a/n: its not as long as i wld have liked but here it is, enjoy :,,,,)
i was originally going to use this hc for a long ass coffeeshop au fic but i dont have the energy nor the inspiration for 2k+ so here it is, standalone
i hope this hasnt already been done bc i swear this hc makes me feel so original LMAO

btw this is a modern au they're like highschool age

also found on ao3. word count: 640

i'll be here if you let me

Leo keeps a dark purple binder on him at all times. It's thick, the cover void of any indication of ownership. Takumi had seen a few glimpses of it, especially now that he and Leo were no longer sworn rivals and were recurring parts of each other's lives. He would often find it in Leo's messenger bag whenever they studied together, neatly dividing the textbooks from the notebooks. Takumi noticed that Leo never brought it out, almost as if whatever was inside it was confidential. He was definitely curious about whatever it contained, of course, but he wasn't one to pry—

"Takumi."

The gray-haired boy met the pair of eyes across him and grunted in response, "Hm?"

"What are you staring at? I've already made my move and you've been lost in thought for five minutes." Leo said, holding up a white pawn that his knight had recently devoured.

"Well…" Takumi trailed off. He was hesitant to ask about whatever it was that he kept in the binder, but now that they were friends he may as well ask. "I was wondering what you have in there," he replied, gesturing at Leo's bag.

"…Books?" the blond, eyebrow raised, said as a small smirk marked his features.

Takumi rolled his eyes in response. "That's not what I meant, jackass. I'm just curious about what's inside that binder of yours." He said nonchalantly, his gaze averted as he replaced Leo's knight with his bishop. He saw Leo stiffen and, sensing his discomfort, immediately followed with, "Never mind. Sorry."

"No, it's alright. You may as well know." Replied Leo, relaxing. "I… trust you. Though, before I get sappy," he continued, "checkmate." He said, cornering Takumi's king.

"Shit." Takumi cursed, surveying Leo's technique as the blond retrieved the binder.

"I'm putting potential blackmail material into your hands, you know," Leo said, careful to keep his face neutral and his voice steady. Takumi, aware of the delicacy of the situation, refrained from teasing his friend and took it in his hands. "I call it Brynhildr. It sounded cool when I was seven," he said, looking away.

Takumi carefully thumbed through it, taking in its contents. The first few pages had yellowed paper fit into the plastic, illegible handwriting written on them in pencil and varying shades of crayon. "What does it mean?" he asked, looking up.

"It's just some mythology thing I picked up from Xander," Leo mumbled, his arms crossed and his eyes refusing to meet Takumi's. "I tried making spells and, it became, well, that."

Takumi looked closer at the writing. The childish scrawl read things like Make dad bring home more tomatoes and I want Xander and Camilla to buy me more books.

"They don't exactly sound like spells." Takumi smiled.

"Okay, they're more like my thoughts than any sort of incantation. In my defense, I was a child." responded Leo.

Takumi turned page after page, crayon soon overtaken by pencil and then by pen. His eyes skimmed one containing considerably improved handwriting, stopping on Keep Elise safe from Father, Make injuries hurt less—

Feeling intrusive, he quickly turned to the next page, not wanting to look at something so personal. His concern only grew when the latest sentence, in Leo's simple script, read, I want Xander and Camilla to spoil me again.

Takumi closed the binder and held it out to Leo. "Sorry for intruding," he said. "I won't speak of this to anyone."

Leo slowly took it with both hands trembling slightly, a tremor that was shared by both boys in the second that they held it together. He then tucked it neatly into his bag, careful to return it as it once was.

"Thank you." the blond said quietly, eyes timidly meeting Takumi's.

Takumi nodded slightly in response and, as if nothing happened, said, "Best two out of three?"