Archive of Our Own

Leonard sat at a table in the most used break room of the Saint Samuel Cathedral. A couple of his fellow Red Gloves were playing cards with him. They conversed comfortably and some groaned on occasion when they received awful cards. Nothing was on the line, so none of them cared enough to hide their expressions.

He felt a bit on edge. Leonard knew his fellow Tingen friend was currently attempting to advance to the next sequence. Though he trusted in the judgement of the Church, and in the strength of Klein, he could not help but feel uncertain about him advancing. After all, losing control became more of a problem when reaching higher sequences.

Klein had assured him beforehand that he had digested the Magician potion many months ago and that the higher-ups only stalled because they were scared of his rapid advancement. Leonard didn’t dare to tell his friend that he shared their thoughts.

His distracted mind lost him another round.

“Leo, you worry too much. Klein is literally one of our best around. Captain would never have recommended his advancement if he wasn’t sure it would go well.” Nancy said, one of the people playing. Nancy and him were both still under Captain Soest, both having reached sequence 6 more than half a year ago.

Leonard sighed and grabbed the cards to shuffle them for a new round.

“That doesn’t mean there’s no risk, sequence 6 was the most difficult one for me so far. I almost lost control, something that I hardly experienced with sequence 9 through 7. I just don’t want the same, or worse, to happen to him.”

His fellow Red Gloves nodded, some of them having the same opinions. Leonard remained in his own head and lost every game that followed.

The door opened and Captain Soest entered, making the team stand up in haste. Leonard searched his face for any sign of information about Klein. He knew that Crestet Cesimir was the one overseeing Klein’s advancement, but the Captain would have likely remained nearby, ready to help and step in at any time.

“Klein’s advancement went alright, though he will have to rest for a while.” Relieved noises scattered across the room. With his wits and kind demeanor, Klein had become somewhat of a popular person among the Red Gloves. It would also be dangerous and very disadvantageous for the Church and its surrounding citizens if an advancing sequence 6 lost control, regardless of whether someone were nearby to seal or end them.

Having calmed his heart, Leonard smiled.

“Captain, do you want to join our game? We’re playing Uno.” Uno was a card game invented by Emperor Roselle, that was often played in comfortable work or home environments.

He smiled. “Sure. The paperwork can wait until—”

“Please refrain from impersonating me or other Beyonders during work hours without prior notice.” A tired Captain Soest emerged behind the Captain Soest in the doorway.

The Soests exchanged a glance before the first Soest let out a sound not unlike a giggle and covered his face with his hands. Large granules formed on his hands before receding and revealing Klein.

The Red Gloves stayed silent for a moment. Klein looked at them and took an exagerrated bow, eliciting a few claps and snorts from his fellow team members.

“I’d still like to play Uno, if that’s alright.” He pointedly looked at Leonard, who controlled his stupefied expression a bit too late.

He rolled his eyes in amusement and made space for him to join. Dylan, a sequence 7 Nightmare, shuffled the cards and dealt them. They played multiple rounds, Klein not winning a single one.

“You’re not usually this bad at card games.” Leonard noted, having improved his winrate, now that there was nothing to worry about.

Klein yawned. “I wasn’t lying about needing rest, it’s just not as dire as I implied.”

Leonard looked at him in concern. “Shouldn’t you go home? It’s not like they expect you to work today.”

“I’ll be fine, just a couple more rounds and I’ll head home.”

“We just finished this round, you might as well stop now.”

Klein puffed. “If only you cared this much about doing your work properly, then I wouldn’t have to cover for you whenever you forget to submit your reports.”

Leonard stood up and motioned for Klein to do the same.

“Let’s go, I’ll walk with you.” Their house was near the Cathedral, barely a ten minute walk away. He knew from experience that Captain Soest wouldn’t reprimand him for walking a spiritually unstable teammate home.

They had bought the house soon after Klein advanced to sequence 7, the cut-off point for applying to become a Red Glove. The two men stayed together after the disaster in Tingen, both desperately wanting to advance in order to get their revenge.

At that, Klein shrugged and followed him. He said goodbye to the table and walked past Captain Soest’s office to let him know of his departure.

Soest showed a thumbs up, not looking away from the papers on his desk. Leonard looked at him in sympathy and vowed to never become a captain, lest he be cursed with the same fate of constant paperwork.

Walking through the halls between the Red Gloves’ headquarters and the Cathedral, Klein rubbed his face and yawned again.

“So how is it like, being Faceless?” Leonard attempted to get information out of him. As one of the only Nighthawks from the Seer pathway that Leonard had met, and the only one to advance to sequence 6, he was curious to what changes he had experienced. Before the Church had obtained the Clown potion formula, the Seer pathway was not as valuable or as often chosen as the others in its possession.

Klein looked up in contemplation. “I can immediately store and remember someone’s appearance and change into them. I can also create new appearances for myself and turn into those. It’s not all-powerful though. For example, I can only raise or lower my height by about ten centimeters.”

Leonard hummed. “So your original body is the base for any changes you make?”

Klein nodded. They walked in silence for a bit and reached the corridor leading outside.

He thought of something and stifled a grin. “Can you also turn into a woman?”

Klein elbowed him and grumbled. “Shut up.”

Leonard laughed whole-heartedly. “I’ll take that as a yes. Do you have to do things similar to Demonesses as well?”

Klein’s face heated up and he punched Leonard with full power. The Soul Assurer had no problem with it and swiftly stepped out of the way, snickering loudly.

“No! Never say that again, you…” Klein pressed his lips into a thin line.

“Me?”

“Curly-haired buffoon.”

Leonard barely held his laughter in, sensing the animosity from his dear Seer. Klein moved past him and walked outside, not waiting for Leonard to follow him.

He took a moment to take a breath and jogged to catch up with him. “I’m just joking, I wouldn’t dare wish that upon my dearest teammate.”

Klein grumbled something under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” Klein looked in thought, his pace moderately slower than usual. Leonard adapted to it. They reached Klein’s front door and he grabbed the keys from a pocket from his windbreaker.

Inspecting his keys, Klein spoke up again. “Also, even if I were to look like a woman, I’d still be myself. Even down…” He cut himself off, averting his gaze elsewhere.

“…So don’t get anything in your head.”

Leonard blinked.

What did he…

“What?! Why would I ever… Klein! Are you insane? I’d never suggest anything as… as… perverted as that!”

Klein immediately shushed him, glancing around for people overhearing them. “I’m just saying it in case you think about it. Which you shouldn’t.”

Leonard stared at him in disbelief.

“Whatever, I’m going to bed. See you tomorrow.” Klein opened the door and went inside, leaving Leonard to himself.

“See you tomorrow…” Leonard said to empty air.

“Can you believe that guy? Crazy, I tell you.” He softly muttered to the man in his head.

The old man didn’t respond.

He shook his head and went back to the Cathedral, where a long day of work awaited him.

<(0)>

Klein collapsed onto the couch in the living room. He fell asleep almost instantly, ignoring his need for food or a change of clothes.

