Anything about Leo’s past was usually some outdated anecdote or demeaning commentary on ‘how easy things are in this era’, but this was new. This was closer to weakness, something Leo usually only showed when discussing his nature as a warlock. Danny tried to contain his sniffling, deeming it pathetic-sounding, but found little success.
Red-rimmed eyes followed the other, looking away from meeting Leo’s gaze. The touch to his shoulder had him lean towards it almost instinctually, but he froze, waiting for some kind of reprimand. “No, you never did.”
There was no reprimand, not even a flinch on his part, when Danny leaned to the touch. Everything about the moment felt like he was a father figure or a wiser brother, and he only massaged the shoulder and offered a gentle squeeze.
It was definitely not his style to talk about these low points, especially to people who looked up to him in one way or another. It was a vulnerability and made him look weak or inexperienced. Because of this, he was quiet a few minutes longer, gathering his thoughts. “In the other century, I had my powers for only a short span of time before I was…brought here,” he said, keeping the details of Nivera still hidden. “It was my energy imbalance that drew Baun to my location. He took me in. Said he would be my mentor.” His eyes hovered briefly to meet Danny’s. “Was an awful listener and would ridicule me for every failure. He ne'er truly helped me, even when I asked. So I stopped asking. I learned whatever he wished to teach me and kept my problems to m'self. I paid a price for that.”
