Text in Italics means they're speaking German unless it's like an action noise or an emphasis thing.

"There a particular reason you invited them all over for breakfast and not say…brunch?" Leonardo grumbled, running the hair drier over his matted curled repeatedly until the mass of hair was dry; Klaus rumbled softly in amusement as his combed out his sideburns and slicked them back to keep them from getting bushy later in the day.

"My family is full of early-risers, even jetlagged and exhausted, they'll be here 8 am sharp." Klaus mused, looking at Leonardo with a soft smile.

"Besides, this could kill two birds with one stone, slowly introducing you more to my parents and company, and getting mother to like you enough we can tell her were dating."

"What happened to the ripping off the band-aid at dinner and telling her then?" Leonardo bristled and glared at him buttoning up a white undershirt as he exited the bathroom they were sharing.

"I still think that's for the best but it wouldn't hurt to interact with her more before then, Leo." Klaus huffed, following after and fixing the smaller with a sympathetic look.

"I know you're nervous…"

"Nervous doesn't begin to even describe it, Klaus." Leonardo bit out, hands fumbling with the buttons while grunting in frustration. Klaus blinked, eyes widening a fraction as he studied the smaller, hunched on the bed trying to get himself in order to meet his family.

"I know I've put you on the spot, you're uncomfortable and haven't had to meet my parents prior to us becoming a thing but you shouldn't be letting it get to you. Gilbert approves, our friends approve, and even if they didn't I still think I would happy to have you." Klaus plopped down next to his smaller partner and watched him struggle a moment longer before he sighed, heavy and tired.

"Leonardo. I love you, I keep telling you this and yet, you keep backtracking to a point and act like you half expect me to kick you out. I want you here, by my side. Nowhere else." Klaus insisted and Leonardo made a small noise and threw himself back on the bed, hands hiding his face.

"I'm scared, ok! You promise me nothing's going to change but I'm still scared! This is your family! I don't want to be the wedge that drives you apart from them…I barely talk to my parents and it sucks!" Leonardo protested and Klaus wormed his way closer, snaking his arms around his boyfriend and kissing his cheek.

"You don't have to be. You have nothing to be frightened of when it comes to my family. If they don't approve, so be it, give them time and they will come around." Klaus soothed, carding his fingers through soft, brown curls. Leonardo whimpered shakily and buried his face in Klaus' tank top, nodding his head.

"Ok."

Klaus hummed approvingly as Leonardo's response and pulled back, propping them both upright and nuzzling the smaller's nose with his own; prompting a dusting of pink on both their cheeks.

"You're not going anywhere, I'll even take on my father if necessary." Klaus boasted with a teasing grin and Leonardo quirked his brow

"Oh yeah? Mr. Gentleman? Last I checked you're only rowdy at home or rare occasions at the office so I'd like to see you suddenly go all problem child on your parents." Leonardo scoffed and Klaus burst into a deep, hearty laugh at that; his smaller partner looked confused and a little wary.

"I was the problem child, I am also the baby of my family so you might prepare to see people taller than I, my little Leo." Klaus mused, pressing one last kiss to Leonardo's forehead and removed himself from the bed to finish getting ready. Leonardo's face fell from confusion to mild horror as Klaus' words settled in and he had a moment to really think about them. He was unable to properly voice his thoughts as the doorbell chimed and Gilbert called out into the apartment that his family had arrived. Klaus finished buttoning up a freshly pressed, deep green vest he felt fit the season as it was a little more festive in color than his regular crimson vests. He looked himself once over in the mirror and tugged at the ends to straighten out any wrinkles, demeaning himself presentable he turned to his boyfriend and tensed.

Leonardo looked a shade of green a little too close to the color of his vest, he was trembling and hand one arm in his sweater while his head poked out barely.

