Xaviers!

Leo was now only a few sharp teeth and patches of fur away from being entirely human again. He had lost a lot of blood, suffered a few first degree burns, and sustained a minor concussion, but was otherwise fine. Opening his eyes, he groaned.

"Ow..." he moaned groggily.

Ainsley was there, waiting quietly.

As Leo stirred, Ains hopped to his feet to be by his side.

Leo's all-too-normal eyes turned to Ainsley and he smiled weakly.

"Hey..."

"Wait... what's up with my voice?"

Ainsley reached out and took his hand, showing him how much his changes had retreated.

Leo blinked at the back of his hand. Then he abruptly sat up and felt his hands, his chest, and his face with a deliriously happy expression.

"Hahaha! Holy shit I'm me again!"

Feeling a sharp tooth, he added, "Mostly."

Ainsley frowned, and tapped his lips with his fingers.

His face fell a little as he remembered the cost of looking normal again.

"Maybe I could just learn sign language or something?" he asked, not even thinking of what not being a mutant would mean for his enrollment like he had been earlier when there was a looming crisis. This was what he had dreamed of ever since he had been changed into one of Evo's Primals. Giving his regained humanity up for a relationship that had just begun didn't feel as romantic now.

Ainsley went to check his phone. It was dead thanks to all the use, and he hadnt thought about charging it as the only thing o his mind was Leo.

He made sighed through his nose and his shoulders slumped.

"It's okay Lee. We can talk later. I'm just glad you're here," he said with affection, putting his hand on Ainsley's and stroking it with his thumb.

Ainsley smiled, and pulls away, but only so he can drag a chair closer to the bed. He ended up laying his head on the bed with a huff, his braids flying about a bit dramatically as he did so.

Leo casually fingered one of the braids and contented himself with the silence for a while. But as he had time to think, he began to think about how they would work if he could stay like this. Could it? Could Ainsley be with someone who's denying a part of themselves? Could he somehow stay at XU? His brow furrowed with worry that the answer would be no, and that he'd have to choose.

Ainsley was also content to sit quietly for awhile while Leo rested and played with his hair. But eventually he would grab a notepad from the bed-side table and write.

"Team working on getting us back to normal."

He gave Ainsley an almost hurt look.

"Lee... this is my normal."

Ainsley's expression vaguely resembled that of a kicked puppy.

He had forgotten that the 'big kitty' part of Leo wasn't part of his mutation. Someone added it in.

The realization made him cling tighter to Leo's hand.

"Believe me, I wish I could still hear you. I just... now that I'm actually my old self again I realize just how much I don't want to be that again. Not if there's any choice."

Ainsley didn't seem mad, just upset. The fact of the matter was he really couldn't blame Leo for not wanting his mutation back if that meant taking the splicing back as well. and anyways, even if it didn't, without the splicing, they couldn't communicate anymore. Not in the same way.

After a very long pause, Ainsley wrote. "You will need BSL lessons. Not writing everything all the bloody time."

As happy as he wanted to be for that response, he hated hurting Ainsley's feelings.

"I'm sorry..." he sighed, "I wish I could have it both ways. But I can at least do that."

Ainsley nodded, and swallowed hard.

"Will stay here till you're better."

"We're still good, right?" he asked hesitantly.

Ainsley nodded his head, but he seemed a bit hesitant to do so.

Leo smiled, his feelings not having changed with his body, "Then we'll figure it out."