Leo is his best friend (and incidentally, his boyfriend), so Takumi can tell when something's wrong.
The signs are subtle at first. Leo doesn't smile or laugh as much as he used to, and dedicates more and more of his time to studying quietly in the library. But soon the signs start becoming more obvious, and Takumi begins to notice little details that he had skipped over before: the dark circles under the other boy's eyes, the weary edge to his voice, the way he always wears long-sleeve sweaters, even in the middle of June.
Takumi's worried, but whenever he brings it up, Leo always avoids the subject. So they don't speak of it for several weeks.
...
Saturday night, Takumi is jolted out of his sleep by pounding on the back door. He immediately grabs his flashlight from its spot on the bedside table (he still won't admit to being scared of the dark, he just wants to be safe). Vaguely, still half-asleep, he wonders if any of his siblings heard the noises, or if he was just dreaming. He almost goes back to sleep again when the pounding resumes, nearly scaring him out of his mind.
Takumi considers his options. Ryoma's away at college and Hinoka could sleep through a herd of elephants stampeding through the house. But he doesn't want to run to Sakura, of all people, for help. Even though he knew his little sister wouldn't speak of the matter to anyone, it would be too embarrassing and he'd never be able to look her in the eye again.
Finally, gathering all his courage, he tiptoes downstairs holding his flashlight in front of him, feeling like he's approaching his doom. He shines the light on the glass sliding door. It occurs to him that besides his family members, Leo is the only one who knows how to unlock the gate to the backyard. But he doesn't want to believe it.
He catches a glimpse of golden hair through the shadows, and stops cold.
Confirming his worst suspicions, Leo is there, soaking wet from the rain, fist raised to pound on the glass again. Frantically, Takumi drops his flashlight and fumbles with the lock to help him in. After several tries, he shoves the panel open and Leo stumbles inside, dripping wet and shivering.
"Wh—" Takumi begins to demand, but Leo shoves a hand over his mouth, pointedly raising his eyebrows and glancing upstairs to where his family is sleeping. After a moment Takumi nods and helps the other boy upstairs, ignoring the trail of water he leaves in his wake. He'll worry about that later.
"You could have rung the doorbell," Takumi can't help but mutter as they're making their way upstairs. Leo just shrugs.
Miraculously, they manage to reach the safety of Takumi's bedroom without waking any of his family members. Takumi gives Leo a towel and his favorite pajamas to change into, and after an agonizingly long period of time, Leo emerges from the bathroom freshly washed and changed. He shuts the door quietly behind him.
"Okay," Takumi demands as soon as the door is closed, but then remembers that it's still the middle of the night. Lowering his voice, he asks, "What happened?"
Leo lowers his eyes hesitantly, so Takumi lets him slip underneath the covers before he turns his expectant gaze on his friend. He places his flashlight between them on the bed, just so they're able to see each other.
"You still sleep with your stuffed bear?" Leo says with the faintest trace of a smirk, noticing the stuffed animal nestled in the blankets. Takumi rolls his eyes and ignores him.
"Stop avoiding the question. What the heck happened?"
Leo's grin falters. "Takumi—I don't… It's nothing."
"It's obviously not nothing," Takumi snaps. "You can't come to my house in the middle of the night and then pretend it's nothing."
The blond sighs and leans back into the pillows, but Takumi can tell he is tense in the way his eyes dart around the room uneasily. After a prolonged moment of silence, he says, as lightly as possible, "Let's just say my father was drunk and in a bad mood."
Instantly, Takumi feels guilty for prying. As he thinks about it, though, the pieces click perfectly into place. That's why Leo had never let him spend the night at his house, why he never talked about his parents. Why he'd been acting so cautious lately. He reaches under the covers and takes Leo's hand, but when his fingers brush Leo's forearm, the blond flinches in pain. Takumi drops his hand instantly, as if it were on fire.
The other boy manages a smile. "No, go ahead."
Takumi reaches out and gingerly intertwines his fingers with Leo's, avoiding the bruised spot. The other boy's fingers are stiff and clammy. Now that they're face to face, he notices that the left side of Leo's face is swollen. The sight makes him nearly too angry to bear. Leo averts his eyes uncomfortably.
"Stop pretending it's fine," Takumi murmurs sadly, almost too softly for Leo to hear. "Because it's obviously not."
He squeezes Leo's hand. The blond attempts his usual confident smile, but it's half-hearted. "I told you not to worry. I'm used to it."
Takumi just scowls, wishing he weren't so powerless, wishing Leo weren't so stubborn and prideful for his own good. "How could I not be worried? Look what happened to you!"
Leo doesn't respond. In the glow of the flashlight, Takumi manages to catch a trace of vulnerability and even fear in his amber eyes. The brief sign of weakness makes him feel nervous, as if Leo had just revealed to him his deepest secret, as if he is exposing his naked self for only Takumi to see. It occurs to him that behind the self-assured, charming mask is only a scared and lonely boy wanting to belong, wanting to be perfect.
Then it disappears, replaced by the usual stoic, unreadable expression. It makes him sad, so he decides not to pursue the issue further.
"I just want to help," he says in a shaky, resigned voice. Leo's lips turn up slightly, his first genuine smile in a long time.
"You're already helping," he replies. Takumi probably doesn't look convinced, though, so Leo leans in and presses their lips together, softly, fleetingly. "Stop worrying so much," he teases gently. "Go to sleep. I'll be okay."
Takumi is unconvinced, but he decides to let it drop for now when he remembers how tired he is. He sinks down into the sheets with an exhausted sigh, and after a moment, Leo follows suit. Takumi snuggles closer and wraps an arm around his waist. Although Leo usually gets annoyed at his constant displays of affection, for once, he doesn't protest.
Takumi hugs him close, so close he can feel Leo's heartbeat.
After a while Leo's breath slows and the rise and fall of his chest steadies. Takumi doesn't want to wake him up with his snoring, so instead he hugs Leo even tighter and wishes he could never let go.