Christmas presents for my best friends ♡♡♡

♡ Ari ♡

I really hope you enjoy this!! I'm actually quite proud of this despite not actually shipping this so I hope you like this as well! Merry Christmas Ari ily <3<3

"Oh my, Izumi-chan are you propsing to Leo-chan?" So annoying, Arashi always knew exactly what to say to get on Sena's nerves. He finally swallows his pride to be nice to Leo and Arashi teases him and takes it the wrong way? All Sena said was that he would take care of Leo, what about that implied romantic feelings?! And now since Leo and Sena have been living in such proximity Ritsu had asked if they had "finally gotten married". Sena had thrown away his romantic feelings for Leo a long time ago, back when he had failed to protect him, so to have it thrown back in his face just for showing he cared about the guy really irked him. It's not like Leo himself made it any better, if anything he was worse than Arashi and Ritsu. He was not shy about declaring his love for Sena, saying it with such passion that it could be mistaken for a love confession if you didn't know Leo personally, and to make it even worse Leo had began calling himself the father of Knights and decided that Sena was the mother!

Sena really couldn't stand how much him and Leo being a couple was being pushed, even if it was all jokes, but mostly he couldn't stand how much hope it gave him when Leo boldly and confidently claimed that he loved him. As much as Sena claimed it to be the case, his romantic feelings never left, they had just manifested in different ways. His obsessive behaviour over Yuu-kun was one of those ways, he projected his love for and desire to protect Leo onto the poor younger man, his fragile mental state forced him to believe that he needed to cling to Yuu-kun in order to atone for the mistakes he made with Leo, even though he ruined everything with the blonde by doing so.

When Leo returned after being gone for so long, Sena tried to convince himself that he felt betrayed, that he hated Leo for leaving him, but all he truly felt was penitence, he truly felt it was his doing, his fault that Leo's mental state had shattered the way it did. And with that guilt came the realisation that his love for Leo didn't leave alongside him, it stayed right where it was. Sena would do anything for his Ou-sama, and Leo knew that, he could read him like a book, because he was truly the only one who ever understood him, and he was the only person alive who wouldn't take advantage of the fact that Sena would do anything to ease the pain of his guilt, anything to atone for his sins. He wore the same smile he did when he first met him, his voice sounded just as sweet when he praised Sena, and for the first time in his third year of highschool, Sena smiled from the heart. He couldn't pretend Leo had never left, but knowing his Leo still existed was enough.

Sena was weak, so weak, but Leo gave him enough strength to get on his feet and move past that. Leo gave him enough love that Sena found himself beginning to love Sena Izumi as well. Leo had given him so much, but what had Sena given him back? All Sena ever did was nag at Leo, complaining when he stayed out in the cold because inspiration hit him, about Leo skipping meals because he often forgot to eat, that he kept getting lost and could put himself in danger like an idiot. Heck, he even put a password onto Leo's phone while complaining that he always loses it and important data could get stolen.

Sena truly understood why everyone called him an annoying mom friend, all he did was nitpick and make a fuss over people. And yet Leo had always seen through him, that he was doing it all out of love for the people he cared about. He constantly took care of and did things for others, behind the veil of being annoyed at them. His nagging was the only way he knew to show that he cared, and while most people cast him away, not wanting a friend that acted like the world's most strict mother, Leo never did, he adored how Sena would always take care of him, and never once disliked the way he would nag him.

Haah, Sena was really in it deep. He hated to admit when others were right, but the way his fellow Knights teased him, saying that him and Leo were like a bickering married couple, saying that Sena was in love with the former Knights leader, it wasn't far from the truth, as much as he detested to admit that. Ugh, only Leo could make him think such embarrassing things, so anno~ying.

A knock from his apartment door woke him up from his thoughts, there was really only one person it could be coming here at so late, but that person usually didn't knock, claiming that a husband can come to his wife's house at any time, Sena had of course protested that they were not married, but it did nothing to stop Leo from breaking into his apartment practically every day. Sena got up to open the door, unsurprisingly finding Leo behind it. "Eehh, since when do you knock Leo-kun?" Leo thought for a second, seemingly trying to remember why he didn't just go into the apartment, before smiling widely. "I lost my key!" ...Sena was just glad he hadn't tried to actually break in like the first time he had shown up at his apartment at two in the morning. Sena thought a thief had broken in, but no, it was just his dumbass friend wanting to see him. He had given Leo a spare key after that night, not really wanting his lock broken again.

