Rookie! Leon meets you for the first time during his first week on the force. He's in his blues, a bright pink sticky note in his hand and brows wrinkled in confusion as he reads over it.
You know the look, so it's easy to tell. Since you started your job you noticed a sort of pattern when rookies came into the café. The older guys would send them on a coffee mission with a long list of orders for them to balance back to the station.
Any other day, this might have irritated you and your coworkers. But Leon had that lost puppy look on his face and even before he opened the door, you were glancing at each other and whispering and giggling about who was going to help him.
You ended up on the register, your fellow baristas hovering over your shoulders to listen and read each order as you rang it in.
The attention makes him nervous, and when he notices how attentive you are, the way you help him with the more obscure drinks ("Yeah, our boss likes to mock the corporate coffees, it trips everyone up"), it makes his ears turn pink.
He'd expected dull eyes, a rush to get him out as quickly as possible but instead? Here you were guiding him through the whole thing and with the rest of your crew pushing most of the drinks out before he even gets the chance to pay.
"Damn, they loved you," one of the officers says when he returns. It's probably one of the quickest coffee runs a rookie's made, and everything was made right!
The station quickly learns that Leon is the one to send if they need things done right and quick. Not that he minds much, it's a chance to see you.
If things are slow when he shows up, he's asking questions and watching you work, cracking a joke here and there to make you smile. If it's busy, he waits patiently, flashes a thankful smile, and is on his way (though disappointed that he didnt get a chance to talk to you).
Soon enough, it becomes a habit for him to stop by on his way to the station, and your coworkers quickly catch on to why he does. He (not so subtlely) asks about you when you're not on shift. Sometimes he catches you coming back with gallons of milk in your hands and offers to help you carry them in. If the morning is especially slow and you and your crew are mixing and matching syrups, he'll try whatever you come up with.
After he leaves, your coworkers tease and grin at you and urge you to leave your number on a cup the next time he comes in. Each time, you refuse because what if they're seeing things? What if he already has someone and is just being nice because he's a genuinely nice guy?
"Nice going, rookie," Elliot says one day, clapping him on the shoulder. He swipes the coffee cup from Leon's desk and there, hidden under the cardboard sleeve, is your number. He didnt even know it was there!
The next day, there's a pep in his step. He's confident, ready to finally take that leap he'd been eyeing these past few weeks.
Through the glass door, Leon can see your coworkers laughing and shaking your shoulders, while you look like you'd rather crawl into a hole.
Because you hadn't written your number on the cup--- one of the others had. And now you didnt know what Leon was going to say. He didn't look upset, so that was good. Maybe he was just going to pretend it didnt happen? Maybe he didnt even notice it at all.
But part of you hoped he did. How that scenario would play out, you had no idea.
The nerves worsened as he drew closer to the counter. A chorus of "Hi Leon!" came from the others, who'd all drawn themselves back to fridges and espresso machines, pretending to be heavily invested in whatever they were doing.
Meanwhile, your heart is pounding in your chest, almost in your throat.
"Just the usual?" You manage once he's finally in front of you.
Your face is flushed and the way you bite your lip and avoid eye contact tells him exactly how nervous you are.
"So, I uh, I found your number," Leon starts. The confidence from earlier begins to waver. He made it this far, he thinks, he has to push through. "And I thought it'd be better to do this in person."
You try to steel your nerves. The moment of truth has arrived.
Leon sucks in a breath, preparing himself.
"Can I take you to dinner?" He asks, almost too quickly to understand.
The café feels too quiet. You can practically feel your coworkers staring you down from behind.
Your mind finally processes the question after a long beat of silence and your voice has disappeared, so you nod vigorously. A wide smile has found its way to your face and whatever tension might have been in his shoulders slips away.
Friday at seven, it's decided.
And as he's leaving, excitement buzzing in his chest, he hears you thanking your coworkers for sneaking your number on that cup.
Leon Kennedy x Reader
A/N: A little blurb idea I had while writing the next Family Matters fic.
Leon knows he loves you, knows that he truly trusts you, when he doesn't flinch when he feels your hands near his neck.
He spent so many years being grabbed, thrown, and choked out that he associated the sensation of being touched there as a threat.
His body had frozen the first time he felt your lips on his neck. He was so unused to feeling a gentle touch there that he wasn't sure if he wanted to pull away or stay put. And the guilt he felt explaining it?
Leon didn't want you to think he didn't want you, but the life he'd lived had conditioned him to expect the worst. Even a small love bite made him tense, reminding him of the snapping jaws of the infected, blood and sinew dripping and hanging from their teeth.
But when enough time passes, when he expects you to tire of him but adapt instead? He starts to have hope.
When you lean over his shoulder one night while he's working and drop a quick kiss on his neck, his past momentarily slipping from your mind when the night is so normal, and he doesn't wince?
"It's okay," he says when you try to apologize. He presses a kiss to your knuckles and holds your palm to the side of his neck. "It's okay, sweetheart."
He's still shaky with nipping and biting. In fact, he's not entirely sure it's something he'll ever truly get over.
Now you can kiss on his neck all you want. Because his body knows now that you won't hurt him, that he can truly let his guard down and relax. There's never any intention to choke him or bite his throat out.
It's only ever love and gentleness with you. And that's the greatest comfort you could ever give him.
Hi there! I just wanna add to what other people have been saying and that I too would crash out if I was Leon’s wife cause wdym in the RE: Degeneration movie, Ada asks him “So when are we gonna continue where we left off that night?”
WHAT NIGHT? CONTINUE WHAT??
The EXTREME side-eye I'd be giving. Man better have some real good answers to dig himself out of that hole 🤣🤣🤣
A little screenshot of the WIP! This is frok a point about mid-way through the fic and I promise I'm still chipping away at it, I'm a good way past it, I just thought I'd give yall a little taste of what's to come!
