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Part Twenty-Three

   "Sam?" He felt more than heard Leo take a seat beside him, the couch tilting slightly to adjust to the new weight. "You good?"

   Sam figured he didn't look his best, especially with the cold breeze from above drifting down onto his minuscule body. But with Leo's stare boring into his soul, Sam forced his eyes to meet his friend, and found that it was much easier to relax with such a gentle look on the human's face.

   In the past, Sam might've waited until the last minute and kept his feelings bottled up. He might've let everything explode all at once, out of fear from what might happen if he were to confront his emotions. But after the incident a few nights ago, Sam knew better. This time, he knew who to trust in the event of an emergency, and he especially knew that opening up would help soothe his anxieties more than anything.

   "'M cold," Sam muttered, watching Leo's face contort from concern to determination in a split second. Before he could react, Leo was off the couch and rummaging around the countless pillows and blankets in the living room in search of the perfect one. And the moment he found it- a soft, heavy looking comforter- Leo was wrapping it around Sam as quickly as he could. He knelt down to face Sam before the couch, watching his shivering dull to a more rational degree, and Sam knew he made the right decision.

   "Better?" Leo asked, and Sam nodded.

   "Leo?"

   "Hm?"

   "I'm not helpless. You know that, right?"

   Leo's forehead creased into itself, and a frown etched onto his lips.

   "Um...yeah? Why?"

   "Just wondering."

   "No, I wanna know why you asked."

   "I just want to make sure you know before you get used to helping me and then start treating me differently," Sam expressed, finding it hard to keep his hands still. He eventually focused the twiddling fingers on the blanket, but even then could still feel the underlying discomfort in the air.

   "You've been on your own for a while. I'm just trying to make life a little easier for you, okay? Tell me if I ever go too far."

   "I will," Sam grinned down at the pillow, before trying to hide it completely and pursing his lips.

   "Hey, no, bring that back!"

   "Bring what back?"

   "Don't hide your smile!" Leo laughed, calling Eli into the room. "Elijah, Sam's trying to hide his smile from us!"

   "Why would you tell him that?!"

   "Now you're in for it," Leo said, a mischievous gleam in his eyes at the sound of Eli's footsteps rapidly approaching the living room.

   In slid Elijah, holding on to the arch of the room for dear life as his socks slipped on the hardwood. It looked like he had just run a marathon.

   "Sam did what?!"

   "I'm telling you, we just had a really special moment over here and now he's not letting me see his smile. Eli, what are we supposed to do?"

   "Hell no," Elijah declared, stomping over the edge of the couch and reaching to grab Sam. The borrower squeaked in return, trying to run but inevitably getting caught in the hoard of blanket folds surrounding him, and he was trapped in Eli's hands before he even knew what was happening.

   "I'm not letting go until you smile, kid," Eli opened his palm to let Sam sit there, only slightly dazed from the sudden lurch of movements, and waited for the oncoming grin.