the primary reason i love dair is the vulnerability they have with each other, underneath all that verbal sparring. they deeply respect each other on an emotional and intellectual level.
dan and blair weren't in love with the ideal versions of each other, but got to know each other over time. dan saw blair for her positive qualities and inspired her to rise above her bully tendencies. blair saw dan's imposter syndrome and inspired him to chase after his dreams as a writer whether or not he believes he's capable of it, because she believed in him.
out of all of the ships on gossip girl, they truly were the best and not to mention the healthiest. i'm bitter over the way s5 handled their breakup and how s6 ended.
dan always knows when blair is upset and listens to her (1x4 [he goes to find her when she's clearly upset on his own], 2x8, 3x18, 4x12 ["what's wrong? It's not the coat checker"], 4x15 [he held her hand])
blair went to dan for comfort (4x16 [when her life is falling apart, she went to dan for comfort], 5x1, 5x2 ["what if i lose everything?" "you'll still have me"]), 5x11 ["it can wait after you find the right dress", plus blair trusted him with a huge secret])
blair comforts dan (5x22)
blair takes dan's advice (1x4, 2x8)
blair likes to tease him and he always laughs (1x4 ["you can't wear those shoes or that hair"], 1x9 [blair remembers cedric], 4x11 [dan's slow driving, "just follow my lead, humphrey. you're used to doing that" and dan's smile], 4x12 [she makes fun of his tie and he calls her a "dictator of taste" which she likes. her smile when he tells that the movie's pretty funny "even you can't kill that much comedy"], 4x17 ["you getting traded for a hotel?" "or you raising georgina's baby by a russian mobster"], 5x14 [his hair], 5x20)
dan always smiles when he finds blair cute [5x12, 5x14, 5x18]
blair thinks dan is charming and wonderful (5x15, 5x18 [dan took her out of her comfort zone by taking her to a bar in brooklyn])
they understand each other's struggles (1x3 & 1x4 [they both struggle with being abandoned by a parental figure], 2x3 & 2x4 [serena problems], they both had to work hard to get career opportunities (4x13), having their exes move on in front of them (4x15)]
blair and dan always knows when the other one is lying (1x16, 5x19, 5x23)
dan believed blair deserved more than to be disrespected by chuck (2x8, 3x22, 4x18 ["with you she was always caught up in schemes and take downs but that's not really her"])
blair and dan team up (1x18, 3x21 [though this was more a group thing, they did share some witty banter], 4x10, 4x11 [i love how they can logically deconstruct things, they think in a similar way so they can follow each other's train of thought], 4x19]
dan and blair defend each other (2x5 ["[dan humphrey] is something you'll never be, a human being"] & 2x8 [he defended her to other people: "she's not that bad"], 4x12, 4x18 ["dan humphrey may not be royalty but at least he's not a child"])
dan always helped blair without asking for something in return (4x16 [he wrote her blog post for her, knowing how stressed out she is], 5x12 [he looked out for her when she got arrested], 5x13 & 5x14 [blair called for a getaway driver])
blair protected dan from chuck (5x16 [told him to stop punishing dan])
dan brings out the best out of blair (4x11 [helping dan with the dishes], 4x13 ["...i stupidly thought this fake friendship might be real" she chose not to sabotage him despite her instincts], 4x16 ["as a friend and peer, not an underling"], 4x17 [blair was noticeably happier after talking with dan], 5x3 ["i turned to you...because i knew you were the only one to protect me from my worst instincts."], 5x14 [blair goes to find him, to apologize for taking advantage of him], 5x16 ["it's you. you couldn't be awful."], 5x18 [cleaning up breakfast at the humphreys])
dan and blair encourage each other to pursue their passions (4x11 [blair told him to keep writing], 4x13 [dan gave up the internship], 4x15 [blair gave dan's article to a junior editor])
they have similar taste in films and they like watching them together (4x11 & 4x12 & 4x13 [nenette & monsieur hulot's holiday]), 4x15 [i find it cute that they wanted to watch rosemary's baby together], 4x16 [they fall asleep watching 'philadelphia story' together], 5x15)
their dates (5x19 ["i just want to spend time with you"])
they're intellectuals at heart and like to debate with each other (4x13, 4x15, 4x17 [his smirk when he tells her to read the new yorker article], 4x19 ["dan and i have a real connection"], 5x2, 5x18, 5x20)
the show glossed over the fact that blair had a serious eating disorder in later seasons. so i find it sweet that dan always makes sure that she eats (4x13, 4x16 [he came to ask her to lunch and he invites her to stay when he's about to order pizza, letting her pick the flavor], 5x2 [he was worried that her e.d. came back])
the corridor scene is iconic. one of my favorite moments in the series. (1x4)
the phone call conversation is so iconic (4x15)
"it was nice not being friends with you" (4x17)
"like a princess kissing a labrador" "i appreciate you not calling me a toad" (4x18)
they both wanted the best for each other: "blair, your prince is out there waiting for you. it might not be me or chuck, but he's out there." "your princess is too. if you're ready for her." (4x18)
dan has always respected blair and didn't force his feelings on her when she didn't reciprocate. he wished her happiness and the best even though he loved her. he loved her enough to let her go (4x18, 4x22)
dan wrote louis's wedding vows to blair, which blair describes as like he "understands her" and "beautiful" (5x12 & 5x14).
dan and blair communicate with each other (5x17 [dan came clean about the wedding video and she forgave him], 5x19 [blair came clean about why she wasn't ready to sign the divorce papers and dan understood], 5x20 [dan wants a balance between upper east/brooklyn], 5x22, 5x23 [about rome])
dan bought a tiara for her so she could feel like a princess (5x19) and he was happy to see her smile
"I told chuck he doesn't have my heart anymore. i realized it belonged to someone else" (5x17)
Character development aside, the parallels were right there.
Blair often embodies Audrey Hepburn characters in her dreams. What better parallel to have than Blair, the queen bee of the upper east side, falling in love with commoner "lonely boy" writer, Dan Humphrey. It could've been Roman Holiday 2.0.
S5 Blair and Dan both got what they wanted: blair becoming a princess (the highest status symbol with a prince that is both well-educated and wealthy) and dan becoming a successful writer. But they both have to come to terms with the consequences. This character development season should've been Dan stepping into Blair's world and finding success, building social status, trying to find a way to stay grounded. Blair should've taken her leaving the prince because there wasn't love in the relationship as a humbling experience, realizing that she needed to find herself and defining what she wants out of life outside of the men she defines herself with and then her learning that she likes the simple love that doesn't have strings attached.
(the saddest part is that the show knew this with blair and her mother's conversation about cyrus)
Upper society relationships have so much quid pro quo, but love shouldn't function that way. it's not sustainable. it should be freely given and received, to trust someone who will support you during good times and bad. not abandon or hurt you the moment it becomes hard. or keep you around when things are good and let their moral beliefs hinder on whether the lover is in your life or not. love is communication, supporting each other, having the courage to be vulnerable and finding a love where it makes you feel at peace and happy.
the actors ship it, but more importantly, the narrative absolutely supported it.
Can I request Judexfemreader smut all positions all over the house all kinks. Anything plsss Iโm ovulating and touch deprived ๐๐ป๐๐ป๐๐ป
I hope this is everything you wanted! Enjoy bb ๐
~
Welcome Home Baby - Jude Bellingham
-
Warnings: Explicit smut | Consensual rough sex | Touch-starved/feral behaviour | Multiple sex scenes (couch, shower, bed) | Praise kink (heavy) | Slight choking (consensual hand on throat) | Heavy eye contact during deep penetration | Possessive dirty talk | Size kink (implied) | Creampie (multiple) | Descriptions of curvy/plus-size body (thick thighs, soft belly, full breasts) | Overstimulation | No prep | Slight possessiveness | Aftercare | All consensual.
Word Count: 2.9k
A/N: I hope yall eat this tf up because I lowkey did.
โ
The front door clicks open at 9:17 p.m.
Youโre halfway through a pint of ice cream on the couch in nothing but one of Judeโs old Madrid training shirts and a pair of black panties, thighs spread lazily while some mindless reality show drones in the background. You havenโt shaved in four days. Your hair is a mess. Youโre horny enough to cry.
Then you hear his voice โ low, tired, amused.
โMiss me, baby?โ
Your head snaps up so fast you almost give yourself whiplash.
There he is.
Jude fucking Bellingham, your sexy ass man.
Six-foot-one of lean muscle and golden skin, still wearing travel sweats and a black hoodie, duffel bag dropped at his feet. His curls are a little longer, eyes soft with exhaustion but already darkening the second they land on you โ on the way the shirt rides up your thick thighs, on the way your chest heaves under the thin fabric, on the way your lips part like youโve just seen God.
You donโt think.
You pounce.
The ice cream hits the floor. The spoon clatters. Youโre across the living room in three strides, launching yourself at him so hard he actually stumbles back against the door with a surprised laugh that dies the second your mouth crashes into his.
โMissed you,โ you pant between kisses, hands already shoving his hoodie up. โMissed you so fucking much, Jude โ weeks, itโs been weeksโโ
โI know, I know,โ he murmurs, but his hands are already on your ass, squeezing the soft, full curves like heโs trying to memorize them again. โFuck, you feel good. Look at youโโ
You donโt let him finish.
You bite his bottom lip, tug his hoodie off, and push him toward the couch. He lets you. Of course he does. Heโs smirking against your mouth but his hands are greedy โ sliding under the hem of his shirt on your body, palms dragging up the sides of your waist, thumbs brushing the undersides of your heavy breasts.
The back of his knees hit the couch and he drops down. You follow instantly, straddling him, knees sinking into the cushions on either side of his hips. Your panties are already soaked. You can feel it. He can definitely feel it when you grind down against the growing bulge in his sweats.
โBabyโโ he tries, voice rough.
โNo talking,โ you whine, yanking the shirt over your head. Your tits spill free, full and soft and bouncing with the movement. Judeโs eyes drop to them immediately, a low curse leaving him.
โFuck, I missed these.โ
You donโt give him time to worship. Youโre too feral.
You shove his sweats down just enough to free his cock โ thick, heavy, already leaking at the tip. The sight of it after weeks apart makes your mouth water. You donโt even bother with foreplay. You hook your panties to the side and sink down on him in one smooth, greedy motion.
The stretch burns so good.
A broken moan rips from your throat. Judeโs head falls back against the couch, eyes squeezing shut for half a second before they snap open again โ locking onto yours.
โEyes on me,โ he orders, voice suddenly deeper. One hand slides up your throat, not squeezing yet, just resting there. A reminder. โThatโs it. Look at me while you take this dick, yeah?โ
You nod frantically, lips parted, breath already ragged as you start moving. Rolling your hips in messy, desperate circles, riding him like youโll die if you stop. The wet slap of skin fills the room immediately. Your tits bounce with every movement and Judeโs free hand grips your hip hard enough to bruise, guiding you, helping you fuck yourself on him.
โGood girl,โ he praises, voice wrecked. โSuch a good fucking girl for me. Look how wet you are โ all that for me?โ
โYes,โ you whimper. โOnly you. Missed you so muchโโ
โI know, baby. I know.โ His thumb strokes the side of your neck. โYouโre squeezing me so tight. This pussy missed me, huh?โ
You moan louder, grinding down harder, taking him deeper. The eye contact is almost too much โ his dark eyes boring into yours, watching every flicker of pleasure across your face. He looks like he wants to devour you.
His hand on your throat tightens โ just enough to make your breath catch, just enough to make your walls flutter around him.
โTell me who this pussy belongs to.โ
โYou,โ you gasp. โYou, Jude โ fuckโโ
โThatโs right.โ He thrusts up suddenly, meeting you halfway, and your eyes almost roll back. โNobody else gets this. Nobody else gets to see you like this โ all pretty and feral and creaming on my cock. You hear me?โ
You nod, tears pricking your eyes from how deep he is, from how good it feels, from how much you missed him.
He loosens his grip on your throat and slides his hand down to slap your ass โ hard. The sting blooms beautifully across your soft skin.
โRide me properly then. Show me how bad you needed it.โ
You do.
You brace your hands on his shoulders and fuck him like youโre trying to break him. The couch creaks underneath you. Your moans mix with his grunts. He keeps praising you the whole time โ โThatโs it, just like thatโฆ fuck, youโre so beautifulโฆ look at those tits bounce for meโฆ good girl, good fucking girlโ โ until you shatter.
Your orgasm hits you so hard your vision whites out. You cry out his name, thighs shaking, pussy pulsing around him as you soak his lap. Jude doesnโt stop. He grips your hips with both hands and fucks you through it, deep and relentless, eyes never leaving yours.
Only when you start to slump does he slow down, pulling you down for a filthy, open-mouthed kiss.
But youโre not done.
Not even close.
Youโre still clenching around him when you whisper against his lips, โShower. Now.โ
He laughs โ low, dark, delighted โ and stands up with you still impaled on his cock. Your legs wrap around his waist automatically. He carries you like you weigh nothing, mouth still on yours, cock still buried deep as he walks you both to the bathroom.
The shower is barely warm by the time he presses you against the tiles.
He fucks you there too โ slower this time, deeper, one of your thick thighs hooked over his arm so he can watch every inch of him disappear inside you. Water cascades over both of you. Your curls are ruined. His are plastered to his forehead. Neither of you cares.