Yooo i just finished your family matters series and its soooo good! Can’t wait for the next part!
Oh and I stalked your blog to see you and an anon discussing re6 and if you do decide to do that it’ll be sooooo good angst wise! Imagine Leon’s wife hearing Helena ask Leon “she’s more than just a friend isn’t she? You have feelings for her.” Regarding Ada! Like damn if I was Leon’s wife (I wish) and heard another woman ask my husband that I’d probably crash out 😭
Oh im with you anon, the crash out would be legendary 😭🤣 im so glad you enjoy the series! Hopefully the next part will be out soon!!!!
Hai there! Me again! I’m glad my message brightened your mood a lil bit! Still good luck with that! Dont forget to rest, drink and eat!
I just wanted to say I’m glad you’ve considered making a prequel to Family Matters! I do hope you get around to writing it! I am very excited! (Ik it’ll take a while and its okay I’ll wait! Take your time btw)
I also wanted to add since you mentioned that Vendetta has enormous angst potential! After thinking about it I realized RE6 has huge angst potential too as Leon faked his death in that game! Imagine the reader being home alone with the kids and having to learn that news 😭 And also if she does decide to go digging into her husbands death or maybe trying to get revenge, imagine she finds him in China, very much ALIVE and with 2 women (Helena & Ada) like OOOOH THE ANGST!
Though again! You’re the writer! So you take it however you want no pressure! Again thank you for taking the time to write these stories! They are really good, have become one of my favorites and thanks for taking the time to read my ideas hehe! Good luck again with moving! Have a good day! (To you and the bf!)
Oh brother, you've done opened the flood gates! I kinda fell into a rut with the current fic and this is totally helping me push through it!
Hai there! I recently read your Family Matters series and really fell in love with it! Its so cute and wholesome! Also very excited to read the next installment and do please take your time! Sorry about your ceiling, hope the moving process to the new apartment isn't/wasn't too bad!
Anyways your new installment for Family Matters seems like it’s going to take place around Requiem, though even if it wasn’t, I was wondering would you ever make prequels to Family Matters that take place before Death Island? Like during Vendetta or RE6? Cause I teel like that'd be interesting as during those the twins are already born and Leon was going through a LOT.
Like maybe during RE6 while Leon was trying to clear his name Y/n decided to say fuck it and have Claire watch the twins while she goes to China and help him, maybe have a lil angst since Ada is involved. And during Vendetta the Y/n can help Leon with his alcoholism and stuff, reminding him he has a wife and twins that still need him.
I think you'd be able to write it beautifully!
Anyways those are just questions and suggestions! Please just ignore it if you have no interest in doing this! Amazing work again btw!
Hi hi! Im so happy you love the series, it honestly means so much!
I've definitely toyed around with the idea of doing stuff before Death Island, particularly when Leon meets his wife. I can also for sure say that I have seriously considered writing something in the Vendetta era (just gotta watch the movie first) cuz the angst potential is ENORMOUS.
Moving is almost done, once we're unpacked and settled I'll for sure be jumping into writing a lot more!
Thanks again so much for the sweet message, it was such a delight to read after moving boxes all day!
Okie dokie yall, I promise I'm still working on the fic, but life decided to throw me a curveball and my apartment ceiling collapsed this past weekend!
My boyfriend and I are working on moving into a new place next week so writing has kinda fallen to the back burner 😖😖😖
Im still working on it, slowly but surely, I promise! It just is probably gonna take a little longer than I originally thought 😭
Idk if anyone is going to read this, but with the release of Re9, I've been putting together another fic, another installment to the Family Matters series.
It's currently sitting at 4k words and I'm not even halfway done with it so my question is:
Idk if anyone is going to read this, but with the release of Re9, I've been putting together another fic, another installment to the Family Matters series.
It's currently sitting at 4k words and I'm not even halfway done with it so my question is:
Unfortunately I won't be able to confirm when it will be posted, there's a lot going on with school and work right now. But I'll be working on it when I can!
Summary- You're Ashley's bodyguard. And the one Leon finds in the church instead.
Word Count: 2086
Masterlist
Your leg bounced nervously, eyes trained on the hard stone floor beneath you. You’d lose your job for sure, you thought. It was supposed to be simple and had been for the past few years.
Protect Ashley Graham.
And yet here you were. Locked in an old church somewhere in Spain and with Ashley nowhere in sight. Occasionally, someone would wander into the church downstairs and you heard incoherent muttering. But almost as quickly as they came, they left and slammed the heavy door closed behind them.
Your mind was scrambled with ways to get out. You couldn’t jump out the window. The drop was so high you’d certainly break something or get a bitch of a sprained ankle if you were lucky. And the thick wood door was locked tight. You’d attempted to kick it down earlier but hadn’t made so much as a dent in it.
So you were left to wait. For whom or what, you didn’t know. All you knew was that whenever that door opened next, you’d need to act quickly. Either overpower them and run, or kill them and run. But no matter what, you needed to make sure that you escaped this room and found Ashley.
But where would they take her? Perhaps you could start with the village. And if she wasn’t there… well, you’d figure something out. Even if you died trying, you couldn’t leave this place without her.
You heard the church doors creak open again and froze, straining your ears to hear if anyone was coming. But something felt off. Usually, the door swung open so quickly that it slammed into the wall. This time it had opened slowly, cautiously.
You stood up and brought your ear against the door. Nothing but a muffled voice. Just barely, could you make out the footsteps coming closer.
Quickly, you pressed yourself against the wall and grabbed the nearest weapon you could find. You frowned at the candelabra you'd snatched but it would have to do.
