Title: In These Hands We Trust

Pairing: Broto/Leo (smidgen at least)

AN: Had been dying to write a oneshot all day, but headaches weren't allowing it. But finally, finally, I wrote something. I'm relieved, honestly, as I haven't written much in days. Anyway, it's late and I'll post this here for now. I'll post this elsewhere tomorrow morning. So, hope you enjoy a short, but hopefully sweet Broto/Leo oneshot~!

Warning: There are some spoilers. I don't go into detail, but a pretty big one is mentioned.

"This is where we first met, isn't it?"

Broto glanced toward the shimmering Geomagnetic pole with a sardonic upturn of his lips. He then turned his attention back to Leo, who looked at him expectantly, his head quirked to the side ever so slight in curiosity. He honestly looked adorable when he did that, though Broto kept that to himself. Words were pretty. And they were often meaningless. Especially from someone who...like him.

"Are you sure it was me?" Broto asked, his grin wryly and partly bitter. And not his twin brother? After all, they were exceptionally good at trading places and acting just like one another.

"It was you," Leo insisted.

Broto felt an unexpected sense of amusement touch him at the answer. "You sound certain."

"I could tell the difference easily," Leo insisted once more. "Your presences were different."

Broto felt that sardonic smile of his return when the memories of how quickly a certain guild were able to shut down his and his brother's attempts to trick everyone into believing they were one person, not identical twins. "You can sense auras, too, hmm?"

Leo shook his head and shifted shyly on his feet. His normally pale skin seemed to hold a tinge of pink to them. Though, it could just be from the glow of the Geomagnetic pole, it would be nice to see the shy reaper blush wildly. Especially if that blush was because of him. But he needed to be polite. Be a good boy. Leo, after all, was rather beloved.

Sweet, kind, compassionate.

Honestly, that boy deserved to be with anyone but him. He should be hanging around with the Guardians, relishing in their adoration of him. Stay with people who were good, kind, strong.

"You're a good person, Broto."

Broto was torn between staring at Leo with an expression of utter disbelief or outright laughing at his statement. Him? A good person? All the things he tried, all the shit he had done...

"Staying with the Guardians helped me to realise that with support and hope, you can move on from the past," Leo said as he shuffled closer to him, to stand directly before him, his hands clasped shyly together in front of him. "They did that for me. They still do."

Broto smiled at Leo dismissively. Internally, however, he was frowning. Hope and support? He needed a little more than that. He wasn't sure what he needed, but he knew it wasn't right for him to find compassion and forgiveness in someone, in a guild, that he had forced into a battle that could have literally destroyed everything they knew.

"I can't be the one alone to give you hope, I know that," Leo began to prattle nervously. Though, from his words, it felt to Broto that he had been rehearsing these words for a long time. Rehashing them so they made sense, so that he could convey what he truly wanted to say.

To him.

"I'm not trying to be the one and only to offer you hope. I just...want you to feel the warmth I did," Leo said softly. "The warmth of...having a guild. A family."

Broto fell speechless when he realised just how...sincere Leo sounded when he said that. He couldn't quite put his finger on why that resonated with him, but it did. A guild? A family? Everything he had done in his life was for the sake of his twin brother. A part of him wanted to have that kind of purpose again. To fight for someone and protect them. To make them happy.

The Guardians had been harping on him to join their guild in Maginia. To take residence somewhere in their little community. To join them on missions and quests. To let Lynus show him the true meaning of being cared for. To let Axel mentor, help him to understand the true meaning of protective strength. To let Drayce teach him the real meaning of treasure. To let Roxbury teach him the true meaning of being a leader. To let Oracle show him the true meaning of telling fate to piss off.

Did he deserve such an opportunity, though? Could he trust himself not to become blindly obedient to someone again?

No, he couldn't.

"Ah, that's sweet," Broto said with a forced smile. "Must be nice to have a guild like that."

Leo frowned slightly; a tad exasperated maybe. "You don't have to keep your distance."

"Yes, I do," Broto found himself stating before he had the chance to reconsider, his voice holding a slight quiver. Which was highly unexpected of him. "I don't deserve that."

"No one who has been in our position ever believes they do," Leo said as he took a quick step forward, ensuring that Broto didn't stray too far from him. He then did something unexpected; he stretched out his in front of him, toward Broto. "But you do. We do. If...you can't trust yourself with us, m-maybe put that trust in us? In me?"

Broto stared down at Leo's hand. His upturn palm, skin as pale as moonlight. There was a small scar or two. Yet, flawless otherwise.

Trust. Trust in them? Could he do that? Was he allowed to do that?

...Hah. They were all trustworthy, weren't they? Stubborn, too. It would be easier for him to just...surrender, huh? Just let them do what they want. Let them fuss and scold. Let them try to be friendly, be kind, be compassionate. It wasn't like he could fend them off.

He didn't deserve such attention. He knew he didn't. But they did. They thought he did. That he was worth their time. Otherwise, they wouldn't be trying so hard.

Broto sighed before he raised his hand and slowly, he placed his hand atop of Leo's.

And Leo immediately curled his fingers around his. He reached up with his other hand to rest on the back of Broto's hand, his grip tight, firm, but still warm. Very warm. He hadn't realised how cold his hand felt until then.

Had they always been this cold? Had he always been this cold?

Broto lifted his gaze from their joined hands, a humorous comment about taking good care of him or something akin to that on the tip of his tongue. But it soon fell away when his gaze settled upon Leo's face. And the bright, relieved smile on his lips.

He looked...he actually looked happy. It was real. The smile, the unshed tears in his eyes causing them to shimmer.

And the smile that made its way to Broto's lips was fairly genuine, too.