Germaine tossed the bag of clothes to Leon. “Thanks,” he said casually,
“No sweat!” she shot back, eyes darting over to Caitlyn with a sly little peek.
A grin bubbled up in her head. ‘Oh man, what kinda fireworks are about to go off between this t
Her smirk widened, barely holding it back. Yep, she was so here for this.
Done deal–she was gonna be their ultimate wingwoman,
A fallen hero and a Demon Lord? That was some next level drama.
chot hero and Lady Caitlyn?
Leon glanced into the bag, his brow twitching. A few outfits, enough to get by. But… no boxers. Typical.
A wry smile tugged at his lips. “Probably better to pick those out myself anyway!
“Hey, Lord Radford, Lady Caitlyn, I’m outta here!” Germaine chirped, bouncing on her toes.
Her brain was already scheming, Gotta leave these two lovebirds alone. Nothing screams “romance” like giving a flirty duo some space to stew in their
tension.
Caitlyn nodded, taking a deep breath. Her eyes flicked to Leon, then back to Germaine. “How much? I’ll cover it.”
Germaine laughed nervously. “Pilt, it’s just pocket change! I wouldn’t dream of
“Spit it out,” Caitlyn said, jabbing a thumb at Leon. “I’m billing this guy later.”
Germaine froze, her stomach doing a little flip. She glanced at Leon, expecting a scowl, but… was he grinning? A spark of weird glee danced in his eyes.
“Okay, what’s his deal? Her brows furrowed. “Who gets stoked about owing money?”
Leon just shrugged, chill as ever. “No worries. Caitlyn can front it. I’ll pay her back.”
Germaine blinked, thrown. “Uh, alright then…”
Caitlyn’s payment pinged through, and Germaine gave a quick bok, her mind still buzzing, “Later, guys!” she called, hightailing it out:
Leon plopped onto the couch, the bag crinkling. He shot a sideways glance at Caitlyn, his gut twisting, ‘How do I even bring up needing… y’know, underwear?”
The TV droned with some cheesy idol drama, cutting to ads. Caitlyn let out a big, lazy yawn, stretching her arms high.
Half–lidded eyes glinting, she hummed a soft tune, her mind floating in the warm glow of the moment.
Her mind was blissfully empty, just vibing. Her neck arched gracefully, like a swan’s, her pajama top riding up to flash a hint of her slim waist. Her skin glowed pale and perfect, like fresh snow catching moonlight.
Petite and not exactly curvy, Caitlyn still had a quiet, delicate vibe that didn’t need to shout to be noticed.
Leon’s gaze lingered, caught by the sight. Everyone loved beautiful stuff after all.
Caitlyn dropped her arms and spun on him, her glare sharp enough to slice. “Keep staring, and I’ll claw your eyes out, perv
Demon Lord vibes, full throttle.
Leon’s pulse jumped. He licked his lips, psyching himself up to ask for a loan–new borers weren’t cheap–when Caitlyn steamrolled him,
1/3
Chapter 11
“Yo, clean that dump,” she said, nodding at the tiny side room. “There’s a cot in there. Beats this saggy couch any day
She snagged a blanket off the couch, her eyes flicking to the cluttered room, already siring up the mess.
Leon scratched his neck, slouching, “Couch is fine, honestly…
Caitlyn planted her hands on her hips, all fire and attitude. “You might not care about personal space, but I want a living room that doesn’t look like a goblin’s la
Her words hit like a slap, and Leon caved with a shrug.
But as he stood, Caitlyn’s eyes softened, just a flicker, Her voice dropped, too casual, like she was trying to play it cool. “Hey… your injury’s not acting up, right? With all that cleaning?”
He glanced back, catching the faint blush on her cheeks. Her face was all tough girl, but her averted gaze screamed she was mortified to care
Warmth blo zinged through Leon’s chest, and a lopsided grin spread across his face, his heart doing a little je
Caitlyn caught his smirk and flushed deeper, snapping, “What’s with the dumb grin? I just don’t want your stupid wound splitting open and Germaine whining about it it’s not like I care!”
