The Illusion

Fifteen

"Thanks Milo. Sorry if I messed up your plans... again."

"You're fine Freya. Don't worry about it. Love you."

"You're not the worst brother."

"No, that's Isaac." He chuckled, letting me out of the hug at the top of the stairs. We were late back. Spent hours just driving around aimlessly. We'd pulled over at one point, sorting a makeshift icepack for my hand that was starting to bruise. I hadn't told him why I'd punched Leo or why I'd stormed out but that 1 on 1 time with him had been nice. It wasn't often I got to see my brothers recently, let alone spend decent time with them. We'd been out for the entire day without speaking to anyone else about where we were. "Night."

"Night."

I headed down the hall, quietly pushing Leo's door open in the hopes he was passed out and I'd be able to get Pudgy and get out without waking him up. I was making it in my own bed tonight. The whole night. Come nightmare and flashback I was not getting out of that bed for anything longer than a week and even then, if I could avoid it, I would be doing.

"Rey-" He shot up from the sofa and I rolled my eyes.

"I just came for my bear."

"Where the hell did you go?"

"Out with Milo before you blow your top. I'm not stupid Leo. You knew exactly where I was. The second I left you were probably counting my fucking steps." I grabbed the bear from the bed and turned back around.

"Where are you going?"

"To my room."

"You're not sleeping in there Freya."

"Hm. Funny. Pretty sure that's not your decision to make." He stepped into the path between me and the door. "I'm not in the mood to punch you again Leo. I've already bruised my fist."

"I thought you would have done. Kind of regretting teaching you to punch so hard. My head's been pounding all day."

"Good. Move."

"No." I raised an eyebrow at him. We're playing fuck around and find out? Got it. "You're sleeping in here."

"What, for you to kiss me again and then pretend it didn't happen? Or were you planning on stepping it up tonight? A cuddle? Little spooning? Then what was your plan? Do that every night until you got what you wanted? Play the slowest game known to man?"

"That's not fair Freya."

"No. What's not fair is kissing me, not giving me the opportunity to respond before you're turning your fucking back on me and telling me to go to sleep like you'd just read me the blurb of a dictionary." I yelped as Leo snapped, leaping forward and turning me, pressing me into the wall at my hips. I just wanted my bear. I put my hands on his chest, pushing back gently. "Here we go. Round 2 ladies and gen-"

"Stop it."

"Stop what? Proving myself right?"

"No. Stop acting like I don't fucking care. I shouldn't have kissed you last night. I wanted to, so fucking bad. I've wanted to for days. But I shouldn't have done it then, like that, not when not even 24 hours before hand you were having a nightmare about me doing whatever the hell it was. That's why I turned over. To stop myself from looking at you and doing it over and over and over again. The fact you'd think that you'd stand here and tell me that it didn't mean anything to me tells me you think surprisingly little of me."

"I think you're an ass."

"Mhm. You proved that with the bloody nose earlier. Can you see the bruise?" I scowled, laying my head back against the wall so I could see it in the barely lit room. "Proud of it?"

"Want to carry on? I have no issue giving you another one." He let out a heavy breath.

"I wasn't expecting you to hit me to be honest. I was expecting you to scream or move out of the way or shout at me."

"Well, looks like you underestimated me."

"Not a mistake I'll make again, don't worry." I blinked and before I could even open my eyes, I had Leo's lips on mine. I scrunched my forehead at him, pushing back on his chest.

"You can't just kiss me when you want me to shut up." He panted, taking a hand off my hip to press it into my cheek again.

"I don't want you to shut up, I just want to kiss you again."

"I can't talk if your kissing me."

"No but you can stop being mad at me and kiss me back like you said you wanted to last night." He kissed me quickly. "Or, I can stop an-"

"Don't you dare." I wrapped my hands around his shirt, dropping Pudgy to the floor in favour of pulling Leo back into me. "I hope this hurts." He groaned quietly when I kissed him hard, tasting him like I'd wanted to last night. Feeling him properly rather than just the heat he was putting out.

He pushed his hand between me and the wall, wrapping it around me and tugging so I slammed into his chest, coming away from the wall as he spun me around, backing me up to the bed. He didn't move off me for a second as he shifted us around, moving me and then him until my head was in the middle of his pillows.

The electricity shooting through every single nerve in my body. I don't think I'd ever get over how good he felt against me. Slow and careful, he pulled off me for air.

"Leo-"

"Nothing's happening Rey." How does he always know? "You're too warm though?" I nodded. "Okay. Pull your arms in." Leo laid onto his hip beside me, taking James' hoodie off and throwing it across the room, making his shirt follow close behind. "Better?"

"Yeah."

"No more clothes are coming off until you're changing into your pyjamas next door. My hands aren't going to do anything they shouldn't be."

"Just making out?" He nodded.

"Just kissing. Nothing else." My eyes fluttered closed as he kissed my cheek gently. "As much or as little of that as you want."

"Can I get changed and ready for bed before we carry on? I didn't shower earlier and I feel a little gross."

"Only if you're actually going to come back in here and not leave me as payback for last night."

"I never even thought of that. Thanks for the idea." He rolled his eyes, standing up and holding out a hand to help me up. He walked me back into my room, dropping my hand when we were in the bathroom. He turned my shower on, laid out towels and turned back to me, quickly lifting me up onto the bathroom side before kissing me again. Hard and wet and hot and my head was spinning. He pulled back just as I started to relax into it, rosy cheeks and a delicate smile on his lips.

"You've got 2 reasons to come back now."

"What's the second?"

"I'm holding Pudgy hostage until your back in my bed with me." My mouth dropped open and he nodded, stepping back towards the half open doorway. "Don't worry. I'm a nice kidnapper until I get bored of waiting."

"Don't hurt him. I'll come back."

"I know you will." He smirked. "Shower. Pyjamas. My bed."

"Your bed."

"With me."

"With you." I nodded. "And Sir Buttons of Pillowtown."