[geh.......... that look..... he's looking away from it.]
Alex-tan... should probably live somewhere better than an apartment. I think Miai thinks so too, but I don't wanna give him up~. He'll be lonely~. Alex-tan and I are family~.
[ Leo looks away from it, and he leans in to press his broken nose into his temple. Not judgy, but a little yeah, don't think I missed that. ]
Yeah, s'not where a lion belongs. Be happier havin' bigger space, 'n places to run around. You 'n Garyuu could go visit him, too, he wouldn't really be lonely. I don't think, anyways.
[he knows, he knows... leo leans up fondly to nuzzle kuro as if assuring him that he wouldn't. not intentionally, anyway.]
Well~, I can tell you as a lion that maybe he wouldn't... as long as one of us visited him often enough. Miai could probably become a lion handler if he tried, but if he can't for some reason I'll just get into it myself. ♪
[leo... with a pride of lions at his disposal... so much singing to be learned.]
[ There's a lot of trust there - Kuro butts their heads together like two cats, snorting a little bit. He knows, too. That's why he tries to look out for him the way he does. ]
You'd have a lot of singin' there. Get some baritones for your cat choir. [ ... he also knows him well enough to know where his brain would go first.
He pulls back to look properly at him, shifting his weight again so he can get his weight up on an elbow for a moment to prop his chin in his hand. It's a familiar angle, but Kuro thinks fondly of it the same way he teases Leo fondly. ]
I can help you look, if you wanna. Find someplace for him to go so you 'n Garyuu can figure somethin' out.
[don't call him out like that.................... but from the grin on his face he's already got a plan to test for that, just like he'd done the city cats. kuro knows him too well and he honestly loves it.
it's a nice view, too, and leo lets his arm hang familiarly from the other's neck, content like this.]
Would love it if y'did, Kuro. He's a real money sucker to feed, see, even if me and Miai're splitin' half and half on child custody right now. I insisted since he shouldn't have to pay alone.
[because they're friends, because leo loves alexander as much as miai does.]
Sorta short on funds right now 'cause of it, but it'll be fine. ♪ I know how to make a bit of money on the side.
[ This is better than that heartbroken Leo that'd been in his bed, curled up with Tora and sad-eyed. This cheeky, mischievous Leo is probably his favorite, even if it's resulted in quite a few situations that Kuro's had to dive head-first into to save his as.
(See: bar fights Leo's started and Kuro's finished. See: Kuro leaping into a bullfighting ring with a flaming bull to take Leo's place. See: Kuro wanting to give him the goddamn world, if he can.) ]
Lion's not exactly a housecat, so I can bet it'd be eatin' up a lot of funds to take care of him. I'm sure they've got some kinda wildcat sanctuary that we could find, y'know? Introduce him back into the whole pride thing that lions usually got goin' for 'em.
[ He reaches his free hand out, weight now on his elbow and forearm, flicking some of Leo's wild hair off his forehead. ] Save you some money, get him some enrichment, continue sharin' custody.
Mm~. Didn't think of that, might be a nicer idea than a zoo. Way better than the circus outside Recolle too, that place is... Nnn. [he scowls, shaking his head.] Anyway~, did I ever tell you I joined a cult?
[that's
no, that's. a little something he might've. not. said anything about, ever. and now he's just casual about it.]
[ Kuro, being a reasonable human being that knows that's exactly how religious cults tend to lure people looking for somewhere to belong and express themselves, especially in a moment of weakness or in a situation like Leo's -
Grabs his face in both hands, squeezing his cheeks together until he's making a fishface. ]
[ TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT. YOU'RE STILL A STRESSFUL LITTLE GREMLIN. ]
Why did you join a cult? No, besides what you just told me, there's gotta be somethin' else, 'cause even your tiny amount of common sense should've kicked in the second you figured it was a cult.
And, 'cause I know you, I also know you still haven't left 'em behind.
[ squiiiiiiiish ]
'specially since you're shit at lyin' to me.
[ Kuro hasn't figured out if it's because Leo feels guilty about lying to him, or if he just knows all of his tells, but literally any time Leo won't look him in the face it gives him away that something is Up. So. ]
They'we gettin' ouwt now, okay? They said so. M'hewpin' them. I... wanna see 'em happy. They desewve to be, just as much as I dwo, but-- but it's hawd fow them, okay? They've--
[he's tugging kuro's hands off his face with a huff.]
