3rd person.
After escaping his siblings never-ending questions, Leo finally made way to his bedroom, locking the door behind him as he entered. His already small social battery was well and truly drained.
Why did everything have to be so fucking hard?
I had a fight with a door? Was that really the best excuse he could think of. God was Leo disappointed with himself.
Making a bee-line for the bathroom, Leo quickly stripped from his clothes, avoiding any mirrors as he tuned the shower on; ensuring the water was scolding hot. He had to wash his sins away, cold or tepid just would not do.
Scrubbing his skin until it was red and raw, his bruised flesh aching in the process. The scent of lavender filled his nostrils, but unlike its normal calming tendencies, it just didn't soothe him. Leo felt nothing if not numb.
The mind was a haunting thing.
How can one little thing control so much, but help with so little?
Wrapping himself in the fluffiest towel he could find, Leo made his way back to his room. Ruffling through his closet, he pulled out one of Callan's old hoodies he'd stolen many moons ago. He needed the comfort of his brother, and with touch being an issue for Leo, this was the closest thing he could have.
It was sad, really. Sad that he couldn't bear the touch of another; even if that person was important to him. Sad how much Leo had changed. He'd noticed it himself, he knew he was loosing any, if not all, parts of the Leo he once was.
And there was nothing he could do to fix it, he'd tried, by god had he tried.
Trying's what got him into this mess.
Leo was simply a lost cause.
***
After forty five minutes of loathing in self-pity, Leo finally grew some motivation to do what he'd been planning to do since leaving the dinning room.
Grabbing his phone from the bedside table, Leo scrolled through the contacts, calling the one person he needed.
Ring, ring, ring...
"Leo?" Came Emilio's groggy voice as he finally picked up Leo's call.
'Bout fucking time.
"Em, I've fucked up." He admitted. His tone showing the other just how defeated he truly felt.
"What's happened?" Emilio's voice became surprisingly more alert at his words. It wasn't often that Leo let himself be an open book, Emilio would not waste this opportunity.
"They seen the bruises." Leo paused, how would he explain the bruises on his neck to Emilio? He was there, he knew Leo wasn't choked in the fight. Great, just fucking great. "I told them I had a fight with a door."
Emilio's laugh filtered through the speaker, "Fucking hell Le! That's the worst excuse I've ever heard."
Leo slumped back on his bed with a loud groan. Rubbing his hand over his face harshly, he replied, "I know, fuck. You need to help me, what can I tell them? They're not going to give up with this."
Emilio was silent for a few moments — a statement Leo never thought he'd say. Emilio and silent in the same sentence? Maybe hope really does exist.
"Tell them we got into a fight with each other?"
Leo rolled his eyes. "As if you could punch hard enough to leave any kind of bruise." He snorted, he'd never pass up the opportunity to piss off Emilio. "They'll never believe that."
"Wow, you're so fucking rude." Leo could hear the disbelief in his tone. "I've got muscles Le, I'm an athlete, remember?"
"Playing football a couple of times a week, does not make you an athlete, Em."
"Yes it does!"
"Doesn't."
"Does."
"We're getting off topic Em."
"I was being serious Le. Tell them we got into a fight, it's not as unbelievable as you think." Emilio paused, "you'll need to hit me though."
"What?!" Leo sat up abruptly, wincing as he did. "I'm not going to hit you! Why the fuck would I do that?" He could never hurt Em.
Nope, no, nada.
"To make it more believable, duh." Emilio laughed, "We both need to have injuries for this to work, Le."
"I can't hit you Emilio, I won't."
"Fucking hell." Leo could hear him tapping his fingers, on what he assume to be his desk. "I'll just get Enzo to hit me, then I'll blame it on you?"
Leo groaned, "No Emmy, don't be stupid." He didn't want his best friend getting hurt because of him. "I'll figure something out, maybe I'll say that we got mugged and I fought them off?"
