Warnings: fluff, married!Leon, whiny Leon, needy Leon, established relationship, tiddies <3
Summary: Leon Kennedy has seen it all: broken bones, las Plagas, gunshot wounds ... but nothing, nothing is worse than the common cold.
a/n: I had a cold recently and I wondered who would be whinier, me or Leon? So I wrote this. I feel like this could be any version of Leon, but I had RE9 Leon in mind because it's the funniest. Special shoutout to @regionaldoubloon <3
Masterlist
word count: 900
The chicken noodle soup was bubbling on the stove and the house was quiet. Too quiet.
Another cough from the bedroom, followed by a pained groan.
Ah, yes. Poor Leon was suffering unimaginable torture.
You rolled your eyes, put the lid on the pot and reduced the heat down to a simmer.
"Baby?" His voice was pathetically thin as he called for you from your bedroom. "Baby, can you come here?"
"In a minute, honey," you yelled back, grabbing a bottle of Tylenol and the other remedies you had gathered to nurse your husband back to health. The same husband that had lived through cracked ribs, several other broken bones and unfathomable horrors multiple times, but for some reason the common cold was what made him want to write his testament.
"Nurse is here," you announced yourself as you walked into the room. The curtains were drawn and Leon was sprawled out on the bed, arm theatrically draped over his eyes. "Do you need me to call the priest?"
"Not yet," he croaked, breaking into a coughing fit.
You sat down on the edge of the bed. "Oh my poor baby," you crooned, gently brushing a sweaty strand of hair out of his face. Leon closed his eyes and leaned into your touch like a stray kitten. “How are you feeling?”
“Terrible,” he whined, sniffling. “I’m all congested, I have a headache, I can’t sleep because I’m coughing so much…”
“I made you chicken noodle soup,” you said.
“Thank you,” he whispered, reaching for you but you leaned back.
“Leon, no. I can’t get sick, too. One of us has to keep this house running,” you said, firmly brushing his hands off your body. He whined again.
“So you’re really going to let me die without a kiss, huh? Wow.”
You chuckled. “You know, for being a tough government agent, you’re being a little bit dramatic right now.”
He groaned, a cough racking through his body again. “That’s just not true,” he insisted, his hands wandering again, slipping under your shirt.
“Leon,” you warned him, opening the bottle of Tylenol. “Here, take these.”
He obliged and you pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead. “Good boy.”
He chuckled and his hands immediately found your breasts, softly squeezing them. “You know, I think it’s actually very beneficial for my recovery to receive a kiss at least every five minutes. And body heat is also very important.”
You tried to lean away from him to prepare what you actually came here for, but no matter how whiny, he was a trained agent with great reflexes after all. Before you could react, he pulled up your shirt and slipped his head under it, burying his face in your chest.
“I thought you had a hard time breathing?” you asked, gently rubbing his shoulders.
“It’s already getting better,” he murmured, his voice muffled by your boobs. You sighed and he pulled your bra down, gently slipping one of your nipples into his mouth, sucking on it.
“Oh my god, you’re just like your son.” You let out a defeated breath. “Only that your son is barely two years old.”
Leon let out a content sigh, as he kept sucking and kneaded your other breast with his free hand. “It’s actually also medically proven that sucking on boobies can help recover from any kind of illness.”
“Leon, stop. That’s for babies. You’re a grown man.”
“So?” he murmured, demonstratively coughing again, looking at you with puppy eyes. He knew full well those were your weakness. Jesus Christ, that man was impossible.
You pushed him off you.
“Here, open wide big boy,” you said, offering him a spoon with an entire clove of garlic covered in honey on it.
“Why do you always have to come in with your witchy shit? Why can’t we just be normal, take a Tylenol and call it a day?” He eyed the spoon in front of him and hissed like a cat.
“Oh?” your eyebrows shot up. “Look who’s already feeling better and obviously doesn’t need any tiddy time. Well in that case…” You faked getting up from the edge of the bed and Leon’s hand shot forward, snatching the spoon from you and pushing it into his mouth.
He grimaced as he chewed. “Happy now?”
“Not quite.” You handed him a glass full of cloudy yellow liquid. “Turmeric ginger shot. It’s good for you.”
He looked at you like you were about to betray him, then knocked back the drink in one go. He shuddered, sticking out his tongue.
“Oh come on,” you mocked him. “Leon shooting-whiskey-like-it’s-nothing Kennedy can’t handle a ginger shot? Are you sure you’re my husband?”
“Don’t ever question that, I love you,” he said, pressing his face back against your chest. “Thank you for taking care of me. You’re my favourite nurse.”
“And you’re my least favourite patient,” you said, not getting very far because Leon pulled you into bed with him.
“Leon,” you yelped, as he moved down, pushed your shirt up and cuddled up to your chest.
“I’m already feeling much better, you know.”
You huffed. “I have to get up to take the chicken soup off the heat.”
Leon shook his head, nuzzling your tits. “No, you don’t.”
summary: Your darling boyfriend brought you cake, coaxing you out of your self induced multi day study session isolation.
incl.: Established relationship, window entry because doors are overrated anyway, soft Leon, eye drops keeps your eyes alive, lip gloss, sweet soul sucking fluff, author has a bias towards RE2 Leon. Could be interpreted as an au but can be pre-Raccoon city: Government cover-up starter pack.
pairing: Leon S. Kennedy x gn! reader
warning/s: none
note/s: taglist open <3 [instructions] now why did writing this feel shorter than my previous Leon fic…
☆main masterlist☆ ☆Leon Kennedy Masterlist☆
It was a random Thursday night. You were huddled in your chair, eyes locked onto your laptop screen—the same screen you’d accidentally broken a part of last week Tuesday when you were rolling around on your bed and didn't account for how fragile it actually was. You were too embarrassed to say anything to your mom about it. You cannot look her in the eyes and tell her of your stupidity.