The door creaked open and you held your breath. First, you saw the muzzle of a gun, then muscular arms and broad shoulders. Whoever this was, he was significantly bigger than you. You'd need to act fast.
You creeped out from behind the door as he moved further into the room. With the door wide open, maybe you could just make a run for it.
No. You couldn't have him chasing after you. The last thing you needed was to get yourself caught just moments after freeing yourself. Either you'd knock him out, or kill him.
Creaaak
Shit.
He whipped around, gun aimed at your chest. You swung the candelabra, knocking the gun out of his hands. You swung again, only for him to catch it and rip it from your hands, tossing it aside. The air was knocked from your lungs as you were thrown to the floor, your shoulders pinned to the floor by his knees. The cool blade of a knife pressed against your throat as you glared up at him.
You lay there panting. There was no point in struggling against him– there was no way for you to throw him off. He was too big and too strong.
Disappointment washed over you like a tidal wave. The one chance you had to break free and find Ashley and you blew it. Still, you wouldn’t cower away from death. No matter how hard your heart beats against your chest. You’d stare him down and make him watch the life leave your eyes.
Blue eyes glared down at you and you braced yourself for the moment he’d slide his blade across your neck.
But it never came.
Instead, he leaned back and sheathed his knife at his shoulder.
“I’m gonna get off you,” he said slowly. “Don’t try to take my head off with a candle stick again.”
“Who are you?” you demanded, watching him with narrow eyes. Why didn’t he go in for the kill?
The man climbed off of you and got to his feet, offering you his hand to help you up. “I'm Leon,” he said. “I was sent on the president’s orders to get you and Ashley home safe.”
You stared at him for a moment, eying his hand suspiciously. Taking his hand, you let him haul you to your feet.
“You're a little young for a bodyguard, aren't you?” He asked, though there was no malice in his voice.
You scoffed. “Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?”
His brows furrowed then he chuckled lightly. “Touché.” He reached for one of the pistols holstered at his hip and held it out to you. “I'm assuming you can use this?” A nod. “Good. I can get you extracted-”
“No,” you said immediately. “Not without Ashley.”
He nodded. “I’m gonna find her-”
“Then I’m going with you.” You stepped up to him, your eyes hard and your tone unwavering. “You and I both know POTUS doesn’t give a shit about what happens to me.” You were certain that you were already presumed dead back in the States. “Your chances are better with backup and you’ll have an easier time getting Ashley to trust you if I’m there.”
Leon wanted to argue, but it wasn’t like you didn’t bring up some good points. Ashley was most likely terrified and having a friendly face to help ground and guide her would be best.
“Fine,” he bit out. “But you’ll do as I say.” As much as he didn’t want to risk your blood on his hands, he found that he didn’t want to be alone in this any longer than he had to be, especially given the hell he went through just to find you. There was no doubt in his mind that Ashley would be much more heavily guarded than you were.
“Fair enough.” You trailed after him and out of the small room. The church was quiet save for your footsteps echoing off the walls. He was about to start down a rusty ladder when something flickered in the corner of your eye. You stopped in your tracks, a hand on his shoulder. “We might have company.”
Leon cursed and crossed to the tall windows. There on the other side of the cemetery was a crowd of villagers, pitchforks and torches ready.
“They don’t look very friendly,” you commented beside him.
“They’re not here for a campout, that’s for sure–”
A sharp sting in your temple nearly brought you to your knees. A voice whispered in your head. Though your eyes were squeezed shut, you saw the faint figure of a man wrapped in a purple cloak.
“The lost lambs are escaping,” the voice said. “Bring unto them salvation.”
As quickly as it started, the pain was gone and a loud BANG drew your attention downstairs. It was only a matter of time before the villagers found you up here. Before you could even think about putting together an escape plan, Leon was on the move.
He ushered you over close to the wall and knelt down. Above him was another ladder leading to the attic. Without a second thought, you scurried over and carefully climbed up on his shoulders, your hands braced on the wall in front of you for balance as Leon slowly stood up. Reaching for the ledge above, you pulled yourself up and kicked the ladder down for Leon.
A lone window offered the promise of escape. One glance down had your eyes wide. It was at least a ten-foot drop to a small wood platform below.
“Afraid of heights?” Leon asked as he came up beside you and examined the drop. There was no time to reply when he dropped himself down to the platform. He looked back up at you expectantly. “I can catch you.”
Taking a breath, you all but threw yourself out of the window. Your stomach dropped as the ground rushed to meet you, only to be stopped by Leon’s waiting arms. Not that you saw anything with your eyes screwed shut.
You met Leon’s gaze and your breath caught, a blush dusting your cheeks. For a brief moment, the world fell away, returning only when the sound of smashed glass met your ears.
“Leon?” You started. “You can put me down now.”
He blinked. “Right, uh, yeah.” He set you down and jumped to the ground, mud splashing beneath his feet. You dropped down behind him as he reached for his ear, likely communicating with his handler. “Roost, this is Condor One. I have Shadow Eagle, but no Baby Eagle.” He led you around the side of the church, listening carefully to whatever instructions were being given. “Copy that. Condor One out.”
“What’s the word?” You asked, trailing behind him to a small hallway. You watched him push a fallen bookshelf aside, eyes caught on how his arms flexed.
“I heard talk of someone being taken to that castle nearby,” he said quietly as the two of you reached the other side of the hallway. “Chances are it’s Ashley.”
You paused. “Then what made you come here?” Why not go straight to the castle?
He hesitated and glanced back at you. “That talk included two people and two locations. Can’t be too sure, right?”
~~
When Louis had mentioned two people being carted off, Leon was sure that he’d find your body instead of nearly having his head taken off because you swung a candelabra at him. Even Hunnigan sounded surprised when he reported that he found you alive and kicking.
