Leon fell in love with Alexei exactly for his cold demeanor, his matter of fact way of handling things, the bluntness with which he spoke, the way he never held back what he was truly thinking. All things that Alexei believed would drive Leon away from him, because he’d already been made to feel like he was odd, unnatural, just wrong for the way he existed. I can imagine Alexei fighting for his life to mask when they start dating, trying to make his personality, his behavior, himself more “appealing”, but Leon tells him that’s not what he wants. He knows exactly who he is already, and that’s the man he loves. It’s the first time Alexei can remember feeling genuinely loved, rather than just tolerated.














