Leon looked away and shook his head. "No, I didn't want this, Mickey. It's just how it has to be right now." And Leon was struggling to remember all of the reasons why when he had Mickey sitting beside him, the smells the ifrit brought with him surrounding him in the room he hadn't been in since things were great between them.
He remembered one of the reasons why he'd set the boundaries of their renewed friendship then, as a tendril of thought drifted to him, emotions really - Andrei feeling restless out at the clearing still toiling away at his detention for saving Leon.
"Mickey," Leon turned again to the boy and reached out to touch his arm. "You see it, right? The reasons why? You know why we broke up before, and..." and it still made Leon's throat tight to think about, his heart ache, those feelings not yet put to rest. Leon didn't want Mickey to make him choose between him or Andrei again.
He swallowed, frowning to say it anyway. "Would you... I mean, could we talk about that, maybe? I came here tonight because I can't keep flying off the handle every time you're with someone else. I know I do it." He rolled his eyes a bit at himself. "And... I know why." Leon paused, blinking once before it just slipped out of him like a cloud sprinkling raindrops. "I am still in love with you."
There was a lot that Leon wanted to add to that, a lot of explanation, reasoning, even an attempt to tell Mickey that he was the only one who he loved like that. Instead, Leon opened his empty hands and dropped them onto his lap, giving a small tired smile. It was a statement of truth and didn't need any 'ands' or 'buts' to tarnish it. If there was a way, any way, for them to get back together, it wouldn't come from Leon over thinking it all.