Jeep of Theseus
Leon Kennedy x GN!Reader
Synopsis: Leon will not give the poor Jeep a rest.
Tags/Warnings: domestic fluff, cussing, leon is a stressed out old man, reader is same age as leon (requiem age), reader and leon are married (per usual), they/them used for reader, no use of yn
Word Count: 1.1K
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The clank of a wrench echoes throughout the cluttered garage, followed by a string of curses that would have a frail elderly woman clutching her pearls.
“Fucking piece of-” Leon’s rough voice grumbles from where he lays under his dark green Jeep Wrangler; a car, in his spouse’s opinion, which he should have gotten rid of ages ago and was “causing more stress than good.”
The door connecting the garage to the house squeaks softly as it opens. Leon makes a mental note to oil the hinges later on. His spouse steps into the garage, their sock-clad feet padding softly against the cool concrete floor.
“Ready to trade it in yet?” They joke, sitting down next to where Leon’s legs rest on the floor, the other half of his body covered by the rackety old car. They have an old R.P.D. coffee mug nestled in their hands.
He huffs in response, ignoring the comment and continuing to fix whatever part had gone bad this time.
“How long have you been under there?” They ask, taking a sip from their coffee mug.
“Do you want the real answer or the answer that’ll make me look cooler?”
“Real.”
Leon can’t see their face but he can tell they have a smile resting on their lips. He sighs softly and mumbles an unintelligible answer. They give his thigh a playful pat.
“Since this morning.” He mutters, the sounds of his work pause as he rolls out slowly from under the car, sitting up and stretching his neck and shoulders. His muscles flex and strain against his grease and oil stained t-shirt.
“Leon-”
“I know, I know.” He gives them an apologetic smile, a smile that quickly turns devious as he takes the coffee mug from their hands and brings it to his lips.
“Hey!” They let out a scoff, watching as he takes a large drink of the coffee.
He sighs and the now half empty mug between them.
“You know I would have made you a cup.”
“But then I wouldn’t be able to see that cute face you make when I drink yours.” He smiles, feigning innocence and poking the creased space between their eyebrows.
They swat his hand away. “Which part went bad this time?”
He huffs. “Well, I was originally only checking the oil, but then I figured I’d check the breaks, and then one thing led to another and I ended up under the damn thing fixing a rusted out bearing.”
He runs a hand over his face, oil smudging onto his cheek.
They smile and grab a cloth from the cart beside them, bringing it up to his face and gently wiping it off. Their hand lingers on his stubbled jaw.
“Ever consider just taking it to the mechanic? Even having someone come over to help you?” They offer, thumb brushing over a faint scar on his cheekbone.
“No.”
“Leon-”
“I like fixing it.” He shrugs.
They give him a look of pure disbelief.
“It’s relaxing!” He excuses.
They laugh.
“What?” He frowns.
“Honey, everytime you come out here it’s nothing but cussing and groaning.” They let their hand fall from his jaw. Leon catches it in his clean one, thumb brushing over their knuckles. They squeeze his rough, calloused hand and glance at the car beside them. “How many parts are going to break before you finally give it a rest?”
He sighs, gaze drifting to the scratch on the driver’s side door, the green paint scraped and chipping away from the time someone swiped it with a grocery cart years ago.
You would think it would be easy to let go of it. Hell, it’s just a damn car. One that had been put through the ringer back in its prime. But for some reason he couldn’t bear to part from it.
“It runs great.” He argues.
“The engine sounds like it is crying anytime you start it.” They deadpan.
“It looks beautiful for its age.”
“There’s scratches all over the paint, a dent in the rear bumper, the passenger seat is gaining a tear-”
“Those can all be fixed!”
“Leon, seriously, it gets to a point when this isn’t even the same car you bought in 1998. Hell, it’s the Jeep of Theseus at this point.” They let out a short laugh at their own joke.
Leon can’t help but to crack a smile as well, shaking his head slightly before gazing at them lovingly.
“I know this car means a lot to you. I really do. You don’t have to make a decision right now, but just think about it, okay? I’d prefer if I got to see my husband more than his car does.”
He nods. “Sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize, honey.”
“No, I do. I should stop focusing so much on this damn car before it puts me in an early grave.”
They lean over, closing the distance between them to press a soft kiss to his lips. He practically melts against them, his hand hovering over their waist but not touching, aware of the oil coating his palm and fingers.
The kiss lingers for a few seconds before they pull away.
“Love you.”
“Love you too.” He pecks their lips again.
When they finally part, his spouse stands, holding out a hand for him to take. “Come on, you need a shower.”
“Trying to tell me I stink?” He smirks, taking their hand and grunting when his knees pop as he stands.
“Yeah, actually.” They tease.
He scoffs and moves to the front of the car, cleaning up the mess of tools he left out and checking to make sure all of the caps and seals are secure. He straightened out his back, whacking his head on the underside of the hood in the process. He grunts and rubs the back of his head.
They raise a hand to cover their mouth, giving him a sympathetic look while also trying not to laugh.
He shuts the hood and walks back over to them, thumping his forehead into their shoulder with a groan.
Their hand gently rubs at the back of his skull, fingers running through his hair while the other strokes his back.
…
Later on, they lay in bed. Leon’s practically fully on top of his spouse half asleep as they run their fingers through his damp hair, gently scratching his scalp. He lets out a content hum and they smile softly, placing a gentle kiss onto the top of his head.
“It’s the reason we’re together.” He mutters into their chest.
“Huh?”
“The Jeep.” He shifts, hand coming up to rest on their side. “I’m not sure if I would have had the courage to kiss you if it wasn’t for it breaking down that day.”
“You’re such a dork.”
