for a moment.” K.K. announced cheerfully, walking forward and looping one of her arms through Zapp’s, pulling him out the door, Zapp making a high pitched whine of discomfort as he was dragged along. “Be right back.”
The door didn’t close before the yelling started. “WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO CORRUPT OUR CUTE LEO-CCHI?!”
Klaus waited a moment after the door was shut before speaking up. “It’s safe to look now, Leonardo-kun.”
“Thanks.” Leonardo had a sneaky, almost smug grin as he uncovered his face in complete contrast to the miserable sounds he’d just been making. “Told him I’d get him back for the pizza theft. And spreading my headache. Shithead.”
Klaus blinked in surprise for a moment, before a chuckle escaped unbidden. He should have known better than to underestimate Leonardo. What he lacked in size and strength, he made up for in intelligence.
… And apparently, spite. It was not nearly as unattractive as it probably should have been.
“You’re not allowed to cuss.” Chain said lofty, reappearing and dropping her shirt on his head. “I’ll wash your mouth out with soap if you do.”
Steven’s shirt was too large for her frame and hung baggily, the ends of the sleeves falling over her hands. She looked quite pleased to be wearing it.
“Why not?” Leonardo demanded as he pulled the fabric off his head, giving her a glare. Or as much of one as he could, with his eyes closed. “You’ve got as much of a potty mouth as Zapp does.”
“Cause it ruins your cute little boyish image.” Chain said pinching Leonardo's cheeks and stretching them out.
“Ow ow ow ow.” Leonardo slapped her hands away. “You know Zed’s younger than me. Why don’t you go pick on him?”
“Leave me out of it.” Zed grumbled from where he was attempting to blend into the background.
Chain waved it off. “He’s not as much fun.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” Zed breathed and Klaus resisted the urge to snicker, as it might encourage their bickering.
Leonardo shook her shirt out, before giving Chain a serious look. “You know you can ask me for help, and I will, right?” Leonardo asked quietly. “I may not be good at fighting, but I’ll do my best with what I can do.”
Chain stared at him in wide eyed surprise for a moment, and for a moment, Klaus had the impression that she was resisting the urge to give him a boob squishing hug.
Then she smiled sweetly, reaching over and patting Leonardo’s head. “You’re a good person, Leo. Don’t let Zapp corrupt you.”
“I won’t.” Leonardo said, his chin set stubbornly.
“Good.” Chain nodded, then stood up. “Same goes for you, Zed-kun.”
“No problem.” Zed assured her, not looking up from his book.
“But still.” Chain frowned at Leonardo, crossing her arms under her cleavage. “You weren’t tempted to peek? Just a little-?”
Leonardo snickered as he sorted through the buttons they had before settling on a close match to her missing one. “I’ve seen you laugh as put your hand through people's chests and stop their heart too many times to even consider looking.” He said, radiating sincerity. “You’re kind of scary, Chain-san.”
“Flatterer.” Chain gave him a proud bloodthirsty grin. “I’ll be back for my shirt later.” She promised, then disappeared, most likely off to do her rounds.
Leonardo just shook his head, cutting a length of white thread and putting it through the needle, preparing to sew it on.
Klaus watched as he did so, quietly wondering if Steven would get his shirt back. Most likely not. “Steven.”
“It’s okay, Klaus.” Steven waved it off. “It was a lousy colour on me anyway.”
Klaus almost asked why Steven had a tailored shirt in a colour that didn’t flatter him, then decided in the grand scheme of things, it was probably unimportant.
Or disturbing. This was Hellsalem’s Lot after all.
“When you get a chance, pet his hair.” Chain whispered into Klaus’ ear when she returned an hour later, her voice coming from thin air. “Seriously, it’s like petting a fluffy cloud of bunnies. Pet. Him.”
Klaus felt his face heat up slightly, but didn’t say anything.
“Is it just me.” Klaus asked several days later as Leonardo and Zed walked out of the main office, talking quietly between them. “Or is Leonardo-kun spending more time here lately?”
“Leonardo-kun moved into headquarters shortly after his sister left.” Gilbert said, just a touch of pleased smugness to his tone as he set down a cup of orange blossom tea next to Klaus. “Indefinitely, this time.”
Klaus raised an eyebrow, suddenly suspicious. He glanced between Steven and Gilbert, trying to get a gauge on them.
Since Steven now knew that Leonardo was special to Klaus, chances were that Gilbert knew as well. And he knew they would both act in however they perceived as in his best interests, no matter if it ran counter to Leonardo’s.
Which is why he had been reluctant for them to know in the first place.
“Someone attacked his neighbourhood a few days after he felt well enough to return home.” Gilbert continued smoothly. “Took out a few apartment complexes.”
“According to Leo-kun, the news that his sister was getting married resulted in an involuntary use of his Eyes.” Steven stretched his arms out above his head, then relaxed, looking amused. “Unfortunately, he was at a local Internet cafe at the time, someone recognised the effect, and word got out that the Wielder must be nearby.”
Rumour going around that the Wielder of the Eyes of God lived in the area would not just be dangerous for Leonardo, but for those around him too.
“Ah.” Klaus acknowledged. A wise move, getting out of the area, given Leonardo's lack of combat skills.
“That’s, what? The fourth apartment since he started working for us?” Steven asked, just the fainted curl in the corner of his mouth.
“Third.” Gilbert corrected mildly. “He insisted a single room was quiet sufficient, but I’ve taken the liberty of assigning him one of the residential quarters near to Zed-kun, with a private bath.”
Which meant that it was most likely close to Klaus’s quarters as well.
It was also bit of a luxury that Gilbert had given Leonardo. Most of the residential rooms were bunker style, with shared bathrooms on each floor.
