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“That’s it,” Chris murmurs, holding tight to the back of Leon’s t-shirt as they shuffle over the threshold of his apartment door, guiding him gently upright with another hand twined around Leon’s palm when he stumbles. “Let’s get you into bed before you fall.”
Leon makes a small noise of what Chris assumes is agreement, ducking his head to rest it against Chris’s shoulder. There’s still a hospital wristband around his forearm, the vinyl rustling when Chris lets go of Leon's hand to help him into a dining chair and unlace his boots. There’s a blank, sleepy look on his face, eyes half-lidded and glassy—a side effect of the antidote, they’d told Chris at the hospital. As if the mission Leon had been called into mid-date wasn’t enough, he’d been poisoned by a BOW and injured badly enough to need a blood transfusion.
He should technically still be sleeping it off. He'd practically been drooling over himself, slumped over in the wheelchair while the doctor had explained the DSO’s discharge policy, and apparently even Leon’s federal agent benefits aren’t enough to guarantee him adequate medical treatment. Cooling embers of rage reignite in Chris’s chest, and he forces a steadying breath as he finishes tugging Leon’s boots from his feet. They can talk about it in the morning. For now, Chris is just glad they’ve been together long enough that Leon has him down as an emergency contact—otherwise, someone probably would have dropped him off to take care of himself alone.
Leon sighs softly, and Chris squeezes his knee, rising. Leon leans into his touch when Chris reaches down to help him to his feet, body sluggish and nearly limp against his side. They’re just about to head for the bedroom when a curious meow interrupts, Leon’s tawny, lithe housecat padding down the hall to fix them with her luminous green eyes.
“Hey, Cat,” Leon mumbles as she rubs up against his leg, and Chris slows down to avoid tripping. Cat mewls for attention, but Leon can barely keep his head upright, so Chris smiles down at her instead. He’s been feeding her the past couple days, but she doesn’t know him well enough to come this close whenever he’s here alone.
“Hungry?” Chris asks, a pair of bright eyes darting up to meet his own. “I’ll feed you in a second, don’t worry.”
Cat mews, pink nose twitching as she sniffs at Leon’s leg and meows again, as if sensing that something is off. She keeps up a steady stream of chirping as they shuffle down the hallway, complaining loudly enough that Chris swears she almost sounds concerned. She never leaves Leon's side once the entire way, rubbing against his ankles so much that Chris can see the cat fur collecting on the hem of his pants. It's a miracle they don't trip on her, insistent as she is.
By the time they reach the bedroom, Leon is all but asleep, stumbling feet making him dead weight where he lolls on Chris’s shoulder. His eyes stay closed as Chris lays him down atop the comforter, chest rising and falling evenly while Chris unties the bow at his waist and slides off a pair of sweatpants he doesn’t recognize. They must be from the hospital—bloody jeans would have been burned as a biohazard the instant he’d arrived in medical. Too bad. Chris is pretty sure Leon had liked those jeans, but the white gauze pad just visible on Leon’s abdomen now that his shirt has ridden up is enough to freeze Chris in his tracks. It’s a large area, a spot of blood visible on the pristine bandaging, and Chris makes a mental note to check the dressing later.
“Rest, baby,” he says softly, leaning down to kiss Leon’s forehead and pull the soft throw blanket over his prone form. Cat meows, leaping up on the other side of the bed to sniff at Leon’s ear again. She glances up at Chris with a chirp, asking a question he can’t understand, then stretches her neck out to touch her nose to the tip of Leon’s. Chris laughs softly, reaching to scratch the back of her ear. “Don't worry, they fixed him up. Take care of him for me, will you?”
Leon mumbles in his sleep, brow twitching. Cat watches him closely for a moment, then flicks an ear, sitting back on her haunches. Chris takes the opportunity to leave and grab Leon some water and painkillers for when he wakes up, making sure to put a scoopful of kibble in Cat’s dish before he heads back to the room. He laughs, pausing in the doorway.
“You two look comfortable.” Cat is curled up on the pillow beside Leon’s head, chin and front paws tucked against his collarbone. Leon’s head has fallen to the side, their cheeks pressed together as his steady breaths ruffle Cat's fur, and Chris becomes aware of the faint sound of purring as he draws closer to put the medicine on the nightstand. His fingers are light as he reaches out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Leon’s ear, warmth filling his chest. Cat doesn’t react when Chris strokes the curve of her spine, green eyes opening slightly to look up at him. "Are you helping him feel better?"
Cat meows an affirmative and goes back to purring, tiny claws carefully kneading the blanket over Leon's shoulder. Leon sighs in his sleep, brow knitting and relaxing, and Cat nuzzles even closer. She stares at Chris like she's contemplating whether or not he's a threat, then closes her eyes to tiny slits and relaxes against Leon's side.
"You are a sweetheart," he murmurs to himself, reaching out to run large fingers over the cat's tiny ears. Chris watches Leon's breaths even out as he slips into a deeper sleep, the cat purring at his side the whole while as if the force of it alone can heal him faster. He smiles. "He's lucky to have you."