Who: Leo D'Amato & Veronica Mars What: AC & Nightmares When: Back before plot Where: Veronica's apartment Warnings: Mild language and good guy greg Status: Completed gdoc
The AC in Leo’s apartment was busted, and would remain so for at least overnight. He’d had plans to rent a motel room...until Veronica had called him an idiot and told him he could stay at her place. Even without hearing her voice Leo could always tell when it was time to NOT argue with Veronica Mars. This was one of those times. So he’d just thanked her...after being sure he wouldn’t be intruding...and agreed.
After work he stopped in at his apartment to see if there’d been any progress, and to pick up some things he’d need for an overnight stay. Since the AC unit was in pieces on the carpet he assumed there hadn’t been any progress. Lovely. But it didn’t take long for him to gather up his things then he went down the hall to Veronica’s apartment where he gave a light knock on her door.
Veronica meant it when she said she wasn’t mad at him anymore. If anything, she was mad at herself for falling into the booze as a coping mechanism trap. He was right that she was on the path to becoming her mother and that was something she’d always sworn to avoid. Hell, not turning into Lianne was one of the reasons she’d been so hesitant to have kids with Steve.
Losing everything sucked. A lot. And Veronica knew that pain wasn’t going to subside quickly. However, she knew it eventually would, just like the loss of Lilly had stopped being a constant throbbing ache.
“Hey,” she said, opening the door to let Leo in. She really was grateful that he was here in town. Having someone from home, someone who really knew her, was so helpful. “I made some burgers.”
Looking at Veronica, Leo compared the last time he’d been in this situation and decided that she was much better. The smile that came to his face was his usual one, but there was a touch of relief there. Sure, he saw her at work, but Veronica was a consummate actress when she wanted to be.
“Burgers,” he said with a grin as he stepped inside. “Is there beer and fries to go with those medium rare burgers? Because I know you aren’t going to overcook good beef.” His bag of stuff was set to the side where it wouldn’t be in the way.
“No beer,” Veronica said. “I feel like that was a trick question.” She’d considered it, but she didn’t want the temptation right now. Some day she would be able to drink in moderation again. Today was not that day. “But I made fresh iced tea.”
And of course there were fries. Also salads. Because vegetables were good for you and all that shit.
“Salad.” Leo laughed when he saw that. “This is like a regular dinner, Mars.” That smirk was on his face will probably earn him a sock to the arm, but that was how things were between them. If he didn’t pick on her either he was a pod person or he was dying.
“You did all this for me?” Yep. Definitely getting punched.
Yes, he definitely earned himself a punch in the shoulder with that smirk. “No, I need to eat too,” she said. And Veronica actually didn’t mind cooking, though she preferred baking. Maybe she should have made some cookies. Nah, that would have just gotten Leo even more smug and no one needed that.
“Sit down, shut up, and eat or you can go sleep in the swamp that is your apartment.”
Leo chuckled as he obediently took a seat at the table. “Yes, ma’am.” He waited just long enough for her to give him a stink eye before he held up a hand. “Seriously, Veronica. I appreciate the space to crash.” Elsa had offered to cool his place down, but he kind of wanted the maintenance guys to do that.
He reached for a fry like the good barbarian he was, and snatched his hand back quickly before she could swat his fingers. “So how are you? Really.”
“Don’t make me regret it,” she teased as she brought the food out to the table. Veronica gave him a little glare when he reached for the fries, but didn’t say anything or swat his hand away. Instead, she went to pour them both a glass of iced tea before joining him at the table.
How was she? That was definitely a trick question. “I’m… okay,” she said. “Not great, but…” she shrugged. At least she wasn’t hiding at the bottom of a bottle anymore.
He grinned like a little kid who got away with swiping a cookie while his mom wasn’t looking, but behaved himself after that. Everything actually looked really good. Better than anything he could have made. “You got some mad kitchen skills.” Slang never sounded right coming from him.
The teasing let up as he fixed his burger and salad the way he liked them as Veronica admitted to how she was. “No one could be any better than that, and no one expects you to. But if it makes you feel better, no one’s waiting for you to break like spun glass.”
Veronica shook her head. He was incorrigible, but that was a big part of his charm. Even well into his thirties, Leo retained that boyish charm that had first attracted her to him back in Neptune all those years ago. Not that she was thinking about that sort of thing now, not really. It was comforting. Familiar.