Although that probably had less to do with Klaus, and more to do with the fact that Gilbert was fond of Leonardo. Leonardo made no secret that he admired Gilbert’s often overlooked skills, and would often assist the Butler with various projects for no reason other than he thought Gilbert could use the help.
And Leonardo’s soliloquies to Gilbert’s coffee brewing skills were an amusing, if unusual, performance.
“Thank you, Gilbert.” Klaus inclined his head, a slight smile curling his lips.
He had a hunch that Gilbert was also looking at Leonardo with an eye for being his replacement, running Libra’s intelligence, and this gave him a better opportunity to observe and plan. Who better to keep an eye on things and view the unseen, than the Wielder of the Eyes of God?
Still, he felt a weight off his shoulders, knowing that at least Leonardo would be safe when he rested at night.
“You know they’re trying to pull you deeper into Libra.”
Zed’s tone was grave, but it was Leonardo’s giggle that made Klaus hesitate. He paused outside the open door to Zed’s room, listening in. It wasn’t polite, but he was… curious.
“I know.” Leonardo said easily. “They’re not exactly subtle about it.”
Zed made a curious humming noise. “You don’t mind?”
“Not really.” Klaus peeked around the corner, just enough to see Leonardo sitting at the base of Zed’s tank, leaning his head against the glass. He had a cloth on his head, no doubt a cool one to help with his lingering headaches.
Zed’s room was quiet, dark, and a little cooler than the rest of the building. It made sense for Leonardo to hide down if here if his head was hurting him, rather than in the brightness and bustle of the office. Yet Leonardo continued to insist that he preferred to rest in the office.
“Living on your own, it’s what you’re supposed to do, right?” Leonardo asked contemplatively, staring up at the ceiling. “A right of passage, and I was kind of proud of the fact I had a place of my own in Hellsalem’s Lot.”
“But?” Zed prompted when Leonardo trailed off and went quiet.
“I got lonely.” Leonardo shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve always been around other people. My family, or schoolmates and friends. And while it was kind of neat at first, it just got too quiet.”
“That. That I can understand.” Zed said heavily, briefly pressing a hand against the glass, as if to pat Leonardo’s shoulder. Leonardo chuckled in response, not unkindly, but in sympathy.
“I also like spending time with everyone in Libra.” Leonardo confessed. “Even Zapp. Sometimes. Please don’t tell him that, he’d never let me live it down.”
Zed nodded. “He’s tolerable in small doses.” He said, holding his thumb and forefinger close together, and Leonardo laughed.
“But it’s kind of funny, I’m used to taking care of people.” Leonardo ran a hand through his hair, disrupting the cloth. His good humour faded away as he did so, a painful looking smile on his face, more of a grimace taking its place. “And I’m the weakest one here. I’m not a fighter, everyone’s bigger and stronger than me, and I can’t really do much to protect everyone.”
“There’s more to protecting people than fists and fighting.” Zed said philosophically, doing a flip, his feet briefly above his head, drawing attention to their current positions, Leonardo keeping Zed company while his breather was being worked on. Zed tilted his head to the side. “There is a reason you were chosen as the Party Committee. We know you care.”
Leonardo ducked his head, momentarily hiding his face behind an arm. “Thanks, Zed.” He said, his voice thick.
Protecting didn’t always mean battles and violence. Small acts of kindness could mean more than all the fists in the world.
Klaus smiled quietly to himself, taking a few steps back, then walking forward again, this time making sure to make a little noise to alert them to his presence.
When he walked in, he was greeted with Leonard’s soft smile and a twitch of Zed’s antenna, his version of a smile, any sign of their serious conversation gone.
“Oh, you’re a fan of ‘Life in HL’ too?” Zed’s soft voice sounded delighted as he peered over Leonardo’s shoulder. Klaus glanced over to find Leonardo startle slightly at the words, having been working studiously on his laptop for the past half hour.
“You’re a fan?” Leonardo sounded surprised.
Zed’s antenna twitched, and Klaus couldn’t tell if it was in amusement or confusion. “Yes, ever since Gilbert introduced it to me a while back. I was in one of their pictures.”
“Oh.” The tips of Leonardo’s ears turned slightly pink as Zed pulled it his phone and started scrolling through it.
Klaus glanced over at Steven, confused as to what they were talking about. “It’s a blog with pictures and stories of random people in Hellsalem’s Lot.” Steven explained. “Started about two years ago, presents sort of an every day view point on both the city and the people. It’s pretty popular, gets picked up by the Associated Press sometimes as a reliable source inside the city.”
“Some of the posts are just photos from around town that you’d see everyday. Or blurbs on things how locals react to Gigagigafutmassif’s migration.” Zed added with a small smile. “But my favourite are the interviews, getting to know people on the street.”
He found what he was looking for, and passed Klaus his phone. Klaus took it, holding it carefully as he viewed the screen. It was a picture of Zed in Central Park, his arms outstretched as a swarm of paper butterflies swarmed around him. If Klaus was inclined to be fanciful, he’d say Zed looked like some sort of magician from mythology.
“I didn’t get interviewed, and my name isn’t listed.” Zed said, touching the screen just enough to show the text underneath labelling him as a performer in Central Park. “But people started to come up and chat with me afterward it was posted. It’s nice.”
Zed seemed to blush a little in delight, and Klaus smiled, pleased for him.
The phone made a noise, a small notification at the top saying that there was a new post on the site. Klaus offered the phone back, and Zed took it, quickly scrolling up to the top.
Zed went absolutely still, the air around him shifting tensely and Klaus straightened, trying to get a feel for what was alarming Zed.
Then Zed slowly turned to Leonardo, who was watching them with a nervous air. “You’re him.”
“Him who?” Steven demanded, looking between them all with a look of concern.
