Work Text:
The breakup had been amicable; Leon and Matthew agreed that they were better off seeing other people. Yet, they couldn’t stop seeing each other to have sex. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t let each other go.
That’s why Leon was pacing his apartment, phone to his ear with Matthew on the other end. Matthew was in his car as he was talking to Leon.
Matthew kept telling Leon that he was in such a hurry to see Leon that he was running all the red lights he came across. Leon was scolding Matthew, telling him that he wasn’t that important to risk an enormous fine and however many demerit points on Matthew’s license it was. Matthew always deflected, saying he wasn’t happy with the closure of the relationship and that they could handle it another time.
The conversation quickly spun around to Matthew saying he would try not to think about Leon but would fail every time. Leon smiled softly at that; knowing he was still on Matthew’s mind, even when he had no right to be, was heartwarming. When Matthew uttered the phrase: why put out a fire when it’s still burnin’ Leon felt electricity shoot through his veins. It made Leon think that Matthew really did care about him beyond the casual sexual encounters they were having.
Matthew rambled on, soon saying that he had thought he was getting close to moving on from whatever it was they had been doing together. Matthew chuckled wryly before he said that point was null and void now. Leon inhaled weakly as he ran a hand down his face. When Leon exhaled, he felt tears start to prickle the corners of his eyes.
The only words Leon could form coherently through his nerves and the lump in his throat were: I miss you. Leon heard a sharp intake of breath from Matthew which made Leon swallow thickly. Leon found the courage to keep talking. He told Matthew that he didn’t care what tonight meant for their relationship status in the morning—all Leon knew was that he wanted Matthew as badly as they both wanted a Stanley Cup.
Matthew reiterated what he had said earlier about how he was running all of the red lights to get to Leon. This time, however, he said it with more desperation and authority. He sounded like he was ready to cry. That made Leon’s heart want to explode; Leon wasn’t sure if it was from adoration or sadness. Matthew once again uttered: why put out a fire when it’s still burnin’ ; Leon’s body coursed with electricity in much the same way as it did the first time.
Matthew went silent for a few moments and all Leon could hear was the traffic whizzing by Matthew as he drove. Leon continued to pace his apartment mindlessly, tears starting to streak gently down his face. Matthew sighed on the other end when he heard Leon sniffle. Matthew stated that he knew they both agreed that the relationship was over a long time ago and he knew that it was late but he wasn’t backing out of this now.
He stated that he had one more red light to run before he reached Leon’s apartment complex. Leon inhaled sharply and wiped some of the tears away from his face with his sleeve. Matthew verbalized when he pulled into the parking garage of Leon’s building and Leon heard the ignition of Matthew’s car switch off. Hurried footsteps rushed out of the car and into the building as the line stayed completely silent otherwise.
It was a couple of minutes later that Leon heard a knock echo through his apartment from both the apartment itself and his phone. Rushing to the door, Leon swung it open and saw Matthew standing there. Leon threw himself into Matthew’s arms and sobbed. Matthew hugged Leon tightly and whispered into Leon’s hair.
“Why put out a fire when it’s still burnin’?”