You Take the Breath Right out of Me [Bolt, ReD]

"I don't know. I mean, I didn't get sick from it so it wasn't all that bad. Sides all we did was get you to open up more. Though from I'd have to say I think you're the reason she likes to jokingly hit people I think. I just get yanked to the ground most days."

The light tone was starting to make Leon feel better about everything. That day was still implanted in his memory. The first time he got that close and intimate with someone. However he saw the signs and did not know whether or not if his guess was true. So for now he let his suspicions start to fade away as they walked. Something about Lochlaan was off, but Leon knew everyone had their own secrets. Whatever he had, well, if he wanted to say he could. If not then he didn't. He was curious about what his thing with water was, but that was maybe something to ask when Adelene wasn't around.

"That sounds pretty responsible of you. Not many people can ask for help from a tutor and freely admit it. Most feel ashamed, but hey that's their decision ya know? Though I will say that anyone else would think of weird and perverted thoughts if they heard of a guy and girl stuck in a shed during a thunderstorm. I just think of it as a place to escape the rain. Or in my case run through the rain like an idiot."

When Adelene recalled the day they met Leon started to as well. It was just by chance the two met and developed a friendship so fast. Well, lunch the next day along with taking her to the amusement park after she came to his parent's shop helped make it stronger.

"I was just jogging through and saw this person sitting all alone and thought to myself 'I wonder if they're alright?' and went from there. I'm nice to just about everyone and at the time I was being nice just to be polite. Now it's me being me and more, well, of a goofball. Though pretty neat we both met her the same week."

@Trahnael @ReD

When Adelene mentioned their moment in the shack, Lochlann actually tripped. He caught himself pretty quickly, but he pulled his hand out of his pocket for just a moment to regain his balance and smeared blood across his knee.

He couldn't believe she just brought it up so casually, like it was a walk in the park.

Lochlann tucked his hand back into his pocket and followed after them.

"Oh," Lochlann said, in response to Leon's assessment about the tutor. "She was assigned to me. I didn't really have a choice in the matter, I missed a lot of material when I was away. I was sick for the first half of my trip."

The lie came easily enough because it was mostly true. He had missed a lot of work, he had needed a tutor, but he wasn't sick. He was...

Lochlann swallowed.

Holy crap she'd mentioned the shed.

"It was very cold," Lochlann agreed. "I would really like it if something like that never happened ever again."

His voice sounded strained. He was trying to be casual but why would she mention the shed? Lochlannn swallowed.

"I didn't realize we both met Adelene around the same time," Lochlann said. "It's funny how things work out that way. How did you two end up collaborating on swords and stuff--do you two work together?"

Lochlann grabbed his flask from his pocket again, taking another sip, trying to pretend that Adelene had never mentioned the shed or that Leon had never mentioned how perverted it might be.

Alright now he know he said something strange again. Both Lochlaan and Adelene seemed to be a little more....Off. He hated how he spoke sometimes but saying what was on one's mind was something he found to be more important. Right now, he figured toning it down a bit would do.

Leon was worried about Lochlaan considering he was Adelene's friend and despite what he was picking up. Right now he focused on paying attention to what Lochlaan was saying. Given how he was acting it seemed him being ill of some sort was common. Did he just have a bad immune system? Well given the place he calls home it wasn't surprising for people to have strange bodies and things along those lines. Seeing him fall made Leon even concerned, though he wasn't able to see the blood on his jeans.

"Man I'm close to offering you a shoulder to lean against. Or your shoelace is untied which in that case I would suggest velcro. And you're right. You're not a person like that far as I've seen Adelene. I would honestly be shocked if you were. Well, not shocked. More like amazed I never caught on to it. I still remember the p-"

He had to stop himself mid word. He remembered he wouldn't mention that day. At all. It was something that even he didn't want to remember all that well, but it still was impactful to his life. And if his guess was right one of the leading things that made Adelene feel how she did sometimes. Or....Well he had his thoughts.

He noticed easily how the two were acting when the shed was mentioned. It tells him something more happened that night, but it wasn't his place to pry into their affairs. Even if this was.... No that wasn't the kind of thoughts he wanted to have.

Adelene's face also gave him pause to worry. She was trying to show she was fine, but Leon knew all too well how hard it was for her to hide how she was feeling from him. Especially the way the smile faded and the blushing was getting brighter and brighter. Scratching the back of his head Leon just nodded as Adelene ran off to grab some bandages. That's when he glanced over and saw the blood on Lochlaan's jeans.