Leonardo laughed nervously, like he wanted to deny what ever Zed was saying. Sonic screeched as if to argue with them.
“Wait.” Steven half stood, leaning over his desk. “You’re ‘Life in HL’?!”
“This was the picture I just saw on his screen.” Zed held up his phone, and Klaus took it again. It was three illuminated crosswalk signs, the first two showing a red glowing hand, the third the walk sign. Below was a brief message apologising for disappearing for the past several weeks, they’d been hurt in an accident but were okay now.
Klaus handed the phone back, Zed turning to look at Leonardo. “You were in the process of posting it, weren’t you?”
Leonardo gave a nervous laugh, palms up as if to ward away the accusation.
Klaus glanced over at Steven, then back at Leonardo. The timing of the injuries was a little too suspicious to be accidental.
Leonardo sighed and seemed to deflate, looking smaller than he already was. “I did originally come to Hellsalem’s Lot as a Photojournalist.” He pointed out with a weary air.
That was right, Klaus had forgotten about it, even though Leonardo almost always had his camera out, snapping photos of everyone and everything. Although Klaus had never seen the the photos posted or shared anywhere before. The camera and constant photo taking seemed more of a nervous tic, than a serious persuit.
“That’s how you know so many people.” Klaus realised. Everywhere they went, people seemed to know Leonardo, greeting him like a friend. It made sense if he'd spent timetTalking to them for this blog.
Leonardo nodded, looking apprehensive. “I try to make sure that I don’t post anything that Libra is or was involved in, to keep attention away from both the company and me. Most of the photos are candid shots I take while delivering pizza.”
A chat window popped up on Klaus' screen, Gilbert quietly informing Klaus that he was aware of the blog, and monitored it. There had yet to be any issues. Klaus sent back a thank you. If there had been any conflicts between ‘Life in HL’ and Libra, Klaus had little doubt that it would have been brought to his attention prior to this.
“That’s logical.” Steven nodded, leaning forward. “Although the one with Zed-?”
“I wanted to cheer him up.” Leonardo shrugged. “Right before the New Year’s party he’d had such a hard time job hunting because he’s not Huma or Beyondian. And then he started performing at Central Park, I thought maybe, people would be more willing to talk to him if they saw him as part of Hellsalem.”
“They did. More people started showing up at my performances too.” Zed said, sounding surprised. “Thank you.”
More people meant the potential for more tips as well.
Leonardo shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal. Perhaps, it wasn’t to him, but it obviously meant a lot to Zed.
Klaus typed in ‘Life in HL’ into the search bar. The blog was the first hit, and he quickly scrolled through it, splitting his attention between the screen and the conversation. He bookmarked the site to look at more intensely later, but he liked the glimpse of what he saw, the vibrantness of life in Hellsalem’s Lot.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you working on this before.” Steven said, eyeing his laptop contemplatively, clearly doing the same thing Klaus was.
“I’m a little behind in my queue.” Leonardo motioned to his head. “Until the headache faded the computer screen was hard to see. I try not to advertise that I’m ‘Life in HL’, because I don’t want people recognising me. Or tracking me down and asking questions. Especially when the whole idea is to be making candid shots.”
Steven huffed in amusement, leaning back in his chair. “The All Seeing Eyes are supposed to see the Truth of the World.” He quoted, giving Leonardo a crooked smile. “And yet your blog is known for being positive and uplifting.”
Klaus glanced back at the blog, showing pictures of old friends reuniting with hugs, Beyondian and Huma, people helping others in the aftermath of an explosion, a small Beyondian child crouched down to stare at a duck.
Everyday little moments of happiness.
“I’m not lying.” Leonardo said firmly, Sonic screeching and waving a fist at Steven to second the statement. “I can’t take photos of what I don’t see.”
Leonardo was kind. That was reflected in what he saw, photographed, and posted. There were other photos, an explosion captured in mid-motion, a driver screaming as a ginormous foot, larger than the car, came down from above, the aftermath of a punch. But most of the photos were of smaller, peaceful moments.
With as easily as Leonardo made friends with his kindness, Klaus wondered if there would be riot in the city should something happen to Leonardo.
Especially if it got out that he were the author of this blog.
Zed asked Leonardo a question, distracting him, and Klaus glanced over at Steven, who glanced back, amused.
For all that he was quiet and unassuming, Leonardo never ceased to amaze.
Klaus glanced at the phone in his hand, willing a text to appear. Not just any text, a text from Leonardo, with the name of the Blood Breed they were fighting.
He mentally corrected his action, putting the phone away and scanning the battlefield to find Leonardo. Keeping his attention on his phone rather than Leonardo was one of the reasons why Doctor Gamimotz had been able to get away with kidnapping Leonardo to begin with, their inattention resulting in missing the clues and distress that Leonardo had, in retrospect, clearly been broadcasting.
He found Leonardo to be in a bit of distress, but the normal variety, Zed and Zapp working in tandem to keep the flying clouds debris from hitting their small coworker. Leonardo turned towards Klaus, as if sensing the attention on him, and shook his head, silently signalling he was trying, but wasn’t able to see the Blood Breed’s heart.
Klaus nodded back, trying to broadcast determination and resolution back. Leonardo tilted his head to the side in acknowledgment, then focused on the Blood Breed again, the blue glow of the Eyes of God visible even through his goggles.
Steven caught Klaus's eye, checking status. Klaus shook his head, Steven glancing over at Leonardo before nodding in resignation, gearing up for another attack.
The biggest problem Libra faced as an organisation was not a lack of strength.
It was a lack of information.
Before Leonardo joined up, when Klaus faced a Blood Breed or an Elder, he did so knowing that his chances of survival were not great.
For all of Klaus’ strength and skill, Blood Breed were stronger, faster, and meaner than he was. Even with Steven there to back him up.
