AN: 2/2016 Revised chapter.
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Sora walked out of Dr. Kate's office, her neck very straight.
Leon tilted his head. "You're allowed to relax your neck now."
"I-I can't seem to." She grunted a little, her neck bending barely a centimeter.
He shook his head. "It must be stiff from being in the brace."
They walked to his car. Leon watched with no small amount of amusement as she stiffly entered the passenger side.
"I can help."
Her head turned perfectly horizontal. "Really?"
"After some lunch."
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"Mmm," Sora's lashes fluttered as his hands worked her neck muscles. "It really hurt at first but now..."
He pushed his thumbs along the top of her spine and skull, bringing out a mewl. Her head drooped forward as he continued working the area.
"Starting tomorrow, you may cook."
Her eyes shot open. "What?" She made to straighten up, but his firm hands kept her in place. "I thought we agreed to disagree."
He took a moment to squirt some more oil onto his hands and then continued on. "I never agreed to let it go."
"Mou! I get injured and I still have to do manual labor for you?"
"Cooking is hardly classified as 'manual labor.' "
She pursed her lips. "I thought -" she paused as he tilted her neck to the left, letting it stretch as he massaged the muscles, "-you like to cook. So -" he turned her neck to the right, "wouldn't I be taking an important, valuable, pastime from you? That doesn't sound nice."
He tilted her neck back, letting her face him. "This is a valid point."
She started mentally patting her back when a half grin appeared on his face.
"I will just have to cook with you." His thumbs ran along the sides of her neck, "Teach you what I know."
"I know how to cook," she pouted.
"You never stop training," he murmured.
"That's your life motto, not mine."
"Yes," he agreed, "while yours is to keep going, no matter what." He bent over to nudge noses. "Sounds similar to me."
She crossed her arms. "Fine. But I claim creative freedom for the dishes we make."
"As long as it is not life threatening to ingest."
"You're such a brat," she laughed, "I feel bad for -" she promptly swallowed, your family, "your previous trainer."
He noticed the slight hesitation, but chose to not bring it up. "Alen?" He softly scoffed, lightly ruffling her bangs. "He deserved what I gave."
She knew switching to his trainer wasn't the greatest of options, but his family would have been even worse.
"Rosetta trained with him for a short while," she pensively thought out loud, "did you know that?"
"No."
"He taught her about the trapeze. Helped her get her timing right."
Leon hmmed. "He used to be the best of the best." His hands moved under her jaw. "It was said he could tell exactly what you needed within five seconds of a routine."
"Really? Geez, that's amazing..."
He lightly shrugged. "It was years ago, mind you. After Sophie and I left, he became a has-been, drinking his days away."
"...It's not your fault."
"What wasn't?"
"That he wasn't the best anymore."
He looked at her, thinking about his last days with his trainer.
"Only a demon can raise an angel." Alen's frown became more pronounced as a younger Leon opened the door, his sister close by his side. "Do you think you have what it takes to be a demon, Leon?! A true devil that could only have come from hell itself!? Hah! Don't make me laugh!"
"We'll do the maneuver without you," came the teen's reply, his young eyes neutral in the face of doubt, "You are obsolete."
"...This should be enough for today," he murmured, standing up to go to her restroom. "You can move now."
He washed the oil off his hands. He caught red in the mirror above the sink, not surprised to see that she followed him.
"He came to talk to me," she quietly revealed, "after our first performance."
Leon sharply turned his head towards her. He came? He had been so certain Alen would have refunded the ticket for money.
She smiled, seeing that he was interested in hearing more. "His eyes were swollen like after a long cry, but he seemed so at peace, so I guess it was a good cry." She grabbed one of his hands even though it was wet. "He said...he had never seen anything so glorious and that we complemented each other so well, like..." her cheeks colored a little, "a match made by Fate."
Alen had said so with a knowing grin that, at the time, she had not really understood what it meant, thinking that he had been speaking in terms of stage partners. But looking back now, she could see another layer. Even he, a stranger to her, could read what was there between her and Leon.
It probably only took him five seconds.
It felt like everyone around them had been aware of their feelings long before either one of them did.
He pulled her hand, bringing her into an embrace. "Thank you."
"N-No problem." She hugged him back. "I would have told ya sooner, but, well, you know..."
"Know what?"
She blushed. "We weren't dating...and then telling you what Alen said would have just made things awkward..."
"How?"
"Oh you know how, buster! Stop trying to make me redder than a firecracker!"
"Firecracker analogies aren't used for blushing."
She lightly rolled her eyes. "So sorry to mix it up, wise one."
"I think," he tilted her head up, "you need to know how it is used and why."
Her fingers clenched his shirt as he kissed her. He broke it off, liking the dreamy look in her eyes.
"I don't get it yet," she playfully murmured, lightly tugging his hair, "You need to do it again."
He complied, putting more pressure on the kiss. With her neck brace, he had to be careful when he kissed her. Now though...he pushed her against the bathroom door frame, feeling her angle her mouth for a deeper kiss. He was pleased to feel her enthusiasm, especially when she put her arms around his neck. Still concerned about her neck, he put his hands at the base of her skull, his thumbs resting along her jawline.
She smiled into the kiss, catching on to his concern.
A creaking sound had her soon frowning, disrupting the mood. They looked at each other for a second and then turned towards the sound.
"Ah, you left your door unlocked, but I probably should have knocked," Rosetta blushed even more, not daring to look at them as she spoke, "The Boss wants to talk to you two."
Then, the teen ran off.
"Thanks!" Sora called out. "I, uh, guess I should start locking the door."
"...That would be wise."
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AN: Poor Rosetta! But it could have been worse... XD