Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I wanted to publish it before I moved on to the last chapter (or two, sometimes I over-write lol). Enjoy!
Chapter Text
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The next few days were rough for both of them.
If Leo had thought not seeing each other had been bad before, purposefully avoiding each other was even worse. It was apparent that neither of them would back down or bend in any way. The few times they crossed paths were awkward as hell, with both of them going on instant alert. Anything they said to each other was stiff and mechanical.
Their team members became aware of the change in them almost at once. They were not hired by Libra for their lack of observation skills. When Leo and Klaus were at the office, they didn't speak to each other, and Leo had taken to sitting at a set of couches on the farthest end of the room from Klaus' desk. It wasn't as though they were normally affixed to one another like glue, or a pair of adolescents, but the two lovers had shared a warm interaction on a near-daily basis with no effort to hide it. The contrast of silence between them and the physical distance they remained apart was obvious to anyone familiar with their usual behavior.
On the third day since their disagreement, Leo came into the office later than Klaus, having been riding his motor scooter everywhere now instead of letting Gilbert drive him. He headed straight for his new digs by the far set of furniture, and plopped down on a couch that was facing away from Klaus' desk. Stephen watched this, his eyes darting between Klaus and Leo, and noticed the tension at once. With a small sigh, he got up from his own place at one of the computer tables and walked casually over to talk to the big man.
"So, Klaus," Stephen said lightly, "Leo didn't turn to look your way even once just now…"
The redhead didn't respond, but the clacking from his typing became a touch more aggressive. Stephen leaned his hip on the edge of Klaus' desk and took a sip from his coffee mug.
"I don't suppose there's trouble in paradise, is there? What happened, you accidentally squash the kid in your sleep with that huge hide of yours?"
A very small snort ghosted from Klaus' nostrils, but he still said nothing.
"You don't have to tell me," Stephen went on, "it's none of my business, but the two of you are putting out bad vibes strong enough to depress anyone who walks in here. Everyone's noticing it."
Green eyes flicked up from the computer screen, typing paused for a second as Klaus glanced around. The few Libra employees around the office did seem more subdued, not to mention they were glancing between the two of them every now and again. Klaus let his eyes linger on the back of Leo's curly head, where it showed over the edge of the couch across the room, before snapping back to his work.
"You guys had a fight, didn't you?"
Klaus began typing again, loudly, and didn't answer. Stephen let out a legitimately pained groan, rubbing the side of his dark head with his fingertips.
"That's just what we need right now; our leader and one of our best resources distracted and upset at each other. At least tell me there's a warm and fuzzy reconciliation on the horizon."
"That depends." Klaus finally said. "For my part, I've done all I can."
Stephen studied his friend, taking another sip of coffee and contemplating in silence for a moment.
"So, you've done everything in your power to be sure that you understand where your partner stands and how to compromise?"
"Everything." Klaus answered, his jaw squaring as he typed.
"Uh-huh…" Stephen drawled dryly. Klaus must not have appreciated the tone. He didn't look at Stephen, but he spoke firmly.
"In this argument, it is Leo who holds the key to resolution. It is out of my control whether or not he takes action."
At that moment, Leo stood and headed for the greenhouse door, most likely to talk to Zedd about something. When he was gone, Stephen pinned Klaus down with a no-nonsense stare.
"Ok, out with it. I know I said it's none of my business, but as your friend and a concerned co-worker, I think I deserve the right to know what's going on here."
Klaus sighed, and in concise sentences, he explained the situation to Stephen. The other man listened quietly, nodding his head along with Klaus' words until he was finished.
"I don't know what goes through his mind," Klaus said, irritation in his quiet voice, "there's humbleness and then there's being foolhardy. I don't know what else I can do to ensure he keeps himself safe."
Stephen pursed his lips as he considered all that he'd just been told.
"Playing devil's advocate here, Leo's done just fine surviving in this city without relying on his eyes for quite a while now. He's learned how to walk the streets and not lose all his money in the process. You know how he hides it around on him, right? They never make off with all of it, and to be honest, he never gets beaten to a dangerous degree."
"He shouldn't get beaten at all." Klaus growled. "While I admire how Leo has adapted to this city on his own, that doesn't excuse him from letting lowlifes hurt him. The tools are right there in his head, supernaturally given and able to exclude him from any conflict. He has no excuse."
"I can see your point." Admitted Stephen. "I have to wonder myself why the kid chooses to fight head-to-head whenever he can. Though, to be fair, you let your bleeding heart throw itself onto the first spear you can if it means saving someone. Even a stranger."
"Leo said something to that effect as well." Klaus remembered. "But there is a significant difference between our behaviors; I try to let my actions, however reckless, amount to something. I may gamble my life, with the goal of saving anothers' and solving a case that will eventually save many more. I may throw myself in the way of danger for the sake of someone else, but with Leo…if he has no way out, he thinks it better to be beaten and robbed, to no end whatsoever. He is defending no one when this happens. His suffering is meaningless."
