Chapter Text
1st Part: two of a kind, we'll find a way.
May, 2011
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1st Trimester.
What a sunny, gracious Saturday. Full of opportunities, full of chances.
Leo will rather be 5 feet under fucking manure.
But well, Argentina looks as beautiful as always. If Leo has not been able to sleep the last three days, well, it's not really Argentina's fault.
The last three days have been the most terrifying thing Leo has ever experienced. Says the man who used to go to a doctor's office almost each day, 4AM sharp, to get pinched by the largest needles in existence, all to grow a few inches. But nothing is as terrifying as being with Kun the whole weekend, making calls, reading pamphlets, hearing Kun get screamed at by his manager while he tells him the news.
It's a lot. It's not getting better from there. Sooner than Wednesday, Manchester will sign another player that's not one Sergio Aguero, Atletico de Madrid will do a brief and short farewell message that fans will not understand. Then, his face in some cover, some awful words written in red, bold Arial font, the biggest failure of his life open to discussion and gossip. It makes Leo want to vomit; he would like to keep Kun inside a box until the baby is born so he can live a peaceful, happy pregnancy, but Leo can't do that. So, he tries in other ways to be helpful.
He schedules a flight to Argentina as fast as he can, so he can go with Kun and tell the news to his family. He called Pep and told him he would not be at practice on Monday, and Pep did a whole speech about how he hopes all is good and that he can tell him anything if something's going on. And well, yes, Leo trusts Pep with his life, but this is not really his secret to confess.
So, Leo tells him nothing's wrong, but then the whole team is sending him messages asking him if he is fine, and well, he guesses everybody in this team just sees him as a kid.
Well, he is a kid. Kun, too, but he is going to be a father now. So, if he needs to grow up fast for it now, he guesses he can do just the same.
Speaking with Kun's parents sounds like the worst fucking thing in the universe. Kun's mother, Adriana, all smiles and hugs and baked cakes, will probably cry for 3 hours straight after they break the news to them. Kun's father, Leonel, mean as a snake, always looking for Kun to misstep so he can put salt on the wound, probably will cry for even more hours straight. Kun's siblings, all of them worse than the other, loud talkers by nature, will probably overwhelm Leo until he is the one crying.
He could not have come. But he came. Because of course he did.
It will be weird for any other person to be on a flight to Argentina just so he can accompany Kun. Leo is not any other person. So, he sits in a comfortable passenger seat in some taxi that's driving from the airport to Kun's parents’ house, Kun's head resting on his shoulder like it has been since they boarded the flight, sleepy as a sloth. He has been like that the last couple of days, so sleepy, so nauseous. Everything Leo hears him vomiting, it's a reminder that this shit is fucking real and in nine months, a baby that will be the mix between his best friend and some stranger from a bar, will be born.
He wonders where that stranger is sometimes, because he is obsessive like that. How does he look? Is he tall, handsome, his hair dark and chocolatey? Does he think about Kun, or is he some number in the long list of men he has kissed in the dark? Does he have a family, a wife that's home, naive to the fact that another person is having her man's baby? It makes Leo's heart sink in sometimes, and he would like to go to Madrid, knock on every door, ask for names and dates. But he can't do that; what's done is done. That man is not in the picture; he is an ugly beauty mark on his back that he knows is there, but he can't see, he can't reach.
He wonders if Sergio thinks about it too, sometimes. If he wanted this to be different. If he may have wanted to do this better, in the future, with some men he trusts, a man who will actually be there. Holding his hand, cleaning the vomit from his mouth, cooking him meals, and making sure he stays hydrated. It doesn't make Leo's heart sink any less.
The ride home is so long and at the same time, so quick. The house shows up in front of Leo's eyes, big and white, full of flowers and bushes and Buenos Aires' blue skies. The nice house Kun bought, because family always comes first, because they used to live in a shack surrounded by sewage, misery, and danger. And Kun, their wonder boy who never gave up, had made it, and now they can live better. His siblings can study, his parents can rest. The idea of it disappearing, of Kun and his family going back to that old shack, now with another little baby, makes Leo's stomach go upside down, and he promises that he will not let that happen. He will not let the memory of Kun become a dark mole sting in the middle of an old house. He will keep them afloat; he will keep the memory alive.