“What can you remember?” He asked as the two of you picked your way through the village.
“Not much,” you admitted. You reloaded your gun and pulled a boot knife from the body in front of you. With your jaw set and a glare, it was clear how much you blamed yourself. There had to be a thousand different thoughts running through your head. “I just remember leaving campus with Ashley and car trouble and then from there… nothing until I woke up getting dragged to that church.”
His eyes scanned over you, pausing when you rubbed your neck like something had bit you. “Everything okay?”
“It’s probably nothing,” you assured him. “I think that’s how they knocked me out.”
Leon stepped closer and gently moved your hand from your neck. There were two small punctures in your skin; one that had knocked you out and another that he suspected was used to inject you with whatever he had been injected with.
“That voice from earlier,” you began, “did you hear it, too?”
“Yeah.” He continued through the empty village with you close behind. “The sooner we find Ashley, the better. You sure you don’t want that evac?”
You shook your head. “She was my responsibility. I’m with you until I’m dead or we find her.”
Well, he admired your resolve. There would be no persuading you and honestly, he only asked so you didn’t feel like you had to keep going. He wouldn’t have faulted you if you did choose to leave.
~~
The bell tower that had stood tall in the village now lay in a pile of rubble blocking the way forward. No matter, he’d simply lead you through the house that survived the explosion. He pushed open the wood door and started to the stairs, wood creaking beneath his feet.
Your eyes scanned the house. It appeared empty and you suspected that Leon had already had a nasty encounter here. There were at least three bodies down on the first floor riddled with bullets.
“Not the homey type I’m guessing?”
“Yeah, they really rolled out the red car–” A man pounced on Leon, pinning him to the wall and forcing his gun out of his hand. With no clean shot, you dashed up the remaining steps and wrenched the man off of him, throwing him to the floor and driving your knife into his temple. He lay lifelessly beneath you and pulled the knife with a sickening squelch.
You turned to see Leon staring in surprise. “What?” You asked, sheathing your knife. “You’re not the only trained killer here.” It wasn’t something you were proud of but it was a necessary part of your life.
Leon snapped out of his trance. “No, no you did good, uh, just can’t say I’m used to having a partner.”
“Better get used to it then.” You picked up his gun and handed it to him. “Because you’re stuck with me until fate says otherwise.”
Summary- You're Leon's partner, separated by villagers when you arrive in Spain.
Word Count: 3425
Established Relationship
A/N: Something different, there will be more to the Family Matters series coming soon!
I should’ve gone with Leon, you thought. Maybe if you had, you wouldn’t be tied to a pole and helplessly watching a Spanish police officer being secured to a pyre. What a way to begin your search for the president’s daughter.
Even more frustrating, you could hear Leon talking in your earpiece, trying to reach you. But with your hands literally tied, there was no way for you to respond. You hoped Hunnigan would be able to get a location on you. Of course, Ashley Graham remained the priority. But knowing Leon, he wouldn’t rest until he’d recovered the both of you.
The scent of old manure and death filled your nose. Your wrists and ankles ached and burned from the ropes binding you. At least you didn’t have to go looking for that village, you supposed. Still, you doubted that you’d find Ashley here.
As the sun rose, you surveyed your surroundings. Old wood buildings surrounded you. Chickens, cows, and pigs roamed freely and the villagers… well, you didn’t know what to make of them.
You and the officer tied to the pyre had been ambushed. They’d slashed the tires of the police car that had brought you out here and quickly overwhelmed both you and the officer. There was a throbbing in the back of your head where you’d been hit before waking up here. Wherever ‘here’ was.
Villagers wandered aimlessly through the small town, muttering things under their breath in Spanish. Something wasn’t right with them. Black veins covered their pale skin and their eyes were wild. It didn’t even seem like they fully registered pain. Some were covered in cuts and blood that they hadn’t bothered to clean and the bandages you did see were old and dirty.
“Condor two,” came Leon’s voice again, “Condor two, do you read me?” You rolled your eyes and groaned. You wanted nothing more than to answer him. “Y/n, where are you?”
Waiting for Leon to find you wasn’t an option. If your suspicions were correct, you were next on the sacrifice list.
The villagers had taken your guns when they’d taken you, but they hadn’t stripped you of your jacket. The small knife sheath strapped to your forearm was still hidden beneath the sleeve. There wasn’t much room to move, but you could move your arm against the pole just enough to free the knife from its sheath.
Warm leather fell into your hand and you gripped the handle as tight as the rope would allow. The angle was awkward and your hand was already beginning to cramp, but you slowly began to saw away at the rope.
Keeping an eye on the villagers, you watched them begin to gather in the middle of town where they’d constructed the pyre. As long as you stayed quiet, hopefully, you’d avoid drawing their attention.
A thought crossed your mind. How were you going to save the officer? He struggled and yelled, pleading with the villagers to let him go. His words carried no weight.
The ropes around your wrists fell to the ground. Now you just had to free your ankles and then–
One of the villagers approached the pyre, a thick burning stick in his hands. Before you could blink, he tossed it into the wood pile and within seconds the whole thing had gone up in flames. The officer screamed and flailed. The smell of burning flesh filled your nose and you knew there was no saving him.
Heart pounding, you reached down and cut the rest of the ropes. Finally free, you crouched down and quickly dashed between the nearest buildings. If there was anything you knew for certain, it was that you couldn’t stay here. You didn’t stand a chance against a whole town with only a knife.
You turned the corner and skid to a stop. Not everyone was in the town square. An old woman stood in front of you, a pitchfork held firm in her bony hands. She raised the pitchfork and swung so fast you were barely able to dodge. You dropped to the ground and kicked her feet out from under her. You were on her in a second, pinning her shoulders down with your knees and driving your knife into her temple.
