Frogtape

Leon takes special care to turn the keys in the lock as slowly as possible when he comes home past midnight. Once the door is pushed open with a silent creak, he steps inside as quiet as a mouse, removing his shoes and hanging his jacket without a sound. He almost looks like he is sneaking around on some spying mission, but in reality, he is simply doing his very best not to wake the fellow residents of his home. The love of his life, and the two children he cares for more than anything in the world.

With his socks muffling his steps, he walks on his tiptoes, like a cat, in the direction of his bedroom, ready to pass out after a three-day mission in the middle of nowhere. When, his gaze lands on the shape of a sleeping figure on the living room sectional, visible under the moonlight filtering through the blinds. He pauses, suddenly feeling his chest tighten at the sight of her, curled onto her side with a light blanket, snoring softly like a baby.

A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth, and he’s moving closer before he can stop himself, coming to a stop once he looms over her slumbering form. That's when he notices the silk dress adorning her body. He’s not completely certain due to the dim light, but he thinks it's navy blue—his favorite color. Only then does Leon remember the special occasion for which his wife would dress up so nicely, and he feels his heart skip a beat. It seems he has completely forgotten about his own birthday—a repeated offense on his part.

He sits by her side with an exhale, like her thoughtfulness has rendered him breathless, or maybe it's the fact he can never bring himself to keep his distance for too long. Either way, it's only a matter of time before he's softly brushing calloused fingers against her cheek, unable to resist the urge to touch the one person he could give up everything for. Years and years of marriage, two children, countless memories, and she is still his one forever companion. His partner.

“Leon?” she suddenly whispers, her eyes fluttering open to meet his through the streaking moonlight.

“Sorry, didn't mean to wake you…” he murmurs apologetically, cupping her face with reverent tenderness. “I got home too late again, didn't I?”

“No,” she shakes her head immediately, already shifting to sit up. “You said you’d be late, I just got too excited with the kids.”

“The kids?” He arches an eyebrow, his hand dropping to her waist where his thumbs rubs soothing circles. Sometimes he feels a bit embarrassed over the way he’s constantly touching her, but he can’t help it. The feel of her warmth under his palms is grounding.

She smiles sheepishly with a small chuckle, leaning into his touch. “We baked you a cake… Not the nicest looking thing considering toddlers made it, but they put a lot of love into it. They’ll be stoked in the morning when you pretend it's the best thing you've ever tasted.”

An overwhelming warmth blooms in Leon’s chest at the news, prompting him to hold her closer, with both arms around her now. “You made me a cake? And you dressed up, and waited for me? Sweetheart, you really didn't have to... I would have been happy with a card.”

“I know. But you deserve more than a card. It's not every day my handsome husband turns forty-nine, you know.”

Her soft smile makes his heart stutter, and he can't stop himself anymore from pressing his lips to hers in a desperate kiss. Passionate, earnest, and full of love, he doesn't pull away until she gently pushes on his broad shoulders, panting against his mouth.

“Can I give you your gift?”

“There's a gift too? I thought that you in this dress were the gift...”

She chuckles, kissing his cleft chin before shrugging playfully. “What can I say? I’m generous like that.”

“Okay, gorgeous. Show me your gift.”

She stands excitedly, granting him a look at the enticing way the blue fabric clings to her figure once the blanket slips off her. She then eclipses herself into the bedroom, leaving him to sit there alone in the silence of the night. 

Leon takes the moment to close his eyes in grateful thought, his silver streaked hair falling down on his right temple. Twenty-six years ago, when his life changed forever on that one gruesome night, he never thought he would know true happiness ever again. Fight after fight, each one pushing him further than the last, each one eating more at his soul, until he's left as empty as a shell.

But then, there is her. 

When everything is stripped away, when his very sanity is on the brink of collapse, he thinks of her loving voice, her adoring eyes, her reverent touch… And suddenly, everything is alright with the world again. 

As if summoned by his aching heart that has already missed her presence, she returns with a small gift bag held behind her back, and a bouquet of flowers in the other hand. She pauses just to turn on the small lamp on the corner table, illuminating both of their faces in a warm light, before turning to him with a grin.

“These first, my good sir,” she smiles, elated, as she hands him the arrangement of yellow, white, and blue petals.

Leon feels his breath hitch for a moment as he gratefully takes the bouquet, murmuring an emotional ‘thank you, baby’ as if it's the first time she's bought him some. It's not. But it makes his heart pound out of his ribcage every single time.

“Alright, are you ready for the real deal?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be, kiddo.”

She giggles at his response, attempting to keep her voice quiet despite her obvious excitement as she hands him the bag. Leon stares up at her with his ice blues for a moment, just to take in her happy expression. Then, suddenly, he’s pulling her with a strong, flexing arm around her waist, settling her on his lap with ease.

“Wanna open it together,” he mutters with a kiss to her jaw. He doesn’t need an excuse to bring her closer, he just likes to pretend he has one.

With his arms encircling her midsection, he pulls out a square box from the bag with curiosity, shaking it next to his ear with a playful smile in an attempt to guess its contents. She laughs at that, then urges him to open it quickly, which he does with a happy grin.

Finally, the reason for her excitement is revealed when the shiny quadrant of a wristwatch glimmers in the warm light. All black, stainless steel, and with a wing motif engraved on the dial. It's branded—Hamilton—and he can already guess it was quite the pricey purchase.

“Baby, what did I say about buying me expensive things?” he huffs.

“Not this again,” she rolls her eyes at him. “I’ll buy you all the expensive gifts my heart pleases, and there's nothing you can do about it. Will you at least take it out of the box first before complaining?”

“I’m not complaining, I’m just saying you don't have to spend so much on m—”

He’s interrupted by a rough peck to his plump lips, before his attacker chuckles. “Just shut up and take it out.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Once the watch is out of its containment, Leon can admire it more closely, turning it in his hands with focus as he takes in every detail of luxurious craftsmanship. He already knows it will be something he wears again and again, not only because it fits his taste, but also because he can't wait to parade around her gift. Like a branding on his wrist that proves to him that even he gets to be loved and celebrated.

He can feel her eyes on his stubbled face as he observes the present, and he knows there's something more to it that she isn't saying yet. That's when he turns the objects in his hands and finds something on the caseback. Engraved names; his, hers, and the children’s. All encircled in a heart like the cheesiest little display of love one can ever come up with. 

“Happy birthday, honey,” his perfect wife murmurs gently to the detriment of his big, soft heart.

Leon feels like he could cry. And his eyes do in fact water no matter how much he tries to stop them, which urges her to hug him tightly with kisses to his neck.

“I love you so much,” she murmurs, muffled, “I’m so grateful for you.” 

“I know… I love you too, sweetheart. None of this would be worth it without you.” He pulls back, shiny eyes filled with reverence as he cups her face. “Thank you, it's perfect.”

She brings a hand up to wipe at the corners of his wet eyes, blinking her own tears away with a smile. “So it's technically not your birthday anymore, but you still get to make a wish.”

“You’ll allow it?” he chuckles softly, his voice still rough with emotion.

“I told you, I’m very generous.”

Leon looks down at the watch in his grasp, the flowers on his side, and the beautiful woman on his lap, and he feels like there's nothing more in the world he could wish for. It’s a euphoric feeling like no other, knowing that no matter what, he was able to attain what most spend their lives chasing—true contentment. He slips off the watch on his wrist to put on the new one with endearing focus, testing its weight on his skin with a hum. Unsurprisingly, it's a perfect fit. Just like her weight on his lap, and her lips against his.

Finally, he’s ready to give his answer with a heart full and a playful smile on his tired face. “I want forty-nine kisses.”

The laugh that emanates from her has the lines on the corners of his eyes crinkling as he mirrors it. Their soft chuckles mix into what sounds like a perfect harmony to his ears, and he pulls her closer to press her chest to his fully in a tight embrace. He then reaches for a hydrangea amongst the bouquet, a tiny blue flower that he tucks behind her ear with a lovesick smile, knowing fully how mushy he must seem.

“What do you say, beautiful? Will you make my wish come true?”

“Hmm… Yeah. I think I can fit it into my schedule.”

actually fully emo over this imaginary man turning 49 knowing he is soon going to be facing the bs from requiem, ugh my heart! 💙 i love this not so little guy so much, he brings me so much joy everyday and has helped me to meet so many awesome people and make lovely friends

happy leon day everyone!! ✨

He had booked a trip to Washington State for a week, with our primary goal to go walking and sightseeing various parts of the natural life there, largely since Leon's new job at the Raccoon City police department had become so busy over his first few months there.

According to his superiors, Leon had been one of their best rookies yet, working hard and eager to learn. They had joked to me about Leon's rushing around the station, arms filled with doughnuts and takeout coffee cups as he entered in the mornings.

That thought had made me laugh especially since Leon's first action in the morning has always been to make the both of us a coffee to start our days, so hearing that he did this at work too made me smile, and maybe laugh a little.

The trip had been booked for some time, and we were both looking forward to it, hence why his sudden urgence to set off in his jeep that morning hadn't made me bat an eye. However, his nervous rambling and conversation that lasted the entire drive did set off some alarm bells in my head.

Leon hadn't rambled like this to me since he went for his job interview at the RPD, which was more of a meeting to sign the paperwork since his academy supervisor had gotten him the job.

It was during the drive that I realised that something was up.

He typically held my hand when he drove, or at least rested his hand on my thigh, however he now gripped the wheel with a white-knuckle intensity that I almost thought that the wheel might rip off of the car if he took a wrong move.

"Jesus, babe, relax. We've got everything that we need. Plus there's a couple of stores near enough to the cabin that we can just pick stuff up there if we need to." I said, believing that he was worried about packing or logistics rather than the truth of the matter.

In fact, for the first couple days of our trip were so deeply tense that I was convinced that I had done something wrong to upset him since he was avoiding me a lot, which of course upset me since Leon and I were attached at the hip more often than not.

The tension all came to a head when we were on a hike.

It was a cloudy day and looked like it could potentially rain any second, but I didn't mind. Honestly, it was more peaceful like that. Rain was always my favourite.

Throughout our hike, I had been trying to interact with Leon, asking him about what he thought about a movie night that night, or if he wanted to head down the road to check out the small town that we had driven through on the way up to the cabin, only to be met with silence as Leon walked ahead of me.

He didn't stop with me until we reached one of the smaller viewing points on the hike. I finally caught up to him when he was taking a sip from his water bottle that he had been given from the police station back in Raccoon City on his first day. They had given him a little care package with some branded stickers, a mug, some pens and the water bottle. Being the proud rookie cop that he was, Leon put those stickers on everything and used the mug and water bottle religiously. I found it adorable honestly.

He went to set back off on the hike when I decided that I had endured enough of his silent treatment.

"You do know that this was supposed to be a romantic trip for the two of us, right? You aren't really supposed to ignore your girlfriend on a couples trip." I started, voice gaining more and more frustrated as I vented out the things that had been bugging me.

"No no no baby I-" Leon started, that sweet innocent panic that filled both his voice and his eyes when he thought that he had upset me came into full show. I had to turn away and pace in order to not keel over and forgive him at the sight of his puppy dog eyes.

"I don't care what your excuses are, Leon! I feel like I've barely seen you for the past few weeks and... oh... oh my god..." I turned back to face him to see him drop to one knee in the wet mud beneath him, as he dug into his backpack with haste.

"Give me a second... I have it somewhere... shit oh god... oh please... okay here." He held up a rung box with the most stunning ring I have ever seen inside of it.

The ring itself was perfect, giving me the impression that Leon had chosen it wiht my exact tastes and lifestyle in mine. He had clearly spent a lot of time and effort selecting the ring.

I simply couldn't form words.

"I... I... I..." Leon began, "please?" He said, voice shaky with nerves.

I laughed a wet, teary laugh, doubling over and resting my hands on my knees.

"Is this why you've been ignoring me?" I asked.

"I was nervous!" He defended, voice going high pitched as he blushes, which only made me laugh more.

"Oh my god you idiot." I wiped tears from my eyes as I laughed.

Leon shuffled forwards on his knees, desperately.

"You... you didn't answer my question... will... will you marry me?" His voice was so emotional.

I smiled ay him. "Of course, idiot."

Leon shot up horrifically fast, gripping me into a tight hug, almost fusing our beings together.

"I love you." He whispered in my ear.

"I love you too." I whispered back. "More than anything."

cw: emotionally abusive parenting including in relation to adoption, mentions of infertility and stillbirth

Blue, green, and red. Your eyes trace the swirly lines of the abstract painting on the wall, a vaguely shaped jagged cross in the middle. It's the newest addition to your father's office—the Oval Office Study—a more private room where he spends many hours working. 

You sigh, turning to observe the man himself as he finishes writing something at his desk. He called you in, saying he wants to discuss something with you, and now you wait silently for him to conclude his work to talk. With a final click of his pen interrupting the silence, he sets it down before turning his attention to you.

“Classes are starting soon. Are you ready?” His voice is clinical as always, same as his icy eyes.

“Sure. I miss campus. Can't believe it's my last year already.”

“Mhm. You are a senior now, that comes with new responsibilities,” he hums in a deep baritone, giving you a pointed look. “No more partying or wasting time.”

You feel that familiar flare of irritation ignite inside you at his berating tone. After all the restrictions he puts on you, he still dares to imply you don't act responsibly? It’s complete bullshit.

“Well, good thing I don't party or waste time anyway,” you reply with a sarcastic smile.

His eyes narrow, but he doesn't argue—he knows you’re right. Still, there's another reason he called you to his office other than to give unwarranted advice. “There's something I need you to do.”

Your shoulders tense further as you brace yourself. “I’m listening.”

“This year's New Student Orientation event… You’re giving a speech,” he says matter of factly while you feel your stomach drop. “I’ve already spoken to the staff and prepared what you will say. All you have to do is read off a paper and smile for the audience.”

No. Way. In. Hell.

“Dad, I—” you cut yourself off to inhale deeply, trying to keep your temper in control. “You know I don't do this kind of thing… I’m not comfortable with being in the spotlight.”

“That was fine before, when you were young, but you don't get to be uncomfortable anymore,” he scoffs like your feelings offend him. “And especially not when we’re four months away from the elections.”

You’re starting to grow impossibly tired of these stupid elections.

“I understand this is important to you—” you pause, then correct yourself to soften your words. “To us. But I can't do it, I’m sorry. I’m gonna get nervous and mess it up and then make a fool out of myself! Plus, you know I don't really want to work in this whole… politics thing. I have my own passion.” You don't want to say that you're not into his politics specifically.

“Right. You have made that perfectly clear by majoring in anthropology, of all things.” He doesn't even try to conceal his disappointment.

Your chosen major has been a sensitive topic in the household. You wanted something that spoke to you on a deeper level than striving for a soulless career in Congress. He, of course, disagreed, and continues to disagree almost four years later as you reach your senior year.

Bitterness settles in your gut no matter how much you try to keep it at bay, and you can't help but let it out through a sardonic smile. Just why can't he be supportive of you like a normal parent? “I’m sorry I picked the subject I was most interested in,” you huff.

