Of Hair Loss & Heartthrobs

"Is daddy up?" Leon asked softly, his face nuzzled into Gabriel's neck, his breath warm as he questioned the elder man. He wanted to see his daddy, his daddy always made everything better, plus he was excited to show him his new camera.
He didnt even think about telling Cade. Actually Leon had forgotten he was really sick. Sure he felt really cruddy but it never came to him that it was because he had a disease.

"Yeah sweetheart, I think he's making lunch." Gabriel nodded. "You can go bug him in the kitchen." He set the boy down gently.

Leon held his camera tightly, plodding into the kitchen to see his father. He poked his head around the corner, smiling softly as he set eyes on his dad.
"Hey daddy." Leon's soft voice floated into the kitchen, his body soon following.

Cade turned his head, his neutral face turning into a beaming grin as he ran over to hug Leon.
"Leon! Sweetheart I missed you!"

"I missed you too daddy! Look at my new camera!" Leon extended the device to his father, his eyes alight with happiness. "Cove got it for me." His voice lowered at the thought of Cove, everything about the other melted his heart. Though Kyndal's T-shit covered him rather well, bruises could still be seen, covering his body and marring his beautiful skin.

"Oh that's the one you wanted!" Cade smiled although inside he was disappointed, he'd been so excited to get that for the boy for his birthday. He then noticed all of the bruises on the boy. "Are you okay sweetheart?" He didn't have a good feeling...

"Yeah! Cove got it for me..." He nodded proudly, running his fingers over the expensive camera. As his father asked if he was alright, he glanced up to him, finally remembering what Trever had said, and how tired he was, and how cold he was....
And how ugly he was with these bruises.
"Im okay daddy...Just sick is all."

"You're sick sweetheart? What are all the bruises from?" He murmured softly, his finger tracing a mark on Leon's shoulder.

"Uh...." Leon blinked at his father, he was afraid to tell the man what he and Cove had done the night prior.
"I fell down...And yeah, Trever checked me out." He had to dig deep into his memory to grasp exactly what he had. "He said its cancer." His voice was softly, his eyes darting around the room nervously. He hoped his daddy didnt find out about Cove and him...

"You don't get bruises like that from falling down sweetheart." Cade spoke before the rest of his son's sentence sunk in. "Wait... cancer?"

"Uhm...I dont know how I got them." Leon looked away, his body trembling lightly. He was afraid his father would hurt Cove...
"Thats what Trever said."

Cade heaved a sigh of relief at Leon's last words. Trever. Trever was probably just fucking with them. Leon would be okay...
He didn't want to think of the other alternative.
"Baby, I won't be mad." Cade murmured softly.

"I-I dont know." Leon stuttered once more, looking away from his father to try and advert his attention to his camera. "A-Anyways, Trever wanted you to call him..."
Anything to get his father not to keep asking about the bruises.
He didnt want Cove to fight with his daddy...

"Baby... some of them look like hand marks..." Cade pointed out gently. "You know you can tell me... I'll call Trever in a bit."

Leon simply didnt respond this time, though he did look down to his body. Cade was right, most of the bruises did look like they were made by hands.
Cove's hands.
The hands that had roamed his body and pushed him into a world a bliss he had never before known.
He didnt want to lie...But he didnt want to tell the truth...
He just needed to keep quiet.

"Leon darling... talk to me." Cade spoke softly, brushing hair from Leon's face.

"I dont want to...Daddy please?" Leon looked up to his father, his eyes shining with unrest. He didnt know what to do. He didnt want this conversation. "Its fine..." His voice was soft, tracing the bruises about his body. "Just...me and Cove were playing...."
Yeah, thats good...playing....wrestling.

Cade sighed heavily.
"Promise me that was all?" He asked lightly, taking Leon's hand. He hoped his baby wouldn't lie to him...

"No...Daddy I dont wanna talk about it..." Leon tried once more, though he knew it was not going to work. He bit his lip, looking straight into his father's eyes.
"Me and Cove....We...you know..." His cheeks were now not only pink from fever, but also embarrassment from admitting that to his father.

"You... what?" Cade blinked lightly. He was pretty sure he knew though...

"We...." Leon felt faint, all the blood rushing to his cheeks made his head hurt really bad... "Made love?" Thats what Cove called it.

Cade's stomach tied in a knot. He wasn't sure what emotions he was feeling. There was some anger in there definitely. Along with some disappointment. His baby was no longer innocent.
"And he was that rough with you...?" Cove actually hadn't been that rough, Leon just bruised easily.

"N-No! Daddy he was not rough at all!!" Leon defended the other boy quickly, shaking his head almost to the point where he felt as if he may have whiplash. "He was really nice...and very....careful." Leon tried to pick out the correct words. "I just....Trever said the cancer would do that...." The boy mumbled softly, looking up at his father. "He said the cancer would make me feel bad...and bruise....and have fevers...and...uhmmm...." Leon wracked his brain to remember everything the man had said. "He said I would be tired...and I might have problems breathing....He said I would bleed easier..." The cancer prevented blood clotting and decreased his number of red blood cells. Leon's head hurt from trying to remember all of that, it pounded and throbbed. The boy sniffled softly as his eyes took in his father's face. He felt like his daddy was angry at him...unhappy with him....
A tear rolled down his cheek.
"I-Im sorry..."
He loved his father so much...The last thing he wanted was for his daddy to be upset with him...
And he was so tired....
And his head...

"Shh, baby don't cry." Cade sighed softly, tugging Leon to his chest. His stomach did knot a bit. Those were all really symptoms of cancer... "I'm not mad at you... I just don't want him to hurt you."

"D-Daddy." Leon wiped away his tears, hiccuping softly as he tried to make his father understand. "He doesnt hurt me...H-He is never m-mean to me...." Not since they had become close. Sure before Cove had been an arse but Cove was an arse to everyone. But now he was always to gentle with Leon, so careful not to hurt him. If anything Cove worked to make him happy. "H-He didnt do anything wrong..." But then again, in Leon's eyes Cove could never do anything truly awful. Even cheating on him with Briley, Leon didnt blame Cove. Instead he truly blamed himself for not being what Cove wanted, and Briley for being meanie.