She lay dead and you quickly searched her body for anything that might be useful. Your shoulders slumped. Nothing.
Mud squished behind you and you turned to find a group of four more villagers stalking toward you.
"C'mon," you muttered, frustration laced in your voice like venom. There was no winning this fight. Your only choice was to turn tail and run. But to where? The last thing you wanted to do was run deep into the woods with nothing more than you knife. So what–
An axe whizzed past your head, lodging itself into the wall behind you. "I take it we can't talk this out," you said. The villagers only growled back at you.
You vaulted over the fence next to you as they pounced, narrowly avoiding another axe. Then you were running as fast as possible.
Branches scratched your skin, mud sloshed and slid beneath your feet. You didn't know where you were going, and nor did you really care at the moment.
You burst through the trees and found yourself in a small clearing. You stopped to see if anyone had followed you and when you didn't hear anything but the sound of rustling trees and chirping birds, you let yourself relax.
"Condor one," you said, reaching to activate your earpiece. "Condor one, I'm here." No reply. "Leon?" Nothing. You tossed your arms. Of course your equipment would stop working the instant you were free.
You looked back toward the village. Smoke rose into the sky. The screams of that poor officer still echoed in your ears. You knew you needed to go back, that if you were going to find Leon the best place to start looking was there. But having nothing more than your knife to defend yourself with made you hesitant.
Still, it's not like you had much of a choice.
"You got the stench of battle on ya," a rough voice said. You whirled on your heels, knife ready. A man in a black cloak stood behind you, a purple mask covering the lower half of his face. "You can put the knife down, I mean you no harm."
"Who are you?" You demanded, not lowering your knife.
He chuckled. "Just a man tryin' ta make a living. Got some rare things on sale for ya, stranger." He held out an arm, revealing a variety of weapons and ammunition along the inside of his sleeve.
"Impressive," you mused. "But I don't have any money. So thanks, but no thanks."
"Nothin' wrong with doing things the old fashioned way," the merchant replied. "How 'bout a trade?"
His offer was tempting. You didn't have much, but maybe there was something you could give him in exchange for that pistol you spotted on his sleeve.
You lowered the knife and folded your arms. What did you have to offer? Your knife wasn't worth much and you were hesitant to part with it. Aside from that… Your heart sank as you remembered the one valuable you did have on you.
Leon had gifted you a necklace on your birthday last year. A beautiful silver piece with a small yet intricately detailed bird hanging from it. He never told you what it had cost, but you knew it had to be expensive. Subconsciously, your hand came up to touch it.
"That's a fine piece you got there," the merchant said.
You didn't want to, but it could mean the difference between life or death. After a moment of silence, you asked, "What will it get me?"
"It may be small, but this beauty packs a mean punch." He showed off a revolver. "And as a first-time customer, I'll toss this in free of charge." He flaunted a can of first aid spray. "Whaddya say, stranger?"
Given the circumstances, you weren't sure you could pass up the offer. Reluctantly, you took off the necklace and handed it to him. As promised, you received both the revolver and spray.
The merchant must have noticed how your eyes continued to follow the necklace as he held it. "This is in good hands, I assure you. Now, don't go gettin' yourself killed." There was nothing more to say. The deal was done. With a simple nod, you turned away and began to trek through the forest back toward the village.
You felt naked without the weight of the bird against your chest. Ever since Leon had given it to you, you'd almost never taken it off. What would he think when he saw you without it? That necklace was his silent claim on your heart.
Romantic relationships between agents were frowned upon, forbidden almost. As far as the agency was concerned, it was a conflict of interest and if anyone found out, it was likely they'd separate you. Leon couldn't have that. He needed you as his partner both on and off the field, to be sure you were (somewhat) safe and alive.
He must be worried sick, you thought. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Leon hardly ever allowed radio silence between you two. It had been hours since you last had contact with him. Hell, the last time you saw him was when he left the police car to find the first police officer that had wandered off, instructing you to keep an eye on the second.
You checked the chamber of the revolver. Six bullets. Six shots. You had to make them count.
You tried your earpiece again. Still no answer. Maybe the signal would get better the closer–
"Mother of god!" You yelped, pawing at your ear in pain. A loud screech filled your ear, followed by the sharp crackling of static.
A voice was coming through the other end. It was Hunnigan.
"Condor two," she said, "What is your status?"
"You could warn me next time before you almost blow out my eardrum," you shot back. "I'm still breathing. All four limbs are accounted for. I'm on my way back to the village."
"Negative, Condor two," Hunnigan replied curtly. "There's a good chance Baby Eagle is being held in a church by the lake. I've sent you the coordinates."
"Well, I'd love to see those, but I've lost pretty much all my stuff." You could practically see her rolling her eyes.
"Alright, I have a lock on your position. Head north from your position. Leon is on his way there now."
"Roger that, Roost. Condor two out."
You finally managed to find a path leading north. So far you'd encountered no one else and you hoped it'd stay that way. You wanted to hang on to your six bullets for as long as you could.
"Condor one?" You tried again. If Hunnigan was able to reach you now, you should be able to reach Leon. Right? "Leon?" Silence. You'd be having a serious chat with your techies when you got back.
The lake couldn't be too far now. Trees and brush was beginning to thin and that musty lake smell began to hover in the air. The gravel path you walked along slowly turned into a muddy trail. You emerged onto the bank of the lake. A castle stood menacingly in the distance on the other side. To your left, you saw old wood scaffolding webbing up the side of a cliff. A dock sat just underneath it and at the top, you could just barely make out a church's roof.
