*cackles madly as I drag this into your inbox*
Thank you for your patience. You shall thus be rewarded with some smaller chunks so you don't choke. Wouldn't want to lose you after becoming friends now would we? You've still yet to find me. 😏😎😈
So without further ado, thanks to you and all other interested parties, I present to you part 2! 🫡😘
Relapse
(Addiction Pt. 2 with pt. 3 coming soon!)
Relapse (N) a deterioration in someone's state of health after a temporary improvement, to turn for the worse
…
They say that the first step to overcoming a problem is to actually acknowledge that there is a problem to begin with. Which is all fine and dandy and totally makes sense. Except for one teeny tiny itty bitty little factor...
Acknowledging problems wasn't exactly Leo's forte. He had a nasty little habit of being in the business of actually creating problems.
Especially when it came to himself.
And this...thing...he had concerning with you was no different.
The fact Leo had "willingly" through the skin of his teeth and only after countless of sleepless weeks, admitted that he maaaaaay have had a slight addiction to you was actually a big step forward!
Personal growth even! He really ought to get a reward or something for being so self aware, cause like come on! This was some major serious self improvement!
So when you had told Leo and his brothers about your up coming girls trip out of country, Leo was totally not worried in the slightest.
He was proud of you for getting out instead of being holed up with your books of all things. It would be good for you to have some alone time with your girl friends.
Because as much as Leo just loved having a monopoly of your time with him and his brothers, Pizza Supreme in the sky, even he knew that spending constant time with them all could be a biiiiiiiit much.
They were just like THE coolest mutants in town and whatever. Obviously the close proximity to such heroes could be a bit emotionally draining to such a poor damsel as yourself (he wants to be your hero so bad it's not even funny)
So it made sense why you'd need a break.
If anything, it would be a good time to try and figure out his head (his heart) and his plan moving forward concerning you. A small period of abstinence, if you will, just to test himself. Get himself in the clear and whatever.
Besiiiiiides it was just a couple of days with your friends right? As his dear nerd of a brother would say, "Exasperated SCOFF!"
No biggie at all.
Because like sure, Leo was addicted to you, but he wasn't like...you know obsessed with you or anything.
He could handle a couple days without you, no problem.
…
However, once again in concordance to the luck of Leo's life (and that meaning none at all) you had just laughed and fondly reminded Leo that due to the additional traveling time, you would actually be away longer than a couple days, almost closer to a month.
And not to mention, while you'd be away for an aDdiTiOnAL COUPLE oF wEeks, you'd also be traveling through so many time zones and weren't exactly sure when and if you'd have Wi-Fi, so you wouldn't exactly be able to text them all as frequently as was custom.
Leo had just blinked at that for a moment, his brow ever so slightly furrowing as he mentally processed what exactly that meant...
Basically an entire month of little to no contact. With you. Period.
This...this was fine. Just... A small set back. Leo... Leo could handle this. The Faceman would have no trouble saving face.
In fact, the only outward sign of his slowly growing inner turmoil was the slight twitch in one of his eyes and the fractional tightening of his hands resting on the bulge of his tensing biceps.
So Leo did what Leo does best: he had just forced a small laugh and shook his head, smirking at you with a playful nudge of his elbow, warning you not to have too much fun without him.
It was just a couple extra days. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to worry about at all...
Right?
…
One and a half weeks later down and with one and half more still to go, Leo lay awake on his plastron with his face buried in a pillow, restlessly clawing at his sheets and cursing the name of friendship.
He should have never let you get on that damn plane, travel the with your damn girlfriends, having what he could only imagine was the damn time of your life.
If you really wanted to travel, FINE! You could travel. Take one of his stupid portals for all he cares. You could go where ever the shell you wanted to go and be back in a literal flash with enough time to spare to still go to dinner.
It would be better than knowing you were spending ridiculous amounts of time with people he didn't know about (and at this current moment could care less to meet since they took you away from him) and having fun with them when you could be back here, where you belonged, with him.
The handful of pictures that came through every couple of days with your bright smile and your now sun kissed, rosy cheeks was down right torturous.
You looked so happy, so carefree. Like an entire weight was lifted from your shoulders.
And Leo hated it.
He wanted to be the one to that kind of smile on your face (you didn't like them better did you? Had more fun than with him?).
Though he couldn't quite be sure what exactly he was feeling at the moment. Pettiness maybe. Loathing perhaps? Jealousy, most likely, if Leo were to be honest with himself. You know, for once.
Whatever the stupid feeling was, Leo knew that the spark was so hot and intense that the very thought of someone else taking your time and making you smile caused his shoulders to lock and his hands to subconsciously dig further into the blanket with a small groan.
This really was one of the worst ideas you had ever come up with, and Leo (the poor baby) had to live (suffer) with the consequences of you being gone.
He buried his beak further into the pillow with an angry huff, his arms wrapping around the padded squish and not for the first time, wondered if this is what it would feel like to hug you around your waist.
Would you let him press his face into the soft and plump skin of your stomach? Leo was sure it would make one helluva fine pillow. Much better than the limp piece of frabric he was currently strangling to death. Probably smell better too.
Would you cradle him against you? Hold him in your arms as he got comfortable? Gently scritch your nails down the back of his head and run your hands over his shell?
Would you let him get close to you like that? Both literally and metaphorically? Would being close to you like that finally give home the closure needed to let him drops his walls once and for all? Give him the rest that he so desperately yearns for?
Leo thought he was fine. He thought he could do this without you! This time apart was supposed to help him go cold turkey! Break this stupid, stupid, stupid addictive need to be with you.
But here he was restless, agitated, hurting and unable to sleep (for weeks thank you very much) so cursed was his ache without you.
He'd never needed anybody, never craved for anybody's presence the way he did with you.
Leo sighed again, grumbling into pillow with a small agitated whine. Why oh why did you have to go?
And take all of his peace with you?!
Being addicted to a person, Leo finally decided, finally admitted, was just...the absolute worst.
But these relapses?
Leo let out a small whimper and pulled the pillow over his head as he all but retreated into his sell.
He really didn't know how he was going to make it through another day without you.
…
All my love and happy suffering,
~AnOnYmOuS
RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
my GOLLY
MAN do I love me a tortured, pining, jealous Leo.
It's like you know me or something *squints*
THANK YOU FOR THIS TASTY MEAL ANON! I love it so much 😍🫶🏽
I'm very excited for the next part 👀👀👀