“Well, it’s time you become interested in this campaign,” he instantly retorts, leaning closer in his chair to make his point clear. “You have done nothing substantial to support my efforts.”

“You just hosted a dinner for your sponsors using my birthday as an excuse!” 

White House money cannot be legally spent on presidential campaigns, which is why he used you as the perfect gateway to garner more voters. 

“And it wasn't thanks to you,” he hisses, then turns in his chair away from you, peering at the abstract painting on the wall as he continues. “Do you understand how much work all of this takes? While you lounge by the pool or go out with your friends, I work hard for the betterment of this country. For the betterment of your future.”

“So I can't even swim on hot days without you disapproving now? I just turned twenty-one and still get treated like an incompetent child!” you snap, your voice shaky with pent up emotion. “All I ever do is follow your commands about what I can and can't do, but it's never enough. I just want to live like a normal young adult—no agents, no press, and definitely no pompous speeches that will make me come off entirely tone deaf and obnoxious to all of campus!”

He instantly swivels back in his chair to face you, eyes furiously cold. “After everything I do for you this is how you reward me… If you don't want to do the speech, then fine. But don't be surprised when tabloids keep questioning your assimilation to this family, because clearly you are not committed to belonging to it either.”

His words land like a gut punch, and you can feel your heart shattering in real time. He almost never goes there, but sometimes, when he's especially angry, he’ll allude to your adoption and lack of biological ties as something to be shamed for. Every time, it leaves you distraught and at a lack of words.

You stand up quietly, giving him a single nod without meeting his eyes, before walking out of the office in a stuttered step. It’s times like these that make you wish you were never adopted. At least not by him. But you know the true reason for his bitterness isn't entirely related to you. Your mother told you the story many times while growing up.

Before you were brought into the family, Barbara was pregnant. It was a miracle child after many years of trying to conceive, to the point even the doctors were surprised by the success of the latest round of IVF. It all seemed to go well until she began suffering complications—repeated infections and bleeding—and then, it ended in a tragic stillbirth at seven months.

She says John has never been the same since he held his deceased baby girl in his arms. They had already prepared a nursery for her and picked a name—Ashley. But their dream child remained a dream, and the medical professionals told Barbara she could not risk another pregnancy for her own safety. It was then that she made the suggestion to adopt, and he agreed knowing there was no other option if they wanted a baby.

Of course, the way your mother tells you the story is different from how you interpret it. She says your father was looking forward to welcoming you into the family, and that he considered you his daughter from day one. But you know better by now, and deep down, you always knew. You were never able to replace Ashley in the man’s cold heart.

You spend the rest of the day alone in your room, ruminating on your father’s words and letting your thoughts spiral into a rabbit hole of misery. By the time it's late afternoon, you can no longer stay put. You feel the need to get out of the stuffy walls of this stupid house that was never a home, and then drink your sorrows away with your friends.

But you know that's not gonna happen. Not with your friends being busy, and certainly not without your father's permission. You feel tears prick your eyes at the feeling of being so utterly trapped it becomes hard to breathe, so you decide to leave your room to at least go sit in the quiet library or maybe on a shaded terrace.

Walking down endless hallways, you pass by multiple staff that offer smiles and nods, some asking about your day and others asking if you need anything. You appreciate their kindness, but this is one of the moments you truly dread talking to anyone, because you know they can all see your red rimmed eyes and defeated demeanor.

When you pass by a large hall, however, you see a spot mop of blond hair by a tall pillar. The Detail Lead seems to be engrossed in a conversation with other agents, until he sees you in his peripheral and turns with a curious look. Suddenly, an idea comes to mind at the sight of him, and you awkwardly gesture for him to come over. 

Leon is a bit surprised, but he obeys nonetheless, giving his colleagues a nod before making his way to you with a steady step. He doesn't stop walking until he stands before you, blue eyes as intense as ever.

“Miss Graham,” he mutters quietly.

“Agent Kennedy,” you return his greeting with the same detached professionalism.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” He quirks an eyebrow, then quickly schools his expression. 

Remember to keep it professional, Kennedy, he berates himself with an exhale. It’s only then he notices the puffiness of your eyes, and a frown settles on his brows.

“I, um, need your help with something…” you start, feeling unsure now that he's looking at you expectantly. You hope this is a good idea. “I want to go out.”

Leon cocks his head slightly in confusion. “Well, I can arrange for transportation. But depending on the place, it might take a while before we secure the area enough for you.”

He’s not sure what you mean by ‘help’, but he can tell it means a lot to you by the state of your shifting eyes and nervous demeanor.

You shake your head before he even finishes talking, pursing your lips. “No, that's not the issue…”

“What, don't tell me you want to go to some place dangerous?” he huffs out a small chuckle in hopes of making you smile. He fails.

“No!” you grunt in frustration, noticing the way the other agents eye you curiously from afar, before you lower your voice. “It’s dad… He won't just let me go out. He needs convincing.”

The agent frowns deeper as your words settle. Does this mean you cannot leave the house without your father's explicit approval? He knows the man is strict with you—he’s been warned extensively by the staff. But he didn't expect that a twenty-one year old needs a permission slip to go outside.

“Convincing?”

“Well, he won't listen to me, and we kind of argued earlier and I don’t really wanna talk to him anyway…” You suddenly realize you’re rambling too much and clear your throat. “What I’m saying is maybe you could ask him for me.”

Leon chuckles for a brief moment, thinking it's a joke, until he sees the very clear look of desperation on your face. “You’re serious?”

“I wouldn't be asking you if I wasn't.” You petulantly cross your arms and look away. “And before you say it, no, I can't ask my mom because he never listens to her either.”

Scratching the back of his neck, the agent sighs as he contemplates your request. What would he even say to the president? Let me take out your daughter? That sounds incredibly suspicious. No, he needs to play it cool to avoid getting his ass grilled over a spoiled princess who clearly grew up too sheltered. But he won't lie that the sight of you so obviously sad doesn't do something to his heart.

“Fine,” he eventually concedes after pretending to contemplate. “But I have a condition, ma’am.”

You roll your eyes. “Of course you do.”

A smirk spreads on his lips before he can stop it. You look kind of cute when you're mad. “You follow my lead and do exactly as I say. Don’t make my job any harder than it is and we have a deal.”

“As if I ever do anything apart from following orders,” you scoff under your breath but agree nonetheless. “Alright, deal.”

He wants to say that he relates to the feeling, but that would be too friendly so he settles on a practical ask. “So where do you wanna go?”

Ah. The one million dollar question. There are so many places you want to see, some you haven't visited for four years, and others you’ve never been to before. But the choices are limited when you know your father will hardly agree to this impromptu outing.

“I don't really know… Honestly, I think I’m okay with just a drive around the city.”

Something about the way you content yourself with a simple car ride for an outing tugs at Leon’s heartstrings, and he nods with empathic eyes. 

“Alright, I’ll go put in the request. Let’s hope he’s not too busy to receive it.”

The grateful smile you give him has his breath stuttering for a split second, and he realizes it's the first one you granted his way since he met you. Deep inside, he wishes he could make you smile more often, but on the surface, he remembers once again the promise he made to himself about professionalism. He refuses to be anything but perfect at this job.

At 8 p.m. sharp, Agent Kennedy meets you in the library like previously agreed. You're sitting on an armchair with bouncy legs that make your sandals tap on the floor repeatedly when he walks in. At the sight of him, you stand immediately, a look of apprehension on your face as you await the verdict.

He pauses for a brief moment, eyeing you intently before giving the good news. “He approved it.”

You squeal, reaching for his arm before you can stop yourself as you give it an excited squeeze. That is until you realize you're being a complete idiot and quickly retreat your touch with hot cheeks. 

“Um, thanks,” you smile awkwardly, smoothing down your skirt.

You’re not sure if you're imagining things when you see him grow flustered, darting his eyes away with a clearing of his throat. “I actually also negotiated a trip to a convenience store, if you wanted to buy a treat or something.”

Oh, God, you could kiss him. Not that you’d want to, of course. You're just happy he secured you this little trip when it usually takes days of convincing for your father to agree—even if legally you are completely free to decide to go out without his approval. But as always, you try to keep the peace at home no matter his cruel stubbornness. Hell, it took months of preparation for him to even agree to the night out for your birthday. This suffocating control is one of the biggest reasons you miss campus so much. Over there, you come and go as you please. Well, within the bounds of your responsibility as First Daughter, the cumbersome title forever making your life difficult.

“Thanks a lot,” you grin at the agent, already feeling better at the prospect of leaving these walls. He returns your smile with a small one, but returns it nonetheless.

“Don't mention it.”

The ride in the black SUV is silent as you watch the streets pass through the window, your fingers tapping the armrest. Besides you sits Agent Kennedy, palms flat on his thighs, dressed casually not to attract attention, same as the two agents at the front of the vehicle. 

You steal a glance towards the blond when he shifts in his seat, taking in his form in his jeans and a zip up hoodie. He looks so much younger dressed like this, just like the night you met, an air of ease radiating off him despite his everlastingly tense shoulders. He looks content as he sits there, but something about the tight set of his jaw tells you there's more to it he’s not showing. Though, you don't know him well enough to be sure whether you can read him correctly yet.

He suddenly turns at the feel of your eyes on him, and you quickly look away, feeling your face grow hot from being caught staring. You hope he doesn't think you were checking him out, because you definitely weren't…

“Would you still like to go to the store, ma’am?” his smooth voice cuts through the quiet hum of the engine.

“Um, yeah,” you answer without turning his way again.

From your peripheral vision, you see him nod, then lean over to whisper something to the driver, no doubt an address. No one says anything about it, but you can feel the slight stiffness between the three agents, a sort of awkwardness in their interactions. It must be weird having to answer to the guidance and orders of a much younger colleague, and one lacking bodyguard experience as well.

If you can sense the tension as a third party viewer, then Leon feels it deep in his bones. He has never liked tasks where he was asked to lead during training, always preferring to either work alone or follow a senior’s orders. It's yet another reason he’s entirely uncomfortable with this new role he’s been thrust into. No matter how much he attempts to put on a confident façade, he's still a nervous rookie on the inside.

The edge he’s feeling only sharpens once the SUV comes to a stop at the parking lot of a CVS store, the place mostly empty in the suburban area. Leon picked it on purpose in hopes to meet the least amount of people possible, but as you unbuckle your belt, he still feels anxious. He’s not sure what he is afraid of exactly, but since being debriefed about the threats made about infecting you with a virus, he knows he can't rest until he finishes this job. After all, few know the true horrors of BOWs more than him.

“Ma’am,” he calls to you quietly, “if you’d like, I can lend you my hoodie… for better concealment.”

His proposition registers slowly in your head, and you look down at your outfit consisting of a bright yellow shirt and a jean skirt, before lifting your gaze to him again. Maybe he’s not wrong.

“Okay…” 

That's all he needs to hear before he’s pulling down the zipper, then shrugs off the fabric to neatly fold it in half before carefully handing it over. There's a split second when you don't reach for it, your eyes intently focused on his now apparent arms, before you snap out of your daze just as quickly. Leon doesn’t allow himself to think much of it, but the idea of you checking out his biceps is oddly pleasing.

Five minutes later, you're shoving your hands in the pockets of his warm hoodie, which turned out to be very much needed in the store with its cold air conditioning. You almost feel a bit bad at the sight of him without protection—it seems this poor man is constantly suffering from harsh temperatures because of you. But you won't lie that the sight of his exposed muscles isn't welcome. The way his biceps bulge when he moves, the flex of the tendons under his skin, the veins running down his forearms, plus the entire rest of him that already has you gawking… He looks too attractive, if that's even a thing.

“So, what do you want to grab?” he quirks an eyebrow, catching you staring again.

You blink your eyes a few times to focus on your shopping trip, looking around the quasi empty store. It’s been a while since you walked into one of these, and it almost feels normal if not for the agent by your side, the one by the door, and the third waiting in the car. Oh, well, you take what you can get.

“First, I want some chips…” your eyes dart to the rows of snacks, walking ahead with the blond a single step behind you.

When you grab a bag of Doritos, he picks up a small basket from the corner and offers it for you to fill—those muscles aren't just for show after all. There's a small smile plastered on your face as you browse shelves and he follows you around, and you’re already imagining what it would look like at a mall, with him carrying all your bags. The thought is weirdly endearing.

Mindlessly passing by the isle of cards, ranging from thank you’s to I love you’s, you see his gaze linger on the birthday wishes. Walking closer, you notice one that makes you chuckle. It's a drawing of a cute, anthropomorphic avocado with a text that reads ‘Avo Great Birthday!’

“I wish I just got something like this instead of that stupidly fancy dinner party,” you grin candidly.

The man smiles, though you can tell it doesn't reach his eyes as he observes the card closely. “Well, it's still nice that you were celebrated, even though I’m sure it was a pain having to entertain all those guests.”

“A pain is an understatement,” you huff, “I barely knew a third of the attendees.”

He chuckles at that, turning to you with his bright blue eyes that always feel so intense on your skin. “You mean you’re not best friends with corporate shareholders?”

Laughing at his obvious dig at the event, you can't help but appreciate his momentary lack of professional filter. “Can you believe it?” 

He grins as he shakes his head, the sight of his smile making your insides tingle. You’re not sure how you’re already letting your guard down around the man you supposedly dislike, but you're enjoying this newfound peace between you. That's when your curiosity peaks.

“When’s your birthday by the way?” You don't directly admit that you're hoping to find out his horoscope, even if it might not mean much. You just want to know more about the newest addition in your life.

He looks taken aback by the question, and then, the tips of his ears visibly redden like something straight out of a cartoon as he scratches the back of his head. “Um, the thirty-first.”

The thirty-first… July thirty-first? Your eyes widen in realization that his birthday is today. Here you are complaining about a fancy party like a privileged fool, when he’s forced to tediously work on his special day. 

“T-today?” you stutter with a gasp.

Agent Kennedy chuckles softly, his face growing redder by the second, and he suddenly can't bring himself to meet your eyes. “Yes… Turning twenty-seven.”

“I-I thought you said you were twenty-seven?”

“Well, the date was close enough. Plus, I feel forty-two if you ask me—my back’s been killing me.”

His attempt at humor to diffuse the awkward tension doesn't go unnoticed by you. He clearly would have preferred not to share the news, but you can tell he didn't want to lie about the date either. Now you’re both left feeling weirdly embarrassed.

“Well, h-happy birthday!” you blurt out when you realize you haven't presented your well wishes yet.

He finally meets your gaze, his cheeks entirely flushed by now as he nods with a small smile. “Thank you, ma’am.”

Before you can say another word, he turns away, rubbing his neck and causing your attention to focus back on his arms. You don't know what it is about this guy that's making you feel butterflies when he’s not even trying to seduce you, but you know you can’t let yourself fall in too deep. Leon S. Kennedy is your bodyguard who was, up until very recently, quite rude to you. There is more than one reason stopping you from beginning to like him that way.

“Hey, um, can I take a look around? I promise I won't get kidnapped,” you ask with a strained smile. You need to get away from this impossibly alluring man immediately.