"Maybe it's a pride thing?" Stephen tried. "You know he doesn't like coming to any of us for help. Hell, it took dating you for months to soften him up enough just to take the pay raise that he was owed. Does seem strange that he's so humble and yet so proud at the same time, doesn't it?"
"Quite the conundrum." Agreed Klaus. "You see the predicament we're in."
"Why doesn't he just quit his part-time job? Then he'd have enough time to train up a bit so he'd at least have some fighting skills."
"I can't convince him to quit working. In his mind, it's just more money for Michella."
"Don't think she'd appreciate it if she knew how hard her brother was running himself into the ground to earn it." Stephen muttered, swirling the rest of his coffee in his mug. "Did you think to mention that?"
Klaus pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Mentioning his sister is a bad idea when it comes to how he should act. It only makes him more defensive."
The two friends sat in silence for a while, thinking through the problem together. Stephen shifted against the desk, and Klaus tapped his thumbs together over his folded hands. Eventually Klaus spoke again.
"I fear my anger has only caused Leo to respond in kind." He admitted. "When I think about him getting hurt…and him allowing it…I can hardly contain my rage. I had finally had enough of hiding it from him."
"Wait, you angrily told him all these things?" Stephen asked, sitting up a little straighter on the desk. "As in your version of angry?"
Klaus had the decency to look mildly ashamed, but his voice was firm as he answered,
"I told you it was a fight, didn't I? I have tried other approaches, and they never seemed to get through to him. I hadn't planned on it, but at the time, when everything came boiling over, I just assumed Leo might be swayed if he saw what his choices were doing to me. I don't think there was anything else I could do."
"Bullshit."
The curse made Klaus look up at his friend, who was frowning but also looked exasperated.
"Pardon?" He asked, surprised at the reaction.
"Klaus, I can't speak for what other tactics you've used before, but letting Leo see your anger as a means to an end seems the dumbest option you could've picked! I mean, I get it, you lost it and decided to roll with it, but did you really think that Leo would respond to anger of all things? He's a pretty fragile guy emotionally, I don't care what front he puts up around all of us, you and I both know it's true, so you had to know how deeply that would hurt him. How'd he deal with it, by the way?"
The sarcasm in Stephen's voice on the last question stung a little, and Klaus lowered his eyes.
"He walked out and closed the door on me."
Stephen shook his head with a dark little smile.
"Poor kid…don't get me wrong, I can see both sides here, but…damn…I think you might've hurt him worse than the thugs."
Klaus' head jerked up at that, his teeth bared in a small snarl.
"Now, wait just a minute-" His angry protest was cut off by Stephen's calm voice.
"Leo's not free of guilt here either, but I honestly think you're the one who needs to make the first move here, and apologize."
The larger man steamed for a second or two more before relaxing back into his seat and rubbing at his temples.
"I can't say I'm unaware that I owe Leo that. I know I said a few things I would wish to take back. At the same time, it was only because Leo drove me to such frustration and I was afraid for him. How are we going to make any compromise work?"
"I'm the last person that should be handing out relationship advice," Stephen said, "and I don't have any bright solutions in mind for you two, but I can say that you really need to talk this one out, say your apologies, and try to move on. Even if it means nothing changes apart from you two having had his experience. You might just have to accept that neither of you will have your own way."
"A dismal thought." Klaus grumbled. "All I want is to know Leo will come home to me, safe and unharmed, every day."
"Do you even remember where we live?" Stephen asked, but he looked sympathetic. "Any one of us could be killed in a freak accident at any second, despite our powers."
"Our probability of dying as the result of an accident is still fairly low when compared to-"
"Klaus," Stephen interrupted for the second time during their conversation, "you're missing the point here; both of you should just be happy you're alive and together. You can work the rest out after you acknowledge that fact."
Before Klaus could respond, Leo re-entered the room from the greenhouse door, looking a little more cheery than when he'd left. He and Zedd were fairly good friends, after all, and it was possible their conversation had lifted his spirits. The young man still didn't look toward Klaus, instead gathering up his things.
"Heading out, Leo?" Stephen called, making Klaus jump a little at the suddenness of the sound.
The young man turned toward them, gaze brushing Klaus' for a single second that felt like electricity to them both, before he looked at Stephen instead.
"Yea, um…it's nearly lunch time. I was about to ask everyone for their order so I can make the rounds and bring it back."
Stephen gave a little chuckle.
"We should pay you double for the amount of times you play delivery-boy for us."
"Oh no!" Leo said, waving his hands and giving an uncomfortable smile. "Please don't say that! I'm happy to do it; I make deliveries all around the city so it's no big deal for me at this point. Um, Stephen, would you like some lunch?"
The dark-haired man looked down into his nearly-empty coffee cup.
"My breakfast was pretty slim." He said. "So I guess I could use a little something. You heading to a particular joint?"
"I was thinking that Asian place we ordered from a few weeks back. Everyone seemed to like the fried rice the best."
"Sounds like a plan."