"So what, I need to look like a damsel in distress? Not a fucking chance. I may be gay Leo, but I'm not that gay." Emilio huffed, Leo could imagine the pout he was wearing right about now. "If you say we were mugged, I'm getting Enzo to punch me, I will not be made out to be weak."
"Was that homophobic?" Leo voiced his thoughts a loud.
"I can't be homophobic if I'm gay, Leo!"
"That's not true." Leo corrected. "Internalised homophobia is a thing y'know."
Emilio huffed a breath. "Whatever, I'm not homophobic end of discussion."
"Okay, okay." Leo laughed lightly.
"Sooo, will I get Enzo to hit me or not?"
***
The siblings, — minus Leo, of course. Were all sat in the living room with re-runs of friends playing on the tv.
Not one of them were paying attention to the sitcom, each lost in their thoughts about what could've happened to Leo.
Why couldn't he be honest with them?
The sound of the front door closing followed by footsteps quickly had their focus gained.
"Sup second fam." Emilio greeted with a grin. Making himself at home as he squeezed himself between Carter and Callan on the two-seater sofa. "Move, fat ass." He poked Carter's stomach with his thumb.
Carter glared, but moved none the less.
"What have I told you about knocking Em." Zac sighed. At this rate he should just give the kid a key.
"Sorry, daddy."
"Emilio." Zac warned, whilst the rest of his siblings sniggered. Of course Zac was also amused by Em's antics, but he had to be the adult here.
"What?" Emilio said in the most innocent voice he could muster. "You're technically a daddy." He shrugged. If Emilio had to guess, he'd say Zac was a daddy in more ways than one.
"Can we stop saying the word daddy." Kaden gagged dramatically.
"Emilio, take your hood down." Grey told the younger. "You're inside, it's rude." Someone had to show this kid some form of manners. Grey knew for a fact Em didn't act like this at home, mama Bianchi would kill him.
Alas, show time.
Emilio smirked internally as he pulled the hood away from his face. His black eye and slightly burst lip now in full view.
"What the fuck happened to your face?" Callan jumped up from his seat. First Leo, now Emilio? What the fuck is going on.
"I walked into a door." Em shrugged uncaringly.
"No, that's bullshit." Ace fumed. "Leo gave us the same excuse! I'm so fucking sick of all these lies."
"Em," Zac approached the boy. Crouching down in front of him, Zac lightly gripped Emilio's chin, similar to what he'd done to his brother earlier, Zac tilted Em's head back to inspect the damage. "Alex, grab some ice."
With a nod, Alex headed towards the kitchen, returning mere-seconds later with a bag of frozen peas in hand.
"There's no ice." Alex announced, throwing the peas in Zac's direction.
Zac caught the bag, easily of course.
Emilio winced as Zac placed the peas on his very freshly bruised cheek. "Owch, you motherfucker."
"Language!"
"Sorry." Emilio said unapologetically. God Leo better appreciate the lengths he'd go to for him. "Hurts though."
"Hm, I'll bet it does." Zac hummed. "What actually happened? Please Em, I'm really worried."
Think of Marley and me, you can do this Em.
Letting his forced tears fall, Emilio tuned his eyes to the floor. God he deserved an Oscar for this. "We got into a fight." Em sniffled, adding a crack to his voice to heighten the dramatics.
"No shit." Kaden snorted.
"Kaden." Zac shot him a look, turning his eyes back to Em, he asked. "We can see that Emilio. Who'd you guys get into a fight with?"
"He's going to hate me." Emilio sobbed, well fake-sobbed, but still. Maybe he should become an actor?
"Hey," Callan brought his hand to Emilio's back, rubbing soothing circles to try and calm the younger. "Leo could never hate you."
"Yeah Milo," Lily made her way over, she hated to see her best friend so upset. "Leo loves you."
Emilio internally snorted, Leo would kill her for saying that.
"He hates me now," Emilio shook his head, wincing as he rubbed the tears from his eyes. Bitch that hurt. "You don't understand."