When he woke up, the sun had gone down. He instinctively knew he had slept about six hours. Today was Leonard’s Chanis Gate duty, so he knew not to expect him home any time soon. Unfortunately, Chanis Gate duty didn’t disappear just by becoming a Red Glove.

Klein stretched his arms and back, relishing in the smoothness of his joints. This was a perk of becoming a Faceless.

He moved to the bathroom and placed a paper figurine on the toilet, making it look like it was dozing off.

Just in case.

He then took four steps counter-clockwise and went above the gray fog. He wanted to see if anything changed with his advancement.

He felt the fog closer to becoming a part of his body and noticed he would be able to summon more people above the gray fog, making him think about recruiting more people for his beloved Tarot Club.

He eventually decided against it, awaiting any developments that might occur naturally.

He monitored any other changes and went back to the real world.

There, he took back the paper figurine and flushed the toilet. He washed his hands and moved to his bedroom, the one across from Leonard’s.

He changed into sleeping clotches, made himself comfortable in his bed and slept another couple of hours.

He awoke to Leonard entering their house. He tried doing it quietly, to no avail.

Klein rose from his bed, deciding the amount of sleep he got was sufficient. He stepped down the stairs and morphed his body into that of Leonard.

Using his Clown powers to keep a straight face, he walked into the living room where he knew Leonard stood.

Leonard had his back to him and was muttering to himself. Klein softened his footsteps and walked up to him.

Leonard shrieked at the hand on his shoulder and swiveled around. He jumped back and entered a fighting stance when he saw himself standing in front of him. “Wha…”

“I’ve come for your soul, it’s time…” Klein said with a solemn expression. Leonard was speechless for a second, before realizing what was happening and frowning.

“That’s not funny, Klein. I’m tired.”

He pouted and covered his face to turn back into himself.

“Sorry, I thought you would know.”

Leonard sighed and ran his hand through his hair, messing it up perfectly. He really should consider modelling.

“Do you feel alright now?”

Klein nodded. “If you ever need another you, I’m right here.”

Leonard laughed at that. “As long as you don’t ruin my image.”

He scoffed.

“You say that like you have one. Also, I know exactly how you are. No one would know.” He intentionally darkened his voice, showing a warped smile.

Leonard fake-shuddered and softly pushed him. “Nevermind, go find someone else to impersonate.”

Klein laughed and went to the kitchen to grab some food. He had noticed Leonard becoming more touchy the longer they knew each other. Not that he minded, the physical contact grounded him and reminded him he was not alone.

The rest of the day was uneventful, Leonard had his free day and Klein assisted the local Nighthawks in a minor dispute between citizens that had a chance of escalation. Why he was called to be there, he had no idea. Perhaps Captain Soest wanted his first day as a Faceless to be calm.

He returned home in the late afternoon, having picked up a few groceries that he had noticed were almost out. He also bought ingredients for a new recipe of a type of pasta he hadn’t tried before. One of the columns in the newspaper sung its praises and Klein was not one to ignore new tastes.

He closed the front door behind him and heard a lovely tune coming from the living room. Leonard’s singing voice had improved moderately since having moved to Backlund.

Klein smiled and picked up the bag he had placed on the ground to take off his shoes and jacket. The red gloves on his hands were placed on a table near the entrance, yet out of immediate sight of the door.

He moved into the living room and saw Leonard sweeping the floor. The sight was strangely domestic.

“I’m back.”

Leonard turned around with a grin, fluttering his lashes. “Oh, my love. How was work?”

Klein flattened his lips. Too domestic.

“It was fine…” He went past Leonard and placed the groceries on the dinner table, unpacking them immediately for efficiency.

“And you even bought us groceries! How fortunate am I to have such a loving husband.”

Klein chucked an onion at his head and Leonard caught it effortlessly. He walked to where Klein stood and placed the onion next to the other vegetables.

“Oh my! I’ll have you know that our Crimson Lady strictly condemns domestic abuse! I might have to report you to the—”

Klein put his hand on Leonard’s mouth. “Shut it, don’t you have anything better to do?”

Leonard, having lost the authority to speak, shook his head. Some stray bundles of hair caressed his hand.

He actively controlled the colour of his face and kept his expression stable.

“If you don’t, you might as well help me cut these.” He removed his hand and gestured to some vegetables that were set apart.

“What are you making, my dearest?”

“Leonard soup, if you keep this up.”

The man in question grinned, his green eyes sparkled with amusement. “I’m sure I’ll be delicious.”

That’s it.

Klein moved his fingers to resemble a gun and pointed it at Leonard. He knew what Klein was capable of, and dropped to the floor in style, reaching with his legs to tackle Klein.

Klein expected it and evaded the tackle, pointing the fingergun back at Leonard. The two danced around each other, either attempting an attack or evading one. Klein moved behind the couch at some point, expending a paper figurine to avoid a blow and hiding his position.

He didn’t care, making new ones was second nature at this point.

Leonard whistled softly, moving around the room like a predator searching for his prey.

“My love… Where are you…?”

Klein gritted his teeth inwardly. He had no idea where this sudden roleplaying obsession had come from, but he found it somewhat irritating. Playing around like this was alright though, it kept the mood from becoming too serious, something he noticed that Leonard found uncomfortable.

A candle on the fireplace was lit, and with Klein’s spirit vision, he knew Leonard faced the other way. He jumped to ambush him from the flame, tackled Leonard on the ground and placed the fingergun on the back of his head.

“Do you surrender?” Klein used the same tone he used when he pretended to be a police officer.

Leonard raised his hands in defeat. “Yes, officer. I concede.”

Klein huffed and moved to stand up, lending a hand to Leonard.

Leonard took the hand and instead pulled him down under him. He grabbed his other arm and laced his fingers through Klein’s swiftly, preventing him from snapping them to teleport, while keeping him caged on the floor with his legs.

“It appears you’ve let down your guard, my sweetest darling. Isn’t one of the first things you’re supposed to learn as a Beyonder, to never do that?”

Klein could feel a twitch portruding his eye. His heartbeat felt steadily too fast. Klein could get out of this easily with his various abilities, even while having his fingers intertwined with Leonard’s.

Yet he didn’t want to. It felt uncomfortably comfortable like this.

What the fuck…

Klein didn’t hesitate to made his face look like a female version of himself, lengthening his hair and softening his features. Since his hands were tied, he couldn’t cover the ugly flesh granules in the process.

He watched Leonard’s face move from slight curiosity at the process to moderate horror at the result. Inwardly, Klein laughed at his expression.

Klein deliberately created a bashful look on his face and allowed a blush to appear.

“Ah, mister Leonard! Please be gentle~ I’ve never done this before, not even with my husband…” Klein pretended to squirm under him, making his fingers twitch in anticipation. He batted his eyelashes and awaited an answer.

Leonard’s face was stupified, his ears as red as the gloves he wore. He barely took those gloves off, Klein wouldn’t be surprised if he slept with them on.