The taxi stops, and Kun wakes up like a sleeper agent, straight and hard. His eyes opening and automatically closing again, probably not happy about being here. Another day, it could have been so much better. Kun would have been so happy to be with his family, Leo included. Now it feels like an ugly, tedious chore. One somebody has to do.
"We are here, boys." The taxi driver says. He has a moustache and he’s going bald; it makes him look like a cartoon character, his eyes a warm, dark brown. He smiles, happy, unaware of the emotions that bounce in the back of his car. "Welcome home!"
Kun gags by his side.
“Oh, my baby!”
Of course, Adriana screams as soon as she opens the door. All happy and bubbly, always in the mood to see her son. Her hair untied and perfectly straight, probably just coming from the salon. Behind her, one Leonel del Castillo, his face unreadable, but Leo knows he’s happy to see his son. Then, behind him, at least six pairs of eyes looking at the door. Leo wants to dig his own grave, 5 feet under the earth.
"Hi, mom." Kun says, his voice unsteady, his arms rigid at both sides of his torso. "Hi, dad."
"Hello." His dad says, stony as usual. He sounds a bit curious. "What do we owe the surprise to?"
Which is such of mean thing to say, Leo thinks, almost too angry for a second. Kun always defends his father because, well, that's his father. But Leo isn't a big fan of the way he treats Kun. Always demanding more, always expecting more, incapable of a compliment, a hug. It was worse before; it's improved a little now that Kun is in Madrid, but Leo knows it's only a matter of time. And today's news will probably only make things worse.
Kun's father just feels like those kids at school who will steal the other kids' candies just because, because they want to. Because they craved it. Because it was their right. Of course, he treats Kun as a milking cow; it's his right. He gave him life, and now Kun needs to repay him, even if he needs to do it for the rest of his life. And Leo guesses he wouldn't hate it that much if at least he said thank you, he told him he was proud, that he is so lucky to have this beautiful son who loves him. But he never does.
Leo is so tense that it takes Kun's hand on his shoulder to make him relax, to breathe. Kun looks at him, his eyes brown and giant, softly asking Leo if he is okay? All good?
Leo feels like this a lot recently, very protective, always ready for the worst. Somebody has to do it, Kun wears his heart in his sleeve, always open to the good. Leo is anxious, thinks about things around 10 times, plans ahead, braces himself for the impact. This situation has him on his nerves, his skin crawling, like he is the one pregnant himself.
It’s kind of selfish, in a way, but the burn that runs deeply inside him tells him otherwise. He feels like a deer in front of the lights, preparing for impact. He gets that way sometimes. His mother used to take him to appointments and specialists, trying to understand his mind a little bit. But Leo cared too much, thought too much; he was prepared for the worst. And he cared about Kun, probably more than anybody has ever done.
So he moves around the room like a hawk, active and alert. Kun's little brothers and sisters move around like butterflies. Gaston, Mauricio, Daiana, and Mayra almost feel like exact copies of Kun. Leo feels a chill just thinking about another copy running around this house, dark hair, tanned skin, a large, straight nose. It makes something strange inside his stomach clench, his imagination running a marathon. He ignores the thought that comes as quickly as it goes, that he would protect that baby with his life, like he would with Sergio. Because of course he would.
"So, what's going on?" Yesika asks, her voice staying plain, but Leo knows more. Yesika is nice, but she is very protective of her younger siblings. Leo knows it's normal, they have been through a lot as a family, and she has been taking care of Sergio and Gaby when she herself was just a baby, changing diapers and feeding them. She was so small then, but there were still smaller, younger siblings that needed care, and she provided. Her arms rest over her chest, crossed, her eyes looking between him and Kun like she knows they're hiding something.
It makes Leo realize that not only Kun's father is a huge factor, but Yesika too. This is her baby brother at the end of the day.
Oh, brother.