โLook at me,โ he demands again, forehead pressed to yours. His hand comes back to your throat โ light, possessive. โEyes on me while I fuck you deep, baby. Want to see you fall apart again.โ
You canโt look away even if you wanted to.
He praises you through the entire second orgasm โ telling you how perfect you are, how tight, how wet, how no one else will ever make you feel like this. You come with his name on your tongue and his eyes locked on yours, his cock hitting that spot so perfectly you see stars.
He pulls out before he finishes, stroking himself once, twice, and painting your belly and tits with hot stripes of cum. The sight alone almost makes you come again.
You both wash up quickly after that โ sort of. Thereโs a lot of touching, a lot of kissing, his hands soaping up every curve of your body like heโs rediscovering it.
But the second youโre out of the shower?
You donโt even dry off.
Jude throws you onto the bed while youโre both still dripping wet. The sheets soak instantly underneath you. He climbs over you, caging you in, water droplets falling from his curls onto your chest.
โOne more,โ he murmurs, voice rough. โNeed to feel you one more time.โ
You nod frantically, legs spreading for him immediately. He slides back inside you in one smooth thrust โ so deep your back arches clean off the bed.
โFuck, Judeโโ
โIโve got you.โ He leans down, elbows braced on either side of your head so he can keep that heavy eye contact. โThatโs it. Take all of me, such a good fucking girl.โ
His hand finds your throat again โ firmer this time, thumb pressing just under your jaw so your head tilts back slightly. Not cutting off air, just holding you there. Owning you.
Youโre so wet from the shower and from two orgasms already that the sounds are obscene. Every deep stroke makes a filthy wet smack. Your tits jiggle with every thrust. Jude canโt stop looking at you โ eyes flicking between your face, your bouncing chest, and where youโre stretched around him.
โMissed this pussy so much,โ he groans. โMissed how she grips me. Missed how pretty you look when you cum. Give me one more, baby. Come on. Let me feel it.โ
Youโre already so close.
The praise, the eye contact, the way heโs fucking you so deep it feels like heโs in your stomach โ itโs overwhelming.
His free hand slides between you, thumb finding your clit, rubbing tight circles.
โWhat did I say baby? Eyes on me,โ he reminds you when your lids flutter. โDonโt look away. Want to watch you fall apart while Iโm inside you.โ
You cum harder than you have all night.
Your whole body locks up, walls spasming around his cock so tightly he curses. Your mouth falls open in a silent scream, eyes wide and locked on his the entire time. Jude fucks you through it, hips losing rhythm, praise spilling from his lips like a prayer.
โFuck โ thatโs it, baby. So good. So perfect. My girl. My fucking girlโโ
He buries himself to the hilt and comes with a broken moan, flooding you deep. You feel every pulse, every spurt, and it makes your orgasm drag on impossibly longer.
For a long moment the only sounds are your ragged breathing and the wet drip of shower water still sliding off your bodies onto the ruined sheets.
Jude collapses half on top of you, careful not to crush you, but close enough that you feel surrounded by him. His hand slides from your throat to cup your face. His thumb strokes your cheek.
โYou okay?โ he whispers.
You nod, dazed and blissed out, a lazy smile tugging at your lips. โMissed you.โ
He chuckles softly and kisses you โ slow, deep, reverent this time.
โNever leaving you that long again,โ he promises against your mouth. โNot when you jump me like that. Fuck, I think Iโm ruined.โ
You laugh, the sound bright and happy, and pull him closer.
The sheets are soaked. Your bodies are sticky. Your thighs ache in the best way.
And youโve never felt more loved โ or more thoroughly fucked โ in your life.
หโโฎWarnings: angst, major character death, grief, trauma, mention of night terrors, crying, like- lots of crying, hurt/no comfort, hallucinations
หโโฎSummary: A past that had been buried unwillingly had risen into something far beyond his worst nightmares. You, clothes ripped and torn, dust settled heavy in the crevices of the fabric, and black veins covering every inch of exposed, damaged skin of your rotting body. One second. One look. That was all it took for Leon to find himself reeling back to a time where you werenโt a walking corpse and he wasnโt pushing past fifty years old.
หโโฎNote(s): surprise! after replaying requiem an unhealthy amount of times(paired with the ungodly amount of edits on my fyp) I am back with something out of the norm that I write:) my first ever leon one shot and it's just pure, soul-crushing, heartbreak. i am very sorry, but i couldn't not write it:')
"Lost color in my face, your fair and I'm insane "
Raccoon City looked almost exactly the same save for the gigantic craters from past bombings and broken down buildings. Dust curled through the stale air. Death reeked in the slight breeze blowing past. It felt empty. Every building held a whisper of melancholic memories that no one besides those who had survived the horrors from 1998 would hear.ย
Leon took one step out of the sleek, black Porsche and grimaced. Not from the pain zipping up his arm covered in black veins or from the rough and tumble heโd taken from helping Grace, but from the sudden onslaught of memories he had longed to bury deep into the darkened recess of his mind, but fate never worked in his favor.ย
Every step he took into the abandoned ruins he couldnโt help but see pieces of a life he couldโve had. Flashes of a womanโs face, a girl whose features remained forever young, became clearer and clearer. Bright eyes full of happiness and love, a smile so wide it made his heart race, and the pure, unfiltered joy radiating from the nameless woman. Well, she wasnโt nameless. And Leon knows- er- knew her.ย
You were something special. A burning flame in a world of dimming embers, that had managed to rekindle the one in his bruised heart. You had managed to drag him out of the dingy little bar that night and made a day that had started as horrible into something memorable. It was childish at that moment, but it was exactly what Leon needed to forget why he was crying.ย
โShe isnโt worth those tears, Leon. Nothing about her was ever worth crying over.โ You grinned, eyes softened into a look that warmed his chest.
The chains from the rusted swingset you found yourselves on creaked. The night was bitingly cold, the moon shining high above you two, yet the beautiful void of stars could never compare to you in that moment. And Leon knew then that he had fallen for you. It was fast, unpredictable, and very much something he wouldโve never expected. After all, you were only a mere stranger to him just a few hours ago.ย
He dipped his head to try and hide the redness seeping into his cheeks, a small smile gracing his wobbly lips.ย
โYeah, youโre right.โ
And now, Raccoon City felt too suffocating, too constricting, and much too reminiscent for Leon to focus properly. The once cool metal of the ring on his finger now felt hot, burning his skin like simmering coals. He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to rid himself of the memories that he had once cherished and now dreaded.ย
โLeon? Are you alright?โ Sherryโs concerned voice sounded through his ringing ears. He hummed, shaking his head slightly like it would help wipe the image of your smiling face encapsulated in moonlight away from his eyelids.ย
โYeah. Never better.โย
โIf you say so. Howโs it feel to-โ
โNever better? Leon, you look like a mess! Tell me you werenโt crying over another blonde you thought was the one?โย
Leon spun around, shock written clear on his face when he saw you, the younger, 1998 version of you, standing right beside him. Concern painted your face, eyes looking him up and down as a sly smirk slipped onto your lips.ย
โAnd when did you get so old? Not that Iโm complaining. You look like a silver fox, Mr. Kennedy.โ You purred, batting your eyelashes up at him. The same hoodie and jeans youโd worn that day were still on you. No blood, no wounds, and no bites were found anywhere on your perfectly smooth skin. Like you never even aged from thirty years ago.ย
โThis isnโt possible,โ Leon muttered, disbelief washing over him when he felt your hand on his bicep.ย
Frowning, you scrunched your brows up in worry. โLeon? What do you mean by that? You are really starting to make me worry.โย
He sucked in a breath, gritting his teeth as he spoke to you. โYou arenโt real. Youโre dead. Died thirty years ago. I remem- I remember it all. Your screams, the blood, the bite. All of it.โย
His chest felt tight, hands clammy as he reached for requiem, every part of him shaking as the painful screams from that night rang loud in his ears. Blood coating his hands like thick, warm gloves, tears streaming down his face as he watched you bleed out in his lap. Black veins scaled up and down from the bite in your side where an infected corpse had sunk its teeth.ย
The image of your glowing figure flickered. All the liveliness, the joy, the emotions, slipped into one of his own personal nightmares. The hoodie you wore now torn, shredded to show the black veins littering your pale, dead arms. Jeans cut into jagged shorts, bite mark decaying with black blood oozing from it. And your face. Once angelic and so lovely to look at was now rotting, hair thin and eyes sunken in. Your mouth was peeled back, gnashing teeth on full display with shreds of old muscle and tissue stuck between.
โBad choice, Leon.โ You growled, mouth open to sink your teeth into his neck, but when Leon flinched back, eyes shutting to prepare himself for the pain, it never came. Opening his eyes, he saw nothing around him but the debris and crumbling buildings of the city.ย
โ-eon! Leon! Please answer! Who were you talking to? Leon!?โ Sherry shouted rapidly, her voice full of worry for the infected agent she viewed as family.ย
Leon heaved in breaths. It wasnโt real. You werenโt real. The sound of his racing heart echoed in his ears, hands shaking as he holstered his gun, panicked eyes flicking around in case you really were here.ย
โI-Iโm good. Just a lot of unpleasant memories tied to this place.โ And despite how hard he tried to hide the fright in his voice, the words trembled with an underlying fear she had never heard before, worry gnawing at the woman on the other end.ย
โWho were you talking about, Leon?โ Sherry asked softly, her eyes locked on the unmoving dot of the agent. Nothing came from his side, but when she was about to take back her words, he spoke.
โMy wife.โ
โช โฆ โ โฆ โซ
The Raccoon Police Department still stood. Not as tall, not as nice, but almost as if it waited for his return. Prying open the front doors, Leon scanned the area for threats. Everything was just how heโd left it. Walking further in, he found himself rounding the corner where his old lieutenant had waited for him. B.S.A.A equipment now occupied the space, but the banner that was once hung up in the bullpen now lay out in an ominous welcome.ย
โJust when you thought you could get away, right, Leon?โ Your voice sounded from behind him. That same angelic version of you leaned against the broken statue that led down below the departmentโ no doubt caved in from the bombing. Swiping a finger on the dust-riddled stone, you grimaced as you wiped it on your jeans. โI mean, you almost got rid of me there for a second. But Iโm not going anywhere.โย
The grin you bore was anything but nice. It held malice, eyes now dark with hatred, and the slow steps you took towards him had him backing into the supply case behind him. His hands gripped onto it tightly, blue eyes pinned on your prowling figure as you made the distance between yourselves smaller and smaller.ย
โItโs such a shame, too, being your wife and all. Why would you ever want to forget the one person you failed to save, Leon?โ Your image flickered into that ghastly infected version of yourself. He glared, shame curling deep in his gut as he watched you stumble around, glassy eyes never looking his way, and grunts leaving your peeled and decaying mouth.ย
โIโm sorryโฆโ He whispered hoarsely, shaking hands raised high as he lined up his gun with your head. Tears slipped from his eyes, watching as you stilled, turning ever so slightly in his direction. Before you could face him fully he pulled the trigger, a deafening echo of the gunshot firing making him grunt.ย
Where you should be laying was the body of a decaying officer left behind in the ruins of the department. Black blood seeped from beneath him, brain matter and rotting tissue splattered along the concrete floor. Lowering his gun, he huffed, eyes scanning his surroundings once more for a glimpse of that unique hoodie youโd often wore wherever you went.