Looks like that was where you were heading. With a new determination, you began the long walk over, falling back into the treeline to avoid detection from the water and clifftops.
~~
Ashley Graham was the priority. She was the one they were here to save. Even if one of you had to be left behind or killed to do it, she was the objective.
But Leon refused to leave you. Even if he had to take your body back to the States, there was no reality where he left you here in this hell.
He'd come so close to you in the village. He'd seen you through his binoculars and then you were gone. Once the villagers had retreated into their church, he'd searched the place high and low, finding only your guns and equipment. He was fearing the worst knowing you were out there with only a knife, assuming it hadn’t given out on you yet.
He continued along the winding path, still trying to catch his breath. The village chief had nearly choked him to death not long before and he still felt the ghost of his fingers on his neck.
"Looks like you're in quite the rush, stranger." Leon stopped and rolled his eyes. It seemed like this merchant was there at almost every turn.
Oh well. Leon could stand to lose some excess weight from his bag. As he opened his mouth to reply, his words caught in his throat. There, among the vast array of goods, was your necklace.
"Cat got yer tongue?" The merchant chuckled.
"Where the hell did you get that?" Leon said, his voice low.
"What? This?" The merchant held up the necklace. "An exchange with a traveler lookin' to keep their head on their shoulders."
A part of Leon wanted to be hurt that you'd traded it. But his more rational side understood that you didn't have a choice. He'd found everything but your knife in the village and he knew well enough that you'd need more than just that to make it through this.
The merchant was a reasonable enough man. Leon was sure he could trade something to get the necklace back. Without a second thought, he rummaged through his bag and pulled out two silver goblets and a handful of gems he'd found in the village.
"Must hold sentimental value if yer gonna trade all that for this," the merchant observed. "Can't put a price on that." Still, the merchant tossed Leon the necklace and stashed away the rest. "Pleasure doin' business with ya."
That was easy, Leon thought. Much easier than he anticipated.
Pop pop
Leon perked up. Two solid gunshots had come from the direction of the church. It had to be you. It had to be.
He took off running, not caring if he drew attention to himself. He had to find you.
~~
The church was crawling with villagers. You'd managed to kill three already, but the rest materialized from everywhere. From behind the church, from the graveyard, from the way of the lake, they were everywhere.
Down to four bullets, you had a choice to make. Ashley could be just within reach. You could potentially thin out this crowd for Leon by the time he got here, make his job easier at the cost of (most likely) your life.
Or you could turn tail and run. You refused to keep running.
Someone grabbed you from behind, wrapping their arm around your neck to choke and hold you still while another prepared to swing their axe.
You dropped your weight and threw the one holding you over your head. Grabbing your knife, you threw it as hard as you could. The one holding the axe fell with a hard thud. You ran and pulled the knife free, turning just in time to stab it into the head of another.
A pitchfork came flying at you. It whizzed past you, the spokes just barely missing your arm. Blood began to flow from the wound but you had to keep fighting. Any hesitation could result in your death.
Four more surrounded you, cornering you against the fence. Your drew your pistol and fired twice. Two flew back and dropped to the ground. Two bullets left.
You took aim once more and just as you were about to pull the trigger, something slammed into your back. You were thrown fast and far, landing hard against a headstone. The pistol clattered out of reach and when you went to pull your knife, the blade snapped from the hilt.
Your arms shook as you tried to push yourself up, only for them to give out and leave you nearly limp against the headstone. A monster of a man towered over you, a massive hammer held menacingly in his hands. He raised it high over his head.
Time slowed down. Memories began to flash through your mind. Your first time meeting Leon at bootcamp. Sparring with him in the middle of the night, comforting each other when the whole world felt like it was collapsing in on you. The first time he kissed you.
A sense of peace washed over you as you watched the hammer begin to fall, sunlight glinting off of the metal.
No. You couldn’t let it end like this. You rolled, the hammer meeting the ground where your head had been not a second before. Scrambling to your feet, you dove for your gun. Back on your feet, you shot down two more villagers. Better to have them dead now and not wait for them to gang up with the big one against you.
Your bullets were gone and your knife was broken. You scanned for anything you might be able to use. The brute marched toward you, hammer ready. You lept over headstones, ripping a shovel from the hands of a dead villager.
You turned just in time to bring the shovel up to meet the hammer, stopping it in its path. The wood handle splintered, your arms shook with the strength it took to keep the hammer from you. The handle cracked into two pieces and the brute charged into you, throwing you hard against a tree and knocking the air from your lungs. He charged again, hammer high and then–
BANG!!!!
The man stumbled back forward. Another BANG and he fell to the ground lifeless.
“Y/n?” came Leon’s voice. A second later he was in front of you, cupping your face in his hands.
“I had it handled,” you muttered.
“Of course you did.” He helped you sit up the brushed your hair away from your face. The urge to pull you into his arms was overwhelming, but with the beating you just took he didn’t want to risk hurting you even more. At least you were alive. “Think you can stand?”
You nodded and let him help you up. Your legs were shaking and your head felt dizzy, almost falling into Leon as you tried to regain your balance. He held you against him until the world stopped spinning and you could stand on your own again.
“What happened?” Leon asked, his arm tightening around your waist, almost as if he were afraid that you’d disappear the moment he let go.
“Got bored, decided to go sightseeing,” you replied. He gave you a look. “We were ambushed and I have been hit in the head too many times today.”
He nodded and dug around in his pocket. "I found something I thought you might want back." He held up the necklace you'd traded with the merchant.
"Leon…" Guilt and shame came over you, but also relief at the sight of it. "I'm sorry, I–"
"I know," he said, moving to fasten it around your neck and tucking it under your collar. "You didn't have a choice, I get it. I also found the rest of your stuff."