"Well—," Kun starts, almost choking, playing with his hands. His mother sits next to his father on the couch, the fancy couch Kun bought for them. Gaby is standing next to Yesika, her face frowns, like she knows this is something big, feeling the tension in the room. The youngest siblings stay unaware, all of them on the floor, playing with each other. So many kids, and a new one to come. Leo is going to vomit. "First of all, I really hope you guys don't get mad at me for this—" Yesika and his father frown even deeper. Oh, yep, Leo is going to vomit. "And that this doesn't change how I feel about you guys, and I hope it doesn't change how you guys feel—"
"Kuni, we love you." Gaby says, out of the blue, her eyes shining a bit, like she is trying to help.
"Of course, Kun." His mom replies, smiling sweetly. "Nothing could ever change that--"
"I am pregnant."
Well, alright.
Even the kids stop playing and look up, looking at Kun like he has grown horns. His mother and Gaby look shocked, almost horrified, like they were expecting something completely different. Yesika and his father, though, are the whole show. Yesika's face crumbles so hard she looks like an anime character; his father's eyes open so big they look like they're going to come out of their pockets. Leo feels goosebumps going down his spine when Yesika stops looking at Kun and looks at Leo, and she looks so pissed, Leo thinks she is going to beat him up.
"Is this a fucking joke?" Yesika asks, looking at Leo, like Leo had kicked her puppy when she was five. Leo is not sure why she looks so mad at him.
"No, it's not—" Kun starts saying, sighing.
"Holy shit—" Gaby gasps.
"Gaby, don't swear—"
"I hope you're going to be taking care of this now." Yesika says now, again, to Leo.
And... Oh, it's that.
"I'm not the father." Leo says, almost too low, almost unable to say something. Probably unhelpful.
Now, that's another show to see. The whole Aguero family looks even more in shock. Like that's the real revelation. Yesika and Gaby look at Kun, so surprised and so shocked that Leo has a hard time figuring out what that look means.
The whole room shatters after that.
"Sergio, whose damn baby this is—"
"Did you cheat on Leo—"
"I am going to have a heart attack—"
So, there’s that.
The room becomes a circus, like animals and people screaming. Yesika looks pissed, Gaby looks confused, and Adriana is about to cry. All the little siblings, from ages 5 to 8, look at their elders like hell broke loose. It’s a mess.
It all goes down when a deep, rich male voice goes and says: “Is this true?”
Leo and Kun look directly at Leonel Del Castillo, who is sitting on the couch. His eyes don’t really show anything, but his frown is deep still, his hands resting on his knees. He looks directly at Kun, like nobody else is there.
“Yes.” Kun barely whispers, too soft, almost unaidable.
At that, his father sighs, shakes his head, and stands up. He looks at Kun, and that’s something Leo can read: pure disappointment. Then, he turns around and leaves.
The whole room is silent after that. No screams, no snarling, no cries. Just silence.
The conversation quickly cools, like leftovers from last night's dinner. Kun's mother cries, because of course she does. Yesika walks through the house, stomping like a horse, screaming a little before starting to cry too. The children ask Kun a thousand questions, over and over again, probably in shock that their brother is going to have a baby! A baby, Kuni! What's his name going to be?
The only one who remains calm for a second is Gaby, always sweet and quiet. Although sometimes she throws glances at Leo that he doesn't quite understand, as if she's trying to comfort him. About what? Leo isn't entirely sure.
It's... too much. Too much for Leo, so he goes out to the patio, where he sits in a chair too big for him, in front of a small table where he suspects Kun's parents sit to drink mate at snack time, where they sit and talk about how their life finally has meaning, how the elm tree has finally yielded pears. Where they'll sit tomorrow, in silence, both thinking about how that life will disappear without a trace.
Leo sits there for what feels like an eternity, or at least only five minutes, before the door opens and Yesika appears.
Her jet-black hair is now tied back in a high bun, her makeup smudged at the corners. She looks at Leo before sitting next to him, her gaze lacking the harshness with which she'd seen him only minutes ago, reprimanding him for a crime with no suspects. She looks sorry, she looks tired, but above all, she looks shocked. Leo understands her; he was exactly like that three days ago.
"Woah," she says, and indeed, woah. She takes a square box of cigarettes from her jacket pocket and offers one to Leo, just out of courtesy, before taking one out and starting to smoke beside him. It smells of mint and cherry, the scent making Leo feel calm for just a second. She breathes in the smoke calmly, her head leaning back in the chair. "Sorry for yelling at you."