The agent’s eyes sweep the isles before answering, and you know it's with reluctance that he agrees with a nod. “Okay. I’ll be close if you need me.”

“Gotcha.”

You move away quickly, turning around the corner, but then pause in your steps when you feel a tug at your heart. With a deep breath, you peer past the wall of shelves and notice him strolling away, checking the time on his watch. That's when you decide to say ‘fuck it’ and quickly reach for that birthday card before he can notice you.

It doesn’t mean anything. It's just a small gesture for someone forced to babysit on his birthday. You would do this for anyone, so it's okay because it doesn't make him special. Or at least that's what you tell yourself as you look down at the cute, smiling avocado.

Next chapter coming soon.

we'll have some angst coming up next that i'm excited about <3

i almost couldn't upload today's chapter because i'm behind on my schedule due to life lifing, but i'm still happy with how this turned out and i hope you guys liked it 🤍

"I'll call you when I get home," Leon murmured, his voice quiet enough that it almost blended with the wind. "I know." You smiled. "And tomorrow," Leon added. "I know." Your smile widened. "And probably the day after that." A proper laugh escaped your lips this time. "I know, Leon." He smiled back with that familiar crooked smile you used to hate when you arrived but that somehow you can't stop loving now.

There had been a time when promises like those wouldn't have been enough. When you would've watched someone walk away and quietly prepared yourself for them to disappear forever. But Leon had never asked you to silence your fears. He simply stayed long enough to prove them wrong.

His forehead rested against yours with the quiet comfort of someone who had no intention of becoming another memory. "You know where to find me," he whispered. "I do." You nodded before he had even finished speaking. For a moment, neither of you moved. Then, reluctantly, he pressed one last kiss to your lips, slow, lingering, as though trying to make the feeling last until tomorrow.

When he finally stepped back, he didn't let go immediately. His fingers slipped from your hand one at a time, his flower ring brushing yours. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said. "You'd better." A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I always keep my promises."

You watched him climb into the driver's seat, waiting until the engine started before taking a step back. He waved through the open window. You waved back. The car disappeared beyond the line of trees. And for the very first time in a long time, watching someone leave didn't feel like the beginning of another goodbye. It felt more like the countdown until seeing them again.

One year later...

Warm sunlight filtered through the half-open curtains, painting slow, golden strips across the bedroom. The distant chirping of birds drifted in through the open window, carried by the soft June breeze that stirred the sheer fabric just enough to cool the room. Somewhere outside, the world had already begun moving. Inside, however, time seemed unwilling to.

Leon woke first. For the first time in what felt like forever, waking up had become his favorite part of the day. For a few quiet moments, he didn't move. He only watched you. Your face was buried halfway into the pillow, one arm tucked beneath it while the other rested loosely across the mattress until your fingertips brushed against his. Your breathing remained slow and steady, completely unaware of the blue eyes studying you with unmistakable fondness.

A year. It had already been a year since the camp. A year since hesitant conversations beneath the stars had turned into morning routines, forgotten mugs in the sink, grocery lists stuck to the fridge, shared blankets, lazy Sundays, and a home that somehow felt incomplete whenever one of you wasn't there.

He couldn't remember the last time he had woken up alone. And he never wanted to. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Today, the camp would open its gates once again. Chris had probably been awake for hours already, and Claire was almost certainly making sure every last detail was in place. Which meant the two of you were, without a doubt, late again. Leon let out the quietest laugh under his breath. Some things never changed.

Carefully, he shifted a little closer until only a few inches separated you. A loose strand of hair had fallen across your cheek sometime during the night. He brushed it back with the gentlest touch, his fingertips lingering for just a heartbeat longer than necessary. You stirred almost imperceptibly, instinctively leaning towards his warmth without ever opening your eyes. His smile only widened. "Morning, sweetheart," he whispered, so softly it was almost a lost breath beneath the sound of the wind outside. You answered with nothing more than a sleepy hum.

Leon rested his forehead briefly against your temple, breathing in the familiar scent of your shampoo mixed with sun-warmed sheets and the quiet comfort of home. There was nowhere else in the world he would've rather been.

His hand drifted lazily over your side as he admired the peaceful expression still painted across your face, his grin slowly turning into something a little more mischievous. After all, waking you up had always been one of his favorite parts of the morning.

His attention slowly drifted towards your exposed collarbone, which suddenly felt incredibly tempting. The warm sunlight created soft shadows across your skin. He couldn't seem to resist himself when his lips trailed and butterfly-kissed the crease of your collarbone. You stirred briefly, making him freeze. Once he was sure you were still sleeping, he attacked your lips this time.

You groaned as you turned your back to him, willing to keep sleeping. Far from stopping his train of thought, he moved closer to you, hugging you tightly and pressing your back against his chest, draping his leg over yours. "I know you're awake." He whispered into your ear, slightly nibbling on your earlobe. His hand ran through your clothed chest, starting to massage your breasts carefully. You felt his growing bulge press against your butt.

Instinctively, you pressed yourself against his hips, eyes still closed even though you grabbed his hand over your breasts to keep it there. A low chuckle escaped his lips when he felt your body pressing against him, slowly rubbing his morning boner against you. A quiet hum escaped your lips, your heartbeat quickening faster than you'd like to admit as you moved your hips against him, trying to get more friction. "See? You know exactly what you're doing, sweetheart." Leon whispered, squeezing one of your breasts. "You can't fool me." He added, sucking on your neck harshly.

That seemed to be enough to make your eyes barely open. Without a word, you turned to face Leon. The golden sunlight looked breathtakingly bright that morning when you looked at him. "Hey." He chuckled. You didn't answer; instead, you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him into a slow, lazy kiss.

Leon smiled sheepishly into the kiss while he moved between your legs without fully breaking the kiss. "You're not even going to give me a good morning?" He asked against your lips, biting on the lower one, followed by a smirk. You simply shook your head. "How rude." He teased, kissing you again. This time, the kiss was hungrier. His hips thrusted into your clothed core, rubbing his erection against your arousal.

Shortly after, his hands removed your pyjamas with meticulous practice, throwing them somewhere across the wooden floor. His fingertips brushed your warm skin slowly, making you shiver under his touch. "You cold?" He asked immediately when he saw your skin prickle. "It's okay." You muttered, grabbing his hand and guiding it desperately towards your clit. He let out a satisfied laugh. "You're so greedy." He said before gluing his fingers to your clit.

A loud gasp escaped your lips when you felt his fingers entering your core, rubbing slow circles on your clit at the same time. That familiar pleasure wave hit you like it always did whenever Leon touched you like that. "You look great with this morning sun, sweetheart." He said, looking at you with genuine adoration.

Your legs spread a little bit wider when his movements quickened, leaving no room for Leon to question whether you were enjoying being woken up like that or not. "Leon..." You gasped. "Faster..." You added, looking down at him with half-lidded eyes. "As you wish, Mrs. Kennedy." He teased you before curling his digits inside you just right and leaning down to catch your lips before you could moan his name louder.

"Let me ride you..." You said once he stopped attacking your clit with his fingers. A wide smirk spread across his face, his blue eyes bathed with nothing but lust and desire. Leon sat on his side of the bed, sunlight warming up both of your bodies as you climbed on top of him. As you sat down on his hard member, you bit your lower lip in an attempt to keep your moans low. "Don't bite your lip; you can scream as much as you want here," Leon said, brushing his thumb over your swollen lip. "Nobody's going to hear you except me." He added, looking straight into your eyes. Sometimes you forgot you were living together alone in that house and not in the camp where anyone could hear you anymore.

"That's it... Just like that..." He breathed out, throwing his head back with pleasure as you rolled your hips against his. You steadied yourself, fisting around the headboard behind him, grabbing the back of his neck with your free hand to pull him into a messy kiss. His hands wandered around your butt and hips, helping you keep up with the pace.

His right hand moved up, tugging a chunk of hair behind your ear after it had gotten in the way between your gazes. "Much better like this..." He whispered, admiring your completely undone expression as you breathed heavily, bouncing on his length. "Fuck... I can't think of a better way of waking up..." He admitted, biting his lower lip when you squeezed your walls around him. "Me neither..." You replied, letting out a quiet moan when he squeezed your butt cheeks.

His hips buckled up shortly after, messing with your rhythmic pace. His name fell from your lips messily as you saw small white dots appear before your eyes as you tried your very best and failed to keep them open. A trail of sweet little nothings followed as he whispered them into your ear while both of you came at the same time.

The room gradually fell silent again. Only the slow rhythm of your breathing and the faint rustling of the curtains disturbed the stillness that settled around you. The comfortable silence was one you had grown to love over the past year, one that never felt empty, only full of everything words could never quite capture.

You lay curled against Leon's side, your cheek resting over the steady rise and fall of his chest while you listened to the familiar rhythm of his heartbeat. It was calm, steady, and safe. His fingers wandered absentmindedly along your back in slow, lazy strokes, tracing invisible patterns that carried no purpose other than keeping you close. Every now and then, they paused for a second before beginning again, as though he couldn't quite convince himself to stop touching you.

Outside, a bird sang somewhere beyond the open window. The scent of fresh summer air drifted into the bedroom, carrying hints of cut grass and blooming flowers from the small garden below. Somewhere in the distance, a lawnmower hummed to life before fading into the background once more.

Your eyelids grew heavier with every passing second. The warmth of the room, the sunlight resting against your skin, and the quiet comfort of Leon's embrace pulled you towards sleep all over again. You felt him shift just enough to tilt his head. A gentle kiss landed against your forehead. It lingered there for a heartbeat longer than usual, full of affection.

You smiled without opening your eyes. One of your hands lazily found his, your fingers slipping between his with practiced ease. The gesture was unconscious by now. Leon smiled to himself. "You falling asleep again?" he murmured, his voice barely louder than a whisper. A sleepy hum was the only answer he received. He let out a quiet chuckle, low enough that you felt it vibrate through his chest beneath your cheek. "I'll take that as a yes." Your lips curved just a little more.

The world beyond the bedroom could wait. The dishes in the sink, the unpacked bags by the door, the drive back to camp, Chris undoubtedly wondering where the hell the two of you were. None of it seemed particularly important. Not while the morning sun wrapped itself around the room, your breathing had already begun to slow again, and Leon held you as though there was nowhere else he would rather be. So he simply tightened his arm around your waist ever so slightly, closed his eyes for another minute beside you, and let the quiet linger a little longer.

Five quiet minutes slipped by. You remained tucked comfortably against Leon's side, one of his arms draped lazily around your waist while the other rested beneath his head. His breathing had slowed into that familiar rhythm that told you he was dangerously close to falling asleep again.

The room was still wrapped in the lazy warmth of a June morning. Sunlight had crept farther across the floorboards, climbing the edge of the bed until it brushed against the crumpled sheets. Somewhere downstairs, the old refrigerator hummed softly.

You sighed contentedly, completely unaware of how late you actually were. Then, almost absentmindedly, your gaze wandered past Leon's shoulder. The digital clock sitting on the dresser came into focus. You blinked once. Twice. Your heart stopped. The peaceful expression melted from your face so quickly it almost hurt. One hour late. "...Leon." He answered with nothing more than a sleepy hum, his eyes still closed. You swallowed. "What time did Chris say we had to be there?" Leon frowned faintly without opening his eyes, as though the question had to travel through several layers of sleep before reaching him. "Hm?" You didn't need to answer; something in your voice had been enough.

He cracked one eye open and lazily reached towards the nightstand, fingers fumbling for his phone. It took him two attempts before he finally grabbed it. The screen lit up, flashing tons of messages from Chris and a couple of missed calls you both somehow managed to miss. He froze completely. The silence that followed lasted only a couple of seconds, but it somehow felt much longer. You watched his expression slowly shift from sleepy confusion to realization. Leon sat bolt upright. "Oh, shit." The peaceful morning disappeared in an instant.

The bedroom exploded into motion. One second ago, it had been filled with quiet breathing and golden morning light. The next, complete chaos. Leon nearly tripped over the comforter as he jumped out of bed, catching himself against the dresser with a muttered curse before immediately yanking open the top drawer. "T-shirt..."

He pulled out one. Not that one. Another. Definitely not that one. Within seconds, half the drawer had somehow ended up on the floor. You stumbled towards the mirror, still rubbing sleep from your eyes while desperately trying to gather your hair into a ponytail with one hand and search for a hair tie with the other. "Where's my-." "The nightstand!" Leon answered automatically, already halfway into a clean shirt.

You grabbed the first elastic you found. Three rushed attempts later, your ponytail sat at an angle so questionable it almost looked intentional. You glanced at your reflection. "...Good enough." You nodded. "It is absolutely not good enough," Leon replied without even looking in your direction. "You don't have time to judge my hair!" you complained. "I live with you. Judging your hair is part of the contract." He teased. You stuck your tongue out at him before hurrying towards the bathroom.

Unfortunately, Leon had reached it first. The door barely opened before the sound of running water filled the room. "Oh, come on!" you complained again. "I'll be thirty seconds." Leon tried his best to convince you. "You said that yesterday!" You crossed your arms. "I was close." He defended himself immediately. "You were in there for fifteen minutes."

You rolled your eyes so hard they almost hurt as you entered the bathroom anyway, nudging Leon's side so he made some room for you. Without wasting another second, you snatched your toothbrush from the cup on the dresser, squeezed toothpaste onto it with perhaps a little more enthusiasm than necessary, and began brushing your teeth while wandering aimlessly through the bedroom.

Meanwhile, Leon emerged from the bathroom, toweling off his face. "Keys." He patted every pocket. Jeans, nothing. Back pocket, nothing. Nightstand, nothing. Kitchen, nothing. He disappeared down the hallway. A cupboard opened, then another, then a drawer. You heard something metallic hit the floor. "They're not here!" Leon said from downstairs. "You said that about your wallet last week." You replied, chewing on your toothbrush. "It wasn't in the house!" He said, still rummaging around the drawers. "It was in the laundry basket, Leon." You reminded him as you walked down the stairs. "I was testing you." He vaguely defended himself.

You couldn't help laughing around the toothbrush. By the time you reached the kitchen, Leon was crouched in front of the sofa, somehow convinced the car keys managed to crawl underneath it during the night. You leaned against the counter, still chewing on the toothbrush while scanning the room. "...Seriously?" You asked. "What?" You walked past him without another word. Opened the refrigerator, reached behind the carton of orange juice, and held the keys up between two fingers.

Leon stared at you with disbelief. "Oh." You raised an eyebrow. "The fridge?" He slowly stood, rubbing the back of his neck. "In my defense-." "I doubt you have one." You mocked him. "I came home from the hospital exhausted." He complained. "You put the milk in the pantry too, didn't you?" You asked, completely certain of the answer you were about to get. "...Maybe."

You laughed, tossing him the keys. He caught them with one hand before crossing the kitchen in two quick steps. "I can't believe you found them that fast." You reached up to flatten the hopelessly crooked ponytail that had already started slipping loose again. "I've been living with you for six months; I know you well enough." Leon grinned. "...Fair."

