Loose threads in my soul

Jin took in Elio’s Kida costume and nodded appreciatively. “If you’ve got it, flaunt it, you know?” He said with a chuckle. “That’s a really solid choice. Kida and Milo are also such an underrated couple so I really love that you went with it.” 

"Leo tossed some other ideas at me. Indiana Jones was one of them. I coulda done a half-unbuttoned shirt look, but probably a good thing I veto'd that one because Key's new boyfriend is Indiana Jones," he laughed. That would have been so awkward, and selfishly, he would've had a fun time toying with poor Key, teasing him that he must've had a 'type'. He was sure it would've got him stared at with eyes sharp as daggers. "Are you an entertainer? Ever considered getting in front of house and out from behind the editing desk?"

"When the song comes out for real, I'm going to be calling every radio station and asking them to play it," Elio chuckled. The prospect of getting a room was appealing, if not for the drive to get into town. Blackstone wasn't exactly brimming with nice hotels. "Or I could tell her to get a room. Maybe she'll end up going home with the horse-boy. She made him wear matching costumes." Elio leaned happily into the kiss, closing his eyes and nuzzling against Leo. "Are you good? Are you happy?"

He drew a deep breath in through his nose, exhaling slowly as if to ground himself even more in that moment. Maybe he was a little frayed emotionally--the current night's events, plus the stress of successfully executing a mini tour had caught up to him--but Leo didn't feel as afraid anymore. He held Elio's gaze, the rest of the world tuned out. "Yeah. Don't think I ever stopped. Not even when things got rough." Even though he didn't really have any reason to be nervous, he could still feel the jitters tugging at his heart a little. '

So, when Elio squeezed his hands, Leo held on. He didn't really know how he felt about signs or the universe, none of that. But he was a pretty good judge of knowing when things felt right or wrong. The second Elio said it back, Leo let his shoulders drop completely. "I..." He trailed off, laughing a little at himself. "I didn't plan to just...blurt it out like that. But I wanted--no, needed--for you to know. I don't even know what's considered too soon anymore, but I do know life's way too short. So I'll say it as much as you want, even if you do tack on a 'bro' to every other sentence." He nudged Elio's nose with his own, a small grin spreading onto his lips. "You think we're good on time? I've got a boyfriend I really need to make out with. Get the heart rate going for a different reason, you know?"

Elio hadn't been expecting the 'I love you', but at the same time, he wasn't shocked by it, either. It came as a pleasant surprise, but one that while it might have seemed too soon, had been a long time in the making. They had a deep, affectionate friendship, they had the history of their past relationship. Love wasn't new to them. It just meant something different to say it now. "I'm pretty sure I've said I love you in a bro way a thousand times. But I love you in a not bro way, too. Just so you know."

Elio couldn't help but admire the way Leo was still able to be so positive and passionate about life, to seek out the joy in it, even when he was reliving his worst memories. "C'mere," Elio murmured, wrapping his arms comfortably around Leo and pulling him into his chest. "I'll get that heartrate going alright." He sank into a soft, loving kiss, cupping Leo's chin and deepening it. It had taken them a while to get back here, but right now, they were exactly where they needed to be.

Little by little, the invisible crushing weight on his chest lifted, but Leo still stayed there with Elio. He eagerly accepted the little kiss, quick to return it. "I'm pretty sure that's a Mumford and Sons song, but I'll take the nickname. S'cute." He listened when Elio spoke, ducking his head a little bit. He'd either blocked out or filed away any memory of his ex, but the fact was that he'd always have some kind of residual fear of being put in that position again. The panic attack was proof, even when his ex was nothing but a ghost. "Yeah, I know." Leo said quietly, offering Elio a little smile. "But for the record, you're a lot better than you're giving yourself credit for. You know sometimes all I need--all I want, actually--is to just be with you? I mean, preferably without melting ice cream on the couch, but still."

He exhaled slowly, clinging to Elio like a lifeline. "I'm probably going to be looking for you in the crowd. Just as, like, an anchor or something." He admitted. There was no reason for him to be shy about it--he was pretty sure it was something a lot of musicians did. And, hell, it worked a lot better than picturing everyone in their underwear. Leo pressed another kiss to Elio's lips, laughing softly at the mention of chart manipulation. "God, I really do love you. This your way of telling me to look the other way if you're accused of such a thing?"

