Chapter Text
Leon hadn’t left his room in days.
That was a problem. Not only was he missing out on valuable study time, it just wasn't like him to .. avoid everyone.
Taka had overheard Hina talking to the chef in the grade above and no food had been taken lately either. Which meant either Leon had found a way to sneak snacks into his dorm room or..
Or Leon wasn’t eating.
Which was bad. Very bad, even.
Taka knocked on the door to Leon’s dorm and waited. He got no answer, so he tried again. Silence greeted him once more. His hand fell to the knob, noticing that it was.
Unlocked?
Taka really didn't like coming into rooms without asking. He and Leon weren't really.. close? They were friends, sure, but it was the kind of friend that was sometimes in the category of acquaintance. It was often hard to tell if they really felt the same about each other, and right now was one of those moments.
Would he really mind?
Taka felt guilty as his fingers wrapped around the gold doorknob.
Something was wrong.. He needed to check on him. Bring him food even. Find out the root of the problem and hopefully fix it. With newfound determination, he turned the knob.
“I’m coming in. Pardon the intrusion..”
The first thing that he noticed was the state of the room.
It was horrible. Posters strewn about, shattered picture frames across the floor with glass that crunched beneath his feet. In the corner, an acoustic guitar laid, four of the three strings plucked and broken. Scuff marks on the wall, broken bottles of cologne..
It was like a tornado of grief had destroyed everything in its wake. It was painful to look at to say the least. The lack of Leon anywhere in sight made the anxiety in his stomach jump into his throat.
“Leon?”
A soft sniffle came from the bathroom. Almost inaudible if Taka hadn't been so keen on finding him. Carefully, he trudged across the chaos about the room. The door to the bathroom was wide open, and a flash of bright hair caught his eye. Taka reached forward and knocked on the door frame cautiously.
Leon didn't even look up.
He didn't need to for Taka to see the state of him.
Huddled in the corner of the bathroom, Leon looked like a complete mess. His hair glimmered with grease, which told Taka that he hadn't showered or changed his clothes. His bronze cheeks were stained with mascara and eyeliner, and his eyes were bloodshot and glazed over. Taka couldn't help but audibly gasp when he saw him completely.
“ Leon ?”
Unlike before, Leon blinked and looked up. His eyes started to water again, and he blinked them away quickly.
“Oh. Hey.”
Good god , his voice was so hoarse. Had.. had he been screaming? There's no way he hadn't. The rooms were soundproof too, so no one would have noticed, but..
Taka slowly kneeled in front of him. Leon’s soft blue eyes followed until they were face to face. He dug around in his pocket and pulled something out.
Leon continued to stare right through them as Taka reached forward with a cloth- before pausing just in front of his face.
“Ah- may I touch you?”
Leon didn't refuse, head lolling to the side as an invitation. Taka exhaled shakily and nodded, pressing the handkerchief to his friend's face. He made sure not to scrub too hard when getting off the mascara, though it seemed like Leon wasn't fully aware of what was happening to begin with.
With his face somewhat cleaned up, Taka folded his handkerchief and tucked it away in his pocket. The room became quiet and tense, neither of them saying anything for a minute or two.
Taka decided to break the air.
“You haven't been eating, have you Leon.”
Leon shrugged, pressing more of his body weight into the wall behind him. His eyes weren't as glazed, but there was something undeniably sad about them.
“Haven't left.”
Taka furrowed his brow, gripping his thighs tighter. What would someone do in a situation like this? He tried thinking about what he would like when he found his mother lying .. there ..
NO!! Taka shook that thought away immediately. He had done his time overthinking about that, now was the time to focus on Leon !! Think, think…
“.. I’ll be right back. I’m going to get you some food.”
Leon’s eyes seemed to brighten, but not in the way Taka would've liked. Without another word, Leon lunged and clung to his arm like the world was ending. Instead of the silently suffering individual from before, Leon was now muttering almost incomprehensible.
