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Leo had naturally disarmed him as time went on. Not to say Jin disliked the young girl when she first came to live with them, but he wasn’t sure what to do or say around her. He was a junior in college and she was a sophomore in high school. The age gap was noticeable. He was polite, but distant at most. It was a gradual process, of her slowly taking down his walls. Not breaking them. Just gently tapping her fingers upon the surfaces, and concrete would melt away. As if they were never there at all.
Leo reminded him of his mother. Gentle, kind and never judged a book by its cover. True, she was a bit rough around the edges, in the way a teenager would be. Head-strong, and somewhat impetuous. But the one thing he admired about her most was, unlike many teens who tended to get discouraged or gave up quickly, Leo always found a way to make things work. She was resilient. Relentless. Like a bright burning red fire that tore through the dark.
He respected her.
And he certainly gained a lot more of respect for her when he found out how his mother really found her. He felt like someone shot him straight through the heart when Jun finally admitted what had really happened, how she really found Leo. It was no wonder the blonde was a firecracker. She had been living on her own out in the streets. Homeless. Completely alone. And still getting herself to school somehow. He was floored. How did no one know about this? How did Jun not know? Why didn’t she tell them the truth?
He started to take note how Leo viewed the world around her because of that. Despite her situation, she still beauty in everything around her. She never gave up. Ever. He wished he had her strength, and passion. He wished he could be more like her. And that others could learn from her too.
All of them had become very attached to her in their own ways. Jun, who was very happy to have another child in the house, and someone she could baby a little. (Jin and Asuka were too old for that now.) Asuka was like a big sister to her, who was practically bound to her flesh, and was always floored by the girl’s artistic talent. Leo would try to show her how to draw during some of the quieter days. And finally Jin who… up until now, was not really sure what his feelings were towards her.
He valued her. He cared for her. But it wasn’t anything beyond that, until the months passed by. Her kindness and love slowly won him over. And eventually his feelings for her developed into a deep affection. One he wasn’t sure what to do with. It was easy to know what he felt for his family, he loved them he and always would. They came first. Hwoarang was his best friend. They were bros. With each other to the end.
But Leo? She was the strange anomaly that he had no idea what to do with. He tensed up each time she got close to him. Going red in the face when she tended to some of his wounds he received after getting into a violent scuffle with some thugs after classes because they wouldn’t stop making passes at Asuka. Or how she comforted him after his nightmares about his father.
She was never flowery with her words or acted as if she knew what was best for him. She just listened. And would stay up with him for a good portion of the night when he was too afraid to go back to sleep. He could remember waking up and seeing her passed out in his chair. He hoisted her in his arms and put her back to bed. Thankfully that night wasn’t a school night so she could sleep in for a little while at least. There would be some nights of that. Jin having nightmares, and Leo sitting to comfort him.
He wasn’t as reserved after she saw that side of him. She made him feel complete now. Another piece of his heart that was now irreplaceable. He wouldn’t say it out loud. But His nightmares had slowly been replaced by visions of her now. She held his heart in her hands, cradling it close to her chest.
He hoped she’d never let go.