Theo watched indulgently as his lovely daughter took another turn on the dance floor. So much so that he almost didn’t notice the person who slid into the chair next to his own. Before he could say a word, a fresh bottle of wine was added to the ice bucket next to the table. “May I pour you a glass?” he asked quietly, with a gesture to the wine bottle.
Emery was feeling a little bit overwhelmed by the number of people, the scenery, all of it. Despite all that, she was still enjoying herself. She watched as people danced, and she held onto her glass of wine... she’d had the same glass the whole time she’d been here and had barely taken a sip. Some people had moved to stand in front of her, and she sighed, too short, even in these heels. She couldn’t see the people dancing anymore. Taking a step to the side, she bumped into someone else unintentionally.
Thankfully her glass of wine had been in the opposite hand, and she hadn’t been moving very fast so the wine merely spilled on her hand, but her wide eyes lifted to the person she had run into. “I’m so sorry! I was just trying to watch the dancing...”
Summary: It’s the Pittengreen Ball! Fun! Leo goes and while there finds out and sees that his ex is there.
Trigger Warnings: Mental health, alcoholism... that might be it this round.
Leo tugged on the end of his suit jacket sleeve as his eyes scanned over the people at this event. It was weird, attending an event like this, knowing that last time he’d gone to something similar he’d been there with someone. Being single at big events used to be normal for him, and yet... things had changed. He was no longer the man he used to be when going to an event meant countless opportunities to find single submissives and see where the night would take him. He used to find excitement in that. There used to be a thrill in charming someone and seeing whether he could coax them back to his place for a scene. It didn’t used to be a difficult task. Now? He couldn’t bring himself to attempt the charm, and his scenes had been at brothels with too much time in between. Fortunately, he’d had a scene recently, and that helped to take the edge off.
Moving farther into the room, Leo found some wine and immediately took a glass. Good. Alcohol. That would help with everything. He had never spent much time on the sidelines, watching others interact, but he did so now. He didn’t care to draw attention to himself, and he certainly didn’t need help. He wasn’t an idiot, he noticed the stares, the heads that turned in his direction, he’d have to be blind to people noticing him. The problem? He just didn’t care anymore. There was no point in him avoiding the attention, not when he’d walked away from... well, no, there was no point to avoiding people but Leo still tried his best to do that very thing.
With a sigh, Leo brought his glass up to his lips to take a sip at the same time his fingers ran through his hair. His eyes caught sight of something... that seemed both familiar and... the wine went down the wrong pipe and he found himself coughing to clear his airway. Leo’s heart picked up speed, as his eyes remained fixed on a set of shoulders and a back facing him. No... it couldn’t be... His feet carried him in the direction of the male before he realized what he was doing, as if his body was pulled to the other like a magnet. His step stuttered when the male turned to face another direction and suddenly all the breath left his body as if someone had punched him in the stomach.
A rush of emotions, need, sadness, confusion, panic... love flooded him, emotion boiling over, thick in his throat and it took all of his control to prevent himself from letting tears well up in his eyes. Setting the glass down on a nearby table, Leo’s next instinct was to move closer. His hands were desperate to touch the other male, to feel the familiar shape of him against his own body. He stopped himself again, he was so close, but that’s when the panic truly set in. If Cristian knew he was here, what would his reaction be? He’d left the submissive, he’d left for a reason. He back-stepped, moving away from Cristian and finding a way to stay on the outskirts of groups where he wouldn’t be the focus of anyone’s attention.
In that moment, Leo really took the opportunity to study the submissive. His physical appearance had changed a little, but he knew that build. Even with the changes he knew it was him, and he’d been right. Two years hadn’t changed just how clearly Cristian, and the memories of him had remained. His heart still hadn’t found it’s normal rhythm, his breath... well, he somehow managed to regain control of breathing. Did he want to approach Cristian? Or did he want to stay away? It was as if his body knew the answer before Leo’s mind did. He was moving toward him again, this time slowly, that was when he watched Cristian stop beside another familiar figure. That halted him.
Old feelings of jealousy, back before the two of them had ever attempted to date, returned. Surely, Cristian hadn’t moved on to her... had he? Stepping back again he couldn’t help but watch curiously, feeling both sick to his stomach and still jealous beyond anything that was even logical. He’s not yours anymore. He reminded himself. It didn’t matter that Leo was still in love with Cristian, he’d walked away with the intent of allowing the submissive a chance at a relationship and happiness with someone better than him. He didn’t deserve someone who couldn’t move on from the past and all the loss he’d seen... lives that he’d been responsible for. Swallowing hard, he flinched at the thought and shook his head.
He wouldn’t approach Cristian. The other male was having a good time, and although he couldn’t stomach the sight of him happy, without him, he couldn’t help but cast fleeting glances at the submissive throughout the night. Leo remained conscious of where the other male was in the room from the moment he’d seen him, staying away from him. Fortunately, he decided he wouldn’t stay too long. There was no need to ruin Cristian’s night. He would stay away. He had to stay away. It was better for Cristian in the long run. Fuck... he needed a drink... no, he needed a lot of them.