But taking down a Blood Breed saved hundreds to thousands of lives, stopping potential victims before the Blood Breed could wreck too much havoc. Klaus’ single life in exchange for countless others was a small price to pay.
However, sealing a Blood Breed so that they would not trouble anyone anymore required the use of their true name. If Klaus was lucky, he would be able to catch a glimpse of it, written on their heart in the reflection of a mirror.
If Klaus was unlucky, he considered being able to fight another day a win.
Steven had a small unit dedicated to doing nothing but researching names, so that in when one of the Elders decided to walk on Earth, they had a way to stop them. But it was slow. More than once, Klaus had gone to seal a Blood Breed to discover their information was wrong, incomplete or a symbol mistranslated, lost in time, and nearly not escaped alive, and watched as others paid for that mistake with their lives.
Which is why, the first time Leonardo had looked at a Blood Breed with broken glowing eyes and whispered their true name, Klaus had nearly wept from relief, feeling as if an executioner’s blade had just been lifted from his neck.
“Got it!” Leonardo’s triumphant cry echoed across the battlefield, and the mobile phone in Klaus’ pocket chirped. Steven covered him as Klaus pulled his phone out, reading the name silently to himself, before looking at the Blood Breed and beginning the sealing ritual.
“Forgive me.”
“Leonardo-kun?” Klaus asked, as the smaller man as Leonardo crashed into his back. It wasn’t painful at all, not even enough to make Klaus shift his weight. It was a bit of an odd occurrence though.
“... Oh.” Leonardo said, then shifted closer, his face pressed up against Klaus’ ribs.
Klaus looked at Steven, unsure what to do. Steven gave him a confused look back, then turned his attention to Leonardo. “Leo? Is everything alright?”
“Klaus-san’s aura is very bright.” Leonardo said, his voice muffled by his mouth being pressed against Klaus’ vest.
Klaus gave Steven a helpless look. “Is that a good thing?” Steven inquired, starting to look amused.
“It blocks almost everything else out.” Leonardo said, sounding almost drunk with bliss. “Can I stay like this for a while?”
Steven shrugged at Klaus, broadcasting that it was Klaus’ call. “Yes.” Klaus agreed. That was fine with him. “Although we must leave soon, to allow the clean up crews to work. You’re welcome to get a ride back with us if you’d like.”
“Please.”
Steven looked concerned. Leonardo wasn’t one to usually ask for things himself. “Are you sure everything is alright, Leonardo-kun?”
It was silent for a moment, and Klaus was just starting to worry when Leonardo spoke up. “It’s just a headache.” He mumbled.
Steven glanced at Klaus, then back to Leonardo. They both still remembered getting a taste of Leonardo’s Eyes of God induced headache. “Your eyes?”
“Not sure.” Leonardo reluctantly admitted. “I don’t know if they’re causing the headache, or reacting to it. Sometimes it’s hard to tell.”
Klaus hummed thoughtfully. “Steven?”
“Yeah, we’re ready to go.” Steven agreed.
“May I borrow your hand?” Leonardo asked.
“Of course.” Klaus held his hand out. It felt as if Leonardo made several attempts to reach for it, then removed himself from Klaus’ side and grabbed Klaus’ hand. A second later, Leonardo pressed his face against Klaus’ palm.
He very nearly covered all of Leonardo’s head with his hand. The smaller man was a bit warm to the touch, Klaus noticed with a little alarm. He looked over at Steven, who picked up on his thought.
“Would a bit of ice help?” Steven inquired from Leonardo’s other side, looking concerned as Klaus took a careful step forward, escorting them to towards Gilbert and the waiting car.
“Not right now.” Leonardo shook his head a little bit, stumbling slightly as he followed. “But thanks.” He sounded surprised by Steven’s offer, although Klaus was not.
“How does Klaus’ hand help?” Steven inquired, looking like he was expecting this to be good. Or at least entertaining.
“Klaus-san’s aura is really strong.” Leonardo said, his words slurring just a little bit. “It’s strong enough to block almost everything else out.”
“Almost?” Klaus inquired as Gilbert started the car and began to drive.
“It’s thinner around your hand, not as dense.” Leonardo waved a hand in the air. “It blocks out a lot of stuff, but I can still see. Like sunglasses.”
“Would someone else’s aura work?” Steven asked, and this time it was curiosity. “Oh, we’re at the car.”
Leonardo hummed, clearly thinking it over as they all climbed into the car, Klaus and Steven putting Leonardo between them, Klaus resting an arm across the back of the seat, so he could continue to keep his hand against Leonardo’s face. “Maybe.” Leonardo said slowly, as if carefully putting the words together as Gilbert pulled smoothly away from the kerb. “But I find Klaus-san’s aura to be really soothing.”
Klaus raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with Steven. He’d been called many things in his life, but ‘soothing’ wasn’t one of them.
“Your aura is very bright too, Steven-san. But it’s also blue and spiky, like swords.” Leonardo yawned, seeming to melt into the seat. “Gilbert-san’s is nice too, all green and grey, but it’s not as bright. Is like moss. Where as Klaus-san is like earth.”
“Earth?” Steven echoed, eyebrows rising. Klaus would have thought fire.
“Mm-hmm.” Leonardo’s voice slowed down, the slur becoming more noticeable as he started to fall asleep. “He’s grounding.”
Leonardo's breathing shifted, slowing down and becoming shallow as he drifted off, tilting sideways to lean against Klaus, pressing his face against Klaus’ side, his breathing slow and even.
Gilbert chuckled softly from the front seat. “Leo-kun does tend to see what others do not.” He said fondly.
Klaus looked up from his book, a flash of killing intent floating through the air. He raised an arm to defend, only to have the intent fade as fast as it appeared.
