Secrets (Part 5)
Wrapping things up in the drama department. Secrets all come out here. INTERVENTION TIME!! And then...we’re gonna have some fluff. I also plan to make a masterlist of my LSSR stories so you can find what you might have missed out after all of these posts. Thanks for sticking with me this far!! Check out my Ao3 page for the full stories.
Ren stares at his phone. Jezelle left. He thought it was best if she found a hotel for the night. The messages from Skye, Leo, and Sasha were all similar. A rendition of “we need to talk”.
Ren texts back, drawing himself back, composing himself.
[Come over. I am ready.]
When all three of them arrive, each of them brings a thick cloud of tension. After the past few weeks, things are looking bleak for everyone.
Out of everyone, Skye is the one to take charge. Something has changed in her. She’s not mopey; she’s more determined than any of them to talk this out.
Is it because she’s tired of being wronged? Or is this a flash of the old Skye: headstrong, ambitious, taking charge. Ren hopes its the latter.
“Everyone sit down,” Skye says.
Sasha sits on one end, Ren on the other. Leo sits in the middle. Skye paces back and forth. “There is about to be a lot of explaining going on and I want everyone to be honest, or this isn’t going to work.”
Sasha can’t help but smile at her. Skye’s finally breaking out of her slump. She wants this to work.
“Okay, let’s start with the thing I did wrong.”
Sasha looks confused. So does Ren.
“I told Leo…” Skye looks at Sasha, “About our fetish.”
Sasha’s heart slams against her ribs. Her head whips around to see Leo sitting meekly, offering a small finger wave.
“You…know?”
“Sash, why were you afraid to tell me?”
“Bec--” she swallows. “Because you broke up with someone over a kink.”
Leo’s face falls. He turns to share a look with Ren.
“That was…completely different. She would do things without my consent.” A sigh, “I’m not against kinks. I actually think yours is kind of endearing.”
Relief floods Sasha. She looks at Skye, who is frowning.
“I’m so sorry, Sash. I shouldn’t have outed you like that.”
“It’s fine,” Sasha says. “I think I sort of feel better now that it’s out.”
“Good, and we’ll have to explain a few things to these two,” Skye wags her finger between the boys, “Because Ren thinks that just because Leo sneezed on me that I’m going to jump his bones.”
“Wait, what?!” Sasha jerks her head. “Why, um…” she tries not to sound like a solid bitch when she says, “Why was he doing that with you?”
Skye rolls her eyes, “Leo and I were checking on Ren--”
“Sneaking around Ren’s home,” Ren interjects.
“Fine. We were sneaking, and we hid in a closet and…well, it was dusty.”
Sasha doesn’t know how she feels about that. She definitely wants details, though. “We’ll put a pin in that.”
“Sure,” Skye turns to Ren, “So, why is Jezelle here? Why were you doing drugs again?”
Ren leans back, stiff and rigid. His hands clasp together and he explains--Maka and Owen, finding Jezelle, Owen telling him about Andrew…
“It was my fault,” Ren says. “I did not handle it well. I simply…” he rests his head in his hands, “I wanted a day to not think. About anything.”
Leo blinks hard, sucking in a breath to calm down. “Ren,” he grabs his hand and rubs his thumb over the knuckles, “Don’t you dare blame yourself.”
Skye joins in, “That’s not something you can control.”
“I called him. I do not know why--my memory that day is hazy.”
“Ren, you need therapy,” Leo says. “And I mean with a real therapist. Please meet with mine. She’s wonderful.”
Ren sighs. “I suppose I should. I have been putting it off because I did not wish to restart the process.”
“I get it but your therapist sucks. He doesn’t help you.”
“Alright.”
Skye brushes fingers across his jaw, her chest felling like it’s about to burst. “Are you okay, Ren?” her voice is a rasp.
Ren takes her hand, his face turning into her cupped hand. “I will be.”
“Ren, I have to ask this…” Skye bites her lip, “Are you interested in me? Because if you three want to just date…if I get in the way…”
It’s Ren’s turn to take her hand. When he does, her gaze sweeps to his and she’s staring at him. Hope, no matter how unwelcome, blossoms in her chest.
“Skye,” Ren tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear, “I want to be with you so much. I did not originally want to share you.” His gaze flits to the others, then back. “But you are in love with Sasha, and I…Leo and I…” His lips rub together in pause. “I need to decipher my feelings for everyone else because you are the only one I am certain about.”
Skye’s palm thwacks the side of his head. “Asshole! Why was that so hard to say before?!”
Ren’s mouth opens. Shuts. “I was not high enough to formulate it before?”
“Fuck, Ren,” Leo smacks him now.
“Alright, so,” Sasha spreads her palms, “We’re actually going to start talking now, right? I mean, I love these powows but…can we all start speaking our minds from now on?”
The room goes silent. Eyes shunt back and forth, stirring tension into a soup.
“Great, what now?” Sasha sighs.
“Leo’s secret,” Skye says. “I promised to tell him mine if he told us his.”
Leo locks eyes with Ren. Ren puts an arm around him and whispers something in his ear. Leo shakes his head.
“Okay, this is driving me crazy,” Skye snaps. “We told you ours, and that was a big deal!”
“Not a deal breaker, though,” Leo murmurs.
Ren squeezes him. “If you are not ready--”
“No,” Leo sits up. “We’re in a relationship. It’s time.”
The room feels hot. Skye is sweating, lungs filling and emptying rapidly.
Leo brushes fingers through his hair, sucking in breaths. Then he blows it out, grounding himself. “I…I’m trans.”
There’s a pause in the air. It fills the room like a balloon, growing and growing, until it splits and bursts; it hits everyone.
Sasha and Skye crowd Leo with hugs.
“Leo, I can’t believe you were afraid to tell us!” Sasha springs back, a hand covering her mouth, “Oh my gods, I just made myself a hypocrite.”
Leo chuckles, “Well, I guess we both know how each other feels. Secrets are out now.”
Sasha smiles, “They are.”
Leo takes her hands, “But mums the word, okay? Especially around my parents.”
“They don’t know?”
“Nope.”
“But you’ve had top surgery?”
“Yep.”
“Shit. You’re gonna have to tell me how you managed that.”
“It’s not a great story.”
Sasha’s eyes prick with tears. Leo’s never talked about his family. She had gathered that they weren’t on good terms, which broke her heart. She loved her own parents.
“I’m so sorry.” She leans against Leo, “We’re here for you.”
“Thanks.” Leo claps his hands. “I think we need to add another date to our roster.” He gestures to Ren and Sasha.
Ren looks at Skye. She closes her eyes and nods. “I think it’s a good idea.”
Ren lifts an eyebrow, “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” She sweeps a hand across her cheek. “I do. I can wait.”
The air is clear and the drinks come out shortly after the talk. Leo finds an old super nintendo to play against Ren. Sasha and Skye break out a deck of cards and play speed. Soon, they’re all four chatting about Dungeons and Dragons, arguing about who should DM and what characters they should play.
Ren actually smiled. And so did Skye.
If this is what we’re working towards, I will work my ass off to get there.
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