I know I’m vaincre Finn and Logan seem to already know about Leo’s past with jack archer but I don’t remember him telling them so I MUST ask you, how do you think they found out ? How do you think that conversation went? I LOVE UR WORK THANK U FOR WRITING DONT FEEL PRESSURED TO WRITE THIS
I love when your asks give me writing prompts! I can't promise I will get to all of them right away, but keep them coming!
Enjoy Leo being the town-favorite NOLA sweetheart that he is, Logan falling in love with butterscotch cookies, Finn being, once again, obsessed with his boys, and Eloise Knut being Mom of the Year.
All credits to @lumosinlove !!
Leo ushered Finn and Logan through the front door, all sweaty from their evening, post-dinner run. They were bickering over who won the sprint back to the house, a little out of breath, and Leo pinched each of their hips to remind them to take off their shoes before walking through towards the kitchen. A familiar, sweet smell hung in the air and he followed his nose to find his mother standing near the oven.
“Hi boys,” Eloise said, smiling. “How was your run?”
“Good, mama,” Leo replied. He kissed her cheek. “You baking?”
But before she could reply, there was a thump and Logan stumbled in from taking his sneakers off, nose tilted up. “What smells so good?”
Finn snorted from behind him. “Nice manners, Tremblay.”
Logan rolled his eyes playfully. “Salut, Eloise. It smells good in here.”
Eloise just waved him off with a laugh. “Thanks, Logan, honey. Just making some butterscotch cookies. Not an approved post-run meal, but you’re on vacation time, so I figured an exception could be made for one night.”
“Definitely,” Finn said. “Thanks for feeding Logan’s sweet tooth this week- those bulk sour strips are getting expensive.”
Logan just shoved him gently. “Mais, non. Leo makes me sweet stuff now.”
Leo would never get tired of the way they looked in his home’s kitchen, laughing and joking with his parents. Eloise eyes were bright as she turned to smile at Leo; she saw right through him always. “Well,” she said. “I taught him well then.” She went over to the fridge. “I must’ve done an exceptional job, too, because he’s not only got one but two lovely boyfriends.”
“Don’t pretend you weren’t already a fan, especially of Tremblay,” Wyatt said as he entered the kitchen and kissed her cheek. “He was always your favorite.”
“Ouch, Eloise,” Finn said, a hand over his heart in a wounded gesture.
“Oh, hush,” Eloise said. She wasn’t even embarrassed, just amused. “Leo, sweetheart, grab the pitcher from the fridge and some glasses? I made some decaf cold-brew. Wyatt, there’s milk in the fridge and I just restocked the sugar bowl.”
“We can help,” Logan said.
Eloise just shooed them away with her hands. “No, you boys go sit out back. Leo and Wyatt have got it.”
Leo and Wyatt both sent her an exasperated, but fond, look, and set about gathering the pitcher and glasses. Leo loved when his mother did this- she was a good hostess always, but he especially loved it in the summer when she would make homemade iced tea and coffee for the ever-rotating guests that would be over in their backyard. Leo and his father always set up and cleaned up so she could just enjoy the company of their friends, and had been for as long as Leo could remember. Sometimes, too, Wyatt would grill some sausages and they’d have late night sandwiches with their neighbours, or just the three of them. Leo didn’t realize how much he’d missed his hometown during his rookie year, especially after getting together with his boys. But this week had been spent going to all his old haunts after his Cup parade: his cove, his old gym, the nice sundae place he and his dad frequented, the market where the blues guitarist played. He had been bringing Mr. Jones baked goods at that market every week for as long as he could remember, and it had felt so good to do so again. Mr. Jones had seen him today, walking up with Finn and Logan and a container of zucchini bread, and had smiled so wide it had almost made Leo cry.
“My boy,” he had said, hugging Leo briefly over his guitar. “What’ll it be today? Any requests?”
Finn had actually answered, with his signature grin. “Any B.B. King?”
Leo had almost melted right through the ground.
Later, they’d stopped by briefly to visit his old hockey coach, who ran youth summer camps at Leo’s old rink. Mrs. Auclair had let out a loud shout, and then a small gasp at Finn and Logan beside her. “My sweet boy,” she’d said in French. Leo had missed her Cajun accent. “You gotta warn me next time so I don’t get starstruck!”
To Leo’s surprise, Logan had laughed and made a comeback in French, much to her amusement. When she’d asked Finn something in French, he’d hesitated, which in turn made her laugh and switch to English. They’d immediately started a conversation, mindful of the little eyes on the ice that were skating around, and Leo had felt so happy in that moment that the bittersweet feeling of being back home had started to fade and transform into sunshiney, bone-deep warmth.