Leo went person by person in the office, scribbling their order preference on a little notebook that he'd started carrying for this purpose. There were only two others besides himself, Klaus, and Stephen, and he'd already taken Zedd's order, so it made quick work. Then Leo approached the desk, he did his best not to look stiff and on guard. Stephen did his best to smooth things along.
"Klaus, you order first, I'm still deciding."
The redhead made a gruff sound and lifted his head from where he'd been shielding it behind his monitor. He and Leo's eyes danced around awkwardly, trying not to stare at each other too long before Klaus cleared his throat and said,
"Just the beef teriyaki for me, thanks."
Leo didn't need to write that one down, really; Klaus always ordered the same when it came to Asian food. He scribbled it anyway and quickly looked to Stephen. The man sighed, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the two other men.
"Shrimp for me, and a wonton soup. Thanks, Leo."
The young man flipped the notebook closed, and was about to pocket it when he paused, pen hovering halfway in the air.
"Something wrong?" Stephen asked, observing Leo's somewhat troubled expression. It looked like he was struggling with a decision. He let his gaze drift cautiously toward the big man seated behind the desk.
"Um, it's just…Klaus, do you want soup too? You, uh, you usually get the egg drop, right?"
Klaus nodded a little too eagerly, as though thrilled Leo had spoken to him. Leo gave a shaky grin and slipped the notebook into his pocket, backing casually away. His tone was a bit lighter, and he spoke in a rapid, nervous burst of words.
"Ok, good, great, I'll just-."
He tripped over the coffee table behind him and stumbled to one side. Klaus' entire body stiffened, and he nearly bolted up to see if Leo needed help, but Leo recovered and laughed it off.
"Be back soon with all the food!" He called, shouldering his backpack and darting out of the room as quickly as he could without tripping over anything else.
In the silence left by Leo's awkward exit, Stephen slapped his hand to his face and groaned.
"You two had better sort yourselves out soon, Klaus; that was painful to watch."
Klaus gave a massive sigh of agreement and leaned back in his chair.
"Although, I am glad that you at least exchanged words. That's something, isn't it?"
"It is the most courteous interaction we've had in the past three days." Klaus said, folding his hands. "Mostly it's been silence or passive aggression on both our parts."
Stephen gulped down the dregs of his coffee and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"You? Passive aggressive? God help us…"
Despite everything, his friend's words made Klaus give a small smile.
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Leo's entire being was ringing with the aftermath of his embarrassing exit from the office.
What a fool he'd made of himself, like he was some nerve-rattled kid around his first crush, tripping over the table like that. Weren't they fighting? Why had those few simple words made him so happy?
He felt stupid for being so befuddled just because Klaus had talked to him somewhat normally; after these days of tension and ignoring each other's existence, it was the civil speech that was the abnormality now. Leo was struck by how giddy he felt somehow, as though overcome by the hope that maybe they could drop this argument altogether and put it behind them. That simple gesture had meant a lot, and as he straddled his motor scooter and took off down the crowded streets, he began thinking about how they would move forward. He had not let himself think about that lately, having been too hurt and angry to seriously consider how and when to try and talk out their problems.
Now, he began to consider the situation more rationally. He and Klaus couldn't go on like this forever. They were two mature adults who cared enough about each other to make up, no matter how ugly their disagreement had been. That was the reality. Even if it had felt like the world and everything he'd believed true about his lover had been crumbling around him lately, that truth remained in the midst of it all. Only now had he allowed himself to acknowledge the fact.
This though comforted Leo as he went on his way, trying to rehearse how he would bring the subject up to Klaus again. Maybe this evening, when they were both at home. Perhaps he could go with the kicked puppy routine by climbing into bed with Klaus and cuddling up to him, without saying anything. Actions sometimes spoke louder than words when it came to Klaus, and Leo knew that the other man must be wanting this tension to end as much as he did. If he just pressed close and rested against him, with no sign of resistance, and said nothing, it would be the most effective olive branch he could offer. Already Leo began to crave the warmth of Klaus' body, the sure safety of his huge, strong arms. He had felt so cold sleeping alone these last few nights…
Leo let himself consider a few more apology scenarios as he drove, though most of them involved him basically throwing himself on Klaus in some way, shape, or form. The young man had to admit to himself as he finally parked his scooter in the lot beside the restaurant, that it was very likely he was just pent up and craving touch. He hadn't had the drive to even take care of himself since the fight, and it had been an entire week before that since he and Klaus had a second to enjoy each other. Perhaps the needs of his body were weighing into his current temperament more than he'd been aware of before.
Chuckling to himself, Leo entertained a little fantasy of Klaus being so overcome with relief after their resolution, that he would treat him to a full night of strength displays and pleasures. It had been a while since Klaus had strapped him in place with his arms across his massive chest and let him struggle. Or hung him against the wall by his wrists with a single hand, letting his feet dangle or press into Klaus' iron-hard thighs…A pleasant shudder passed through Leo.
As vigilant as Leo usually was, this delicious mental image distracted him just enough to miss the few hulking figures who were following him just a step too closely.
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TBC ;)