(A/N): We continue with Jerremyah, Leo and Lisbet. I'm currently in the middle of writing chapter 433... we are yet to learn the source of Lisbet's nickname, but I feel we are close.

Jerremyah

Leo frowned, a bit indignantly. "I do respect that-" Lisbet raised her other eyebrow to meet the first, and the blush that had been starting to flag was suddenly reinvigorated. "I do," It almost sounded petulant, which wasn't something I would've typically associated with Leo- nor do I think it was a phenomenon that happened very often in general. "It's just a little harder to put into action in real life, rather than in my head." He said quietly, reluctantly- and even only having known him for a few days, I was endlessly proud of him for having done so- I could only imagine how Lisbet was feeling.

And she was feeling it, I could see it loud and clear on her face- hopefully Leo could see it too, but I feared that that was more of a coin toss. "People want to be around you, you know that?" Her voice was soft, and I understood now why she got that look on her face whenever I was gentle or kind, because I was sure I had a similar one on my face currently. Leo hesitated, and she tried to take that as an answer, but he brought his hand up- the one not currently still tangled with mine- and put it over hers, on his cheek.

"I know that. I know. I mean-" He cut himself off, and then his face scrunched up. I saw Lisbet open her mouth, and I shot her a look until she closed it again. There was only silence for quite a few seconds, before he seemed to cave to that silence, and broke it. "With my friends, and Mia, I can listen to their heartbeats, and I know they're not lying, but-" 'Not lying'. Not 'telling the truth', but 'not lying'. I'm sure Nuria would've been pleased if one of her trainees had thought to make the distinction, but Leo wasn't one of her trainees- he was a fifteen year old boy, who was talking about the possibility of his friends lying about wanting to be around him. Even Nuria would hate to hear something that.

"Leo..." He shook his head, and I knew that Lisbet regretted saying even that much when he lowered his eyes to his feet. To counteract that decision, she stepped in until the toes of her shoes were pressed to his, and his options were to stare at her chest, or raise his eyes. Predictably, he looked away- but to the side rather than to her face, or better yet, her eyes. "I don't know how to make you believe that people want to be around you for you- really believe it, rather than just in theory- and I'm sure your friends have been working on it, as well-" He nodded, without even the slightest hesitation. Good. "-I guess the only thing we can do is make our intentions clear." His eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean-?" Her hands left his face- well, left was a bit strong. She slid them backward over his ears, then through his hair; down the sides of his neck, until they met my arm resting across his shoulders. She leaned in closer, and enveloped him in her arms- with my arm trapped between them. It didn't bother me- in fact, I rather enjoyed it. Being part of something like this, even in such a minimal way, was incredibly heartwarming- and not just because Leo's beating heart meant he was quite warm, and Lisbet was only pressing me further against him.

"You're my sweet boy. My sweet little boy. You're mine. I'll not let you go 'til you make me, I promise." I could smell the change in his emotions; hear his heartbeat elevate, but I had no idea what either of those particular things might mean. Then he started purring, and suddenly, I knew exactly what it meant.

His arms went around her, which in and of itself was fine- but he hadn't removed his hand from mine, and as such, now both of us had an arm around Lisbet. I wasn't complaining, but it... it felt like it might've been too soon. We had embraced my first day here, when she'd sent Leo away so we could discuss him being her kit, and she'd practically thrown herself into my arms earlier, when she'd been distraught about Leo telling her- but that was all before we'd turned that corner. Before I had gone from the chaser, to the chased. From the Seeker, so the Golden Snitch. And all it had taken was a little introspection.

I froze, but after a few seconds it was clear that Lisbet didn't care- or at least, that she had bigger things on her mind. Leo shaped things, specifically. In the end, I let my arm rest on her lightly- if only because Leo still had my hand ensnared in his, and if he'd bothered to make the effort to put me in this position, he probably enjoyed the contact. And I, like Lisbet- and the rest of my new clan- was all for making- and keeping- Leo happy.

Lisbet's head was on the other side of Leo's, her face pressed halfway between his ear and the crook of my arm; her black as night, silky sheet of hair flowing across the three of us where we were connected. The contrast between that and the light golden blonde of Leo's was almost a treasure in and of itself- the only treasure I'd ever found myself coveting, besides the woman herself. There was a kind of harmony in it that I craved, even with such polarity between the two. Like some sort of natural- or perhaps unnatural, in our case- balance; yin and yang- no. No, ugh, enough poetry- purple prose hadn't gotten me anywhere in the past, and I doubted this time was going to be any different.

