More (Boyxboy)

Chapter Twenty Two

Ian left them with a question in his eyes that he refrained himself from asking, excusing himself to go assure that nothing had gone terribly wrong with the awkward dinner in the dining room. With a sigh, Michael watched him go, wondering if he should have said something different when they were in the green house, while at the same time wondering if Ian would be willing to talk to him about his answer later, to explain it as well as the reason he had looked so sad.

"Who is he?" Leo asked, rather unkindly, and Michael turned back to the young boy to catch his narrowed eyes trained on the corner of the house that Ian had just disappeared around.

"That should be the be the least of your concerns right now," Michael said, giving the boy a once over to make sure there was nothing seriously wrong with him before he nodded his head in the direction of the small pond and the bench that sat in front of it. "Let's sit down".

"I don't need to sit-"

"Leo," Michael grumbled, going to take a seat and staring at the water as he waited. It didn't take long for Leo to join him, taking the seat beside him as Michael knew he would. "What are you doing here, Leo. You're supposed to be in California. It's only been three weeks".

"You still haven't answered my question," Leo responded evenly, his voice calm in a way that drove Michael mad given the situation. "Who was-"

"Leo," Michael interrupted, exacerbated. "What's going on? Does your mom know that you're home?"

"Of course she knows that I'm home," Leo answered, not bothering to say anymore. A part of Michael envied him for his ability to remain calm, but a bigger part of him wanted to throw him into the pond for being so annoying.

"Does she know that you're here?"

"Yes," he answered. "I wanted to talk to you".

"About?" Michael asked nervously. He was aware of the fact that Leo had a crush on him, and he had never been expecting the younger boy to confess this, but Michael couldn't think of anything else that he had to say to him.

This time Leo didn't respond, only stared at the circling koi fish in the water before them with his dark brown eyes wide. Something about his expression struck Michael as scared, making him believe that maybe Leo did actually have something he needed to talk to him about. Still, he didn't pry, just sat there silently beside him for a long time, long enough that the sun finally set and the lights in the pond turned on. "Alright, come on".

Michael stood, turning his face down towards Leo, who blinked up at him a couple of times before asking, "what?"

"Stand up," Michael instructed. "I'm gonna walk you home".

"But I need to talk to you," Leo protested, but he stood anyways, wiping his hands on the front of his jeans.

"You can talk as we walk," Michael suggested and Leo's nose wrinkled in distaste. "Or, because it seems that you didn't really think what you wanted to talk about through before you just showed up in my backyard during dinner time on a Monday night, you could think about it tonight and come back tomorrow".

Leo was quiet for a moment, just looking up at him in a way Michael had grown used to from the younger boy, before he sighed and said, "that sounds alright I guess".

"Great".

"En français s'il te plaît," (In french, please), Leo taunted and Michael allowed the younger boy a little laugh as he gestured for him to begin walking.

"Allons te ramener chez toi," (Let's get you home).

***

Being awoken by Ian gently shaking him the next morning immediately put Michael in a good mood, and he showed this by sitting up in bed and grinning at the older man, who just stood there and looked at him with an amused expression.