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Entry tags:
To Confide;
Title: To Confide;
Character(s) or Pairing(s): Leon, Otome
Rating: PG! CHRISTMAS IS FOR FLUFF
Warnings: NOPE, FLUFF
Summary: It took three months for Leon to show any signs of opening up.
Dedication: KIA.... kia you know I love you and there's not a lot I can say here that's not totally superfluous I JUST LOVE YOU A LOT AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY and I am here for you and you are forever in my thoughts.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! ♥
--
It had been an honest miracle.
The fact that her wish (though it may have been a bit much to act as though it was her herself who made this happen, wasn't... it the answer? Wasn't that how this had happened?) had brought Leon back to her instead of sending him home to a watery grave was something that every day Otome thanked any higher powers that were listening.
Not gods, though. The gods she knew from the demon summoning app were haughty enough, honestly. They didn't need anything feeding their egos further.
Either way, though, Otome was incredibly grateful. True, she didn't know much about him even now; Leon was prickly, yes, but he was especially bad about sharing information about himself. He clamped down harder on that than on anything, and Otome had tried all manner of gentle prodding and asking. She just assumed he would tell her when he was ready, and for now, she knew enough.
She knew that he was dead back home, a tragedy that he seemed to believe he deserved. She knew that he was someone who had been through a lot, and thus needed some care.
And she knew that he was a kind young man, regardless of how he acted.
So she was more than happy to accept him into her arms and home. And Leon... well, Leon took it, he accepted it as well, and he tried his best to fit in and do what she asked of him. She could see the effort he put into things, and it honestly made her heart ache. He tried so hard to fit in, despite the changes to the world and the large culture shock. He tried so hard to make public high school work, even though it truly wasn't made with someone like Leon in mind.
He tried, tirelessly and silently, to please her, and Otome wished that he would accept it when she told him that she was just happy to have him there.
But she tried to be patient, and just be there for him. The changes...well, they were small, but nonetheless they were there, and she was happy about it.
It was enough.
The holiday decorations had been her idea, naturally; Leon had shown no interest in it, though he'd at least helped her set up the small tree, and he'd held the box of decorations while she'd used the step stool to put up the star (watching her with wary eyes, as though afraid she'd fall). But otherwise, he seemed utterly unaffected by the holiday cheer.
That was fine. Otome would have enough holiday cheer for the both of them. She was determined.
Thus, when Christmas morning dawned, there was a small gathering of presents at the foot of the tree. Otome remained in pajamas (fleece pants and a large t-shirt), though Leon wandered into the living room fully dressed (perhaps a remnant of his upbringing again, but Otome just didn't really know for sure). He looked at her (she raised her mug of cocoa, gesturing towards the still-warm mug for him on the table), and slowly, he migrated his way over there.
"Merry Christmas, Leon," Otome said with a gentle smile, when she could see that he was at a loss for what to say.
Jerkily, he nodded in response to that, wrapping his fingers around the warmth of the mug; Otome was undeterred by how he didn't return the greeting, unfolding instead from her curled up position to move towards the presents.
"Would you like to open your presents now?"
Leon blinked then, startled enough to ask, "'My'-- what are you talking about?"
This wasn't surprising, Otome thought, but still a little sad. She kept the smile firm, though. "Your presents. We exchange presents with our loved ones on Christmas, so these are for you."
She dug one out, and offered it to him, and almost as if in a daze, Leon accepted it, staring down at the wrapping. Otome wasn't the most competent wrapper ever, so the ends were uneven and the tape was a little crinkled, but she'd tried, dammit.
"I... don't need this," he finally responded, but he made no effort to give it back, and Otome just sat back on the couch, waiting patiently for him to open it. He hesitated a moment longer, looking up at her as if for direction. She continued to watch him patiently though, otherwise saying and doing nothing, and he sighed, shaking his head and...finally opening the gift with careful movements, smoothing the wrapping paper as he set it aside. It was as endearing as Leon always was, all rough edges and prickliness until it came to preserving Otome's roughshod wrapping job.
The gift was nothing special; she'd tried for practical but also enjoyable, and so there were notebooks, and pens, and new textbooks (and a few comic books, in the hopes that Leon would enjoy something normal for his age). But from the almost reverent way that Leon treated each gift, it was pretty obvious that he was not used to this at all.
Not surprising, again. But again... it was sad.
"Ah." After a moment of contemplating his gifts, Leon made a small noise of remembrance, before disappearing to his room. When he returned, he held a gift as well, and after a pause of consideration, he offered it to her. "It isn't as though I wanted to get you something, but...as you said, it is tradition, so..."
The excuse was weak, but Otome decided to preserve the peace and not call him out on it this time. Instead, she accepted the gift, warmed by the very thought (and when was the last time she received a gift from someone she could call family?) and said quietly, "Thank you, Leon."
Leon paused, expression torn, wrestling with something deep down, before he sat on the couch, head ducked slightly. But his voice was clear when he finally spoke up, responding uncertainly but clearly, "Emilio. My real name... is Emilio."
Otome blinked in some surprise, gift still held in her hands, before a proper smile spread across her face. She knew what this was. This olive branch Leon--no, Emilio was offering... it was an attempt to share more about himself to her, and she'd never been happier to have such an important gift.
