Chapter 4 – Leon #3
“Oh—baby,” James breathed, dropping his duffel on the floor to wrap Leon up in a hug.
That balloon of love and warmth in Leon’s chest inflated, pressing all his bones and ligaments back into place like they had never been broken at all. He was able to take a full breath, then another, huffing over James’ shoulder like he’d just run a mile, not ten feet across the apartment.
“I missed you,” Leon growled, not even caring if James and Hailey would make fun of him for it. His throat felt scraped raw, like maybe he’d been crying in his sleep again. He’d nearly died on the spot when James told him that sometimes he would wake up to Leon sobbing in the middle of the night.
“I missed you, too. It’s so good to be home,” James said, his warm breath rustling Leon’s uncombed hair.
While Leon knew James meant “home” as in back in town, for one glorious moment he let himself believe that James was coming to see Leon’s place as home.
After his shitty upbringing, Leon had worked hard to turn his apartment into a home for himself and Yarmen, then for Hailey, and now for James.
All he had ever wanted was a warm, inviting place to call his own and to welcome his loved ones into.
Hailey’s soft, familiar footfalls approached from behind them, Yarmen still meowing his little heart out. “Perfect timing, James!” she said. “Leon was just agreeing to hang out with Trina and me tonight.”
James grinned widely at Leon, unwarranted pride in his eyes that made Leon want to collapse to the floor and crawl out of the room in shame.
That would be fucking ridiculous, though, so instead he pulled James into another hug, burying his face in James’ neck. “She wants us to get dinner with them,” Leon mumbled into the soft skin below James’ ear.
James shivered, a hand coming up to rest on the back of Leon’s head.
“I had actually also wanted to take you out to dinner,” James said, running a hand through Leon’s hair before gently pushing him back into an upright position.
His eyes scanned Leon’s face, no doubt taking in the dark circles under his eyes.
“I wanted to talk to you about…an idea, of sorts, but you know what, we can talk about that later.”
James turned to Hailey, wrapping an arm around Leon’s back like a lifeline. “We’d love to get dinner with you. You can pick the place. Just swing by and get us when you’re ready, and I’m happy to drive.”
Hailey nuzzled her face against Yarmen’s before handing him to Leon and skipping out of the apartment.
“See you in a few hours! Welcome back, James!”
James waved, like the adorable, dorky, wonderful mensch that he was, grabbed his duffel bag, and quietly shut the door behind her.
“Yes, darlin,’” Leon said, and he leaned forward to kiss James over Yarmen’s head. “Welcome home.”
James’ eyes roved around the room before landing back on Leon. Or more specifically, Leon’s lips.
Leon could almost see the gears turning in his boyfriend‘s head, and, with a gentleness that always melted Leon’s heart, James took Yarmen out of Leon’s arms and placed him on the floor.
“You know he’s a cat, right? You can just toss him and—” Leon tried to say, making the same argument he always did that James steadfastly ignored.
This time, he didn't just ignore Leon. James grabbed him by the shirt, spun him around, pressed him against the door, and sank to his knees.
“Shouldn’t I be the one on my knees? Welcoming you back?” Leon said, even as he threaded trembling fingers through James’ hair.
He would never forget their first time together, James sliding to his knees in front of Leon’s couch, asking Leon to fuck his face.
Leon bent over, catching James’ mouth in a filthy kiss, plunging his tongue in between James’ lips.
He tasted like toothpaste and smelled like the aloe he’d most likely put on his sunburn before coming over.
He’d made it the entire trip, up until the final afternoon, when he’d fallen asleep on the pool deck and gotten a sunburn all across his chest. He’d sent Leon an adorable picture of him pouting in the mirror, which Leon had immediately saved to his favorites folder, which was already filled to the point of absurdity.
There were selfies, candid pictures, and a few posed shots of him and James, as well as several of Aspen and Noah, and a rather paltry number with Hailey.
Although she was always on her phone, she didn’t take many pictures of herself. Most of what he had were pictures she’d asked Leon to take of her and Trina, a random selfie here and there when she was trying to bug him, and the ones he’d taken at her graduation.
Leon could have sworn he heard his ribs creak as they threatened to cave in again, but then James’ hands tightened on Leon’s thighs, and the balloon in his chest pressed outward, stabilizing him from the inside out.
He looked down into sparkling blue eyes and tightened his fingers in James’ hair.
“You can get me next,” James breathed, his cheeks already flushed and eyes wide as he yanked Leon’s joggers and boxers down his thighs. “There will be lots of time for that later.”