So now a corner of your screen was just a series of colorful vertical lines. You could still use it. You'd live. But still.
Your eyes skimmed through the pdf of your subject's book, comparing it to the notes you'd taken during your lecture earlier that day. You’ve been filling in the gaps in your notes for what felt like forever. Your eyes were dry. Painfully dry.
You blinked and winced at how rough it felt. Immediately, you scrambled for your eye drops, thankfully you remembered you had placed it in your pencil case. Small victories.
Just as you had finished placing the last drop on your eye, you heard a small sharp thud coming from your window.
Then another.
And another.
You probably should've been alarmed. Any normal person would be. But you already knew who was stupid enough to be throwing pebbles at your window late at night.
You carefully slid your window open, making sure it did not make any sound—your mom was a notoriously light sleeper.
With a stupid smile tugging at your lips, you looked down into your yard.
There he was. Your boyfriend. Wearing an equally stupid smile.
Leon S. Kennedy—your ridiculously sweet boyfriend—stood in your yard holding a paper bag in one hand and a cardboard drink carrier with two cups in the other. He had on a soft grey jacket over a navy t-shirt and black sweatpants. He looked comfortable. Cozy. Like he belonged in a warm room instead of lurking outside your window past midnight.
“It’s late, loverman,” You leaned forward, elbows on your windowsill. “What are you doing here?”
“Thought you were studying too hard, so I came bearing gifts.” Leon grinned up to you, stepping closer. He lifted the paper bag up and gave it a little shake. “Brought you a few slices of your favorite cake.”
“No way.” Disbelief in your voice—not that you didn't believe him, just that this whole situation was slightly absurd. Cake delivery at midnight? Crazy work.
“Way~.” The sass practically dripped off his tongue. His blue eyes—the same pair you love to stare at for hours on end—sparkled with mischief. “Unless…you don't want it?”
The nerve of this man. He leaned back slightly, hiding the bag and drinks behind him.
“Don't you dare!” You jolted forward, half whispering, half hissing so you wouldn't wake the entire house.
“Let me in already.” Leon grinned triumphantly. He really was a gremlin disguised in a puppy’s body. “It's chilly out here.”
You shook your head, your faux anger dissolving immediately. Gesturing for him to come up, you stepped back from the window.
He set the goods carefully on the sill before hoisting himself through. He used to stumble the first few times he did this, but after years of late-night practice it was practically second nature.
His feet landed softly on your floor—then a loud rustle of paper followed when he shifted a bit.
His feet lightly thumped on the floor but then a rustle of paper when he tried to take another step. On the floor of your room was a mess of papers, reviewers, transcripts, loose notes, highlighted and annotated to death. All carelessly strewn all over, covering a great deal of the space.
Leon nearly jumped before immediately apologising to the papers like they could hear him. He slipped off his shoes and tucked them into a rare free corner.
“Well,” He muttered, surveying the chaos, “this is a…unique welcome mat.”
“You're too energetic this late at night, Leon.” You snickered, sliding your hands into his and intertwining your fingers.
His hands were bigger than yours. Rough from officer training, Warm, though. Always warm. Like him.
“Okay, rude.” He straightened up, giving you the perfect opportunity to press a kiss on his soft cheek. He smiled at that—but then it faltered.
“…Hey.”
You blinked. “What?”
He leaned in slightly, brows drawing together as he got a proper look at you. His thumb shifted against your knuckles, almost unconsciously.
“Did you cry?”
Your brain stalled. “What? No.”
“Your eyes,” he said quietly. “They’re red. And kinda glossy.”
Oh.
Right.
You let out a small huff, half amused, half touched. “I just put eye drops in. I’ve been staring at my laptop for hours.”
His gaze flicked over to your desk, to the wounded corner of your screen with its permanent rainbow streaks, then back to you. His jaw tightened just a little.
“You scared me,” he admitted.
Suddenly your chest felt like it was hosting an intense beyblade match.
“You think I’d cry and not tell you?” You teased gently, trying to nudge the mood back up.
He didn’t immediately tease back.
“…I think you would,” he said after a second. Not accusing. Just honest.
You softened without meaning to.
“I’m okay,” you murmured, squeezing his hands. “Promise.”
“Okay,” he said quietly. Then, softer, “But if you’re not, you tell me. I don’t care how small it is.”
“Don't you worry, I will.” You couldn't help it—you grinned at him.
Leon couldn't help but stare at your twinkling eyes as you smiled. He always did so. Like he was mesmerised.
“Now then…what brings you here, kind sir?” You teased, your voice snapping him out of it.
“Oh—uh.” He shook his head lightly, smiling. “I figured you needed a study break.” His gaze drifted around your room again. “You've been holed up in here for days, it shows by the way.”
“Okay, rude,” you echoed his previous words and tone, slipping your hand out of his. “You can see yourself out if you're going to make fun of me.”
“After I came all this way and brought you food?” He grumbled, cheeks puffing out—how cute—as he grabbed the bag and drink carrier. “Unbelievable.”
“Drama queen.” You tried to stifle your laughter as you pivoted back to your chair.
“Well, excuse me for worrying about my significant other.” Leon grumbles once more as he tiptoes around the sea of papers. Trying his best not to crumple or step on your papers. He settled on the edge of your unmade bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. He placed the bag and drinks on your nightstand.
“Fine, fine,” you sighed dramatically, rolling your chair closer to him. “I thank thee for thy generous concern.”
He handed you a fork and the paper container with your promised cake.
“You don't even sound thankful," He said, shaking his head, pursing his lips as he did so.
You noticed a sheen on them.
This man is wearing lip-gloss.
Probably the one you gave him last week after he'd complained his lips were ‘criminally dry’. It was a ruse he just wanted a kiss from you but you naively gave him a tube of your gloss. You mentally pat yourself on the back. You did this world a service.
