The Brightest Star

37. King

King's POV

We got back to the house just as the sun was setting, and I walked straight to my room to find Leo cuddled up and asleep on my bed.

Damn, that was a crazy good sight to see. I loved it, but I had to remember he wasn't into guys.

I quietly found some clean clothes and took a quick shower while he was sleeping. I thought about making him something to eat, but knowing his mood before I left, I knew he wasn't going to eat it.

Instead, I decided it would be better to just lay with him and maybe go to bed early. I crouched next to the bed and looked at him sleeping before I laid myself down to look at the bright blue bruise just next to his eye. I hated seeing that so much, as I carefully moved his hair off it to get a better look.

Leo sighed a little and moved closer to my hand before his red from crying eyes slowly fluttered open at me. We both stayed still and looked at each other for a while. Fuck, he was too adorable for his own good.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"It's only like 8:30," I told him, not looking at the time as I rubbed my fingers in his hair. "You hungry?"

He shook his head just as I expected. "I didn't mean to fall asleep while I was waiting for you to come back," he told me as he grabbed the water bottle next to the bed I left for him.

I got up and sat down next to him. "You should probably call your dad and tell him you're going to stay here tonight. So he doesn't worry about you."

He looked down for a moment before saying, "It's- it's fine. He already knows I won't be home."

My head tilted to the side for a moment, thinking how his dad knew already before it turned into worry. "Is... everything okay at home, Leo? It's just a little strange that you would leave your house knowing how dangerous it is with... you know who still out there."

He started fidgeting with his fingers like he wanted to say something but didn't know if he should. That's when I realized he was hiding something. "It's fine. Everything is fine. I- I just had to do something for my dad and- and I ran into some trouble on the way and found myself running here to find you," he told me as his hands started shaking.

He was lying, but I was scared if I pushed him for the truth, he would close himself more, and I could tell he was uncomfortable talking about it.

I put my hand over his and rubbed his fingers in comfort. I needed to play into his lie. I'll find out the truth sooner or later. Either on my own or when he was ready to tell me the truth. "Well, you did the right thing by coming here. You're safe here no matter what." I kissed his forehead without thinking about it as he laid his head on my chest.

If this is what he needed, then I'd put aside all my anger and just hold him. At least, that's what I planned to do until he looked up at me.

"Thank you," he told me, so full of sadness as a tear escaped his eye.

I reached up and wiped it away, but I couldn't seem to pull away again as he nuzzled his cheek into my hand more. My heart started beating faster, and he was so close.

But I couldn't do anything stupid right now with him in this state of mind. I moved off the bed. "Do you want to take a shower?" I asked as he reached over to put the water bottle back on my nightstand, which really needed cleaning from all the clutter. "Maybe you'll want to eat after... you... What the fuck is that?" I asked seeing a dark spot on his hip as his shirt raised.

"What?" He looked down, saw the bruise, and quickly covered it with his shirt again. "It- It's nothing."

"The hell it is!" I yelled. I was starting to see red. Fuck playing into his lies. "I need to see that."