Now, he and his dad brought out a plate of cookies and the iced coffee to their glass table outside. Logan and Finn were sitting close on two of the wooden chairs, old and well-loved, Finn running a hand through Logan’s sweaty hair. When they saw Leo, they both looked up and their smiles widened. Leo still didn’t really know what to do with that, only knew that it made him feel better than anything ever had.
“Hi, nutter-butter,” Finn said as Leo bent and set the tray down. “Need any help?”
Leo shook his head and accepted Finn’s kiss on his forehead. “No, thanks. You want some iced coffee?”
“Ouais,” Logan said. He shifted to sit up straighter. “Merci, mon coeur.”
Leo smiled and poured two glasses of the dark liquid, adding a dash of milk to Finn’s and lots of milk and sugar to Logan’s. He heard a whistle from behind him. “Damn,” Wyatt said. “Is there even any coffee in that?”
Logan flushed and Finn laughed. “I’ve been saying that for years. The sweet tooth is incurable.” Finn held his up. “Mine, however, is perfectly balanced. Not too strong, and not too weak, like Mr. Sugar Bomb’s over here.”
Logan grumbled under his breath and Wyatt winked at Leo with a smile. Leo blushed slightly, but poured some for himself and his parents and sat down as Wyatt placed the tray of cookies on the table. Eloise followed, her blonde curls bouncing on top of her head. “How are we, boys?”
“Good,” Finn said. “Thanks so much, Eloise. These look so good.”
She looked pleased. “Help yourselves, honeys.”
Logan immediately reached for a cookie and moaned when he took a bite. His eyes closed and he nodded repeatedly making Leo chuckle. “Ouais,” he said after swallowing. He looked at Eloise. “These are really good. Can we have the recipe?”
Leo snorted. “You mean can she give me the recipe? You can’t bake, sweetheart.”
Logan patted his thigh, already reaching for another cookie. “Ouais, that’s what I meant.”
Leo rolled his eyes but kissed the top of his head. “I’ll take a picture from mama’s recipe book.” He looked to Eloise. “If that’s okay?”
“Of course, sweetheart,” she said. She took a sip from her iced coffee. “You know, it’s been a while since I made these. I used to make them all the time for your team, remember, sweetheart? The iced coffee, too, and sweet tea. Lord, Wyatt and I used to bring those plastic baseball coolers, didn’t we? The ones with the spouts.”
“Iced tea? At a hockey game?” Finn asked, amused.
“Yeah,” Leo replied with a shrug. “People really loved it. Buses and stuff used to get hot.” He grimaced. “It was awful playing a full game of hockey and then stepping out into the humid air, too.”
“I’m just impressed you had that many kids wanting to play hockey here,” Finn said. He had an arm around Logan in between them and was stroking Leo’s shoulder with his hand. “It just doesn’t seem, like…”
“Like a hockey town?” Wyatt supplied. Finn nodded. “Not really, but in the city you can find everything.” He jerked his head to Leo. “We just got lucky Le had such a good coach and a talented group of kids the years he played.”
Logan turned to look at Leo, swallowing another bite of cookie. “Did any of your other teammates make it to the NHL, Le?”
Leo looked up abruptly from where he had been picking up a cookie. His mother’s eyes were already on him, careful and watching. She was frowning slightly, her lips pursed, but didn’t say anything. He flicked his eyes across to Finn, who had furrowed his brow, and finally landed his gaze on Logan, who looked like he was going to shy away a little. Leo put a hand on his thigh and squeezed before turning to pick up his coffee again.
“Yeah,” he said. “A couple. But I don’t- we don’t really keep in touch anymore.” He took a bite of cookie and straightened with a small smile. “That’s okay though. I like the Lions better anyway.”
Finn squeezed his shoulder gently, but when Leo turned to look at him he was smiling. “Well, I’d be offended if you didn’t.”
That made them all laugh and Leo listed into Logan’s side a little, feeling the texture of his ribs through his shirt. He felt a little lighter, but when he looked across the table he could see his mother’s eyes still watching him and swallowed.
***
Later, when he was finishing drying up the dishes, his mother walked in through the back door and gently closed it behind her. Wyatt and his boys were still outside and chatting, laughing. Leo had placed a kiss on Finn and Logan’s foreheads and had come inside to begin cleaning. He just needed a moment, and they seemed to recognize it, following him with their soft gazes as he’d carried the plates, cups, and pitcher inside.