“I am, I swear!” You laughed, almost unable to continue your sentence. “I'm happy you're here.”
“That's right! You should be,” He huffed, but there was no real bite to it. “I got so worried for you when you've been dnd for a while. Thought you finally fused with your notes or something.”
He made himself comfortable on your bed like he belonged in its soft sheets—in a way he did—grabbing one of your pillows and tucking it onto his lap. His shoulders relaxed, like this room was safer than anywhere else.
“You need to take a break,” he added, softer this time.
“Right, right…I do.” You look down at your lap as you peeled open the container. Inside were mouth-watering slices of your favorite cake. The sight alone made a lopsided smile stretch across your face. It felt unfair how easily he could make you this happy.
“You’re the best, Leon.”
“Glad to be of service.” He beamed at that, actually beamed—shoulders straightening, eyes glimmering like you’d just knighted him or something.
You took a generous forkful of cake.
For a second, you nearly keeled over and died right there. Days of denying yourself anything remotely joyful had finally caught up to you. Sugar hits your system like a blessing.
You made a small noise. You didn’t even try to hide it.
“The hot coco might get cold. Here.” Leon leaned forward, handing you one of the cups.
Your fingers brushed when you took it.
It was still warm—thank God. The heat seeped into your palms, grounding you. It was a nice change from the plain water you’d been forcing yourself to drink lately. You were on some self-imposed caffeine cleanse.
Arguably the worst decision of your academic career.
So now you were just raw-dogging your study binge. No caffeine. No joy. Just vibes and academic anxiety.
Leon watched you take a sip, eyes soft in a way that made your chest feel tight.
Re4!leon x reader(mission buddy), angst, not proofread!
Synopsis ; leon spirals under the weight of old trauma from 1998 until you becomes the only thing grounding him.
You and Leon have been ordered to escort Ashley Grahams - the daughter of the president from an abandoned island in spain.
It was going factually smooth, encountering the villagers infected with Los Plagos, as you both went out of your way to find the keys and essential parts to enter the church where Baby Eagle(codename for Ashley) is said to be taken hostage.
Leon trained rigorously after the events of racoon city, the incident alone leaving a deep scar in his mind, which mentally took away his peace. He had not expected to encounter yet another so called 'parasitic infection' again and seeing it being there shook him from the inside, almost as if the rookie inside him was revived again - but he managed to fought through.
Later on in the afternoon of the mission, you guys were exploring the lakes around to gather the stuff which was essential, his calm demeanour maintained but something radiated his sense of disappointment, fragility, rawness - all quietly unraveling.
One of the infected villagers attacked him, attacked him too close to almost dying but you jumped in enough on time to save him, you took out rest of them as he lied there injured, you finally came up to him finding him leaning on the rock, bleeding as his face was shuddered in fear, his eyes went blank, like the trauma of that night returned all at once, with nothing but tears forming through but not actually falling. Seeing him like this you shook him roughly on the shoulders panting
"Leon? Leon??.. Leon!?" You panted.
Being clapped back to reality leon holds onto your arm ruffling a low shriek and he looked around trying to take in what happened, and your voice folllowing through him - muffled ; "Are you okay? Leon? Look at me?" You didnt stop shaking him, till finally his grip on your arm hardened as he managed to spill out a rough "Yeah, I am okay".
You helped him with the aid, him getting up saying a "Thank you, Y/n."
You laughed it off with a - "no worries." The look in his eyes told a story far worse than the one you’d been given. You knew it had been a bad day in September 1998, just not the kind that leaves someone looking haunted.
You followed up the line just incase he needs that containment "We are going to get through this okay, you and me?"
He laughed weakly, more exhausted than amused. “You make it sound so easy.” His voice softened after a pause. “But I think we will do this." You followed up again "what?! You are Leon Ass Kennedy! You will get this through." You said reloading your gun enthusiastically and he chuckled softly leading to what you guys require next.
Time skip; Evening where you guys decided to rest your asses off.
Leon was catching a quick nap as you gaurded the place, strolling back and forth keeping eye for any danger. You sat at some open cave near the lake and you finally sat down, looking out, taking in yourself of how much of a bizzare day you had been taking in, you were just rubbing your eyes till you heard him panick in his sleep muttering words like "Lieut--...enant Marv..Marv--in Brana---gh..---no--" he visibly struggled to breathe as you quickly ran upto him, your hands wandering around his shoulders not sure what to do, in a panick you tried to wake him, and again shaking his shoulders. His reaction was immediate - his hands gripping your arms as if he had mistaken his half awake instincts for danger, him quickly taking you down as you screamed "LEON!?" you huffed as his eyes shot open, his blood vessels almost about to pop, tears in his eyes as he scanned the situation realising what he had done, he quickly gets off and tries to run away, kept turning away, trying to conceal tears that were falling and you followed behind him muttering "leon..? Leon? What? Are you..?" As you finally grasp his arm and pin him down to sit, you kneeling while doing so as you finally saw his tears, your expression changed to concern and you relived his arm from your hands to rest on his shoulder, you asked "Leon, what is going on?"
He looked at you with his tear filled eyes..
"Have I ever told you that.. September 1998 wasnt a particulary good year for me?"
"Yeah." You replied.
"It wasn't just bad Y/n, it left me scarred for life."
You quietly sat beside him, softly held his hand as he spoke.
"September 30th, 1998. It's a day I'll never forget. The cop inside me died that day. And that night, Raccoon City was wiped out, thanks to the bioweapons created by Umbrella. Somehow, I made it out. But too many others...weren't so lucky. I was "asked" later to join a top-secret government program in which we are in of today time. Its not that I had a choice, and neither you and you know the training, the punishing missions...nearly killed me, but at least they kept my mind off everything. If I could just forget what happened that night - the pain, even for a second? ITS killing me, and the memories are tracing back y/n.. I am hallucinating stuff.. its.. getting to me.." he said sorrowful.