His ring burned again. It felt like hot wire wrapped tight around that one area of his digit. He hissed, ripping off his leather glove expecting to see a bright red metal ring, but instead he got a glimpse of silver with engravings carved into it.ย
โFuckโฆโ He mumbled. This was worse than any night terror he had since your passing. More memories resurfaced.ย
โLeon!โ You squealed, laughter falling from your lips as you felt your boyfriend wrap his arms around your waist. He hoisted you up with ease, more startled yelps escaping your throat when he ran towards the end of the dock, no signs of him stopping his threat of throwing you into the lake.ย
โW-wait! Wait! Iโll say it! Iโll say it!โ You screamed, your eyes locked onto the body of water that was rapidly approaching against your will. The golden retriever of a man halted, feet almost slipping out from beneath him on the wooden dock, blue eyes looking down at you with skepticism.ย
You rolled your eyes, your arms crossing over your chest as you looked away from his sly little smile and smug eyes. โWell now I donโt want to since youโre looking at me like that.โย
He chuckled. โBetter say it now or Iโll just drop you right in right now.โ
โFine!โ You snapped childishly, cheeks puffing out as you pouted. โLeon is the most handsome, smart, and most fine man to ever walk the Earth. Happy?โ
Leon scoffed. โYou sounded like you had a gun pointed to your head.โย
You shrugged, smiling innocently as you replied all too casually. โMight as well with you gunning towards the position as an officer of the law, Mr. Kennedy.โย
โHey now,โ He warned, his eyes narrowing when that smile turned devious.ย
โWhatโll it take to get you to carry me back to dry land, Officer Kennedy?โ You purred, relishing in the way his cheeks flushed red, blue eyes wide with simmering desire. โMaybe a little kiss?โ
The memory faded away. Left in its wake was a torrent of emotions Leon hadnโt felt since the day youโฆ you slipped from his grip. It wasnโt his nor your fault for the way things had turned south.ย
Rain cascaded down like a never-ending waterfall, infected citizens groaned and snapped their decaying jaws at the couple knelt beneath the awning, jagged nails clawing at the two as if they could reach from behind the rattling fence. Leon held your head to his chest, his rapid heartbeat thrumming through your skull as pain flared up your side.ย
โItโs okay, sweetheart. Itโs okay. I got you. I wonโt let anything happen to you. I got you. I got you,โ Leon mumbled more to himself than you. His grip tightened around your shoulders, tears burning the rims of his eyes, and he could only ignore the warmth of blood spilling from the open wound torn into your waist from one of those monsters.ย
Guilt settled heavily inside his heart the minute you took the blow meant for him. The echo of your gun going off as you struggled against the undead officer, determination written across your face as you shoved the corpse back, and a flash of victory gleaming your eyes as you took the shot that shouldโve finished it off. As you turned around to exclaim your win, boney hands sunk into your thighs and a rotten jaw clamped down right into your exposed side.ย
Everything after that was a blur. Leonโs own shouts drowning out with yours, his pistol ending the life of the infected officer, and blood. So much blood. It soaked through your favorite hoodie, the jeans you had been complaining about since it started pouring outside cut jaggedly into shorts, and the once pristine white converse you sported now a deep crimson color.ย
โLeonโฆโ You breathed out, eyes glossy with pain and fear, but acceptance bled through as you realised there was no way out of this situation. โJust- hold me for a bit longer. Pleaseโฆโย
And thatโs how they found themselves outside on that dreadful night, clothes stuck like a second skin, hair matted down in their eyes, and skin so cold it felt like ice. Leonโs shuddering breaths felt constricting, his shaky hands running through your limp locks of hair, and he chose to ignore the way your chest stopped rising almost half an hour ago.ย
โIโm sorry. Iโm so sorry. I couldnโt-โ He choked on his words, hands tightening their grip in your hair, tears now spilling over as the weight of his reality set in. You were gone. Slipped between his fingers just like that. It wasnโt anything dramatic, nothing heroic. Just someone who wanted to save those they could.ย
โIโm sorryโฆโย
Pain shot through Leon, his neck on fire and quickly spreading down his arm. Black veins sprawled across his skin like lightning. Coughs erupted from his sore throat, rattling like bones hitting together, and a deep rooted tiredness setting into his muscles. This infection, the T-Virus, was moving through him faster than heโd like to admit.ย
โFuck.โ He coughed out, his hand clad in a leather glove, rose to cover his mouth. Blood sprayed over it with each chest-hitting, throat-rubbing wheeze he let out. He didnโt have much time left. But maybe just enough to get Sherry the cure, to save Grace, and to hopefully join you in the paradise you surely built for yourself far away.ย
โAre you okay, Leon?โ Sherryโs voice rang through his ears.ย
โYeah, Leon. Are you okay? Looking a little worse for wear, dear.โ Your voice taunted him. Each word you spoke drove the stake compiled of shame, guilt, and pain deeper and deeper into his rapidly beating heart.ย
He stared back at you. โLeave me alone. You arenโt real.โย
Snorting back a laugh, your own gaze pierced his, a cruel smile on your lips. โOh, Iโm very real, darling. Havenโt you seen the love of your lifeโs corpse wandering these dusty streets? I just canโt believe you were selfish enough to let me turn instead of ending it with a bullet through the brain.โย
โYou know why I couldnโt do that!โ Leon snapped, his vision growing a bit blurry from the tears building in his eyes.ย
You hummed, nodding your head once. โYouโre right. I do know why.โ Turning to look out the hole in the ceiling, you sighed. โBecause you thought you could save me.โย
Glancing at him briefly, you paced around in a slow circle, eyeing the crumbling state of the last place you had been in before you passed.ย
โDo you remember what we had promised that night?โ You whispered.ย
Leon swallowed the lump down his throat, a stiff nod being your answer and continuing on down the last memory heโd love nothing more to forget.ย
โLeonโฆโ Your voice was hoarse, scratchy and raw from the screams of agony you had let out earlier. Blood ran steadily out of the gaping bite mark in your side. Cold, trembling hands found Leon's own that were cradling your head to his chest. It was so coldโฆand you just felt so tired.ย
โIโm here, baby. Iโm here. Iโm not leaving you.โ He murmured into your damp hair, slowly rocking back and forth. Reality hasnโt set in for him yet. The thought of helping you from this scenario at the forefront of his mind.
Not having the energy to face him, you let out a pained sigh. โI love you. I love you so much. I just- I wish we couldโve had that wedding we dreamed ofโฆso letโs make a promise to each other.โย
Leon breathed out shakily, his fingers finding purchase in your knotted locks. โWhatever you want, baby.โย
โPromise to find me in the next life. Weโll have that wedding, have a couple kids, and grow old. The life we shouldโve had for ourselves here.โ The last sentence was full of breaks in your voice, eyes shutting closed as exhaustion settled deep in your bones. โPromise, Leon?โ
He held you impossibly closer, a tear falling as he ignored the last breath leaving your lungs.ย
โI promise.โย
And when his eyes opened, there you stood. Your body is thin, decaying, and covered in black veins. The once shiny and healthy head of hair you had was now nothing but wisps of string clinging desperately to your scalp that was falling apart. Your eyes were clouded over, death having already met you thirty years ago, and still your walking corpse still remained like a bad taste in his mouth.ย
Letting a breath out, Leon raised his gun, the muzzle lining up just between your eyes. With one final inhale, he pulled the trigger.ย
SYNOPSIS: Leon just came back from a tiring shift at the police station, and you decided to treat him to a trip to the local diner, his absolute favorite!
PAIRING: RE2R!Leon Kennedy x College Student!Reader
WORD COUNT: 2.7k
WARNINGS/TAGS: Super duper fluffy, established relationship (Leon and Reader are dating), no outbreak happened here, College Student!Reader, kissing, clingy Leon, awkward Leon!, Leon being an absolute gentleman
NOTES: Oh my gosh, a-dsoagent, you can write fluff??? Yes, I can and I apologize for having Leon suffer for the past 2 weeks.๐ญ Well, I hope you guys enjoy this fluffy one-shot in return! Itโs funny, I actually established this blog because I wanted to write a lot of RE2 Leon fics, and now we are reaching a month of me releasing fanfics and this is my first one about him.ย
Credits to @ sue_blue_ on TikTok for this adorable idea. I always thought Leon would love a good old mean burger, and he deserves them all.
โGeez, this shift sure was a tough one,โ Leon sighs out after reporting back with Lieutenant Branagh. He chuckles at the rookieโs exhaustion as he signs his hours off in his sign-in book.
โWell, thatโs Raccoon City for you. But hey, I heard you did really great out there today, dealing with that confrontation at the board of education building.โ Marvin beamed. He really felt like Leon has grown a lot since his police academy days and has proven himself to be a very efficient asset to the team. He has never doubted him ever since getting the results that he was the top of his class.
โDidnโt know two parents having it out in the parking lot was worse than the kids doing it,โ Leon grimaced, making Marvin laugh out loud at his expression.
โI canโt imagine. Go get some rest, kid. Iโd say you deserve it.โ
โThank you, lieutenant. Iโll see you tomorrow!โ Leon says leaving for the locker rooms as Marvin waves back in dismissal. He jogs over to his locker, putting away his gear and swapping his uniform for his regular clothes. The whole time, heโs thinking about you. He daydreams about how he would go home, go to bed to see you sleeping. He would join in with you and cuddle for the rest of the night. However, he knows you most likely are back in your dorm room doing some late night studying because you did tell him recently you had exams coming up. His mind is still preoccupied with thoughts of you as he goes to punch out for the day, or more like for the night as he realizes the time.
12:08 A.M. Damn, he did stay longer today than usual. He feels so exhausted having to deal with the cityโs daily chaos, but he loved doing it and wouldnโt have it any other way. He walks out the station and to his jeep, sliding in and turning on the engine before taking a moment to just come down from the day in his seat, closing his eyes as he leans his head back on the headrest. His stomach softly grumbles as he remembers he hasnโt really eaten much today as he had to skip his lunch break to deal with that battling parents situation earlier. Heโll just have to heat up a cup of ramen noodles or something once he gets home. The sound of the rock radio station he was listening to in the morning bringing the car to life along with the engine settling in. After taking a breath, he put his seatbelt on and put the car into neutral, driving towards his apartment.
Despite the fact he knew you wouldnโt be home, he kept on thinking about you on his drive home. He wonders how your day could have been and how even with how tired he was, he wouldโve stayed up all night just to hear you ramble about it. He wondered if you had any upcoming things to do with friends or if you could be free on Friday night so he could take you on your weekly date. Leon always looked forward to Fridays because of this, itโs the day of the week he is off work early and you usually have all your school work done early so he can take you out to your favorite spots and just spoil you. You always tell him he doesn't need to do all that he does, but he just gets so happy when he sees you get all shy whenever he dotes on you. Sadly, it is now a very early Tuesday morning; only 3 more days to go.
Leon parks his car, grabs his belongings, and walks into his apartment complex. He slightly pouts on his way up the stairs at the thought he wonโt see you for a while. Heโll try to call you in the morning just to talk and catch up with your week to make up for it. For now though, he must survive another night not being in your arms. He turns the key into his apartment and steps in before stopping abruptly in the doorway.
โLeon! Youโre home!โ you exclaim from his couch.
โBabe, w-what are you doing here?โ Leon sputters out. He looks behind him as if the hallway would give him answers before looking back at you. How did he miss your car in the parking lot or the sound of the TV playing your favorite show on the way to his door? Was he really that drained to not notice? After wishing that you were home, here you were, sitting in his living room in a very comfortable set of pajamas. You giggle at the fact you caught him off guard and go up to him and give him a firm hug and a kiss on the cheek.
โHad the day off today. I only had one class this morning but when I went in, the professor wasnโt in, which was annoying but I realized I now had the whole day to myself. I made good use of it by studying in the morning and then sleeping in for the rest of the day,โ you told him as you brought him inside and to the couch. You laid him down onto the couch and rested yourself on top of him on his lap, snuggling into him and smothering his neck in kisses. He goes tense for a second as his breath catches at your affections, but he then slowly melts into your touch.
โOkay, thatโs sweet and all, but that still doesnโt explain why youโre here at my apartment, in the middle of the night, wide awake. Itโs not like I donโt want you here! Really, I am very happy that you are. But Iโm just confused as to why.โ Leon nervously rambles as you keep trailing kisses up and down his neck.
โWell here goes my surprise..โ you say teasingly scoff, โI was thinking if I can take you out to eat right now.โ You immediately see the tips of Leonโs ears starting to go red as he tries to avoid eye contact at your sweet offer.
โO-Oh, you donโt have to, really,โ he attempts to decline.
โI donโt have to, but I want to,โ you counter, โand besides, donโt act like I didnโt feel your stomach slightly grumble just a minute ago. Did you eat lunch?โ
โNot really. Me and the guy I was dispatched with today went to try to get coffee and donuts downtown today with the little free time we had, but we only managed to get coffee because the donuts had literal flies in the case. The coffee was shitโฆโ
โProves my point on why I should get you something to eat. Donโt even try to fight with me by saying you can just eat something from your kitchen, because you have no real food in your fridge. Besides, Iโm in the mood for pancakes.โ
โPancakes? Are you suggestingโฆโ Leon immediately brightens up at the idea that you are implying on taking him out to the diner, his favorite place in the world.
โSee! Now youโre trying to spoil my plans!โ You laugh at his sudden shift in his mood, โNow go shower and get changed, youโre all sweaty.โ Leon chuckles as you get off him from the couch.
โAlright, alright, Iโm going.โ He stands up, raising his hands up in defeat as he walks towards his bathroom. You sit back on the couch and continue watching your show, hearing the shower turn on in the background. You finish an episode and a half by the time Leon comes out from his room. His hair is a fluffy mess, different from his usually styled side part. He also seemed to get the same idea from you on this dateโs attire as he is clad in pajama pants and a solid colored shirt with the silly fuzzy slippers you got him a while ago.
You giggle at his adorable state as you turn off the TV and go to the front door, taking the keys to his Jeep on the way. โIโm driving.โ
โYouโre what?โ Leonโs face drops as you laugh, running out the apartment. He grins and chases after you, locking his door before continuing. He underestimated your speed as by the time he reaches his car, youโre already in the driverโs seat buckled up and ready to go.
โGuess Iโll take shotgunโฆ,โ Leon says defeatedly as he dramatically slugs to the other side of the car. Youโre still snickering at him as he climbs in and puts his seatbelt on. You turn the car on and reverse out of the parking lot as Leonโs rock music resumes. Who knew such a wholesome looking man would be so into Limp Bizkit? Nonetheless, you found it sort of cute how contradicting his music taste is compared to his pure soul as you drive to the local 24-hour diner.
โHow would you rate the ride?โ You ask as you park the jeep and hop out. Leon walks over to you and makes a show of thinking of his answer before sharing it.
โIโd say Iโll give it a 7 out of 10.โ
โHey, remember who is taking you out right now. Iโll suggest bumping up that rating a bit,โ you jokingly threaten, which he laughs at.
โJust messing with you, baby. 10/10 as always. Maybe an 11 this time around.โ
โOk, now youโre overdoing it. Now come on!โ You giggle out as you grab his hand and drag him inside the diner.
It is pretty empty considering the time. Just a handful of people scattered around the place drinking coffee and maybe having a muffin on the side. You and Leon stand at the entrance as the hostess walks over to you two, asking how many for the table. Leon answers and the hostess nods her head, taking a couple of menus before taking you both to a booth next to a window, giving an amazing view to the city. She tells you to enjoy as you and Leon settle into your seats, where Leon is sitting across from you. You settle into a comfortable silence as you look into the menu, but then you hear Leon move. You look up to see Leon move to sit next to you. You moved to the side to give him more room, chuckling.
