I'd Give Up The World For You

Daisy's torturous thoughts continued through the rest of the evening, though obviously she still enjoyed having Leo back. At the same time, she was relieved to go to bed and have some time to herself.

She showered, dried her hair, climbed under the covers, and…could not fall asleep. Her insomnia was so much worse than it had been the whole time he was gone! Hours passed—she could hear the hourly chimes from the clock downstairs—and she was still lying there beating herself up for everything that happened earlier.

This was ridiculous! And here she had thought she would sleep better once Leo came home.

Clearly that wasn't the case. What was she supposed to do about this? She had to get some sleep or she wouldn't make it through the day at work tomorrow! It would be just her luck to fall asleep standing up and crash directly into a rose bush or something.

Her mind flashed back to how the last good night of sleep she got was the night before Leo went off to Zel because they were cuddling. It was a crazy thought…but would that make a difference now?

Stupid! He was asleep and had spent most of the day yesterday traveling. She couldn't be selfish and wake him up.

More importantly, Daisy didn't want to give him the wrong idea after trying to set some sort of boundaries earlier. That would make her feel like the worst person alive.

However…he had said he was hers and she could do whatever she wanted with him. Didn't that include using him to get some sleep that she desperately needed? He would probably be thrilled when he woke up, albeit confused.

It would give him the wrong idea though. She couldn't do this. Or could she?

She went back and forth about the issue for about ten minutes before getting up to use the bathroom. On the way back she told herself she was going to her own bed but ended up in front of his door.

Peeking inside, Daisy saw that he was fast asleep on his stomach with his arms under the pillow. She shouldn't do this. She really, really shouldn't do this…but she closed the door behind her and crept across the room as quietly as possible to climb into the other side of the bed without waking him.

"I'm sorry, Leo," she whispered before scooting closer to him trying to take advantage of his higher-than-average body heat.

Her heart raced in the darkness for a few minutes but before she knew it she had fallen asleep to the comforting sound of his breathing and the warmth she got from lying curled up next to him. Her half-baked, sleep-deprivation-induced plan worked after all.

When Daisy woke up it was to the sensation of someone stroking her hair. She blearily opened her eyes and saw Leo propped up on one elbow gazing at her with such a tender expression her breath caught in her throat.

"Good morning."

There was nothing accusing in his tone. If he was wondering why she had decided to join him in bed it appeared that he wasn't going to say anything about it. He acted as if it was perfectly natural.

"Good morning," she said softly as she blushed. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very. Best night's sleep I've had in months. Best wakeup call too," Leo said with a laugh.

Daisy's blush grew worse. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to infringe on your space but I was having a hard time falling asleep and you're really warm."

He laughed even harder. After a minute or so he rolled onto his back clutching his stomach. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him laugh this hard. Or if he ever had. Did she break him?

"…what's so funny?"

"Of course I'm warm," Leo choked out between laughs. "I'm a fire mage!"

After he said that he lost it again, laughing so hard he nearly fell off the bed. She really didn't understand why he was cracking up.

"Leo? Are you okay?"

He finally stopped laughing and grinned at her, sitting up to plant a kiss on the top of her head. "I've never been more okay in my life."

"…then why were you laughing so hard? It wasn't that funny!" Daisy said in bewilderment.

"It WAS that funny but maybe it was because I've been completely devoid of humor for the past three months. I'm really glad I'm back with you, Daisy. You make everything seem brighter no matter the situation."

His earnestness made her blush again but she smiled too. That was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to her. Almost all of the nicest things that had been said to her in her life came from him. He had a real talent for compliments.

"Thanks. I'm glad you think so. And that you're back with me."

Leo smirked at her with sparkling eyes. "Because I'm warm and help you sleep?"

"You aren't going to let that go any time soon, are you?" she asked with a sigh. Well, she had brought it upon herself.

His expression suddenly became all too innocent though the mischievous glint hadn't left. "Whatever do you mean? I'm honored to be your personal hearth. By all means, keep taking advantage of my body temperature."

Daisy glared at him. "You're the worst. Do you have to tease me?"

"Is it really teasing if I'm being sincere?"

She had no argument for that. He was definitely teasing her but he was probably also being sincere since she had no doubt he wanted to keep sharing a bed based on his reaction this morning.

He was warm…and she couldn't deny that she had slept better after going to his room than she had the entire time he was gone. There weren't any real drawbacks to this aside from a guilty conscience. She had more reasons to say yes than say no.

But that could be dealt with tonight. Both of them had to get ready for work.

"Whatever, Leo. I'm going to get dressed," Daisy said as she heaved herself out of the warm bed and headed back to her room to get out of her nightdress and into something she could wear to work.

She was downstairs putting jam on bread for both of them when he joined her looking very sharp in his military uniform. She pushed his plate toward him and said, "Don't forget your eyepatch."

"I never do," Leo replied as he pulled it out of his pocket and set it on the table next to him.

They ate their breakfast, grabbed what they needed on the way out the door (including the eyepatch), and left the house holding hands. They had done this countless times before but today she was especially aware of how warm and broad his hand was. She didn't even need to wear mittens with one hand in his and the other in her pocket.

She had noticed how warm his hands were when he held hers before but it never struck her quite how comfortable it was. Maybe it was because she was still thinking about how she had basically used him as a human space heater last night.

Daisy glanced up at him and noticed he radiated contentment. She wasn't sure if it was because of earlier or because he was currently holding her hand. It might be a bit of both.

Leo was so easily satisfied, wasn't he? She really needed to be more affectionate with him. She had been letting him do pretty much anything he wanted since their little talk about acting like a real couple but had rarely been the one to initiate anything.

Doing that more often wouldn't be the end of the world. She could do small things…just not making out to the point that she thought her heart might explode. Doing that twice in such a short span of time had nearly done her in.

He walked her through the military base to the other side and stroked her face before tenderly kissing her lips. The way he smiled at her made her heart skip a beat.

"Have a great day!"

"Yeah," she said faintly. "You too."

Daisy was a bit stunned the rest of the way to the flower shop and barely managed to respond to Nia's and Miette's morning greetings. Everything that had happened since she woke up seemed somehow surreal.

What was wrong with her? Was she being affected by all of this because she was getting lavished with romantic attention or because Leo was the one doing it?

Leo was a kid though! He had definitely acted like one earlier with that laughing fit…but then didn't when he looked so serious in his military uniform and dropped her at the gate. All of this mental gymnastics was giving her whiplash.

It was better to think of him as a man than the child she used to know. She knew that but wasn't entirely sure she was able to let that go. He had certainly been acting more adultlike yesterday.. The reminder made her face heat. What was she supposed to do about him?