Character(s) or Pairing(s): Leon, Otome
Rating: PG! CHRISTMAS IS FOR FLUFF
Warnings: NOPE, FLUFF
Summary: It took three months for Leon to show any signs of opening up.
Dedication: KIA.... kia you know I love you and there's not a lot I can say here that's not totally superfluous I JUST LOVE YOU A LOT AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY and I am here for you and you are forever in my thoughts.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! ♥
--
It had been an honest miracle.
The fact that her wish (though it may have been a bit much to act as though it was her herself who made this happen, wasn't... it the answer? Wasn't that how this had happened?) had brought Leon back to her instead of sending him home to a watery grave was something that every day Otome thanked any higher powers that were listening.
Not gods, though. The gods she knew from the demon summoning app were haughty enough, honestly. They didn't need anything feeding their egos further.
Either way, though, Otome was incredibly grateful. True, she didn't know much about him even now; Leon was prickly, yes, but he was especially bad about sharing information about himself. He clamped down harder on that than on anything, and Otome had tried all manner of gentle prodding and asking. She just assumed he would tell her when he was ready, and for now, she knew enough.
She knew that he was dead back home, a tragedy that he seemed to believe he deserved. She knew that he was someone who had been through a lot, and thus needed some care.
And she knew that he was a kind young man, regardless of how he acted.
So she was more than happy to accept him into her arms and home. And Leon... well, Leon took it, he accepted it as well, and he tried his best to fit in and do what she asked of him. She could see the effort he put into things, and it honestly made her heart ache. He tried so hard to fit in, despite the changes to the world and the large culture shock. He tried so hard to make public high school work, even though it truly wasn't made with someone like Leon in mind.
He tried, tirelessly and silently, to please her, and Otome wished that he would accept it when she told him that she was just happy to have him there.
But she tried to be patient, and just be there for him. The changes...well, they were small, but nonetheless they were there, and she was happy about it.
It was enough.
The holiday decorations had been her idea, naturally; Leon had shown no interest in it, though he'd at least helped her set up the small tree, and he'd held the box of decorations while she'd used the step stool to put up the star (watching her with wary eyes, as though afraid she'd fall). But otherwise, he seemed utterly unaffected by the holiday cheer.
That was fine. Otome would have enough holiday cheer for the both of them. She was determined.
Thus, when Christmas morning dawned, there was a small gathering of presents at the foot of the tree. Otome remained in pajamas (fleece pants and a large t-shirt), though Leon wandered into the living room fully dressed (perhaps a remnant of his upbringing again, but Otome just didn't really know for sure). He looked at her (she raised her mug of cocoa, gesturing towards the still-warm mug for him on the table), and slowly, he migrated his way over there.
"Merry Christmas, Leon," Otome said with a gentle smile, when she could see that he was at a loss for what to say.
Jerkily, he nodded in response to that, wrapping his fingers around the warmth of the mug; Otome was undeterred by how he didn't return the greeting, unfolding instead from her curled up position to move towards the presents.
"Would you like to open your presents now?"
Leon blinked then, startled enough to ask, "'My'-- what are you talking about?"
This wasn't surprising, Otome thought, but still a little sad. She kept the smile firm, though. "Your presents. We exchange presents with our loved ones on Christmas, so these are for you."
She dug one out, and offered it to him, and almost as if in a daze, Leon accepted it, staring down at the wrapping. Otome wasn't the most competent wrapper ever, so the ends were uneven and the tape was a little crinkled, but she'd tried, dammit.
"I... don't need this," he finally responded, but he made no effort to give it back, and Otome just sat back on the couch, waiting patiently for him to open it. He hesitated a moment longer, looking up at her as if for direction. She continued to watch him patiently though, otherwise saying and doing nothing, and he sighed, shaking his head and...finally opening the gift with careful movements, smoothing the wrapping paper as he set it aside. It was as endearing as Leon always was, all rough edges and prickliness until it came to preserving Otome's roughshod wrapping job.
The gift was nothing special; she'd tried for practical but also enjoyable, and so there were notebooks, and pens, and new textbooks (and a few comic books, in the hopes that Leon would enjoy something normal for his age). But from the almost reverent way that Leon treated each gift, it was pretty obvious that he was not used to this at all.
Not surprising, again. But again... it was sad.
"Ah." After a moment of contemplating his gifts, Leon made a small noise of remembrance, before disappearing to his room. When he returned, he held a gift as well, and after a pause of consideration, he offered it to her. "It isn't as though I wanted to get you something, but...as you said, it is tradition, so..."
The excuse was weak, but Otome decided to preserve the peace and not call him out on it this time. Instead, she accepted the gift, warmed by the very thought (and when was the last time she received a gift from someone she could call family?) and said quietly, "Thank you, Leon."
Leon paused, expression torn, wrestling with something deep down, before he sat on the couch, head ducked slightly. But his voice was clear when he finally spoke up, responding uncertainly but clearly, "Emilio. My real name... is Emilio."
Otome blinked in some surprise, gift still held in her hands, before a proper smile spread across her face. She knew what this was. This olive branch Leon--no, Emilio was offering... it was an attempt to share more about himself to her, and she'd never been happier to have such an important gift.