โJust wanted to sit close to you is all, is that okay?โ He asks.
โOf course it is babe, no need to ask,โ you reassure him as you pick your menu back up and snuggle close to him. The waitress comes up to the table and asks for drinks.
โIโll take an orange juice, please,โ you tell her, โWhat about you, hun?โ You see Leon not looking through the beverage menu, but at the dessert page, eyeing the milkshakes before looking at you.
โI was wondering if you want to share a milkshake with me?โ he asks timidly, a dust of pink covers his cheeks. You chuckle and nod your head. He then turns to the waitress, โIโll like an Oreo milkshake, thank you.โ
The waitress smiles at you two before nodding and heading to the kitchen. You and Leon look back to the menu.
โSo whatโre you going to order?โ You ask absentmindedly.
โIโm in the mood for a good burger,โ he replies, laying his head on top of yours, โWhat about you?โ
โStill debating whether I should get breakfast or dinnerโฆโ you respond as the waitress comes back with your drinks.
โAlright, are we ready to order or do we need more time with the menu?โ She asks as she takes out her notepad.
โI think we are. Are you, honey?โ Leon asks looking back at you.
โYou order first and Iโll be ready by the time itโs my turn.โ
โOkay then, Iโll like a cheeseburger with fries please.โ Leon tells the waitress.
โGot it. What about you, miss?โ
You tell the waitress your order. She jots it down before taking your menus and walking off. Leonโs stomach then rumbles again.
โI just hope the food doesnโt take too long,โ Leon worries. You laugh as you hug his arm.
โHow was your day today?โ You ask. You can see out of the corner of your eye Leon smiling at you softly before he starts ranting about his day, taking pauses to take sips out of his milkshake before passing it to you. Somehow at some point, whipped cream was on your nose with Leonโs finger being the culprit. By the time he is near describing the end of his shift, the waitress comes out with your food. Leon nearly drools at the sight of his burger. The waitress makes sure you both have everything you need and leaves.
You sigh as you pick up your fork to eat, as you were also pretty hungry from waiting up on Leon, but this was so worth it. As you place the first piece of food into your mouth and turn to look at Leonโs direction to ask how he thinks about the food, you see half of the burger is gone. You then look up at Leon to see his mouth full of food, his face looking like a chipmunk as he slowly chews.
โLeon?โ You ask all confused as to what happened in the ten seconds you looked away from him. He chews some more before swallowing some of his food before he speaks.
โThe burger is really really good,โ he responds, his words muffled by food still being in his mouth, โand Iโm really hungry.โ
You stayed quiet for a second before bursting out laughing. Leonโs face goes red, but he also smiles hard at how ridiculous this is. He finally swallows all of his food before reaching for his fries to munch on. He grabs one and hands it to you, silently asking if you wanted some. You take it and also offer him some of your food, which he happily accepts. You both continue eating peacefully with some banter in the mix. Safe to say Leonโs burger was completely gone from his plate not a couple minutes later..
โYou sure you donโt want another one?โ You ask. Leon dramatically slouches in his seat, resting both his hands on his stomach.
โNo thank you. Iโm stuffed.โ He exhales. The waitress comes by to ask if everything is okay and also seems to look a bit shocked at the sight of Leonโs empty plate compared to yours which was only halfway done. She takes his plate out of the way and asks if you need a to-go box. You accept as she goes to leave before coming right back with it and the bill. As she hands it, Leon reaches to grab it before you lean in front of him to take it before he does. Leonโs jaw drops as he stares at you, dumbfounded as you take your wallet out proudly.
โNo, babe, Iโll pay for it-โ You quickly shush him with a finger on his lips.
โNuh-uh. I said Iโm taking you out. Itโs on me this time around,โ you say happily as the waitress takes the bill with the money you handed her, โThank you so much for your service, please keep the change.โ
As you settle back into your seat to finish up your orange juice, you feel a set of eyes on you. You turn to look at Leon, who is staring at you as if you hung up all the stars in the universe.
โWhat?โ You chuckled out before he snuggled up close to you, laying a kiss on your shoulder.
โYou didnโt have to do that. I can pay,โ he says into your shoulder.
โYeah you could, but I insisted. You deserved a good night out, especially today.โ You reply. He gives you more kisses on your shoulder all the way up to your neck in return.
โThank you,โ he replies quietly, which was followed by a big yawn, โI love you so much.โ
โLooks like someoneโs really tired now,โ you point out as you bring your hand to rub his scalp, โLetโs get you home, sleepyhead.โ
END NOTES: AHHH HE IS SO CUTE. The amount of times I giggled writing this as if IโM not the one who thought and wrote this. But anyway, I hope this made your day and please let me know what you feel about it! All likes, reblogs, and comments are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for reading!!
(Also please send me requests, I want to write some more๐)
Synopsis: You live a life with a two year old, your husband graduation from police academy and just moved you both to the city, and are just now moving in to your new apartment together. A simple young couple and their baby. Two kids out of high school who got married young and had a baby at 19 years old.
Let me know if I should dive deeper into this and make it into a series
Tags: @calesimp4ever
High school
Everyone knew it. You two were meant for each other. Not a soul wanted to admit that the cutest guy in school, and was the star baseball player on the high school team was going to go out with you, the photographer in the journalism club in high school. You were part of the high school committee who helped put the yearbook together every year. You always admired being able to get a photo of Leon for the school paper. He would never admit it yet, but he always loved it when you took his pictures. You were so good at it. You made him look good, too. You got to give Leon an interview for the school, and that's when you two were starting to fall in love with each other. It made Leon question what his real priority was. You or school.
For a few years going from being freshmen together, all the way to senior year. He gave you a promposal theming it like he was proposing to you in front of the entire school. You had been dating for a while, and when you thought it was just a promposal, you didn't know what was to come later. You said yes to going to senior prom with your boyfriend, yes of course. He made sure to pick you up in his Jeep, handsome as ever and even had you a corsage and a bouquet of flowers that matched the theme of what the two of you were wearing. The two of you went to your senior prom and later that night, you two decided to do it. You gave each other your virginity in the backseat of his Jeep and that was when he had something for you. "Wait, hold on, in the glove box." He says with his breath heavy. He then pulls out a small velvet box. "It's not much. But I-I made this in shop class. But I love you, Y/n. I want to spend my life with you. I want to get married after we graduate this year and then I'll get you to collage. And I can go into the police academy and we can have an apartment in the city. I love you... So will you marry me?" He proposes. You look at this beautiful handmade ring he spent his time on. It had your birthstone in it, and it spiraled around your finger. You teared up and nodded your head. "Yes. Yes, Leon, I will marry you." You say and kiss him again and he places the ring on your finger and couldn't stop kissing you.
Your Marriage
You and Leon told your families before your graduation. And instead of a graduation party, you asked them for their blessings and if you could have a wedding instead. They said yes, and you went to the courthouse to sign papers to be married, and had a small intimate wedding on the beach before summer vacation was over and you two started college. You both got married, got jobs, and when you started college, the two of you had enough money and the help from your families, you got your first apartment together. It was going as smoothly as it could be. You were both working hard with school and work. You were happy.
Now that you were both 18 years old and in your own apartment. New furniture, new everything. New life. One morning, you weren't feeling the best. You emailed your professor that you weren't feeling good and were sick to your stomach, so they had someone come by and drop off your homework to you. It was like this for a few days. You went to school, still, because you didn't want to let your professors down but it wasn't like they cared very much. It didn't cross your mind that you could possibly be pregnant... So after work, you decided to rush to the pharmacy and pick one up. You went home before Leon could get there and boy were you wrong. Leon was home and had picked up pizza for dinner.
"Hey baby. Watcha got there?" He asks when he sees the bag in your hand. "I haven't been feeling good lately, and... And I might be pregnant. I picked up some pregnancy tests just to be sure." You tell Leon and you were scared. All he could do was hug you and reassure you. "Whatever happens. I'm here, Y/n. I told you this is the kind of life I want with you. No matter what happens." He says and kisses your forehead. You nod your head and go to the bathroom to use the pregnancy tests. You had used 4 tests to be sure they gave the same answer. Sure enough, they all were positive. You were pregnant and having a baby with your high school sweetheart. You show Leon all 4 tests and he hugs you with the biggest smile. The same one he had when he first asked you out. When he asked you to marry him. And now to show he was going to be a dad.
You're Having A Baby
Your families have been so supportive of you both since you first asked if you could go on dates with each other, up to when you asked to get married. Now, there was going to be a new baby. You continued going to classes, but made sure you didn't work yourself too hard. When you came home from school and work, Leon would come in and take care of you after his schoolwork and job. You took care of each other. Every night before you settled into bed and your belly started to grow, Leon would lay there and talk to the belly, talking about how the police academy and how school was going. He sat there and talked about how much he loved them so much and how he was going to spoil them rotten as much as he could. You stroked his hair as he did this every night.
Your mom would take you to your doctors appointments, back and forth. You and Leon put the baby pictures up on the fridge, and Leon kept track on a calendar of when the due date was going to be. September 30th was the due date. You were both now 19 years old and were excited for the baby to arrive. When you were too pregnant, you got to get out of work, and your friends would help you catch up with your schoolwork from college. Every day, Leon was more and more excited for the baby to arrive.
When the baby came, you had a beautiful little girl. She was perfect. She was perfectly you and Leon combined. She had her mother's chin and your nose. And you just knew she was going to have Leon's pretty blue eyes and blonde hair. Leon was more than happy to hold his baby girl in his arms while you slept. He rocked her to sleep while you rested. He sat there quietly talking to her, whispering sweet little things to her just like he had done with you for a long time or what felt like a long time. "I'm going to love you for as long as God will let me, sweet girl. I promise you like when I promised your mommy that I will love her forever..." He whispers to her.
Two Years Later...
The three of you now are moved in to a bigger and nicer apartment. You both just graduated from college, and Leon was now a new rookie cop in Raccoon City. "That's the last box, babe." Leon says, as he loads in the last box into the big kitchen in your two bedroom town house. It had the perfect sized kitchen. Your bedroom was the perfect size just for the two of you, and Lexi got her own bedroom, too. She was now two years old with pigtails, and wearing the overalls and Winnie the Pooh shirt that your mom picked out for her to wear that morning after she spent the night with Granny and Papa. You were quick to unbox her room and decorate it, and you had her settled in easily. You were able to get her down for a nap, while you and Leon worked on organizing the kitchen. "Lexi's down for a nap while we work together on the house." You tell Leon. The two of you take a minute to listen to the radio play your favorite song together. Leon swayed with you back and forth in this wonderful bliss. It was quiet, intimate, and domestic.
"I love you, Leon."
"I love you too, Doll." Leon calls you by your nickname. He leans in and kisses your lips with your arms wrapped around his neck and his hand coming to hold the back of your head and kisses you slowly and lovingly. He was right where he needed to be.
Summary: When Rookie Leon offered to make you company after-hours you were not expecting to end up with a ring on your finger.
Friday nights were usually a fun way to end a week, especially during your twenties. Parties, hangouts, even spending time doing absolutely nothing could count as it. Well, not when you're a police officer.
Paperwork had always been a pain in the ass, probably the thing you hated the most about your job. The boring part you kept stacking on your desk day after day until it became impossible to ignore, and then suddenly it was Friday night and you had no other choice but to stay late and deal with it.
God, you hated paperwork.
You thought that was going to be your entire night. Endless reports, signatures, empty coffee cups, your pen running over paper while the station slowly went quiet. Just another routine you didnโt enjoy but had to get through.
Yeah, well, that was before your rookie showed up.
Leon S. Kennedy. Tall, broad-shouldered, still carrying that soft baby face that refused to go away no matter how much he tried to look serious. Naive in a way that made you worry for him sometimes, but also in a way that made himโฆ endearing.
And clumsy.
A lot.
So he was assigned to you, because apparently you had the patience to deal with him. Or at least thatโs what they said.
The truth was that his nerves only got worse around you.
Because you were the problem.
You and your eyes that lingered just a little too long, your voice when you called him rookie, the way you leaned over his shoulder to explain things, the way your perfume stayed in his head even after you left the room. You were the reason he dropped things, the reason he stuttered, the reason his hands never seemed to stay still.
So yeah, being your rookie didnโt help him at all. It made everything worse.
Which is why it should have been obvious something was off when he didnโt leave that night.
You had told him to go home. Twice.
Three times, actually.
โYou donโt have to stay,โ you had said earlier without even looking up from your papers. โIโll be faster on my own.โ
โI can help,โ he had insisted, already sitting down like he wasnโt planning on moving.
โYouโre not helping,โ you had replied flatly.
โI canโฆ supervise?โ
That made you look up.
โSupervise?โ
โYes, maโam.โ
You stared at him for a second before shaking your head and going back to your work.
He stayed anyway.
Because leaving meant going home. And going home meant not being around you.
And that was not an option.
It reminded him of the first week he had been assigned to you, when he had stayed after his shift just to watch you finish reports, pretending he was organizing files while stealing glances every few seconds. Or the time he had offered to carry your folders and ended up dropping half of them on the floor because you thanked him with a smile.
Or that one night during patrol when you both had ended up sitting on the hood of the car eating vending machine snacks because everything had been unusually quiet, and he had talked about the most random things just to keep you there longer.