His mother came up beside him and took a plate from his hands to put in a cabinet. “You alright, sweetheart?” she whispered gently in French. He’d missed the way her voice curved around the vowels, so different from Logan’s and Pascal’s and Sirius’.
“I’m okay,” he said, but his voice was soft.
She bit her lip. “Do they know about…?”
Leo shook his head. “No. No, I- I haven’t told them yet. Hasn’t come up.”
She grasped onto his biceps to turn him towards her. He was stronger than her, much taller, too, but she had always been good at making him feel held and surrounded. “I think you should, honey.”
Leo nodded and felt his eyes sting. “I know. I know, I should, mama, but- I don’t want to make them feel guilty-”
“Why would they feel guilty?” she asked, brows furrowed.
Leo breathed shakily. “Because… he wanted to hide, and I didn’t. And now, with them, we…”
“You feel like you’re hiding?” Eloise asked gently. When Leo nodded, she tisked her tongue and reached up to bring his down into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She was warm and strong, as always, and he hoped he always felt this safe in her arms. “Oh, honey.” She stroked his hair. “There is a difference between not coming out to the world because you’re not ready, and hiding from each other.” She pulled back to grab his face between her two palms. “You’re boys don’t hide from you, Leo. Not like him. They’re not like him. So don’t hide from them, honey. They love you so much.”
“Yeah,” Leo said. He was nervous, and a bit sad, but he still smiled when he thought of them. “Yeah, they do.”
“I love you, honey,” his mother said, pulling him into another hard hug. “I love you so much. All I want is for you to be happy, and they make you so happy. That’s all I could ask for my sweet boy. And I know I don’t know… everything about what happened, but they should.” She stroked a hand slowly through his hair and said her next words quietly. “They’ll listen, I know they will. They deserve you sweetheart.” She kissed his cheek. “And when you’re all ready, you can tell people. But it doesn’t mean that you’re hiding right now.”
As if on cue, the back door opened. Leo watched over his mother’s shoulder as Finn and Logan walked in, looking at him with careful eyes. With a last squeeze, his mother pulled away. “I’m going to go join Wyatt out back.” She smiled softly at Leo. “Good night, sweetheart. I love you.”
“Love you, mama,” Leo whispered and leaned down to kiss her cheek.
She winked at him and turned around, placing a hand on each of his boys and giving their arms a squeeze. “Night, boys.”
“Bonne nuit, Eloise,” Logan said softly.
They both watched her as she closed the back door behind her, then turned to Leo. Finn walked up and took his hand. “Le?”
Leo just squeezed his hand, then reached his other one out for Logan’s. He smiled at them both. “Shower?”
Logan leaned up to kiss him softly. “Ouais.”
Leo tried not to be quiet in the shower, he really did. Finn and Logan didn’t ask any questions, just washed his hair and body gently. Logan tucked himself under Leo’s chin when they wrapped themselves in towels, and Finn gently handed them each a pair of boxers with a kiss to each of their cheeks. Leo stayed in the bathroom a moment longer, combing through his curls with some cream and gathering his breath. To his own surprise, he looked calm on the outside. His mother was right, he supposed. His boys loved him, they listened to him, they never judged- what reason would he have to be nervous?
He took a deep breath and shook out his hair lightly, squeezing it gently with the microfiber towel his mother had given him a few years ago. He felt arms wrap gently around him, and he looked back to see Logan staring up at him with his devastating green eyes. He pressed a kiss to Leo’s spine. “Ça va?”
Leo nodded. “Yeah, let me finish with my hair. I’ll join you in a minute.”
But Logan didn’t move, still a warm weight against Leo’s back. Leo smiled at himself in the mirror. A barnacle, that one.
When he finished, he turned around to face Logan. “Tired, sweetheart?”
Logan nodded with his face squished into Leo’s chest. “Ouais. The heat makes me sleepy.”
Leo laughed. “Can’t make fun of me for not liking the cold in the winter anymore, can you?”
“Non, I still can,” Logan grumbled, but he was smiling softly.
He moved his arms to loop around Leo’s neck and looked up at him expectantly. Leo snorted, but grabbed him under his thighs to hoist him up and wrap his legs around his waist. Logan was heavier than he looked, all thick muscle, but Leo supported him easily and ran a hand up and down his back. He bit at Logan’s shoulder. “You’re so strong and sexy. Just want to eat you.”
Logan laughed in his ear. He pulled back slightly to bite at Leo’s shoulder as well. “You, too.”
Leo kissed his neck with a smile and walked into his bedroom. Finn was already sat up in bed with his glasses down his nose, book in his hand. He glanced up at them and smiled as they came to sit next to him. Leo tried to gently set Logan down on the bed, but Logan shook his head and held on tighter.