"Well. To answer your question no, we don't. I have a gift to make swords out of an ability I see. It's difficult, but I can do it. I made Revolver with that ability. I tend to change the design of my swords from time to time if I got the right inspiration. As you can see there's a good amount of inspiration running off to help."

Leon's hands found their way to his pocket as he turned to look at Lochlaan. Leon was debating in his head or not if he should bring up what he was picking up from the guy. It was...Strange. Was he jealous? He didn't know, he hadn't felt the emotion before. Well there were other things he could do to help reassure Lochlaan of...whatever was ailing him.

"Have to admit it's nice seeing her in good spirits. Though....As one guy to another I have to ask. How cute do you find Adelene? She brings a sort of mix of charm and adorableness that most of the girls that clamor for my attention don't have. I mean what kind of girl hits a person as a sign of affection? Affection as in...Well you know how Adelene is."

Leon kept a smile and a normal tone in his voice. He didn't really know how suspicious he sounded, but figured it was just sounding like guy talk. And he wanted to confirm what he thought he was seeing. Otherwise he'd hate himself later if he was wrong.

"It's nice seeing she has someone else she can go to and spend time with. Dunno if you've noticed but she doesn't exactly seem to have very many friends. From what I've seen you're someone special to her. So if it means anything from me, then if you need someone to talk to without worrying Adelene you can talk to me. If you're special to her, then in my eyes that makes you already a friend. Though I have to ask....What happened to your hand? I mean you did leave blood on your jeans and that's kind of worrying."

Genuine concern crossed his tone and the look on his face when he asked. He was convincing himself it was just looking out for Lochlaan, but something in the back of his mind was wondering if he was into anything shady. His attire already gave off a strange vibe like that, but was it just his fashion sense? Leon didn't like the thoughts, but man was it something he wanted to know.

@Trahnael @ReD

Lochlann was still speaking when Adelene bolted* so it took him a minute to realize that she was leaving--

--Leaving him alone-—

--with Leon.

Fucking Leon.

Leon was so fucking nice.

"ADDY!" Lochlann shouted, but either she didn't hear him or she didn't care, because she kept going. "ADDY HANG ON A SECOND."

He didn't say, Don't leave me here with him, but that was only because Lochlann bit his tongue. He turned back to Leon who, gods bless him, was still trying to keep a normal conversation going. Lochlann couldn't tell if he admired him for that, or hated him.

Lochlann nodded and tried to force the frown off of his face. He crossed and uncrossed his arms.

"Oh that's good," Lochlann said, but he wasn't exactly sure if it was good or if he was just saying things to say things. "I sort of assumed you two worked together, what since you make swords and she sells them for a living."


Leon's next question caught Lochlann so offguard that Lochlann stumbled even though he'd been standing still prior to that. Had he been drinking his flask, he would have choked.

He sort of choked anyway, making a guilty noise in the back of his throat while he tried to composed his face into...something.

He was pretty sure he was blushing because he felt hot, so Lochlann just...sat down.

He wanted to jump out of a window but they were already outside. There was no where for him to go though. He was trapped, even with all this space to run.

He put his hands on his head, forgetting for a second that the whole point of all of his had been to hide the damn thing, and took a few deep breaths.

Why the hell would he ask him that about Adelene? What the hell? Was this what normal guys discussed? It seemed weird talking about his best friend like she wasn't there with a stranger, even if that stranger was probably Addy's boyfriend.

But wouldn't' Addy have mentioned it to him?

Probably not, Lochlann realized. He'd never talked to her about his love life. It felt so good being with Addy that he didn't want to ruin it by bringing anything up, and Lochlann enjoyed the chance to feel like he might not ruin a relationship.

"Uh," Lochlann said, again attempting to respond to this the whole assessment. "Uh."

Finally, he shook his head, and his voice was a little terse, but his face still bore the scarlet letter of his blush.

"I uh...I appreciate that," he said, trying not to grit his teeth. "But I'm afraid I don't share the same sentiments. I am not comfortable having this kind of conversation with a stranger, even if you are Addy's..."

He almost said boyfriend, but for some reason, it hurt him to much.

"...Even if you are an important person in Addy's life. I'm glad you take care of her, I am, but I don't know why you would ask something like that. I think--ah fuck," Lochlann said, because in attempting to sit back up, he'd pressed his bad hand against the ground. He cradled it close to his chest for a second. There was a clearly distinguishable back off aura surrounding him; something in the hunch of his shoulders and the glint in his dark eyes should be warning enough that he was a hurt animal, and Lochlann had enough.