"Oh, it's fine."
"No, it isn't," she says, sighing, her voice sounding angry. An anger not directed at him. "Sorry... I just thought... Maybe we'd be in this same situation in a few more years."
At that, Leo frowns. "What do you mean by that?"
"You know," she says, and looks at Leo as if it were a particularly stupid question. "I thought maybe in a few years... I don't know, that you guys would come along and deliver the same news. But I see Kuni didn’t want to keep us waiting." She sighs, her gaze softening, and she looks at Leo with what appears to be nostalgia... maybe even longing. "I always thought it would be you."
Before Leo can even ask her what she means, someone else opens the door. Gaby shows up her head, sighs loudly, telling her to stop smoking, to come in because Mom needs her, hurry up!, Yesika fighting, putting out her cigarette with the sole of her shoe, before entering the house, fighting, her voice and Gaby's mixing with Kun's and his mother's and the thousands of children who live inside that house, who are part of the family that Leo stopped years ago trying to understand.
One might consider that the worst part is being in that house the whole weekend. And well, it’s bad, don’t take Leo wrong, but leaving feels like he's at his worst at the end.
One would think that the idea of leaving this house, of escaping tense glances, shady conversations, and a furious Leonel Del Castillo who seems to stir up every room he enters, would be the best thing. But no, it turns out not to be. The worst thing is leaving. The worst thing... is that Sergio is staying.
The situation is strange in itself. Sergio and he are in the living room, sitting on the giant piece of furniture that rests there. Sergio is lying across it, Leo is sitting at his feet. Sergio's hand rests calmly on his stomach, gently stroking it, talking about something Leo lost track of five minutes ago. His thoughts only revolve around that hand, on a stomach where a life is growing. Sometimes the idea that this is happening is extremely aberrant, but it is. Leo still doesn't believe it. But the constant vomiting, dizziness, and mood swings are constant proof that yes, this is their life now.
Again, that funny feeling: protection and shelter every time Kun moves his hand over his belly. Leo still doesn't know what to call it, but it only seems to grow.
Sergio says something, something like he can't wait to be in Barcelona and eat Botifarra amb Mongetes at that place near Leo's house. And Leo smiles familiarly, a warmth in his chest just imagining Sergio at that restaurant, eating happily.
It doesn't last long because Adriana Aguero automatically calls out from the kitchen. "Barcelona? You're crazy, you're staying here."
Leo reacts to that instantly, his gaze lifting to look at Adriana. She's in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes, looking at them both with the same gentleness as always, but with a grimace on her face that only shows she's ready to fight if necessary.
Sergio remains lying on the sofa, his face scrunching up.
"And why would I stay here?"
"You're not going to be alone and pregnant in Spain on your own, are you crazy?" Adriana says, still gentle, but stern, as she continues cleaning the dishes. "The first few months are calm, but I want you to be here with us for the whole thing."
"Mom—" Sergio begins, sitting on the couch, looking at his mother. "I'm not going to stay here."
"Do you really want to be in Spain when all this is out of the bag? Seriously? We have to sell the house in Madrid, the news will come out if necessary, and I don't want you there when all this is over. It's not good for the baby. It's not good for you."
It makes sense, in a way. Atletico already feels like a monstrous presence in Sergio's life, like a claw that grips his leg, never letting him go. He hadn't been happy for months; this only seems to make things worse. Leo wouldn't want any more stress in Sergio's life, and staying in Argentina would be a good idea. It would be ideal.
But that funny feeling brewing in his chest only seems to shrink. Leo imagined Sergio in Madrid, close to him, where Leo could fly every weekend, be close to him. Watching Sergio grow, being close to make all this easier. The idea of Sergio in Argentina, 13 hours away by plane, just makes a strange presence settle in his stomach.
The idea disgusts him, to a level that's ridiculous. He looks at Sergio, thinking he'll fight this, but he doesn't; he just sighs and nods, unable to say anything else this weekend that would make everything even worse.
So Leo says nothing. He says nothing when Sergio doesn't fight back, when he watches Gaby and Yesika arrange a room in the house for Sergio to sleep in, he says nothing when Sergio's little siblings ask about baby names and insist on sleeping in the same bed with him.