He never wanted those moments to end.
So of course he stayed.
Was he bored? Hell yeah
Was he leaving? Never
Because you were there. Because the faint scent of your perfume filled the room. Because being near you, even in silence, felt better than anything else he could be doing.
His fingers started tapping against his knees.
Soft at first.
Then louder.
Then constant.
You tried to ignore it. You really did. You kept your eyes on the papers, forcing yourself to stay focused, filling out forms, signing documents, flipping pages. But the sound kept pulling you back, over and over again, until it started to crawl under your skin.
โRookie,โ you called softly.
No response.
His mind was somewhere else entirely, probably imagining something ridiculous, judging by the small smile tugging at his lips.
โHey, rookie,โ you tried again, a little louder.
Nothing.
โLeon.โ
That did it.
His head snapped up immediately, eyes wide, cheeks already turning pink like he had been caught doing something he shouldnโt.
โY-yes, maโam?โ
โYouโre getting on my nerves,โ you said, pointing your pen toward his hands. โI already told you that you can go home. Iโll be fine.โ
His fingers froze instantly, like he had been caught red-handed. He straightened up in his chair, placing his hands flat on his lap like a child trying to behave.
โUh, yeahโฆ sorry, maโam.โ
You both knew he wasnโt leaving.
A few minutes passed in silence again.
Peaceful, finally.
Until his leg started bouncing.
You didnโt even need to look this time. You just felt it. The rhythm of it against the floor, uneven and restless.
You glanced up slowly.
He noticed immediately and forced himself still again, lips pressing together in concentration like holding still was the hardest task he had ever been given.
You sighed quietly, trying to return to your work, but it was no use. He was distracting, in every possible way.
And you didnโt want to hurt his feelings.
So you did the first thing that came to mind.
Something you usually reserved for kids who ended up at the station after getting lost, or after some small trouble.
You reached into your drawer and pulled out a few blank sheets of paper, sliding them across the desk toward him.
He looked at you, confused.
Then you handed him a small box of crayons.
โHere,โ you said casually, like it was the most normal thing in the world. โWhy donโt you draw something for me, rookie?โ
For a second, you thought he might question it.
But then his entire face lit up.
โOhโฆ thank you, maโam.โ
And just like that, it worked.
You went back to your paperwork, occasionally glancing up. At first, he was just drawing, tongue slightly peeking out in concentration, brows furrowed like he was working on something incredibly important.
Then he started folding the paper.
Origami.
It began with something that vaguely resembled a dog. Or at least thatโs what he claimed it was.
Then came a giraffe. Or what he insisted was a giraffe.
Each time, he would hand it to you with a proud little smile, waiting for your reaction like it mattered more than anything.
โGood job, rookie,โ you would say, playing along. โThis oneโs great.โ
Even when you had absolutely no idea what it was supposed to be.
And then, without warning, he spoke again.
โLook,โ he said, a little more excited this time. โI made a ring.โ
You turned your head, already prepared to smile politely at whatever he had created.
But before you could say anything, he gently took your hand.
Your breath caught slightly at the contact.
And then he slipped the small paper ring onto your finger.
Realization hit him.
โOh.โ
Oh no.
His face turned completely red, the deepest shade you had ever seen, as he rushed to take it off.
โIโm sorry, I didnโt mean to, I just thought it would be funny, I can take it off, I didnโt mean to put it on like that, I wasnโt thinking, Iโm really sorry-โ
You pulled your hand back.
โDonโt.โ
He froze.
โI like it,โ you said softly, looking down at the small paper ring. โItโsโฆ really well done, rookie. Thank you.โ
For a second, he just stared.
And then something shifted in his expression.
Something warm. Something soft. Something so full of quiet hope it made your chest tighten.
โY-you do?โ he asked, barely above a whisper.
You nodded.
โI do.โ
Silence settled between you again, but this time it felt different.
Lighter.
Warmer.
You went back to your paperwork, but your focus wasnโt quite the same. Every now and then, your eyes would drift to your hand, to the little paper ring that looked so out of place and yet felt so right.
And Leonโฆ he couldnโt stop looking at you.
At the ring.
At the way your fingers moved as you wrote, careful not to ruin it.
At the way you didnโt take it off.
Hours passed like that, quiet and comfortable.
At some point, he stood up and wandered around the office, pretending to stretch, but really just trying to burn off the nervous energy building inside him.
He paused behind your chair.
โMaโam?โ he said softly.
โHmm?โ
โYouโฆ youโre gonna keep it?โ
You didnโt look up from your papers.
โOf course I am.โ
His breath hitched slightly.
โReally?โ
You finally glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.
โAre you questioning my judgment, rookie?โ
โN-no, I justโฆ I didnโt thinkโฆโ
You smiled, just a little.
โWell, you should start thinking better of yourself.โ
That shut him up immediately.
He returned to his seat, quieter this time, calmer, though his heart was still racing in his chest.
You were not expecting youโd be married years later.
But you could have imagined it, for the way his eyes shone at the sight of you wearing that childish paper ring.
summary: making out in the car with re2!leon vs re9!leon. a continuation to "reporting back" if you squint
warnings: suggestive, allusions to car sex
re2:
leon was meant to be dropping you off, that was all. you had a girls date planned, and he had a night shift.
but you had kissed him goodbye and he leaned back in immediately after you pulled away. so you entertained his puppy eyes and kissed him again. and again when his lips chased yours. and again when he asked.
now, heโd asked for "one last one" thirteen kisses ago, but neither of you were in any rush to pull apart anymore. the small pecks were now forgotten for messy, half-coordinated, rushed kisses.
leon was leaned over you, his seatbelt half tangled into his torso as he ran his hands feverishly along any part he could. he'd been trying to do this since before you left.
his teeth were clattering into yours as you kissed, followed by immediate muttered apologies and a copious amount of puppy eyes in hopes of keeping you going.
"leon." you muttered into his lips, tugging his head away from yours with the hand tangled in the back of his hair. you'd done that at least four times now, his tongue stuck so far down your mouth you questioned if he was trying to reach your throat. again.
his nose bumped yours, not withdrawing from his kisses as he apologized, "sorry."
he gave you another look with wide eyes. you sighed at the biblical level of greed, kissing him back anyways.
โฑ.หโโ โ .โงหโหโง. โ โโห.โฐ
re9:
leon was no one if not greedy with his kisses.
a lot of the man you once knew was gone, in differing ways. he learned patience, to take his time, he didn't hesitate, or hold back out of fear anymore. yet, the glimmer of that rookie still shone through his insatiable hunger.
pulled into a dark, secluded parking lotโbecause you and him both unanimously agreed the worst part of date night was the stretch of road between your reservations and your houseโwith one hand fixed on the back of your neck, the other cupped around your face. the location was less about fearโthe risk of getting caught was part of the thrillโand more about the fact leon wanted zero chance at interruptions today.
his lips moved against yours with purpose rather than blind urgency, the hand previously on your neck now settled on the small of your back, pushing you deeper into him. you shifted into his lap, humming when leon's face winced at the movement.
"do you need help with that?" your hand lingered right atop his belt.
leon grunted in response, "later." he titled his head towards the backseats. "join me maybe?"
note: overtly freaked out on a friday tbh, i kinda wanna write a full part to both now 'cause this was so short
james baldwin was so right when he said โthe children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.โ
Leon lost his family when he was around 6 years old so he still has hazy memories of his life before it happened. Only brief, nebulous snippets but sometimes, he'll dream of those fragmented recollections like they're from a distant past lifetime.
His parents were first-generation Italian immigrants which is why, when Leon became orphaned, he was placed into foster care as he had no other next of kin in the US.
Leon's father was Sicilian. He came to the US when he was young to make a better life for himself. Like many Italian immigrants, he first came to New York City hoping to strike gold. But unfortunately, life in America wasn't what it had been made out to be and Leon's father realized the American Dream was nothing short of a mirage. He became disillusioned and got in with the wrong crowd, started working with the mob. He committed crimes to make a living which worked out pretty well for him.
A few years later, Leon's father met Leon's mother while on a trip back home in Sicily. Leon's mother was from central Italy, and several years younger than his father. The two got swept in a whirlwind romance and subsquently, flew back to the US together where they married in the late 1960s. Leon's mom didn't want her husband to be a mobster so they moved out of New York, and headed north, settling in Boston to start fresh. This is when his father changed their surname to Kennedy, as he was a supporter of late president John F. Kennedy and liked the name.
In true Italian fashion, Leon's parents wanted a big family, especially his mom. Accordingly, she gave birth to three children, two elder daughters, and a youngest son.
Leon's mom was a gorgeous woman, a true picture of the Mediterranean beauty archetype with long, luscious, chocolate brown hair that she passed down to all her children. Leon got his good looks from her, except his eyes which were his father's.
While his dad spent most of his time at work, Leon's mother was a stay-at-home mom who took utmost care of her children. She loved her kids and coddled them immensely.
Leon was a chubby toddler thanks to his mom's delicious home cooking. As the baby of the family, he was the apple of his mother's eye. She took him everywhere with her when he wasn't in school. Which explains why, out of all his family members, Leon remembers his mom best. Not in detail, he forgot the features of her face somewhere along his twenties but she remains a blurry figure tucked in a corner of his mind.
She'd always call him cute Italian petnames like cucciolo or cocco di mamma, and one of the memories Leon kept of her for the longest time was her voice.
Leon was a happy child before tragedy struck. He grew up surrounded by love which is why he has a good heart. Not only did he have a very close bond with his mother, but he also got babied by his two sisters, and the way they cared for him stuck with him.
Despite everything his father did to lead an honest life and provide for his family, he never managed to truly get rid of his old mob ties and one day, his past eventually caught up with him.
Leon doesn't remember much from that day. It was too traumatic for a young child to process, and he suppressed a lot of it for a very long time. Decades later, he only recalls the fear, the utter terror that clot his blood solid while he hid in the corner of a dark closet after his mom had told him to say quiet in there, and the dull ringing from the gunshots that echoed in his ears for what felt like hours.
That's when the nightmares started. They were reccurent, happened almost every night for the first year. He'd wake up shaking, cries ripping out of his body as if the massacre had just happened, again, and again. The nightmares were so extreme, he'd sometimes wake up with wounds and scratches all over his body.
Something else he remembers from that cursed day is the police officer who found him, rescued him. A real life hero with a badge and a uniform. That officer visited Leon several times after he was placed in the foster care system, bringing him some of his personal possessions as well as keepsakes from his family once the investigation on their murder concluded.
Most notably, he gave Leon a few photographs, only two or three. Of him and his family.
Leon never looks at them. The last time he did, he was in middle school. Since then, the photos have been collecting dust in a small tin case where he keeps the very few items related to his early life he still owns, including his father's lighter.
Leon changed foster homes about three or four times in total. He didn't have bad foster parents, per se. He was never neglected or abused, but he never got the proper love, attention, and support a child needs. As a result, he became emotionally withdrawn and was mostly a quiet and reserved kid up until his late teens.
In school, Leon was neither popular or unpopular. He got good grades and stayed out of trouble. He was just an introverted boy with a bit of a dork reputation thanks to his corny one-liners who were sparse and only tentative back then.
When he hit puberty, he got acne for a few years and was insecure about it.
As a teenager, Leon only truly relied on his small group of friends which was comprised of his bestfriend and two other close buddies with whom he hung out all the time in and outside of school. They'd often hit up the arcade or loiter around the local mall together. He could be his real goofball self around them but otherwise, he stayed pretty timid.
Despite that, he never hesitated to help an elderly lady cross the street, or to reach for something on the high shelf at the grocery store to help out someone. Leon has always thrived on the sentiment of being useful to the people around him.
He started taking up any odd job he could find when he turned fifteen, saving money so that he could pay for his driver's license and later on, for a car.
When it comes to pastimes, the only sport Leon has ever had any interest in is baseball, though he's never really played it. His first foster father gave him some old baseball trading cards and that got Leon into collecting them. He still enjoys watching a game from time to time. Naturally, as a Bostonian, heโs a Red Sox fan.
His real hobby, however, is cinema. Leon is a movie buff, a film bro, a true cinephile. At first, he started going to the movies because it was a way for him to escape reality for a few hours. It helped soothed his melancholy on the days he didn't want to go back to his foster home.
The more movies he watched, the more his love for the art form grew. And the fact that it was cheap meant he could go multiple times a week and easily cultivate his passion for it. It was one of the only things in his life he could really call his.
He wasโand still isโa big Tarantino fan, had a Pulp Fiction poster in his room which he took with him when he entered the police academy. At that time, action and thriller were his favorite genres.
Music wise, he grew up listening to classic rock like Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan and the Eagles. Then, like many people his age, he was greatly influenced by rising alternative artists such as Nirvana and Radiohead. His favorite album as a teenager was Grace by Jeff Buckley.
He got his first girlfriend in his junior year. She was a classmate he had had a crush on since middle school. They started dating after Leon mustered up the courage to awkwardly ask her to the homecoming dance, and she quite unexpectedly agreed.
Being in a relationship improved Leon's self-confidence in a way he didn't know possible. He took great pride in being someone's boyfriend, someone's choice, and he wanted to be the best he could be to prove that he was worthy of the title.
He bought his Jeep Wrangler around that time as well, which gave him a sense of freedom and helped him to really emancipate. Those last two years of high school was when he started coming out of his shell and asserting himself.