Five minutes later, the house looked as though a small tornado had swept through it. The bedroom drawers were still hanging open, clothes covered half the floor, the bathroom light had been left on, and someone's toothbrush was still sitting on the kitchen counter. Neither of you noticed. You were already running out the front door, laughing far too hard for two people who were hopelessly, undeniably late.

The front door had barely clicked shut behind you when you both stopped at the exact same time. "...The bathroom light." Leon closed his eyes. A beat of silence followed. Then, without a word, the two of you turned around simultaneously. "I'll get it," Leon said. "No, I-." You were already fishing the spare key out of your bag.

Another thirty seconds disappeared into the void. The light was switched off, the apartment was locked again. The summer heat greeted you the moment you stepped outside, wrapping around you like a blanket as Leon locked the door behind him. Cicadas buzzed lazily somewhere nearby, and the air already carried the quiet promise of another unbearably warm June afternoon. He reached the driveway just as you spun the car keys around your finger before holding them out to him.

Leon looked at them, then at you. "...Didn't we agree you were driving today?" He asked. "We did." You answered confidently. "Then why are you handing the keys to me?" You smiled with far too much innocence to be convincing. "I changed my mind." Leon let out a sigh. "You changed your mind." He repeated. You hummed in response. "You do realize that's not how agreements work." You stepped a little closer, gently nudging his arm with your shoulder. "But you like driving." You tried to convince him. "And I like being the passenger." You added, tilting your head ever so slightly. "So... Please?" You flashed him the best puppy eyes you could make.

Leon recognized that look from miles away, the one accompanied by impossibly hopeful eyes and a smile that somehow made every perfectly reasonable argument disappear before it even reached his mouth. He lasted exactly three seconds. "...You're impossible." Leon sighed, taking the keys from your hand. "I've been told." You said with a shameless smile.

Another sigh escaped him, though the smile tugging at the corner of his lips betrayed him immediately. He opened the driver's door, still shaking his head to himself. You waited until he climbed in before walking around to the passenger side, unable to hide the smile decorating your face.

Some people had called Leon stubborn. They wouldn't have been entirely wrong. He could spend hours arguing with Chris; he had no problem with that. And yet, all it took was one quiet please from you to make him change his mind.

You fastened your seatbelt as Leon started the engine. He caught you smiling out of the corner of his eye. "What?" You simply reached across the center console to lace your fingers with his for a brief second before letting go again. "Nothing." He knew better, but he smiled anyway. Some battles were worth losing.

The road stretched lazily beneath the tires, shimmering beneath the summer sun. By now, the morning had given up any attempt at being gentle. Heat rose from the asphalt in visible waves, making the horizon blur in the distance while every passing field seemed to glow beneath the cloudless sky. The air conditioning inside the car fought a losing battle as well.

Leon drove with one hand resting on the steering wheel, sunglasses perched on his nose, occasionally drumming his thumb against the leather as the music played quietly through the speakers. Beside him, you were losing your fight against sleep once again. Your head slowly leaned towards the window before jerking upright. A few seconds later, it happened again.

Leon smiled without taking his eyes off the road. "Tired already?" You simply hummed. "You were asleep ten minutes ago." You hummed again. "And another ten before that." You barely managed to open your eyes. "...Still tired." You muttered. Leon chuckled quietly. "I'm starting to think you're part cat."

Silence settled between you again, comfortable and warm. Until your eyes wandered lazily across the road ahead. A familiar green sign appeared just off the next exit. You straightened a little in your seat. "...Leon." He shook his head immediately. "I haven't even asked." You blinked. "You looked at the Starbucks sign." He said without looking at you. "...Maybe." You folded your arms. "I just think..." You continued. "No," Leon said flatly. "...an iced coffee..." You ignored him. "No," Leon repeated. "...would really help me stay awake." You muttered, playing with the hem of your shirt. "We're already late; Chris is going to kill us," Leon complained, already avoiding looking at you, perfectly knowing what was coming. "But it's so hot, and I'm so sleepy." You turned towards him with the sweetest smile you could manage. "It'll only take five minutes." He kept his eyes stubbornly fixed on the road. "Pleaaaaase?" You begged. "I'll buy yours." You added. "And I'll even let you steal some of mine." Leon tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "You know bribery is illegal." He said, completely defeated. "It isn't if it's coffee." He laughed despite himself. "You have absolutely no shame." He sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Not even a little." You replied proudly. At least you were honest.

He flicked on the turn signal. The car drifted towards the exit. You couldn't stop yourself from smiling. "I knew you'd say yes." You smiled triumphantly. Five minutes later, Leon climbed back into the driver's seat carrying two oversized iced coffees, looking every bit like a man who had accepted his fate. He handed yours over before starting the engine again. "Thank you." You said, sipping on the coffee immediately, humming happily as the cold drink chased away the lingering sleep.

Leon shook his head, trying and failing to hide the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You know," you looked at him, stirring the coffee with the straw, "if anyone ever asks who wears the pants in this relationship..." You raised an eyebrow. "They'll probably say I never stood a chance." You laughed so hard you nearly spilled your coffee. Leon simply took a sip of his own, one hand returning to the steering wheel as the car merged back onto the road. Completely defeated but entirely by choice.

The familiar wooden sign came into view just beyond the bend in the road. Leon slowed the car almost instinctively as the tires rolled onto the gravel path, the gentle crunch beneath them sounding exactly as it had a year ago. Nothing had changed. The towering pines still framed the entrance, their branches swaying lazily in the warm June breeze; the cabins sat scattered between the trees exactly where you remembered them, their weathered wooden walls glowing beneath the afternoon sun. Beyond them, the lake shimmered through the gaps in the forest, its surface catching the light until it almost looked like glass. It felt like home.

You smiled before even realizing it. Leon parked beneath the same stretch of shade where he'd left his car countless times before. The engine fell silent. For a moment, neither of you moved. You looked out through the windshield, taking in the sight of your friends already carrying supplies between the cabins while the first cars of the day slowly filtered into the parking lot. Summer was beginning all over again.

Leon reached across the center console, his fingers instinctively finding yours before either of you climbed out. Just like they always did. The familiar warmth of his hand settled around yours. Together, you stepped out into the heat. The scent of pine needles, warm earth, and fresh-cut grass wrapped around you almost immediately. Somewhere nearby, someone laughed. A hammer echoed in the distance as decorations were being hung. It sounded exactly the way you remembered.

A few yards away, Chris was wrestling an impossibly heavy box out of the back of Jill's car with the same expression of quiet suffering he seemed to wear every opening day. Nearby, Claire stood with Jill and Carlos, checking through a clipboard while discussing something that looked suspiciously like cabin assignments.

Jill was the first to notice you. She nudged Claire with her elbow before glancing towards the parking lot. "Look who finally showed up." She exaggeratedly lifted her wrist, tapping the face of her watch with a dramatic sigh. Chris looked up, then Carlos, and finally Claire. All four pairs of eyes landed on the two of you walking towards them, hand in hand beneath the summer sun. Chris closed his eyes for the briefest second. That long-suffering sigh escaped him before either of you had even reached them.

Claire, meanwhile, couldn't hide the smile spreading across her face. "Still together?" You felt Leon's fingers tighten ever so slightly around yours, enough to remind you he was still by your side. He glanced at you for a fraction of a second before looking back at your friends. "Yeah." The answer came easily, as though there had never been any other possibility. "I figured." Claire's smile softened. Beside her, Carlos smirked knowingly while Chris pinched the bridge of his nose. Somehow, without a single word about it, everyone seemed to understand that this place had given the two of you far more than just another summer. It had given you each other.

Chris set the box down with considerably more force than necessary before turning towards the two of you. He folded his arms across his chest. For a long moment, he simply looked between you and Leon, the expression on his face somewhere between exhausted and entirely unsurprised. Then he sighed. "I'm begging you to behave this summer." You bit the inside of your cheek, already feeling a smile threatening to appear.

Beside you, Leon glanced in your direction. Just one look was enough. Your hair was still slightly messy from the rushed morning, the frantic search for his car keys, the coffee detour that had somehow become unavoidable, and... everything that happened before either of you had even thought about getting out of bed.

His lips twitched. A quiet laugh escaped him as he looked back at Chris. "Can't promise anything." Claire laughed immediately. Carlos covered his face with one hand, shaking his head. "I knew it," Chris muttered, sounding far less surprised than resigned. "You really expected a different answer?" Jill asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not really." Chris sighed. "Then why ask?" Jill laughed. "Hope, I guess." That only made Claire laugh harder.

The familiar banter settled over the group with effortless ease, as though not a single day had passed since the previous summer. You were still smiling when another voice cut through the conversation. "Seems like my amigo finally settled with a señorita." Leon frowned. Your eyes widened. You turned at the exact same time. Walking across the parking lot with an oversized duffel bag slung over one shoulder was a face neither of you had expected to see again.

Luis looked exactly the same as you remembered, greeting everyone with that easy smile that somehow made strangers feel like old friends. He stopped a few feet away, his gaze drifting from you to Leon, to your intertwined hands. A grin spread slowly across his face. "Congratulations, Yankee." Luis dropped his bag onto the ground before opening his arms. Leon accepted the hug with an amused shake of his head. When they pulled apart again, Luis looked back at you, then at Leon once more. "You know," he said, "I always hoped you'd find someone who'd make you stop believing you're not caring." Leon instinctively looked at you.

His fingers found yours again without either of you thinking about it. "I did." For a brief second, Luis remembered the day he met you. The awkward glances, the obvious jealousy Leon had tried to hide every time Luis had wandered over to talk to you. Back then, it had been entertaining. Now, seeing the two of you standing there together, it simply felt right. "Good job, amigo." Luis smiled to himself.

Luis slung an arm around Leon's shoulders before anyone had the chance to stop him. "So," he said with a grin, steering him towards the cabins as though no time had passed at all, "think we should celebrate tonight?" Leon gave him a sideways look. "I'm already worried." The blond boy chuckled. "We could jump over the bonfire again." Leon stopped walking for half a second. Then he let out a laugh. "You really didn't learn anything, did you?" Leon shook his head. "I learned plenty!" Luis complained. "You almost burned yourself." Leon reminded him, unable to hide his smile. "I'm not spending the first night of camp dragging your dumb ass to the emergency room again." Luis looked offended. "I've matured." He sulked. "You definitely didn't." Leon laughed as he got back on track. Claire laughed behind them, Carlos muttered something about starting a betting pool to see how long it would take before Luis got himself injured again, and Chris pinched the bridge of his nose. "I've got a bad feeling about this summer already."

The conversation drifted ahead of you as the group continued towards the center of camp. Disappearing beneath the shade of the pines. You lingered behind for a moment. Leon noticed almost instantly. He slowed his pace without thinking, his hand finding yours once again. Together, you looked around. The cabins, the dock stretching over the lake, the winding trails disappearing into the forest, the old wooden cafeteria, the field where campers would soon be running through sprinklers. The place hadn't changed; if anything, it felt as though it had simply been waiting. For another summer, another campfire, and another collection of stories that would someday become beautiful memories.

Only this time, you weren't arriving as strangers pretending not to steal glances at one another. You had already lived through all your insecurities and fears. And somehow, you had found your way back here. Together.

A car pulled into the parking lot, then another, and another. Teenagers spilled out almost immediately, laughing before their feet had even touched the gravel. Parents followed behind with sleeping bags, duffel bags, and far too many suitcases, while you hurried across the grounds trying to point everyone in the right direction. Within minutes, the camp was alive again, exactly as it had been a year before.

Leon looked towards the entrance, a faint smile settling on his face. "Promised it wouldn't be a summer love." He teased. You nudged his shoulder. He nudged yours right back. Ahead of you, Chris turned around. "Kennedy!" Leon sighed. "I'm coming!" He groaned. "You've been saying that for the last five minutes!" Chris replied, making Luis burst out laughing.

It was strange how quickly a place could begin looking like itself again. A few hours ago, it was still The Redfields' summer camp. Now it started to look more like a collection of cabins in the middle of the woods.

You stood on the porch outside the main lodge, coffee warming your hands despite the pleasant morning air, quietly watching everyone move around you. Chris was balancing on a ladder while Jill held it steady, both of them arguing over the safest way to remove one of the wooden welcome signs. Carlos had somehow convinced three teenagers that carrying six folded tables at once was a perfectly reasonable idea. Claire was making another sweep through Cabin Seven after someone inevitably claimed they'd 'lost' something. And somewhere across the field, you smiled before your eyes even found him. Leon.

He was laughing at something one of the campers had said, a cardboard box tucked under one arm while the other rested effortlessly against his hip. A younger camper walked beside him, carrying a box barely a quarter of the size, looking absurdly proud of himself for 'helping'. Leon looked over instinctively as if he could always tell where you were. The moment your eyes met, the corners of his lips lifted into that familiar crooked grin that never failed to find you.

Without missing a step, he gave you a small salute with two fingers against his forehead. You rolled your eyes dramatically before answering with an equally exaggerated wave of your coffee mug. He laughed before disappearing back into the sea of campers, swallowed by another request for help before he had made it ten more steps. Your smile lingered anyway as your gaze drifted back across the camp. The empty porches, the open cabin doors, the scattered boxes, the decorations waiting to be packed away. Every summer ended with this bittersweet feeling settling over the camp. A quiet reminder that no matter how wonderful a season had been, it eventually came to an end. You let out a slow breath, wrapping both hands around your mug. Summer always ended too fast. You thought to yourself.

A burst of laughter pulled your attention back towards the main path. Leon emerged from behind the storage cabin with three boxes stacked so high against his chest that you were fairly certain he couldn't actually see where he was going. He leaned sideways to peek around them just enough to avoid walking straight into one of the branches. "Need a map, Kennedy?" Carlos called from across the field. "I've got echolocation," Leon replied with dead seriousness. "You've got a concussion waiting to happen," Carlos said between laughs. "I'm choosing confidence." Carlos snorted, shaking his head before returning to his own pile of equipment.

A couple of campers walking nearby immediately burst into laughter. Leon flashed them an exaggerated grin. "See? Confidence." One of the older boys reached out to steady the top box before it slipped. "You know," Leon said with the same mock seriousness he usually used, "if this falls, I'm blaming all of you." He continued. "We're literally helping you." The camper said. "Exactly." Another round of laughter followed him as he continued towards the equipment shed, somehow managing not to drop a single box despite the impossible tower balanced in his arms.

You had lost count of how many times you'd watched that happen over the past few weeks. Leon had a way of making every chore feel less like work. Packing supplies became a competition, cleaning cabing became a comedy routine. Even carrying impossibly heavy boxes somehow ended with everyone smiling by the time the job was done. Not to mention the little 'fun' you had in the storage cabin a few nights ago.

By the time he reached the storage cabin again, at least a dozen campers had attached themselves to him again. Someone asked where a box was supposed to go; another wanted to help fold a tent. A younger camper tugged lightly on the sleeve of his T-shirt. "Leon." He looked down immediately. "...Are you coming back next summer?" The boy quietly asked. Another voice joined in immediately. "You have to!" "Yeah, my little brother is coming next year." "You promised we'd have a rematch in capture the flag." Leon let out a quiet laugh. "I would never miss it." He said, shifting one of the boxes onto his hip. "What if you're working at the hospital?" The same young camper that started the conversation asked again. "Don't worry, I'll be here no matter what." Leon laughed as two of the younger campers immediately declared that they were claiming him for their team next year.