His words hit close to home for you as well, you worked as a newbie alongside Jill Valentine(though you and her were separted) and had seen the outcomes of racoon city and you could definitely correlate to him on higher levels, your eyes teared up, instantly hugging him - it was almost done involuntarily by you.
"Its going to be.. fine. We will get through this."
He said resting his hand on your back..
"I am afraid.. these mission can kill us and I cant risk you--" his voice breaking and you find your way to cup his face.
"Me and you, Leon? We will do this, I was trained alongside to you, dont you trust me?" You spoke staring deep into his eyes, his eyes fluctuated around your whole face. He hugged you tightly crying quietly in your embrace "yeah..- fucking hell we will."
He broke the hug, and later you both find yourself sitting alongside looking at the lake for a minute till you broke the silence "Leon.. whatever you went through that night, you are still you. Dont ever give up..not on me...not today. This time, it has to be different." You said calmly.
He took in the depth of your words, finding himself calming down as it was you which kept him grounded.
He scooted closer to you as you were about to turn to ask him about the ammunition, you didnt realise his face was so close that your lips brushed softly against his. After a second of silence he didnt hesitate to pull you from your waist into a deep kiss, his lips softly melted into yours and you kissed him back with some passion, you arched against his body flushing closer as you broke the kiss and spoke -
"Alright leon...- got some baby eagle saving to do." You said chuckling, to which he replied in a panting laugh - "oh her- yes! I almost forgot.. and by the way I did so because, I didnt expect you to be such a good kisser!" He teased releasing you from his arms as you guys conquered the mission and saved Ashley.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
👹👹👹👹👹👹 A/n : LEON IS A CRYBABY TO YOU SUCK IT UP. HE NEEDS TO BE BABIED IM TIRED OF SEEING HIM WRITTEN AS TOUGHH LORDDD I LOVE HIM:(((
When Leon offers to teach you how to shoot, you expect a lesson in marksmanship—not butterflies, blushing, and flirty banter that leaves him more rattled than a T-Virus outbreak. In the middle of a quiet training session, tension simmers and laughter sparks, turning a simple field test into something much more intimate. And maybe, just maybe, you’re a little more dangerous to Leon Kennedy’s heart than any mission ever was.
The gun was heavier than you expected. It wasn’t like in the movies—where characters held them with easy confidence and fired without hesitation. No, this was real. Cold, solid, dangerous. The metal pressed into your palms, unyielding, making your fingers ache with the unfamiliar weight. You shifted your grip, heart racing, just as Leon’s voice broke through the stillness.
"Finger off the trigger until you're ready," Leon said gently, stepping behind you. His tone was patient, like he’d said this a hundred times, but there was something softer in the way he spoke to you. His hand hovered just above your shoulder, guiding without touching—always respectful, always careful. Yet his closeness wrapped around you like armor. You could feel the weight of his presence like a second skin. Protective. Comforting.
You glanced back at him, lips twitching upward. "Like this?"
The gravel beneath your boots crunched as you adjusted your stance. The summer air buzzed with cicadas and the faint smell of gunpowder. You were somewhere remote, quiet—one of Leon’s off-the-grid training spots. The kind only someone like him would know about. The world felt distant here, like you had slipped into a secret pocket of time.
He stepped in closer, and this time, his hands met yours. Warm, steady, grounding. Your fingers curled a little tighter around the grip as he guided you from behind, gently shifting your aim.
"You're doing great," he murmured, voice low and gravelly by your ear. "Try aiming a little lower. Just a hair. There—perfect. Now breathe in... hold it... and squeeze."
The shot rang out. You flinched slightly at the sound, but kept your posture. The target—an empty soda can balanced on a stump—spun off into the grass.
"Bullseye!" you gasped, bursting into a wide grin as you lowered the gun. Excitement rushed through you like a thrill you hadn’t expected. Your chest swelled with pride. "Leon, that was amazing! You're such a good teacher. Seriously. I actually hit something!"
He blinked. Once. Twice. Then looked away, a deep flush creeping up from beneath his collar. "I—uh... thanks. Just... just doing my job."
"You're cute when you get all flustered," you said sweetly, tilting your head. You bit back a playful grin, watching his expression twitch like he was fighting the urge to smile.
He groaned softly, running a hand through his hair, his usual composure crumbling. "Don't say stuff like that when I'm trying to be professional."
You nudged him with your elbow. "Too late. You brought me out here to train, remember? You can’t expect me not to notice how hot you look holding a gun. All serious. All protective."
Leon’s ears turned red. His fingers flexed at his sides like he was grounding himself. "Lesson’s over. We’re going home."
You gasped dramatically, stepping in front of him. "Nooo! I was just getting good at this! I want to shoot at least two more cans!"
He sighed like a man who knew he’d already lost the argument. His shoulders dropped, but the smile pulling at his lips betrayed him. He looked at you—really looked—and you could see the fondness hiding behind his eyes. Like you were more than a trainee. More than a distraction.
He reached for your hand, his fingers brushing yours so lightly it felt like a secret shared in silence. "Fine. One more round. But if you flirt again, I’m calling it."
You smirked, loading another round. "So… what happens if I shoot better than you next time?"
He raised an eyebrow, that confident edge slipping back into place. "Then you get to teach me. And I promise I’ll be a very flustered student."
"Oh, I’ll hold you to that," you replied, cocking the gun with mock seriousness. You added a playful wink. "Now step back, Agent Kennedy. Let the rookie show you how it’s done."
Leon chuckled under his breath, watching you take aim. And maybe—just maybe—he let you win the next round. Because when you turned around, grinning like you’d just conquered the world, his heart did something stupid. That blush? It only deepened. And for a moment, in that quiet field, all he could think was this: you were dangerous—but in the most beautiful way possible.