They've always pretty much been in that sorta thing, so it ain't easy for 'em like it was me. But I'm gonna see this through, Kuro, no matter what. That person... They're important to me.
[ Who are all of Leo's Important People? The ones that he talks about all the time, or has dedicated pieces of his heart to? Kuro lets him tug his hands off his face, staring down at him with his weight on his elbows and his brows slightly furrowed.
It's his Thinking Face. He's not angry, and he's not judging Leo, not on this. Loyalty is a quality he holds in high regard, after all.
Who did he meet in Japan? Who was not a feature of Recollé, before this point? ]
[ He can think of the handful of people that were newly met, here, but it's a matter of doing the math. Kuro isn't a smart man by any means, in his opinion, but this -
Leo is an equation that is puzzling and difficult for many, but he knows the tricks to solve it.
And it's obvious when the lightbulb goes off, after that speech, because his eyes narrow and he focuses solely on Leo's face. ]
This body of mine's got a lotta sex appeal, Kuro. I just can't keep hands off me.
[...............]
And he was the single most beautiful boy I'd ever seen in my entire life. [god. he's still burying his face into the pillow, but he props his head up enough to be heard clearly.] Of course I wanted to stay at his side... That guy was my first love, y'know? And I can't leave people when they're in bad situations, Kuro, you know that.
[he's got too big a heart. it's his heel.]
This tattoo on my neck... It's a mark of my time there. He's got a matching one, though he's got a lot more roses than I'd ever get in my life time, even if I deserved about half that for all the shit I pulled then and now. He's tryin' to get out and I'm not gonna abandon him. [as if kuro'd ever expect him to.] Anyway, this shit stays between us, okay..? You're the only person I've told, like, ever about that.
But he heaves an enormous sigh, dropping his cheek down onto the back of Leo's head with a tsk. Whatever, it's fine. ]
If either of you need help, I'll help. M'not about to let my best friend go off half-cocked on his own, 'specially not if you got your ass in deep with a fuckin' cult. [ How the hell that happens, he doesn't know, but leave it to Leo to figure out a way to join a cult and come out swinging, he supposes. And that Miai is the one that got him dragged into it in the first place...
Well. ]
Y'know I'm not gonna say anythin', though. And you know I can't judge you 'bout any of the choices you've made, not really, considerin' the ones I made before. Maybe not 'cause of my first love - [ Bypassing who that first love was entirely, thanks. ] - but for someone I loved, so I get it, in a way. Important people are important for a reason, you're gonna wind up doin' anythin' and everythin' for 'em.
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Alex-tan... should probably live somewhere better than an apartment. I think Miai thinks so too, but I don't wanna give him up~. He'll be lonely~. Alex-tan and I are family~.
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Yeah, s'not where a lion belongs. Be happier havin' bigger space, 'n places to run around. You 'n Garyuu could go visit him, too, he wouldn't really be lonely. I don't think, anyways.
I only know how one lion works. [ fondly ]
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Well~, I can tell you as a lion that maybe he wouldn't... as long as one of us visited him often enough. Miai could probably become a lion handler if he tried, but if he can't for some reason I'll just get into it myself. ♪
[leo... with a pride of lions at his disposal... so much singing to be learned.]
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You'd have a lot of singin' there. Get some baritones for your cat choir. [ ... he also knows him well enough to know where his brain would go first.
He pulls back to look properly at him, shifting his weight again so he can get his weight up on an elbow for a moment to prop his chin in his hand. It's a familiar angle, but Kuro thinks fondly of it the same way he teases Leo fondly. ]
I can help you look, if you wanna. Find someplace for him to go so you 'n Garyuu can figure somethin' out.
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it's a nice view, too, and leo lets his arm hang familiarly from the other's neck, content like this.]
Would love it if y'did, Kuro. He's a real money sucker to feed, see, even if me and Miai're splitin' half and half on child custody right now. I insisted since he shouldn't have to pay alone.
[because they're friends, because leo loves alexander as much as miai does.]
Sorta short on funds right now 'cause of it, but it'll be fine. ♪ I know how to make a bit of money on the side.