The conversation carried on while you found yourself smiling without realizing it. It should have stayed that way. But as you watched him disappear into the crowd again, an unfamiliar feeling crept quietly beneath your ribs. A week ago, you hadn't thought twice about finding him. If you wanted to see Leon, all you had to do was step outside your cabin, and he'd be somewhere nearby, fixing something or laughing with the campers. Maybe stealing your coffee when he thought you weren't looking or finding excuses to brush past you.

Your eyes followed him as he disappeared inside the equipment shed once again. The door swung shut behind him. For a brief moment, you couldn't see him anymore, and somehow, that tiny absence felt much bigger than it should have. Your fingers tightened slightly around your mug. Next week... You tried to stop the thought before it fully formed, but you failed. Next week we won't wake up in the same place anymore. It'll be just your classroom and his ambulance. Two completely different lives waiting beyond the edge of the forest.

The rest of the day slipped by in a series of ordinary moments. Lunch was louder than usual; every table was filled with campers trying to squeeze one last day's worth of conversations into a single meal. Stories were retold for the nth time, phone numbers were scribbled onto napkins with crooked numbers, promises to stay in touch floated through the cafeteria with the same certainty they did every summer.

You sat between Claire and Leon like you did every day, stealing fried from his tray whenever he looked away. He caught you on the third attempt. "You know," he murmured without looking up from his sandwich, "at this point you could've just asked." You smiled innocently. "And miss the thrill?" A quiet laugh escaped him. Without another word, he nudged the rest of his fries onto your tray.

After lunch came more packing. Storage bins were carried across camp, and sports equipment disappeared into the storage cabin. The arts and crafts cabin slowly emptied as shelves that had been overflowing with paint, glitter, and colored paper only yesterday became bare wooden boards again. You and Leon spent nearly half an hour sorting ropes that somehow always managed to end up tangled together despite being sorted neatly every year. "You think they tie these into knots on purpose?" he asked, frowning dramatically at a particularly impossible one. "I think they enjoy watching you suffer." You joked, pulling a little on one of the ends of the rope. Both of you laughed quietly as Leon managed to undo one last knot, raising both hands above his head in exaggerated triumph before earning sarcastic applause from Carlos across the room.

Later that afternoon, everyone gathered near the flagpole. The camp flag that had greeted every camper on the first day was lowered carefully, folded with practiced hands before being placed inside its protective case. The colorful team banners followed. Blue, red, green, yellow. One by one, they disappeared from the breeze that had carried them all summer. Without them, the clearing looked strangely unfamiliar, as though someone had quietly erased the heartbeat from the core of the camp. You helped Jill fold the last banner into a neat square before placing it inside the box along with the others. Another sign that the summer was ending.

By the time the sun began to sink behind the trees, the camp had shifted again. The boxes had been stacked away, and the last of the supplies had disappeared into storage. For a few precious hours, no one packed another bag, folded another blanket, or wanted to think about tomorrow. The final campfire was a tradition no one ever skipped.

As twilight settled over the clearing, strings of warm fairy lights blinked to life beneath the pavilion, weaving soft golden light through the trees. Paper lanterns swayed gently in the evening breeze, and the garlands that hadn't been taken down yet suddenly felt less like forgotten decorations and more like one last excuse to hold on to summer for a little longer.

The fire crackled at the center of the circle, throwing dancing shadows across familiar faces. Music drifted through the speakers. Campers gathered in clusters, plates balanced on their laps as they talked over one another, laughed at inside jokes that had somehow developed over the past few months, and argued about which team had actually deserved to win capture the flag. "How's your hand, Y/N?" Someone asked. "Perfectly cured thanks to Doctor Kennedy." You joked, waving your fully healed hand and looking at Leon, who immediately returned the smile.

Chris insisted the scoreboards of some games had been unfair; Carlos insisted Chris simply hated losing; Jill refused to get involved; Claire took pictures of the argument anyway. Every few minutes, another phone appeared, followed by another attempt to fit fifteen people into a frame that could barely hold half of them. Someone shouted for Leon; another camper immediately shouted for you. Before either of you could protest, you were pulled into another picture. Then another and another. By the end of the night, you were certain your smile had become permanent.

As the music shifted to something faster, the campers needed remarkably little encouragement before rushing towards the open space in front of the fire. What started as dancing quickly dissolved into complete chaos as everyone sang the lyrics to the song at the top of their lungs. Someone attempted breakdancing while others tried copying a trend they'd seen online and nearly fell into the grass. Half of them were hopelessly offbeat, and the other half were too busy laughing to notice. It was impossible to tell who looked more ridiculous. You had a suspicion it might have been Carlos.

Leon stood beside you with a paper cup in one hand, watching the spectacle unfold with the same amused expression. "I think we're legally obligated to pretend this is impressive," he murmured. You laughed. "I don't know... I think watching Elliot invent an entirely new dance move deserves more recognition." You joked, slightly nudging him. "I don't think that move has ever been approved by medical professionals." Leon shook his head. "You are the medical professional." You chuckled. "Exactly."

Before you could answer, two campers grabbed each of your wrists. "C'mon!" "No excuses!" They said, dragging you both. "You have to dance!" You exchanged a look that lasted less than a second with Leon but somehow contained an entire conversation. Guess we're doing this. He shrugged dramatically; you sighed just as dramatically. Neither of you put up much of a fight. Within moments, you were standing in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by teenagers who seemed determined to embarrass themselves as thoroughly as possible before the night ended.

Leon immediately committed to the bit. He copied every absurd dance move they threw at him with complete confidence, somehow making them even more ridiculous. You laughed so hard your stomach began to ache. "You call that dancing?" You teased, barely managing to stay upright yourself. He looked genuinely offended. "I'll have you know this is award-winning." He said, walking closer to you. "In what category?" You laughed. "Questionable life choices." He joked, winking at you and taking your hands in his. He pulled you into another ridiculous attempt at matching the campers' choreography. You missed half the steps while he missed the other half.

At one point, he spun the wrong way, almost colliding with Carlos, who clutched his chest dramatically as though he'd narrowly escaped death. "Kennedy!" He gasped. "You're a paramedic! You're supposed to prevent injuries!" He complained dramatically. Leon let out a laugh. "You're a paramedic too." Carlos seemed to ignore that part. "Minor side effect." He shrugged immediately. The campers erupted into laughter.

Leon bowed dramatically as though he'd just finished a Broadway performance. You couldn't stop laughing easily, like every silly moment you'd shared over the past month quietly led to this. Then, somewhere in the crowd, one of the older campers grinned mischievously. "Hey!" Everyone looked over. "If this is the last campfire..." He pointed directly at the two of you. "...they have to kiss!" Immediately, the entire clearing exploded. "OHHHH." "DO IT!" "KISS! KISS! KISS!"

"Oh, here we go," Chris muttered into his drink, already smiling. Claire was laughing so hard she nearly dropped her phone. "I knew this was coming." Jill sighed, although the grin tugging at her lips betrayed her. Carlos cupped his hands around his mouth. "Come on, Romeo! Don't disappoint the kids." Carlos cheered. "They're teenagers!" Leon called back. "They're still emotionally invested." The chatting only grew louder. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

You covered your face with one hand, laughing in complete embarrassment as the entire camp seemed determined not to let either of you escape. "This is your fault," you mumbled, nudging Leon's shoulder. "My fault? You were the one holding hands with me when everyone could see us." Leon complained immediately. "I fail to see how that's a crime." A chuckle escaped him as he glanced around at the dozens of expectant faces surrounding you. There was no getting out of it.

His attention returned to you. The teasing smile softened a little. "You know..." he said quietly enough that only you could hear, "I think we'd better give them a proper ending." You rolled your eyes. "They're never going to let this go, are they?" You giggled. "Definitely not." Another chorus erupted around you.

"KISS!"

"KISS!"

"KISS!"

You laughed one last time before sharing your head in surrender. "Fine." Leon's grin widened. "There she is." He stepped closer, his hand finding yours almost absentmindedly before gently brushing a loose strand of hair away from your face, just like he always did.

The cheer somehow became even louder. You could already picture Claire taking at least twenty pictures, Chris looking like he was trying and failing not to laugh, Carlos starting to clap in anticipation. With a fond shake of his head, Leon leaned down as he cupped your cheek to pull you closer. His lips met yours in a soft, unhurried kiss, gentle and comfortably familiar.

When you pulled apart a heartbeat later, the clearing burst into applause loud enough to echo through the trees. Everyone cheered, someone in the back whistled, and Carlos threw both fists into the air like his favorite team had just won a championship. "I KNEW THEY'D DO IT!" Claire was, indeed, taking photos. Chris simply smiled into his cup before muttering, "Finally." Leon laughed against your forehead, still holding your hand. "Well..." He glanced at the celebrating campers around you. "I'd say that's one way to close out the summer." You couldn't help smiling. "...Yeah." It was. For one perfect moment, surrounded by laughter, music, fairy lights, and people who had become family over the course of a single summer, it felt as though nothing beyond the edge of the forest existed anymore.

The laughter gradually settled into scattered conversations again. Music continued to drift softly through the clearing, blending with the steady crackling of the fire and the chorus of cicadas and crickets hidden somewhere beyond the trees. You had barely returned to your seat when someone cleared their throat rather dramatically. One of the older campers climbed onto one of the logs surrounding the campfire, wobbling just enough for everyone to instinctively reach out before she found her balance. "Okay!" She announced, clapping her hands once to get everyone's attention. "Before the night's over..." The chatter slowly faded. "...we have something." A ripple of curious murmurs spread through the counselors.

Claire exchanged a confused look with Jill. Carlos frowned suspiciously; Chris crossed his arms, already smiling like he knew exactly where this was going. The camper nervously looked around, looking for something in the crowd. "So..." Her gaze finally landed on what she seemed to be looking for, her group of friends beginning to encourage her with enthusiastic nods. "We wanted to say thank you." Silence settled over the clearing. "You guys spend all summer making this place fun for us... so we wanted to make something for you in return."

Several younger campers appeared carrying a small wooden box decorated with pressed flowers and painted handprints. You hadn't noticed them disappearing earlier. The boy opened the lid carefully. Inside rested several handmade flower bracelets. Each one was woven from thin branches, tiny white flowers, wild daisies, and green leaves collected somewhere around the camp. None of them looked exactly alike, and that somehow made them even more beautiful. "They're not perfect," another camper admitted. "But Claire said that was the point." Claire looked especially emotional.

The first camper grinned before looking towards you. "So..." She unfolded a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. "We wrote stuff." Carlos immediately buried his face in one hand. "Oh no." "Oh yes," Chris corrected proudly. The campers laughed. Then the first name was called. "Carlos." He walked over with theatrical reluctance, earning a chorus of cheers before stopping in front of the campers. One of the younger boys looked up at him, holding his bracelet in front of the curly-haired man. "For always making us laugh even when you would get in trouble with Chris." The clearing burst into laughter while Carlos received the bracelet. Then, he pointed dramatically towards Chris. "See? They get me."

Then came Jill. A quiet girl stepped forward. "For always making everyone feel safe." Jill's expression softened almost instantly. "...And for fixing our bikes, though we accidentally broke them twice." "It was three times," someone corrected from the crowd. "...Three." The shy girl repeated, offering Jill the bracelet.

Claire was next. A dozen different campers seemed determined to thank her all at once. For helping them paint, for listening when they were homesick, for always carrying tissues, for karaoke nights, for remembering everyone's birthdays. By the time she received her bracelet, her eyes were already suspiciously bright. Chris tried very hard to pretend he wasn't emotional, but it only lasted about fifteen seconds.

One camper thanked him for teaching them how to make a proper campfire, another thanked him for never yelling, and the third one simply said: "You give really good dad hugs." Carlos immediately burst out laughing. Chris pinched the bridge of his nose with a quiet laugh as well.

Finally... "Leon." A chorus of excited cheers answered immediately. Leon stood with an amused smile before making his way towards the campers. One of the youngest boys stepped forward, clutching the paper with both hands. His voice wavered just slightly. "Thank you..." He swallowed. "...for teaching us that it's okay to be scared." The smile on Leon's face faltered a little. "And..." Another camper continued. "...thank you for always making us laugh after someone got hurt." Someone else added quietly, "You make hospitals sound less scary." Leon blinked once before smiling again. "Thanks."

The boy reached into the wooden box. Then frowned. "...Wait." He looked inside. "There aren't any bracelets." He whispered. Another camper immediately whispered something in his ear. "Oh!" His entire face lit up. "There aren't bracelets for you two." He reached deeper into the box before carefully pulling out two small circles woven from thin willow branches, tiny blue flowers, and delicate sprigs of baby's breath. Two rings.

The boy walked towards you instead. "We made these for both of you." You looked at Leon, and he looked just as confused. "Because..." The camper shrugged as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "...you already belong together." A chorus of soft awws spread around the fire. Your chest tightened unexpectedly. The rings were carefully placed into your hands, slightly uneven and a little crooked. Before either of you had the chance to say anything, another camper's hand shot into the air. "Wait." Everyone looked over. "They kissed." A beat of silence. "They have rings now." Another beat of silence. "...So..." The grin spreading across his face should have been everyone's warning. "... they should get married!"

The clearing exploded once again. "YES!" "CAMP WEDDING!" "DO IT, PLEASE!" "Oh, absolutely not," you laughed, already shaking your head. Leon rubbed the back of his neck. "I feel like we're losing control of this situation." He chuckled nervously. "You think?" Chris sighed dramatically before standing. "Well..." He straightened the front of his shirt with exaggerated importance. "...if the people have spoken..." Carlos pointed towards him immediately. "I nominate Chris!" He said. "You can't nominate me," Chris complained right away. "I just did." Carlos threw his hands up in defense.

Within seconds, the entire clearing had reorganized itself. The campers formed two uneven rows; Claire was somehow already gathering flowers for you, Carlos insisted on throwing imaginary confetti, and Jill quietly muttered that the whole thing had gotten wildly out of hand. Chris stepped between you and Leon with all the solemnity of someone who absolutely shouldn't have been trusted with officiating anything. "So." He clasped his hands together. "We are gathered here today because apparently nobody here understands legal documentation." The campers laughed. "So we'll keep this symbolic."

"As a completely unlicensed and deeply unqualified officiant..." Carlos immediately interrupted. "That's going on your résumé." Chris completely ignored him. "...I'd like everyone to remember that this ceremony has absolutely no legal value whatsoever." A chorus of exaggerated groans answered him. "We're simply celebrating two people who somehow managed to flirt through an entire summer before finally admitting what everyone else figured out during week two." Chris continued. "We weren't that obvious," you protested. Claire laughed so hard she had to wipe at the corner of her eye. "I lost twenty bucks because of how obvious you were." Leon leaned closer, lowering his voice just enough for only you to hear. "I told you they knew." Chris motioned impatiently, pulling Leon away from you. "Less flirting." "You created this situation," Leon reminded him. "I regret nothing." More laughter rippled through the clearing.

