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Leo ended up in the hospital a lot. So he knew where he was when he woke up, even though his eyes were bandaged and his mind was fuzzy. He lay still, taking it in. He felt that openness of the air that told him he was in a large room, and he could hear the moans and sighs of other patients in the ward. He ached inside and out. His chest felt like it was full of lead, and his eyes burned behind the bandages. He wanted to cry, but he couldn’t. He physically couldn’t. It made everything so much worse.
He heard someone shift nearby, the creak of a chair. A small huff of breath, deep-voiced, coming from a large chest. Someone was sitting with him. It should have made him feel better, but it didn’t. He just felt even more small and weak and pathetic than usual.
“Mr. Klaus?” his voice was weak and small, too.
The chair creaked again, and paper rustled as Klaus set aside whatever he’d been reading. Leo sensed him leaning closer, and then his large, warm hand covered Leo’s where it rested on the bedspread, curled and empty. “Leo, you’re awake.”
Klaus’s voice was deep and calm and steady. Leo wished he could lean on it the way he could lean on a wall. But all he could do was let his head fall that way, his face toward his boss even though he couldn’t see him. “You saved the city again while I was useless.”
Klaus’s hand tightened over his. “We will always save the city. But you should not call yourself useless. You were captured and incapacitated. That’s not the same thing at all.”
Leo wanted to smile, but he couldn’t manage it. “I was betrayed by someone I thought was my friend. Isn’t that funny?”
“No.” Klaus’s voice was firm.
“This city is so full of wonders. Horrors, monsters, demons, delights, chaos at every turn. Betrayal shouldn’t be a strange thing in such a place, should it? I should have expected it. But I didn’t. I didn’t expect it at all. So it was my fault, really.”
“No.” Klaus held his hand tighter. “Stop that, Leo. You did nothing wrong. It is normal to make friends, and it is normal not to expect them to betray you. You are a normal person in this place of chaos, but that does not make you wrong.”
Leo caught his breath in pain. “It feels like it does, though. How can I live in chaos as a normal person? It makes me weak and vulnerable. I’m a liability to Libra instead of an asset.”
“No.” Was that all Klaus could say?
He proved that thought wrong immediately. “You are not a liability. Yes, you are an unusual person here, but that’s not something that should be changed. It’s something that should be protected. We fail to protect you very, very often, but that is our failing, not yours.”
Leo said nothing. He wasn’t sure he believed this, even though he had never, ever known Klaus to be wrong. Klaus being right was basically a pillar of the universe, as far as Leo knew. So it felt strange to hear Klaus say something and be unable to accept it right away.
Klaus huffed out a breath. “I have always been impressed by your resilience and strength. Every time this city knocks you off your feet, you jump up again, brighter than ever. That’s unusual, and it’s wonderful. I would hate to see that change. So please don’t degrade yourself, Leo. You are special and you are very valuable, and it is by no means simply because of your eyes. You are precious to Libra. And to me.”
Leo wanted to cry so badly. Curse his broken eyes for not letting him.
“Really?” He hated how cracked and uncertain his voice was. But he needed to know for sure. He needed to hear it again.
“Yes. Really. I mean every word I say, Leo.” Klaus’s hand moved from his hand up to his shoulder. “Here, can you sit up? Just for a moment.”
Leo’s head spun, but he did his best to obey, even though he had no idea why Klaus was asking this of him. Big hands on his shoulders pulled him up, held him steady as he swayed. Then the chair squeaked again, scooting closer, and then Klaus’s arms were around him, warm and gentle and strong.
Leo stopped breathing for a moment in surprise, then let out a tiny noise of relief and leaned into it. It had been a long time since anyone had hugged him, and he hadn’t realized how badly he needed one. It was like Klaus to see a need and fulfill it, though, kindly and without a word. Leo was so grateful he couldn’t even voice it, but he hoped Klaus knew anyway.
Before long, Leo was sagging, consciousness beginning to fade out again. Klaus sensed the change and gently drew back, laying Leo back down and settling the blankets around his shoulders. “Go to sleep,” he said, passing a hand over Leo’s forehead. “Everything will seem brighter when you wake again.”
“Yes, boss,” Leo breathed out, already fading. He drifted away to the creak of the chair and the rustling of paper as Klaus settled in beside him again. He knew that he was safe, for now. From monsters, from horrors, from chaos, and even from betrayal.