“I- uhh… What?” He said eloquently.

“Mhm~ Why on the floor? Can’t you be a gentleman and place me in your bed instead?” He spoke the last sentence softer and softer, placing emphasis on the ‘bed’.

What in the world am I doing, this is so stupid.

Leonard sputtered and moved off of Klein, releasing his hands. He wanted to stand up, but Klein’s hand quickly grabbed the front of his tunic and brought him back. He sat up slightly, both of Leonard’s hands were now on the floor, holding him up.

“You won’t leave me, right? I’ve waited so long for this.” Klein ‘subtly’ glanced at his lips.

This is torturing me as much as him, I should stop.

Leonard’s mouth dropped open and his eyes widened.

“Klein…”

Klein laughed awkwardly and released him. He patted on his chest.

“Believeable, right? I feel the potion digesting already!” Klein lied, restoring his body to normal.

Leonard still towered over him, not moving.

I didn’t break him, did I?

“Anyways, I really should start getting to that pasta. I saw it in the Backlund Daily, and I’ve always wanted to try a more Feysac feel to pasta. I feel it could work with the various flavours I usually put in there.” Klein babbled away, shuffling away from under Leonard.

“There does seem to be a nice twinge in some of the Feysac dishes I’ve had before, maybe I can find out what it is through this recipe, you know?” Klein didn’t make a lot of progress in escaping, though he still tried, centimeter by centimeter.

“So I’m thinking I’ll try to do it according to recipe first, and then change it next time based on—”

“You look better as yourself.”

…

“What?”

Leonard seemed to wake up from his stupor.

“Uhh, you look better… when you’re… you.” The red of Leonard’s ears infected the rest of his face as well, and he averted his gaze.

Klein blinked twice.

Evernight help me.

Leonard coughed and stood up. “Uhm, so… the pasta.”

“…Right, yes.” Klein followed his lead and stayed a constant distance away from him.

I knew he was gay, but…

They prepared the pasta in silence.

<(0)>

What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck.

What is wrong with me. Why did he do that. Why did I say that. What the fuck.

Leonard stood in his room against his closed bedroom door, his gloved hands covering his face. Klein was still downstairs. That dinner might have been the most awkward happening to have ever happened ever. Klein attempted conversation once, resulting in Leonard choking on a piece of paprika.

He hadn’t tried again.

Leonard groaned in his hands. He took a moment of self-deprecation and moved to change into nightwear. A glance at his bed made him stop.

“Can’t you be a gentleman and place me in your bed instead?”

Leonard took a deep breath, willing his thoughts away. As a Sleepless, he barely used nighttime as a time to sleep. He walked over to the desk in the corner of his room. It was covered with loose paper and unfinished reports. He took one glance at them and skillfully ignored them, instead grabbing a book he wanted to read.

He sat down on the comfortable armchair and opened the novel. No matter how long he stared at the first page, none of the words entered his mind. He kept thinking of Klein and how he looked under him. Though he hid his sexuality well, he had to admit he was rather obvious that day.

Even worse, he knew that Klein’s body was not the thing enticing him, it was Klein himself. The man remained so kind, even after having chosen to have his siblings believe he had died, in order to keep them safe and get revenge.

When Klein had shown up to the then destroyed Blackthorn Security Company, Leonard didn’t believe his eyes, feeling like someone was playing tricks with him. Only when Klein showed that bittersweet smile on his face did he rush over to him, embracing him like a lover coming back from war.

Luckily Klein hadn’t thought anything of it at the time, but this was one of the moments Leonard realised he’d never get over him. Klein had asked the Church to not say anything to his siblings and to be transferred to Backlund in order to advance and prepare for becoming a Red Glove. Leonard had already put in his request at that time, so neither thought it strange to live together.

They had used Leonard’s name for the house, as Klein hadn’t received a fake identity yet. These kinds of things took a very long time to process, Leonard often wondered how the Nighthawks stayed afloat with the almost inherent dislike of paperwork that every member seemed to have.

Not that he could complain, he was one of their most prominent procrastinators.

After many minutes of staring at the paper and not reading a single word, Leonard placed the book down and stared at the ceiling instead, wishing for answers.

Him looking up made him think of how Klein would look on top of him, his face framed by his soft hair, eyes wandering over his body, over the deliberate window to his chest. He could imagine the blush on Klein’s actual face, not just his ‘female’ version. He could see him biting his lip, leaning down and…

This caused him to stand up in haste and jump into his bed insead, grumbling nonsensical words in the pillow. Then he imagined Klein right next to him, whispering in his ear, defeating the purpose of his attempt at a distraction.

What did manage to distract him, was Klein moving around downstairs. The man was naturally lightfooted, barely making sound wherever he went. It only improved after he became a Clown. Leonard could tell where he was, though. Klein generally seemed more willing to be louder when he was at home.

Leonard smiled. He was glad Klein found comfort in their life, however small it might be.

A strange feeling of unease suddenly overcame him. He didn’t know where it came from, but he sat up in alert, observing his surroundings.

“Old man, do you feel that?”

He didn’t respond. Leonard couldn’t place the feeling and walked downstairs, meeting Klein in the hallway.

“Let’s go outside.” Klein’s face showed the same apprehension as he did, the red gloves already on his hands.

“It’s not in here?”

Klein shook his head. “Something’s close to the market. I can’t tell what it is, but it’s dangerous.”

Leonard hummed in response. “Have you notified the Church?”

“They already know.” How Klein knew, Leonard could never tell. He always had a sense for it, likely from his Seer powers.

The two quickly moved outside. Klein led the way, gold pound in hand and divining every once in a while. They hadn’t encountered anything on the way, so Leonard assumed his dear Seer kept them securely safe.

“It’s around the corner, there already are Nighthawks nearby and on the way.” A loud noise came from the market, similar to an explosion. The sound made them flinch, Klein placed an arm in front of Leonard as a barrier to stop him from rushing in.

The hand on his shoulder felt warm, constrasting the cold evening breeze. Leonard wanted that hand to stay there forever.

He shook his head, focusing back on the environment. He couldn’t see any Nighthawks nearby, but from the lack of civilians, it was obvious they were around.

The two glanced around the corner and were faced with something that resembled a dog thrashing around the market, various stalls already destroyed. Three regular Nighthawks stood to the side that Leonard recognised as a Midnight Poet, Sleepless, and Seer. He knew they were relatively inexperienced and wondered where their supervisors were, as getting rid of a rampaging Beyonder was not an easy task for newly initiated Nighthawks.

Then he realised he was considered a supervisor.

“Klein, that’s at least a sequence 7 of the Sleepless pathway.” He warned Klein.

The monster noticed his soft words and immediately pulled them into a dream.

Klein turned to him with an unimpressed expression.

“Way to go, Leo.”

Leonard scoffed. “How was I supposed to know this thing had insane hearing.”