Like he was afraid. Like he didn't want Taka to leave him.
“Ple-please- pleasepleaseplease. do-dOn’t–” He hiccuped, breathing in harsh and not completely, before squeezing his arm tightly. “-- don’t let her- please-”
Taka jumped, opening his mouth to comment on the sudden change in behavior before closing it. Leon continued to mumble something about ‘her’ and ‘finding him’, leaving Taka more confused and worried than before.
It felt so.. Wrong.
Leon was never one to have meltdowns like this. At least as far as he was aware, Leon wasn't anything other than a cocky and proud man that had a bit of an anxious streak. The behavior in front of him almost seemed manic or desperate.
It was.. Sad.
“I-” He really needed to get food, but even if he could leave, it was a bad idea to leave Leon like this.
“.. I-I’ll stay. I'm not leaving the room.”
Leon relaxed a bit, but didnt let him go. It seemed to ease his anxiety at least. Taka situated himself into a more comfortable position, leaning against the wall with Leon glued to his arm. Taka awkwardly placed his hand over one of Leon’s, feeling an ache in his heart.
“.. Leon, I–”
Taka paused, looking for the right words. He didn't want to scare Leon off before he got to calm him down.
“.. Why haven't you left your room?’
Leon moved his face, which was previously buried into his arm, to look up at him. He pressed closer, gnawing at his bottom lip before deciding to speak.
“.. my mom.”
That startled him. Taka vaguely recalled talks about her, though nothing came to mind immediately. What about Leon’s mother would cause him to look and act like this of all things?
A memory had hit him, one from a while back. Before he even had the notion to leave and care for his own..
Oh god. That’s right. Leon’s mother was also sick.
Taka put two and two together, and a strangled noise came out of his throat without realizing it.
“Oh. Oh . Leon, I..”
Leon always spoke so fondly of his mother. She was seemingly a kind individual that cared for him greatly, and Taka recalled hearing him on the phone with her a few times. Memories of Leon masking his worry, nudging Hiro in the side or sliding a hand over Sayaka’s shoulder with fiddling fingers came to him.
It was almost strange, how what seemed like for the first time he could understand Leon.
“.. I found out last,” Leon continued, clearing his throat and averting his eyes. “Kaito.. Kaito apologized to me. And when I asked why he just..”
He was the last one to find out about his own mother’s passing?
“I’m sorry for not coming to class. M.. m’sorry, I just..”
Taka’s hand jumped to rub soothing circles on Leon’s shoulder in an attempt to console him. That was just.. So horrible. Taka could barely handle the emotions of putting his mother into a medical facility that could care for her, much less the grief of losing her and finding out at the last minute.
“Please, don’t apologize. You are not in any trouble for needing to grieve.. I’m.. I’m so sorry.”
Leon sighed into his sleeve, pulling away to wipe at his eyes momentarily. A question came to his mind.
“Does .. Sayaka know?”
Hesitantly, Leon shook his head. That wasn't much of a surprise though. As soon as Sayaka finished her exams, she let the class know that she would be going on a world tour with the rest of her group for the summer. Leon had been bummed about it at first, but they texted frequently so he seemed to adjust.
“I see. Is there anything I can.. uhm do?’
“Just-” Leon leaned against him, clearing his throat again. “Just stay. Please.”
Taka nodded, using his free hand to reach into his pocket and pull his phone out. It was a bit difficult to type with one hand, but he managed to send a text Mondo’s way.
Can you bring some snacks to Leon's room? The door is unlocked.
It didn't take long for a few dots to pop up before he got a thumbs up emoticon. Good, Leon would get to eat soon. For now, he just had to completely ground the other.
It was hard to think of anything to say besides questions, but it was the only thing on his mind. Him and Leon didn't really have much in common to talk about, and Taka cursed that mentally. Perhaps if they had talked more, Taka would be able to comfort him better..