“I’ve got mad skills in a lot of rooms,” she retorted. That probably sounded more flirty than she intended it to. She did nod in acknowledgement of his statement though. No one really knew how close she’d come to breaking other than him. Sherlock and Jessica might have some idea, but they didn’t know the extent of it.
Without seeming to change his expression something about Leo became a little more lecherous. “That you do,” he said. There was a hint of desire in his voice, but he also wasn’t going to push for anything. He was simply acknowledging a fact. A fact he really, really appreciated on a very personal level.
“I’m just glad you’re doing better.” And that was about as much as he thought they should talk about it tonight. “So this place just keeps getting weirder. People come and go a lot.”
The tone did not go unnoticed. In fact, it sent a jolt of desire through Veronica and she had to acknowledge that she was thinking about inviting him to share her bed tonight. She probably shouldn’t, because sex was almost as bad a coping mechanism as alcohol, and she definitely wasn’t in a place to even consider a relationship.
“Yeah, weird is… honestly an understatement,” she said. “I’ve seen so much shit during my time here. Alternate timelines, monster attacks, the plague…” There had been some good things, of course, but they were fewer and further between. “Sometimes we get a cruise.”
“A cruise?” Leo had actually spoken with a mouthful. He forced a swallow then took a drink of tea. “After everything I think this place owes us a cruise. Or maybe a ski trip in the Alps.” He gave a wistful smile. “I went skiing in Vermont once with a bunch of the guys from the Agency. I gained new appreciation for snow.”
There was a story there which no doubt included Leo getting soaked and/or falling down a lot. Not that he was volunteering to tell any of that story, and wild horses would have to drag it out of him.
“All the years I lived in New York and I still never really gained an appreciation for snow,” Veronica admitted. “I honestly have no idea why I was interviewing at law firms there.” That wasn’t strictly true. She had been avoiding Neptune and her past, thinking that physical distance would somehow improve her life. Of course, she’d been wrong.
She didn’t want to think about what drew her back to Neptune though. No regrets whatsoever, but thinking about Logan was a surefire way to send her spiraling again. “Somehow I cannot picture you skiing.”
“Hey, I’ll have you know I was the slalom king.” He demonstrated in his chair as he made a shoosh, shoosh noise. Then he grinned. “That wasn’t until after I fell down the entire mountain on my ass.” Ok so he was willing to admit it to Veronica. But no one else!
“But seriously,” he said as he pointed his fork at her. “If we ever get the chance I think you’d like skiing. It’s an adrenaline rush.”
Veronica laughed at both his demonstration and his admission of falling down the mountain. “I’ve been skiing,” she said. “It’s okay, but I’d really rather surf.” She was and always would be a California girl at heart. “You know there are trips we can take, right? I’m not sure what all the current destinations are, but you might be able to find somewhere to go skiing.”
Maybe she should go to a beach somewhere. Get away from everything for a few days. That was something to think about.
“Only if you come with me.” He said that pretty quickly, then followed up just as quickly. “As a friend. And I’ll make you a deal.” He crossed his arms on the table then leaned toward Veronica. “You come skiing with me, and I’ll let you teach me how to surf.”
All that time he’d been in Neptune he hadn’t even gone into the water, let alone surf.
The fact that he’d lived in Neptune as long as he did and never learned to surf was a tragedy in Veronica’s opinion. “We’ll see,” she said. The idea of taking a trip was a good one though she wasn’t sure of the wisdom in doing so with Leo. It could make things more complicated between them.
They chatted about various other subjects while they finished their dinners and she made him help her clear the table and do the dishes before they settled on the sofa with some popcorn to watch a movie.
By the time it was over, Veronica was yawning and she gave him a sleepy smile. “I’m going to turn in. There’s extra sheets and pillows in the closet outside the bathroom. Help yourself to whatever.”
“Yeah, ok.” Leo got up from the couch when she did and brushed the popcorn from his pants. “Thanks again, Veronica. Hopefully they’ll have my AC fixed tomorrow.” He gave her a wave then went to make up the couch for himself. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d slept on a couch, and it probably wasn’t the last. And he had definitely slept in worse places.
Something woke him up. He wasn’t sure what at first, and long years of training kept his breathing steady and his eyes closed as he listened for whatever it was that pulled him awake. Then he heard it. Veronica. He sat up on the couch with a small frown then he heard it again. Leo flipped the sheet off and got up from the couch in a smooth movement. He crept down the hall and sighed as he recognized that sound. Nightmares. Shit.
