Chapter Text
Leon. His name was Leon.
When Rick's group first met him, he was...off-putting, in a way. Worried. On edge. Tense.
Which, honestly, was understandable. They were strangers. Dr. Jenner himself, the one who seemed to run things, subjected them all to blood tests. They had a right to be suspicious. But this was different, he was different.
Leon, at first, was calm. Serene, even. As if he expected things, as if things were falling into place like some grand plan. It was only when one of them had made the mistake of getting close to him- that's when Glenn saw it, and he was sure everyone else had seen it, too.
Leon's entire being had...transformed. His eyes were piercing, coal black. His entire body tensed and stiffened. The look only lasted a second, but it chilled Glenn more than freezing wind, and gave him the thrill of genuine fear.
He didn't see Leon again until after everyone was in the dining room. He had apologized for his behavior, stating he was only nervous about meeting new people but said the group didn't seem like bad people.
A man, who followed Leon like a shadow, backed him up. It was weird, how...the only right word for this was bewitched. Or maybe smitten.
Anyways, he was twice Leon's age and followed him like a lost puppy.
Glenn knew they had bigger problems, but this all stood out to him. And he was paying much more attention now.
Lori had offered Leon something to eat. Leon declined, but after saying the food looked good, he tried just the tiniest bite. He was satisfied after that and listened to the group talk, laugh, and then get quiet when Jenner spoke about the fates of the other doctors.
It was just the three men left. Jenner, Leon, and the older guy whose name Glenn hadn't caught.
Showering, finally, felt like a godsend. Though it might only last a little while (the night if they were lucky, Glenn thought), everyone seemed to be settling in well. They were all fed, bathed and clothed, and would sleep somewhere warm and safe tonight. Those basic things were hard to come by these days.
Even if they were several feet underground, they had what they'd asked for. Glenn tried not to think about that detail. Claustrophobia...
With nothing else to do, a thought popped into his mind. I should go find Leon. Just to talk with him for a little bit. Maybe he was upset, that's why he acted that way earlier? Well, he couldn't really think of an excuse, he just wanted to see him again.
He was actually pretty hard to find, though, because he was in the bathroom throwing up.
And he looked...really weak. Like he was sick. Glenn didn't come to close, afraid he might have the same reaction as last time. But he helped Leon clean up, which he appreciated.
Leon was still a little nauseous, but he and Glenn went on a short stroll anyway.
He noticed all these little things about him. His unbelievablely pale skin. He'd seen it on Amy, after she'd died. He was cold, too, which made Glenn want to hold his hand for a little while. Just to warm him up, of course.
He carried himself with grace and his voice was musical, like a siren drawing Glenn in with each word. And he'd let himself be taken in.
They ended up at Glenn's room. Glenn walked in and Leon lingered by the door.
"May I come in?" He asked.
"Yeah."
"Say I can come in."
Glenn paused. "...you can come in, Leon."
He thought that was odd, but filed the thought away for later and focused on their conversation.
God, it was wonderful being alone with him and not worrying about the rest of the group. There were lots of things running through his mind that had nothing to do with their conversation. Mainly, they had just been talking about things they liked or things they had seen recently- the latter of which weren't usually pleasant, and Leon said he couldn't remember much anyway. But they talked a lot about video games and movies.
But there were still those other thoughts. How Leon kept glancing at the clock, how he always found something to keep their conversation going for just a little bit longer, how he made a face when Glenn brought up that guy.
"I'd rather stay here," Leon had said, and it made Glenn's heart...do something.
It was a quarter past ten when Leon got ready to leave, saying he'd let Glenn sleep. Glenn was, admittedly, a little disappointed.
But Leon had stopped in front of the door. Glenn was confused- he was in such a hurry to leave just a second ago, and now he stood, arms crossed over his chest, looking down at his shoes with an expression that made something ache in Glenn's chest. He stood up and went to his side with silent urgency.
"Leon? What's wrong?"
Was it the conversation? Was it something he said? He couldn't tell, and Leon didn't respond. Glenn felt something come over him. He didn't know if it was a good idea, but he couldn't stop himself either. He took a step forward and hugged him. For a terrifying few seconds, he thought he'd done something wrong- Leon's body was rigid, frozen- but then Leon melted into him and tucked his arms around Glenn's waist.
He gripped the back of Glenn's shirt. There was no...obvious reason for Leon to be so scared, but he was, and Glenn wanted to stop him from feeling that way ever again. He racked his mind for any possible reason. Nothing came up. Except...