"Oh God, I think I'm going to throw up…" he trailed off and Klaus rolled his eyes with a gentle smirk as he set the smaller straight. Klaus tucked in his undershirt and helped him pull his sweater down, admiring the warm, auburn color and its' softness. He cupped Leonardo's chin and tilted him up to look at the larger properly

"They're going to love you." Klaus assured before stepping out of the master bedroom and hurrying to greet his family spreading out in the living room; for a brief instant Klaus saw his family as a whole, admiring some of the decorum in the room while Gilbert finished preparing breakfast, then it clicked that many of the photos that had been framed featured members of Libra which weren't so troubling. The rest featured little moments between Leonardo and himself, not important enough to be added to the wall of photos in the bedroom but still nice enough to pop in the frames Klaus picked out when they went shopping to spruce up his penthouse. Heidi had zoomed in on the picture frames and Klaus could feel his stomach churning as she picked one up; warm smile all aglow as she peeked into her youngest son's life.

Leonardo tried to slip past Klaus and into the kitchen, a large hand caught him and Klaus pulled him close, no time like the present to just get thing over with. As Leonardo had said, the band-aid would be ripped off eventually and while Klaus could feel daggers stabbing into him from the intensity of Leonardo's glare, he still managed to clear his throat and grab his families' attention. A hush going over the room as the took note of the small man, looking rather trapped as Klaus practically pinned him to his hip with a firm grip on his shoulder.

"I'd like to introduce my partner, Leonardo Watch." Klaus announced, forcing a rather stilted smile; Leonardo went still, glare turning to confusion at the blink of an eye as he looked up and asked in a fierce whisper

"What the Hell did you just say to them!?" the room was silent. Quiet enough to hear the quiet murmur of Gilbert and Phillip working in the kitchen and even Michella talking with Tobi in the back guest bedroom. All eyes trained on Leonardo and he fidgeted under their scrutinizing stares and nodded

"Uh, g-good morning…everyone…" he managed weakly, forcing an awkward smile as their gazes turned to their mother. Heidi set the picture back in its proper place, expression unreadable. Gerard looked more stunned than surprised, almost awestruck at his son's bluntness on the matter. Leonardo's anxiety only worsened when Klaus too, began to fidget under the stare of his mother, both trapped in the middle of the living room silently praying for an out. Leonardo had half a mind to start laughing and wrench himself free from Klaus' grip and call it a tasteless prank, but that would hurt his boyfriend's feelings no doubt and that was not an idea he was partial too.

Klaus, on the other hand, was running through backup plans, some of which involved escaping the penthouse with Leonardo and just hiding out at Dianne's or some other joint that might be open on Christmas Eve; Klaus could see his mother preparing to speak when Mallory stood up, a firm smile on her face.

"I like him." She declared, referring to Leonardo, looking him over and approaching the smaller man, leaning down to his level and attempting to make eye contact.

"He's small, delicate, and almost feminine. I can see why you like him, I'm partial to him myself." She teased, pulling back to flash Klaus a wink who flushed, choking on his words. Leonardo stood stock still, unable to decipher what Mallory was saying but not missing the wink she flashed Klaus and how he tensed up turning a deep crimson and stumbling over himself.

"Uh…Not to sound really rude, or even ignorant, would it be too much trouble to not have secret conversations in a language I'm just now learning…?" Leonardo asked, shrinking back as Heinrich and Albrecht stood to make their assessment of their youngest sibling's choice in partner. They had a good half a foot on Klaus, causing Leonardo to crane his next as he tried his best to keep proper posture as their gazes bared down on him, intense with something unreadable to the smaller but Klaus immediately picked up as curiosity.

"…you're not upset?" Klaus murmured, catching Albrecht's attention, the eldest and someone Klaus held in high respect, he couldn't lie to himself by brushing off how worried he was of his eldest brother's approval, Mallory had already voiced opinion on the matter and Heinrich was normally indifferent when it came to Klaus' choice in romance.

"Scrawny."

"Excuse me?" Leonardo bit back and Klaus felt his chest seize, eyes popping open wide to look at his lover like he'd grown a second head. Albrecht looked slightly taken back at Leonardo's tone of voice, Klaus himself was surprised as well, only hearing it when it came to Zapp and his antics, not expecting it directed at his family that was certain. A tense moment of silence passed and Heinrich snickered,

"I like him, a little backbone to go with that lanky frame, eh Albrecht?" he nudged the older brother playfully and Leonardo put his hands on his hips, brow furrowed. Klaus couldn't help but think of his mother, watching his Leonardo's patience wear thin,

"Can we stop with the language hopping? He just called me scrawny so I assume you know English…right?" Leonardo looked at Klaus questioningly.