One of the younger campers carefully placed the little flower ring into Leon's hand before handing the other one to you again. "They're kinda wonky," the boy admitted. Leon smiled warmly. "I think they're perfect." The camper beamed. Chris nodded approvingly. "Excellent." He pointed towards Leon. "You may now say something vaguely romantic." Leon blinked. "That's not exactly a wedding vow." He complained. "I'm improvising." Chris shrugged. The campers laughed again.

Leon looked back at you. The teasing smile he'd been wearing all evening softened into something honest. He lifted the tiny woven ring between his fingers. "I, uh..." He chuckled under his breath. "I wasn't planning a speech." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You'd better have one," Carlos called. Leon rolled his eyes before looking at you again. "I guess..." His thumb brushed absentmindedly over the delicate flowers woven into the ring. "...I'd just say that if I had to spend another summer here..." A small smile appeared on his lips. "I'd still choose you." Someone yelled, "AWWWW!" You felt warmth spread across your cheeks. Chris nodded solemnly. "Acceptable." He looked at you. "Your turn." You laughed softly, shaking your head. "I hate all of you."

You looked down at the little ring in your own hand, then back at Leon. "...I'd still steal your fries." He stared at you for a second before laughing. "And I'd still pretend I wasn't." A quiet smile settled between you. "But you'll always be the one I'd want to follow around wherever you go." You slipped the little flower ring onto his finger. It barely fit. The campers applauded anyway. Leon carefully slipped yours onto your finger a moment later. It rested slightly crooked, the tiny flowers brushing gently against your skin.

Chris raised both hands dramatically. "By the imaginary authority invested in me by approximately forty-five emotionally invested campers..." He paused for effect. "...I now pronounce you camp married." The clearing exploded into cheers again. Carlos threw handfuls of grass into the air as though it were confetti, Claire snapped another dozen photos, and Jill simply shook her head, unable to hide her smile. Leon looked at you. "You know..." He lifted his hand to admire the tiny ring. "I think this is the cheapest wedding I've ever been to." You laughed. "It was still your idea to say yes." He smiled widely at you. "I don't regret it."

The laughter slowly settled into quiet conversations once more. The improvised wedding became the joke of the evening almost immediately. Carlos insisted on introducing you as 'Mrs. Kennedy' from now on. "I don't think that's legally accurate." Leon corrected him with a chuckle. "It is in my heart." Carlos shrugged. Claire refused to stop taking pictures. Every few minutes, she'd appear out of nowhere with her phone already raised. "One more." You laughed. "You've said that twelve times," Leon joked. "And I'll say it thirteen."

Chris claimed he expected an anniversary invitation next summer while Jill muttered that she'd happily pretend none of this had ever happened. No one believed her. The little flower ring still rested around your fingers. Every now and then, you'd catch Leon absentmindedly turning it around his finger while he talked to someone, the smallest smile tugging at the corner of his lips whenever he noticed it.

The conversations drifted to small promises born from a summer that no one wanted to end too quickly. You smiled as you listened, hugging your knees to your chest while Leon sat beside you, lazily poking at the fire with a stick. One of the younger campers wrapped another girl in a quick hug before grinning. "And don't disappear this time, okay?" The words were playful, followed by laughter. The girl shoved his shoulder. "I disappeared because my phone died!" She defended herself. "Liar!" "You abandoned us!" "I did not!" The group dissolved into another fit of laughter. You didn't. Your smile lingered for half a second before fading. Don't disappear. Your grip tightened almost unconsciously around your legs.

The laughter around the campfire seemed to drift further away. A different voice echoed somewhere in the back of your mind. Years younger, a promise spoken just as casually. I'll call you. We'll see each other soon. Nothing's going to change. You had believed him. Back then, it had seemed impossible that someone who occupied so much of your world could simply... fade away, like you never existed in each other's lives.

Your eyes lowered to the flower ring around your finger. Tomorrow, camp would end. Tomorrow, you would go back to your classroom, and Leon would go back to his ambulance. You glanced sideways. Leon was still there, smiling at something Carlos had just said. Close enough that, if you wanted to, all you'd have to do was reach for his hand. A week from now... You wouldn't be able to simply turn your head and find him. And despite everything Leon had done over the course of the summer and every promise he had kept, a quiet and frightened part of your heart whispered the question you'd spent weeks trying to silence before giving in and accepting your feelings for him. What if one day... he disappears too?

Leon didn't notice it immediately. At first, he was still caught up in whatever ridiculous story Carlos was telling, shaking his head as Chris argued that he had, in fact, exaggerated every detail. Claire laughed so hard she nearly dropped another marshmallow into the fire and Jill quietly corrected the story anyway. The conversation carried around you. You smiled when it felt expected, nodded at the right moments, and even let out a small laugh once or twice. But somewhere along the way, you stopped hearing the jokes. That was when Leon noticed.

Mid-conversation, his attention shifted instinctively, glancing at you. You were still looking towards the fire, with a vague, hollow smile. He frowned ever so slightly. Carlos was halfway through another story when Leon quietly excused himself with nothing more than a distracted, "Hang on." He moved closer until his shoulder brushed yours. "You okay?" You looked at him. For a moment, you considered telling him. But you decided it was better this way. "I'm fine." Leon didn't answer; he simply watched you patiently like he was waiting for you to try again.

You looked away first. The fire crackled softly, somewhere behind you; another group of campers burst into laughter. You tried to focus on that instead, anything except the way Leon was looking at you. Then, he quietly asked. "What's going on?" His voice was gentle, full of genuine concern. "Nothing." You forced a small shrug. Leon's gaze lingered on you for another moment, then he smiled. "...You're a terrible liar." You let out a quiet breath through your nose. "I know." You admitted quietly. "You've barely said five words in the last ten minutes." Leon pointed out. "I'm just tired." Another failed attempt to shrug it off. Leon hummed quietly as he nodded. "You don't believe me?" "No." The answer came so naturally it almost made you laugh.

He rested his forearms on his knees, following your gaze towards the fire instead of trying to force you to look at him. "I've been watching you all summer," he said after a moment. "You wrinkle your nose when you're trying not to laugh, tap your fingers when you're thinking, and bite the inside of your cheek when something's bothering you." His eyes drifted towards you again. "And right now..." He pointed at your tapping fingers against your knee. "...you're doing all three." Silence settled between you. Because the worst part was that he was damn right. You hadn't even realized you were doing any of it.

By the time the fire had burned down to glowing embers, the marshmallows were gone. Even Carlos had finally run out of jokes. It happened so gradually that you almost didn't notice. One song ended, another never came, the speakers fell silent, and for the first time all evening, all that remained was the crackling of the fire and the chorus of crickets hidden somewhere beyond the trees.

People began to stir; someone stretched, another camper yawned loudly enough to start a chain reaction around the circle, and a few of the younger kids rubbed sleep from their eyes, leaning heavily against their friend's shoulders. Chris was the first counselor to stand. He dusted the grass from the back of his jeans before clapping his hands together once. "Alright." His voice was gentle. "I think that's enough excitement for one night." A chorus of playful complaints answered him. "I know." He smiled. "But we've still got buses to catch tomorrow morning." That earned a collective groan. Nobody argued after that.

Slowly, the campfire circle began to dissolve. Campers picked up forgotten hoodies from the grass while Claire gathered the blankets people had abandoned near the fire, Carlos carried an armful of empty paper cups towards the trash bins, and Jill started switching off the strings of fairy lights one by one. Each soft click plunged another corner of the clearing into darkness. The warm golden glow that had wrapped itself around the camp all evening slowly disappeared.

The clearing suddenly felt so much emptier. Cabin doors cracked open only to be shut the second after. The sounds echoed through the forest before fading away. One by one, the lights inside the cabins blinked on for one last time. Twenty-four hours from now, those windows would be dark. The thought kept repeating in your mind without you fully allowing it in.

Everyone disappeared around you, leaving you alone with Leon in the clearing. The silence lingered, neither of you wanting to be the first one to break it. The occasional pop of burning wood sent tiny sparks drifting lazily into the night. Leon sat beside you on the old log, his elbows still resting on his knees as he looked up at the stars stretching endlessly above the clearing. "So..." His voice ripped the silence. "...Mrs. Camp Kennedy." A small laugh escaped you before you could stop it. "I was wondering how long it would take you." He smiled to himself. "I made it almost seven whole minutes; it's a personal record." Leon joked.

You watched another ember collapse into ash. Your thumb absentmindedly traced the uneven little flower ring that still rested around your finger. Tomorrow. This time you managed to shake off the thought from your mind. Leon noticed the way your shoulders tensed again. "...You've been somewhere else all night." His voice was soft enough to disappear into the sounds of the forest. You nodded. "Do you want to tell me where?" You drew a slow breath. The words in your mind were too heavy and irrational to admit out loud. But Leon waited patiently without ever rushing you. And that was exactly why burying yourself back in the insecurities Leon made sure to replace with love pissed you off.

You lowered your eyes to your hands. "...Tomorrow..." The word caught slightly in your throat. "...we go back to being strangers in different worlds." Leon turned his head. You continued before you lost the courage. "You'll go back to working impossible shifts." A quiet smile tugged weakly at your lips. "You'll probably forget what sleeping feels like." He let out a small huff. "And I'll go back to my classroom." You looked towards the dark cabins scattered around you. "My students, my lesson plans, my ridiculously boring mornings..." The smile disappeared almost as quickly as it came. "This..." Your eyes wandered across the clearing. "...has been easy. If I wanted to see you..." You swallowed. "...all I had to do was walk outside." The words hung between you for a moment. "But next week..." Your fingers tightened around the little flower ring. "...I'll wake up..." You searched for the right words. "...and you won't be there."

The bubble surrounding the two of you over the past months would burst the moment the buses pulled away tomorrow morning. You drew another breath. "I know that's normal." You huffed a tired laugh. "But... I've realized something." Leon remained perfectly still without even interrupting you. "I'm not scared that we'll argue." You shook your head. "I'm not scared that we'll wake up one day and decide this isn't working." Your chest tightened. "I'm scared of waking up one morning..." Your words felt impossibly fragile. "...and realizing you're just..." You couldn't say gone. "...not there anymore."

"I've done this before." Your voice barely carried above the crackling fire. "I trusted someone, believed every promise." Your eyes stung. "So did he." At least, that's what you used to think. "But then..." You looked down at your hands. "He vanished from the face of the earth, and to this day."

Leon didn't speak right away and simply looked at you as though he was trying to piece together every small moment from the entire summer. You told him this same story the night you slept together for the first time on the hiking trip weeks ago. But he never truly saw or understood how much that guy from the past really hurt you. He could finally understand that it wasn't the ending of that love story and the heartbreak that had broken you. It was the silence, the waiting, the slow, invisible disappearance of someone you had trusted. You'd learned what it felt like when love quietly slipped through your fingers without warning.

His chest tightened with sadness because someone else had felt behind wounds you still carried years later. A quiet breeze stirred between the trees. Leon lowered his eyes to the little flower ring around his finger as well before turning it absentmindedly. When he finally spoke, his voice was slightly hoarse. "...I wish I could tell you it'll never happen." You looked up. "I wish I could promise you that nothing will ever go wrong." He smiled sadly with a small shake of his head. "But I can't promise you that." The honesty in his voice hurt. Because you knew he meant it. He wasn't trying to comfort you with promises he couldn't guarantee. If you've learned something about Leon throughout this summer, it was that he was not the type to make promises he couldn't keep.

After a short silence, Leon reached over. His thumb brushed gently across your knuckles. "But..." His fingers intertwined with yours. "I'm here." He gave your hand a small squeeze. "Tomorrow, next week, next month." His eyes never left yours. "If you're scared..." His voice remained calm. "Call me. I'll answer." He paused for a brief second before continuing. "If you miss me, text me. I'll text back. If you've had a terrible day, tell me. I'll listen." A faint smile touched his lips. "If you decide at seven in the morning that you want coffee before work..." He huffed a laugh. "Show up." You frowned slightly. "At seven?" You quietly asked. "I'll complain." He said. You let out a tiny smile. "Then I'll make you coffee anyway."

"If one day you start overthinking..." He knew well enough you would. He gently lifted your joined hands. "Come find me." There wasn't a single trace of hesitation in his voice. "My apartment, the hospital, the grocery store. I don't care. Just..." He looked into your eyes again. "...don't sit alone convincing yourself I've vanished." Your throat tightened. "Because I won't." He wasn't talking about fate. He was talking about choice, effort, showing up, and refusing to let silence become distance.

His thumb brushed over the flower ring. "I can't control everything." Another quiet smile appeared on his lips. "But I can control whether I answer your call or text you back." His eyes softened. "And I will." There it was: the difference again. The boy from years ago had slowly disappeared without ever turning around, but Leon had spent the entire summer doing the exact opposite. Every promise he'd made, he'd kept. Every time he'd said he'd be there, he'd been there. Every single day, he chose to come back to you.

His blue eyes gleamed beneath the blanket of stars decorating the dark sky above you. "You know..." Leon let out a quiet breath. "I've been thinking." A small smile decorated your lips. "That sounds dangerous." You managed to joke. "It usually is." He laughed. "I really meant it when I said you looked beautiful under the moonlight." He confessed, holding your gaze long enough to make you blush without looking away for the first time. "I guess I fell for you somewhere in between cleaning paint off your face after arts and crafts and watching you fall asleep during movie night." He joked. "I think you fell much earlier than that." You laughed, hiding your smile behind your hand. The memory alone was enough to scare away your insecurities once again.

After that, Leon looked at you for a long moment. There wasn't an ounce of uncertainty in his expression, only affection. His hand found a strand of your hair that had fallen on your face. "I guess..." he murmured. "...this is where I'm supposed to kiss you." You couldn't help laughing. "I think you've already done that tonight and for the past few weeks, a lot." You joked. "Yeah..." His eyes flickered briefly towards the clearing where the campers had practically forced you to kiss in public. "That one doesn't really count." You raised an eyebrow. "No?" "There were witnesses." A smile spread across your face. "You know I like it to be just us." Your heartbeat quickened. The memories you shared throughout the entire camp flashed in the back of your mind.

This time, you didn't answer. You simply grabbed the front of his shirt and closed the small distance between you. "There you are." He whispered against your lips before kissing you again, cupping your cheeks fondly and pulling you closer. You felt the tiny flowers on his ring tickle your cheek, making you smile softly into the kiss.

Once you pulled away, your foreheads rested together, noses brushed lightly, and you could still feel his breath against your skin. He let out the quietest laugh. "So... I still owe you a proper first date." A small smile escaped you. "Isn't it a little late for a first date?" You teased him. "Maybe, but I still have a list I'd like to follow." Your eyes widened. "Don't look at me like that." He complained. "I've got things prepared." He added. "And which ones are they, if I may ask?" You kept teasing him. "A date." He kissed your forehead. "The coffee I promised." He kissed your cheek. "And apparently..." His eyes drifted to the little flower ring still circling your finger. "... a real proposal." He added, kissing the ring. You laughed, shaking your head and looking down at him with fond eyes.