Leon is so special to me, and I just really wanted to share this sweet morning scene with all of you. I hope my love for him comes across in the story. Thank you so much for reading!
My beautiful lover has this ethereal quality, like the lingering echo of a perfect dream. The happier the dream, the deeper the despair when you finally wake up; it’s just so fleeting. Like a dream itself. What I’m trying to say is, I can’t shake the feeling that she might disappear at any second.
“Leon…”
Her sleepy, slightly slurred voice pulls me in like a magnet. I look down at her on the bed, and those drowsy eyes finally catch mine.
“Something wrong?” I ask. “No… just because.” “Just because?” “Yeah.”
I slowly take her hand and press a kiss to the back of it.
“Mmm, sweet.” “Hehe… maybe because I eat too many sweets?” “Maybe. You’re sweet and delicious no matter where I taste.”
I slowly hover over her, our lips meeting. Sweet. I love her. Those are the only feelings overflowing within me.
“I’m hungry.” “Mmm… then let’s have breakfast.” “No, I’d rather have something even tastier than that.” “…Are you saying my cooking isn't good?”
She knits her brows, looking suspicious.
“No, that’s not what I meant.” “Mean Leon. Fine, I’m not cooking for you anymore.” “Hey, that’s a problem.”
Her cooking is the best in the world. Without it, I don’t think I could eat anything else.
“I really didn’t mean it that way. What I want to eat is you…”
The moment the words leave my mouth, she gives me a long, judgmental stare.
“Pervert.” “Don’t be like that… I love you, I can’t help it, can I?”
I whisper softly into her ear, and her body gives a tiny shiver in response.
“The reason you’re sweet all over is because I love you.” “…Maybe it’s just the candy?” “That’s a lovely thought, but without my sugar, you wouldn't be this sweet, would you?” “…Maybe so.” “Then we’re in agreement.”
I pull her sweet body close, kissing her arms, her neck, her eyelids… anywhere my eyes land.
“Leon’s favorite candy… might be a luxury item, you know?” “Oh? Then how many months of my salary are we talking?” “A lifetime’s worth.”
She answers instantly and giggles. It seems I’ve truly met my match.
“Story of my life…”
And with that, I kiss her lips.
♡ Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts. ♡
This is my first time posting an SS on Tumblr, so I’m a bit nervous! 🫣✨I’m a Japanese fan of Leon, and I used a translation tool to bring this story to you in English. I apologize if some of the phrasing feels a bit awkward or strange... I’m still learning! 💦
Hey, so I started thinking of the age gaps the way you thought of them and possible implications and then started thinking: what if when Leon was still relatively young and either a squire accompanying knights or a fresh new knight himself, it’s only been a handful of years since Balinor fled, and Uther is still occasionally sending out hunting parties for him. I just imagined them coming through Ealdor, and Leon is a good knight, a loyal one, but he was also young once, so I started to think of different scenarios: what would happen should he come across little baby/toddler Merlin who just so happened to have magic, Leon potentially sparing him; or they discover someone else with magic and Merlin witnessing that killing blow; or or or, maximum angst— Merlin’s always been immortal and this is the first time it’s proven only to himself because Leon does discover him, and he is a knight that fights for king and country… (and there’s so much guilt, but what else can he do, he needs to extinguish the evil in this land). How does this affect Merlin, his fear of Camelot’s knights, his fear of Leon— does Leon recognize him but doubts himself, starts protecting him when he finds out in an effort to make up for it, is he weirdly subconsciously suspicious of him etc…. sorry was just thinking of your estimated ages, with Leon being maybe max 20 years older and if we lower that a bit, well my head started spinning with possibilities cause I love Merlin & Leon, as friends or more, but sometimes I love angst a little bit more
Ok. Uh.
I'm in love with you. I'm in love with you so hard.
I think this might have to be a two version fic:
1) I LOVE the idea of Leon recognising Merlin when they meet again (like 11/12 years ish later) but Merlin having little to no memory of squire!Leon rescuing him, and taking him back to Ealdor after he got lost in the woods.
So, version one is happy!! Little Merlin is lost in the woods, at like... five or six?? Leon is a squire, maybe sixteen, invited along on one of the now rare Balinor hunts that clandestinely cross the Essetirian border. No one else cares about this kid, they just want to leave him where they found him, but he’s crying and obviously sick and won’t survive what looks like another night in the forest. The captain of the patrol takes pity though and allows Leon (who’d been the only one standing up for this kid) to take a horse and a couple days’ of supplies to take him to the closest village, which is at least a day away. So Leon takes little Merlin, learns his name, learns where he’s from (thank God, because he recognises the name from the maps he’d sneakily looked at, and he’s fairly sure that’s the one he’s heading to), and at night, Merlin has a nightmare, as lost and scared and hungry kids do, and does magic in his sleep. Leon freaks, but calms him down and tells him to be careful and looks after him and learns that one can be born with magic, and becomes a good guy in terms of magic, though secretly. Hunith and Merlin reunite, and Leon makes a low comment about keeping an eye on him, and making sure he’s grows up knowing the importance of secrets, before riding off to find his patrol again.
Fast forward twelve or so years, Merlin has basically no recollection of this, because he was sick and young and terrified and sort of traumatised by it, though his mum did tell him it happened (that he got lost, and a stranger bought him home after a few days. He always sort of thought it was made up though, to scare him into not wondering off/showing strangers his magic) but Leon recognises this teen’s name. Weird, but not too weird. Then the name of the village he’s from. Hmm. Then the name of his mother, when it eventually comes up. That, on top of the dark hair and blue eyes and the timing... Leon goes Oh Shit. When the magic reveal happens, he’s the first to jump to Merlin’s defence and is all “I thought I told you to get better at keeping secrets, kid” and Merlin is all ??? But other shit is happening right now so whatever. Later, Leon is all “You really don’t recognise me, do you?” and reveals all. They becomes bestie-brothers. Cuteness.