After graduating, he immediately joined the police academy, never losing sight of what always felt like his calling.
Leon loved being at the academy. He applied himself and excelled in all his courses. He was surrounded by people who shared his strong sense of justice, made friends with them. He was finally out of the foster care system, the frequency of his nightmares was waning and, for the first time in a long time, he truly felt like he belonged.
He started lightening his hair then, at eighteen years old, to that ashy brown color which might not seem like much to most people, but to him, it was like a clear manifestation of independence. He also started building his physique and putting on muscles, effectively growing out of the scrawny body he had during his adolescence, out of childhood itself.
Nevertheless, he still had that naivety to him, that undying optimism that always wanted to see the best in people. He often got teased for it, but he believed everyone was worth saving. Always.
Things were good for Leon then. He was liked, even admired as an exemplary cadet. He aced his exams and graduated at the top of his class. His self-assurance had never been that high. He really felt like his life was taking a turn for the better.
Unfortunately, his girlfriend broke up with him after he told her that he had asked to be assigned to middle of nowhere Midwestern America. She didnโt want to be stuck in a long distance relationship while she was in college and decided to end things with him.
It was a hard blow for Leon. He had been with his girlfriend for over four years at that point and inwardly, had begun projecting the two of them into the future. But Leon didnโt go on a bender and drink himself unconscious for half a day like his OG counterpart. He just dealt with his chagrin the only way he knew how, by dismissing it.
He was onto greater things after all. His assignment request had been accepted so he stayed focused on his impending posting, eager to start making a difference in the world.
โRE2R...
After what happened in Raccoon City, Leon had trouble reconciling his feelings for Ada with the reality of her betrayal and her presumed death. The only way his brain was able to cope was, again, by disconnecting even further from his emotions, and his avoidant issues worsened from that point on.
Not that he had any time to really process what he had just lived through anyway, as he was arrested and coerced by the government to join a special task force and fight against bioterrorism.
As grueling and taxing as training was, Leon found odd comfort in the rigid structure of military life. The repetitiveness of it became familiar, reassuring; diametrically opposed to the chaotic events that plagued his mind and haunted his sleep. The daily tasks gave him something tangible to focus his thoughts and energy on, and kept him from falling into total despondency.
Once he was out of the training camp, Leon moved to Washington D.C. where he began working as a USSTRATCOM special operative.
Outside of work, he became somewhat of a recluse, spending most of his time cooped up in his apartment. The secrecy of his new occupation, not to mention how he had seemingly dropped off the face of the earth for the past two years, had forced him to cut contact with all his friends, leaving him completely isolated. So, when he wasn't across the world fighting genetically-modified abominations, all he wanted to do was enjoy what little peace he could get, away from everything else. At least, that's what he told himself. In reality, he was battling severe depression.
Of course, the nightmares had gotten worse, way worse. Some nights, Leon wouldn't even go to sleep. He'd just lie awake in bed because he knew what awaited him there, in his dreams, and he didn't have the fortitude to face it.
What helped him in the long run was maintaining a routine. It made him feel grounded, as he had discovered during his time training both as a police officer and as an agent. So he upheld his daily rituals like shavingโevery day, without failโ and going for a run on an empty stomach first thing in the morning.
Leon dedicated the rest of his free time to improving his level of fitness. As long as he could focus on something pragmatic like his physical performances or his combat skills, he felt like he could keep a grasp on his sanity. Staying physically active also helped relieve some of the chronic pain he suffered after being shot in the shoulder.
He grew bulkier, stronger, but never strong enough to make carrying that weight inside his chest any easier. He'd often agonize over all the lives that were lost in 1998, wonder why he survived when so many didn't, sometimes he'd wish he hadn't.
He still found solace in watching movies, only he preferred doing it from the comfort of his own couch rather than going out to the movie theater. His genre of choice changed to neo-noir, his favorites being Taxi Driver, The French Connection, Heat, and The Departed.
He started bleaching his hair dirty blonde in an attempt to reignite that long-lost spark of carefreeness he felt the first time he lifted his hair color after high school, to no avail. He had grown too emotionnally numb. At least, he liked the look.
Despite earning a good living, Leon has never been much of a spender. He puts all of his money in savings. But one day, he bought himself a beautiful mountain lodge tucked in the forest upstate, to serve as his retirement plan of sorts. It was a small shelter of peace and quiet where he hoped to end his days, even though he doubted he'd ever make it that far.
โRE4R...
Seeing Ada alive stirred up the conflicting feelings Leon still had for her but he had already given up on the possibility long ago. Things were better that way, less messy.
Upon arriving back in the US, Leon was featured on the news. A picture of him standing stoically next to the President, Ashley and some other government officials was plastered on the front page of every newspaper as well as every news broadcast in the country, introducing him to the world as the savior of the President's daughter, and causing him to gain recognition for his accomplishment among his peers.
But Leon didn't care much for glory or for status. That day, he returned home like he did after any other mission, greeted by the same phantoms he had been living with for years. For him, nothing had changed.
He still wouldn't go to sleep some nights. He'd just sit in his living room, alone and hollow, wondering if he had turned into a ghost himself.
Leon can deal with the horrors, the monsters, the trauma, the grief, even all the blood on his hands. He can endure it, but what suffocates him is the crushing guilt he feels for all the lives he couldn't save. That he can never forgive himself for.
And, on some of his worst nights, that guilt makes him stare at the gun sitting idle on his coffee table a little too hard, a little too long.
But he's still the boy who'd rush over if he saw someone fall and ask if they're okay. Still the teenager who'd offer to help if he saw someone struggling to carry something heavy. Still the man who wants to make up for his shortcomings, his failures. So he tries to, day after day. He keeps going because that's all he can do.
At times, making progress is as easy as noticing coffee makes his anxiety worse and switching to decaf. At others, it seems insurmountable, daunting in ways that make any bio organic weapon he'd ever stared in the eye laughable in comparison.
It's slow and tedious. It takes years, but he gets a little bit better every day.
Leon meets his wife in the most mundane way, by happenstance. They click in an instant, getting along like lifelong friends. But Leon lets her slip away. Heโs become too secluded, too aloof. The idea of keeping in touch with her doesnโt even cross his mind, let alone the idea of pursuing her romantically.
But fate has other plans because sometimes, even lightning strikes the same place twice. It happens again. They cross paths. And if Leon hadnโt become so numb to the language of his own body, he wouldโve noticed his heart thumping a little harder at her presence.
They start seeing each other regularly, not romantically, but not quite platonically either. Something latent and tacit suspended between the two of them.
She's like the summer breeze; delicate, wrapped in sunlight, and gone too soon every time. Leon longs for her in ways he doesnโt catch on to. Like the way romance films from the 1930s and 1940s suddenly become very appealing to him, or the way his gaze lingers on the pretty bouquets any time he walks by a florist.
But he has too little sense of his own self-worth. He thinks itโs not meant for him, companionship, happiness, love. He's tainted, with things worse than mere blood and gun oil. He's broken, jaded, messed up, and she's so... sweet.
Itโs happened before he realizes it, falling for her that is. One morning, something peculiar happens. Leon wakes up from a dream. Heโs never had one before, only nightmares, horrible reminders that disturb his rest relentlessly. But that day, he had a dream, soft and quiet. It was her, just her. And he canโt deny his feelings anymore.
So he asks her, and thatโs all it takes. Their relationship unfurls with ease that is hard to ignore. One day, sheโs leaving a toothbrush at his apartment. Now, heโs handing her the spare key. He used to overthink about coming off as too needy. Now, he lets her drag him to couples dance classes every week with a grin on his face.
Leon is a gentleman through and through. He'd sooner eat dirt than let his lady lift so much as her little finger. Whether it be opening doors, pulling out chairs, carrying bags, offering up his jacket, footing the bill, he does it all like second nature. Itโs his primary way of showing care.
Being of service, that he can do. Heโs a bit rusty when it comes to sweet nothings and tender touches though. In the near decade thatโs gone by since his last relationship, heโs forgotten how to use his hands for anything other than combat. It feels foreign to him now, being held in anything other than a chokehold.
Slowly, with time, Leon rediscovers parts of him that he thought long gone. She makes it easy. He feels safe around her, enough to confide in her on those nights when he still feels like he's being swallowed alive with despair. She's his comfort, his anchor, his everything.
Leon was raised Catholic by his parents, but obviously, he was too young to cultivate any kind of faith. He has a very complicated relationship with religion but would simply say he's agnostic if asked. But he still wants to get married in a church, maybe because he knows it would've made his mother happy.
It takes a while for Leon to make that next step in his relationship. She doesnโt mind. Sheโs patient, understanding. And when he does, it's steady, resolute, each of the four words resounding with purpose.
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy.
They buy a house, a little further away from the bustle of the city, and refurbish it together. Leon can't seem to get the words "my wife" out of his mouth. It's new, wearing a ring, he's never worn jewelry before. He likes it, the weight of it on his finger, how it ends up becoming a part of him.
He sleeps better at night. The nightmares still occur but they're less prevalent, less intense. And althought few and far between, he has dreams now, good ones, peaceful ones.
In the beginning, Leon is vehemently opposed to the idea of his wife ever touching a firearm. Protecting her was his job, his duty. But as time goes by and with each mission he goes on, he grows increasingly concerned about her safety. So one day, he takes her to a range and teaches her how to shoot a gun. Just in case. Leaves a small pistol in her bedside drawer. Just in case.
When his wife gets pregnant, the first emotion Leon feels is fear. The fear of falling short. He doesn't know the road map, he barely remembers his own father. He's scared that he won't be enough, that he'll screw it up. He's seen so much evil in this world, what if he can't protect his child from it? It terrifies him.
He spends his days reading up on parenthood, learning about how to keep a baby out of harm's way. Some times, he paces around the newly furnished nursery, making sure that there are no sharp corners, that the cradle is sturdy and secure, that all the safety locks are functional.
Those nine months zip by him like a freight train, never giving Leon a chance to feel like he's truly prepared. He watches the bump grow larger with each passing month, anxiety brewing inside of his chest with proportional intensity.
And just like that, he's holding his firstborn in his arms. So small. So precious. And everything clicks into place.
If Leon was already constantly alert prior fatherhood, he can only be described as hyper-vigilant now. He keeps the bassinet on his side of the bedroom and wakes up with such speed at the slighest noise that his wife starts to wonder if he ever really goes to sleep.
Whenever they go out on family outings, Leon looks just asโif not moreโgeared up than he would going out on a tactical mission. Bottles, snacks, pacifiers, wet wipes, emergency diapers and changing pads, extra clothes, ointment, toys, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, a first aid kit, itโs all neatly packed in the various pockets of the big shoulder bag he carries with him like it's a badge of honor.
Leon loves the baby carrier, to the point where having a stroller almost becomes redundant. He just loves feeling the weight of his baby's head over his heart, the tiny, pudgy fingers clumsily clawing at his shirt. He wishes it could last forever.
It ages him, being a dad. But in a good way. Heโs calmer somehow, not as restless as he used to be. His gaze seems to wander off less often, he's a little more present in each moment. He seems truly at peace sometimes.
He's so involved, in every aspect. Doctor's appointments, first words, first steps; and later, every birthday, every first day of school. He's there because he wants to be, wants to see it all. He's like that with all his children. Dedicated to a fault, because he knows how each moment with them is a blessing.
His kids aren't like him, they're cheerful and carefree. They make him so proud. They bounce at his feet when he comes home. When they're outside, their eyes shine with wonder at everything they see as they eagerly tug him in all directions. They're so full of life and see the good in the world. They're so honest, innocent and kindhearted. His kids are so much like him.
The first time his eldest questions him about his job, Leonโs tempted to stop, drop and roll because what else are you supposed to do in a situation where you feel like youโre caught in something so much bigger than you.
โMommy always says you're out saving the world...โ
It sounds almost accusatory, like he's been found out by his four year old. Leon sits there, befuddled and tongue-tied. You wouldnโt believe he is one of the most efficient and levelheaded agents in the US. He doesnโt know what to say. There is no feasible way to explain what his job entails to a preschooler. But the small child looks back with a shrewd glint in the eye before Leon can come up with a proper response.
โI know what that means... Youโre a superhero!โ
Leon doesnโt cry, he never does, itโs part of his sequelae. But in that moment, his chest tightens so hard he fears it might collapse on itself. It only gets worse when his child promises to keep the secret safe, smothered in Leon's tight grip.
Leon never thought heโd be a father. But here he is. Theyโre his little miracles.
He loves to watch them. He sits on the porch, watching his children play outside until they inevitably drag him to join them. He leans against the doorframe and studies his wife getting ready through the mirror. It doesnโt matter if heโs seen it multiple times and already memorized every step of her routine, he's in awe every time.
Some nights, Leon doesn't go to sleep. He just sits in his living room while his precious family is sound asleep upstairs and he just listens. To the quiet. Soakes it in, in an act of gratitude.
His kids keeps growing and so does he. He gets his first grays sooner than he would've liked, but it's worth it when he hears his wife calling him a silver fox.
He develops dad habits, like taking a bite out of a snack before handing it over to his kids, says it's to make sure it's not poison. He picks up woodworking, falls asleep on the couch with his arms crossed. Of course, he has a knack for dad jokes, given his proclivity for one-liners, as well as a natural gift for dad noises.
They go on family vacations to that cabin up in the mountains and Leon thinks he would happily spend the rest of his life like that, hopes he'll live long enough to see the day when he can.