Chris waited until everyone was paying attention before a grin spread across his face. "We're playing..." He paused just long enough for the anticipation to build. "...Capture the Flag." The reaction was immediate. Cheers erupted around the clearing. Several campers exchanged excited looks, others practically bounced where they sat, already throwing around ideas before the explanation had even begun. You couldn't help smiling. Leon glanced sideways at you. "I knew you'd like this one." He whispered. "Oh please." You smirked. "I'm going to destroy you." A quiet laugh escaped him. "You say that like we're not on the same team." You simply looked at him sideways. "See?" he teased. "Already planning to betray me." You nudged his shoulder with yours, earning another soft chuckle before Chris cleared his throat dramatically to regain everyone's attention.

"The rules are simple," he explained, waiting until the murmuring settled again. "You'll be split into two teams. Each team will have a flag hidden somewhere in the forest surrounding the camp. Your objective is to find the opposing team's flag and bring it back to your own base before they steal yours." Claire stepped forward, pointing to different areas on the map she'd unrolled. "Your flags have to stay visible," she added. "No burying them underground, no hanging them thirty feet up a tree, and definitely no hiding them inside someone's backpack." Some campers laughed guiltily. "I was literally thinking about the backpack thing," someone admitted from the back. "I know," Claire replied with a knowing smile. "That's why I mentioned it." Carlos let out a snort beside her.

"If a member of the opposing team tags you while you're on their side of the field," Chris continued, "you're captured." Jill picked up the explanation without missing a beat. "You'll have to stay in your team's jail until one of your teammates reaches you and frees you. No running away, no pretending you weren't tagged, and no arguing with the counselors." She looked pointedly towards a group of boys who suddenly found the ground incredibly interesting. "I wasn't going to argue..." One of them muttered. "You were absolutely going to argue," Carlos said. More laughter broke out across the clearing.

"And before anyone asks," Chris added with a knowing sigh, "yes, counselors are allowed to play." The announcement somehow made everyone even louder. Immediately, campers began whispering about who they hoped would end up on their team. Some confidently declared that having Leon guaranteed victory, others insisted Jill would be impossible to catch, a few dramatically complained that Chris was 'basically cheating' simply by existing. You caught Leon smiling to himself as he watched the chaos unfold. "What?" You asked quietly. He shook his head with a soft expression. "Nothing." His eyes wandered over the campers, all of them buzzing with excitement, already treating the game like the most important mission of their lives.

"I just forgot how competitive they can be." You laughed under your breath. "You say that as if you're going to be any better." Leon looked back at you, a familiar spark of playful challenge appearing in his blue eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about." You raised an eyebrow. "I give you..." You pretended to think for a moment. "...about ten minutes before you start taking this way too seriously." A crooked smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You'll see." Somehow, that tiny grin told you everything you needed to know. This was going to get very competitive.

Chris waited for the chatter to settle again before reaching into the pocket of his shorts and pulling out a small cloth bag. "Since none of you can be trusted to make fair teams," he announced, shaking the bag for dramatic effect, "we're doing this the old-fashioned way." A collective groan echoed around the clearing. Inside the bag were dozens of folded pieces of colored paper. Simple enough. Each camper, and each counselor, would draw one at random. "Unless," Carlos added with a grin, "you enjoy cleaning the bathrooms." The complaints died immediately.

One by one, everyone stepped forward to draw their color. The atmosphere grew increasingly louder with every reveal as friends celebrated ending up together while others dramatically mourned being separated. You unfolded your slip. Blue. Before you could even glance around to see who else had drawn the same color, someone appeared beside you. "Looks like we're teammates." Leon held up his own paper between two fingers with an almost smug smile. "Guess you're stuck with me." You smiled softly. "I think it's the other way around." He teased, narrowing his eyes at you. You rolled your eyes, though the corners of your mouth betrayed you.

Across the clearing, Chris unfolded his own slip. Red. He looked from the paper in his hand to yours, then to Leon's. A long, theatrical sigh escaped him. "You two have to be kidding me." Carlos leaned over to peek at Chris' paper before letting out an exaggerated laugh. "Oh, that's rough." Chris pointed accusingly between the two of you. "You're so lucky." Leon didn't even hesitate. A satisfied grin spread across his face as he tucked the blue slip into his pocket. "Skill issue." A chorus of amused laughs erupted from the nearby campers. Chris stared at him for a second before shaking his head with a disbelieving smile. "I already regret letting you play." You couldn't hold back your laugh.

The familiar back-and-forth between the two of them had become almost routine over the past week, and somehow it never stopped being entertaining. Chris turned his attention to you instead, pointing a finger in your direction with mock seriousness. "Don't let him boss you around." You glanced sideways at Leon. He looked positively offended. "I never boss her around," Leon complained. "You absolutely do," Chris replied. Leon opened his mouth to defend himself. "I make strategic-." "Bossy," Chris interrupted. You bit back another laugh before shrugging innocently. "I make no promises." Chris nodded as if he'd expected you to answer that. "I knew I couldn't count on you." Leon rested a hand dramatically over his chest. "I'm wounded." He said. "No," Chris corrected, folding his arms. "You're insufferable." "Yet somehow," Leon replied, unable to hide the grin tugging at his lips, "you still hire me." Chris muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, 'unfortunately'.

Before Leon could come up with another smart remark, Jill clapped her hands once. "Alright, kids." Every counselor, including Chris and Leon, looked over. "You've had your fun," she said, fighting back a smile. "Now go meet your teams before these kids start the game without us." The campers had already begun gathering into their respective groups, excitement buzzing through the clearing as plans were thrown around before the match had even started. You exchanged a quick glance with Leon. His grin hadn't disappeared; neither had yours. Something told you being on the same team was either going to be your greatest advantage or an absolute disaster.

The blue team gathered beneath the shade of a large oak tree while the red team moved to the opposite side of the clearing. The excitement that had filled the camp only minutes earlier had settled into something sharper now, a restless anticipation as everyone waited for a plan. Claire crouched beside a rough map of the camp drawn in the dirt with a stick. "Alright," she said. "You've got ten minutes to come up with a strategy before the game starts." The moment she stepped back, every camper seemed to have an opinion. "We should hide everyone around the flag." "No, we all attach together." "What if we split into pairs?" "I call being with Leon!" "Absolutely not," another camper complained. "He's carrying."

The conversations quickly merged into complete chaos. You folded your arms, listening for a few seconds before speaking up. "We're wasting time." Several heads turned towards you. "We should just rush their side before they've even finished hiding their flag." A few campers nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!" "They won't expect it!" Some of them said. "Exactly," you continued. "Half of them will still be arguing about where to put the flag." Before anyone could get too excited, Leon calmly stepped forward. "I don't think that's a good idea." You looked at him. He was already studying the map on the ground with the focused expression you knew all too well. "If we send everyone charging in," he explained, "we'll leave our own flag completely exposed." He pointed towards a cluster of trees near the edge of the forest. "We should leave a small defense team here." His fingers shifted farther across the map. "Then send another group around the east side to create a distraction." Another point. "Meanwhile, a smaller team circles behind them and looks for their flag while everyone's attention is somewhere else."

Some campers exchanged impressed looks. "...That actually sounds smart."You stared at Leon for a second before letting out a dramatic sigh. "That is the worst strategy I've ever heard." His head slowly turned towards you. "...Excuse me?" Leon said, blinking. "Says the guy who wants to hold a committee meeting before moving." A couple of campers snorted. Leon blinked again, looking almost offended. "It's called planning." "It's called boring." You corrected. "It keeps people from getting captured." "It also keeps people from having fun." You corrected again. "It wins games." You took a step closer towards Leon. "It puts people to sleep." You said, looking at him straight into his eyes. Leon pressed his lips together, clearly debating whether to continue arguing or simply accept that you were impossible. He chose the first option.

"If you sprint into the forest with no plan, you're going to get tagged in under two minutes." You smiled sweetly. "Then I guess you'll have to come rescue me." You teased him. A wide smirk appeared on his face, followed by a hollowed huff of laughter. "That's not the point." He said, looking down at you. "No," you replied with a grin. "I think it is." The campers surrounding you had stopped contributing altogether. Instead, they watched the two of you with growing amusement, their eyes moving back and forth like spectators at a tennis match.

"So your brilliant strategy," Leon continued, "is to run in screaming and hope for the best?" You frowned at him. "I never said screaming." You complained. "You implied it." Leon scoffed. "I implied confidence." You corrected. "You implied chaos." Leon corrected again. "They're practically the same thing." You argued. "They are absolutely not." A beat of silence passed. One of the younger campers looked between you and Leon before bursting into laughter, followed by the rest of the team. "Can you stop fighting like a married couple and agree on a strategy?" Claire asked between laughs. Both you and Leon answered at exactly the same time. "We're not fighting!" The laughter only grew louder. You looked at each other. "...We're discussing." Leon pinched the bridge of his nose with an exasperated smile, while you looked far too pleased with yourself.

In the end, the team settled on a compromise. Mostly Leon's plan. With just enough of your recklessness mixed in to make him quietly question every decision that had led him to this very moment. He caught you smiling at him from the corner of your eye and simply shook his head. "This is going to be a long game." He sighed. "It'll be a fun one." Despite himself, the corner of his mouth curved into another smile.

A loud whistle pierced the morning air. For the briefest moment, the entire forest fell silent. Then chaos erupted. Campers scattered in every direction, their laughter and excited shouts echoing beneath the towering pines as blue and red shirts disappeared between the trees. Leaves rustled under hurried footsteps, branches swayed as children ducked behind bushes, and somewhere off to your left, someone yelled triumphantly before another voice immediately shouted that they'd been tagged.

The quiet woodland transformed into a battlefield in a matter of seconds. You barely had time to watch your own team split into their assigned groups before two younger campers sprinted past you, laughing so hard they almost ran straight into a tree. "Wrong way!" Someone yelled after them. "It was a tactical retreat!" They replied. "It absolutely wasn't!" A burst of laughter followed.

Further ahead, Carlos dramatically threw himself behind a fallen log as three campers charged after him. "You'll never take me alive!" He declared. "You're already dead!" Jill called from somewhere deeper in the woods. You couldn't help smiling as you slipped between the trees, weaving around thick roots and patches of ferns. Sunlight filtered through the canopy overhead in scattered beams, painting shifting patterns across the forest floor. At the same time, voices bounced from every direction, making it nearly impossible to tell where anyone actually was.

The game had only just begun, and already it felt wonderfully out of control. Exactly as you'd hoped. Behind you, Leon caught up after finishing a quick conversation with the campers assigned to defend your flag. "You know," he said between steady breaths, "running blindly into enemy territory still isn't a strategy." He complained. "It worked, didn't it?" You chuckled. "So?" You added. "So statistically speaking-." "Oh no." You looked over your shoulder with exaggerated horror. "Don't start bringing statistics into Capture the Flag." You rolled your eyes. "I'm just saying.-" "No." You cut him off again. "Would you at least let me finish?" You shook your head. His quiet sigh was almost lost beneath the noise surrounding you.

Ahead, a group of red team campers darted across a narrow clearing before disappearing behind a cluster of rocks. You instinctively grabbed Leon's sleeve, pulling him back behind the trunk of a large pine just before one of them glanced in your direction. The two of you remained still. Only the sound of hurried footsteps passed a few yards away before gradually fading into the distance. You peeked around the tree. The path ahead was clear again. Without hesitation, you pointed deeper into the forest. "Follow me." Leon looked where you were pointing. Then back at you. "Absolutely not." You raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" You asked. "Because judging by the expression on your face, you've just had an idea." Leon lowered his voice. "I have." You admitted shamelessly. "That's exactly what worries me." You flashed him an innocent smile that fooled neither of you. "It'll be fine." Those four words somehow made him even less convinced.

You didn't wait for further discussion. The moment the path cleared, you slipped between the trees, moving quickly but carefully towards the enemy's side of the forest. Leon watched you disappear behind a thick patch of undergrowth. He stayed exactly where he was for perhaps three whole seconds. Then he let out a long, resigned breath. "...Unbelievable." Shaking his head with a helpless smile, he pushed past the branches and followed after you anyway.

You heard the footsteps behind you and glanced back with a smug grin. "I thought you said no." You teased him. "I did." He said, walking close behind you. "And yet..." "I've reached the conclusion that if I don't come with you," he replied, carefully stepping over a fallen branch, "I'm probably going to spend the rest of this game dragging you out of trouble." Your grin only widened. "So you admit you need me." You kept teasing him. "I haven't said that," Leon replied immediately. "You were thinking it." You said, turning around to face him. "Now you can read my mind too?" Leon huffed a quiet laugh. "Maybe." You intertwined your hands behind your back. Leon looked at you for a moment before a reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You are exhausting." He said. "You didn't say that last night." You winked at him, turning around again to keep walking forward. He opened his mouth, undoubtedly ready with another sarcastic remark. Instead, he simply shook his head. Against all common sense, you were right.

Without either of you really noticing when it happened, the sounds of the game began to fade into the distance. The shouting became muffled; the laughter was less frequent. Even the occasional whistle seemed farther away as you and Leon ventured deeper into the forest, weaving through towering pines and dense patches of ferns where shafts of sunlight barely reached the ground.

The air felt cooler beneath the thick canopy, carrying the earthy scent of damp moss and pine needles. Every now and then, the quiet was broken by the snap of a twig beneath your boots or the rustle of leaves stirred by a light summer breeze. You slowed your pace, instinctively lowering your voice. "I think we're close." Leon glanced around, taking in the dense woodland surrounding you before looking back at the faint trail ahead. "Or," he whispered, "we've managed to get completely lost." You gave him a look over your shoulder. "I know where I'm going." You replied immediately. "That's what worries me." A smile tugged at your lips. This conversation and situation felt utterly familiar.

The two of you moved carefully between the trees, pausing every few moments to listen. Somewhere ahead came the distant murmur of voices. To your right, a flash of red disappeared behind a fallen log. You immediately reached back, lightly catching Leon's wrist to stop him before he stepped into the clearing. He looked down at your hand for the briefest moment. You simply nodded towards the movement. He followed your gaze.

Two campers from the opposing team stood several yards away, completely focused on watching another section of the forest. They hadn't noticed you yet. You exchanged a quick glance. Without needing to discuss it, you quietly circled around them, using the thick tree trunks as cover until their voices gradually disappeared behind you. Only once you were safely out of earshot did Leon allow himself a quiet breath. "I'll admit..." You looked at him expectantly. "...that was surprisingly well executed." A victorious grin spread across your face. "I knew it." You said enthusiastically. "I didn't say your plan was good; I only admitted one tiny part of it worked." You folded your arms with exaggerated satisfaction. "Admit it." Leon didn't even hesitate. "Never." You laughed quietly, careful not to let the sound carry too far. "My plan worked." He looked at you with that familiar mixture of amusement and stubbornness that had become increasingly common whenever the two of you disagreed. "Against all laws of probability." You bumped your shoulder lightly against his as you continued walking.

