It was 7:36 pm when the doorbell rang, when Nick’s soul lept out his body, when he stood in front of the oven and cursed himself for getting so high strung- so on edge, his body rigid and brows furrowed- so he continued to stand in front of the oven, clutching his apron with white knuckles. A shaky breath escaped him as he wiped his hands and ran for the door, feeling his heart bounce in his chest with every step.

Obviously the anxiety had still not subsided. 

But in that moment he opened the door, he could feel the sigh of relief leave him and his muscles relax- when Leo smiled nervously down at him, holding his work jacket in one hand, half of his worries shoved themselves to the back of his mind.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t call you.” Leo was quick to make amends, worried that Nick was upset with him. “I just couldn’t get out of the office, and by the time I did my phone died. I hope coming by wasn’t the wrong move.” Nick watched as Leo’s nose wiggled, obviously sniffing out the dinner that was being prepared. “Holy shit that smells good- is that you guys? You’re cooking?”

Nick stepped back and let Leo in, who politely kicked off his shoes. “Yeah, I’m making a roast since mom won’t be able to use it by the time she comes back.” Leo looked at him curiously. “They had to run to Drand to help my grandfather- I’m not sure when they’re going to come back. It…feels poorly timed considering.” It was almost like Leo could sense the anxiety radiating off of Nick- he did feel like he was about to vibrate out of his skin- because the taller stopped and opened his arms to him-

And Nick paused. He stared at the empty space between Leo’s strong arms, almost as if he had no idea what to fill it with. Finally the motor in his brain restarted and he shuffled quietly forward, accepting the embrace- letting the arms envelope him tightly, the pressure working to squeeze out the stress from the last few days. This was something Nick had only previously thought about- he’d been close to Leo before, but it was never something as easy as a comforting hug.

A hug was so simple- out of all the ways Leo had been close to him, this one was his favorite.

Leo let Nick reside in the space as long as he needed to, and the redhead began to wonder if he was the only one to need this hug- who knows what kind of day he’d had at work. If given the opportunity, Nick would do this every day, embracing the other to rid him of the day’s stress. At some point he felt Leo's body relax and his chin was now resting on Nick's shoulder, and the feeling left his mind to melt, hoping it was him that had given Leo the courage to relax. Finally the shorter of the two pulled away, his hands reluctantly letting go of the fabric of Leo's shirt, the warm feeling on his palms replaced with the chill air of his home. He laughed a little, albeit awkwardly, and let out a quiet 'thanks' before beckoning Leo to the kitchen.

"Lana is over, Ashley's friend, so I figured I'd get this roast out of the way." Leo listened intently as he followed his date to the kitchen. "Sorry we can't go out tonight, either- we'll have that first date eventually, right?" Nick chuckled, checking the timer he'd left on the counter.

"Well," Leo started- he draped his jacket over one of the stools by the kitchen island and sat himself in the other, "I know we're not alone tonight, but you're cooking what smells like an incredible meal. We’re both here- this is close enough, right?"

Nick thought about his statement for a moment- this is enough, right? A meal together, even in a group, it still sounded lovely to him- any time spent with Leo was time well spent in Nick's eyes. A second longer in his thoughts was enough, so he turned to Leo and grinned. “Close as we’re gonna get!”

Leo stood up from his place at the kitchen island, approaching the counter where he was busy preparing the meal’s final touches. “Is there anything I can help with?”

Nick pursed his lips, leaning against the counter. “Not really- with a roast, pretty much everything is in the oven. Potatoes, carrots…I just put the rolls in as well. Wanna set the table for me? Dining room is around the corner.”

Leo nodded as he watched Nick direct him to where everything was, gathering the necessary items in his arms. There was something so disgustingly domestic about this predicament that made Leo’s mind go crazy, grasping at any sliver of sense he had left. He wanted to wrap his arms around Nick once more as the other prepared their meal, swaying side to side, almost a dance- then his imagination got the best of him, visions of soft domesticity glanced his eyes and he began to wonder just how bad he craved solitude- how desperately he needed this peace.