Leo doesn't exactly feel like an outsider here; he never could. This family has watched him grow up over the past few years, ever since Sergio and he met. The last six years have passed with his family and Kun's tightly knit, like tangled hair. So Leo can't possibly feel particularly uncomfortable, left out, but every hour that passes, knowing he must leave soon, only makes him feel worse.
Their conversation that Sunday morning is short, but Leo carries it with him for days.
"Don't do anything stupid," Leo said, trying to sound funny, maybe relaxed, but his tone is odd, very outlandish, like every time he tries to make a joke that lands flat, that never makes anyone laugh.
"I don't think I could do anything stupider than this," Sergio laughed. Because of course, he did, the only one who seems to laugh at his jokes.
Sergio kissed his cheek and then smiled at him. The warmth such act carries, stays with Leo for days. He ignores it quite well.
(Late at night in Barcelona, as the days go by, when he lies in bed alone, it’s when it’s harder to ignore it.)
June, 2011
Barcelona, Spain.
Well, being in Barcelona the next few days is strange, because it feels the same as every other day he's been here in recent years, but completely different.
Leo plays well, the team is the same as always, Pep is still the same as always. The reports about Sergio leaving Atlético Madrid come out, and although everyone looks at Leo wanting to ask him what's going on, no one does.
No one does, even when it comes out that Sergio won't be playing for a long time. Piqué makes jokes that are as boring as always, Xavi scolds him, Fàbregas rolls his eyes. It's all the same. But Leo feels different.
The cat comes out of its shameful, dark bag just weeks later. The sun is shining brightly in Barcelona, and they have a game against Real Madrid soon, so Pep puts his foot down their throats, almost like a tyrant. Training is long, but Leo appreciates it; the distraction is pleasant. When the news leaks out, Leo isn't entirely surprised.
Kun and he talk whenever they can, sometimes at night when Leo gets home. Sometimes it's very early in Argentina, and Kun's voice is thick with sleep, while Leo's eyes seem to close as he listens. Sergio sleeps a lot, too much; the vomiting is better, but there's a lethargy in his voice that makes Leo smile as he lies back on the sheets.
"I'm surprised it hasn't leaked," Sergio tells him one of those nights, his voice heavy with sleep. "Atlético doesn't seem to have the moral compass to keep it a secret."
"They don't seem interested in leaking it."
"But it's still gossip. All it takes is for someone to hear it and then tell someone, and for someone to tell someone until Hola! magazine knocks on my door and asks me who the father is."
"I don't think that's going to happen."
And Leo truly believed it, at least for a second, until Monday arrived and there was a gossip column with an entire paragraph dedicated to the fact that, well, Atletico Madrid and Sergio Kun Aguero have ended their relationship for a third party. For a baby, more specifically, not for Manchester City as had been expected for months. Expected, that’s funny, isn’t it?
Leo knows everyone will ask questions, because, well, it's gossip. Everyone loves gossip. But the questions don't come so quickly... The congratulations do.
"Oh my God," Piqué says as soon as Leo walks through the door. There's a twinkle in his eyes, and his voice sounds as funny as ever. Which means his mood is upbeat, but he's still Piqué. "A baby, you kept that one well hidden."
"It wasn't my secret to tell," Leo says, very quietly, already ready for all the questions to come. Although he doesn't feel ready for when Piqué hugs him tightly. "Uhm, Gerard?"
"Oh, Leo..." Xavi begins, his face relaxed and happy, approaching to hug Leo as well. "A baby, how wonderful, congratulations."
"You're having a baby, Leo," says Iniesta, sitting on the benches, his hands cradling his face, like he's a happy child. His voice sings as he says, "Kun must be so nervous. Tell him we send our congratulations."
"Oh, okay—" Leo begins before being interrupted again.
"I can't believe Leo's having a baby," says Carles, equally happy, a smile on his face as he approaches Leo as well.
Leo is very confused, and only seems to feel worse when Alves and Villa start happily singing some lullaby out of nowhere, playing with Kun and Leo's names. Pep enters the room, and Leo thinks everything will calm down, but he just looks at Leo with a smile and joins the hug. Never in his life has Leo been hugged by so many people at the same time.