Finn snorted. “You’re such a little shit, Tremblay.”
“Non,” Logan said.
Leo sat down on the edge of the bed with a laugh, Logan now in his lap. “Ouais, you are. I love you, though.”
“You do,” Logan said. He leaned into for a kiss then leaned back with a sigh and a smile. “You know, I said that to you three months ago to the day.”
Finn leaned over to scuff the back of his head. “You mean we said that.”
“Ouais, but I said it first.”
“Because you jumped the gun, Logan.”
“How could I resist?” Logan asked. He kissed Leo’s cheeks hard, and Leo squinted one eye shut with a grin. “Look at him.”
“Look at both of you,” Finn replied. He patted the bed next to him. “C’mon, up here.”
Logan swung a leg over Leo’s lap and crawled next to Finn. He opened his arm for Leo to come and tuck himself into his side, but Leo just sat crisscrossed on the bed and stared at them for a minute. Logan furrowed his brow, but Leo just shook his head and smiled. Finn put his book down, and Leo took each of their hands.
“Thank you,” he said. “Thanks for coming home with me this week.”
Finn kissed his hand. “Of course, baby.”
“I just mean,” Leo started. “It’s been really nice to bring you home.” He tilted his head. “I’ve always wanted to take someone- or, someones now, I guess- home to meet my parents.”
Logan still looked slightly confused. “Soleil… did you ever-?”
Leo sat up straighter. “Date someone else?”
Logan nodded. “Ouais. I just- I thought about what I said at the table. And I just thought maybe you’d- with someone else on your-” He paused for a moment in that way he did when he was thinking of the English words. “D’accord, I’m sorry. I- did I say something wrong? Out in the garden?”
Leo shook his head. “No, you’re okay. You’re- you’re not wrong.”
Finn also sat up. “Someone on your team?”
Leo nodded and looked down. “Yeah. Yeah.”
Logan made a noise in his throat. He knelt his way over to Leo and straddled his lap, legs extending out towards the end of the bed. His hands began to mindlessly card their way through Leo’s still-damp hair. “What happened?”
Leo ran his hands up and down his waist. “What do you mean?”
“Something happened.”
Leo laughed slightly, but it was rough. “And how do you know?”
Finn answered for Logan. “Because whoever it was put that look on your face.” He also crawled over to sit beside them. Leo could feel his body heat from where he was pressed against his side. “I don’t like that look.”
“Me neither,” Logan said. He kissed Leo’s cheek. “Don’t like you sad.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “I’m not sad.”
“Then what are you?” Finn asked.
Leo shrugged. “I don’t- it’s not really-”
“No, it is important,” Finn pushed. He softened his tone and his eyes were gentle. He was always so gentle with them. “Really, Le, what are you?”
Leo closed his eyes and leaned into Logan’s hands. “Angry I think.”
“Quoi?” Logan asked. He gripped Leo’s hair a bit harder and Leo opened his eyes to look at him. “What did he do to you?” he repeated.
Leo took a deep breath. “His name was Jack. Jack Archer.”
Finn scoffed. “Basic name. Not a fan.”
Leo rolled his eyes bit, but smiled. “You don’t know anything about him yet.”
Finn shrugged. “Don’t need to, your face says it all. And besides, am I wrong?”
Leo shook his head. “Not- not really, no.”
“Allez,” Logan said. He settled his hips further down into Leo’s. “Tell us.”
“Okay,” Leo said. He breathed shakily. “Okay, yeah. He played hockey with me, and is now on Tampa’s farm team, but we also had classes together in high school. We- we were a… ‘thing’ I guess.” His boys looked concerned, but they let him continue. “But he never- he never wanted anyone to know. Which was fine. I didn’t want anyone to know about me, either, for a while. But he also-” Leo felt the tears start in his eyes. “He would- ignore me, I guess, sometimes. In public. Like, one second we’d be joking, and then I’d get too close, I guess, or accidentally touch him, and then he’d- he’d just jerk back. Or tell me to back off, but not in a nice way?”
Finn let out a frustrated huff. “Fucker.”
“No, Finn,” Leo said. “No, he really- I mean, in general he was nice. But he just- I think he was just really scared. I mean, we were in high school.” He kneaded his palms into Logan’s lower back. “And I was fine for a while, keeping it a secret. And I also…” Leo breathed, his cheeks turning a flushed red with shame. “I also just really liked having that attention from someone. Finally, you know? After spending so long hiding it, it felt good to not have to hide it, at least to one person.”