A weight lifted off your shoulders. Your pistols felt like a comforting blanket as you strapped them back on. "What would I do without you?"
"Crash and burn," Leon said simply as he hooked an arm around your waist and drew you back to him, crashing his lips against yours. He pulled away and smirked down at you, knowing the kiss left you breathless.
It took a moment for you to regain your senses and when you finally registered the knowing look on his face, you swatted his chest. “C’mon, Romeo. We still have a job to do.” It took another moment for your feet to start moving again, your body wanting to stay wrapped up in his arms. They couldn’t waste any more time. “Baby Eagle’s still waiting for us.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Leon watched as you quickly approached the front gate of the church, a new pep in your step. He’d do everything in his power to make sure you weren’t separated again.
Hi, I want to say that I enjoyed reading the Family Matters Series! The hurt/comfort and the fluffy moments among Leon and his family were written amazingly, and I loved reading the dialogues. I also have a question. Will there be a story of the twins learning about the Arklay Mansion Incident and the Raccoon City Incident when they're in their teens?
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! There are a few more stories to come for the family, and the twins will eventually learn about Raccoon around their late teens (there may or may not be a fic in the works for that rn). As for Arklay, I myself am not too familiar with that storyline so there may be mentions of it here and there, but nothing too in depth.
Summary- Your family spends some rare quality time together.
Word Count: 2266
S/n- Son's name
D/n- Daughter's name
A/N: Part 3 of the Family Matters Series
Family Matters / Aftermath
With the kids on suspension from school, Leon had decided that it was the perfect time to spend together. It was rare that all four of you went out to do something together– work tended to prevent it and oftentimes stole him away to far corners of the country or the world. So naturally, he wasn’t going to let this opportunity go to waste.
Of course, he gave them the standard lecture about not fighting in school (though he did praise them for standing up for and protecting each other), but otherwise assured them that they weren’t in too much trouble.
Leon woke up with S/n still curled up against him and your side of the bed empty. S/n had slept through the night between the two of you, and D/n seemed to have slept all night in her room, too. His kids were starting to heal just a little bit and the thought brought him peace.
The scent of bacon wafted through the house and just moments after Leon smelled it, S/n was pushing himself to sit up. His hair stuck up in all directions and he yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Bacon?” he mumbled as he looked back at his father.
Leon chuckled and rubbed his boy’s head. “Better go get it before your sister does,” he said. Without another word, S/n jumped out of bed and rushed out of the room. D/n was notorious for eating almost all of the bacon you made. So much so that you started buying two packs just so the rest of the family could have some, too.
You had just pulled the second pan from the oven when a pair of strong arms wrapped around your waist. The twins were already sitting at the table, quietly eating the bacon tacos you’d made for them. Leon gave you a squeeze and pressed a kiss to your temple, uttering a quiet ‘good morning’ against your skin.
Moments like these were his favorite. You in one of his shirts and a pair of your sleep shorts, the twins sitting at the table with messy hair and rumpled pajamas. If he could, he’d live in these moments forever. No bio-weapons, no being called away for work, just him and his family enjoying breakfast together.
You smiled and turned your head to give him a proper kiss before turning to plate the bacon. “Good morning, handsome. There’s eggs and potatoes over there, too.” You gestured to the table. “Go ahead and start eating, I’ve been nibbling while making all this.”
“You’re the best, you know that?” He kissed you again.
“I am, aren’t I?”
The four of you ate in a comfortable silence for the first time in a while. Since returning from San Francisco, tension had settled over the table. At least for the moment, that cloud had dissipated. It made you think that perhaps Leon was right. Getting the twins to be active seemed to be the best way for them to release their stress. You only wished it hadn’t been a school fight to make you realize that.
“Are we still going to the park today?” S/n asked between bites of his taco.
“We are,” Leon replied, “and don’t talk with your mouth full, bud.” He took a napkin and gently wiped crumbs from the corner of S/n’s mouth. “I’ll bring down your glove and we can throw a ball around.”
“Can I bring the soccer ball, too?” quipped D/n.
“Absolutely, baby,” you said. You ran a hand through her hair and gently undid large knots with your fingers. The twins finished eating and put their dishes away, leaving you and Leon alone while they went to get dressed.
You looked over at Leon. There was a sad, forlorn look in his eyes. “What are you thinking about?”
Leon gave you a sad smile. “When they were born. I promised them I wouldn’t let anything happen to them. Now look at us.”
You reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. Guilt over what had happened plagued the both of you. In the days following Alcatraz, Leon barely slept. He would get up and triple-check the locks on all the windows and doors. Nearly any creak would have him up and checking the house, especially when D/n had started sleeping in her own bed again.
“And you saved them,” you reminded. “They knew you would. We can’t change the past. But what we can do is give them a good day.” Helping them move on was the best you could do. You couldn’t let them wallow in those memories and drown in nightmares.
Leon pressed a kiss to the back of your hand and nodded. You had a habit of drawing him out of his darker thoughts, and when you did it made him love you even more. You were right. Your family came home in one piece. Neither of the kids were hurt (physically) and Rebecca had cured you. Your family was intact and that was all that mattered.
The two of you cleaned up the kitchen and went to get dressed. Then it was time to get to packing the car. It wasn’t much, just getting a small cooler filled with water and a few sandwiches while Leon went to hunt down S/n’s baseball bag in the garage.
“S/n, D/n,” he called as he came back inside with both of their gloves. There was an excited twinkle in his eye that you hadn’t seen in a while. The twins came running and he handed them the gloves. “Try them on, see if they still fit.” Leon had once had a dream of getting at least one of them into sports, but there simply wasn’t time. He never wanted to be the parent that didn't make it to practices or games. The twins put the gloves on and flexed their hands, opening and closing them. “Feel okay?”
