The Brightest Star

36. King

King's POV

I held Leo in my arms as everyone watched, but I didn't care who saw. I would kill anyone who hurt Leo, starting with the bastard who beat him up.

Kiki and I were just about to leave when my uncle told me Leo was outside with James and his crew. I was so scared that they started beating him up.

It was their job to keep people unannounced away from the house, but I flipped when I saw Leo's eye bruised and on the ground.

"Let's get you both in the house," my uncle said as he grabbed my shoulder and looked around.

Leo was still in the middle of his breakdown, not coherent, as I rubbed his back and led him inside and into my room.

I got him to sit on the bed while Kiki grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and handed it to me. She looked concerned for Leo too, but my uncle called her out of the room for something.

I crouched in front of Leo, who was looking at his hands and trying to get control of himself. I pressed the ice pack gently against his eye. He jumped a little as his hand hit mine away.

"It's okay, Leo. It's just an ice pack to help with the swelling. I'm sorry. I thought you knew I was here," I told him as gently as I could.

"I'm sorry," he apologized as his eyes widened.

"It's okay. It's a normal reaction, Leo. No need to apologize," I told him as I moved it back over to the side of his eye.

He reached both hands up and gently grabbed my arm as he closed his eyes. They were still shaking, but then, one hand ran up my arm and laid flat against mine, almost like he was scared I would move away from him.

"Leo? Are you okay?"

He shook his head. "Can- can I s- stay here tonight?" He asked, catching me off guard as his face turned red. "I- I just can't go home right now," he said as a tear fell from his closed eyes.

I quickly wiped it away with my thumb. "Of course, Leo. You can stay here as long as you need to. How about you lay down and I'll get you something to drink? You want some water?"

He nodded his head, and I helped him lay down on my pillow and covered him with the blanket as he held the ice pack on his eye before I walked out of the room.

Uncle Ben looked at me with worry. "Don't ever show your weakness in front of everyone like that, King. You should have gotten him inside as soon as possible. Thankfully, it was just Kiki and James, but you never know who could turn on us. Especially with all the fighting going on. You could easily put Leo in danger. How is he doing?"

"He is staying here today. He said he can't go home, and I'm not sending him away. Just let me get him settled, and I'll help with the run after that."

"That's fine, King. Just make sure he is comfortable first. I would send someone else, but everyone is a little busy since I have to send everyone out in groups. People are fighting everywhere right now, not just here. I don't know what Scott is up to. He's letting everyone fight it out instead of getting this under control."

I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and walked over to him. "Yeah. Is Leo going to be okay here with you?"

"Of course. Don't worry," he said before looking down and rubbing his eyes. "King... You're too close to him. You should really think about his safety and let him go soon before this fight gets to our doorstep." He warned me.

I stood there for a moment. I wasn't sure if I could let him go at this point. He wasn't safe alone right now, either. Not with that psychopath out there. Just thinking about that guy made me so mad.

With that thought in mind, I walked back into the room without saying anything else to my uncle. I'll have to think about what to do about Leo later.

Walking into the room, Leo was in the same spot as I left him on the bed as I walked over to him. "Hey. I need to go and get something done for my uncle, but he will be here if you need anything. The bathroom is just across the hall too," I told him and gently moved his hair off his forehead as he stared off. It was like he was starting to shut down. "Try and take a nap or turn on the TV. Whatever you want to do. I'll be back before you know it, but you are safe here."

I put the water bottle next to the bed and started to walk away before he grabbed my hand, making me stop and turn to him again. I crouched down again to give him my full attention. "Where are you going?"

"I just have to do something with Kiki for my uncle. Don't worry. Everything is fine, Leo," I told him and gently squeezed his hand and kissed it softly before getting back up and closing the door behind me.

Fuck I didn't want to go, now knowing Leo was here and in pain. I forced myself to walk outside where a Kiki was waiting.

"Who did that to Leo? James said he just showed up looking for you like that. Did he tell you who it was?" She jumped me as we walked over to her car.

"I don't know yet, but I will find out, and when I do, I'm gonna kill them," I told her and slammed the door shut after I got in.

"I'll help you hide the bastard's body. Leo is one of the few people that I like. It was pretty sad to see him like that."

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Don't forget to like! Shorter chapter, sorry about that.

Today is my birthday!! Happy Birthday to me!