They both jumped away from the jaws of the dog-like Beyonder that sprinted their way.

Leonard never questioned Klein’s ability to stay lucid in any dream, he saw it as a compromise for Klein not to question his own secrets. In situations like this, to have another person being aware in a dream was very useful.

When he was out of sight of the rampager, he left the dream and pulled Klein out of it with him.

Klein gained consciousness and immediately fired an air bullet at the dog. It evaded it and attempted to pull them in again, failed, and instead focused on the other Nighthawks nearby.

Klein lit an apple on the ground that fell out of a market stall and emerged from it, placing himself between the rampager and the Nighthawks. He fired again, leading the irrational monster away from the Nighthawks. Leonard took it as his cue to inform his inexperienced teammembers of the following procedure and asked them to call for the other Red Gloves while he and Klein kept the rampager busy.

They agreed and hurried away to the church. Leonard sighed and internally questioned his superiors in sending a sequence 8 instead of actually capable Beyonders.

No use complaining now. He joined Klein in dancing around the rampager, making sure it didn’t reach out to pull bystanders in its chaotic dream and keeping each other from getting too close.

In the process, Klein used multiple paper figurines and even morphed into Leonard to confuse the rampager, likely draining his own spirituality. Leonard paid close attention to Klein’s movement and made sure to not get in his way. He wanted Klein to get more experience in dealing with these situations, though it seemed like Klein had no problem with this rampager.

Leonard nodded in approval, his dear Seer had grown quite a lot, both as a person and as a Beyonder.

Not long after, Captain Soest and a few other Red Gloves joined the scene, quickly making use of the fact the rampager was distracted and used the Sealed Artifact they had speedily applied for. Leonard hadn’t seen this one before and had no idea what it did, so he carefully extracted himself from the situation.

Klein realised the same and followed his lead, using Flaming Jump to allow the other Red Gloves to take over, while still using air bullets to keep the rampager distracted.

It seemed to have noticed them arriving, going even crazier to affect everything around it.

Captain Soest anticipated this and used the Sealed Artifact.

Neither Klein nor Leonard had any idea what it was supposed to do. They retreated and placed themselves behind the Red Gloves. Naomi, a sequence 7 Nightmare that they were aqcuainted with, filled them in about the situation.

Apparently, the previous Nighthawks that stood by were on break and taking a breather, therefore not being instructed by the Church to investigate. This gave Leonard a bit of hope for his superiors, they had not stupidly sent them out.

The rampager was a sequence 7 Nightmare, not affiliated with the Church of Evernight. He had only recently advanced, already on the brink of losing control. When a fight broke out on the street, he felt the negativity between the assailants and promptly lost control.

Both combatants had been pulled in the dream, only barely surviving because of a song of the Midnight Poet, reducing their fear.

The rampager was swiftly dealt with and removed from the area. The Red Gloves moved around, erasing the memories of some bystanders and taking their statements. After everything settled down, Captain Soest walked over to Klein and Leonard. “Thank you both for your quick thinking, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He didn’t wait for their response and hurried to the Church with Sealed Artifact in hand.

Leonard and Klein exchanged a glance of mild annoyance and bid their farewells.

“Do you guys want to get drinks? We’re basically done for the day.” Naomi asked, the remaining Red Gloves in high spirits at the mention. They didn’t mention the report of today’s account, assuming Captain Soest would do the bulk of it for them.

Poor guy.

Klein shrugged. “Sure, you coming with?”

Leonard remembered Klein’s previous actions and internally shuddered. He didn’t believe he could be left alone with his thoughts that night.

“Okay, where are we going?”

They headed to a bar not far from the market that was known by the Red Gloves as a non-problematic bar. Any incidents were often dealt with by the Red Gloves themselves, making the bar known as a place semi-related to the Church of Evernight. No unofficial Beyonder would go there if they wanted to remain a free Beyonder.

The Ordinary Drink could be reached through a narrow alley, attached to the main road. The Red Gloves reached it in under 3 minutes. The door opened with a bell noise, alerting the bartender of new customers. He glanced at the doorway and smiled when he saw them.

“My friends, how was today?” Ferdinand, the bartender, was well aware of the work the Red Gloves did, having asked for their assistance multiple times before. It was how the Red Gloves established the connection.

The bar itself had a comfortable ambience, only having a few people in it, conversing softly.

Naomi hopped on a barstool and started talking around the situation of the day, never giving too much information. Ferdinand nodded appropriately and asked non-invasive questions in response.

“Can I get a round of drinks for my friends here? I’ll take a beer.”

The rest of the Red Gloves gave their own drink order, most of them beer. Leonard got beer as well and Klein got green tea.

None of the Red Gloves looked up at that. It was fairly well known among them that Klein didn’t drink often, only occasionally having a single drink when there was something to celebrate. Leonard wondered if he was a lightweight, but never asked.

They received their drinks and dispersed to multiple tables. Leonard and Klein sat together at a table in one of the corners. Klein took off his gloves and blew on the hot beverage. Leonard looked at him.

“What? I’m not working right now.”

Leonard chuckled and took a swig of his drink. “Fair enough.”

Klein grabbed a deck of cards from Evernight knows where and shuffled it. Leonard took it from him and shuffled it instead.

“I’m never letting you shuffle again.” Klein pouted. He had cheated at cards once and Leonard hadn’t let it go since.

“It was acting, I don’t have to do it anymore.” Leonard looked at him in disapproval.

“You scammed the entire bar, we can’t return there anymore. It was my favourite bar, Klein.”

Klein chuckled and took his share of cards. The two of them played multiple rounds of some game involved with lying while Leonard had drink after drink. In honesty, neither Klein nor Leonard knew the rules. They only played for the sake of playing.

“Ughhh, you’re too good at these. I can never read you.” Klein laughed and winked at him.

Leonard’s heart didn’t stutter at that. That did nothing to him. Nope.

“I’m just that talented, my dear poet. If you stopped touching so much alcohol, you would almost be on my level.” No I wouldn’t, your Clown abilities literally give you an unfair advantage.

Klein laughed and softly spoke, not alerting the other customers. “It’s not my fault you chose to be a Sleepless.”

Shit, I’m saying this out loud?

Klein snorted again and took the full glass of beer away from Leonard. He reached for it back, but Klein’s sober Beyonder powers obviously triumphed Leonard’s.

“No, I think that’s enough for you tonight.” Leonard whined, suddenly aware of his drunkness.

“Shut up… It’s mine…” Klein’s face contorted.

“Yeah, no. Too bad.” Leonard attempted another regaining of his drink and failed once again.

“But it’s still full! That’s a waste of perfectly good glass of beer…” His eyes blinked slower than usual, probably making him look like an idiot. Leonard felt the flush on his face, not dissimilar to earlier that day when Klein seduced him.

Goddess, why do I keep thinking about that…

“About what?”

No… Shut the fuck up, Leonard.

Klein tsked. “Are you okay over there? Do I need to wake you up?”