"Yes, my family knows English." He replied, smirking lightly when Mallory groaned

"Way to give it up, I was going to terrorize him a little more." She complained loudly. Leonardo relaxed slightly, crossing his arms in a lack manner rather than sassily keeping his hands and hips cocked like he was about to teach them a lesson in butchered slang and colorful vocab Zapp got on a day to day basis from the small man. Klaus glanced at his parents, deathly silent through the whole interaction, sharing looks with each other as their children familiarized themselves with Klaus' boyfriend. Once more, Heidi went to speak when Gilbert announced breakfast was ready and that they should proceed to the dining room before it was ruined by letting it go cold.

Leonardo did not have to be told twice, practically fleeing the living room with a startling pace, Klaus was left behind with his siblings, who all turned to fix him with a wide yet caring smirk except for Albrecht who frowned lightly.

"Klaus, he's precious. His ears were red the whole time, he even sassed Albrecht." Mallory cheered clapping her hands quietly, Heinrich nodded in agreement joining her in her clapping. Albrecht cleared his throat, taking Peter into his arms so Wilma could handle the baby, Karoline already heading to the dining room.

"…he seems fine enough, a little sharp-tongued with a short temper."

"He's anxious, understandably so with everyone acting the way they are." Klaus defended, earning a wry smile from Albrecht.

"Fine fine, I'll give him a pass just this once." He mused, carrying Peter off, Mallory and Heinrich following after. Klaus turned to face his parents, still quiet, still unmoving. He was hesitant to ask them their thoughts when Gilbert entered the room once more, Heidi immediately gestured him over.

"Gilbert, we want to talk with you. Klaus, go eat." She ordered gently, waving him in the direction of where his siblings had gone; he felt like a child being turned away while his parents discussed a punishment or something he wasn't ready to know of yet. It irked him to think of it that way but it was essentially what he had been dealt, almost 30 years old and still not allowed to sit in on a conversation clearly centered around his relationship with Leonardo. He lingered in the entryway of the dining area, worried his presence would somehow kill the improving spirits of the room. Leonardo was all smiles again, actually talking freely and leisurely with Wilma and Michella who had been brought in by Phillip, Tobi trailing after.

Klaus finally joined them, seating himself next to Leonardo and catching his free hand under the table, fingers laced together and he brushed a thumb over the smaller's knuckles soothingly.

"That wasn't so bad right?" Klaus asked quietly, a snort and an incredulous look threw his way told him Leonardo was a little more than irritated about plans being thrown to the side in favor of getting it over and done with; though the gentle squeeze to Klaus' hand reassured him the irritation was fleeting at best. Breakfast was a much more laid-back experience, aside from his siblings recounting their year, Albrecht and Wilma's being spent chasing after their children, Heinrich almost dropping a case of experiential drugs that had taken months to prepare, Mallory having one of her students show up on her doorstep begging for any extra credit; Klaus could see it in Leonardo's little smirk hidden behind his coffee mug, their lives were child's play compared to what they dealt with on a regular basis.

"Klaus keeps saving the day on our end, coming in right when we need him." Leonardo purred, Klaus flushing and elbowing him gently

"The whole organization pulls their weight, it's not just me doing the work." Klaus explained quickly and Leonardo hummed teasingly.

"So modest." Leonardo chirped and Klaus glared at him, he wasn't going to let Leonardo's brand of payback get to him on Christmas Eve but even so. Heinrich chuckled from his seat across from them

"God, you remind me of Albrecht and Wilma when they were still dating. Just I think I prefer Leonardo poking fun at you as compared to the mushy feeling stuff they always put out that made us younger ones want to flee the room." He reminisced and Klaus smiled softly,

"If you think so, personally I think Leonardo acts more like our mother, especially the hands-on-hip move he pulled." Klaus mused, Leonardo, choking on his coffee as he took a drink. Heinrich looked at Leonardo thoughtfully and hummed,

"I could see that, especially if you placed him on a step stool and let him yell at us like she used to do." He laughed heartily, Klaus chuckling along with him while Leonardo festered in his coffee with a low grumble. Klaus smirked and dug into his breakfast finally, enjoying some sausage he'd had to have guessed was brought over or imported because it tasted too much like breakfasts back home, he didn't mind though, beating back a wave of nostalgia. Many Christmas Eves were spent this way, breakfasts with family and when they had been very small wondering aloud if they thought they had behaved enough for Kris Kringle to still visit, family presents were opened after the meal and then ushered off to bed in excitement for the following day. His niece and nephew were already well aware of the traditions, their extra energy being channeled into fidgeting as the hours ticked by.