(*hahah get it bolted because Bolt...-bricked-)

He had to scratch his head once more. Yeah there he went again, saying things he really shouldn't have. The guy clearly had some sort of crush on Adelene. He'd seen enough girls swoon over him to know the signs rather well. But it was weird seeing it in another guy. Though why did he want Adelene to wa-Oh. Being stuck with him alone. Right.

"My dad owns a garage so I know a few things about wielding equipment, craftsmanship, and the like. I've made only a few model swords, but that one for Adelene on her birthday was special."

With the way Lochlaan reacted Leon might as well have punched the guy. He didn't even mean to cause such a reaction. He was actually shocked and knelt over to be on level with Lochlaan. He felt a little bad and gave the guy a pat on the back to try and reassure him in some way. He wasn't put off by the looks or how he was acting. He felt bad for what he was doing.

"Yeah you're right. We barely know each other so that was out of line for me to ask. Still, for someone so important to Adelene you need to take care of yourself. I can tell from how she acts. She cares a lot about you man. I can tell you care a lot about her as well. We're both her friends so not only do we need to look out for her well being, but each other's. That make sense to you?"

Leon was trying to sound as sincere as possible. The jealously was rising a bit seeing how much someone else had the same feelings just as strong as he did for Adelene. Still, he gave his word and would follow by it. And like hell he was going to mention that to someone who could get jealous. Standing back up Leon holds his hand out to Lochlaan. It was something he knew he had to do.

"Here, I'll give you a hand. Trust me when I say no need to try and put a brave front to hide an injury. It has a tendency to make things worse. And this is coming from a guy who broke his sword arm and tried to continue wielding his swords like nothing was wrong."

@Trahnael @"ReD"

Fucking Leon.

"Don't. Touch. Me." Lochlann said through caged teeth. He ran his tongue alongside the back of them, tasting blood in his mouth. He wasn't sure where it came from, or how it got there.

Leon was close, too close, and Lochlann didn't know what to do. Who the hell was Leon to tell him what to do?

"You don't know anything about me," Lochlann said, his voice quiet, but it was the dangerous kind of quiet that proceeded a wave crashing against the shore.

"You don't need to look out for me, you don't need to think about me, you don't need to do anything else except pretend I never existed," Lochlann said.

He was still cradling his hand to his chest, his head swimming with pain. Last night had taken a lot out of him. When he opened his eyes, Leon was offering him a hand and Lochlann pressed himself as far from his hand as possible, flinching as though waiting to be hit because that's what Lochlann was expecting.

"I am not pretending," Lochlann said. "Everything is fine, absolutely fine, but I am not going to sit here while I get lectured from her boyfriend about how to treat the girl that I love."

The words were out of his mouth before Lochlann even realized he'd said them. He wasn't even able to blush, but he backed up again and tried to pick himself up from off the ground.

"I am leaving," he announced, but he wasn't sure who he was announcing it too, only that he was about to turn around and run before this could get any worse.

Leon took a few steps back. What the hell? Where did this anger come from? Leon was so confused at the sudden outburst from Lochlaan. He really had no idea if it was even something he said at this time. Leon was at such an impasse he didn't even know what to say or do. He was just stunned, like he had just ran into a wall.

"I don't e-What? Why would someone ev-"

"I am not pretending," Lochlann said. "Everything is fine, absolutely fine, but I am not going to sit here while I get lectured from her boyfriend about how to treat the girl that I love."

Boyfriend. That word rung in his mind. Leon was so stunned by that one word he had no idea how to even accept it. Lochlaan thought Adelene was dating him? But....Leon didn't even know that they were giving off that kind of impression. It was scary. Leon had never felt that in his mind before.

"Bo-"

"What..?"

Shit. Adelene came back at the wrong time. There wasn't even any way for him to explain or even say anything. Lochlaan was on the ground, he was stunned beyond belief. Leon's face showed fear once Adelene stood there frozen as well. Time might as well have stopped for the three with how things were going. All Leon could do was think feel how much his own heart was feeling. He felt worse when he thought about how Adelene must be feeling.

He hated to admit he was right from the start. Lochlaan was in love with her, as was he. This already made things strained between them from the start when it ever came out. And now that it was in the open....Even Leon wasn't going to deny his own feelings, but being Adelene's boyfriend was something he could truthfully deny.

"We're...Not fighting. Just...."

What? He didn't know. They weren't fighting, but what was this even? Leon could tell from the way she was acting and the way she was hiding her voice. She was just as broken as anything. Well, he had one way to make things feel right, though he could face them while saying it. Leon turned around and stared into the sky and kept his back to the two while he spoke.