"You're a good kid, Leo." I wasn't going to use his full name like he'd used mine- I knew they meant two very different things. I didn't hate my name, it was just a mouthful- and while I wasn't the fondest of the fact that it was the name my parents had given me, it was also the name I'd met Lisbet under. The name I had married her under. I'd made my peace with my name, for the most part. "You're kind, and loyal, and smart- among a whole host of other things that aren't coming to mind, right now. If nothing else, you should know that- if I didn't like you, I would tell you to your face. I wasn't exactly the nicest to you that first day, so you know I have no reason to fake it." He made a small noise in the back of his throat that was audible even through the purring.

"You'd-" The thrum was clearly making it difficult for him. "-Lis. Mad." It was a bit garbled, but I still got the message.

"I'd tolerate you, of course, but I'm not very good at that. As I told you before, I'm a very all or nothing person- I hate, or I love, incredibly deeply. Middle grounds are no man's land... they suck, and I hate them." He huffed out a laugh, and I heard one of the best sounds ever- the rumble that was unique to someone laughing while purring, made all the more special because it was coming from him.

"Arright. Y'like me. I geddit." He was barely coherent, and for some reason that was hilarious to me. The fact that he was trying so hard to get the words out, even if his uncontrollable purring was making them hard to understand. Well, not hard... slightly more difficult, but not- it was easy, because I was desperate to hear what he wanted to say, no matter how much work it was to try to mentally translate, at the current moment.

"Then is it so hard to believe that other people like you, too? Or is it just because I'm an incorrigible bastard, and you think I have no better options?" There was no better option- not just for me, but anyone. Lisbet made a noise in the back of her throat, and I wasn't sure if it was more because I'd referred to myself as an incorrigible bastard, or because I'd used poor language in front of her kit... again.

"We're both bastards," She made the noise again, louder, and now the cause was even more muddled. I felt her jolt like she'd started to pull back to scold us, before she remembered that she'd promised him she wouldn't stop until he told her to. "My mother and father weren't married, that makes me a bastard, Lis." No, they... certainly weren't. He said it much the same way young children do when they're trying to get past their parents own language bans, spouting off things like, 'bitch is a female dog'- it both warmed my heart and made it ache, since in that comparison, Lisbet was his mother.

"That's not what he meant and you know it, Nounours." Even though I couldn't see most of his face, I could tell he was grinning- and then, his face softened slightly.

"Well, I don't agree with the other option, so I embrace the technicality." Oh... his face wasn't the only one that softened.

(A/N): Lisbet: '(...)- and I'm sure your friends have been working on it, as well-'

Leo: 'Yes, they have- and I live in fear of the day that you and Elaine finally team up to declare war on my insecurities.'

also

Jerremyah: *writing poetry in his head about his little found family*

Jerremyah: 'No, no, no one wants to hear my poetry.'

Lisbet and Leo, from the corner: 'We would like to hear-'

Jerremyah: 'NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR MY POETRY.'

Lisbet and Leo: 'I guess we'll... try again later?'

also

Jerremyah: 'I'm an incorrigible bastard.'

Leo: '...me too.'

Jerremyah: * 0.0 *

Jerremyah: 'No. No, no, no. No, that's not what- that wasn't supposed to happen.'

also

Jerremyah, looking in the mirror: 'Bastard.'

Leo, stepping up beside him: 'Bas-'

Jerremyah: *wibbles Leo's cheeks*

Jerremyah: 'Baby boy. Baby.'

also

Jerremyah: *thinks about a scenario in which Lisbet is Leo's mother*

Jerremyah: 'Ow. My heart. And also, my nonexistent ovaries.'

also

Lisbet: 'Can men have biological clocks? Because I think I can hear yours ticking, dearest.'

Jerremyah: 'Really? The alarm kept going off, and the snooze button broke, so I hit it with a hammer. It's been quiet for about ten years, at this point.'

Leo: 'What is that mysterious ticking noise?'

Leo: 'Kinda... catchy.'

Translations (French):

Nounours = Teddy Bear. (I will not shut up about it, because I think everyone deserves to be reminded that Lisbet's primary nickname for Leo is 'Teddy Bear'.)

I refuse to apologise for the Harrison Ford 'Baby Boy. Baby. Evil.' meme reference, and the Potter Puppet Pals 'Mysterious Ticking Noise' reference.