(A/Ns: i would say this is inspired from my last night at where i was staying a few weeks back but it's so exaggerated and far from what actually happened that i can't even say it's loosely based off it.

please drop a review if you get the chance!

content warnings: swearing, smoking, and trans!Leo (dldr)

disclaimer: i don't own pandora hearts sadly)

Taking one for the team

Elliot and Leo both knew they wouldn't fit in here.

Currently, it had just gone past 10pm, everyone else at the residential centre they were staying at being downstairs in the common room, probably sobbing over Love Island. Or arguing, despite only knowing each other for 3 days at best.

Neither of them wanted any involvement in that, but the mentors leading their group apparently didn't trust a load of rowdy 16 year olds to be alone in their rooms, hence they were left with the corridor, sitting cross legged between the showers and their room.

They both sat in silence, truly exhausted from the activities and from dealing with a load of kids their age. Because - as stated previously - they weren't particularly good at fitting in.

After another few minutes, Leo decided to break the awkward silence. "Someone was asking about why I'm in your room again today."

Elliot snarled. How could he drop something like that so casually?

Leo had come out to Elliot as trans only 5 months ago. No one from their previous school even knew, and as far as Leo had been concerned, his carers at the orphanage hadn't told the mentors of this trip about it.

Obviously, they had, and because of that, Leo was put in Elliot's room. To no surprise, that initiated a few unwanted conversations between students of their old school, who were still under the impression that Leo was female, and, well… not called 'Leo'.

"Tch, can't people mind their own business?" Elliot said, irritated, as he shifted slightly against the wall and repositioned his jacket over his lap.

"Stop getting defensive over things that aren't your problem," Leo scolded in response, brushing aside the hair from his face. Then, he sighed, folded his arms over his chest, and knocked his head back against the wall, audibly. "Fuck."

"Woah, I never hear you swear. What is it?"

Leo sniffed, and stretched his legs out in front of him, sticking his hands into his pockets as if to avoid the question. Then, with his gaze permanently fixed on his lap, and the floor, he finally answered. "I need a fucking cigarette."

Elliot, promptly shooting him a perplexed look, said, "I thought you stopped?"

"I did," Leo shrugged. "For about… 2 months, during exams. Then I started again."

"Right…"

"Ughhh, fuck," Leo groaned again, tilting his head and turning his gaze towards Elliot. "Do you think I can ask to go out?"

"Doubt it," Elliot grunted. "They made the rules about smoking on premises quite clear, and it's… well, nearly dark."

"Why do you keep shifting?"

"D-Don't ignore me!" Elliot yelped. But he knew that, the moment the defensiveness became evident in his words, his secret was out. "T-That doesn't matter…"

Sure enough, with a devious grin tugging at his lips, Leo yanked the jacket away from Elliot's crotch. As expected, there was a large bulge, screaming his awkward and probably quite inconvenient arousal.

"Oh, I see," Leo said, the mocking smirk still donning his lips.

"Shut up!" Elliot nearly shrieked, immediately pinning the jacket back over his erection, his cheeks turning a dark red. "I-I haven't the privacy to… to you know."

"Mhm," Leo hummed, trying to wipe the grin off his face but ultimately failing. "Why don't you go in the showers?"

Elliot glanced up at the door beside Leo. Sure, the showers were empty at this time, but he didn't even want to think about how mortifying it'd be if he was caught by one of his peers.

"W-What if someone walks in?" Elliot theorised, biting on his lip. He couldn't be considering this, right?

"I'll make a deal with you," Leo said, lowering his voice slightly. "I'll cover for you if you cover for me."

Elliot shot him a perplexed look once again. "Cover for what?"

Wordlessly, Leo looked up at him, shaking his head like it was some method of communication.

"... just answer the question, dickhead."

"You know," the other answered ambiguously, as he held two fingers up to his lips as if to mime smoking something. When Elliot looked nothing short of unimpressed, he continued. "Come on, I'll just… light one up by the window quickly."