“Nooo… I want my drink back…”

Klein shook his head. “You’re not getting it back, have some decorum. I’ll drink it for you, happy? Then it’s not wasted.”

Leonard pouted but stopped his attempts at stealing it back.

Klein sniffed the drink and his mouth twitched in slight disgust, before tipping it over in his mouth and drinking the beer in a smooth motion.

Hot.

Klein almost choked. He wiped his mouth with a sleeve and looked at Leonard incredulously.

“Alright, too much. Time to go home. I’ll pay, wait here.”

“Don’t leave me…” Klein patted his shoulder and Leonard wanted to curl up with his hand like a cat. Klein swiftly retracted it and made his way to the bartender, taking his pouch of money out of a pocket.

Leonard couldn’t hear the conversation between the men, only noticing when Klein pointed back at him. He smiled at his Seer and waved. Klein coughed and continued talking to Ferdinand.

Leonard pouted at the lack of reaction and stood up. Klein said they were leaving, so he had to say bye to his colleagues.

“Bye bye~ Klein’s taking me home now.” Leonard said to them, not noticing the laughs that came out of his friends.

“Sure, Leonard. Do you need one of us to join you, just in case~” Klein emerged from behind Naomi and slapped her shoulder.

“Stop it.” His face had a strange pink tink to it.

“But he’s inebriated, Klein. What if we want to make sure our dear colleague gets home safely?” The Red Gloves laughed, many of them as drunk as Leonard.

He groaned and took Leonard’s arm, dragging him out of the bar. The self-proclaimed poet turned to face his friends. “See you tomorrow~”

“Drunk men can’t consent, Klein. Remember that!” Naomi’s giggle followed them outside and Klein closed the door to escape it, sighing at the cold air.

Night had fallen a long time ago and the streets were quiet and serene. Klein shouldered most of Leonard’s weight as they struggled back to their house. Leonard babbled away about some play he had seen recently, sometimes eliciting humms out of Klein.

Their house came into view and Leonard cooed. “Home! Yay…”

Klein chuckled and opened the door for them. Leonard stumbled inside and fell to the ground.

“Ow.”

Klein muttered something under his breath and led Leonard to his room.

“Drunk men… can’t… consent…” Leonard was actively falling asleep as he walked to his bed.

Klein sighed and took off Leonard’s gloves and bulky trousers. “I know, I know. Nothing’s happening, don’t you want to be comfortable when you’re sleeping?”

“Mhh… Sure…” Leonard leaned his head against Klein’s stomach as he helped Leonard out of his windbreaker. When he was freed, he wrapped his arms around Klein.

“Go sleep, you have work tomorrow.” Leonard groaned in response and Klein escaped his grasp by taking his arms.

Leonard pouted and looked up at Klein. He was greeted with a gorgeous view. So beautiful.

Klein turned away in haste and left his room. Leonard did as he said and shuffled onto the bed, losing consciousness the second his head hit the pillow.

<(0)>

Leonard awoke to a headache and a dry mouth. He instantly let out a suffering groan, attempting to open his eyes, but being blinded by the early morning sun.

Distantly, he could hear a laugh.

He allowed himself a moment of rest before forcing himself to get out of bed. He swayed a bit, though being way more stable than the night before.

He remembered how beautiful Klein looked as he took care of him. And how he said that right to his face. Leonard had no idea how to face him after that.

After wallowing in pity for a bit more, he went downstairs. There would be no salvation in hiding away. Even if he really, really wanted to.

He knew Klein was downstairs from the lack of spirituality coming from Klein’s room. Leonard hadn’t slept this long since he became a Sleepless, an unfortunate side effect of drinking so much alcohol.

Klein sat on the couch, newspaper in hand. He glanced up at the terrible state of his housemate.

“I’m glad you got up by yourself, otherwise I’d have to drag you with me to work. It’s almost time to leave.”

“Ugh, awful. I feel like a rotten tomato.”

“You look like one too.” Leonard glared at him.

Klein chuckled and pointed to the table. It had toasted bread and a cup of coffee on it. “For you. It’s still warm.”

Leonard lunged at him, enveloping him in a hug. “Thank you~ You’re too nice.”

Klein awkwardly patted his back. “Yeah, apparently. Are you still drunk?”

Leonard scoffed. “Do I have to be drunk to show my appreciation for my dearest Seer?”

“Eat your stuff and leave me alone.” Leonard grinned at him and extracted his grip on Klein. He was glad he acted relatively the same. He would never forgive himself if his feelings negatively affected their friendship.

He did have to tone down his physical affection, though, before Klein would catch on to his more-than-friendly attitude toward him.

<(0)>

…He likes me. I really should’ve seen this coming.

Klein sat in one of the meeting rooms of the Red Gloves. Captain Soest was talking about some low-stakes mission they were going to do in the near future. Klein barely heard what the mission was about, his thoughts scattered and unsure.

This was the first time he’d have to deal with someone’s genuine romantic feelings towards him. Back in Tingen, Klein could just deflect whenever Benson and Melissa brought up potential partners in conversation. He also never had to reject anyone, as no one had approached him in that way.

There was no way to avoid Leonard. He saw him every single day. Both at work and at home.

Klein thought of the best way to proceed.

The first option would be to ignore any following advances that Leonard would make. This option was not ideal. Leonard would likely notice the change from reluctant acceptance to a lack of reactions and confront him about it.

The second option would be to take initiative and remind Leonard that he was straight. This option could work out fine, but there was a possibility that confronting Leonard about his feelings for him would irreparably damage their friendship, either because of his heartbrokenness or his fear of exposing his secret.

The third option would be to change nothing about his behavior, allowing Leonard’s feelings to remain in peace while absolving Klein of any responsibility. He’d also be able to overlook it, keeping their friendship intact.

Klein would proceed with the third option, he found that the safest way to deal with such a situation would be to not draw attention to it.

“That won’t be a problem, Klein?” What?

Klein speedily recalled the subject. Something about a mission, monitoring a certain part of Backlund, he had recently advanced, donning a different appearance?

“Yeah, no problem.”

“Okay, great. Go and prepare, everyone. I’ll meet you all outside in ten minutes.” Captain Soest left the room, Klein assumed to grab a Sealed Artifact or prepare himself. The other Red Gloves of their team also stood up and started getting ready, some taking off their red gloves. He glanced at Leonard.

He was already looking at him in badly hidden amusement. Had he noticed?

Klein moved closer to him and whispered.

“What did I just agree to?” Leonard held back a laugh.

“What were you thinking about? It’s not like you to be so distracted.”

He pursed his lips into a thin line. “Just answer.”

“Nothing crazy, just making yourself look like a woman to get into a bar.” Klein’s eyes widened. Goddess, why me? Why did I choose this pathway…

Leonard noticed his turmoil and explained.

“It’s to check for a rumour about a trafficking ring. Captain Soest doesn’t think it’s serious, otherwise there’d be more clues. They want to be sure, though.”