"So Klaus, how long have you two been together?" Mallory asked, pulling away from Wilma's chatter to focus back on him, however, Michella beat him to the punch.

"They celebrated a year this September, I had to help Klaus with an anniversary gift because he didn't know what to do for him." She chimed, mischievous smile adorning her face. Leonardo leaned back to look at Klaus

"You called Michella for help?"

"Klaus…I'm disappointed in you." Mallory gasped, looking scandalized.

"I wanted it to be perfect so I thought I would ask someone close to you!" he protested

"We were pretty close at that point I thought!" Leonardo rebutted,

"Well, you liked it, right?"

"A little late to ask isn't it?" Leonardo quirked his brow and tilted his head to the side. Klaus blinked and his shoulders sagged

"…I liked it." Leonardo nudged his leg under the table and flushed lightly. Heinrich's eyes widened and his mouth formed a perfect 'o' in surprise.

"I think I have a guess as to what the gift was." Watching the two turn red under multiple gazes, Mallory share in Heinrich's expression and Albrecht looked mortified.

"This is not appropriate meal talk!" he grunted, trying to get Wilma to side with him who merely brushed him off, keeping her stunned gaze on Klaus who began to fidget. Michella took note of the silence and looked puzzled

"It's awfully quiet for someone who supposedly bought my brother a watch for an anniversary present." Michella mused and Klaus felt his cheeks grow in temperature.

"I got the watch!"

"I liked the watch!" both protested at the same time, causing the silence to break into laughter, it was a warm atmosphere. One Klaus was particularly fond of, familial love and acceptance, Leonardo's cute little laugh, and knowing most of his family was opening their hearts to Leonardo too. He could see fondness in their eyes towards Leonardo and his family, Michella and Tobi. The only persons missing were his parents, still keeping Gilbert in the living room, no doubt questioning how this could have happened, Klaus going from dating young woman with soft eyes and warm smile to Leonardo. Who couldn't be compared to suitors of the past; Leonardo was a tier of his own, small, slender figure, breathtaking smiles, and a heart larger than many in Hellsalem. Leonardo was his person, not quite perfect, as the flaws he did have gave a charm and uniqueness Klaus wouldn't trade for the world. His Leonardo was his everything.

If he could get even Albrecht, who had once scoffed at same-sex couples when he had been younger, to accept his and Leonardo's relationship, then surely his parents could come around to the idea of their youngest child being interested in the smaller man. Leonardo leaned into him, tracing shapes on his thigh with his free hand while the other rested beside his mostly untouched breakfast.

"You should eat, lunch is going to horderves and snack foods until the other guests begin to arrive." Klaus suggested softly, the rest of the group hearing escapades recounted by Michella who had apparently received many Klaus-centric phone calls over the course of them being together.

"Mmm, nervous." He mumbled softly, hiding his face in Klaus' arm.

"At least try to eat the eggs, protein lasts longer." Klaus pestered, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. Leonardo huffed and shook his head,

"Klaus my stomach is in knots, I'm barely keeping the coffee down." He whispered hotly, glowering at him.

"Or you're feeling sick because all you've had this morning so far is coffee." Klaus contended. Leonardo snorted defiantly and sat up, spine going rigid as he made a show of taking a bite from his eggs and swallowing, glaring at him the entire time, before his stomach rumbled quietly and he flushed and continued to eat. Klaus smirked, taking his victory well when Heidi and Gerard entered, following Gilbert in who took position next to Phillip, and looking visibly relieved in subtle ways Klaus immediately picked up on.