"No way! T-That's… you can't do that!"

"Elliot, do you really want to walk around for the rest of the evening with a massive boner?"

"Tch, no! But…"

"But what?"

Leo's stern gaze was too much on Elliot. (And his boner).

"Ngh, fine," Elliot gaze in reluctantly, folding his arms over his chest and standing up. "But I'm going first."

Glancing up at him from his spot on the floor, Leo frowned. "Why?"

"Because I'm not breaking any rules, idiot."

Defeated, Leo threw his arms up. "Alright, sure. Just let me get a cigarette, and my headphones. I don't want to listen to you wanking."

Elliot grimaced at his crude manner of speech. And blushed. The thought of Leo listening to him jacking off was too much for his already-pressing arousal.

Thankfully, Leo returned fairly quickly, the headphones already plugged in and playing music rather loudly. The cigarette was also in the palm of his hand, being fidgeted with restlessly, and Elliot could tell that, in that moment, Leo genuinely needed it.

"I-I'll be as fast as I can," Elliot whispered, biting his lip as he checked the coast was clear one last time before darting into the shower room.

It wasn't nice. It wasn't clean. It wasn't pleasant. If he had the choice he wouldn't have resorted to it. But at the end of the day, it did have to be done.

Within 3 minutes, he was back outside in the corridor, Leo sat against the door on his phone with the cigarette still tight in his grasp.

"Oi," Elliot hissed, giving his arm a swift kick as he stepped past him. "You can go now. Just… make sure you open a window."

Leo snickered, and put the headphones away. Hastily, he retrieved the lighter from his pocket, and then stood up and went straight into the shower room.

The moment he was in there, Leo proceeded straight for the window, sticking the cigarette between his lips as he inspected the lock for a few seconds. It was fairly simple; within a few seconds, he opened it, swinging it out to the left as far as it would go.

With enough of his upper body leant out of the window, he held the lighter up to the tip of the cigarette, took a long drag, and then exhaled the smoke as far away from the room as possible.

Meanwhile, outside, Elliot couldn't hear a single thing from inside the shower room.

Unfortunately, what he could hear was approaching footsteps, and he panicked.

And when the silhouette passing the corner turned into a figure, he freaked.

It was Vincent, one of the mentors of this stupid program. The guy hated kids, so the only reason he'd done it was because Gilbert had as well. But being his adoptive brother did not make things any easier whatsoever.

"Ah, Elliot…" Vincent greeted. "Where is your friend? Is she here?"

"He," Elliot hissed aggressively, too pissed to be able to worry about the fact Leo was blatantly breaking very standard rules right behind him. "He is in the shower."

"Fufu, my apologies," Vincent smiled, but by no means warmly. "Tell me, Elliot. Why does that warrant you to sit in front of the door, hm?"

"He, uh…" Elliot stuttered, discreetly sniffing in an attempt to detect just the faintest smell of cigarette smoke. Because, if he did, they'd both be screwed. "... doesn't really like being walked in on by the other guys. They get a bit… interrogative."

Vincent stared at Elliot for at least 10 seconds, and then smiled again. "Alright. Goodnight, Elliot."

Thank God he bought it… Elliot thought in relief, exhaling a heavy breath and digging his palms into his eye sockets.

A few minutes later, the door clicked open again, his senses immediately being hit with the smell of smoke.

"Leo, that stinks," Elliot said bluntly, folding both arms over at his chest. "Seriously! God, you can smell it here."

"Yeah, we should probably get away from here," Leo whispered, checking behind his back before proceeding to their room. "Luckily the smoke detectors didn't go off. Yet."

Elliot would never get over this blasé attitude.

"Yeah, well… you owe me…" he muttered. "Vincent came here. I had to cover for your ass."

Leo snickered. "I guess we're even then."

"What?"

"You left some of your product on the wall. I wiped it off."

Elliot froze, and blinked. And he blushed instantly.

Perhaps they were even after all.

Fin.