"Guys," Leo says, in the middle of the party they're having in the middle of the locker room, just half an hour before practice starts. "I'm not having a baby."
"Well, no, obviously it'll be Kun," says Piqué, that same twinkle in his eyes. "Which surprises me, personally, I thought it would be the other way around."
"Guys," Leo says, sighing, pulling away from the hug, finally getting it. In the same situation two times, he should get a nickel. Everyone continues to stare at him with joy and happiness, not understanding why Leo isn't happy. "Sergio is having a baby, it's true, but... I'm not the father."
It's like watching a balloon pop, basically, as everyone's faces automatically fall. There's no singing, no smiles, and no sparkle. Piqué looks like he's just watched his dog die before his eyes, Xavi seems genuinely surprised, and Pep starts straightening his tie.
"I don't understand," Villa says, his face furrowed.
"Aren't you together, like, why do you mean that baby isn't yours?" Piqué says.
Leo blinks. "We're not together."
The confusion only seems to get worse, suddenly.
"You guys aren't together?" Dani says, and Leo can hear Mascherano sitting in some corner, laughing, saying something like, "I know, right?!"
"But... You guys are always together," Xavi says, at the same time that Carles sighs forcibly.
"We are... We are best friends."
"I thought that was a cover," Xavi says again, sighing, looking at the floor, as if thinking about his entire life in just a second. "I thought... we thought you weren't ready to talk about this."
"No, guys," Leo says, sighing, closing his eyes for a moment, his hand delicately passing over his eyebrows, caressing his furrowed brow. "I'm not gay."
Alves only raises an eyebrow at this, but doesn't say anything else. No one, in fact, until Pep coughs uncomfortably, only to say, "Well... Time for practice."
Obviously, news spreads like wildfire, because as Sergio said and Leo just confirmed, everyone loves gossip. No one asks questions in practice, and no one says anything when the topic comes up, but Leo can feel everyone staring at him, which is definitely an experience.
There are reports on serious sports programs and hours of coverage on less serious entertainment programs. Spain seems to be vibrating, like a rattlesnake, at this news. Leo watches, fascinated and horrified, as one of Hola! magazine reporters travels to Argentina to ask Yesika questions in the middle of a supermarket, which ends with Yesika slamming her fist into his face and a cameraman being pushed to the ground.
"He asked me how I felt about my brother ruining his career," Yesika told Leo days later in text messages when the topic came up. "He should be grateful I only broke his nose."
Sergio deals with it the best way he can, and Leo tries to support him. It's difficult; they're so far away. Sergio sometimes cries into his phone, and Leo can imagine it perfectly. His silhouette in the middle of a kitchen, water heating on the stove to make a mate, nauseous and with raging hormones, surrounded by people asking him questions he doesn't want to answer and a father who maybe doesn't hate him, but who doesn't love him very much right now either.
"I wish you were here," Kun confesses one day, the first day Leo hears him crying. Leo holds his breath when he hears it, and Kun just sighs, his breath shaky. "Sometimes I feel like you're the only one who understands me."
Leo sighs and thinks, not for the first time in his life, that he feels that way too. That, in a long, crowded sea of people who treat him either like God reincarnated as a soccer player or like he's an antisocial freak incapable of getting a joke, Kun is the only one who seems able to see through him.
Kun never says anything like that again, not even on the nights when things are harder, not even on Leo's birthday at the end of June. A birthday that passes without glory or parties because Leo has nothing to celebrate, no one to celebrate with. Although that's a lie, he does have things to celebrate, and he does have people to do it with, but he'd rather spend that night glued to his phone, listening to Kun talk about how he ate an entire carton of ice cream with hot sauce and how his doctor told him the baby is healthy and growing so fast, Leo, so fast.
There are better ways to spend his 24th birthday... And yet...
August, 2011
Everything seems fine. Distance has to work harder to separate Kun and Leo. Conversations are sometimes very few and far between, but it's still better than nothing. No one harasses Leo or asks him questions, and practices go on completely normally. In mid-August, they play against Real Madrid, and Leo's head hurts just thinking about it, but everything seems fine for the most part.
