CHAPTER 33: IT’S OVERFLOWING

When he finally pulled back just an inch his eyes were dark, wild, searching mine like he expected me to shove him away.

I didn’t. I reached up, cupped his face with both hands, thumbs brushing his cheekbones, and whispered, "is everything okay?"

(3rd person POV)

The room was quiet except for the sound of their breathing Leonel’s ragged, Cassian’s unsteady. Moonlight spilled through the half-drawn curtains, painting silver stripes across the bed where they sat tangled in the aftermath of something neither of them had planned but both had needed.

Leonel hovered just above Cassian, his dark eyes searching the younger man’s face like he was looking for an answer written in the freckles across his nose or the slight tremor in his lower lip. Cassian didn’t flinch. Didn’t look away. Just held his gaze, hands still cupping Leonel’s cheeks like he was afraid the moment would dissolve if he let go.

Leonel exhaled long and slow, like he’d been holding his breath for weeks. Maybe he had.

Then his expression shifted. The usual sharpness in his eyes softened into something raw, something vulnerable. Cassian saw it before Leonel could school his features: the glimmer of unshed tears clinging to his lashes.

"Nothing," Leonel muttered, voice rough. "I’m just... got all this pent-up crap in my chest, and it’s overflowing, okay? I don’t even know why I’m like this."

Cassian’s throat tightened. Without thinking, he slid his thumbs over Leonel’s cheekbones, brushing away nothing and everything at once. "Don’t cry," he whispered. "If you’re having trouble... just tell me. You don’t have to carry it alone."

Leonel swallowed hard. His jaw clenched. For a heartbeat, Cassian thought he’d pull away retreat back into that cool, controlled shell he wore like armor.

But then Leonel’s hand slid up from Cassian’s hip to his neck.

Not rough. Not threatening. Just there. Fingers resting lightly against the pulse hammering in Cassian’s throat.

His voice dropped, low and gravelly. "Can I... do something?"

Cassian hesitated, then nodded. "If it’s gonna make you feel better... sure."

Leonel didn’t answer. Instead, he pushed Cassian’s hair back from his forehead with one hand, cupping his face like he was something fragile. His thumb traced Cassian’s bottom lip, slow and deliberate. Then his eyes darkened like a storm rolling in off the sea.

And before Cassian could brace himself

Leonel bent down and bit his neck.

Not gently. Not playfully. Hard enough to make Cassian yelp a sharp, startled sound that melted into a shaky gasp halfway through. Pain flared, hot and sudden... then melted into something else entirely.

Something warm and dizzying that shot straight down his spine.

Cassian trembled under him.

Leonel didn’t let go. He sucked at the spot, tongue swirling over the sting, pulling until Cassian’s vision blurred at the edges. His fingers dug into Leonel’s shoulders not to push him away, but to hold on like he was the only thing keeping Cassian from floating away.

When Leonel finally pulled back, a bright red mark bloomed on Cassian’s skin, already deepening to purple at the edges. He stared at it for a long moment, then looked up with a half-smirk, half-apology curling his lips.

"You look like a mess like that," he murmured.

Cassian’s face burned. His head felt hazy, like he’d just woken from a dream. He blinked hard, trying to clear the fog and then reality crashed back in.

Wait. What just happened?

He jerked upright too fast and bonked his forehead right into Leonel’s chin.

"Ow - shit!" Cassian yelped, clutching his head.

Leonel groaned, rubbing his jaw. "Damn, Cass. Warn a guy."

They both sat there on the bed, wincing, holding their respective injuries like two idiots who’d just survived a minor car crash.

After a beat, Cassian laughed nervous, breathless. "Sorry... I just... got startled."

Leonel snorted, but it was softer now. The tension in his shoulders had eased. "Yeah, well, maybe don’t headbutt me after I just marked you like a damn wolf."

That made Cassian blush harder. "You *marked* me?"

"Damn right I did," Leonel said, but there was no real bite in it. Just exhaustion. And something like relief.

Silence settled between them, thick but not uncomfortable. Outside, a car passed by, tires humming on wet pavement. The old house creaked softly, like it was breathing.

Then Leonel sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. "I’m sorry," he said quietly. "For barging in. For... all of this. I don’t know what came over me. One minute I’m on the balcony, and the next I’m convinced you’re gonna pack your bags and run off to Lucian because he sent you some creepy text."