Klein sighed and nodded. He waved his apprehension away from his face with his Clown powers.

“Alright, I suppose it’s more opportunities for acting.” Leonard grinned and clapped his shoulder.

“That’s the spirit. Let’s go, mademoiselle.” Klein couldn’t help the glare he bore into Leonard’s back as he stood up to walk out.

Now that Klein knew the subject of the mission, he noticed that the people who took their gloves and windbreaker off were all women, showing the regular clothes they wore underneath. He followed their lead and then made his body change into a common feminine Backlund citizen.

His black hair reached his mid-back and his features were softer, though average. He made his fingers slimmer and looked in a mini-mirror he had bought recently that fit into his pockets as a preperation for his advancement. There were no mirrors in the headquarters itself, so he wanted a way to fine-tune his appearance if he needed to.

Naomi and Nancy were two other women of their current team, along with Heather, a sequence 7 Spirit Medium. Naomi glanced at his appearance for a moment.

“You need to look more helpless. We’re supposed to be potential victims, not people that look like they would fight back.”

Klein frowned and scrutinised his face. Naomi tutted.

“You look fine, it’s your energy. You have confidence that gives away your strength.”

Klein felt enlightened and cogitated to consider himself. Perhaps the acting of the Faceless sequence went further than looking like other people and deceiving others into believing one was another person.

He thought of a simple backstory for his female persona and quickly adjusted himself to the corresponding demeanor.

When he felt ready, he followed his fellow Red Gloves outside.

His gait had changed and he deliberately made himself take up less space. His gaze never stayed in one place, skittering around unsurely.

Captain Soest gave the last instructions. This would only be a scouting mission. Even if anyone found evidence or clues regarding a possible trafficking ring, they were to return to the larger group of Red Gloves and report their findings.

He swiftly assigned tasks to the Red Gloves. The women and Klein were to be split up and act as bait for recruiters. They were to enter at different points to reduce the amount of suspicion placed on them. At any point, they could choose to retreat in order to remain safe.

The chance of multiple mid-sequence Beyonders being unable to control such a situation was astronomically low, yet the safety of innocents should always come first before the elimination of criminals. At least, that’s what Captain Soest told them.

During the rundown, Klein felt the gaze of multiple of his teammates on him. Some amused, some curious. Klein ignored them and remained in character. The identity he had created was that of a young, insecure woman who wished for the attention of others, while being anxious at it at the same time.

They dispersed and headed to the bar. He was to enter first with Nancy.

From the moment he and Nancy stepped on the closest major road to the bar, they conversed softly. Nancy lead the conversation and skillfully ignored any gazes from surrounding men. This area of Backlund often had issues with perverted men.

Klein subconsciously shrinked away from a particularly staring man on the street. He felt immensely uncomfortable.

“It’ll be fine, you have me by your side.” Klein sighed inwardly, lampooning at the idea of being comforted by a woman about acting like a woman.

They met a bouncer at the door, he barely looked at them and allowed them inside.

The bar door opened with a creak, a certain foul smell coming from inside. Klein held back a disgusted expression and followed Nancy to one of the empty tables in the middle. Though Klein wore a modest outfit and could sense any nearby person, regardless of whether he could see them, he felt exposed and uncomfortable.

He only barely shook off the feeling when a burly man joined their company, Klein committed his appearance to memory.

“Hello, fair ladies. Would you like a drink? It’s on me.” His smug face betrayed his self-confidence.

Klein, true to his persona, looked at Nancy in question. He wanted himself to seem inexperienced.

Which he was, but that aside.

She looked the man up and down flirtatiously and nodded.

The man grinned and made a gesture to the bartender.

He didn’t even ask what we wanted.

The bartender seemed to understand the gesture, though. He swiftly gave three finished drinks to a waiter, who placed them in front of the trio.

Klein had subtly taken very good notice of the mixing and hadn’t noticed anything unusual. He wished he could do a divination on the drink, but his immediate impression was that the drinks were fine.

He grabbed the glass with a rose-coloured liquid and took a small sip. It was very sweet.

Klein hummed in a high voice, having changed his vocal chords to resemble his appearance. The burly man seemed to grin even wider, showing his mildly yellowed teeth.

I hate my life.

Nancy followed his lead and started sipping on her drink. Seeing this, the man started talking about some business he apparently owned. He claimed to be richer than most residents of this part of Backlund, which Klein assumed was a way for him to show off.

Not that it worked, the more he spoke, the more both of the Red Gloves disliked him.

Klein had to give Nancy credit for concealing her facial expressions. He was able to stand it for three conversation changes, amounting to around half an hour. The man never seemed to run out of words to say, always indirectly or directly praising himself or the two in front of him.

Having finished his drink, Klein excused himself to the bathroom. He barely remembered to turn to the women’s side and closed the flimsy door behind him, sighing at himself in the mirror. He ran a hand through his long hair and massaged his temples.

He noticed someone heading to the bathroom and swiftly moved into one of the stalls before flushing it and walking out, pulling up his sleeves to wash his hands.

No one had entered the women’s bathroom, but he felt the presence of another person right outside of it. He inwardly groaned and dried his hands, not excited for whatever interaction was about to come.

He opened the door and saw a different man from before, one he didn’t know. This one had light-coloured hair and stood slightly taller than Klein. His face was above average and it seemed like he was well aware of that.

“Hey, I saw you over there with Grant. He’s a bit… well, you know. I just came here to let you know that if anything happens, I’m nearby to stop him. Just signal something to me and I’ll come over.”

So that you can have me for yourself? Gross.

Klein made his cheeks flush and his eyes dart away. “Okay, good to know. Thank you…”

“Mark. May I ask for your name?”

“Thank you, Mark. I’m Flora.” He gave a small smile and then strategically returned to the table with Nancy. The blush was still on his face when he sat down.

Another drink had been placed in front of his seat.

By the Goddess, I hate everything.

The burly man, Grant, had apparently set his sights on Nancy, mostly ignoring the return and responses of Klein. He was glad, yet mildly offended. Just because he didn’t continue with ‘courting’ Klein, didn’t mean you could simply ignore their existence.

Klein felt the addition of two women as he attempted to drink as little as possible without suspicion. He didn’t turn around, well aware of their identities.

An hour passed this way, Klein getting increasingly bored and tipsy. He looked around for entertainment and his eyes fell on Mark. He was already staring at him.

Ugh, why do I do this to myself.

Klein subtly nudged Nancy about his plan to talk to Mark, wanting to at least have some indication if there was something sketchy about this bar, as Grant seemed an obnoxious fellow, though without any attachment to a larger problem.

Nancy nodded and encouraged him like she encouraged a woman to talk to the man she’d like. Grant also seemed to enjoy this development as it would give him more opportunities to get closer to Nancy.

Klein inwardly drew the crimson moon for her, wishing her luck with evading the man.

He approached Mark and put a lock of hair behind his ear. He got this technique from watching badly produced tv-series back on Earth. It always seemed to elicit a reaction from the men.

