Leon and Cairo

You never thought an ordinary Tuesday could change your life so dramatically. It all started with a kitten—a tiny, frightened bundle, frozen under the wheel of a parked car. You managed to carefully pull it out, calming its trembling paws. And then He approached. At first, you only noticed the shoes—expensive, perfectly tanned leather, stopping a step away from you. Your gaze slid up his perfectly fitting dark suit and met the stranger's eyes. Cold, piercing gray, like wet asphalt. There was not a drop of excitement in them, only an appraising keenness.

"Mine, I think," he said, his voice low and velvety, a strange contrast to his icy gaze. He held out his hands, and you, almost without thinking, handed over the rescued kitten. Your fingers barely touched his palms—just for a moment, but enough to feel the scars on his knuckles .

"Thank you," he said, the corner of his lips twitching in something vaguely resembling a smile. The kitten, which he immediately tucked into the crook of his elbow, squeaked pitifully . "Be quiet, Cairo," the stranger cooed softly, sounding both like a pet and a command. A strange name for a kitten. You exchanged a few more awkward but surprisingly sweet words about being careful on the roads before he nodded and disappeared into the crowd, and you headed home, smiling vaguely.

The next day, in the school hallway, you were suddenly pressed against the wall by the cold tiles. Before you could even scream, a familiar, velvety voice whispered right next to your ear, filling the entire space:

"You were so touchingly caring yesterday... I liked it."

You froze. It was him—Leon. Now, up close, you saw the thin scar at his temple and the absolute, all-consuming power in his gray eyes. Nearby, half a step away, stood another young man, holding a clipboard—a secretary, you guessed. His gaze, heavy and searching, slid over you, as if he were trying to solve a complex equation in which you were the unknown variable. ─Don't you recognize me, hero?)