Zapp was standing at the end of the sofa, an annoyed look on his face as he glared down at Leonardo’s sleeping form, the smaller man using Klaus’ thigh as a pillow, his face pressed against Klaus’ vest.
Klaus’ aura was proving to be an effective guard for Leonardo’s headaches, but not as much as sleep was. Combining the two was logical, and allowed for Klaus to get some reading in at the same time.
It was not the first time they’d found themselves in this arrangement since Leonardo admitted Klaus’s aura was helpful, but as Leonardo’s headaches were not common, it was the first time Zapp had seen them like this.
“Ch’.” Zapp sulked, then walked away, lower lip sticking out in a pout, his hands stuck in his pockets. “Can’t wake the pubehead.” He muttered darkly, wandering out of the room.
Klaus glanced over at Steven, who looked amused and flashed him a thumbs up before returning to work.
Klaus shrugged to himself and resumed his reading, fingertips gently stroking Leonardo’s hair once more.
To ease headache, of course.
And Chain was correct, Leonardo’s hair was as soft as a cloud of fluffy bunnies.
“Hey, Chain?” Klaus tilted his head slightly in the direction of the couches at the sound of Leonardo’s questioning voice. “Why are you called a ‘werewolf’? The full moon doesn’t affect you, does it?”
“It’s cause she’s a BITCH!” Zapp howled. “GET OFF MY HEAD!”
Chain ignored Zapp, whose head she was currently crouched on as she blithely stole some of his french fries. “It’s a typo.” She said with her mouth full, then swallowed. “Not ‘were’, but ‘wheeerere-?’”
She shrugged, giving Leonardo a mock confused look as she turned invisible and vanished. As if on cue, Leonardo asked. “Wait. Where’d she go?”
“You pube head idiot.” Zapp mocked, reaching over and grabbing a handful of Leonardo’s fries, before shoving them into his mouth. “Falling for that old trick.”
Leonardo laughed, but it sounded somewhat fake, and forced. “Yeah, she got me.” He said with a smile that didn’t look quite right.
On Klaus’s other side, Steven gave a soft snicker. Klaus glanced over to find his second in command hiding the lower half of his face with his papers, obviously hiding his amusement.
Something was going on here, something more to Leonardo’s question, that Klaus was missing.
Then Leonardo glanced over at Klaus, opening one glowing blue eye in what was unmistakably a wink, and went back to squabbling with Zapp.
“Leonardo had heard Chain pull the 'Where wolf' joke on one of my techs a few weeks ago.” Steven explained later once the office was quiet, leaning against the desk as he handed Klaus some papers to sign.
So Leonardo had known the answer to the question, and asked it anyway. One of Klaus’ eyebrows rose as he realised why Leonardo’s reaction had felt so off. He’d been play acting.
“She looked a lot happier when she left, didn’t she?” Steven said mildly, picking up the signed papers, and Klaus nodded in agreement. She’d been tense a little angry when she’d first come in, Zapp taking the brunt of her temper, but she’d been chortling quietly when she’d left.
Steven patted Klaus on the shoulder. “You picked a good one.” He said approvingly before he wandered off.
Klaus his cheeks flush a little. He hadn’t had anything to do with Leonardo being kind, but Steven’s approval made him feel a little lighter.
“Swear sometimes it feels like a fucking family outing.” Zapp grumbled, chewing on cigar as they walked down the street to Dianne’s Diner for a company lunch. “Surrounded by obnoxious siblings, and with Mom and Dad herding us along from behind.”
He did have a minor point, Klaus had to admit. It was their usual formation when they went out as a group. It made a certain amount of sense, Leonardo and Chain, their two scouts in the front, the mobile fighters in the middle, and Steven and Klaus following as the heavy hitters with ranged attacks guarding their backs.
In reality though, it was because if Steven and Klaus walked in the front, they’d glance back to find that the rest of the group had scattered, distracted by various things as they walked.
Steven looked over at Klaus. “Are you doing to let him get away with calling you Mom?”
Klaus blinked. “What?”
“Well, I can’t be the Mom, I look lousy in a frilly apron.” Steven said, as if this was perfectly logical. “So I’m clearly the Dad.”
“Would that make Klaus a ‘Mama Bear’-?” Zed mused thoughtfully, tapping his chin.
Chain laughed, high and bell like in startled amusement before bouncing backwards to an arm around one of Steven’s. “Does this mean we can go out for ice cream later?” She asked, eyes wide with false innocence. “Daaaaaddy?”
Zapp made a sound like a horse’s bray as he nearly choked on his cigar. Leonardo clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his giggles, and Zed looked highly confused.
“We can on one condition.” Steven said, one eyebrow twitching dangerously. “Never call me that again.”
“Deal.” Chain winked and blew him a kiss, before bouncing forward. “We’re getting ice cream later!” She cheered with playful enthusiasm, jumping on Leonardo and ruffling his hair.
“The fuck?” Zapp cursed as Leonardo howled in laughter. Zed covered his mouth with one hand, hiding his amusement.
“Just for that, you’re grounded!” Steven shook his fist at her, and she laughed in response.
Klaus glanced around at the group of seasoned Libra agents acting like small children and swore this conversation had made sense at some point.
But still. That gave him an idea.
A couple of weeks after that conversation, Klaus silently beckoned Gilbert to join him for a moment.
“I think I’m going to water the plants.” Klaus murmured softly, glancing over at Steven, who was having a bad day, his temper rolling off of him in waves, making everyone walk on eggshells, then back at Gilbert. “I believe they could use the reprieve.”
Gilbert’s eyes widen, just a fraction. “Ah.” He nodded in understanding. “One moment please.”