And it did. Mark smiled brightly at Klein and patted the wall next to him as an invitation. Klein obliged and rested on the wall.

Klein initiated small talk and tried to read between any lines for clues.

Nothing Mark said gave him any suspicion. He learned the man worked as a secretary for a small company and lived nearby, subtly hinting at his desire to bring Klein home. Klein pretended he didn’t hear it, already mentally preparing for his departure from this place.

At one point, Mark went to get them more alcohol and Klein internally screamed. His persona would keep drinking, though, so he put up with it.

This was his third drink and he really started to feel the effects. His head felt woozy and he wondered what the alcohol percentage of these drinks were. He zoned out for a moment and snapped out of it when he felt a cold hand on his chin, moving his face up.

“Are you alright, darling? Maybe we should go back to my place, to keep you away from these men.”

You fucker, pretending to care while being part of the problem. I’m taking this as my cue to get the hell out of here.

Klein nodded and placed the glass on a nearby table.

“I’ll go home, my mom is waiting for me.” He avoided Mark’s face, unwilling to see the change. He didn’t stop him.

Klein moved to Nancy and gave a look. It was clearly understood as a sign to leave. The alloted time had passed. Any longer and Leonard would come in and see his mildly drunk face and Klein didn’t wish for that.

Nancy stood up, thanked Grant for the drinks and implied a return on a later date. Klein truly wished this was the last time they had to be here.

Klein sensed Mark’s desire for him as he moved toward the door and he had to force himself to keep his rush to get out as undetected as possible.

The fresh air washed over him like liberation. Nancy closed the creaky door behind her.

Nancy, being more sober than him, extended an arm for him to take. His Clown powers allowed him to walk steadily, but he still took it in consideration of his character. A drunk girl wouldn’t refuse camaraderie from her friend.

They walked a couple steps when Nancy paused. “We’re being followed.” Klein nodded inconspicuously.

“Let’s take a detour and see if he’ll be a problem.” The words came out more slurred than he’d like to admit.

Nancy gave him a slightly concerned look and continued forward. They talked in hushed voices, emulating the feeling of two gossiping girls.

“Are you sure you’re fine? We should’ve drunk less.” Her tone remained the same as before and she giggled.

“If we’d drunk less, it’d be suspicious. I’m fine, mostly.” He spoke the truth. Though he heavily disliked drinking alcohol, he would still be more than able to initiate or defend against any attack.

Within reason.

Nancy nodded and they entered an alleyway. Klein knew that Nancy lived nearby, therefore being aware which alley was and wasn’t safe. He trusted her to lead the way back to the Red Gloves.

They were still being followed.

“Let’s find a place to rest and allow the stalker to come to us, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to stop otherwise.”

Klein agreed and they walked for a bit, exiting the alley. He laid his eyes on a bench near a park and stumbled, giving Nancy the opportunity to suggest sitting down.

Mark’s voice echoed in the alley.

“Miss Flora! Are you alright?” His footsteps rapidly approached and he borderline pushed Nancy out of his way, grabbing Klein’s arms.

What is wrong with this guy…

His grip on his biceps mildly hurt while he looked Klein over, taking a moment too long at his chest area. Mark tsked and turned to Nancy.

“This won’t do, I live nearby. Allow me to take her there to rest.”

Alarm bells rang in Klein’s head. Not because he was a human trafficker, but because he was a creep. The excuse was so bad it would be picked up by any socially inept person alive.

Who would fall for this? Does he think we’re stupid?

Nancy shook her head and gently talked to him, appearing more drunk than she was.

“I live right around the corner, there’s no need.” Mark’s face warped into an ugly expression for a moment before being concealed with concern.

“I really do think that coming back with me is better. Perhaps you could join to make sure?”

Klein sighed and then realized he did so out loud.

Fuck, I really hate alcohol.

Mark took this as his cue to start pushing Klein away from Nancy. “See? She’s exhausted, she should be taken care of properly.”

This is getting out of hand.

Klein broke free from Mark’s death grip with a reasonable strength for a woman his size and glanced around for an opportunity.

“I wanna go home, I’ll see you next time.” A flash of desperation crossed his face before he serenely closed his eyes.

Finally.

Klein no longer stayed next to him and took Nancy’s arm, speedily getting away from the now dreaming man.

They turned the corner and saw Leonard standing leasurely against a wall. His eyes were closed and his body was relaxed.

“Pretending to be a regular person is really annoying.” Klein’s voice returned to normal, his body and face steadily restored to Klein Moretti’s.

Leonard opened his eyes and gestured for them to follow him. His gaze remained on Klein’s flushing face for a second too long, revealing no change in his expression.

“I know. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I never want to do that again.”

Nancy snorted. “Welcome to a woman’s life.”

“Very glad I didn’t become an assassin. My apologies for every man ever.”

Nancy shook her head in amusement and they returned to the group of Red Gloves.

After a very brief discussion with Captain Soest about the results, he waved them away and told them to get rest, noticing their slight inebriation. They were told the other Red Gloves would finish with regrouping and return to the Cathedral as well when they were done.

Nancy and Klein nodded and made their way to the Cathedral, taking note of any disturbance on the way.

“You were good at pretending to be a woman.” Nancy complimented him.

Maybe I should become a drag queen. Hehe, I don’t know if Roselle has invented that yet.

“I suppose it wasn’t that bad in itself. I just very much disliked the men.” She nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I prefer my men to be good-looking and respectful.”

The bar is non-existent here.

“Me too.” Nancy gave him a look. Klein returned it, questioningly. His thoughts were only partly focusing on the conversation, the majority of his brain power went to actively pushing down the feeling of losing control.

She deliberated something, but turned ahead to point at the Cathedral.

“We’re here.”

Klein sighed and they headed inside. He sat on one of the pews in the back and clasped his hands together, making it look like a pious prayer.

Every second passing made him calmer. His thoughts came together and he felt his body relax. He remained in that comfortable state for a while, only standing up to go to the Red Glove headquarters when he noticed his teammembers enter.

The discussion flew by him. At some points, he gave the valuable information that there was no information to give. The first impressions were that this bar was only a place for creeps to gather, not a place for human trafficking. Captain Soest gave the order to monitor occasionally in smaller groups and if there were no lingering problems, to leave it alone.

Klein blinked heavily. He very much wanted to go home and lay on the couch. His reactions were slower than usual and it made him uneasy.

When the last points were added, Captain Soest thanked them and sent most of the Red Gloves home, keeping a few around that hadn’t done anything.

Klein immediately took his leave, not waiting for Leonard.

His dear poet had noticed his quick departure and followed closely behind. He attempted to talk to Klein about the mission, though his reaction told him he was tired and unwilling to talk.

Klein closed the front door behind them, letting out a deep sigh.

“That was awful, I’m so tired.”

Leonard hummed and took off his shoes. “Do you want me to cook you that tomato meat dish?”