2) I ALSO love the idea of it being the opposite. Leon’s patrol coming across Merlin, seeing him do magic, and killing him, with LOTS of angst, and Leon not recognising Merlin, but Merlin recognising, and being terrified of, Leon.
So say after the Now Rare Balinor Hunting Patrol actually sees five or six year old Merlin do magic, Leon is forced, as the squire who needs to get his hands dirty to know what it’s like being a knight, to hold the child down as someone else kills him. Little Merlin is crying and screaming and throwing little golden sparks everywhere, but he’s weak and scared and it doesn’t do any damage (except maybe giving Leon a tiny weeny burn scar on his cheek?? Looks more like a blemish scar than a burn sort of thing?? Oh for sure. Leon subconsciously rubs at it whenever magic is discussed, and Merlin recognises the scar almost before he recognises the man himself) so he dies. Leon like... has to excuse himself to go cry in the woods, and he almost quits training then and there, screw his parents’ expectations, but the older knights are on a spectrum between “I know the first is always difficult, but these creatures are evil and they deserve it” to just straight up laughing at him, and he sticks it out. At first, he tries to convince himself that that little kid deserved it, that he even deserved to just be left in the woods, not burned, not buried, not anything. But he just... can’t. So as he gets stronger and more politically powerful, as a knight and as a Noble, the more secretly pro magic shit he does (sorta like Smuggling Ring but less extreme). He’s literally haunted by what happened to that kid, about what he did to that kid.
BUT THEN!!! Merlin comes to Camelot!! And Leon doesn’t recognise him, because of course he doesn’t, he doesn’t even twig, because in this version he has no clue what the kid’s name was, or where he was from (though he remembers painfully what he looked like, in his last moments). Plus, as far as he’s concerned, that kid is long dead and never coming back. But Merlin recognises him. And it’s just this... deeply ingrained fear response, even if his mind can shallowly recognise that the knight never looks happy when people call magic evil. He can’t be in the same room as him without getting short of breath, he can’t make eye contact without his irises going gold and his hands sparking a little. And it’s fine in the beginning because they have nothing really to do with each other, but later, when the gang more officially forms, it becomes a lot more obvious. Leon corners him one day and Merlin is scared shitless, and failing miserably to hide it. Leon demands to know what the hell is up, and eventually Merlin sort of tells the truth, sort of lies, saying “I saw you. When I was a kid, I saw you killing that boy, in the woods. Just because of his magic. And everyone laughed as it happened. He... was my friend, and I saw what you did. Don’t ask me not to be terrified of you.”
Leon drags him back to his chambers and shuts the door and Merlin is terrified and can’t seem to summon his magic, and Leon just sits on the bed and like... cries. Because he’s seen some shit. He’s battled the dragon, he’s lost countless friends, been injured and almost died so many times, had parents that never showed him the time of day, let alone pride, or love, or protection. And still, he explains, that was the single worst day of his life, and he has never forgiven himself for not demanding that he was killed alongside that boy. He explains all that he’s done, to protect magic users, to protect Druids, to persuade his friends and colleagues and other knights that perhaps magic isn’t that bad, but he’s never thought it was enough, and he still has nightmares almost every night about the look on that child’s face as he’d held him down, as he’d screamed and cried and bled out. And Merlin just loses it. He’s trying so hard to be angry, but ultimately he’s just so godamn traumatised, and so damned scared, and so damn empathetic, that he can’t help but feel sorry for Leon too, even though he’ll never fully forgive him, and will always be a little nervous of him (he can’t stand when Leon touches his shoulders/wrists or is physically above him, Merlin can’t sit down with Leon stood up next to him, etc). He tells the truth, that he was the boy, that that was the day he’d discovered he was immortal. It’s totes emotional and they both sob.
They start getting on a lot better, Leon is protective of Merlin to the EXTREME, and starts, in private at least, calling Merlin Miracle. Because he’s the boy that came back to life, and though Leon sort of... hates that he was lucky enough to get the second chance (because regardless of whether the kid would wake up again, he thought he was killing him. He did kill him. He doesn’t deserve a second chance, not for this), he’s also grateful beyond words that he gets to explain to his Miracle Boy how sorry he is, how much he’s trying to repent.
ANYWAY it’s totes angst, and will be very gory.
I am adding these to The List, and I’m so so so excited :D
This is literally incredible. I really need to think more about “earlier meeting AUs” with the knights because it’s always just fun. Maybe I’ll write a crack fic where all the knights (Leon, Elyan, Percival, Lancelot, Gwaine) have somehow met each other all before, individually. It’s the Spiderman meme but to the extreme lol :P
Warnings: fluff, dad!Leon, soft Leon, breastfeeding, established relationship, slice of life
Summary: You, Leon and your two kids are having a chill day at the pool. Based on this request.
Also shout out to whoever is responsible for the mod of Leon with his hair slicked back. We all owe you one.
Can be read on its own or as a spin-off to my Daddy!Leon multi-chapter series Cooperative Parenting (completed).
Masterlist
word count: 2.5k
“What do you want?” Leon asked, making sure Ollie stayed close by. At eighteen months your son wasn’t as much of a menace as his older sister, but he did have a tendency to run off whenever you turned your back to him for more than three seconds.
“Iced coffee,” you said. “Thank you, babe.”
Leon bent down to press a kiss to your lips.
“Come on, Ollie, let’s get Mama her coffee.” He stretched out his hand for Ollie to take. Ollie nodded.
“Coff,” he babbled and you smiled.
“He really is your son,” Leon chuckled and you watched him walk off, Ollie stopping every few steps to point at some kind of plant he saw and absolutely had make sure his dad noticed too.