"To be honest Adelene, it was you. About taking care of not just you, but himself. I didn't think I hit a nerve at all....Still. Lochlaan there is one thing you were wrong about. I'm not her boyfriend. May have confessed my own feelings to her. Now I see why she wanted to think on it."

He wasn't angry, upset, or anything of the sort. He was more....Worried. Worried about Adelene. About Lochlaan. Both weren't in a good spot right now, even he wasn't exactly sure where he sat in all this anymore. What he did know was getting closer to Lochlaan was a bad idea. Even if the guy attacked him, Leon had a good hunch he'd just embarrass him more.

All he wanted was the best for everyone. Adelene. Himself. Even Lochlaan. No one deserves to be in a situation like this. Especially Adelene. She had two guys who had their hearts set on her, and she seemed to be unsure of which would be the right choice. Was that the right thought process?

"And you're right. I don't know a damn thing about you. Does it matter Lochlaan? Does it really? You are who you show to others. But I won't stand here and let someone who Adelene cares about hurt themselves just out of spite. She's putting those bandages on your hand. I'll hold you down myself if I must. You can be as nasty to me as you want. I don't care. Like I said before, you're someone Adelene cares about. Which in turn means I'll be there to help you as well. Whether you like it or not. So please, for her sake, let her bandage up your hand alright?"

Now if he was giving a lecture, it was now. Leon wasn't just threatening to hold him down either. He really would do it. Adelene wanted to help him and Leon would make sure to help her to help him. It was just how he was, even if he was jealous of another confessing their love for her.

In the end it didn't matter Lochlaan's or Leon's feelings. All that mattered was Adelene's. And if she was happy, then Leon would be happy.

@Trahnael @"ReD"

Lochlann looked from Leon, to Addy, to Leon again.

His heart was hammering so hard he could hear it in his ears and he faced a moment of irrational fear that they could hear it, too. His hand was still clasped close to his chest; the cat was out of the bag, and Lochlann didn't feel the energy to hide it now that it was out in the open.

He had no idea how to get out of this.

Even worse, he couldn't tell if Addy had heard what he'd said. He'd told her he'd feelings for her before, but he'd never really explained the depth of them. He didn't want to damage their friendship for something he couldn't have anyway, but now it looked like he'd gone and ruined it none the less.

It stung when Leon revealed that he'd confessed to Addy, but Addy had told him she needed to think about it. Lochlann tried not to get hurt by this; it's not like he told Addy about his love life. But, a small voice inside Lochlann whispered. That's because Addy doesn't like when you talk about other girls.

It hurt that it felt like she didn't trust him enough as a friend to confide in him. But, then again, Lochlann had been telling her not to trust him since they first met. He couldn't exactly blame her for listening to what he said.

Still, he was more like a flighty, wild thing between them than a person. His eyes darted to the space between them--could he make it if he ran? How serious was Leon about holding him down?

Lochlann gritted his teeth.

"We're not fighting," he said to Addy, echoing Leon's words. What...what was this anyway?

When Leon mentioned that they were discussing Addy, Lochlann's face turned another shade of scarlet, and then paled immediately. God damnit Leon, way to make this worse.

There was no way he could change the subject now, was there?

"I am not hurting myself out of spite," Lochlann said, or maybe snapped was a better word for it because the words sounded bitter. They were hiding back his pain about as effectively as a piece of masking tape stopped a leak.

"My hand is fine. I didn't do this to myself, someone else did it to me, and if you think--" this was directed at Leon. "--That I would let you get close enough to touch me, let alone hold me down, than you seriously underestimate me. I suggest you back off."

His heart was racing. He hated that he sounded like this in front of Addy. This was the Lochlann that had gotten himself expelled from schools and hospitalized other students.

When his eyes darted to Addy, they revealed a moment of fear and anxiety, because now it looked like Addy was dangerously close to crying. Every part of Lochlann wanted to stay and comfort her, but it was being overwhelmed by his desire to run.

"Addy," Lochlann said, and for a moment, his voice softened. "I really appreciate that you want to help. It is very kind of you. In other circumstances, I..I would let you. But my hand is fine, I am going to get it looked at later. I just....I have something to do first."

It was already wrapped in soiled bandages and beneath that was an attempt at stitches. He really would get it looked at, but not yet.

He wanted her to see what she'd done to him during the daylight. Not Addy, but that other woman, the one he almost killed last night.

He swallowed again.

"I need....I need to go. Is that okay with you two?"

He wasn't really asking their permission. He was asking Addy if she was mad at him and asking Leon if he wanted to fight.