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The beep of a call disconnected was another slap in the face in what was turning out to be an unending week. Leo lowered his phone, rubbed his face. It was funny; there had once been a time, after he had found the very people who had just blown him off, when Leo thought life would finally just be easy.
No such thing.
For a second, he considered cursing Vlad for stepping into his doom like that, but then he sighed. What use would blame have? It wouldn't bring him back. It wouldn't tell him where Vlad was, or how long they had to save his ass.
Breath in. Breath out. Breath in.
Vlad was strong. Tetra was terrified of him, which was good — they wouldn't hurt or provoke him. As usual, the biggest challenge was Vlad himself. He could easily break out, if he didn't believe whatever hellish prison he was in was what he deserved.
First Nosferatu, now Vlad... Were all his vampire-adjacent loved ones in need of therapy?!
A timid knock came just then, lifting his mood. He sprung to the door, eager to welcome her.
Laia looked better. The circles under her eyes less pronounced, her weak smile almost genuine. She had a plate of orange slices with her, like a vision from above.
Maybe more literally than I would have realized a week ago, he thought, amused.
"Hey," she said, voice a bit hoarse from disuse. Hot. "Hm, I thought I'd come see how you're doing."
"Come in," he said. He took the plate — the slices were nicely presented, he noted — put it on the dresser, then hurried to embrace her like he'd wanted to since seeing her. Carefully, firm, warm.
She hugged him back as hard as she could, her body clearly stronger.
Relief the likes of which he still wasn't used to warmed him. It wasn't a lack of worry, and it wasn't mere contentment. It was more like faith. A certainty that things would be okay, that the three of them would figure it out.
Her cold finger tapped his nape three times — their new little language. Tap, tap, tap. I. Love. You.
"I love you too," he whispered in her ear. "So much."
They sat on the bed — Leo's back against the headboard, Laia against his chest. The two of them shared the oranges, both of them trying to leave the juiciest slices for the other — and inevitably laughing when it became clear what they were doing.
By the time he'd kissed the remaining juice off her fingers, a peaceful quiet had settled between them. He could fall asleep like this, head resting on her head resting on his shoulder. Almost Heaven, missing only one piece.
"The scar is fading," he murmured.
She sighed. "Yeah." Why did she sound...
He tilted his head, trying to get a glimpse of her face.
Her very disgruntled, very sad face.
"What's wrong?"
She hesitated. "It's stupid."
He held her tighter, kissed the top of her head. "I highly doubt that."
Laia thought for a moment, fidgeting with her swallow necklace.
"I just—" she started. "I wish it wouldn't disappear. I don't want... I'm not ashamed or afraid of it, of him. And I don't want him to think I am."
Leo wanted to reassure her that Vlad would have the common sense to believe her, but he couldn't, so he just kissed her head again.
She continued, a little shyer. "And... Well, this really is stupid."
"Well, then I must hear it." He kissed the crook of her neck, hoping the attack on this sensitive spot would lower her defenses. Laia shivered, and he was glad she couldn't see his smile.
"Um, well, I... I kind of liked... the idea of the two of us matching. Because of Vlad." The last words she said in a hurry. He paused, intrigued by the idea.
His own scar had completely faded, which he'd been grateful for at the time. He wasn't sure there was any sport that could be used as an excuse for a bite-shaped injury on his neck.
But the mental image Laia had presented, of the two of them being equally marked and wanted — visibly belonging to him...
Well.
"That's not stupid at all."
If Laia noticed the way his voice had dropped an octave, she didn't comment on it.
She changed the subject, fortunately. Her recovery process didn't allow him to take her on the vanity table again, and that's where they were headed if they continued that topic.
Her hand started playing with his hair, her other hand in his. "How was the call? Any news?"
It was his turn to sigh. "Nothing. They're unyielding."
Familiar bitterness crept in the corners of his mind — a small voice asking, Haven't I proved myself? Didn't I do enough? What else should I have done to make you not abandon me?
But he shut it down. He understood where Alan and Nela were coming from, why they were afraid. All they saw was a partially destroyed castle, dried blood on stakes, and the bright one they were supposed to protect, bitten. No wonder they didn't trust him when he said Vlad wasn't dangerous to anyone but himself. The gentle way Vlad had put Laia in Leo's arms meant nothing to them.
No matter. He had a purpose, a sense of direction. He and Laia would free Vlad soon, one way or another. He couldn't believe anything else.
Laia squeezed his hand one, two, three times. I. Love. You. "We'll work it out. Vlad is strong... You'll see. We'll be laughing about this in no time." Her smile was too shaky to be properly reassuring, but she wasn't wrong.
He looked at their joined hands, absentmindedly stroking her ring finger. A memory came to him, of him carefully joining Laia's and Vlad's hands while both were recovering from the Dark World, weeks ago. It had been both strange and joyful, how right Leo had felt when he held both of them that night.
He missed it. How come Vlad didn't understand that? That they wanted to hold his hand in whatever form it was?
Something to work on when they got him back, he supposed. Leo had always been interested in exposure therapy, and he saw no better opportunity to use it.
Laia kissed his cheek, efficiently halting his train of thought.
"Would you mind if I stayed here for the night?" she asked.
"Why do you even have to ask?" He held her tighter, kissed her forehead. "I would love it if you stayed. Preferably forever."
She laughed a little. "I wouldn't mind."
"It is settled, then."
They talked some more, of Laia's plans to resume restoring tomorrow, and Sandra's idea of a location spell for Vlad. Eventually, silence settled between them like a blanket.
Laia was starting to nod off, but before she fell asleep, she kissed his shoulder, one, two, three times. I. Love. You.
"I love you, too," he whispered back.
Holding each other, they fell asleep in the quiet. Life was almost easy.