"Then explain it to us?" Killian softly voiced.
"We didn't get into a fight with anyone."
"Huh?" Lily tilted her head to the side, her eyes zoning in on Em's bruised skin. Coulda' fooled her, sure looks like they both got into a fight.
"We fought each other." Emilio cried. Fuck was his throat going to be sore after this.
"Jeez," Carter breathed, his eyes looking at Emilio with a hint of pride. "You must pack one hell of a punch."
"Mhm," Em hummed, "I'm athletic."
"Athletic." Jack snorted, earning himself a glare from the grey eyed boy.
"Why did you strangle him though?" Grey asked, remembering the bruises on Leo's neck.
What the fuck? Em was a bit gaslighted at that. No one choked Leo in the ring last night, did they? No, Em would've noticed.
He'd have to confront Leo.
Now, back to the matter at hand. First rule of acting, improv. God now Leo was definitely going to kill him.
Forcing a blush, "Let's just say things got... heated."
"I don't understand." Lily tilted her head. Obviously things got heated for them to hurt each other.
Bless her innocent mind.
"It got intimate Lil." Emilio tried to explain cryptically.
"It got what?" Alex breathed. His baby brother was far to young for anything of the sorts.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." A new voice cut in.
"Leo." Emilio willed his fake tears to fall, running up to Leo he dropped to his knees, his hands clasped in a pleading manner. "Forgive me."
Leo rolled his eyes, he should've seen this coming. Things got heated.... Seriously?
"Mhm, I forgive you." Leo grabbed Emilio by the forearm, pulling him from the room.
"Leo, wait!" Came Zac's voice.
Leo paused in his steps, turning to his brother with a raised eyebrow. "What?"
"Why did you two fight? And we really need to discuss what Emilio just said." Zac was no where near happy about the news of his fifteen year old brother being intimate of any sorts.
"Emilio was lying, the bruises on my neck were not from... that." Leo grimaced. "We got into a fight, things got a bit rough."
"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Grey questioned.
"Because it's really none of your business." Leo admitted simply. Why did they have to be so fucking nosy.
"The hell it is!" Ace fumed. "You come home covered in bruises and have the balls to say it's none of our business?" He scoffed, his eyes glaring at Leo. "You're our baby brother Leo, if someone hurts you, we deserve to know."
"Look," Leo began, trying to find the words to say that would calm Ace down. "I appreciate the concern, Ace. But this is between Em and me."
"It's actually Em and I." Killian corrected. He was a lover of literature after all.
"No," Emilio shook his head, clearly not grasping what Kill was saying. "It's me and Leo."
Killian sighed, why must he be surrounded by idiots. "Never mind." He waved a hand.
"Anyway," Leo interrupted. "Can we go now?"
Zac frowned but nodded. "Sure, take some painkillers. Both of you."
"Kay."
***
"What the fuck were you thinking!?"
Emilio shrugged, laying himself like a starfish on Leo's king size bed. "I wasn't really." He admitted. "I was just trying to help."
"By telling them we got intimate?" Leo ran his hands through his hair. He appreciated Em's help, really he did. "Is that your kink then?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "Choking?"
"Maybe," Emilio grinned, "Looks like someone bet me to it though."
Leo's face fell. Please don't ask—
"Are you going to explain?" Emilio asked, his face void of all emotion. He wanted to know who hurt his best friend.
"You first," Leo gestured to his best friends purple toned face.
"I took a leaf out of your book and hit my face off my bedroom door a few times." Em shrugged. "Your turn."
Don't tell him.
"Um..." Leo hesitated.
"Please Le." Emilio begged, "I don't like this, I want to help you."
"Marco." Leo whispered with a gulp. His panic increasing as his breathing became uneven.
"It was Marco."
***
End of chapter 5
Another update????
Does Zac give daddy vibes tho?
Ooooo will Leo reveal the truth to Emilio?
Don't forget to vote!