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[ GN!Reader ] ➜ As Long As He's Safe

╰┈➤ You find Leo, betrayed and bleeding out from his fingertips, upon the floor outside of the infirmary at Yumenosaki Academy. You immediately rush to remind him of his worth while allowing him to cry on your shoulder— and just like that, a new melody is born.

              BLOOD + SELF HARM WARNING!!!
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

    Your heart sank into your chest, leaving your body feeling oddly hollow as you stared at the orange beams of sunset pooling into the hall of Yumenosaki Academy. The school was unusually silent, with the occasional hollow coos of Mourning Dove breaking apart the bitter quiet that occupied the sterile air. Dust particles drifted to the floor, and once those particles escaped the sunlight, they simply vanished from your sight. Your emotions seemed to be in a state of limbo, teetering on the cusp of sorrow and fury. While others assumed it was caused by sleep deprivation, you were wholeheartedly convinced that something terrible was about to happen. Your instincts shrieked at you to search the school from its campus to its rooftop. As much as you wanted to obey, you were far too exhausted to.
Everything drained you, to the point where your physical form could barely hold you upright for prolonged periods of time. At times, life felt extremely bleak. Like you only had two colors to stare at, day in and day out. Gray and white. That was it. There was no such thing as colors in the world you'd somehow been flung into. A world of idols became a world of darkness faster than you ever thought it could. Your best friend, Leo Tsukinaga, vanished and slipped through your fingers after his hospital visit. You were worried every day where he was recovering. You'd visit him daily, and when he fell asleep, you'd shed tears upon the white bedsheets as you placed your head in his lap, praying that he would awaken from his slumber and rush to your aid— but you knew better. He needed to rest, and you let him when he was injured.
Your other close friend, Izumi Sena, has drifted far from your solar system. The guilt of Leo's emotional downfall sent Izumi into a pit of despair and shame, leaving you all alone. You endured the terror of seeing Eichi before your very eyes. You endured Eichi's commands and witnessed his methods of leaving all of your best friends crushed into the dirt in his tracks until there was no one left to follow him.

All because of a stupid system.

The floorboards creaked in your step as you neared the infirmary, where you planned to grab Leo's refill of anti-depressants. It took a lot to get him to even bother taking them, but you're happy he managed. It really did help put a stop to his self-destructive behaviors. Even Ruka seemed happier with the results of the medication.
Unfortunately, you were not greeted with a calm, quiet infirmary. Instead, there was crimson staining the floorboards in that of gore-y tablature. Your expression twisted in disdain and horror as you eyed the bloody mess on the floor, laid out in the doorway of the infirmary.

"LEO—!"

Your shriek startled the bleeding composer awake from his daze. Leo slowly lifted his chin to peer up at you before rolling his evidently exhausted figure to rest on his back. He seemed feebly up at you, his orange hair threatening to smear his bloody tablature drawn upon the floor. His fingertips were oozing with thick blood from the very base to even beneath his fingernails themselves.
You collapsed to your knees at his side, immediately offering Leo your hand. Leo placed his wrist into your palm with a soft laugh. "...do you like it?" His faint voice questioned.
"Like what?" You asked, forcing your panic aside as you began to wrap his fingers in your sleeve to promote clotting.
Leo tore his hand from yours, flopping his bloodied hand limply beneath the music score. "Please, read it. I made it for you." He told you.
You obeyed, peering over at the sheet music. Each note was so beautifully drawn. Only a musician could perfect a note in such a way. Slowly, you began to hum the melody that you saw before yourself. You'd be lying if you said it wasn't the most gorgeous melody that has ever graced you. It was melancholy, like a bittersweet goodbye beneath a cinematic sunset. It unfolded like a tale between two friends coming to an end. The melody itself had such a chime that it was unforgettable, like a friendship where in one's heart, it had yet to end.

Your eyes found Leo's expression. He had a bitter smile on his lips, a soft laugh occupying the background of your hums. You blinked slight tears from your eyes as you leaned over Leo's exhausted frame, wrapping him up securely in your arms. "Leo," you whispered. "Thank you. I love it so, so much."
Leo let out a soft cry of joy. "Yay..! I thought you'd hate it.." He then sniveled, beginning to undo on your shoulder.
You simply laid yourself on the floor beside him, allowing Leo to turn onto his side to tightly embrace you. You held onto him, petting his hair as he cried into your clothes. With each passing moment, you realized that his sobs adopted the same form as the melody he wrote. While Leo bawled, you began to quietly hum to him. You hummed him a lullaby, one that was easy to remember and even easier to recreate using only your voice. It was so sweet and gentle. The melody itself is fast-paced yet nostalgic. While it does have uneven backing chords, that is precisely what constructs a perfect lullaby.

Leo's voice hitched in his throat as he cried, occasionally forcing a laugh to mock himself. You inched back a bit to begin drying his tears, a gentle smile beginning to draw upon your lips. Leo stared at you with his pupils round and wide, his tears rolling down his face like an overdue downpour. "Great job," you grinned at him. "I love it. I really love what you wrote for me." You maneuvered your fingers between Leo's bloody fingers.
Leo gazed deep into your eyes, his expression scrunched from crying. You used your free hand to cup the side of his face. "Leo, it's going to be okay. You'll get through this. Let me bandage you, and then we can create a new melody. Hold on to those feelings, and don't let them go." You then placed a delicate kiss on the back of Leo's hand.
Leo exhaled tears as he began to genuinely smile. "Ahaha! Yes, I'll compose! I was so stupid for forgetting what that feels like..!" He excitedly shouted.

You forced yourself to your feet, hoisting Leo up in your wake. While he seemed to grow dizzy at first, he soon steadied himself out. You rushed into the infirmary, grabbing disinfectant wipes and bandaging. Leo quietly gazed out of the window at the nighttime sky that had begun to flesh itself out as he sat himself down on one of the infirmary beds. You approached the bedside, kneeling before it to begin cleaning up Leo's bloody hand. Leo smiled down at you. "Hey, Producer?"
You lifted your eyes. "Hmm?" You hummed your response.
"I really, really love you!" Leo exclaimed at the top of his lungs, although tears still stained his cheeks.
You beamed from ear-to-ear at him. "I love you, too!" You held the bandages in your hand while you stood. You then leaned forth, allowing you and Leo to exchange a tender and much-needed kiss, directly on his lips— though his were admittedly dry.

"I think that our ballad isn't over yet." You confessed with your lips inches from Leo's.
Leo laughed a bit, placing his forehead against yours. "It'll only be over once we're both old and senile."
"Promise to make a new one after that?" You asked.
"Promise! For an infinity after that, I want to make music with you..!" Leo excitedly wrapped his arms around your head, crying tears of happiness as he nuzzled his face into your neck.
You hugged him in return, placing occasional kisses on his cheeks.

All because of that, this lovely song is still playing. Out in the colorful world, music is what connects us all.