Ivan and Leo had agreed to meet at a swingset in the human town. One that was close enough for them to both walk there and back if they needed to.

  Ivan had gotten there an hour early, and as Leo's arrival grew closer, an influx of moments with the brunette were relentless in their efforts to consume his mind.

  The most stubborn of all being the moment at Leo's house.

  Ivan could still close his eyes and feel the way his heart had been pounding. The way it had felt when Leo's frame was almost halfway on his own. The way he could feel the heat of Leo's body through his clothes.

  Maybe yours was a mistake. Maybe it wasn't.

  Maybe it wasn't.

  Ivan heard a crunch from somewhere behind him.

  “Jesus Christ." He said when Leo's approaching frame came into view.

  The brunette's cheekbone was covered by a small violet bruise. The skin on his knuckles was red, covered by a sprinkle of thin cuts that had already begun to heal.

  “Yeah,” Leo said, walking closer.

  “What happened?”

  Leo sighed. “Long story.”

  “Really a long story or an ‘I don't wanna tell you’ story?”

  “It's an ‘It's a medium-length story, and I could explain it to you, but I'd rather spend my time with you doing literally anything else’ story.”

  Ivan nodded and watched Leo settle into the almost-identical swing beside his own. They faded into a comfortable silence, both glancing out into the land around them, which would have been pitch black if the full moon hadn't been so bright tonight.

  “We have time.” He finally said. “What happened?”

  Leo raised an eyebrow, a smile on his lips. “You really wanna know?”

  Ivan shrugged, with a tilt of his head.

  “Sparring match. My dad and Amriah's mom were watching, and I guess I got carried away. When I finally realised what I was doing, I hesitated and got this”—he gestured to his face—“as a nice surprise.”

  A story that sounded all too familiar to his own. He was constantly doing risky, reckless things to prove himself, always at the expense of his own safety. Of his own happiness.

  “I get it…” He finally told Leo. “Honestly.”

  “You know I didn't expect that. Your dad seems like such a nice guy.”

  Then again, so did his own father to most people.

  Leo said nothing for a long time, and then he ran his hands through his hair with a groan.

  “I mean, sure, he's been better this year. But growing up it never felt like he had time for me.” He looked back at Ivan once again, this time not breaking eye contact.

  “And I know it sounds weird, but every time he looked at me, it just felt like he was seeing every single thing wrong with me that I couldn't see at the time. And I know you think this whole Alpha thing has gotten to my head. I guess you're right.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, and his short-sleeve T-shirt made it possible for Ivan to see the muscles of his arms tensing from the action.

  “I started wanting him to finally notice me. And in these last two years, when I stepped up into this role as the perfect Alpha, he finally started to feel like my dad again.”

  Ivan nodded. “Trying to live up to the shadow created from someone else's outline is impossible. Why not make your own legacy? You know just as much as I do that people like you just fine.”

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  “Just fine?” Leo suggested with a smirk.

  Ivan returned the smile. “More than just fine.”

  “I don't know.” Leo shrugged. “I've just been compared to him for so long that it feels wrong to not want to be him—” He let out a humourless laugh “Be like him.”

  He blew out a deep huff of air. “And people don't like me. They like Alpha Reyes 2.0. And if I have to become him, then I…..” He trailed off. “It doesn't really feel like I have a choice. It's too great of a risk.”

  Ivan leaned closer on the swings, pressing his cheek against the cold chain. He wondered how long he would have to sit there before it left a mark.

  “My dad's the same.”

  Leo glanced at him for a brief second, then turned back around. “Puts a shit tonne of pressure on you?”

  “I guess he wants me to have a better life than he did. After he, my mom and Milena moved over here from Russia, he went through a lot to get to where he is now. He wants to preserve that hard-earned legacy, and I'm the pawn that lets him do that. He'll just move me to the end of the board until he can swap me for a king.”

  Ivan's voice became even softer, like he was about to whisper some deep secret only Leo was meant to hear. “I don't know if it's weird or not, but I don't even mind anymore.”

  “I get what you mean.”

  Leo turned to him. “Really? Your parents seem…..” His voice faded, and he rubbed his neck. “Huh. I guess I've never really seen them interact with anyone.”

  “Yeah, they both prefer to keep to themselves.” Ivan let out a humourless chuckle. “Even at home actually… with me.”

  “Oh.” Leo said, his eyebrows raising in surprise. “I'm sorry.”

  “...Thanks.”

  “I guess we're more alike than I thought.”

  Ivan tilted his head in agreement. “... Yeah. I guess so.”

  After a few seconds of sitting in silence, Leo let out a small chuckle, glancing down at the damp ground. Ivan glanced at him in confusion. Laughing was not the reaction he would have expected after telling him any of that. “What?”

  “I just realised something.” Leo shrugged mindlessly. “I think that's the most I've ever heard you say in the last twelve years.”

  Ivan smiled and dug a foot into the ground, pushing his swing to knock into Leo's. Leo mimicked his smile and grabbed the chain of Ivan's swing, pulling their swings closer together and causing their hands to brush in the process. Ivan ignored the flutter that enveloped his body.

  His grin faded, replaced with a serious half smile. “You don't have to be your dad, you know?”

  “Learn to take your own advice.” Leo whispered softly.

  Ivan rolled his eyes and let out a small chuckle, looking out into the darkness in front of them. His laugh was louder than usual and would have probably been loud enough to turn heads if it wasn't 11 o'clock at night and they weren't at an abandoned playground.

  When he finally sobered up, he glanced up again and turned to Leo

  The other boy was staring at him, brown eyes digging into his soul with an intensity that made his stomach flutter with something… strange.

  His smile faltered.

  Only then did he realise that they were a lot closer than he had imagined. Leo was still holding onto the swings, and Ivan was holding the chain just above his; their hands were now touching, and neither of them let go.

  Leo pulled the swings even closer, bringing their bodies and faces closer to each other. So close that their noses were inches away from contact, and Ivan could hear Leo's steady inhales of air.

  The other boy's eyes usually seemed black, but from this close up he could see the hidden specks of brown shining in them.

  Ivan could swear he saw Leo's eyes dart down to his lips, involuntarily dragging Ivan's own eyes down to the other boy's lips in return.

  When their eyes met again, Ivan could swear he felt the world go silent. A heated look passed between them, and he felt his heart drumming against his ear.

  “You have a really nice laugh. You know that, right?” Leo said breathlessly.

  And then he was leaning in.

  Leo's eyes were closed as if in suspended animation. Ivan followed, leaning in closer and pressing a cold hand to Leo's warm cheek, dragged closer by an invisible force he couldn't identify.

  The skin under his thumb was red, resting right next to the shallow cut on the other boy's cheek.

  The realisation struck him that he could just heal it. Finally use his powers to fix instead of damage. He felt the cooling sensation growing from within his chest, flowing up the blood vessels in his torso and then to his arms, but the sensation faded as it travelled to his forearms. He retracted his hand, leaning away from Leo at a snail's pace, like it would somehow slow down time itself, preventing the moment from being ruined.

  But it was too late.

  Leo opened his eyes and blinked. “I— Uh…”

  “I need to go.” Ivan abruptly interrupted and got up from the swing set, wincing when the chains clanked loudly against one another.

  He turned in the direction of his house, ignoring the feeling of Leo's eyes burning into his back. Then, without a single glance behind him, Ivan walked away.