Breakfast continued silently before moving to the living room or scattering out, Leonardo distancing himself from his parents like he was expecting something to happen, or someone to snap at him for his behavior, Michella kept him occupied thankfully, pulling him away to a corner of the living room where she used him to hold yarn for something she was crocheting. The baby had begun to fuss prompting Wilma to take him to the backroom and nurse him while Albrecht played with the other children. The only ones actively involved in conversation were Mallory and Heinrich, bemoaning being single during the holidays while the rest were uncharacteristically quiet, even Tobi who sat a few feet from Klaus looked anxious to be seated in such a tense atmosphere. He leaned over and fixed Klaus with a worried stare

"Should we be, uh, breaking out refreshments or something? Loosen up the place?" Tobi hissed lowly and Klaus blinked

"It's not your concern as you can't partake in it anyway, and I don't think it would help, my father and mother are very tolerant." Klaus mused softly and Tobi frowned glancing to the people in question, silently examining more of the photo scattered around the apartment. Tobi retreated, trying to focus on a book he'd brought but continued to squirm every so often with glances at the other occupants of the room.

Finally, Steven arrived, Chain at his side, though not linked hand and hand Klaus could pick up a sort of togetherness coming from them. It wasn't long before the rest of Libra began to trickle in, Klaus thanking the high Heavens as the tense atmosphere evaporated as conversation picked up and people introduced themselves. Klaus set aside gifts that came in the form of assorted food items that Gilbert or Phillip would take into the kitchen, dinner would be soon and hopefully by then his parents would stop putting out a dangerous mood. Zapp was one of the last few to arrive, looking a little out of sorts but nevertheless Klaus was still happy to see him. He closed the door to his home and turned to assess the small crowd that had gathered in the living room, taking note of Phillip passing out champagne already. He searched for Leonardo, a feat given his short size in the crowd but could not find him, he looked for Michella next, happily introducing herself to one of Chain's friends. Tobi at her side looked concerned when he met Klaus' eyes and mouthed,

'Your mother.' Before going turning his attention back to Michella and their company. His stomach sank quickly, making it seem as if he were mingling though he had a destination in mind, there was a balcony that had been made into a greenhouse after much work, Klaus was willing to bet they were in there. He kept up a calm, yet reserved smile as he made his way over to the balcony door, opening it slowly as music began to filter in, someone had started the stereo up.

He could see them standing innocently side by side as they admired an orchid that had taken half the year to coax into blooming, he went rigid as his mother spoke up.

"What are your plans for the future, Mr. Watch? The ones involving my son…" she asked quietly, though it sounded stern and accusing.

"…I don't really know yet. We're happy, I figured…as long as we had that we might as well just see where things go." Leonardo replied without missing a beat, Klaus moved in quickly, closing the door slowly to keep it quiet. He wasn't comfortable with eavesdropping but he was preparing to step in if his mother went too far, she'd done this to many young girls that had trickled into her home from her sons, and she'd been especially hard after the incident with the girl openly admitting she was interested in his family wealth.

"No children, no house, marriage? Surely you want more out of life than to just be a…partner to him." She asked, trying to push buttons and Klaus felt a little spark of anger ignite in his belly.

"What's wrong with that…I'm happy to be his partner, fancy titles and old names don't really fit me anyway? If Klaus wants more than I'm fine to talk about it when we get there…not right now though." Leonardo rolled on the balls of his feet, shoes clicking on concrete.

"…You're so very strange Mr. Watch. Your generation is all about marrying young and having children as quickly as possible and then letting it all fall apart. I don't know how many times I've seen it happen to others…the TV dramas and novella romances…yet here you stand acting ignorant of it all. I won't let you take advantage of my son like that, playing coy doesn't help your case." She spoke, keeping her tone even.

"You talked to Gilbert…did he tell you I was playing him?" Leonardo was surprisingly patient, calm, even with his mother trying to rile him up.

"No. He praised you, made you out to be a Godsend for my Klaus…which is where my doubts begin…Gilbert is a smart man, an honest man. Good at reading characters of the people he meets…and I don't know what to think of you. I want to be angry, to dislike you. I keep looking for cracks in your façade but have found none. Part of me believes you to be genuine but the other half knows you can't be. Klaus is…So many describe him as a beast, I have anguished so many nights thinking how lonely he must be. His misfortune to have been fed off of so young…too many times did I have to sit and coddle him because some stupid girl broke his heart again." She breathed, bracing herself against the table.