Leon’s grin widened, his mood soaring. Not a word, just a jaunty hum as he strutted to the side room, thoughts buzzing
Tsundere, huh? Freaking adorable
He yanked open the door, and a dust cloud smacked him in the face. Coughing, he swatted the air, squinting, Caitlyn, flopped on the couch, frowned, fingers drumming.
With a dramatic groan, she grabbed a broom and stomped over, her mind grumbling but her steps firm.
That room was a storage closet disaster, crammed with forgotten junk. Cleaning? In this world, everyone’s skills were dumped into fighting, not sweeping. Magic mops? Dream on. For scrappers like them, it was elbow grease or nothing.
wway!
“God, you’re hopeless!” Caitlyn barked, shoving past him, her voice dripping with fake irritation. “Outta the
Leon slouched against the doorframe, eyes tracking her with a mix of amusement and something deeper, ‘You’re such a tsundere… Just admit you’re helping me, would ya?‘
Caitlyn spun, tossing him a scowl. “Hey, quit staring! Get your butt in gear so we can ditch this mess–I’m not your maid.”
They powered through cleaning for two solid hours, only stopping when their stomachs growled louder than their bickering.
Caitlyn planted her gloved hands on her hips, grinning at the now sp
-sparkling room,
She was wiped… but damn, this place was legit now.
Leon spotted a sheen of sweat on her forehead and said softly. “Thanks.”
Caitlyn flicked her eyes his way, scoffing “Yeah, whatever, you’re just my free janitor. Now I’m starving–food, pronto!”
Leon watched her strut off, half–smirking, half–sighing Girl, could you let a bit more cute slip out? Or maybe just…….shush.”
The kitchen was there, but Caitlyn and cooking? Total disaster.
Leon? Even worse–guy could burn water.
Thankfully, takeout was a lifesaver, even if it was a grease bomb.
A couple of apples would balance it out, no biggie.
2/3
Chapter 11
They flopped down at the table, each with a sizzling plate of steak, digging in like they’d just sprinted a marathon.
Post–cleaning hunger made every bite pure bliss.
Leon kept sneaking glances at her, his brain clearly wrestling with something
Caitlyn caught it. “Dude, what’s up? Just spill it.”
Germaine shorted me on clothes. Need to borrow some cash for a few things, he said.
Caitlyn quirked a brow. “Germaine? Miss Perfect? What’d she miss?”
“Stuff… she wasn’t gonna buy,” Leon mumbled, eyes on his bowl.
Caitlyn’s frown deepened. “What stuff? Spit it out, man.”
Leon sighed, giving up. “Underwear,”
Caitlyn froze, cheeks going tomato–red. She nearly choked on a chunk of steak, then quickly ducked her head, shoveling food to hide her
embarrassment.
Okay, yeah, not
other j
job.
Her brain did a quick scramble to keep cool. “Alright, gimme your account. I’ll shoot you the cash.”
Leon just stared, blank as a brick.
“ACH or Venmo, pick cone,” she pressed, tapping her foot,
His mouth twitched, a long sigh slipping out.“Don’t have a phone.”
Caitlyn’s jaw hit the floor, her mind flashing to his rock bottom days
Right, he was a total mess.
“So… I get ‘em?” she mumbled, cheeks flushing, gaze darting anywhere but his face.
Leon, who’d been chill, suddenly felt the awkward hit like a freight train. “Uh, just snag some cheap ones!
“No way,” Caitlyn shot back, so fierce Leon blinked
She caught herself, glaring “It’s underwear, dude. Get something decent. You’re paying me back anyway.”
“Oh…right,” Leon muttered, rubbing his neck.
“I mean,
if you want the bargain–bin junk, be my guest. My treat,” she tossed out, flipping her hair like she didn’t give a damn
The air got weird
“Uh
