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BAT was exhausting Leo.
Sure, the spies were good, but does that really matter when most of them weren’t even his own?
He flopped onto his bed, tail spreading out around him as he sighed. His ears slowly began to soften out as he took in the texture of the bed around him.
It was soft and comfortable, fit for someone as rich as him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all that large of a bed. Barely fitting himself, let alone his snow leopard features.
He shifted, trying to find a better position to lay in before settling for laying flat on his back.
Was it comfortable? No.
Was it tolerable? Yes.
Leo shut his eyes, trying to fall into the deep embrace of sleep.
However, sleep did not find Leo, and he stayed in the uncomfortable position with his eyes shut tight.
After 30 more minutes of laying still, Leo grunted and sat up, grabbing his communicator from the table next to his bed.
01:30 AM
Great.
He sleepily opened up his contacts, hand naturally drifting to a brunette with gray-blue tipped hair.
You whispered to Nufuli: Are you awake?
Nufuli whispered to You: dude its 1am why are you awake
You whispered to Nufuli: I could ask you the same.
Nufuli whispered to You: fair
Nufuli whispered to You: meet at the entrance?
You whispered to Nufuli: Yeah
Leo twisted his body to the right side of the bed, basically rolling out of his bed.
He barely checked himself in the mirror before heading straight out of his room.
He passed by Jumper and Derapchu’s rooms, both sleeping peacefully. Or, as peaceful as the two could sleep.
Eventually, Leo made it to the entrance where Nufuli was already waiting for him.
His fish features practically glowed in the moonlight, his tail swaying gently in the wind.
Leo couldn’t help but notice that, unlike himself, Nufuli was wearing what he normally wore. Black shirt, baggy jeans, goggles.
Hypocrite. How was he going to judge Leo for not sleeping when it was clear he hadn’t even considered laying down?
But of course, since it was Nufuli, Leo couldn’t stay mad for long.
“Where have you been all night?” Leo asked, his voice softer than he meant it.
“A small trading village east from here.”
At some point, Leo found his place next to Nufuli, both sat atop the blades of grass in silence.
“I think,” Nufuli started, “I think I want to have a fresh start someday.” His brown eyes scanned the forest in front of them, sighing gently. “The village I visited was nice. I met a girl there, Honeydew Melon, and she offered me shelter. I think it’d be a nice place to stay.” He turned towards Leo, a small smile playing on his lips. “Away from the chaos of BAT, y’know?”
Leo kept his gaze fixed on the boy before nodding slowly, turning his head to the grass below him. “I think that’d be nice. Would give you a chance to fully live your life.” Leo paused, thinking carefully. “Maybe I’d join you. Share some riches with you and her.”
With that, Nufuli gave the snow leopard a playful elbow, “Dude, gold can’t buy you everything, you know?” He joked, giggling silently.
As much as Leo hated to admit it, Nufuli was right. He couldn’t use his gold for everything, for that would make it worthless.
The night continued on silently, the two making the occasional jab at each other. At some point, Leo’s head found its way onto Nufuli’s shoulder, the leviathan’s tail wrapping around the pair. If the rest of BAT was around, Leo would comment on how Nufuli was being ‘extra’ or ‘clingy.’ He would neglect to mention the soft purrs that would come from him, as he nuzzled closer to his companion.
“Nufuli..” Leo murmured, looking up towards the boy.
“Yeah?”
“Please don’t leave without me. Don’t– Don’t leave me alone. Please.”
Nufuli looked down at Leo, black eyes meeting grey. Nufuli saw the fear and concern etched into Leo’s gaze. He was worried. Worried for his friend, worried for the one person he truly cared about. He didn’t want to lose Nufuli.
That alone almost broke him.
“Leo..” Nufuli trailed off, shifting his body to fully face Leo, taking the man’s hands in his. “I won’t.” He promised, his grip on Leo’s hands tightening. “I won’t leave you. When we catch the director, we’ll both go to that merchant town. We’ll start over. Not as BAT, but as Leowook and Nufuli.” Nufuli paused, pulling Leo into a tight hug. “I promise.”
Neither of the two realized that small tears were trailing down both their faces, pooling below their chins. All they registered was the other's hands around the other, soaking in the familiar warmth between the two.
“Thank you, Nufuli.” Leo whispered, voice cracking slightly. “Thank you for being my friend.”
Nufuli let out an airy laugh. “Anytime, dude.”
Eventually, Leo fell limp in Nufuli’s hands, his breathing slowed and calm. Tear streaks stained his face, no matter how many Nufuli tried to rub away.
The brunette's hands eventually found their way to Leo’s hair, gently ruffling the fluffy white hair. He moved the soft strands between his finger tips, working slowly on a braid.
It was a simple maneuver he learned back in the sea, as most women would wear it to protect their hair from the currents.
Nufuli simply thought it looked nice.
He finished the braid, using a small band he had in his pocket to tie it together. He smiled, proud of his work, as he started on another one. This time using the black section of Leo’s hair.
He moved the two braids in a way that they framed Leo’s face, perfectly showing the beauty marks that Leo opted to cover for a reason Nufuli didn’t know.
After a few more minutes of staring at his work, Nufuli dug for his communicator in his pocket.
3:47 AM
honeydewmelen whispered to You: let me know what you choose !! ^^
You whispered to honeydewmelen: i think i will. :)
Nufuli shut off his communicator, looking back at the sleeping leopard. He moved away from his touch, careful not to wake him up, before hoisting him onto his back.
Void, is he lucky that Leo is a deep sleeper.
He stabilized the boy on his back, entering the infinity shaped building. He carried Leo all the way to his room, moving the boy from his back into his arms.
Nufuli laid Leo on the bed, pulling a blanket over him and tucking him below it. Nufuli personally sat at the rear of the bed, sinking into the soft mattress.
Nufuli already knew he wasn’t going to sleep tonight, for he hadn’t been able to for the past few days. But here, in Leo’s too white room, with a ridiculously small yet comfortable bed, maybe Nufuli could sleep here.
He shook away the thought, slowly rising from the bed.
He walked over to the door, looking back at the sleeping boy.
“Goodnight, Leowook.”