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(See: bar fights Leo's started and Kuro's finished. See: Kuro leaping into a bullfighting ring with a flaming bull to take Leo's place. See: Kuro wanting to give him the goddamn world, if he can.) ]
Lion's not exactly a housecat, so I can bet it'd be eatin' up a lot of funds to take care of him. I'm sure they've got some kinda wildcat sanctuary that we could find, y'know? Introduce him back into the whole pride thing that lions usually got goin' for 'em.
[ He reaches his free hand out, weight now on his elbow and forearm, flicking some of Leo's wild hair off his forehead. ] Save you some money, get him some enrichment, continue sharin' custody.
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[that's
no, that's. a little something he might've. not. said anything about, ever. and now he's just casual about it.]
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[ Kuro was going to comment on the zoo, on the circus.
He stares instead. ]
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[p l e a s e]
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[he stuck to miai and that was it But He's Not Saying That.]
It really called to me when I split off my family. I just didn't like how they ran things in the end and wouldn't leave 'cause I'd made a friend.
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Grabs his face in both hands, squeezing his cheeks together until he's making a fishface. ]
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HE'S NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT HE'S WHINING!!!!]
Lemme go! Kuwo!
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Why did you join a cult? No, besides what you just told me, there's gotta be somethin' else, 'cause even your tiny amount of common sense should've kicked in the second you figured it was a cult.
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I towd you!!! I made a fwiend!!!! I didn't wanna weave them bewhind, so I stayed!
[t h a t is not Technically wrong but it also is Not All Of It.
and because leo can't lie to kuro's face his eyes are Closed.]
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[ squiiiiiiiish ]
'specially since you're shit at lyin' to me.
[ Kuro hasn't figured out if it's because Leo feels guilty about lying to him, or if he just knows all of his tells, but literally any time Leo won't look him in the face it gives him away that something is Up. So. ]
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They'we gettin' ouwt now, okay? They said so. M'hewpin' them. I... wanna see 'em happy. They desewve to be, just as much as I dwo, but-- but it's hawd fow them, okay? They've--
[he's tugging kuro's hands off his face with a huff.]
They've always pretty much been in that sorta thing, so it ain't easy for 'em like it was me. But I'm gonna see this through, Kuro, no matter what. That person... They're important to me.
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It's his Thinking Face. He's not angry, and he's not judging Leo, not on this. Loyalty is a quality he holds in high regard, after all.
Who did he meet in Japan? Who was not a feature of Recollé, before this point? ]
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Leo is an equation that is puzzling and difficult for many, but he knows the tricks to solve it.
And it's obvious when the lightbulb goes off, after that speech, because his eyes narrow and he focuses solely on Leo's face. ]
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leo's squirming so he can plant his face into the bed.]
Don't wanna hear it.
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[ It's almost said in awe, actually. Kuro even lets Leo squirm around so that his chest is against his back while he hides his face. ]
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[...............]
And he was the single most beautiful boy I'd ever seen in my entire life. [god. he's still burying his face into the pillow, but he props his head up enough to be heard clearly.] Of course I wanted to stay at his side... That guy was my first love, y'know? And I can't leave people when they're in bad situations, Kuro, you know that.
[he's got too big a heart. it's his heel.]
This tattoo on my neck... It's a mark of my time there. He's got a matching one, though he's got a lot more roses than I'd ever get in my life time, even if I deserved about half that for all the shit I pulled then and now. He's tryin' to get out and I'm not gonna abandon him. [as if kuro'd ever expect him to.] Anyway, this shit stays between us, okay..? You're the only person I've told, like, ever about that.
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[ Whatever you say, bud.
But he heaves an enormous sigh, dropping his cheek down onto the back of Leo's head with a tsk. Whatever, it's fine. ]
If either of you need help, I'll help. M'not about to let my best friend go off half-cocked on his own, 'specially not if you got your ass in deep with a fuckin' cult. [ How the hell that happens, he doesn't know, but leave it to Leo to figure out a way to join a cult and come out swinging, he supposes. And that Miai is the one that got him dragged into it in the first place...
Well. ]
Y'know I'm not gonna say anythin', though. And you know I can't judge you 'bout any of the choices you've made, not really, considerin' the ones I made before. Maybe not 'cause of my first love - [ Bypassing who that first love was entirely, thanks. ] - but for someone I loved, so I get it, in a way. Important people are important for a reason, you're gonna wind up doin' anythin' and everythin' for 'em.
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