“Sorry about .. clinging to you like this. I.. I can let go.”
“Oh!! No, no I promise it’s not a problem. I was just.. Worried. That was quite the reaction. Who were you talking about? Who do you not want to find you?”
Leon tensed up, tightening his hold. Ah.. he did something wrong, didn't he? It was a foolish question to ask, he shouldn't have pried–
“My cousin.”
Without thinking Taka blurted, “Who, Kaito?”
He shifted a little, eyes, darting around the bathroom and then staying on the door.
“.. no. Uh. On my dad’s side, actually.”
That made him curious admittedly. Most of his classmates kept their family details to themselves, except those who had relatives attending the school, so it was rare to hear anything about someone not at Hope’s Peak.
“What has you so afraid of her finding you?”
Leon nibbled at his bottom lip a bit before taking a deep breath. He looked around once more, as if to comfort himself with the fact that no one else was there. Taka felt him toy with the buttons on his sleeve before replying.
“My cousin is.. Really weird. She uh .. she stalks me. A lot. At least- she did it before I got here? I just– she’s a fuckin’ creep, and ..”
Leon seemed very interested in the third button on his sleeve.
“.. My mom was the only one who really seemed to.. Care about it. It’s really dumb.”
He laughed dryly, prying himself away from Taka to hug his knees and run a hand through his greasy hair.
“I.. man, not even ten minutes ago did I have no fuckin’ clue what was happening. Then I get all.. Weird on you. I’m.. really gross.”
A loud growl emitted from Leon’s stomach, and with a flushed face, hugged tighter to his chest as hunger pangs suddenly kicked in.
“.. a-and.. Hungry. I guess. Sorry.”
Taka placed a friendly hand on the shoulder of his friend, and shook his head once more.
“No need to apologize, Mondo should be here with snacks for you any second now. Then we can wash you!! I imagine it’s very uncomfortable to notice how .. unkempt you are. I hold no shame to you.”
Leon’s face flushed darker in shame.
“Dude, c’mon.. Wait, what do you mean ‘wash me’??”
Before he could answer though, a knock echoed through the bathroom and they both snapped to find Mondo standing in the doorway with a plethora of snacks wrapped in his bōsōzoku jacket. He offered a smile and-
Dumped all the snacks on the floor.
Taka was positively appalled . That was unsanitary!! Why would Mondo do that!! Taka didn't want Leon eating food that was on the FLOOR?! He was about to scold his dear bro, when something stopped him.
Leon was laughing . As in, loud, amused laughter. Ah, now he got it. Mondo was trying to make him laugh. A bit of an .. unconventional method, but it worked so Taka focused more on that part than the .. food on the floor.
Mondo sat himself across from them, tossing a bag with anpan that hit Leon right in the face. He snatched the bag and scrambled to open it, shoving the sweet bread into his mouth with no hesitation.
The two of them shared a look, Taka’s expression softening.
“Leon, don’t eat so quickly!! You’re going to get a stomach ache!!”
“Hrgk– ACH– Y-you’re the one who said some shit about ‘washing me’!! I’ll eat however I want!!”
That got Mondo to choke on his own snack, patting his chest to dislodge the food stuck in his throat. With a few coughs, he looked at Taka baffled.
“I’m sorry, y’said WHAT NOW??”
With a groan, Taka pinched the bridge of his nose, choosing to simply ignore them in favor of picking up a snack for himself. It was strange, the three of them sitting in the bathroom of Leon’s trashed dorm room, but it was peaceful. He sympathized with Leon’s pain, as he had returned with some of his own. Without a doubt it would be hard for Leon to grieve and cope in a healthy way, and the mention of that cousin of his also brought much concern but..
For now, it was best to focus on the present.
They were laughing and at peace. As friends do. Taka smiled softly as he bit into the taiyaki, the idle chatter of his two friends in the background.
Ah, and he was right.
Leon
did
get a stomach ache.