pairing: leon kennedy x reader
you can pinpoint the exact moment his nightmares begin. such a sensitivity to it causes you to sleep in a rigid position that aches your muscle. by then, you realize you couldn’t find the opportunity to flee from leon’s kicks as he yells at nothing.
his incessant movements, though not by his own fault, leaves a bruise along your arm. you quickly sit up, eyes roaming against the darkness as you attempt to make a grab for his hands.
“leon, wake up!” you say. but you know better than this. leon kennedy is a man tormented and fractured by pain and trauma. his nightmares are his wounds carved by a war he wasn’t prepared to fight. it’s going to take a while until he wakes himself up.
he’s flinging his arms around as if he’s trying to keep something away. you remember the times you watched him surrounded by the undead and the humans. back then you were helpless but tonight you aren’t. so you do what you think is best and you lower yourself onto his bigger body.
you might not be able to bring him out of his nightmare but you can at least keep him from physically hurting both him and yourself. if you can, you want to calm him down while he’s still asleep.
he’s sweating and his clothes are drenched. you manage to touch his cheeks, but just your palms gently caressing them is of no use. he’s whimpering, eyebrows twitching as he continues moving, uselessly running from monsters that lived within his mind.
you try to keep him there, your legs desperately attempting to lock his body in between. “leon, wake up, please. it’s me, i’m here, there are no dangers…”
you stop when suddenly he throws himself up at you. pushed aside by pure strength, you watch as leon tumbles out of the bed.
“leon!” you cry out, just as you see him stop all of a sudden. slowly, you swing your legs down to the ground, gaze holding his form. his eyes are open, revealing the expression of a confused albeit terrified man. without hesitation, you drop down and place a hand on his shoulder. “leon,” you repeat softly as you attempt to figure out what to do next.
he sees you and soon a glint of regret appears in his eyes while his body continues to tremble. “…did i hurt you?” his voice is softer, with an uncertainty lurking beneath. he starts assessing you, his gaze drifting down to your knees just as you shake your head.
“no, of course not. i was afraid you would be hurting yourself,” you tell him, shoulders sagging in relief. you watch as he draws in a deep breath, before he gently leans into you.
“i sometimes forget, even in my sleep, that i’m not on the battlefield anymore,” he says, hot breath tickling your skin. he inhales sharply as you wrap your arms around him, urging him to come closer. despite your gesture, you still sense a hesitancy in his touch. his body brushes against yours before it stops and stiffens. as if he senses your thought, he adds, “i…apologize, i’m not used to this–all of this, the domesticity, the love.”
you wonder if, once upon a time, he would be used to this. the leon before all of this, starry-eyed and desperate to create a future as a cop. the leon before all of this who you adore and still do–
or no, perhaps only some of him is here. you still recognize his love and that same adoration he has for you. but other then that you don’t think it’s the same leon.
suddenly the lights turn on and you see leon standing near the door. there’s shock playing on his face as he stares at your arm. you try to hide your bruise but he still sees it.
a tense silence befalls as you turn away while knowing fully well that you should be consoling him. you hear him walk forward slowly, pace deliberate and heavy.
“(name), i’m sorry.” he drops down before you, fingers hovering inches away from your bruise as his brows furrow in worry. “next time it won’t happen. i’m going to get better, i swear.” he then drops his gaze just as his fingers barely graze against your flesh. “you can leave me if you want. i’m no longer safe for you.”
there’s this earth-shattering revelation that occurs to you right then. that perhaps leon was never quite the same from the moment he came out of raccoon city. that, perhaps, was where he left some of himself, the brave and optimistic boy, within the ravaged battleground.
you see into his eyes and you see someone lost and scared.
he’s lost because he’s not used to this quiet serenity.
scared because he doesn’t know when his next battle will be.
most of all, he’s scared that you’ll be hurt underneath his trauma.
there is never a moment in your life that you will ever want to leave him. you’re never good with words–that’s the similarity between you and him. so you pull him into an embrace instead (for what is more powerful than words?), making sure to hold him tightly against you. it if’s possible, you want to tell him through your gesture that you love him and you will always love him.
even if he’s not completely whole, you’ll love him.
“you think just a nightmare will deter me from you?” you begin, pausing to cradle his cheek. his shoulders square for a moment as if preparing himself for the worst. you press your other hand against the back of his neck, urging his face forward until both of your foreheads touch. then, you continue, “no matter what, leon kennedy, i will be your heart and your home. we made a promise to never separate, so whatever happens to you, i’ll be by your side. you have me, and you have claire and everyone else too. we’ll all help you, without question.”
he lets slip a breathy exhale, eyes closing and body sagging against your body. soon, both of you are basking within each other’s warmth, a quiet but comforting serenity falls between you and leon. this peace is much needed, you decide.
you feel his own hand come and caress your cheek. his touch is warm and mesmerizing, making your heart flutter with affection. you turn your face and press a chaste kiss to the flesh where his palm and wrist connect. the corners of leon’s lips pull into a small but brief smile.
“yeah, you’re right. this is home, you’re my home (name). i won’t leave, not until you–” he stops just as you press your lips against his. it’s slow and patient, full of softness that both of you are relishing in. there’s just as much love as there is passion in this kiss, along with the unspoken promise of forever.
what feels like a long time is only a minute before you and leon pull back for air. there is a noticeable tinge of red dusting his cheeks and the sight alone making you flush. leon’s licking his lips, as if your brief kiss wasn’t enough.
and you agree, it’s not enough. nothing will be enough for neither of you when it comes to love. so like someone starved, you surge forward for another kiss.
then another, and another. in-between each kiss leon starts begging. “more please, just one more kiss (name).” he sounds desperate but the kisses are unhurried. here, lust is very much absent. that would be for another night where leon’s mind is in a better place.
you smile against his lips, both hands cupping his cheeks as you allow your mind to collapse into a hazy retreat.
“forever yours, leon kennedy,” you whisper.
“and forever yours, (name).” leon closes his eyes and sighs as he drags his finger down your cheek, before curling acround them.
whatever rigidness left in his body disapears as he finally relaxes into your hold.
hopefully this will remedy leon’s pain, even for a little bit.