"Ma'am. He's an adult now, he's turning 30 in a few days, I think his judgment of people have improved and trust me, sometimes I surprise myself with that, that he lo-likes me the way he does. I don't think of myself as a good person, I'm selfish and I pick fights with him sometimes. Klaus is nothing like those people describe him to be, Ma'am. He's not a beast…I've heard intense but he's not that either, he's passionate." Leonardo turned back, meeting Klaus' gaze with a cracked open smirk, blue eyes staring into his soul. Of course Leonardo would have known he was there, his aura was too hard to miss.

"I can promise you I mean him no ill intent, I want to see him happy, his smiles are my favorite thing about him! Someone told him they were scary, can you believe it…he wouldn't smile for a long time when we first started, the first one I saw was an accident. It had slipped out and I could see it in his expression, how he expected backlash or rejection, it hurt to think someone had told him they were scary…but they're my favorite thing about him besides everything else." Leonardo stepped away from Heidi, blushing as he did so.

"Sorry if that sounded weird…"

"No. No, it's ok, I thought I saw something strange in those pictures, it's been awhile since I've seen him smile like that myself…Maybe I should learn to let go, just a little. Gilbert's never been wrong before and it's really hard to see you as the lying type. You make him happy…I suppose that's the important part…" she trailed off and Klaus moved, hurrying forward to scoop her in a tight hug, picking up off the ground and burying his face in her shoulder. Leonardo grinned sheepishly as she made a startled noise

"Klaus!? How much did you hear…?" she asked in surprise, eyes going wide as she hugged his head for support.

"Most of it, if not all…Thank you, Mama." He breathed, his chest felt lighter than it had all day, a heavy weight falling away as he set her down and she looked between the two, Klaus pulling Leonardo close and smiling impishly at him.

"You do look very smart together, I can't imagine you with anyone else if I am being honest now, you look healthier. Does he remind you to take care of yourself?" she teased, Klaus flushed at her comment while Leonardo looked between the two in confusion. The balcony door burst in and Mallory glared

"Party's started, get in here and address us so Gilbert will let us have some snacks!" she commanded and Heidi nodded, taking her leave of the two men, still close to each other. Klaus sighed in relief and Leonardo pulled at him for a kiss when Mallory barked out,

"Liebesvögel! Let's go!" startling Leonardo who glared and gave Klaus a quick peck before intertwining their fingers and heading in to the party. Both felt at ease, keeping with proximity to kiss and hold as many times as they could, no one batting an eye of the open displays of affection, not even his father who apparently had been more willing to go along than his mother by Gilbert's account.

It was nice, to savor the moment, twinkle lights on the tree caught Leonardo's outline just right and the smaller man looked angelic, sitting on the end of the couch, half a glass of champagne brought to his lips. Klaus grinned and a camera clicked somewhere, Chain appearing with Leonardo's camera in hand, a devilish look in her eyes

"Sorry chief, you looked a little love struck, had to document this moment to go along with the other bazillion Leonardo has of you." She teased, Klaus blinked slowly and suddenly Leonardo was in his lap,

"Chain! Get one of us together." He set his glass down and threaded his arms around Klaus' neck while his head was pressed under his chin, Klaus hugged him tight as he looked into the camera, a wide smile on his face, Leonardo's expression mirroring his as the curled into each other. Chain looked content with idea, putting the viewport to her eye, Klaus felt his chest flutter when Leonardo pressed a quick kiss to his neck and hum out a gentle,

"I love you." The camera flickered, a bright flash and a soft,

Click.

I think this is the end actually, I know I set up a lot for more drama but then Christmas hit and I got all those warm fuzzies being with family gives you and how sometimes they compromise even if its something they normally wouldn't be alright with. I don't think I can write anymore for this? I think I like this ending, where everything is ok, no one's lost anyone and people are open to different changes in a person.

Sorry if you wanted more? I just don't think I can write more for this Christmasy fic and I'd like to move on to something else for KlaLeo hell. WE DIDN'T EVEN MAKE IT TO HIS BIRTHDAY. So I may do a thing seperate for Klaus' B-Day with Leo that's a lil spicy~ Cause that's my life now.