You relaxed into your lounge chair, soaking up the sun. Lottie, your oldest, was playing in the water. You checked on her to make sure she was okay, but she was completely lost in her make-believe mermaid world. Aside from ballet, water really was her element. She was a fantastic swimmer, especially for her age.
You let out a content breath. Family time like this was sacred.
You were getting a suspicious amount of it recently which made you think that Leon had been playing the family card a lot more often. They seemed to be going easy on him, too. Probably because he had been called into active duty right before you had gone into labour with Ollie, resulting in Leon missing the birth of his son. And your fiancé was not happy about that, no doubt making that clear any chance he got.
You heard your daughter splutter and snort as she came up, paddling toward you. She wiped her hair out of her face, sporting mirrored swimming goggles.
“Mom,” she said, out of breath.
“What is it, honey?”
“Do you want to play mermaids?”
You smiled. “Hell, yeah I wanna play mermaids,” you said, already pushing out of your lounge chair and lowered yourself into the pool.
Lottie beamed up at you, hair clinging to her face. “Okay, so I have a tail that glows in the dark. I use it to explore hidden caves sometimes. And I’m the illegitimate child of the mermaid king. So I’m a princess, but I don’t know that yet.”
You nodded. “Okay, my tail is covered in sparkles and I live in one of the caves, because I’m the real queen of the mermaid kingdom. The current king is nothing but a usurper to my throne.”
Lottie clapped her hands together. “And you have magic powers and together we will overthrow the king! Yes, mom, let’s go!” She took a deep breath and dipped below the surface.
You chuckled, looking for Leon and Ollie one last time, finding them not even halfway to the coffee cart yet.
You bit your lip. Leon looked so hot today. His wet hair was messily slicked back and his handsome face was on show, prominent cheekbones and all. You were at the pool, so he was shirtless of course: muscles rippling under smooth skin, abs for days, and Jesus Christ, his arms.
Your fiancé was the sexiest man alive.
You were absolutely climbing him like a tree as soon as Lottie and Ollie were put to bed later tonight. They would be out cold too, after getting all their energy out at the pool all day. With both your kids deep in slumber, you would absolutely rock Leon’s world. You couldn't wait.
Ollie chased after a butterfly and stumbled, falling right into a group of young women drinking spritzes, landing on his butt. He looked up at his surroundings, disoriented.
Leon ran after him, apologising profusely to the women, but it seemed like none of them minded. In fact, they also seemed to think your fiancé was the sexiest man alive. And with a cute son like that in tow? That he was actively taking care of? You could hear the ovaries exploding from here.
One of the women leaned in a little closer as they spoke, puffing out her chest. Leon smiled politely, saying something you couldn’t understand and crouched down next to Ollie, waiting for him to push himself back up.
Your son intently watched all the people staring at him, whipped around, almost falling over again if Leon hadn't stabilised him and pointed at you in the pool.
“Mama,” he exclaimed and a smile spread across your entire face. You waved at him. He beamed at you and waved back, Leon pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek, looking at you with so much love, you thought your heart might explode.
Good to know Leon and you both had the same plans for later tonight.
The whole group of women looked a little disappointed and you sank into the water. You had a usurper to overthrow with your oldest after all.
After the legitimate ruler of the mermaids was back on the throne, you patiently waited for your coffee to be delivered by your two favourite boys.
Ollie threw a bit of a fit, insisting on being the one who carried your iced coffee to you. Leon managed to convince him that the adult should carry it for most of the way, and let Ollie carry it for the last few yards.
“Both hands,” Leon instructed, making sure the plastic cup was secure in your toddler’s hands. Ollie nodded.
“I do it,” he said.
Leon made sure the plastic lid was put on properly too. “Go for it. Mommy’s over there.”
A small wrinkle formed between Ollie’s brows as he tried to balance the beverage and his own steps, having a hard time coordinating. You sat on the edge of the lounge chair, arms open.
“Good job, baby,” you cooed.
Ollie smiled at you, getting a little too excited and tilted the cup. While the lid was secure, it wasn’t waterproof, so a little bit of coffee spilled out. Ollie froze, looking at his hands covered in the dark liquid, then at the minuscule coffee puddle on the ground.
“It’s okay, Ollie,” Leon encouraged him. “No big deal. Mommy is right there, look.”
Ollie’s chin quivered and he looked between you and his father, horror in his eyes.
“Keep going, baby. You’re doing so well,” you said, offering him a smile.
Ollie took another tentative step, then let out a small whimper and threw the entire cup on the floor, running back to Leon, wrapping his arms around his knee, hiding his face in his thigh.
Leon chuckled, his arms coming down to pat his son’s head. “Oh, buddy. Did you panic?”
Ollie nodded, his face crumpling.
You squeezed your eyes shut, chuckling at all this cuteness, while you threw a towel on the mess on the tile floor, mopping up at least the majority of the coffee.
“It’s okay, we can try again.” Leon reached down to pick him up, but Ollie was clamped around his leg, not letting go. “Come on, Ollie.” Leon pried him from his knee, your son thrashing in his grasp, crying for his mama.
“Come here, baby,” you murmured, hoisting him up on your hip.
Ollie hiccupped, burying his head in your neck and you pressed a kiss to his soft curls.
If Lottie was fixated on Leon, Ollie was fixated on you. Big time. You weren’t sure why. Sometimes you thought it maybe had something to do with you being the only parent around for the first two weeks of his life, while Leon was under medical surveillance following his latest mission at the time.
So you didn't blame your son for being a little clingy.
“I’ll get you a new one,” Leon said, running a hand over the back of his son’s head and you nodded.
“Thank you, babe,” you murmured, carrying your son over to your lounge chair, sinking down on it, gently cradling him to your chest.