He knew what they agreed on. He’d stay on the couch. But he couldn’t leave her like this. Not and live with himself. He cautiously opened her bedroom door. The sight of her kind of thrashing in her sleep and muttering made him sigh again. He closed the door quietly after he stepped inside, then a moment later he slid onto the bed next to her.
He slid his arm over her as he hushed her, keeping himself on top of the blankets. “It’s ok. Shh. Just go to sleep.”
Nightmares had been a near constant thing in Veronica’s life for well over a decade. There were long stretches of time that she wasn’t plagued by them, but they were few and far between. Ever since her return to Madison Valley after Logan’s death, it was a rare night that she didn’t have bad dreams and tonight was clearly no different.
When she felt the weight shift on her bed, she startled awake, unsure of what was happening, but on high alert, her breathing hard as she whirled around, wide-eyed, trying to figure out if there was an actual threat or not.
After a long moment, Leo’s voice penetrated the haze of sleep and she realized that there was no danger. Her breathing started to even out and she rolled against his side. “Sorry,” she said, her voice raspy and harsh. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“S’fine,” he whispered back before he kissed her hair. “Go back to sleep.” He wanted to add you aren’t alone but felt that might be taken the wrong way. Leo was being a good boy by laying on the blankets instead of under them with her. He was following her lead and rules. Little did he realize that he was already sunk into the trap that was Veronica Mars. She would be a priority to him from now on.
His presence had an immediate calming effect and she felt herself relax in a way she hadn’t after a nightmare in a very long time. Not enough to go back to sleep, but at least she didn’t feel the need to go for a five mile run or anything ridiculous like that. “Sleep probably isn’t happening,” she admitted. And as nice as it was having him next to her, she wasn’t going to take advantage of his kindness. “You don’t have to stay. I’ll be okay.”
Like all men, Leo had no problem falling asleep in under two minutes. He was fighting it off for Veronica’s sake, but as soon as she settled back down he’d be back to sleep in no time.
“Shh,” he said. “Less talk. More sleep.” He smirked with his eyes closed. “Give it a try, Mars.” As if to make a point he tightened his arm around her as if he were clinging to a teddy bear.
Veronica rolled her eyes, even though Leo wouldn’t see the gesture, and decided that arguing with him was, once again, futile, so she huffed out a slightly annoyed breath and then finally let her body fully relax against his. It didn’t take too long for her to fall back to sleep and, unsurprisingly, the rest of the night was nightmare free.
When she awoke in the morning, she was disoriented and it took her a moment to remember what happened the night before. Leo’s arms were still around her and she debated if she should squirm out of them and go start coffee or just stay put for a little longer.
Everyone has a tell that they’re waking up. Leo had been trained to pick them out, but even without the training he knew when Veronica would wake up. That was called history. Experience. So he was pulled from his sleep by her wake up tell.
He immediately took his arms back out of politeness, but turned the motion into a full body stretch. “Well, if you’re going to kill me for being in here at least I’ll die well rested.”
“You’re an idiot,” Veronica said, trying to ignore the pang of loss she felt when he pulled his arms away from her. She needed to stop relying on him for comfort. It wasn’t fair. And yet she was grateful that he’d been here last night. She was more well rested this morning than she’d been in a while.
She rolled over to face him, brushing hair out of her face. “You can make the coffee though.”
“Huh?” Leo peered at her all bleary eyed and half awake, his arms still over his head. “You’re gonna trust an idiot with something as important as coffee?” He smirked. His hair was all sleep rumpled, he was shirtless, only in boxers and looked entirely too boyish. Veronica would have seen this before back when they’d dated.
It was really unfair how attractive he was first thing in the morning and Veronica was very tempted. “If you don’t get out of my bed in the next thirty seconds, I will not be held responsible for my actions,” she said.
Let him take that how he wanted.
“....oh my god,” he grumbled then pointedly ROLLED over Veronica to get out on her side of the bed. Doing a steamroll just kept up the boy thing he had going on. He was grinning full on when he rolled off and landed on his feet with a thump.
“Your wish is my command, princess.” He mad a run for it before she killed him.
Veronica tried to glare at him when he rolled over her, but she couldn’t quite get her face to do it. It was a good thing he made a run for it though, otherwise, she would have grabbed him and thrown him back down on her bed.
Once he was gone, she flopped back on her bed for a moment and sighed. She was going to have to stop at the store for more batteries at some point today.