Typically, Leo would rush to do his homework and get ahead in his classes. As soon as he got to his room, he'd already have his backpack open and be pulling out his notebook, jotting down answers to simple calculus questions or writing an essay.

But as he found himself unmotivated and dreading his own home, he simply lingered in his last period class after the bell had rung, his head on his desk. Even reading sounded too indulgent at the moment.

The brightness in the room hurt, creating a dull ache behind his eyes. He grumbled in discontent, the sound muffled by his arm. Distantly, he wondered when he would be kicked out of the school. There was always the idea of dragging himself to the library and simply vegging out there. Anything would be better than going home.

His father's screaming still echoed in his mind. Although it had been happening for most of his life and he had almost grown numb to it- deep down, Leo was still terrified. The countless bottles of alcohol shattered against his back, of how demanding his father had sounded when he told his son to pick up the pieces and stand up.

He knew Xander had it worse, though. If his older brother failed to meet whatever expectations their father had set, the eldest sibling would be sure to be reprimanded and abused. Camilla and Elise were only observers, never the target of Garon's rage, and Azura was simply never around most of the time. She certainly knew of her father's abusive behavior, and as much as she loved her siblings, she tended to flee.

He buried his face further into his arms, his blonde hair surely a mess. Even his headband would fail to keep it ruly. Whether his hair was disasterous or not should not have been a worry in his mind, but it was better than dreading his father.

Just as he was about to steel himself to leave the school, to walk into his house without fear and stand up against his father, he heard footsteps. It was probably the teacher or some other administrator there to tell him to leave. Hopefully it was Niles or Odin; the two seemed unable to spend a day without finding their way back to their "lord," as they called him for whatever reason.

"The bell rang twenty minutes ago, idiot."

Leo had the devil's own luck.

As he brought his head up, his hand shot up to block the overhead lights. His vision was slightly bleary and the dull headache pulsed, but nothing could cause him to mistake the boy standing in front of his desk.

"And what does that matter, twin?" The epithet he had for Takumi dripped with sarcasm.

Both of their sets of siblings liked to tease the two younger brothers. As they had started off as self-declared rivals, the two would constantly bicker. Of course, when they discovered they had shared interests, they eventually resolved to being "frienimies". The two families had called them "the twins" since they first started arguing, however.

"Whatever. I was just wondering if you still wanted to hang out after school," Takumi shifted his weight nervously, his body language betraying his uncaring demeanor. His light blue backpack was set upon one of his shoulders, the other strap hanging limply behind him. There were red knots decorating the bag- perhaps something Sakura had made for her older brother and insisted he didn't have to show off. (He loved his little sister too much to not show off her talent, though.)

He had an instrument case at his side, and distantly, Leo recalled Takumi complaining about the other trumpet players. Something about him getting a solo and the rest of the line degrading him despite him playing it perfectly. Takumi denied feeling hurt by it, but the blonde knew perfectly well that the boy probably spent a day or two moping about it.

Slowly, he pushed himself out of the chair. He tried to not making it noticeable that he was wiping away some drool from the desk, but the stifled chuckle from Takumi confirmed he was unsuccessful.

"First your shirt's on backwards, and now you're drooling on your desk? Oh, how the mighty have fallen." The snark was present in Takumi's voice, but the lighthearted humor was there too. There was a laugh when Leo looked down at his shirt in horror.

"I-I didn't ask for this," he defended weakly. Before the other boy could point it out, Leo began to fix his hair. He removed the headband and ruffled his bangs before sliding it back on.

"Why do you wear that thing anyways? It only makes you look stupider." Takumi's amber eyes were fixated on the black accessory, and although his words oozed with their usual bite, there was genuine curiosity in his tone. Nevertheless, it made Leo a bit anxious.

He put away his things and slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. As long as he didn't have to make eye contact, he would be fine. The silverette's gaze was certainly still on him, and it made him feel uneasy.

"Elise liked playing dress-up. I would wear it to make her happy, and I would hate to see her upset about me tossing it." Lies came easy to Leo's tongue, and it wasn't like it was that unbelievable in the first place. His younger sister was a cheery, and still very childish, girl. If Takumi questioned it further, he could always just say he forgot to remove the headband. It seemed like a "Leo thing" to do.