No, he wouldn't guess. Maybe that'd make it worse. Might as well just ask. Pay attention.
"What's bothering you? You can tell me." His voice was a warm whisper against Leon's ear, and he felt the other man nuzzle his face into his neck, hiding away.
"Do you like me?" Leon asked suddenly.
Glenn paused. "...Sure."
Before Leon could speak, there was a knock at the door. Glenn felt his grip tighten significantly.
"Hey, is Leon there?" It was the old guy from earlier- Henry or Harlod or something, Glenn was too wine drunk to remember that detail since they never really talked in the first place- clingy like he always seemed to be. Everyone had probably picked up on it except for the kids.
"No," Glenn called, "he's sleeping already. Let him sleep." That last part had a bit of an edge to it, unintentional, but it did the trick and Glenn heard the man walking away. And he heard Leon sigh, sounding relieved and maybe soothed, which eased the aching in his chest.
For a few more long seconds (maybe not long enough, in Glenn's opinion) they remained still, in their embrace, and Glenn reached up to touch Leon's hair, toying with the soft curls between his fingers. He felt Leon's lips on his neck, and Leon shuddered, then slowly pulled away. He grew tense again.
"Thank you," he whispered, glancing briefly at the door, then Glenn was struck with his shining topaz eyes again.
"You're welcome. He's...he's obsessed with you."
"...Yes."
"Why?"
Leon paused. "That's...just the way he is." He shrugged, frowning. Glenn decided not to push it.
"You can..." He only considered it for a moment before offering. "...sleep in my bed if you want. I can take the floor if-"
"No, that's fine. I don't mind...thank you."
Glenn smiled. "You're welcome."
"I feel like I've been thanking you a lot today." Leon chuckled. The sound made Glenn feel lighter. "My hero."
"I try."
"You do it well."
Glenn nudged him, then started toward the bed. "Come on. It's probably late already, isn't it? God, I'm..." He threw himself on the bed and sighed heavily. "...so damn tired."
Leon sat next to him, crossing his legs on the blanket. "I bet. Your group has been traveling for a while, right?"
"Yeah. We were headed for Fort Benning but Rick convinced Shane we'd be better off here."
Leon hummed in acknowledgment.
Glenn sighed again. "I dunno. I'm just tired of...all this shit."
"I understand," Leon said quietly. "Well, I don't," he added, "but...I do. Sort of."
"It'd be nice to stay down here and not worry about the geeks, but I know sooner or later we'll have to leave. It's always like that. There's always something. There's always..."
He felt a cold hand run through his hair and fell silent. He looked up and saw Leon smiling, giving him a look saying keep talking.
"..something," he finished, grumbling. "We should probably...sleep for real."
Just then, he yawned, and heard Leon laugh again. "Yeah," Leon said. "Whatever happens tomorrow, we'll need to be ready." He regretted saying that, making it sound like they'd be right back to what the group was trying to avoid- fighting for their lives, running around exhausted and drained...
He tried to remedy that. "Shane and Daryl both seem to have a temper. Do they ever argue?"
Glenn huffed. "Who doesn't Daryl argue with?"
"See? Plus, you'll be hungover in the morning. Half your group probably will be."
"That, too."
Glenn pulled the covers over himself and lay on his side after turning the light off. But in the dim light from a lamp, he could still make out Leon's form and most of his face.
"You're really cold."
"Sorry."
"No, it doesn't bother me, I'm just...aren't you freezing?"
"No, I'm fine. Don't worry so much."
Glenn wanted to touch him again, anywhere, but he didn't. They were already in bed together, and he didn't want to push any boundaries, but...
"Leon...why are you here? Were you sick or something?"
"I guess you could say that. I'll tell you some other time, alright?"
Glenn just looked at him.
"It's not contagious," Leon teased.
Glenn let out an amused huff and rolled his eyes. "Right."
"Go to bed, nosy."
"Whatever."
Glenn shifted onto his back, fingers laced behind his head. Beside him, Leon curled himself into a little ball and let his head rest on the pillow, eyes closed. It reminded Glenn of a puppy.
He sighed and lay his hands on his stomach. "'Night, Leon."
A few seconds went by.
"Goodnight, Glenn," Leon spoke gently.
It didn't take Glenn much longer to fall asleep.
Leon was up the rest of the night, thinking.