Klein nodded. “Please…”

He skillfully ignored the slight widening of Leonard’s eyes, walking upstairs to wash his body and change his clothes into something more comfortable.

Klein glanced at himself in the mirror as he left his bathroom, catching his flushed face. He sighed and refrained himself from erasing it, not wanting to care about his appearance anymore.

He smelled the aroma of the incredible tomato and meat dish that Leonard started making around a year ago, somewhat turning into a signature dish. It was easy, quick, and delicious. As a food enthousiast, he rated it a solid 8/10.

He entered the dining room and was greeted with a set table. Leonard was still in the kitchen, so Klein headed there to check up on him.

Leonard faced the stove, softly humming a tune Klein was vaguely familiar with. His hands were busy with stirring the pot. He paused the stirring and reached over to grab salt, throwing in a generous amount.

“How are you feeling?” Leonard didn’t turn to face him, distributing the salt throughout the dish. His voice was gentle with an underlying emotion Klein couldn’t place. He didn’t care to, either.

“Ugh… I’m alright. I hate alcohol, though.” Leonard gave a chuckle.

“Why’d you drink so much?”

“For the mission, why else?”

Leonard turned to him curiously after turning off the heat. “You didn’t have to, though. It wasn’t life or death.”

Klein shrugged. “My persona would have done it, I wanted to act according to it.” He analysed the potion in his body.

“It worked a bit, it’s digested a very small amount.” He noticed his ability to analyse the state of his body and mind was heavily reduced under the influence of alcohol. Its influence of the alcohol on him had also reduced a bit, making him feel like he was on two drinks instead of three.

“Huh, interesting.” Klein hummed and moved to the dining room, sitting down on the chair closest to the wall. Leonard brought the pot to the dining room and sat down next to him.

He gave both of them a sizeable portion and they ate. Klein let out a soft humm at the taste. His dear poet had outdone himself again. Luckily, the countless nights of attempting to teach Leonard how to cook paid off. How he had lived before Klein, he didn’t want to know.

Klein stretched his arms when he finished eating and huffed. “That was nice, thanks.”

Leonard stared at him.

“What.” He pointed at his own cheek as a way of saying something was on Klein’s.

He lazily swiped his hand over his cheek, making Leonard sigh and gesture more aggressively. Klein mirrored his actions, not feeling anything on his face that wasn’t already there.

Leonard waved Klein’s hand away and touched his face, gently swiping something off with his thumb. His hand emitted a comfortable heat. Klein lightly rested his cheek on the hand and closed his eyes. Leonard gave him a sense of safety in the not-too-strange world he found himself in that no other person compared to.

Leonard’s hand moved to cradle his face. Klein nuzzled it immediately, allowing a grateful sigh to exit his lungs.

Klein slowly lifted his eyelids and was presented with a wide-eyed, slack-jawed Leonard.

“Hmm?” He didn’t answer, instead closing his mouth and blinking rapidly.

Leonard coughed, removing his hand off of his cheek. Klein groaned in protest. He was so tired, he felt like a zombie.

“What are you doing to me…” Leonard asked in exasperation.

“I’m not doing anything?”

Leonard stood up and pulled Klein with him. He followed without objection. As Klein walked around the table to head upstairs, he hit his foot on the chair Leonard had sat on, not having moved it properly back to the table.

With his Clown powers inhibited, he fell.

Right into Leonard’s open arms. Klein huffed and pressed closer. Leonard let out a strangled sound and kept him upright.

He smelled nice. There was a faint earthyness comforting him.

When he felt Leonard’s arms tighten around him, he opened his eyes.

What in the world am I doing? I must be exhausted, acting like this…

He looked up at Leonard and saw a pained smile. His dear poet brushed a couple hairs from Klein’s forehead and lingered by his ear.

Leonard is beautiful.

Well fuck, I do like men.

…Should I? Klein glanced at his lips for a split second. Leonard noticed and his pupils almost instantly dilated.

It’ll be painful to leave him later when I go back to Earth, but shouldn’t I indulge every once in a while? This is my body for the time being…

I’m not perfect and I shouldn’t try to be.

“Stop thinking.”

“Okay.” His head rushed forward to catch his dear poet’s lips.

They were soft and eager to respond. Leonard’s hands went to Klein’s hair, and his went to Leonard’s waist and back, grasping his clothes like a dying man.

Both of them let out soft sounds as their lips kept meeting, moving softly like calm waves across each other.

The hand he put on Leonard’s waist moved up onto his neck. The noises Leonard allowed out of him could only be described as moans. Klein took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, creating gasps from both of them. Their tongues met again and again, entertwining in an intricate dance.

Leonard was the first to initiate a break. He dropped his head on Klein’s shoulder, breathing heavily. The air near and on his neck drew a shudder out of Klein, making him place a hand on his own mouth out of fear for the following sounds he’d make.

His poet chuckled and followed the flow of air, placing his lips on Klein’s neck. Klein smothered the moans as best he could. Leonard muttered something and grabbed the hand, leading it to his head, where Klein ran it through his hair, revelling in its silkiness. Another kiss on his neck coaxed a moan out of him, tightening his grip on his hair.

Leonard groaned and those vibrations on his skin went straight down.

Klein jolted and pushed Leonard off of him. He knew his face was red, from other things than alcohol this time.

His poet did not fare better, his long hair messily framing his blushing face.

“Too much?” His voice was breathy and low.

“I’m a virgin.”

Leonard paused for a couple moments and then burst out in laughter.

Klein frowned. “It’s not that funny.” His poet’s giggles told him otherwise.

The frown turned into a pout when he leaned on the table to hold himself up, cackling like a witch.

“Stop that. What’s wrong with you?”

Leonard went to wipe tears of laughter away and stood up straight again.

“Sorry, that was just so unexpected.”

“Me being a virgin?” Leonard held himself back from laughing again and instead placed the empty plates on top of each other, gathering the dirty dishes.

“No, you saying that. I was expecting a ‘yes’ or a ‘no, we can continue’, not whether you’ve…” He placed his hand on his mouth to hide a smile.

Klein rolled his eyes and joined in clearing the table. “Thought you might want to know.”

A snort came out of him, followed by the shaking of his head.

“Take me out on a date first, by the Goddess.” His tone carried amusement and an obvious chunk of joy.

“Sure, when works out for you?” Leonard turned to look at him, face unreadable.

Klein looked back.

His poet placed the dirty dishes back down and tightly hugged him, not leaving any room between them and burrowing his face into Klein’s neck.

A muffled sound came from Leonard.

“Hmm?”

He raised his head.

“You mean it?”

“Why else would I ask?”

Leonard placed a kiss on the apples of his cheeks and smiled as brightly as the Eternal Blazing Sun.

“I’m in love with you.”

Klein averted his gaze and muttered, his face resembling a fresh tomato.

“Yeah, I figured. So when’re you free?”

Leonard chuckled lightly and full of love. His eyes sparkled like there was a galaxy condensed in each one.

“Tomorrow?”