Klaus inclined his head, looking back down at his laptop screen, ignoring Gilbert as the butler hastily departed the room.
Leonardo, sitting quietly on the couch as he did something on his phone, gave Klaus a curious look, but said nothing, obviously waiting. In the background, Zed turned a page in the book he was reading.
A moment later, Gilbert appeared, carrying a flat box, the kind that dress shirts came in. Klaus rose from his seat as Gilbert set the box on his desk, taking the lid off. “Will you be requiring assistance?” Gilbert asked quietly.
Klaus shook his head, and Gilbert nodded, retreating back to his own desk. Klaus reached into the box, pulling out a large pale pink apron that would not have been out of place in a Maid Cafe, the kind with ruffles on the shoulders and along the hemline. He gave it a shake to get some of the wrinkles out, and proceeded to put it on.
It fit perfectly, of course. Due to his size, it was unfortunately difficult to find premade clothing that fit his frame, and Gilbert had gleefully had it made once Klaus had explained why he wanted it.
Leonardo made a soft choking sound as Klaus put the apron on, and Klaus glanced over to find Leonardo staring at him with his eyebrows up as high as they could possibly be with his eyes still closed. Klaus gave him a quick wink as he tied tying the wide sash in the back into a large bow, then to picked up the already full watering can that Gilbert had prepared.
Without a word, he proceeded to take care of the office plants, very carefully not looking at anyone else in the room. After a few moments, he forgot about the apron, humming happily as he watered the plants, carefully dusting their leaves with his fingers, the leaves smooth to the touch.
The door slammed open, Zapp making his usual dramatic appearance. “Oi Boss-” The word ended on a gagging noise, and Klaus glanced over to find Zapp holding his throat after having nearly swallowed his cigar. “The HELL?” He squeaked.
“Klaus-” Steven started, then trailed off with a strangled sound..
Klaus turned around, a blank look on his face. “Steven?”
One of Steven’s eyebrows was rapidly twitching, Steven’s lips moving through a myriad of emotions, before finally settling on laughter, escaping from him in a loud burst of amusement. “Oh my god.” Steven covered his mouth with a hand as he howled. “You fucking bastard.”
“I have assured you before.” Klaus said mildly, quietly pleased as Steven’s reaction. It wasn’t often that he was able to pull one over like this on his friend. “My parents were legally married when I was born.”
Chain’s giggle heralded her presence before she appeared on the back of Steven’s chair, holding her stomach as she laughed, which seemed to set everyone else off. Klaus looked around the room of laughing Libra agents with a sense of pride, at being the one to make them all laugh.
“The fuck are you wearing?!” Zapp demanded, storming closer.
“I would think it would be obvious.” Klaus said, running a hand down the front of the apron. “It’s to keep my suit clean.” Not that he’d ever needed one before, but the excuse was convenient.
Zapp gestured animatedly, arms flailing everywhere before finally pointing at Klaus. “YOU’VE GOT A BUTT BOW!” He finally sputtered.
“How else does one wear an apron?” Klaus asked mildly, barely succeeding in keeping a straight face.
He got an inarticulate noise of confusion from Zapp. It was quite rewarding.
“I think it looks nice, Klaus-san.” Leonardo said, radiating sincerity.
“Thank you, Leonardo.” Klaus nodded, then turned back to taking care of the plants, ignoring everyone’s amusement for the moment.
He didn’t think that the apron was required for everyday use, but for a morale, it’d be worth to pull out once in a while.
Later, after things had calmed down and the change in atmosphere had given Steven the breakthrough he’d needed, Steven walked over, pressing his shoulder against Klaus’ arm. “I needed that.” He said quietly. “Thanks, Mama-bear.”
Klaus finally allowed himself to relax and chuckle at the look on everyone’s faces. “You’re welcome.” He smiled at his friend. “One one condition.”
“Oh?” One of Steven’s eyebrows rose.
“That does not become my new code name.” Klaus deadpanned.
Steven laughed and patted Klaus’ shoulder before wandering off with a casual wave. “No promises.”
Klaus shugged to himself. He kind of had expected that. No one got into Libra because they were nice.
Well, except for maybe Leonardo.
“Listen up.” Steven barked out as they prepared to take on a Blood Breed who was causing havoc. “We’ve got a plan. Code: Mama Bear is-”
“Steven.”
“I said no promises, Klaus.”
Klaus sighed. “Fine.”
Klaus was surprised by the appearance of a donut on his desk, appearing almost as if by magic next to his monitor.
He glanced up, mood immediately brightening at the sight of the treat, gratitude towards Gilbert on his tongue, the words dying before they could form as they realised it was not Gilbert who had placed it there.
Leonardo gave a small nervous laugh, nervously scratching his cheek with a finger tip. “It’s the bakery you like, right?” Leonardo ventured.
Part of Klaus would have insisted it was his favourite bakery regardless of where it came from, simply because it was an unexpected gift. But it was indeed from his favourite bakery, one that was a bit out of the way to get to from the Libra headquarters.
“It is.” He nodded, and Leonardo smiled brightly at that, losing the slight tension in his shoulders.
“You looked like you could use a pick-me-up before I went on shift at Dogimo.” Leonardo offered as explanation. “One of my deliveries took me by there, and I thought I recognised the logo, so…” Leonardo gave a little shrug that Klaus tried not to find endearing and failed.
“Thank you.” Klaus said sincerely.
“Hey Pube-Head! Yanno what would really cheer the Chief up?!” Zapp lazily drawled from the couches, a smug grin on his face. “If you got on your knees and sucked his cock like you’re gagging to!”
The ambient noise in the room abruptly dropped as every head turned in Zapp’s direction. Klaus might have sworn than the temperature in the room dropped by ten degrees.
Zapp glanced around the room, a touch of nervousness creeping into his expression. “Too far-?” He ventured.