His dumb smile didn't fade. He seemed to wear it constantly around Leo, and it amazed him how quickly and how happily he had fallen into the comfort of the relationship again. "Mumford and Sons or just a cute little nickname based on your name being Leo? I like it. Little Lion Man." He planted another kiss to Leo's temple, rubbing his shoulders, just trying to reassure him with words and actions.

"I'll be right off to the side, watching you from behind the curtain so I don't take all the attention away from my boy." Then, the other words hit him, and Elio cocked his head sideways, still not beating the golden retriever allegations as he met his eyes curiously. "Hm? You love me?" His smile softened, hands stroking down Leo's arms to squeeze his hands. "I love you too, Leo. And I promise to only buy a reasonable amount of your first record. Jury's out on how many sounds as reasonable, though."

He let himself be held, snorting loudly when Elio compared himself to a golden retriever. "You mean you don't do that already?" He pressed his palm to his chest, faking surprise. Eventually, he could feel the air circulating normally again; everything felt slightly more normal. But Leo wasn't quite ready to give up being held. "And yeah, I know it's not summer. But it's been pretty mild weather wise, though you know I'll never pass up a chance to have you warm me up."

Leo paused, looking up at Elio. "Wasn't always like that, you know. After everything with my ex happened, I felt like I had a lot to prove. I withdrew, even for a little bit. I mean, you saw it. You...fuck, you welcomed me here when I had so much to work through. You believed in me, and gave me the space I needed to heal. Plus, if I shoved my feelings down and didn't own 'em, I would've never had the guts to tell you how I feel." He scrunched his nose a bit, as if he felt like he was veering a little too close to mushy territory. After a moment, he turned his head and kissed Elio's cheek. "I know you're trying, mi amor. Or, even that you want to try. That alone means everything."

Elio stood, holding Leo in his arms and giving his arms little rubs, hands sliding up and down his body. He leaned his forehead against his hair, taking advantage of their height difference. "I don't know if I'm very good at being a boyfriend," Elio said quietly, kissing Leo's hair. "But you are my babe and my bro. Best of both worlds," Elio chuckled. He hoped things wouldn't be too weird with Key around. Corey had been pretty adamant that the boyfriends would be left on the side of the highway with their luggage if they caused any shit or upset the dynamics.

"You know I would never hurt you like he did, right?" Elio said after a few moments. He didn't know all the details of what Leo's ex had done, but he knew enough to hate the guy's guts. "I'm so fucking proud of you and I can't wait to see you guys perform. The new album is gonna be amazing when it's finished, and I'm going to buy so many copies they accuse me of chart manipulation," he teased, lifting Leo's jaw to give him a little kiss. "It's gonna be okay, little lion man."

When Elio stepped closer, Leo practically laser focused on the sound of his shoes on the pavement, struggling to think back on the grounding techniques he'd learned.. He blinked hard, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "You don't have to fix it." He rasped, breath hitching as he reached for Elio's wrist--something to ground himself. "Just stay here a minute, okay? I'll go back in soon." His thumb brushed shakily against Elio's pulse, and he managed a weak smile. "You always make it easier to breathe. I got lucky that you weren't a couple hundred miles away this time."

As Leo continued talking, Elio stepped in closer. He didn't want to crowd him if he needed space, but he couldn't help himself. "Hey, it's okay," he said softly. "You have a sec. You got a few of them." Elio watched Leo's eyes carefully, doing his best to try and interpret what he needed in that moment. "Ah, and as always, you're so good at being all honest and vulnerable about it while I just stand here looking like an idiot. C'mere." Elio leaned in to wrap his arms around Leo, giving him a half-cuddle and a kiss on the forehead. "I didn't even do anything. You're calming yourself down. But I like the cuddles."

He stood there for a few moments, lightly stroking his hands up and down Leo's back. The two of them had talked about Leo's ex, Leo always knew Elio was a safe place and would've paid to have the guy buried if Leo asked it of him. "He's not here. It's just me, buddy," he said, giving a low chuckle. "It's not very sexy when I call you bro and buddy, huh? I'm still getting used to this." He meant the terms more generally most of the time anyways, but he still wanted to make Leo feel special. "Do you wanna talk about it? I can listen. I'll look at you with my head cocked to the side, hanging on your every word like a golden retriever waiting for you to throw a ball."