Until one night, when Leo calls Kun, he doesn't answer. Which is weird, so Leo tries again. And if he tries like five more times, well, no one in this big, lonely house can say anything to him about it.
He tries not to panic, but he can't, and he finds himself calling Yesika, his heart pounding in his chest. She answers almost on the last ring.
"Leo," she says, instead of saying hello, her voice strained. It only makes Leo tense up more.
"Yesika, where's Kun?"
"He... He's fine, he just doesn't want to talk right now."
"Yesika—"
"My dad and he fought." Leo hears sounds in the background, and Yesika's voice lowers, as if she's telling him something she shouldn't. "And he doesn't want to talk to you because of that. It was... It was ugly."
"The baby—"
"The baby's fine," Yesika says quickly, knowing Leo would ask about it. "And so is he. It was just a push—"
"He pushed him?!" Leo yells, before realizing he's yelling. His voice echoes in the long hallways of this white house, where he's the only one living. Yesika sighs, her breath trembling slightly.
"He's fine, Leo," Yesika says, softly, in a way Leo doesn't think he's ever heard her in his life.
The mere thought of Kun, fragile and sweet, crashing into a wall, his big, brown eyes confused because his father—his FATHER—had pushed him, makes Leo want to break walls. Leo feels like he might do something crazy, a rage that moves inside him like blood, spicy and strong.
"Hand me Kun," Leo says, serious, trying to control himself. Yesika sighs heavily and says something that sounds like an acknowledgment, like an okay, Leo, before a lot of static is heard in the background: children playing, Kun's nervous voice.
It's too much; it could have been 5 seconds or 5 hours before Leo finally hears Kun's voice.
"Leo." His voice sounds like it always does, but Leo can read him better than anyone. There's a certain shock, a certain nervousness that makes Leo want to throw up. He's unable to say anything for a moment, and Kun, being who he is, fills that silence by speaking. "Leo, I'm fine—the baby's fine. Everything's fine. You don't have to worry. It was all a... misunderstanding. You know how dad is." And oh, Leo knows. He's a despot, a tyrant who has treated Sergio like a golden goose, like his dream come true, even before a son. But now he's a mere mortal, and God forgive him for making a mistake, as if he were the first person to do so. Leo is furious, even more with himself for leaving Kun there, there to be hurt, there to be mistreated. His heart beats so fast inside his chest that he feels like he is going to have a heart attack.
"Kuni—" Leo starts, but stops. He's not quite sure what to say. Good thing Kun is always ready to speak and babble something, even if it's nonsense.
"Everything's fine, I don't want you to worry. It's just... a fight. It won't happen again."
Leo knows it's not true. He knows it will happen again. And he can't bear it. He can't let Kun there, he can't just—
"Move in with me." Leo says, without thinking, but as the second passes, it just makes sense. Kun doesn't say anything for a moment, and Leo continues. "Sell the house in Madrid, come here with me. Your mom, your sisters, they can come whenever they want, there are enough rooms here—"
"Leo," Kun says, sighing. "I can't do that; they need me."
"They need money, and that's it," Leo says, and it sounds ugly, but he says it anyway. "And I'll take care of that, don't worry. But you're not staying there. I'll buy you a plane ticket, and you can come here tomorrow." Leo sighs, trying to calm down. Trying not to make this worse. "You hate being there. Your dad's an asshole, and your mom won't let you breathe, and here... Here you can be at peace. You can eat whatever you want, you can rest, you can... You can..."
You can be with me.
Kun doesn't say anything for at least a full minute. Leo doesn't say anything either, just waits, resting next to the island table. The same island where Kun rested his elbows exactly two months ago, telling him the biggest secret of his life, changing both of their lives forever.
"Okay," Kun says, and though his voice trembles, there's conviction beneath it all. Whatever's in Leo's chest burns strongly, but calmly. Kun in Spain, Kun in Barcelona, Kun here, Kun with him, as he should be.
It sounds right.
Leo assumes he should feel stressed, tense at the thought of his personal space being invaded. But he doesn't. When Leo picks Kun up from the airport the next day, with a billion suitcases and a loose shirt to hide the little baby bump that's starting to grow, Leo doesn't feel stressed or tense.
He feels happy.