“Zapp.” Steven’s pleasant voice cut through the air, merry sparkles practically surrounding him as he smiled politely. “Perhaps you should find somewhere else to be. Right now.”
“Right.” Zapp gave one jerky nod and all but fled out of the office, grace having deserted him in exchange for haste.
“I’m just going to-“ K.K. smiled genteelly, edging her way out to door. It didn’t quite closed behind her before the screaming started. “WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?! THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME KLAUSIE HAS SMILED IN DAYS-“
Klaus took a deep breath and let it out, attempting to find some measure of calm.
Leonardo did not look at Klaus that way, nor did Klaus view Leonardo in that manner either. And as Leonardo’s superior in Libra, that would be an inappropriate to say the least.
“Leonardo-kun, I-“
“No.” Klaus was shocked into silence as Leonardo cut him off, his lips pinched into a tense line. “You don’t need to apologise on Zapp’s behalf because he’s being a jerk and bitter cause he got into a fight with his lady friends. It’s not your fault.”
Steven snickered. “He’s got an point.” He said, much more casual and relaxed now.
“Steven.” Klaus reproached. The act of kindness was directed at him, which made it at least a little bit his fault. And they were both members of Libra, and Klaus was in charge of of the organisation.
“Klaus.” Steven tilted his head to the side and smirked. Klaus didn’t need to take the world on his shoulders, there were somethings that weren’t his responsibility. They’d had this fight many times before.
Klaus sighed and nodded, acknowledging Steven’s point. “Thank you for the donut, Leonardo-kun.”
“Welcome.” Leonardo gave him a tight smile and walked away.
Klaus was slightly surprised to find Leonardo standing on the rooftop of the Libra headquarters, his head tilted up, as if staring at the stars above.
There were no stars to be seen in Hellsalem’s Lot, the fog and the protective wards obscured it all.
Leonardo startled slightly at the scrape of Klaus’ shoe against the rooftop, turning to glance at Klaus. His eyes were open, for once, the spinning blue of the Eyes of God glowing faintly against the night sky. “Ah. Good Evening, Klaus-san.”
“Good Evening, Leonardo.” Klaus replied, torn between stepping onto the rooftop, and retreating, giving Leonardo his privacy.
Leonardo's gaze dropped down to the laptop Klaus was carrying and he smiled a little, his eyes closing in a friendly twinkle. “Prosfair?” He inquired.
“Yes.” Klaus nodded, stepping out onto the rooftop. “It’s a nice night out, I thought to take advantage of it. I didn’t realise others might have the same idea.”
“It’s fine.” Leonardo waved him up onto the roof. “I don’t mind company, I was just practising.”
“Practising?” Klaus inquired, stepping forward, to stand next to Leonardo.
“Yeah.” Leonardo tilted his face upwards again, staring at something that Klaus knew he wouldn’t be able to see. “The more I use the Eyes, the stronger they get, and the more I can do to help.”
“An admirable goal.” Klaus murmured quietly.
Leonardo made a soft humming sound, a noncommittal reply. “Would you like to see what I’m seeing?” He offered, then seemed to belatedly realise what he’d said and flailed, hands flapping frantically. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, it can be a little strange-“
“I’d be honoured.” There was no hesitation in his decision. Klaus had borrowed Leonardo’s unique vision before, to climb up the side of Libra’s tower in order to avoid the security net attached. At the time, he’d been too focused on his goal to really look at anything, and he’d frequently wondered what else Leonardo might be seeing.
The headache induced flash had been too fast for him to really focus, and he hoped that was not what Leonardo’s vision was constantly like.
Leonardo stopped his flailing, and even with Leonardo’s eyes closed, Klaus got the feeling he was being gawked at in surprise.
“Are you certain this will not unduly strain you?” Klaus asked, hesitant in hurting Leonardo.
“It’s fine.” Leonardo waved it off. “I share vision with Sonic frequently. Although it’s easier with physical contact. The less distance, the longer it takes for my eyes to overheat.”
“Ah.” Klaus nodded. “How shall we proceed? Piggyback?”
Leonardo laughed, casually reaching over and wrapping his hand around Klaus’ wrist, around just under the cuff of his shirt. Klaus did his best not to startle at the touch. Most people, with the exception of Steven, tended to shy away from touching Klaus.
Although that hadn’t been true of Leonardo for a long while.
Leonardo’s hand was so small compared to Klaus’, barely able to completely fit around his wrist, his skin slightly cool from the night air. “This okay?” Leonardo asked, a touch of nervousness colouring his tone.
“Certainly.” Klaus smiled. Leonardo huffed, the line of his shoulders relaxing.
“Alright then.” Leonardo tilted his head up towards the night sky again. “Ready?”
“Affirmative.” Klaus agreed. Leonardo gave a soft chuckle again, and Klaus could see the glow of the Eyes of God from the corner of his eye. And then the blue glow overtook his own vision, the swirling lenses of Leonardo’s power covering Klaus' eyes, leaving a blue glow around the edges.
It took a moment for his eyes and brain to adjust to what he was seeing. Klaus stared at his hands, which seemed to glow a dark red, the colour of dried blood, different from a Blood Breed’s bright crimson, but not too dissimilar either.
In contrast, Leonardo was a beacon of white light.
“Look.” Leonardo prompted, drawing his attention away from the stain of Klaus’ aura to the air around them.
Where as there had once been a glowing cloud lit up by the ambient light of the city, there was suddenly so much more. Small creatures that looked completely alien to the Earth soared through the fog similar to schools of fish, rippling purple and magenta. Things like bugs or bubbles flitted by, one gigantic jellyfish looking creature passing within an arm’s reach of the building.