Takumi "hmphed" in reply, turning on his heel towards the door. "You are coming to my house, right?"

The blonde was lucky. He didn't have to beg Takumi to hang out just to stay away from home (something his pride wouldn't let him do in the first place) as the offer was already there. Distantly, he felt guilty for leaving his siblings in that hell, but he just couldn't bear it. Just today he would leave; and spending time with Takumi wasn't as terrible as he made it out to be.

"Yeah, yeah. A little patience wouldn't hurt." His own snark was back, and he found himself ready to argue if need be.

"You're the one who made me wait half an hour!"

"Whatever."

The door swung open, revealing the welcoming atmosphere of the Shirasagi household. There were always fresh flowers around the house, giving off a pleasant aroma throughout the home. The entire house seemed orderly and it was unbelievable to Leo that seven people lived there.

As they stepped inside, he heard a voice come from within the kitchen. "Takumi? Is that you?"

It was Mikoto, Takumi's step mother. She was just as kind as a blood mother, and a beautiful person inside and out. How anybody could hate her, he wouldn't know. (Leo's father would beg to differ about Takumi's parents, vaguely recalling bad blood somewhere along the line with their families.)

"Yes, it's me, kaa-san. I brought Leo as well." Takumi's voice was kinder than when he would tease Leo. If one did not know Takumi outside of his anger outbursts, they would be surprised he could speak nicely. It was odd for the blonde when he first got to know the boy; it seemed like the silverette only knew how to scream and complain. It was relieving to find out a sweeter, more loving boy lived in that hard shell.

"Hello, Mrs. Shirasagi," and although Leo did his best to pronounce their last name, it always sounded foreign and ugly on his tongue. Such a pretty, delicate name- and he would butcher it. "I hope you don't mind my presence."

"What? Of course not, Leo. You're like having another son." She paused, a slight chuckle emanating from the kitchen. "I guess three wasn't enough for me!"

He blushed slightly, noting how genuine Mrs. Shirasagi sounded. It almost reminded Leo of his own mother- if she were there.

His mother had been a prostitute that Garon accidentally impregnated. Once he was born, he was shoved into Garon's arms and she never seen again. His father had been kind in his younger years, compensating for his lack of a mother, but the stress and the resurfacing of an ill event caused him to go off the edge. Soon came the alcohol and the abuse, and Leo and his siblings could only pray that their father may return to how he once was.

Telling by the fact the boy was afraid to return home in fear of a beating, Garon had not changed.

He must have been standing there for a noticeable amount of time because Takumi punched his arm before promptly dragging him upstairs. "I know you probably want to play chess or shogi, but I know what will cheer you up."

Cheer him up? Had Leo looked sad? Typically he was a master at concealing his emotions- something he found crucial during his time with his father. He must have slipped up if the other boy noticed.

Takumi let go of Leo's wrist in favor of opening his bedroom door. The blonde missed the warmth of the other boy's grip, but he shunned away such thoughts. He was simply feeling upset, nothing more.

Takumi tossed his backpack to the ground but took care with his trumpet case. If his instrument got damaged, perhaps that would feed fuel to the fire of the trumpet line's criticisms. He could only sit through their insults so much before he finally snapped. He had been doing very well at controlling his temper, especially under the director's watchful eye. One outbreak and he would probably have the solo taken from him.

With a sigh, he strode over to his television, pressing the power button for it as well as for the game console besides it.

Leo was sitting cross-legged on the gray carpet, his brown eyes downcast. He was thinking through all of the possible outcomes of what his father might do if he found out his son was at the Shirasagi household. Yell? Smack him? Hit him with a broken bottle of alcohol?

He tugged at his sleeve, knowing the fresh bruise below on his forearm. He doubted anybody outside of his family knew of Garon's abuse, and it might be better that way. Leo would hate to drag other people into this. Needing someone's pity would hurt his ego too much, and at this point, his pride was all he had left.

The loud fanfare of Super Smash Brothers for the Wii U snapped him back to reality. Glancing up, Takumi stood above him, a controller brandished in front of him. "Hurry up already; I wanna get a few rounds in before dinner."