Leo didn't waste another second, getting out of his seat and situating himself in Elio's lap. He didn't even bother asking if it was okay. Judging by Elio's previous statement, he was pretty sure he was in the clear. instead, he looped his arms around Elio's neck and pressed their foreheads together. "No fishy things." He confirmed quietly, eyes fluttering closed as if trying to commit this exact moment to memory. When he opened them again, and his gaze focused on Elio's, he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. "So here's what I'm thinking. Rather than risk public indecency, we get a few appetizers, go and get a room. 'Cause I gotta be honest, Elio, if I start kissing you right now I don't even think gold speckled tacos would pry me away. I know you wanted to take me somewhere nice, and you did achieve that part." He dragged his finger along the outline of Elio's lips, feeling so hopeful for the first time in a very long time. "You've always been enough for me. Like, looking at you now, I see the same person I've always loved. I never stopped." He paused, a sheepish smile on his face. "But in case it wasn’t clear, I want this. I want us. “

When Leo slipped into his lap, Elio's eyes widened. It was a bold move, right in the middle of everyone. He wasn't easy to embarrass, so screw it. He slipped his arms around him, hugging his waist, grinning from ear to ear. "You are such a little goofball." He leaned in to give him a kiss, trying not to be too gross with it. They were still in public, after all. "Okay, I'll come with you. I got you. I wanna see you do your thing." Elio lightly tapped Leo on the butt. "Order whatever you want to go, and I will get us the nicest hotel room in this place." His eyes were warm and soft as he looked at Elio, in a way that made Elio completely unconcerned with the opinion of those around them. Let them be grossed out by the PDA. "I love you, ya dork," he answered. "I always thought I meant it in a 'love you bro' type of way these last few years, but..." He gave a little shrug, cocking his head. "You know. I'm not very good with words. Let's get that hotel room, huh?"

"Had some money saved up, and I didn't need to spend it on a ring anymore," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. As much as Benny still held on to the anger toward his ex, he played it off like he didn't give a shit one way or another anymore. If she were to waltz back into town, he'd make sure she had hell to pay. "Wait, the Tatum place? Oh, shit, your sister's got a real mean streak. What'd Beck Tatum go and do to her, anyway? He always struck me as a bit of a softie."

"Was the bar more expensive than a ring? You musta been looking at one hell of a rock for that girl. Didn't know you had that much romantic in ya." Elio had the money to dish on whatever kind of ring a future partner might want, but it was still a little funny to think about how such a simple thing could be priced so extravagantly that you could use the money you'd been saving for one towards an actual brick and mortar building and business. Not something Elio ever needed to worry about considering he didn't want to follow his family into their investment business, but definitely interesting.

"Yeah, sure, that sounds right. Tatum Ice Cream or something?" he repeated, words slurred with happy drunkenness. "Is that the little lesbian? Something about breaking her heart, being an asshole, running away and leaving a note. Sounds like a whole buncha drama. You know that kid?"

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want this—us—to work. You know I’ve always been the optimist, in every single fucking scenario in my head; even when logic wins out and I end up face down in the dirt. I always tried to find some sort of silver lining in anything I did, but especially with you.” He admitted, bringing one hand up to cup Elio’s cheek. “I don't need perfect. You keep calling me smart and mature, but you’re the total package. Athletic, charming, and somehow you carry these incredibly terrible yet endearing puns in your back pocket. Luckily, they're also a weird part of your charm that I don't think you'd be you without." Elio's words made Leo's chest feel a little warm and fluttery. He tapped Elio's nose lightly with his thumb, a grin breaking across his face. "Hmm, you're right. We're definitely dating. Feels really good to say that out loud. And you know what? If I can’t say negative shit, neither can you. You haven’t done a single thing to disappoint me. We’re literally on a freaking rooftop, about to go nuts on some delicious food. Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll get a little tipsy and start being really unbearable. Probably be on your lap by the end of the night.” Leo tilted his head a little, smirking. “But you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Elio couldn't help casually reaching out to take Leo's hand, to touch him in even the most innocent ways at any given opportunity. He felt so lucky to be here with Leo again, on a date with their fingers entwined with one another. "You're the poet, hm? The little sunshine songwriter boy of my dreams." Oh, was that too much? It couldn't be, right? Leo was all about being open and vulnerable. Elio could meet him half way. "Leo, I'm not that great. I'm just a retired soccer player who never lived up to my potential and doesn't know what to do with my life these days. You're like, living your dreams again and stuff." He couldn't contain a grin at the idea of Leo being in his lap. "Hey, I'm trying to be a good boy, but of course, I'd love you all over me, at any time. So, maybe we avoid the fishier stuff and the garlic?" he said with a small laugh. "Hey, aren't you doing some shows soon? Would you want me to actually go?"