Worse Than His Bite

Chapter 15: Why not me

"I didn't think you'd want to see me again."

Leo ignored the big dog's sulking. He reached up and tucked a lock of Callum's curly brown hair behind his ear. He could act as annoyed at Leo as he wanted but he still pressed his face into Leo's palm just to be closer to him.

Too easy.

"Of course I want to see you again." Leo whispered sweet nothings to him. "I was embarrassed, that's all. I mean, how would you feel if your dad caught us together?"

"I would be proud to be seen with you."

Leo's hands slipped from Callum's neck. He had to step back from him, the sincerity of his words threatening to suffocate him if he stood too close. By God, their situationship had only been going on for a few weeks, where was this attachment coming from. All so fast and all too real on Callum's end. Callum was far too useful to lose. An insider with special knowledge that Leo needed, Father needed that knowledge. Why would you think that. Because Phineas, you sheltered idiot, the nature of people was to use their fellow man until their own means were met. A dog eat dog world. Surely the literal dog in front of him would know that too, so he didn't have to feel too bad about what would inevitably happen. If his siblings could do this kind of shit on all of their missions. Leo was just as good as all of them. They were all Mr Leopold, Leo was Mr Leopold too, he was just as good as them!

"Leo."

"Hmm?"

"Was that too far? I-" Callum ran his hands through his hair, he turned his head up to the sky, the seagulls swirling and squawking above. "I- fuck this is embarrassin' to say. To be completely honest with you, I've never been in a relationship before, but I really like you. I know we haven't known each other very long, but that's pretty common in my um... culture. It's just-" he took a deep breath in as if he were in genuine pain, "if you don't feel that way towards me or can't see yourself ever feeling that way towards me, please tell me now."

How could Callum do that? In a matter of seconds he had exposed his desire, his feelings, his weakness to Leo without a second thought. Did he not think that Leo would use that against him? What kind of idiot exposed himself so willingly. It was Callum who had put his heart in Leo's hand, so why was Leo left feeling vulnerable.

It was as if a spotlight had been put on him. He couldn't meet Callum's eyes, the glimmering hope far too pure for someone like Leo. He looked everywhere else, out towards the rolling ocean then back to the shack where Phineas was no doubt watching his embarrassing display.

"Where's Phineas?"

"What?"

Leo walked back to the food shack, the bell ringing as he pushed the door open.

"What happened to the guy I was with?" He asked the plump Scottish lady standing behind the till.

"He left." She said. "Paid your lunch and scurried off."

The bell rang again. "Leo, can you please tell me what's going on? Hi, Evelyn."

"Hello, Callum." The lady greeted in return. "Thank you for helping with moving stock the other day. Take a free pastry or-"

"I can't take anything from you," said Callum, "I only wanted to help."

Leo scoffed. Check out the Good Samaritan over here. See, this wouldn't hurt so much. Callum was a good boy from a small town who would forget all about his little crush he had one summer on some strange guy who came into town and left within three months. Leo grimaced, Callum would especially forget about Leo if Father decided being on a remote island wasn't enough to keep humanity safe from these beasts. Right! Callum wasn't even human, just because he looked like a human didn't mean he actually had human emotions.