"Ugh, do you know how annoying it is to get a replacement key Leo-kun?" Leo nodded, still remembering the lecture Sena had given him when he had lost the key to their studio back in highschool. "Yeah! That's why I didn't break your lock again, so it would be less annoying wahaha!" Sena sighed, at least he had thought beforehand this time, so he couldn't be too mad at him. Leo pushed past Sena, diving onto the sofa, excitedly patting the space beside him to get the younger man to sit with him. "Oi, that sofa was expensive, be careful Leo-kun." Leo ignored him, patting the sofa harder out of impatience. Sena sat next to Leo so that his poor sofa would stop being abused, not even flinching when the shorter man immediately pulled him into a hug, happily rubbing his cheek onto Sena's face. "I missed youuuu!"

Sena gently pushed Leo's face away from him, he didn't exactly mind the contact, but he had to push him away because he had some sense how embarrassing it was to let someone rub all over him. "You literally saw me this morning, stop being so clingy, it's anno~ying." Despite his protests he let Leo continue hugging him, Leo thankfully didn't comment on that, he was very used to Sena's contradictory behaviour. "I know, but I always miss you, if I could, I'd be with Sena aaall the time wahaha!" Leo really had no sense of shame did he? He was now back to rubbing his cheek on Sena, holding him tighter than before. "Eeehh? I would go insane if we were together all the time Leo-kun." He chewed his lip slightly before quietly adding, "...but I guess I miss you sometimes when you're away." That was partially true, Sena missed Leo alot more than he was willing to admit, it was already a hit to his pride to admit he ever missed him, so there's no way he'd be honest about how much he truly longed for Leo when he wasn't around.

Leo looked overjoyed at Sena admitting that he missed him, usually he would never be so honest about something like that. "Senaaaa, I love you too!" He squeezed Sena gently, which made the grey-haired idol groan in annoyance, since when did he say he loved Leo?! "Huuuh, I never said that I love you Leo-kun." Leo giggled softly, looking up at Sena with an expression that could only be described as fond, "You don't need to say it, because Sena wouldn't have been so patient with me if he didn't. You wouldn't have waited for me to come back, and you definitely wouldn't have let me be your Ou-sama again." Leo's voice was sickly sweet, soft, quiet words only meant for Sena. Leo was truly perfect for Sena, he made him feel safe, warm, loved when he didn't even love himself, he broke down every single wall he had stubbornly built for himself so that no one could come in and make him feel fragile and hurt again. Leo had been trying to make things right ever since he came back, and all Sena did was make it hard for him, but Leo was patient, willing to wait for him as Sena had for him all those years ago. "I love you Sena, I love you so soooo much, and one day, I hope I can hear you say it back." Maybe Sena should stop being stubborn, stop struggling to push his feelings deep down and deny ever having them.

Why is he so scared to accept Leo's love? To accept the fact that he loves Leo? When Leo is so close like this, so beautiful and reaching out for Sena's love, he can't find the answers to those questions. All his fear dissipates, dissolves into nothing and he forgets that he's scared. But when he begins to part his lips and say what he truly feels to Leo, he hesitates, the fear flooding back in an instant. He's scared, so scared of being vulnerable, scared of being hurt because he let himself love someone too much. He's scared of messing up again, like how he failed to protect Leo the first time, and how his love and protection for Yuu-kun only drove him away because he had no idea his love was becoming an obsession. He wasn't strong enough to trust that he wouldn't make those kinds of mistakes again, because Leo didn't deserve Sena's mistakes, he deserved so much better.

Leo could feel Sena's apprehension, and loosened his hold on the taller man's body, instead gently taking one of his hands into his own. "It's okay Sena, it doesn't have to be now. You'll always be worth the wait." Sena gripped onto Leo's hand tightly, leaning onto the older idol's shoulder as he finally returned the hug, Sena knew he'd have to face his fears sooner or later, and what kind of knight would keep his king waiting? "I love you too my Ou-sama."