He wakes up in inches. His body feels sore and his limbs are heavy, weighted into the sheets like lead. Sunlight filters through a crack in the blinds, pale yellow against the wall across from him. He has to make an effort to blink his slow eyelids, bringing himself from the land of the dead asleep to the land of the living.

A smile makes its way onto his lips when he feels an arm around his waist, firm and unmoving. He doesn’t want to wake Austin—some part of him is still nervous, as if this is a dream and Austin will think better of everything. Push Leo away again, leaving him truly alone this time. The tiny fear in his chest won’t go away no matter what he tells it.

He settles for moving slowly, as if he’s trying to defuse a bomb. He turns just enough to lie on his back, finally able to see the body behind him.

He’s beautiful, he thinks, every other thought silenced as he watches Austin sleep. The man is completely unguarded and unworried, his perpetual air of stress worn away by sleep. He’s just there, beside Leo, peaceful and silent.

“Why are you awake?” Austin asks, voice low and gravelly, inhaling sharply. His eyes are still closed when he talks. His brow furrows the tiniest bit and he raises a hand to his eyes, pressing.

“Shh,” Leo says, smiling. “Go back to sleep.”

“I can’t,” Austin sighs, finally blinking. “I have things to do today.”

“Just one,” Leo corrects, wiggling his eyebrows.

Austin chuckles. Leo thinks he would shake his head if it didn’t take so much energy. They’re facing each other, blinking themselves awake, not quite ready to face the day. So blue, Leo thinks, watching Austin’s eyes. He remembers wanting to write poems about them. Not that he ever did, of course—he’s not an idiot. He knows better than that.

“I’m serious. I really do need groceries,” Austin groans, pulling himself upright. Leo shakes his head but follows the man anyway, admiring him as the sheets fall from his body.

“Where’s my phone?” Leo asks, almost as an afterthought. Austin shoots him an unimpressed look.

“Really? You’re going to take a picture?”

“It’s only fair. You did get video of me,” Leo smirks, pulling his device off the bedside table. He opens the camera quickly, laughing as he snaps as many pictures as possible.

“You’re ridiculous,” Austin says, rummaging for clothes in his drawers, but he does nothing to stop him. Leo just smiles, admiring the album he’s creating, eyes lingering on the body within arms’ reach.

“Yes, I am. Are you coming with me, or not?”

“Of course,” Leo grins, jumping out of bed to find his clothes. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Great. Then get dressed,” Austin says, pulling on a shirt as he speaks. “I want to get done before lunch.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to spend all day running errands,” Austin says, raising an eyebrow.

“Sure,” Leo says, brushing his hand through Austin’s curls. He likes the way Austin leans into his touch, eyes fixated on him. “Just as long as you spend an hour with me in bed, I’ll be happy.”

“An hour?”

“You don’t usually last longer.”

“Oh, I don’t last longer,” Austin snorts, snapping a shirt against Leo’s back. “Don’t challenge me.”

“Oh, no—I’m up for a challenge,” Leo chuckles, pulling his jeans on. “Challenges keep things fun.”

Austin pauses, staring at him. Suddenly, their teasing isn’t just words anymore. We’re together now, Leo thinks. They could just stay in the entire day, relearning their bodies, exploring new things and finding hidden secrets. They could.

He pulls Austin down, fingers tight against his shirt, and kisses him. Slow and simple, no passion burning beneath it. Just a reminder that he can kiss him. Any time, no matter what, because we’re not a secret. Leo feels the immense power of it—the knowledge that he doesn’t have to pretend. Relegate their relationship to the shadows. He kisses Austin as carefully as he can; like there’s still a chance that Austin could push him away, refusing his touch and putting him in his place somehow.

Instead, all he gets is Austin leaning in closer, hands at Leo’s waist as if they’ve always been there. Always will be. He almost wants to cry at how simple of an act it is and how perfect it feels. Like they’ve been doing this for years.

“You okay?” Austin asks, backing away for a moment.

“Perfect,” Leo smiles, threading his fingers through Austin’s curls. “Just perfect.”

He watches Austin disappear into the bathroom, getting ready for the rest of the day, and thinks about how lucky he is. How incredible it is that they’ve been able to land here, together, after everything they’ve been through. He wouldn’t have expected to have a chance, before. Part of him is still incredulous that he has one now. I’ll take what I get, he thinks, following Austin with a smile.

There’s no way he’s going to give them up now. No way he’s going to endanger what he has. He’s different, and Austin has accepted him again, somehow doing the impossible. He had every reason to refuse, Leo thinks, and it’s a testament to their strength that Austin agreed to try one more time.

Once more with feeling. With more of an adult head on his shoulders. With the air cleared between them and the knowledge that things don’t have to be perfect, as long as they talk to each other and commit to each other as much as possible.

“By the way—did you sign the contract Dean gave you?” Austin asks, running the water as he prepares his toothbrush.

“I did,” Leo says, smiling. “Guess you’re stuck with me now.”

“There are worse ways to go,” Austin murmurs, smiling as Leo laces his fingers around his waist. “Let’s just keep it professional in the office, huh?”

“Oh, sure,” Leo grins. “Professional. We can definitely do that.”

Austin laughs, toothbrush hanging in his mouth, and Leo ruffles his hair. I want to hear that laughter every day.

It really is perfect.