Good Intentions

11

Leo checked every inch of his room until he was satisfied there were no hidden cameras anywhere where Nick would watch him from. After eating, he found it quite suspicious that Nick didn't force him to sleep with him or something of the sort. It surprised him, but he wasn't going to complain. He knew that Nick was only going to try harder in the future, and he needed to appreciate his solo time while he had the chance.

He nearly passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow. This was nothing like he had ever experienced before: white silk pillow sheets and a comforter adorned with the most intricate gold designs he'd ever seen. It felt expensive, and he almost felt bad for getting to sleep in such a comfortable and luxurious bed. He noticed that the sheets and pillows had been sprayed with some sort of flower essential oil, probably done by Adeline while he was gone with Nick. His lumpy futon back home was nothing compared to this and although he was going to allow himself to indulge in it, he advised himself not to get too comfortable. He wasn't going to be here forever after all.

It was the best sleep of his life.

---

It was Adeline who woke him in the morning. She tapped his shoulder gingerly and looked down from above him until his eyes blinked open.

"I'm sorry to disrupt your slumber, but the young master told me to wake you up for breakfast," she announced.

"It's okay, I was probably about to wake up on my own anyway."

Because Adeline began to remake his bed the moment he got up, he went straight to the washroom to freshen up. He decided to use the cleaner and moisturizer provided, figuring that once he returned to his own home he wouldn't be able to enjoy such simple luxuries. He was feeling particularly nice today, so he headed down to the dining hall without having Nick order him to.

Nick was already seated at the head of the table, and his eyes seemed to light up when he spotted Leo entering the room. He gestured to the seat next to him. Without a word, Leo sat next to him and rubbed at his eyes.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Swell."

"You're glowing, angel."

"Thanks to the fancy skincare shit in the washroom. "

"What do you want to eat today?

"I'm in an okonomiyaki mood. Can they make that?"

"Anything for you, baby."

Nick called for a maid to tell the personal chef about what was to be made. Nick himself asked for, "the usual". Leo wasn't in the mode for small talk and he was glad that Nick didn't say anything else. The blond man propped his elbows on the table and cupped the sides of his face as he gazed at Leo. He was wearing a white t-shirt which displayed his many tattoos.

The words left Leo without him having to think. "Don't people stare a lot?"

"Yeah, but I don't go out too much so it isn't much of an issue. If I'm not let in anywhere, money usually does the trick. Most of the time people already know who I am, so they know not to get on my bad side," he explained.

"That sounds sketchy."

"'Sketchy' says seven. You're a little hypocritical, aren't you?"

Leo narrowed his eyes at him. "People hired me to hack. It's not like I threatened anyone."

"No need to be defensive, darling, I'm just teasing you." He offered him a small smile.

"You're really annoying," Leo told him and looked away.