His breath caught as he tracked something that looked like a gigantic dragon from mythology writhe through the air, passing over head, the lights of the city flickering across shiny scales.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Leonardo said softly, and Klaus remembered to breathe. “Usually most of this is all hidden in the fog.”
“You can see farther?” Klaus tried to peer into the distance.
“Yeah, hold on.” Leonardo gave Klaus' wrist a soft squeeze, and he could feel Leonardo adjust his vision. It was a bit like adjusting a telescope, there was almost a clicking noise as their vision zoomed into the distance, everything blurry for a moment before it recalibrated.
And then he was looking at what appeared to be giant trees, their glowing gold limbs reaching up to cover the city. Every so often he could see a flicker of lines, connecting them all in a giant dome.
“The wards?” He questioned, not expecting them to be quite as elegant or organic looking. He'd thought they'd be something more sterile or mechanical in appearance.
“Yeah.” Leonardo said with a small shrug. “This is what I was looking at earlier.”
“Checking that it’s still stable?” Klaus asked, curious. There were quite a few people, Huma or Beyonder who would love to see the wards torn down. Checking for tampering made sense.
Leonardo was silent a second too long for it to be comfortable, before letting out a nervous chuckle. “You think too highly of me, Klaus-san.” It was hard to to read Leonardo’s tone. Some self depreciation, a touch of wistfulness.
“The some of the wards are White’s.” Leonardo explained, his voice a little melancholy. “I like to watch them, it feels like checking up on a friend. As if she’s watching over us.”
It was one of the things that Klaus admired in Leonardo, his ability to make friends wherever he went. Even in the sky above.
A glowing white butterfly drifted by, brushing Leonardo’s cheek like a kiss, then drifted off. Leonardo leaned into the touch, but didn’t watch it leave, and Klaus wondered if this was a common occurrence.
“You’re a good man, Leonardo Watch.” Klaus murmured softly.
He sensed, more than saw Leonardo shake his head. “One step at a time.” Leonardo said, self deprecating.
Moving forward, towards the light.
Klaus could not deny that he felt a shiver of pride as Leonardo repeated the words that Klaus had said to him on the first day they had met, they they’d had such an impact on Leonardo.
“I should probably show Black this sometime.” Leonardo idly mused. “Let him see his sister too.”
It was not hard to deduce that this was not something Leonardo had shared previously, and Klaus felt honoured to be the first.
They stared up at sky for nearly an hour, mostly silent, but occasionally talking softly, pointing out things that they could see.
Eventually Leonardo’s grip shifted until they were holding hands, Leonardo’s fingers curled against Klaus’. Leonardo did not mention it, so Klaus did not either. But it felt nice, companionable.
They stared at the stars until Leonardo started to yawn, drooping tiredly, and Klaus tucked the comfort of the night and the sky away, to pull out later as a reminder when times were hard.
Klaus woke up, aware of a killing intent, rising to consciousness to defend himself.
Only for it to abruptly disappear, quickly followed by a thud, not unlike a body impacting against the floor, followed by a groan that sounded suspiciously like Zapp.
Klaus lay there, undecided if he should move or not.
“Klaus-san has had a Bad. Day.” Leonardo’s voice echoed quietly, bur sternly. “Let him rest.”
“Quite so.” Gilbert agreed, the soft click of his heels approaching. “Thank you, Leonardo-kun. If you don’t mind, I shall take out the rubbish.”
Gilbert’s footsteps walked briskly away, something heavy being dragged behind. Most likely Zapp.
Klaus lay there for a moment, trying to remember what had happened. They had been tracking down a Blood Breed based off a tip from Leonardo’s blog, ‘Life in HL’. They’d found it and…
Obviously confronted it, if the pounding in his head and body were any indication.
“Go back to sleep.” Leonardo said soothingly, fingertips hesitantly brushing through Klaus’s hair, as if uncertain about the action. It felt heavenly. No wonder Leonardo was fond of it. “We’re keeping watch.”
Klaus hummed in agreement, rubbing his face against the pillow, getting comfortable again and beginning to drift back asleep.
And then he realised that his pillow was moving slightly.
He had his head in Leonardo’s lap.
His eyes snapped open, and Klaus realising he was on his side, Leonardo’s thighs under his head. He twisted on the couch, attempting to sit up, put some proper distance between them.
“Stop.” Leonardo’s hand on his shoulder stopped him before he could accidentally fall off the couch. Klaus obeyed, muscles straining to hold himself perfectly still.
“Everyone’s fine, and you’re safe.” Leonardo said quietly, but earnestly. “Relax.” He put a light pressure on Klaus’s shoulder, and Klaus went back down willingly, if confused.
Klaus didn’t usually lay on his side, preferring to rest on his back, but he’d never fit on the couch if he did so. He’d never considered reversing their positions before, borrowing Leonardo’s lap, but it wasn’t as odd as he would have thought.
Leonardo was familiar and comfortable, and he could hear the ambient noise of the office around them. Steven typing, and Gilbert’s nearly soundless footsteps. He felt himself relax slowly as Leonardo resumed stroking his hair again, making a soft sigh of contentment.
Leonardo started speaking, his voice soft, almost confessional. “You’re kind of my special person.” He said, and Klaus had to fight to keep from opening his eyes in surprise. “Right after Michella. Every time I’m stuck and don’t know how to move forward, there you are, guiding us forward.”
Klaus said nothing, his heart beating fast in his chest, shock and exhaustion keeping him from responding.
There were also times when no response was needed. And this felt more like the latter.
“-And I’ve borrowed your lap often enough when injured.” Leonardo added, just this side of teasing. “It’s my turn to do so.”
Klaus huffed in amusement, giving up the struggle to stay awake, and fell asleep.
His special person would be there when he woke up.
-fin-