He still doubts that he truly deserves itโall of ifโ but if he wouldn't wage war to keep it, even if he doesn't.
His kids keeps growing and so does he. When he buys his Porsche, his wife jokes that heโs having a midlife crisis. He pauses... is he?
When the first signs of infection appear on his hand, he does his best to hide it, the way he always does. He still can't bear the thought of people worrying about him, especially his loved ones. His wife lets him get away with it. The first time she points out the discoloration on his neck, she gives him an out. "Did you burn yourself?" Leon hums without looking at her. "Yeah, it's nothing.โ
โRE9...
He's only been away for a few days but stepping through the front door makes him feel like he's been gone for a lifetime. He saunters in the living room and his kids look back over the couch. "Hey, dad!" They chirp with wide smiles. "You sure you were gone on a work trip? You look better than when you left." They tease as they get up to embrace him in tight hugs.
His wife is in the laundry room, folding a batch of clean clothes. Leon finds her without having to ask. His arms wrap around her from behind, his head dips, landing on her shoulder. He inhales deeply, the whole room smells like fabric softener.
"Your burns are all gone." is all she says when she turns to look at him, a quiet admission of relief dressed with a smile. "Yeah." He replies, his tone mirroring hers. Heโll tell her all about it later.
No one makes it a big deal, when he leaves, when he comes back. It's a sign of trust, of unwavering faith. It acts like a talisman so when he steps inside his home, nothing follows him inside. Leon is eternally grateful for it. His sanctuary.
He's older now but somehow, he feels lighter on his feet than he ever has in his life... Well, he does wear a back brace on occasions, it helps aleviate some of the strain on his spine. His kids like to tease him about it.
He still gets bouts of pain in his left shoulder from time to time. Not that he would ever mention it himself, but one could notice from the way he rolls his shoulder after carrying the groceries inside or how he randomly squeezes it for a second or two. But it's manageable.
When he looks in the mirror, he complains about how he still can't grow a full beard at age 50.
His favorite kind of movies are the weird psychological dramas from independent directors. Foreign arthouse films that make his kids mockingly ask "What was that?" when the screen turns black. Leon just shrugs and smiles.
Because now, when Leon comes home from a mission, he's greeted by the tinkling laugh of his children, the warm smell of his wife's cooking and a kiss on the cheek. There are no more ghosts, only the comforting lull of domestic life.
โ๊ฐ EXTRAS ๊ฑ
โนใ คใ คใ คใ คใ ค Leonโs an Aries sun, Virgo moon, Capricorn rising.
โนใ คใ คใ คใ คใ ค His favorite snack is a PB&J.
โนใ คใ คใ คใ คใ ค Big animal lover.
โนใ คใ คใ คใ คใ ค We know this, but Leon is a front sleeper.
โนใ คใ คใ คใ คใ ค He has over a dozen of moles on his chest alone.
โนใ คใ คใ คใ คใ ค He still says "clicker" instead of remote.
If you've read all of that... damn, that's crazyโ but thank you so much!!! I'm not a writer, so I apologize if my prose is a bit clumsy.
Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions as well as your own interpretation of the character! My inbox is always open and I love talking about this fictional geriatric dude.
โเดฆเตเดฆเดฟยด ๊ณ `)
SYNOPSIS โ so much of you still existing in the world, despite the fact that you have moved on to another world already. he wasn't young anymore, the years of pain and death have worn him down. sometimes, he craves the presence of you that he's been missing for thirty years, and all he has is framed pictures of you and a closet full of clothes you'll never wear again.
GENRE โ mostly angst, some small scenes of romance/fluff
PAIRING โ re2! leon kennedy, re4! leon kennedy, pre re9! leon kennedy x dead wife! fem! reader (feat. chris redfield)
WARNINGS โ grief, cursing, canon violence and gore, depictions of depression, suicidal thoughts, and alcholism (w.c. - 5.2k)
A/N โ yall are gonna hate me for this one... based on yet another one of my drabbles here, here is widowed leon!! this is going to be very sad i warn you, BUT i have some ideas for some fluffier/more suggestive things in the works i promise, enjoy the angst for now :3 long intro lowkey
A quiet piano melody echoed throughout the small local bar. Hushed clinking of glasses and tender conversation shared between friends and strangers vibrated in the air.
The heavy taste of whiskey was dull and brittle as the liquid slid down Leon's throat, finishing off his third glass of the night.
In a few hours, it would hit midnight, signaling the next day coming with a lulled dusk over the small town he was staying in. Missions never stopped him from enjoying a drink, neither did the stitches in his side.
Heavy hands landed upon his shoulders, a familiar voice ringing in his ear as Chris slid onto the barstool next to him.
"Hey Kennedy, isn't it a little late for a drink?"
Leon waved his hand at the bartender, sliding his empty glass towards them and watched as it was filled once again with some overpriced crap he couldn't be bothered to know the name of. It's not like it mattered what it was, anyways, as long as it got him buzzed.
"There's a time limit for hydrating now?"
His gruff voice was muffled by the atmosphere. No one had been dumb enough to approach him, clearly wallowing by himself like a cliche scene from a movie.
If this were a movie, he'd get his happy ending. He wouldn't be stuck here waiting for god knows what.
"I don't think hydrating your liver counts, I think it does the opposite actually."
Chris muttered as he ordered his own drink, taking a short sip of his draft beer and twisting his lips at the taste before taking another drink.
"What's the count this year?"
"An even thirty."
Thirty years.
It had been thirty years since Leon had lost you forever, since he had been the one to put an end your existence in the sick poetic way of the world in which he ended your chapter at the beginning of another.
For a few moments there was a tense silence between the two, though friends and colleagues, Chris could never really approach Leon on the subject of his late wife. The first time he had ever commented on the ring, shortly after he returned to the states after the downfall of Umbrella in Europe, it was meant to be a joke, a stab at how his sister wouldn't have a chance with "one of the good ones".
The mood soured when he saw the previously content expression fall from Leon's face, his fingers tenderly rubbing over the simple silver ring.
Claire had really given him an earful that night.
Since then, he had known better than to broach the topic. All he had were glimpses of your portraits after carrying a much too drunk Leon home, only to be quickly shooed out. Occasionally, quite rarely, Leon would take a small smile to his face without saying a word, and somehow, Chris knew it had to be about you.
Leon's fingers traced up and down the sides of the glass, staring into the liquor, dazed by his own reflection.
Had it really been thirty years already?
His face had aged, sure, small crinkles by his eyes and mouth, not that he minded much. Though he was still in good shape thanks to the training facilities of the D.S.O. headquarters, he knew he didn't have long until his joints couldn't hold him the way the do now.
Fluttering thoughts of you flitted through his mind. Surely, you would be greying by now, he'd always thought you would look beautiful as long as you lived. He was sure you would say something cynical about yourself to him in an offhanded comment, a habit he'd tried his best to rid you of, and he would sweep you into his grasp, warm and gentle, pressing tender kisses to your skin until you smiled so brightly he would never need the sun again.
A brutal reality check shattered his illusion when he felt a light hand placed upon his shoulder, a strange perfume filling his nose.
"Hey boys, me and my friends are playing a game. Wanna join us?"
Leon didn't need to spare her a glance to know her intentions, not that she had been the first. Like many before her, she was speaking kindly, though it did bother him that she was touching him so candidly, but she was none the wiser to the internal turmoil he faced.
"No, thanks."
Shrugging his shoulder politely, Leon lifting the glass to his mouth and ignored the tightening of his stomach as the drink poured in, finishing half before setting it back down on the counter. He reached into his pockets for some bills before waving the bartender back over and handing it to them.
"I'm gonna get some air," he muttered.
Chris could only shoot the woman a tight smile, placing his own cash on the counter before following Leon out.
The night air was unkind, whipping against his cheeks as he trudged down the sidewalk, no destination in mind. He was drunk, or at least on his way to being drunk, and walking the whole town three times over might be enough to make him forget.
Though of course footsteps followed him, catching up and stepping in tune with him as he languidly put one foot in front of the other.
There was a tightness in his throat that couldn't be attributed to the alcohol, and as he tried his damnedest, he couldn't help the words from spilling out.
"She was the most amazing woman I've ever met. I can't believe I've been alive for thirty years without her."
Silence befell the two of them once more, chilled crickets chiming in with song as they continued on.
For a moment, Chris had half a mind to make a comment about his sister or the infamous Ada Wong, or even the president's daughter who had a clear interest in him. Leon was still eye-candy to women everywhere he went, as much as Chris hated to admit it.
He struggled to find the words. Claire had tried to get Leon to open up about his wife herself, always met with an impenetrable wall.
"Can you tell me about her?"
Leon's steps came to a slow stop, like molasses dripping from a bottle, rooting themselves to the worn down cemented sidewalk.
Now it felt like he had been sobered up, any traces of intoxication gone in the harsh wind that continued to whip past his face. If he was going to recite the feelings he'd bottled up for the past three decades, he was going to do so somewhere he could take off his damn boots.
Thankfully Chris had been prepared and drove in his jeep instead of his typical motorcycle, eliminating the chance of a much too awkward circumstance neither of them wanted to picture.
The ride was short and uneventful, accompanied by the old shitty stereo that Chris had blown out one day by seeing how high the bass could go, playing whatever country song was popular in the little town they were staying in. Static filled the air until Chris turned off the ignition and the humming of the engine died.
Leon remained silent as he followed Chris inside, allowing Chris to set a glass of water in front of him, not that he would drink it.
Silence encompassed the two of them for the next half hour.
Chris knew better than to press Leon about talking about you, especially since he had learned more about you in this one night than he had ever known in all his years of knowing Leon. He had seen Leon through some of the lowest of lows, and while Leon had yet to get sober, he knew he was just beginning to get better.
That is, until he spotted the black veining on his skin for the first time.
It was just in passing, and he took it to be a bruise from some sort training or drunken stupor the night before. Soon Leon's skin was veining in various places, on his hands, up his neck, in places Chris couldn't see. Leon was dying, and somehow, Chris knew it had to be connected to the incident in Racoon City.
His suspicions were confirmed when he saw the same marks on Sherry, and the first dead body showed up. He wasn't on those jobs, but any word about Leon spread quickly around the office.
Leon could tell Chris was waiting for him to speak, patiently sitting beside him. As much as he hated to burden others, Chris had been a constant in a continuously shifting world, someone he didn't have to protect.
It felt embarrassing, to be in his fifties, feeling his throat swell with the pain he had pushed down so far decades ago. Vulnerability had never been his strong suit, even when you were alive.
Finally, when Chris had moved to grab himself a cheap beer from his much too bare fridge, Leon let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair at the dining table.
The memory comes to him slowly, warming in his chest like a hot chocolate after a day in the snow, a warm blanket wrapped around his shoulders beside a fire as his fingers tremble with wetness, kissed by snowflakes.
"We met when I was nineteen."
Your laugh pierces the air, squealing as Leon scoops you over his shoulder, his teasing overcast by the sound of your pleas as he approaches the edge of the dock. The water sparkled with speckles of sunlight, your skin covered in droplets of water, your swimsuit soaking his skin.
"Leon, no- stop! Please, I'm sorry! You're better than my fake boyfriend, I swear!"
Leon's smile shine brilliantly as he shakes his head, blonde hair sopping wet, stopping at the edge of the water. He pretends to think for a minute, then plunges the both of you into the water, your scream deafened by the sound of the water encasing you.
When you come back up for air, he's already laughing, pushing his hair back and wiping the reside from his eyes.
It takes a dinner and dessert for him to make it up to you, but you end the night by kissing him so sweetly his nearly falls to his knees at your doorstep.
"She worked at a small corner store, it was when I first moved from my hometown, before the academy."
The quiet bell on the door sounded throughout the shop, perking your attention from the backroom where you snuck texts back and forth with your boyfriend at the time.
Upon seeing Leon enter the store, languidly shopping the aisles, finally stepping up to the counter with a cheap pack of donuts, you couldn't help but satiate your curiosity. You scanned the pack casually, looking over him as he began to pull out his wallet.
"Nothing more nutritious, huh?"
He just glanced up at you, confused for a moment before setting a bill on the counter.
"Oh, yeah.."
You smiled, putting the pack of donuts in a small paper sack, slipping in a bottle of juice from the cooler beside the counter.
"Oh, I didn't-"
"You need more than that crap."
Blinking, he slowly nodded his head, hesitantly reaching out for the paper bag as he pushed the bill forward once more.
"Okay.. is that enough?"
Only shaking your head, you slid the bill back over and smiled once more.
"You're new around here. I'm letting you have it for free today, only because I want you to come around again, okay?"
Leon's face must've turned beet red, he was sure, the way the heat flooded his skin. He remembered the way his hands shook nervously as he took the bill back, trying to engrave your face into his mind as he walked back to his Jeep. He returned the very next day, and every day after that for two weeks straight.
Eventually, he had warmed up to you, used to your flirtatious behavior and teasing, and he had also learned of your boyfriend. Whatever feelings had been festering up until that point were shoved down to whatever depths they could reach, his desperate attempt to keep seeing you. If you had learned of his little crush, you would surely ban him from the store, get your boyfriend to jump him, something.
Instead of that, he found the store empty just days later, hearing only the sound of your crying in the back of the store.
He had pushed his luck for the night, stepping behind the counter and into the back room where you leapt into his arms, sobbing into his chest.