“Good,” they replied unanimously. “A little stiff.”
“Just need to break them in. We ready to go, Mom?” You smiled at him and nodded.
~~
This was the kind of life Leon dreamed of having when he was younger. A beautiful wife and two wonderful kids. If he didn’t have a dislike of dogs, he was certain that there would be one running around with you.
The park was almost empty. Being a weekday, the only ones around were the occasional joggers or new parents walking their toddlers in their strollers. The day itself was nearly perfect. Only a few clouds dotted an otherwise clear blue sky.
You watched from under a tree a little bit away on a blanket as Leon tossed baseballs for the twins. It was S/n’s turn to bat and D/n was scrambling to catch the fly balls he hit. Her jeans and shirt already had grass stains from diving after ground balls.
“Dad,” S/n said after he hit another, “I’m hungry.”
“Hey, Hungry, I’m Dad,” Leon replied with a cheeky grin. The twins groaned, resulting in a wider smile from Leon. The three of them made their way back to the tree you sat under. You lifted your camera as they came closer, wanting to preserve the moment. It was an old thing from years ago and though the lens was a little scratched, it still took fantastic pictures. “I didn’t think you still had that.”
You shrugged. The kids plopped themselves down and rummaged through the cooler. “Well, we don’t do stuff like this often. I figured we could use some more pictures together.”
“I wanna sit next to Mom,” S/n said, trying to scoot in between you and Leon.
“I had her first,” Leon wrapped his arms around you, pressing you to his side.
But this didn’t deter S/n. “But I’m her first-born.”
“I’m her husband.” He loosened his hold on you just enough that S/n was able to wiggle in and try to push Leon away from you.
D/n settled herself on your other side, quietly watching her brother and father squabble as she ate her sandwich. She leaned up to your ear and whispered, “Are boys always this dumb?”
“Sometimes,” you replied, wrapping an arm around her.
“Is that why Daddy makes things explode?”
“No, Daddy tries to be careful about that.” No point in denying that Leon did, in fact, blow things up every now and then. She’d already seen him do it once, at least you could prevent her from worrying about him getting hurt while doing something so dangerous.
The four of you continued to eat and once the kids had their fill, they were up and chasing after each other. Leon threw the soccer ball between them and it quickly became a game of keep-away.
Leon took to clicking through the pictures you’d taken, a soft smile on his face. “You know, you deserve to be in a few of these, too.” Most of the pictures were of him and the kids, very rarely did he see you in any of them.
“My mom takes more than enough,” you replied. You made it a habit to take the kids to see their grandparents at least once a month, and your mother could never have enough pictures of you and her grandkids.
“Still, this is a family outing.” He gave you a gentle push, urging you to your feet. “Go, I’ll take a few for you.”
You groaned playfully and got up. He was right, afterall. The albums you’d put together over the years were filled with him and the kids growing up. In fact, you’d started making them because of how often he was gone; you wanted to keep some kind of record for him to look back on. And being so focused on keeping his memories with the kids, you often forgot about keeping some of your own.
Leon watched you jog out to the kids, laughing as you stole the soccer ball from S/n. You carefully and swiftly moved the ball between your feet. The twins charged at you, but flew past you as you turned to dodge them.
The twins shared a look and split up, D/n running to get himself behind you and S/n staying in front to distract you. Leon raised the camera, waiting just a few moments before pressing down on the button. He watched through the viewfinder as you tried to keep both of them in your sight. D/n sprinted up behind you, throwing her arms around your waist as S/n swooped in to take the ball from you.
God, he wished his vacation days would last forever.
He put the camera away and went to join you. He easily snatched D/n from you, picking her up and lightly tossing her in the air. She squealed with laughter, “That’s cheating, Daddy!”
“And what were you doing just now?” He caught her and tossed her up again. You’d taken off to chase after S/n. The next half hour continued like that: racing after the kids and eventually ending up in a pile in the grass trying to catch your breath.
The sky had gotten darker, gray clouds threatening to rain. “Alright,” Leon said, pushing himself to his feet, “time to go.” He helped you up and S/n followed. D/n continued to lay in the grass, her eyes closed. It was obvious she was only pretending to be asleep but he didn’t care. He scooped her into his arms and carried her back to the car.
“Want me to drive?” you offered once the car was packed and the kids were buckled in. Rain had begun to fall and you knew how it could put him on edge.
“If you don’t mind.” He tossed you the keys. Truth be told, he was exhausted. But in a sense, it was satisfying. For once it was the kids who wore him out, not some bioterrorist trying to shoot him down or zombies chasing after him. It was the sort of tired he’d love to get used to.
By the time you returned home, rain was falling steadily and the twins had officially fallen asleep in the back seat. The two of you decided that everything in the trunk could wait to be taken in later and instead simply carried the twins inside.
You gently set them down on the couch and woke them up. They stretched and yawned, rubbing their eyes. “Go take your showers,” you instructed softly.
“Do we have to?” D/n whined.
As much as you wanted to give in to her, you nodded. “Don’t want to wake up all sticky tomorrow, do you?” She shook her head. Slowly, the two of them waddled down the hall to take their showers and get ready for bed.
Leon watched them until they were out of sight and then took their spot on the couch, pulling you down with him and tucking you against his side. You were happy to oblige, tossing your legs over his lap and nuzzling into him.
“Want me to get any of those pictures printed?” you asked tiredly.
“I have a few in mind,” he replied. You could print out all of them and he’d cherish each one. He sighed and leaned his head back against the cushion, closing his eyes.
The next time he opened them, he found the twins settled on either side of you, their hair still wet from their showers and sound asleep.