I'm Going To Make You Mine

WHEN THE WORLD'S AGAINST ME

is when I really come alive

Leo was in a foul mood as he clocked off. He'd just finished the worst shift he'd had in quite a while. A massive brawl had broken out thanks to two pricks thinking it was a good idea to try and kill each other, and a group of younger lads jumping on the bandwagon because they'd been drinking for a while and didn't have half a brain cell between them. Leo had intervened and gotten an elbow to the face, which had put him in a murderous mood and made him kick the whole lot of them out of the Leaky and tell them to never come back. Luckily he had only come away with a sore cheekbone and a small tear in his top which he couldn't be bothered changing so close to closing time anyway.

Atticus was staying at his uncles house for the night and Leo had no one to rush home to, so he decided to walk his bad mood off. It was a dark and lonely journey through the streets of London to the quiet road he and Atticus lived on, but he'd done it plenty of times over the years and only been mugged once and beat up twice. The other times he'd been accosted in the dark had turned out in his favour so he didn't count those. He quite enjoyed them, if he were honest. Smashing the face in of some arrogant thugs who thought they could take advantage of him walking alone at night. Especially the muggle ones who often had no idea how they ended up on their arses so fast. Leo pulled his black coat tight around him to brace off the chilly autumn night and set off into the streets of London.

It took all of five minutes for something to happen. Not to him, but to some other unsuspecting idiot out roaming the city at night. The screams came from an alley further down the road, high pitched and panicked. Leo kept walking. It was none of his business. He wasn't in the business of playing hero and he couldn't be bothered getting involved in other people's drama. His jaw clenched as he neared the alley and passed it, eyes fixed on the pavement in front of him. The woman's screams got more frantic and he hesitated, slowing down just a smidge and letting out a huff. More screaming.

"Oh, for fuck's sake! What am I, Captain Cauldron?" he snapped, spinning on his heel and hurrying to the alley where he found a burly bloke grabbing at a dark haired woman. Rolling his eyes in frustration, he came up behind the man and grabbed him in a headlock, trying to stop the fucker from being able to breathe. The brute was strong, though, and Leo was soon shrugged off. Why the hell was he doing this for some strange bird? "I should have jumped the bloody knight bus," he muttered angrily, slamming his foot into the guy's chest to send him tumbling backwards into the wall. Great, now Leo's shin was throbbing.

He glanced around for something to use as a weapon, seeing only a few empty crates along one wall. He smashed one with his foot and picked up a broken plank, cracking the man in the face with it when he lunged for Leo again. The guy went down like a bag of shit, and Leo threw the plank down. He gave the woman a quick once over to make sure she was in one piece, then strode out of the alley. He really didn't need this shit.

WHEN THE WORLD'S AGAINST ME

is when I really come alive

Thank you? Really? The woman had just been almost mugged and Merlin knew what else if he hadn't forced himself to intervene, and she was shouting a perky thank you at him like it was just a normal day in the alley for her. Leo gritted his teeth, pausing at the end of the alley. 'Don't do it. Don't do it.' His hands were clenched into fists, his leg throbbing from kicking the dipshit he'd left unconscious. All he had to do was keep walking, ignore the woman and carry on with his night. Leo turned around and marched back down the alley. "How about you do us both a favour and stop lurking in dark alleys at night, love!" he shouted, stopping a few feet away, far enough to keep his personal space intact, but close enough to see her face clearly for the first time. She was absolutely beautiful. Rich dark eyes and dishevelled chocolate hair. No wonder she'd been targeted by the scum of the earth.

WHEN THE WORLD'S AGAINST ME

is when I really come alive

Leo's jaw clenched at the mere thought of walking this woman home. He was about to tell her to piss off and find some other idiot to play bodyguard when she mentioned Hatherly Way, which was literally around the corner from Leo's house. He could hear his mother and sisters' voices telling him to be a gentleman and stop being an arrogant, rude pig, but that only made him feel more annoyed. He didn't owe this woman anything, he'd already saved her neck, that was plenty. He was at war with himself for what probably felt like an eternity for the brunette, before finally giving in to the irritating blonde angels on his shoulder. "Fine," he snapped, glaring at her. "But I've had a foul day, I'm in no mood for chit-chat."

WHEN THE WORLD'S AGAINST ME

is when I really come alive

'My Hero.' Leo gritted his teeth so hard he felt like some of them might crack. His gaze darkened as he stared at the brunette. She was pushing all his buttons within two minutes of meeting him. That didn't bode well for their walk home. "I'm no hero, love," he growled, holding himself back. The effort he went to to control his temper was immense, his body was stiff, fists clenched. He just wanted to go home. This was all a load of bullshit and he didn't want it in his life. Was it too much to ask to walk home in the dark alone? The only good thing he could think of was that smashing that bloke's face in had been strangely therapeutic, giving him a mini outlet for his foul mood after a shit day. He held his hand out for the woman to exit the alley ahead of him. "After you." She probably thought he was being a gentleman as well as a 'hero', but Leo just didn't want her behind him. She could be a psycho witch for all he knew, he knew enough of those to not trust anyone based on first impressions.

WHEN THE WORLD'S AGAINST ME

is when I really come alive

The brunette complied quietly, to Leo's relief. She gave him an odd look as she passed him, and he stared back blankly, trying to keep his expression under control, though he probably looked murderous. That was just his face, unfortunately. He wasn't good at hiding his moods, not the bad ones. He followed along just behind her, eying her up and down in the least pervy way possible. She wasn't the typical type of person you'd see in the area they were in. She was well dressed and good looking, had a strange air of confidence about her and no trouble talking to strange men in the middle of the night. What had she been doing to get herself into trouble in an alley? Leo was incredibly suspicious of her, and he kept his gaze trained on her as they exited the alley. He lengthened his steps so they could walk side by side, not wanting it to look weird if they passed anyone on the walk home. He said nothing to the woman, lost deep in his own thoughts about who she might be and what her story was.

WHEN THE WORLD'S AGAINST ME

is when I really come alive

They walked in silence for an agonisingly long time. Leo felt desperate at points to start a conversation, and had to practically bite his tongue to stop the words coming out. He didn't want a conversation. It didn't matter how curious he was about her and her story, he didn't want to make small talk in the middle of the night. He just didn't. "You live local. Why have I never seen you around here before?" Well, fuck. He couldn't help it, he just had to know. They crossed a quiet road, no traffic in sight, and he politely kept pace with her, stealing the odd glance at her face. He'd never seen her around before, and Leo was good with faces, it came with the job description. Being a bartender meant you knew pretty much everyone in the area at a glance. He would admit to not knowing a lot of his neighbours, but he'd remember seeing a beautiful face like the brunette beside him.

WHEN THE WORLD'S AGAINST ME

is when I really come alive

Her response perplexed him, and Leo frowned, trying to pull up any tiny little memory he might have of her. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. "No," he shook his head, adamant. "I'd remember seeing a face like yours." Wouldn't he? She was stunning, a dark beauty if ever there was one. She'd be the type he'd offer a flirty smile to under other circumstances. How had he managed to block her from his mind if what she was saying was true? Maybe the day had taken such a toll on him that his memory was failing him. He was over tired, he needed a good sleep and some time to de-stress. Maybe he'd remember her in the morning, but he doubted it. Leo watched her as they walked, taking in every detail of her face; the gentle slope of her nose, the curve of her lips when she spoke, the softness of her hair under the streetlights. She'd be wonderful to paint, he realised as he studied her.