As happy as he thought he would have been to learn you no longer had a boyfriend, the sight of your tears took hold of him in a dangerous way, sadness and fury flowing through him all at once.
After that night he vowed he would do everything he could to make you happy, even if that meant just remaining as friends.
Except, somewhere along the way, a drunken kiss and almost a night together ruined whatever semblance of friendship the two of you had and turned into something deeper. The result was of course, Leon tentatively asking to be your boyfriend with a bouquet of flowers and a key-chain based on your favorite TV show.
Chris hummed, taking a small sip of his beer and setting the bottle down quietly against the counter.
"So, you stole her from her boyfriend then got drunk and confessed to her? Sounds like you were a real charmer," he grinned.
Leon smiled to himself, just slightly. He nodded and took a breath before he continued.
Tears littered your lashes prettily as you desperately tried to push back the water threatening to ruin all the time you spent perfecting your makeup for the night.
Leon was no stranger to doing nice things for you, taking you out to dinner and buying you gifts, and while he wasn't rich, he was thoughtful and genuine which made it all the more meaningful.
When he had told you he had planned a surprise for you at the lake where the both of you spent your first summer together, you knew he had planned something, but you had never expected something this grand.
Candles littered the dock, scattered rose petals leading to the edge where a small boat with wooden oars rested gently atop the water.
"I just wanted to give you a romantic memory here, instead of remembering me losing my shorts and having to wear your skirt home."
He had stepped into the boat, holding his hand out to help you step down. As soon as you had sat down, smoothing the skirt of your dress over your legs, he was rowing the two of you out to the open water.
The dim glow of the candlelight glimmered against the surface of the water as the ripples from Leon's rowing flowed outwards. Solitude and serenity encompassed the two of you as the boat finally came to a stop, the candlelight just a gentle shine.
Heart racing in his chest, Leon tried to swallow his nerves, tried to tell himself that everything would be okay, that you had been clear about the future you wanted with him, it had been nearly two years, after all. You had been the one to encourage him to work towards something greater with his life, to push him to want to be a better person. If he was going to spend the rest of his life with someone, he wanted it to be you.
You had caught on the minute you had seen the boat, your whole body thrumming with anticipation. It was clear he was trying to work up his courage, and when he finally reached for his pocket, the water works started.
"Uh.. Listen, I just.. I feel like.."
He cleared his throat, trying to get a hold of himself. This moment was supposed to win you over, he couldn't ruin it by stumbling over his words like an idiot!
"I love you, more than anyone I have ever known. You are the most kind, most interesting, most intelligent person I have ever known and.."
Finally he revealed the small black box, smooth and simple, trembling along with his hands.
The tears spilled over, a smile coming over your face as you tried to restrain yourself from jumping into his arms before he had the chance to finish his speech.
"Just.. will you marry me?" he spit out.
As soon as the words left his mouth you leapt forward, crying as you pressed your lips to his, his arms coming to circle around your waist as the boat rocked beneath you.
"Yes, of course, yes!"
Chris tried to hide the smile that came to his lips. He had never known Leon to be the romantic type, much less the type to be so nervous around women. Always unaffected and uninterested, but at least now it was beginning to make more sense.
"We went to the courthouse the next day to sign the papers. I had no parents to be there, and she had issues with her own family, we just had another random couple in the lobby be our witnesses."
The image of you in your dress came to his mind, and he took a moment before digging into his pocket and pulling out his wallet.
Flipping open the worn leather, he turned the clear pocket towards Chris.
Inside was a picture from the day, your dress, by no means an extravagant gown, but beautiful on you nonetheless. The joy on your face was proof of your radiance. You were beautiful, Chris didn't blame Leon for being so taken with you.
"I entered the academy after that. Swore I was gonna save up to give her the wedding she deserved, she kept telling me to save the money."
"Everyone give it up for Officer Kennedy!" you cheered.
Gathered around Leon were various people he had met during his time at the academy, a few of your family members, and some of the mutual acquaintances you had introduced him to once the two of you became official.
He had smiled so brightly, laughing and cheering as he took a generous gulp from his pint.
The bar was nearly overcrowded with the group of people celebrating him, the occasional stranger swinging by to wish him a congratulations before returning to their own drinking.
A string pinched his chin lightly, tied to a cheesy paper hat that sat atop his blonde hair. As embarrassed as he wanted to feel having all of the attention on him, seeing the lengths you went to celebrate him for something he had been doing to better himself and make a positive impact on the world, he refused to let his insecurity sour the night.
Less than an hour later, multiple drinks in his system, Leon was stumbling to you, grinning like an idiot as he reached out to grab your hand a place a kiss upon your ring finger where the simple band resided.
"This is all for us," he hiccupped.
You smiled so sweetly, bid him goodbye as you left him safely with his friends, eager to get back to the apartment the two of you had just moved into together and get a head start on helping Leon get settled in for the night.
"It couldn't have been more than an hour. She left, and I got a few more drinks, told one of the other rookies that I wanted to go home to see my wife.. He laughed and carried me out, dropped me off in front of the building."
The lightness in his chest at your memory, the memories of your happiest times together, slowly began to fade as the knot returned in the back of his throat.
Clenching his fists, he tried to push back the stinging in his eyes. He had never cried in front of Chris before, but it seemed like the night had lowered his inhibitions the way liquor had done before.
Leon stumbled up the two flights of stairs to the third floor, where his new apartment with you resided. He was hiccupping and sighing, eyes drowsy as the excitement from the night began to die down.
Maybe if he had drank a little less, left a little earlier, he wouldn't have missed the trail of blood, droplets and smears, that lined the carpet leading to your shared apartment door. He saw them only when he reached for the doorknob, the pristine door tinted with a bloodied partial handprint.
He sobered up almost instantaneously, his hands trembling as he shakily turned the knob, the door unlocked.
It was silent as he opened the door, eerie and still.
Swallowing thickly, he tried to clear his head, to act rationally, to have some self preservation. Instead, he ignored his gun set atop the small cabinet by the door and hurried into the bedroom, his heart pulsating in his ears.
"No, no, no.."
Had you been followed home? Did someone break in? What if you just slipped and fell, and you fell unconscious before he had the chance to come home?
Horrific scenarios continued to cloud Leon's mind, racing faster than his own heart as he reached the bedroom door.
Without hesitating he opened the door, stepping inside, searching frantically for your figure, any proof that you were here, that you were okay.
The trail of blood only continued, thickening and glistening in the small amount of light that filtered in through the window panes. A pool of blood in the corner made his breath catch in his throat, bile rising as staining his tongue with the taste.
He rushed forward, reaching out to your crumpled body that laid against the floor.
"Please, come on.. please this can't be real.."
Hot tears flooded his eyes, streaming down his cheeks like waterfalls and stinging his skin and flushing his cheeks once again without the influence of beer.
Your skin was already too cold, too drained of circulation, too mangled with various bite marks, deep chunks of flesh ripped from your bone.
It made Leon sick to look at, never having seen anything like it in his life. At the same time, he couldn't tear himself away from you, ignoring the way your blood soaked his clothes, the jagged edges of your skin pressing against him as he held you to his chest.
"No, wake up. Wake up, wake up."
His lungs were burning as he cried out, clenching his eyes shut, trying hopelessly to tell himself this was all a bad dream, that you would shake him awake any moment and kiss his forehead and fall asleep in his arms once more.
Instead, you roused, groaning lowly and twitching in his grasp.
He reaches forward, turning your face towards him, feeling relief wash over him in a superficial manner. You were bleeding out, but if you were alive, that meant he could get you help, it meant he wasn't too late.
Your eyes were glassy, glazed over with a sickening film that covered the eyes he loved so much. Your lips were dry, cracked and stained with blood, your skin lifeless. The sounds that were leaving your mouth were guttural, animal, inhuman.
Leon's eyes searched over you, confusion settling atop his devastation like a piece of junk mail stacked atop an existing pile.
Something was wrong, very wrong.
You continued to growl, to moan, to shudder as you pulled yourself from Leon, skin slick with blood.
"Baby, what.. what happened..?"
Voice trembling, Leon felt like his entire throat had closed up, helplessly watching as you pushed yourself onto your hands, your legs still torn and shredded from whatever had attacked you.
When you looked at him once more, a cold sweat of terror washed over him. You bared your teeth, no longer shining, nothing close to the smile you usually wore when you saw him. It was as if you were warning him, scaring him off, telling him to get away.
He had been on his knees up until this point, the joints aching with pain against the hard floor.
Before he could react, you had thrown yourself forward, snarling and clawing at his clothes, spit dripping down your chin messily.
He scrambled backwards, chest heaving. What was he supposed to do? Was this some sort of rabies strain? What could've done all of this to you? What was he supposed to do?
You cried out again, piercing his eardrums and making his body still in panic, slowly dragging yourself in his direction.
"She.." Chris's voice trailed off, a realization settling upon him.
It was no wonder Leon had been so headstrong about saving as many people as they could, why he was so determined to stop Umbrella and find a cure for the various viruses that continued to plague the world.
"She was infected. I don't know how, I don't know why."
Leon shook his head, grinding his teeth as he felt a single tear spill out, slipping down his skin.
"I had to.." his face contorts in pain, taking in a shuddering breath as he slumps over the counter.
Most of the time, Leon finds people who are traumatized forget large pieces of the event that traumatized them. They forget names, faces, remembering only the worst parts. He was not so lucky.
The trembling of his hand was only a part of the turmoil he was living through, trying to blink away the tears as they came, never ending. A quiet shiver resounded through the air each time the gun shook in his hands.
You were still growling, still reaching out for him, still somehow alive and dead all at the same time.
Beyond the horrifying picture of coming home to you in that state, lifeless in his arms, there was no words that could describe what he was feeling in this moment.
He had spent hours of your time together picturing your future together. He'd take you to the beach and built sandcastles with you, take you to the mountains and pack extra snacks for your hike, he'd take you skiing and hold your hands as you slowly slid down the white coated ground.
The days off where the two of you would wake up to each other's face, he'd caress your skin and kiss you softly, make you breakfast while you showered, show up with flowers from the farmer's market down the street because he knew how much you loved them.
One day you'd maybe get a cat or dog, and he'd try his best to become the favorite parent between the two of you, sneaking treats and playing with them every day, all to pout once they still bounded towards you when you came home.
Maybe one day the two of you would decide to start a family of your own, to create a piece of both of you into a human the both of you would love and cherish for the rest of your life, maybe you'd have a few if you were willing.
You'd grow old together, and he would take your hand and spin you in his arms like you were still twenty-five, never hesitating to carrying your things or open doors for you.
Except now you would never make it past twenty one.
The gravity of the situation came after his finger slipped the trigger, the sound of you skull cracking and your body hitting the floor.
He was sick immediately after, ruining the bed set you had meticulously picked out when Leon had gotten his placement in Raccoon City, stained with the contents of his stomach.
For hours he sat against the wall in the room, crying until his eyes ran dry, the gun resting beside him on the ground, discarded after leaving a stain of death upon his skin.
"It took me fourteen hours to clean up. Took her to this old tree in our hometown, where we had our first date."
A still image of the tree flickers briefly through his mind, a small patch of freshly planted flowers and scratches of your initials in the bark of the tree above them.
Chris catches sight of the chain around Leon's neck once more, watching as he tugged the tucked jewelry from under his shirt and revealed a small dainty ring, adorned with a single diamond. Leon had taken care of it over the years, hardly tarnished and nearly perfect.
"I couldn't even get rid of her things. I got a separate bedroom just for all of her stuff.." he shook his head, face twisting as he clutched the chain in his hand.
"How could I get rid of her memory after I.."
His eyes catch the single picture frame that resided in his apartment. Your eyes sparkle, catching the rays of sun, smiling brightly at Leon behind the camera. It was the last picture he had ever taken of you, a box in your hands as you loaded the back of his car.
"Leon, it wasn't your fault."
The words did not offer any solace. Leon had heard such words only once before, the first time he had ever opened up to anyone about what had happened to you, with none other than the only other woman who had made him feel such complicated things.
It took him weeks to get over his betrayal to you after that.
"Doesn't bring her back, just makes me think I should've tried harder to save her."
Chris fell silent, at a loss for words.
Leon had no doubt carried his fair share of pain over the years, haunted by the horrors of the field, a life Chris was well acquainted with himself. Nothing seemed to bring him such pain the way remembering you did.
He looked tired, blue eyes dull and hair unkept, looking much too pale, under eyes sunken in.
For days Leon had been remembering that night. At least once a year for the past thirty years, he was remembering that night. Not once did it ever feel easier.
"I think you should head out."
Chris watched as Leon stood from his seat, sliding the empty beer bottle from him and setting in on the counter beside the trash can.
He nodded, getting up from his seat and heading towards the door, trying to find something to console Leon, anything that he could say that would ease the pain for his friend, even if just for a moment.
"Leon, she wouldn't want you to let yourself die to repent for what happened."
Leon said nothing as Chris stepped out, shutting the door quietly behind him.
His gaze turned back towards the small picture frame of you, closing his eyes and letting out a breath.
"It's what I deserve, the only way I'll ever see you again," he muttered.
A quiet buzzing on his hip drew his attention, a tired sigh leaving his mouth as he pulled out his phone and looked at the message.
Sherry:
Got another body with the same marks. How fast can you get to Elbridge?
amandla
pixelskylines
discoholicmusic
prguitarman
stormborns
gracieabrams