Logan kissed his cheek. “Ouais. Ouais, I understand.”
Leo leaned back to look at him and Finn. “But I also knew that that wasn’t how I deserved to be treated. And so I- when I wanted to tell my family, I broke up with him. I didn’t want to hide anymore. But then the NHL was looking, so I didn’t start anything new, and then I got on the Lions, and, well-” He shrugged with a smile. “You know the rest.”
“Yeah,” Finn whispered. “Yeah, we do.”
“Leo,” Logan said suddenly. He looked a bit scared, a bit sad. “Do we- are you still hiding? Do we make you feel like you’re hiding?”
Leo shook his head hard. “No. No, you don’t. It’s okay. You- you don’t ignore me in public. We still go on dates, we still hug on the ice.” He stroked Logan’s cheek. “It’s hard. I know it is. But we don’t hide from each other.” Finn cupped his cheek, and Leo kissed his palm. “And I’ll- I’ll wait for you. Whenever you want to, we’ll come out, but I’ll wait for you.”
Logan directed his gaze back to him. His words came out in a rush, so unlike his normal way of speaking. “Désolé. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m not-”
Leo interrupted him with a hard kiss. “Non, no, Logan. It’s my decision, too, and I’m deciding it’s okay to wait.”
“Me, too, baby,” Finn said. He leaned in and kissed Logan. “I’ll wait for you. I love you, I'll wait for you forever.”
Logan's face had a complicated expression. “You- I don't want you to wait forever. Just- just not right now.” He pushed his forehead against Leo's. “I’m still sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Leo said. “You two- you’re nothing like Jack. He didn’t-” Leo felt his eyes tearing up. “He didn’t- God, sometimes he didn’t even look at me, and I wanted him to look so bad, I don’t- sometimes I don’t even recognize who I was back then.”
“Well,” Finn said. “I love you who you are now.” He kissed Leo gently then moved to sit behind Logan. “We love you for who you are now and who you will be, baby.”
“Ouais,” Logan said. “No more hiding, soleil.” He tucked his head over Leo’s shoulder and Leo wrapped him up tight. “No more.”
Leo’s tears fell onto Logan’s bare shoulder, but he didn’t seem to mind. “I love you. I love you so much.” He laughed a little and hid his face in Logan’s neck. “You know, he hated my mother’s butterscotch cookies.”
“Quoi?” Logan said, loud in the quiet room. He pulled back with wide eyes. “What, why?”
Leo couldn’t help but laugh. “He said they were too sweet.”
“Non,” Logan retorted. He looked offended. “Pas question, je ne te crois pas.”
“Believe it, sweetheart,” Leo said. He looked up to Finn. “He also put three shots of espresso in his lattes.”
Finn scrunched his nose. “Ew. That is not perfectly balanced.”
Logan kissed Leo’s forehead firmly. “Sounds like he wasn’t good for you, anyways.”
Leo gazed at them both adoringly. “But you both are perfect for me.”
Both of their gazes softened. Finn leaned in to place his lips gently on Leo’s temple, then Logan’s. “I love you.” He shifted to go lie down. “Now, I believe it’s bed time. C’mon, I’ll read to you.”
“Ouais,” Logan said with a last kiss to Leo’s lips. He brushed their noses together. “Je t’aime.”
“Love you,” Leo whispered. He crawled into Finn’s open arms and Logan curled up on his chest, their legs tangled. “And I’ll- I can tell you more stuff about him, if you want.”
Finn put an arm around them. “Only if you want to.” He shrugged. “Don’t want to stroke my ego too much, you know?”
Leo laughed. “He wasn’t that bad.”
Finn grinned mischievously. “Right, but I’m perfect for you. Can’t really beat that.”
“No,” Leo sighed happily. “No you can’t.”
Logan grunted against his chest. “Allez, soleil, rouge.”
Finn reached down to smack his butt lightly. “I’m going, Tremblay, gotta appreciate our Leo thoroughly first.”
Logan peeked out through one eye with a smirk. “Oui?”
Finn kissed his hand and touched Logan’s forehead. “Focus, baby.” He settled back and opened the book. “Alright, where were we, Le? Chapter six?”
Leo nodded and leaned his head against Finn’s shoulder. Jack Archer seemed so far away in that moment, even though he was probably also visiting his parents just about fifteen minutes away. But he didn’t crowd Leo’s mind like he used to- not with Logan’s weight on him and Finn’s gentle voice in his ear. Leo closed his eyes, basking in the warm Louisiana air and the smell of his childhood bedroom, now mixing with Finn and Logan’s scents. This, he thought, was worth the waiting.