His mind had been stuck on his conversation with Nero for the latter half of the day, never giving him a moment's peace as he worried just how likely he was to arrive at the Morello home with news of Nick’s demise. The threats had nearly completely rewired his brain- he worried for Nick frequently, it wasn’t a new experience, but he was always careful not to let his mind wander too far. Too deep into the territory he had yet to earn- he wasn’t even sure if the hug was going to be allowed. 

But it was, and it was just as incredible as he’d always imagined- if not better. 

Leo set the final plate on the table, counting just to make sure- Nick, his brother Kato, their sister Ashley, her friend Lana, and of course, himself- five plates. Five sets of silverware, five glasses. It occurred to Leo that it was at least a little odd for Nick to cook an entire roast in his parent’s absence- or maybe it wasn’t for him. Leo was lucky if he ate a home-cooked meal in recent years, opting for something cheap and fast to get him home in a timely manner so he could sulk the night away- it was definitely a step in the opposite direction of how he used to eat in Hachturn as well. Extravagant, thought out meals with way too much to spare for just the four in his family.

He sighed.

Leo clenched his jaw and shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind- the only memories he had of his family were less than pleasant, even the memory of something as simple as a family dinner was enough to make him rigid. Now, he decided, was the perfect time to replace those memories- tense stares across the long dining room table would be replaced with soft smiles around a cozier space, maybe even a joke or two. Or maybe some light, playful bickering instead of the lectures and commands, topping off with a pleasantly empty plate instead of a nauseatingly full one. 

Leo’s thoughts were not allowed to tread farther as Kato passed the dining room, jumping to see the blond man staring intently at the silverware. Kato was then noticed as well and the two stared at one another-

They’d never spoken a word to each other in the three years he’d been affiliated with Nick, given his sort-of ban from the household, so Leo could see the confusion and gears working in Kato’s mind to decipher his presence. 

“...Hi.” Kato said slowly, not taking his eyes off of the Nightingale.

Leo pursed his lips. “Hi.”

“You know, I thought Lana was mostly joking when she said you would be coming over, but here we are.” Kato finally managed to look away towards the kitchen, quickly returning his gaze to Leo, who shrugged, tilting his head a little.

“Well, actually, I just kind of showed up.” But had Nick invited him? He hadn’t mentioned it- his phone was dead, so there was a chance there were missed texts on his end. “But here we are. I think dinner’s almost done, why don’t you get your sister and her friend.”

Kato made an exaggerated motion of faux-annoyance, rolling his eyes so hard his head rolled with them. “Ughhh, okay dad.” He turned to head towards the stairs once more, stopping to lean over to peek back into the dining room. “That was a joke by the way, I’m not actually annoyed.”

Leo pursed his lips again and nodded, then smiled. “Caught on to that.”

“Oh, good.” Then the other disappeared, and Leo could faintly hear him call to Ashley- something along the lines of “hey jackass, dinner’s done.” It really was a mile off from how he’d grown up in his own home. Leo gathered himself once more and walked back into the kitchen, where Nick was kicking the oven closed, roast in hands. 

“I had Kato run up to get your sister. Do you need help with that?” Leo asked, his hands preemptively raised as if he’d have to catch Nick at a moment’s notice, but the other shook his head with a grin.

“Please, I’ve juggled more than this at once, and it’s not heavy for me. Another perk of not being totally human: this is like nothing to me. Bet I can even pick you up.”

Leo rolled his eyes as Nick placed the roast on the stove. “I highly doubt that much. I’m six-foot-four and pure muscle, you’d get me maybe an inch off the ground at best.” Nick was lean, but he definitely worked out to some degree, Leo could tell that much. The redhead looked back at him with an arched brow, his stare was one that screamed “try me.”

“Bet.” Sure enough, Nick approached him and the taller suddenly panicked, realizing just how close they’d be again. He was able to convince himself this was all part of his plan to be close to Nick once more as the man in question bent down just enough to scoop his arms under Leo’s ass, who couldn’t help but yelp as he was effortlessly hoisted up. Then suddenly, he was draped over Nick’s shoulder as Leo had done to him the night before.