Cassian frowned. "I’d never -"

"I know," Leonel cut in, voice tight. "Logically, I know. But my brain doesn’t care. It just... spirals. Ever since high school, whenever Lucian shows up, people leave. They choose him. Or they break. Or they disappear." He looked away, jaw working. "I couldn’t stand the thought of you doing the same."

Cassian’s chest ached. But then a memory flickered behind his eyes.

Not this one.

He remembered before coming to this drama world he was watching this escene episode 5 he remembered because this scene made him think about leonel more deeply in that scene

cassian sitting in the campus theater during a student drama rehearsal weeks ago. Lucian had been in the front row, smirking, making snide comments about Aiden’s performance. Aiden had stormed offstage and Leonel had followed him into the hallway.

Cassian goes and peeks through the cracked door.

And he’d seen it: Leonel pinning Aiden against the lockers, kissing him hard, whispering the exact same words "Don’t leave me. Don’t choose him." and all those lines about They choose him. Or they break. Or they disappear." He looked away, jaw working. "I couldn’t stand the thought of you doing the same."

His breath caught.

Wait... wasn’t that scene supposed to be between Aiden and Leonel? he thought to himself

A cold wave of confusion washed over him. Had he... messed up the story? Was he living someone else’s plot? what if because of him not behaving like a rival Villian everything falls off chart and everyone’s life get swapped ... will that be okay?

Leonel didn’t notice Cassian’s panic. He was already standing, straightening his shirt like he was trying to rebuild his walls.

"I should go," he said, voice flat now. "Don’t... don’t hate me for what I did tonight."

The words hit Cassian like ice water.

"I won’t hate you!" he blurted out, faster than he could think. "Never. You’re... you’re one of the only few people who’s ever stayed who tried to understand me and even stayed after i hide so many things , Leonel. Even when I pushed you away."

Leonel froze. His eyes widened slightly then softened. A slow, warm smile bloomed on his face, the kind Cassian rarely saw. "I’m glad," he said simply.

He turned and unlocked the door. "Good night, Cass."

And just like that, he was gone.

Cassian sat there, heart still racing, fingers brushing the mark on his neck. It throbbed faintly, warm and real. he kept sitting for 2-3 minutes squeaking about what happenedthen wrapped himself up like a burrito in the blanket and went to sleep

Outside Leonel’s room, Aiden stood barefoot in the hallway without any knowledge of wht’s been happening elsewhere, glass of water in hand. He’d woken up with a dry throat and come downstairs for a drink only to hear a door click open down the hall.

He turned, expecting to see Cassian heading to the kitchen as the sound came from around cassian’s room.

But Instead of cassian, it was Leonel.

Coming out of Cassian’s room.

At 2 a.m.

Aiden’s grip tightened around the glass of water so hard his knuckles turned white. His expression didn’t change but his eyes narrowed, sharp as shattered glass. He watched as Leonel walked past without noticing him, disappearing into his own room with a quiet sigh.

For a long moment, Aiden just stood there, water forgotten, mind racing.

Then he glanced toward Cassian’s door still slightly ajar and something unreadable flickered across his face.

He refused to call it anger. Or jealousy. he didnt wanted to admit he have that much emotions for something so trivial

It was something quieter, heavier the sinking feeling that he wasn’t close enough anymore. That Cassian was drifting closer to Leonel, step by step, without even realizing it.

And with that came a dawning, bitter realization all this time, Aiden had believed Cassian would never be this open with anyone else. That he’d always lean on him for emotional support, for comfort, for everything.

He sighed in frustration. What should I do? he thought to himself.

He set the glass down in the sink and walked back to his room, shutting the door a little harder than necessary. Sitting on his bed, he stared at the ceiling, thoughts spinning. *What was Leonel even doing in Cassian’s room this late at night? He shook his head, trying to push the images away, but sleep came slow and restless.

---

The next morning, Aiden woke up exhausted. He hadn’t slept well.

He stepped out of his room and immediately spotted Leonel in the kitchen, already cooking pasta of for breakfast. Aiden walked over and sat down at the table.

A moment later, Cassian shuffled out of his room, rubbing his eyes. and sat next to Aiden "Good morning, Aiden," he mumbled, voice still thick with sleep.

Aiden turned toward him with an automatic smile warm, familiar ready to greet him.

But then his eyes caught something.

His smile faltered. His expression darkened.