Ollie pulled at your bikini top and you sat up a little straighter, slipped it off on one side and latched him on.
You were about to get a lot of dirty looks, you were sure. Not only for breastfeeding in public, but also because to most people, Ollie was a little too old to be breastfed in the first place. Everybody and their mother had an opinion on it. And all of them thought your existence was an open invitation to share that opinion.
If this were your first baby and you were still twenty-one, this would make you question yourself. But with Ollie being your second, you felt a lot more secure in your decisions and firmly settled into motherhood. You were going to do whatever was best and felt right for you and your baby.
Lottie had weaned off on her own pretty early. Ollie had a harder time with it. He needed his momma a lot more still. Being close to you and being breastfed also helped him regulate his emotions, like now. You had no problem with it. He’d wean off when he was ready, there was no rush.
Being a mom of two also came with a lot more confidence and trust in the process.
Besides, he was only eighteen months. It wasn’t like you were nursing a thirteen year old. This was still very normal.
Deep down, you really enjoyed spending this extra one-on-one time with him. Some day, he would flinch when you so much as hugged him, so you cherished moments like these while he still wanted to share them with you.
You brushed his curls out of his face, watching him as he calmed down.
Someone cleared their throat right next to you. “Excuse me.”
Your head shot up to the middle aged woman standing by your lounge chair.
You offered her a smile. “Oh, hi.”
She stepped a little closer. “Honey, would you mind covering up?”
You sighed. “Why?”
“This is a little inappropriate, don’t you think? There’s kids around.”
You shrugged. “So, everybody can walk around with little to no clothing covering their chest because we’re at the pool, but me breastfeeding my child is a problem?”
She shifted her weight, pushing her arms into her hips, clearly a little uncomfortable with you not apologising for doing what boobs were supposed to do since the beginning of time.
“It’s not a problem per se, but could you not go to the bathroom to nurse him?”
You blinked up at her, lifting a hand to block out the sun. “Do you go to the bathroom to eat?”
She pressed her lips together. “People are staring.”
“I have no problem with that. Why do you have a problem with that on my behalf?”
She leaned in closer. “Because he’s too old for this. If he were a newborn, okay. But he’s what? Almost two?”
“Eighteen months,” you replied. “A perfectly normal age to be breastfed still, according to pediatricians and international health organisations.” You turned away, for you, this conversation was over. But not for her.
“You know, most mothers use a nursing cover.”
You turned back to her. “I’m sorry but this is really none of your business. And a nursing cover? Even if I did care about being ‘decent’, it’s 95 degrees out. I’m not covering myself or my son with unnecessary fabric.”
“Listen here you—”
Lottie emerged from the water with full force, splashing a few droplets on the woman standing in front of you. She yelped, scandalised.
Lottie didn’t care. She slipped off her swimming goggles, running over to you for a water break.
“Who are you?” she asked, between sips, looking at the woman, whose eyebrows shot up at your daughter asking her a question.
Normally you would tell Lottie it was a little rude to ask like that, but in this case, you couldn’t care less.
“So you’re okay with your other children seeing you like this too?”
You rolled your eyes. “Oh my god,” you murmured. “They are my children, they literally came out of me, what is your problem? This isn’t the 1950s. Please leave.”
As if you had planned it like that, Lottie cuddled up to your and Ollie’s side, also not caring one bit about you only wearing half of your bikini top.
There was no way of having all that much privacy with young kids around anyway. You counted yourself lucky if you were allowed a bathroom break by yourself without either one of your children following you.
You also hadn't grown up any other way. So being ashamed of nudity in front of the people you literally carried inside of you for nine months and birthed was a concept you had never been able to get behind.
An iced coffee appeared on the table beside your lounge chair.
“Thank you, baby,” you said, looking over your shoulder at Leon.
“I got you fries, too,” he said, placing them on the table as well, already extending his arms to pick up Ollie. “Let me take him so you can eat.”
Your son had fallen asleep and you let Leon take him from your arms, slipping your bikini top back on.
“Are you the father?” The woman asked, still watching you.
“You know what, we’re actually not sure. But I was the only one who stuck around,” Leon said, holding Ollie to his chest, shrugging.
The woman didn’t know what to say. You smiled at her. “He has his nipples out too. Do you not want to tell him how inappropriate that is?”
The lady huffed, stalking off, shaking her head, positively fuming.
“Did you hear that?” you asked, taking a sip from your iced coffee, your other hand caressing your daughter’s head, her cool, wet body a welcome refreshment in this heat. Especially after having a toddler cuddled up to you like your own personal furnace.
Leon nodded. “I did.”
You blew out a heavy breath, shaking your head. “Everybody says they love mothers, but in reality they absolutely despise us.”
Your fiancé sighed, pointing his chin over to the group of women from before, who were ogling him with Ollie again, whispering amongst themselves. “And they love fathers.”
You smirked. “Thanks for being the one who stuck around.”
He chuckled, carefully placing Ollie down on the other lounge chair, pushing him further into the shade, wetting a baby sun hat and draping it over his son’s head.
Lottie’s head shot up. “Dad, do you want to play mermaids? You can be the king that has been usurping mom’s throne. She’s the rightful queen. And obviously I want her to rule the kingdom because she’s kind and just, but I am your illegitimate daughter, so I’m conflicted,” she caught her dad up on what had previously happened on the Real Mermaids of Poolside City. “My tail glows in the dark.”
Leon whipped around. “Hell yeah, I wanna play mermaids. Where are the swimming goggles?”
Lottie jumped up from the lounge chair, diving head first back into the pool, flowing through the water as elegantly as a dolphin.
You grabbed a couple of fries, watching Leon get into the pool after her, squinting at the sun.
It was really strange to know that the same man who would play mermaids with your daughter, was also able to kill someone with his bare hands. It was like there were two different Leons and somehow the one coming back home to you was always the softer one.
