Chapter Text
Looking back on it later, neither of them could pinpoint exactly when two years had passed.
Maybe it had happened somewhere between late-night Valorant queues and half-asleep conversations that stretched until sunrise. Maybe it had happened in the endless stream of messages, inside jokes, and countless "one more game" promises that somehow turned into four more hours together.
Whatever it was, Leo Kuga couldn't remember what life had looked like before Claude Clawmark became part of it.
It had started simply.
They played together.
They laughed together.
They bullied each other over terrible aim and worse decisions.
And then, somewhere along the way, Claude had become the first person Leo looked for whenever he logged on.
The first person he wanted to tell things to.
The first person he wanted beside him.
That was probably where everything had gone wrong.
Or right.
Leo hadn't decided yet.
"Good morning, bro."
Claude's voice crackled softly through the call.
Leo nearly dropped his phone.
He was barely awake himself, hair a mess, still buried under blankets. Meanwhile Claude sounded sleepy too, voice rough with exhaustion and that soft rasp that only existed in the mornings.
Leo blinked at the ceiling.
"Morning…" he mumbled.
Claude yawned.
"Sorry, did I wake you?"
"N-No."
"You sound dead."
Leo laughed weakly.
"You called me, dumbass."
Claude chuckled.
"Yeah, because I wanted to."
And just like that, Leo's entire brain short-circuited.
Because Claude said things like that.
Casually.
Naturally.
Like it was obvious.
Because to Claude, it probably was.
To Leo, it was catastrophic.
He buried his face in his pillow.
Shameless.
Absolutely shameless.
How was he supposed to survive when Claude's voice sounded like that in the morning?
How was he supposed to survive when the first thing he heard after waking up was Claude mumbling something incoherent and laughing softly when Leo teased him for it?
How was he supposed to survive being loved so easily..
No.
Not loved.
He couldn't think like that.
He wouldn't.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
Shu noticed first.
Not because Leo told him.
Because Leo wasn't stupid enough to tell Shu Yamino anything.
But Shu had eyes.
And ears.
And unfortunately, common sense.
"You're down horrendous."
Leo nearly choked on his drink.
"What?!"
Shu didn't even look up.
"You're smiling at your phone."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You have been for three minutes."
Leo turned off his phone immediately.
"Shut up."
Shu laughed.
"I didn't even say who."
"There is no who."
"Mhm."
"Shu."
"Mhm."
Leo groaned.
"I hate you."
"No, you don't."
"No, I really do."
"Sure."
There was a pause.
Then Shu smiled.
"It's cute."
Leo screamed into his hands.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
It was the little things.
That was always the problem.
Not grand gestures.
Not dramatic moments.
Just small things.
Claude reminding him to eat.
"Leo, food."
"I'm busy."
"Food."
"Five minutes."
"No."
"Claude-"
"Now."
"Bossy."
"Eat."
And somehow Leo always did.
Or Claude noticing when he was too quiet.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah."
"Liar."
"I'm serious."
"Mhm."
"You don't believe me?"
"Nope."
"Rude."
"Talk to me."
And somehow, every single time, Leo did.
Not because Claude pushed.
Because Claude stayed.
Because Claude listened.
Because Claude cared.
That was the dangerous thing.
Claude cared so naturally.
As if it cost him nothing.
As if reminding Leo to sleep or drink water or take a break was as normal as breathing.
As if Leo mattered.
And God.
That thought terrified him.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
Months later, everyone met up.
Eris had immediately started causing problems.
Seible encouraged her.
Rosco made it worse.
Altus just laughed.
Nayuta and Uki looked one inconvenience away from violence.
Finana had already given up trying to control anyone.
Elira sat there watching the disaster unfold with amusement.
Meanwhile, Claude stood beside Leo, laughing hard enough to nearly lose his balance.
And then-
A hand landed on Leo's shoulder.
Simple.
Casual.
Nothing.
Just Claude.
But Leo froze.
His breath caught.
Claude leaned closer.
"Dude, they're crazy"
Leo forgot how words worked.
Claude's hand was warm.
He wasn't even paying attention.
Just laughing.
Completely unaware.
Completely innocent.
Leo wished, selfishly and shamefully, that he'd never move.
It was just a hand.
Just a friend.
Just Claude.
Yet Leo thought he could stand there forever.
Claude eventually removed his hand.
And Leo hated himself for missing it immediately.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
Nayuta found him later staring into space.
"You look weird."
"I'm always weird."
"Not this weird."
"I'm fine."
Nayuta narrowed his eyes.
"You know you're in love, right?"
Leo stopped breathing.
"W-What?"
Nayuta blinked.
"Oh, so that's what it was."
Leo stared.
Nayuta grinned.
"Gotcha."
"NAYUTA!"
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
By the end of the second year, Leo had become frighteningly good at pretending.
Nobody noticed how his chest tightened whenever Claude smiled at him.
Nobody noticed how he reread messages.
How hearing "Morning, Leo" could make his entire day.
How he treasured every reminder to eat, every "Sleep, idiot", every "Proud of you."
Nobody noticed how desperately he wanted to reach for Claude's hand sometimes.
How badly he wanted to rest his head on his shoulder.
How impossible it felt.
Because Claude deserved better.
Someone easier.
Someone less afraid.
Someone who wasn't him.
So Leo wrote instead.
Words were safer.
Paper couldn't reject him.
Paper couldn't leave.
And paper couldn't look uncomfortable.
It was never meant to be found.
It wasn't even addressed.
Just pages hidden away, filled with things he would never say.
Things he never wanted Claude to carry.
Things he would gladly take to his grave.
And for almost three months, the letter remained untouched.
Until one afternoon.
Claude had only been looking for a charger.
"Leo!"
No answer.
"Leooo?"
Nothing.
Claude laughed to himself.
"Where'd you disappear to?"
He reached around the desk.
His fingers brushed against something that slipped free.
Pages.
Dozens of them.
Claude frowned.
"Oh, shit-"
He bent down automatically.
And froze.
His own name stared back at him.
クロード
Claude blinked.
"...Huh?"
The handwriting was unmistakable.
Leo's.
His stomach twisted.
Not because he was afraid.
Not because he was uncomfortable.
Just confused.
Concerned.
Curious.
Because whatever this was…
It wasn't meant for him.
And yet there his name was.
Written over and over.
Page after page.
In Japanese.
Claude swallowed.
Then quietly pulled out his phone.
Three contacts immediately came to mind.
Shu.
And Nayuta.
Maybe they could help him understand.
He just hoped he wasn't about to learn something he wasn't supposed to know.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･