Leo considered the question. He still had a low headache at the base of his skull, and his insides still felt a little twisted, but he felt better than he did earlier. “A little better, actually. Now I’m sure I’m not going to die, at least.”
“Endorphins,” Annalise confirmed. “You’re out of the forest now, kid. Now your job’s to keep the fuck away from the trees, alright?”
“Alright,” he agreed. Leo wasn’t stupid; he knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as going clean. There’d still be the cravings to contend with and the bad habits waiting for him, steeped in every monument and every little action of his routine. But maybe—maybe if Annalise stuck around… hell, even if she had to leave, to find her father and protect the Wastes… as long as she came back, that would be something for him to hold on to. He could stay clean. Not for himself, not for Jenny and Andy, not for all the caps in Megaton—but for her? He thought he could.
It occurred to Leo that they’d done this all backwards—he hadn’t even kissed her yet. He put a hand on her cheek and turned Annalise’s face towards his own. She gazed up at him, still smiling, and he was struck by how lovely her dark hair and pale skin was. He brought their lips together firmly, savoring his first taste of her. She kissed him back earnestly, smiling against his lips as Leo’s prickly beard tickled her face. When they broke their embrace, Leo ran his thumb lightly over the blooming bruise along the side of her face. “I’m so sorry. I’m such an ass. Can you forgive me?”
“Nothing to forgive,” she said. “That was the old Leo, the damned junkie. Now, if I ever see his hide sulking around the water purifier plant in a jet fugue ever again, I’ll be sure to give him something a little harsher than a shiner on his right eye.”
“Don’t worry,” Leo replied. “That son of a bitch is long gone.”
----END----
btw, A!A confession time here, but Leo Stahl was my first Fallout crush :3
To fix or not to fix [4/4]
“Endorphins,” Annalise confirmed. “You’re out of the forest now, kid. Now your job’s to keep the fuck away from the trees, alright?”
“Alright,” he agreed. Leo wasn’t stupid; he knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as going clean. There’d still be the cravings to contend with and the bad habits waiting for him, steeped in every monument and every little action of his routine. But maybe—maybe if Annalise stuck around… hell, even if she had to leave, to find her father and protect the Wastes… as long as she came back, that would be something for him to hold on to. He could stay clean. Not for himself, not for Jenny and Andy, not for all the caps in Megaton—but for her? He thought he could.
It occurred to Leo that they’d done this all backwards—he hadn’t even kissed her yet. He put a hand on her cheek and turned Annalise’s face towards his own. She gazed up at him, still smiling, and he was struck by how lovely her dark hair and pale skin was. He brought their lips together firmly, savoring his first taste of her. She kissed him back earnestly, smiling against his lips as Leo’s prickly beard tickled her face. When they broke their embrace, Leo ran his thumb lightly over the blooming bruise along the side of her face. “I’m so sorry. I’m such an ass. Can you forgive me?”
“Nothing to forgive,” she said. “That was the old Leo, the damned junkie. Now, if I ever see his hide sulking around the water purifier plant in a jet fugue ever again, I’ll be sure to give him something a little harsher than a shiner on his right eye.”
“Don’t worry,” Leo replied. “That son of a bitch is long gone.”
----END----
btw, A!A confession time here, but Leo Stahl was my first Fallout crush :3