Leo smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. Nevertheless, he accepted the controller and focused on the screen. Perhaps beating the other boy would take his mind off his father.

When they arrived at the character selection screen, Takumi instantly locked in Sheik. Leo could deduce Takumi enjoyed high skill cap fighters, especially ones that could combo into oblivion and show superiority. Besides that, Sheik's Final Smash used a bow and arrow, something Takumi was fond of. (It was easy to tell from the boy's calloused hands that he spent his free time practicing archery.)

Leo clicked his tongue in thought. He tried to remember tier lists and matchups, but while in his mindset, he found it better to choose a comfort pick. When he locked in Marth, switching to his black alternative costume, Leo was surprised the next screen hadn't loaded. He looked towards Takumi, who was squinting at the screen before turning towards his friend.

"I-is that why you wear it?" He sounded surprised, and Leo was confused.

"What? Why-" He stopped mid sentence, his mind finally working.

Marth's tiara.

He immediately looked down. It must have been completely unexpected because Takumi gawked in response. "You wear that headband... Because of Marth?"

It was true, but it wasn't that simple. Despite that, Leo felt just as embarrassed as he did when everyone found out about his love for tomatoes. Or perhaps when he had his tie on backwards during a speech to his entire school.

He finally found his voice. "W-when I was younger, I found a book. I had just gotten away from Fa-"

He bit his tongue, knowing he said too much. "M-my family. I just wanted to be alone, and when I got to my room, that book was there."

Leo allowed a smile. "It was about the legendary Hero-King, er, Marth. I started reading it, and... I sort of looked at him as a role model. Finding out he was incorporated into a fighting game, I almost felt obligated to play him."

Takumi typically would have laughed at the blonde being sappy, but the former knew Leo was not in the best of moods. He would just tease him about it later. For now, he would store the information away into his memory.

"Well... That's certainly one way to find your main," he couldn't help a slight chuckle however.

Before they knew it, they had played countless games, and it was only when Mikoto called them down for dinner that they pried themselves away.

"24-24. Who would have guessed?" Takumi knew they would be equally matched, but never in such a cliché way. Of course, he could worry over such petty things, but he was more focused on how much happier Leo seemed. At least Smash could lift his spirits.

There was light bickering over dinner, but the entire family was more occupied with the superb meal. That didn't mean there was no conversation among the residents, but Leo didn't focus on any of it. He was more focused on cherishing the warm meal and the fun time he had with Takumi.

And then, there was the dread of returning home.

His eyes stared at the nearly-finished bowl of soup. The hand on his lap was slightly shaking, and he did his best to limit the shaking in the one holding the spoon. Hopefully no one would notice, too distracted by their bickering. Leo never liked attention on him, learning that lesson from his father.

So he continued to enjoy the meal as best as possible, knowing it was better to deal with a burden himself than to worry others. There was no way he could bring this upon the Shirasagi's. As much as the abuse was fresh on his skin and his mind, it was something he could handle on his own. He didn't need pity or the guilty of burdening such wonderful people.

Suddenly, a thought came to him. He recalled that night he found the book, the way he took his time reading not because he was slow, but because he wanted to relish the experience of reading the tale. He remembered seeing an illustration of the Hero-King, the brave, altruistic teenager with blue locks and a tiara. With childish awe, Leo saw this figure as a sign of hope, and he strove to be like this Marth.

He vividly remembered sneaking into Elise's room and stealing one of her headbands. She had no tiaras, so this was the best her could do. At least with this accessory, he could be like the Hero-King and inspire others just like Marth had done. He was sure his siblings would interrogate him (and he recalled how a toddler Elise demanded for her pwetty accessowy), but he would just respond with the story of the Hero-King. Leo simply wanted to give his siblings hope, especially as that was when Garon began with the abuse.

Although it seemed childish to anyone else, Leo still held onto the ideals he had when he was younger. He believed he could be the heroic one, the one to inspire others to keep fighting. The difference was- he wasn't royalty and he hadn't had his country over taken from him. There was no taking back his home country. There were no horses and pegasi and warriors. They were just children with a broken father.

