Care For Me ✔️

S E V E N T Y - S E V E N

— TWINS BIRTHDAY—
PART THREE
***

t h i r d — p e r s o n — p o v

"Leo, wait!"

"Go back inside, Em." Leo told his best friend softly, "I just need to be alone for a bit."

"I just want to talk to you." Em pleaded, "Please, just two minutes."

Leo sighed, "Two minutes."

"Are you okay?" Emilio asked him softly, taking a seat beside him on the stairs in front of the entrance to Leo's home.

"... No."

"What Ezra said... about you being depressed. Is it true?" He hesitantly asked, not wanting to pressure his friend.

"It's true, doctors confirmed it." Leo nodded. He didn't mind Em knowing, he's his best friend, he trusts him.

"You know I'm always here for you, right? And I mean I'm here for anything Le, even if it's to sit in silence, or to vent, whatever you need. I'm here."

Leo smiled slightly, "I know Em, that goes both ways."

"I know," Emilio nodded, wrapping an arm around his friends shoulder.

"I just need to clear my head," Leo mumbled, leaning into Emilio's embrace. "Go back inside, I'll find you soon."

"Okay," Em nodded, giving Leo one last squeeze before standing up.

As he reached the entrance, he turned back to his best friend, "Leo?"

"Hm?" Leo hummed.

"Y'know I love you, don't you."

He nodded with a slight smile, "I know Em, I love you too."

***

Leo didn't know where exactly he was going, he just knew he needed to get away from the house for a while. Walking down the quite suburbs of New York City, he found himself at the entrance to the park.

Leo made his way to the swing set, not feeling any sense of surprise to see Marco sitting on one of the rubber seats.

"Little L, how are you?" Marco asked with a smile.

"M'fine Marc," Leo mumbled in response.

"You don't seem fine," Marco carefully admitted, "Didn't you tell me it was your birthday today?"

Leo sighed, turning his gaze to his friend. Over the past week, he'd spent a lot of time with Marco, surprisingly to Leo, they got along quite well.

"Mhm."

"So why aren't you celebrating with your family?" The older boy asked, kicking his feet on the grass as he began to swing.

Leo shrugged, "They probably don't even care that I'm not there right now." He admitted, feeling a pang in his chest as the words left his mouth.

It was true though, well... to Leo it was. Every situation replayed in his mind. The countless times that Leo's been belittled and his family have done nothing to defend him, or when they themselves had been the ones doing the belittling. It hurt Leo, it hurt him more than he cared to admit. At times like these, he truly believed his family would be better off without him. In Leo's mind... who would miss him anyway? Lily and Emilio would... maybe even Jack too, but Leo knew they wouldn't miss him for long.