“Woah, alright-” Leo had never seen the floor from this angle before, “yeah, I see-” Nick had one hand firmly on his bottom and Leo wasn’t sure if the other had noticed, but he sure did. “Daianha- are you holding me with one hand?”

“Sure am.” Nick replied, then returned Leo to the sanctity of the floor where he belonged before the others could see them. “It’s really not all that bad I guess- makes training and work ten times easier.” As he turned to tend to the meal once more he stopped, glancing at Leo. “...did you find anything out today? Y’know, about all that.”

Leo sighed, leaning his hip against the counter as he tried to still the beating of his heart- that interaction was gonna be burned into his mind for weeks. “Anything regarding demi-signa is most likely locked behind the records cabinet in the labs- if we have anything at all. At best, I scoped out some files hinting at some kind of incident that happened some time ago, but anything useful was classified or blacked out. I’ll have to try and sweet talk my way into the lab I think.”

“Well, don’t go getting yourself into trouble over it.” Nick replied, taking the roast out of the pan and placing it neatly on a serving plate. “I’ve been worried about you today, when you said you were interrupted I couldn’t stop thinking maybe you’d gotten into trouble.” Leo couldn’t help but wince- he sort of did get into trouble, but was it something he should mention? “You have a good intuition, by the way- I met Lior. I take it he didn’t have any useful information for you.”

Leo’s face warped into something along the lines of irritation at the mention of his subordinate. “No, he didn’t. I sent him off with the team after he refused to answer any of my questions. Apparently, he then put Jack in charge and disappeared. So he was tailing you?”

Nick nodded. “He just told me he was curious after you questioned him- but he wouldn’t tell me if he came to any conclusions. I’m sure he knows exactly what I am- he can sense signa, of course. Who interrupted you in the archives?”

Leo hesitated on the answer just long enough for the others to come downstairs, practically running to the kitchen- and stopping suddenly when they spotted Leo, as if they hadn’t really believed Kato that he was there. 

Lana was the first to speak, leaning forward just a bit to get a better look at him. “You came! Just in time too! I’ve seen you around my neighborhood sometimes, it’s so weird to finally see you up close!”

Lana’s amazement was new for Leo- he almost felt like a zoo attraction with the way she awed at him, yet Ashley on the other hand was more reserved, taking to inspecting him quietly behind her friend. She definitely took after her father in her approach to Nightingale officers, whether she was vocal about it or not.

He kinda didn’t blame her.

“Right, you must live near Kaiser, then?” Lana nodded and geared up to possibly ask him what could be a billion questions, but before she could launch Nick pulled Leo back, placing the roast in his hands.

“Can you take that to the table?”

“Yes, of course.” Leo was eager to do anything asked of him and he disappeared, giving Nick just a moment to stare down his siblings- and Lana. 

“Don’t overwhelm him, alright? I saw you- I know you Lana. That childlike curiosity has not left you- leave it at the door tonight, okay?” Nick seemed upset at himself for having to lecture them, but the last thing he needed was for Leo to feel like some sort of exhibit to be studied. “This is the first time he’s been in this house, let him relax.”

“Awwww.” Lana whined, her shoulders slumping, then Nick took to placing the tray of rolls in her hand to give her a task. 

“Table.”

She disappeared as well, Ashley approaching next to take the vegetable dishes from him and slinking away, leaving just Kato and Nick in the kitchen. Nick kept himself busy gathering the drinks while his brother stared at him, and the older could feel his eyes boring into the back of his head.

“I’m fine, just so you know.” Nick stated, keeping his back to Kato- he didn’t need to see how tightly his brows were knitted together. “I’m just- anxious. Leo and I need to talk but I’m not sure we’ll get the privacy we need.”

“Is it about the…well.” Kato didn’t finish his question as he worried the others would hear them.

Nick merely nodded and Kato accepted that, taking the drinks from his brother’s hands and taking them to the table. Nick gave himself one last inhale and spun around, taking himself to the dining room.