"Leo? Are you alright?"

Blinking away the memories, he looked up. The entire table was clear, and Takumi stood beside him. "You zoned out and stopped eating. You didn't even notice everyone leave."

Had he been that deep in thought? Now that he thought about it, he didn't remember hearing the scraping of chairs against the floor and the taste of mee-so(?) soup was cold against his tongue.

"I-"

"Be honest with me." Takumi voice was sharp as he leaned in, making direct eye contact with Leo. There was no way out of this. "Something's wrong. You're never like this."

He refused to talk about his father. He didn't need to worry Takumi anymore than he already had. Suffering under his father's hand was a pain he wished to take alone. No matter how many bruises he received, he could hide them. He could simply distract himself so he wouldn't repeat his father's words in his head incessantly. There was no need to burden Takumi.

"Please," he held a hand up, pushing out his chair and rising to his feet. "I'm not a child, Takumi. It's unnecessary to concern you with my problems."

"Admitting to having problems is already a step in the right direction." Takumi sounded sneer, bittersweet, and concerned all at the same time.

It was no secret the boy had terrible anxiety and depression, and with a family as big as his own, attention was hard to come by. His eldest brother Ryouma was on sports scholarship and majoring in law; his older sister Hinoka was already signed up for the military. On top of that, his older brother Kamui was extremely well-liked and could pick up anything right after being taught. Even his younger sister Sakura was extremely kind and was adored by everyone.

"It's really nothing. There's no need to worry about me."

Takumi narrowed his eyes, determination seizing his amber orbs. His hand flew forwards, pulling at Leo's sleeve before he could even realize what was occuring.

And there, in clear sight, was the fresh bruise from Garon the night before.

"Do you think I'm stupid, Leo? I can tell when there's something wrong my best friend. The way you kept tugging at your sleeve made it very obvious. And I know for a fact you aren't fond of your father. Accompany that with your odd behavior today and it was easy to connect the dots."

Leo felt himself shatter under Takumi's words. There was nothing to hide anymore. Leo always loved to wear his heart on his sleeve and claim it wasn't his coat, but it was obvious there was no lying from this point onwards.

"M-my father's been abusive most of my life. I've gotten so used to it-"

"That's the thing, Leo. You shouldn't have to get used to it," he took the boy's shoulders to look him dead in the eye. "We can call DCF or something. We can get you and your siblings out of there."

For the genius he claimed to be, Leo felt idiotic for never thinking to call a protection agency. It seemed simple, and he cursed himself for not coming up with the idea. Perhaps keeping this to himself wasn't such s good plan.

"Hell, you could live here with my family!"

And finally, Leo could feel himself coming back to his usual. "Do you really need five more people living here? Is that even doable?"

And suddenly, he was pulled into a hug.

"I would do anything to keep you from harm. I don't know what I would do without my best friend..."

Takumi's suicidal thoughts had always been repressed by something. Be it his family, his friends, his passions... There was always something to dull that urge. If Leo ended up dead by his own father's hand... Takumi wasn't sure if he could survive that.

For once in his life, Leo realized how much he craved for this and hugged back. "How could I ever leave you when you're so clingy? You're like a crazy girlfriend that doesn't know when to quit."

Lightly, Takumi punched his friend, and that was the only response he needed.

It wasn't too long after that day that Garon was arrested for abuse and the siblings were left with a decision. Sell their house and survive with what little money they had... Or take up the offer from the Shirasagi's and live with them.

They didn't want to burden the other family, but Mikoto and Sumeragi insisted, knowing what kind of lives they came from and how they were genuinely good kids. Too young to deal with something like that, they said.

Seven occupants soon became twelve, and although the house was cramped, it certainly felt like home. More like home than the Krakenburg house ever felt.

Leo eased his back into a beanie chair, his fingers mashing buttons and joysticks. Takumi was doing the same from the other side of the room, against his bedside. They had arrived at their 54th game, at a dead even tie of 27-27.

Takumi glanced over to Leo, locking in Sheik. "Last game?"

With a smirk, Leo locked in Marth. "Last game."