A comfortable silence settled between you after that. You found yourself stealing a glance at him as he scanned the trees ahead, every movement instinctive and measured despite this being nothing more than a camp game. Even now, there was a quiet awareness in the way he carried himself, the habits of someone who was always paying attention, always looking out for the people around him. He suddenly looked over. You were just a fraction too slow to look away. "...What?" You blinked. "What what?" You asked, confused. "You were staring." You looked around you, as if Leon could be meaning someone else. "I wasn't." You turned back to him. "You definitely were." Leon crossed his arms against his chest. "I was checking if you were finally going to admit I was right." A soft laugh escaped him. "You're not going to stop until I admit it, will you?" You smiled to yourself as you stepped over a moss-covered log. "Bingo." Leon shook his head, still smiling despite himself. "In your dreams."

The playful exchange faded into another easy silence as you continued deeper into the forest, shoulders occasionally brushing whenever the path narrowed. Neither of you realized just how far you'd wandered from the rest of the campers. Nor how quickly one careless step was about to bring your little victory march to an abrupt end.

The peaceful quiet didn't last long. A burst of laughter echoed somewhere behind you, followed by a chorus of excited voices. "They went this way!" "Don't let them get away!" Your eyes met Leon's for barely a second before you both took off. The forest blurred around you as you sprinted between the trees, ducking beneath low branches and weaving around thick trunks that forced you to constantly change direction. Dry leaves crackled beneath your boots, and every breath filled your lungs with the crisp scent of pine.

Behind you, the distant shouts grew louder. You laughed under your breath. "They're gaining on us." You said. "They're kids," Leon replied, keeping pace beside you. "They're fueled entirely by sugar." He joked. "And revenge." You pointed out without lowering your pace. "Mostly revenge." Leon agreed with a breathless laugh.

You glanced over your shoulder, trying to spot how close they really were. It was only for a second. Long enough to miss the thick root stretching across the narrow trail. Your boot caught against it. Everything happened at once. The ground disappeared beneath your feet, your balance lurched forward before you had any chance to recover it, and the world tipped violently as you stumbled. Instinctively, you threw your hands to stop the fall. Your palm scraped roughly across gravel and bark. A sharp sting shot through your skin. Your knee stuck the forest floor a heartbeat later with a dull thud. "...Ow." For a brief moment, the only sound was the rustling of disturbed leaves settling around you.

"Hey." The change in Leon was immediate. The teasing smile that had lingered on his face seconds earlier vanished completely. Every trace of amusement disappeared, replaced by something much more familiar: concern. He was beside you almost instantly, dropping to one knee without a second thought. "Are you okay?" His voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable urgency beneath it. You let out a quiet breath as you pushed yourself upright, brushing dirt from your hands. "I'm fine." It wasn't a lie. Your pride had suffered more damage than anything else. Just a scraped hand and a bruised knee; you'll survive. You started to get back to your feet. "No." Leon gently caught your wrist before you could fully stand. "Stay still." You looked at him in disbelief. "...Leon." He either didn't hear you or deliberately chose not to.

His attention had already shifted entirely to the angry red scrape across your palm. Carefully, he turned your hand over, his fingers surprisingly gentle despite the firm confidence of someone who had performed this same assessment hundreds of times before. The playful counselor had been replaced by the professional paramedic.

His eyes moved quickly over the abrasion, checking for embedded dirt, testing your range of motion with practiced precision before briefly glancing towards your knee. "You landed on this side?" You nodded. He frowned slightly. "Does your wrist hurt?" "No." "Can you move your fingers?" You flexed them. "See?" His expression didn't soften. "And your knee?" You tried to move it but stopped immediately. "It stings." You explained. "Sharp pain?" You shook your head. "Dizzy?" You sighed dramatically. "No." "Nauseous?" "Leon." Only then did he finally look up. Those familiar blue eyes met yours, still carrying the quiet intensity of someone whose first instinct was always to make sure everyone else was okay before allowing himself to relax.

For a second, neither of you spoke. Then his shoulders loosened almost imperceptibly. "...Okay." The single word came out softer this time, almost relieved. He looked back down at your scraped hand, gently brushing away a few stubborn flecks of dirt with his thumb before reaching towards the small pouch secured to his belt. The familiar black case looked almost comically out of place in the middle of a game of Capture the Flag.

You stared at it for a moment before looking back at him. "...You carry a first aid kit?" He didn't even look up as he unzipped it. "Always." The answer came so naturally that it almost sounded obvious. Inside, everything was neatly organized. Gauze, antiseptic wipes, bandages, adhesive strips... every item tucked into its place with the kind of precision that told you he'd opened this kit countless times before. Your chest warmed.

Leon pulled out an antiseptic wipe before taking your injured hand again, his touch impossibly gentle. "This might sting a little." He warned. "It'll be-." The moment the antiseptic touched the scrape, you hissed through your teeth. "...Okay, maybe a little." A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I warned you." He continued cleaning the graze with slow, careful movements, making sure every speck of dirt was gone without putting more pressure than necessary. Every now and then he paused, checking your reaction before continuing. "Too much?" You shook your head. He resumed. A second later, he leaned forward slightly and blew a soft stream of cool air across your palm. The sting eased almost immediately. "There," he murmured. "Better?" "...Yeah." He nodded, seemingly satisfied, before reaching for a small bandage.

As he carefully placed the bandage over your palm, the forest around you seemed to fade into the background. The distant laughter of the campers you managed to get rid of, the occasional whistle, the rustling leaves. It all became strangely muted. Your attention had settled entirely on him. On the way his brows drew together in concentration as though this tiny scrape deserved the same care as any emergency he'd treated, on the soft fan of lashes that lowered every time he focused on something delicate, on the warmth of his hands as they cradled yours with effortless ternderness, on the calm cadence of his voice, steady and reassuring without him even realizing it, and most of all, on the unmistakable worry lingering in his expression, as if though you being hurt had been enough to erase every trace of playfulness from his face.

Your heart squeezed. You'd seen Leon laugh, tease Chris until the poor man questioned his life choices, and make the campers laugh so hard they could barely stand. But seeing him treat you like this, not only when you had sex, somehow made you fall for him all over again. He smoothed the edge of the bandage, finally lifting his head before another loop around your wrist. Only then did he realize you hadn't looked away once.

"...What?" You blinked, almost as though you'd been caught doing something wrong. A smile slowly spread across your face. "Nothing." He raised an eyebrow. You hesitated for a second before the words escaped. "You're just..." You felt your cheeks warm. "...really handsome when you take care of me." The birds seemed louder. Even the breeze through the tree felt suddenly noticeable in the middle of the silence that settled between you. Leon simply stared at you. He blinked once, then again. A slow flush crept across his cheeks, spreading all the way to the tips of his ears until his face had turned a familiar shade of pink.

He looked away first, clearing his throat with obvious difficulty. "...You picked a really weird time to flirt." A laugh bubbled out of you before you could stop it. "You started it." His head snapped back towards you, equal parts confused and surprised. "I didn't." He shrugged it off. You tried very hard to hide the smile threatening your lips. Then you pointed at him. "You're blushing." He let out a long, defeated sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he fought a losing battle as well against the color still burning across his face.

"Does it hurt when you move your fingers?" You flexed them absentmindedly. "No." He nodded. "What about your wrist?" He asked again. "It's fine." "Let me bandage your knee, then." He said, already moving towards your leg. "It's okay, it's just a small bruise." You stopped him. "You sure?" You hummed in response. He looked unconvinced. "You'd tell me if.-" "Leon." You grabbed his hand. His eyes flickered up for a second. "I'm okay." He held your gaze for a moment before giving a small nod. "...Okay." Even then, you could tell he wasn't entirely convinced. He simply trusted your answer enough to stop asking.

Even after he was satisfied with the dressing, he still held your hand for another second. He finally seemed willing to believe you really were alright. Above your heads, the branches swayed gently in the breeze, scattering patches of golden sunlight across the forest floor. Somewhere far away, another burst of cheering erupted before fading just as quickly. The game was still going. For a few stolen moments, neither of you seemed particularly interested in rejoining it. You watched him tuck the remaining supplies neatly back into the little first-aid kit, every item returning to exactly the place it belonged.

"You know..." Your voice barely rose above the rustling leaves. "You're always taking care of everyone." Leon paused halfway through closing the pouch. A small shrug lifted one shoulder. "Kind of comes with the job." You smiled to yourself. Then, you slowly shook your head. "No." His fingers stopped moving. For the first time since he started packing away the supplies, he looked back at you. There was a quiet curiosity in his eyes. You held his gaze. "I think that's just who you are." The words came out softly. For a heartbeat, Leon didn't react. Then something in his expression shifted. The easy smile he'd worn all morning disappeared, replaced by a vulnerable stillness.

His eyes searched yours as if trying to figure out whether you truly meant it. You did. You meant the way he instinctively noticed when one of the younger campers looked homesick before anyone else did, the way he always walked at the back of the hiking group to make dure nobody got left behind, the way he remembered everyone's favorite snacks without realizing he was doing it, the way he memorized your breakfast pick so you could have it ready even before you stepped inside the cafeteria. That wasn't something he'd learned being a paramedic. That was simply Leon.

He lowered his eyes for a moment, a faint, almost bashful smile pulling at the corner of his lips. "...I don't know about that." His voice had grown noticeably quieter with insecurity. As though accepting a compliment like that felt far more difficult than treating any injury. You gently squeezed the hand that was still loosely holding yours. "I do." His thumb instinctively brushed against your knuckles before he seemed to realize what he'd done.

He didn't pull away. Another smile appeared, the kind of smile that only appeared when someone managed to tell him something he didn't quite believe about himself but desperately needed to hear after spending his entire life being told he didn't care about those he loved.

The game continued in the distance without you. Leon was the first to glance towards the direction the voices were coming from. "We should probably head back." You nodded. He clipped the first-aid kit back onto his belt before pushing himself to his feet in one smooth motion. Dry leaves crunched softly beneath his boots as he straightened, then he turned back towards you. Without saying anything, he held out his hand. His fingers closed gently around yours, steady as he helped you back onto your feet. For a brief moment, neither of you let go. Your eyes met again. Then, reluctantly, Leon loosened his grip. His gaze instinctively dropped to your injured knee before returning to your face. "Sure you're okay?" There it was again, that quiet concern. You couldn't help smiling. "You're worse than my mom." A faint laugh escaped him as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Occupational hazard." You laughed, shaking your head. "I've answered that question at least five times." You said as you started walking. "I know," he said from behind. "But?" "But I'm probably going to ask it another five." You looked at him over your shoulder. "You're impossible." You huffed. "So are you." He chuckled.

You stopped in the middle of the trail. "See?" You flexed your bandaged hand before taking a careful step towards him. You bent your knee a couple of times. "No broken bones." Leon watched every movement with the attention of someone unconsciously performing one final assessment. Only after seeing you walk without wincing did some of the tension finally leave his shoulders permanently. "Okay," he admitted quietly, finally sounding like he actually believed it. Satisfied, you turned and continued down the narrow trail between the trees.

After a few steps, you noticed Leon had naturally fallen into place beside you. Neither of you commented on it; you simply continued walking through the dappled sunlight, following the distant voices back towards the rest of the camp. Every so often, Leon's eyes flickered towards your hand and knee for a second. You noticed it every single time, and although you pretended not to, a small smile refused to leave your face for the rest of the walk.

The closer you got to the center of the forest, the louder the voices became. At first, you assumed the game was still in full swing. Campers shouting, someone celebrating, a whistle echoing through the trees; nothing unusual. But as the two of you stepped out into the clearing that served as the blue team's base, something felt off. No one was running anymore, nor hiding. Every single caper was standing in one large group simply waiting.

The moment you and Leon emerged from the treeline, dozens of heads turned in your direction at once. Nobody talked for a second. You slowed to a stop as Leon did the same beside you. "Why is everyone looking at us?" You whispered. "I was just about to ask the same thing." A second later, Chris stepped forward from the middle of the group. His arms were crossed. There was an expression on his face that immediately told you this conversation wasn't going to end well.

He looked at the two of you, then at your bandaged hand. "So." He let the word hang dramatically in the air. "Enjoyed your little date?" Your cheeks warmed before you could stop them. Beside you, Leon looked genuinely offended. "It wasn't a date." You glanced sideways at him. "...It kinda was." His head turned so quickly you almost laughed. "What?" Leon asked. "You were about to kiss me." You teased him. "I wasn't!" Leon complained. "You looked like you were about to." You chuckled. "You're imagining things." He said, crossing his arms against his chest. "You wouldn't have done it if we didn't have to come back?" You raised your eyebrows, mirroring his pose. Chris pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to stop you right there." A burst of laughter rippled through the campers. Apparently, everyone had been listening.

One of the younger boys cupped his hands around his mouth. "Ooooohhh!" Another camper dramatically pretended to wipe away a tear. "They're so in love." Several others immediately joined in, whistling loudly while a chorus of exaggerated teasing filled the clearing. Someone wolf-whistled, another camper clapped sarcastically, and Carlos looked positively delighted. "I told you they disappeared for suspiciously long." Leon pointed at him immediately. "We did nothing you're thinking." He warned before there could be any misunderstanding. "You've been gone for almost half an hour," Chris said, "that long with you two never means 'nothing happened'." He added.

"Has it really been that long?" You asked. "It has," Claire confirmed. "And while you two were... wherever you were..." She gestured towards the opposite side of the clearing. The blue flag fluttered proudly beside Chris. "Our team captured your flag." You stared. "...Wait." Realization slowly dawned. "We lost?" You asked. "Very badly," Carlos replied far too cheerfully. One of the campers threw both hands into the air in dramatic frustration. "We were waiting for our best players!" Another immediately pointed at the two of you. "But they were busy flirting." The entire group erupted again.

The camp had settled into its usual evening rhythm by the time the sun began to dip behind the trees. Some campers were gathered around the volleyball court, arguing over whether the ball had landed inside the line. Others sat around picnic tables with cards spread between them, while somewhere near the dining hall, Carlos could be heard loudly insisting that he had absolutely not burned dinner. Judging by the smoke drifting lazily into the sky, no one believed him.

Away from the noise, the wooden porch outside your cabins offered a rare moment of peace. Leon sat on the top step with his elbows resting on his knees. The day's excitement had finally caught up with him. Soft footsteps approached across the wooden floor. He looked up. You were carrying two cold drinks, one in each hand. Without a word, you held one out to him. A small smile appeared on his face. "Thanks." You lowered yourself onto the step beside him.

For a while, you simply watched the camp continue around you. Then, Leon broke the silence first. His eyes drifted almost automatically towards your bandaged hand. "Sure you're okay?" You looked down at the neat white bandage before smiling to yourself. "I don't know." He frowned slightly. "What do you mean?" You turned towards him. "A very handsome paramedic did a great job patching me up, yet he refuses to believe I'm fine." He looked away with a quiet laugh, rubbing the back of his neck in that familiar, flustered gesture you'd grown strangely fond of. "I think he's biased." He said. "I think he's very good at his job." His smile lingered as he shook his head. "I'm glad you're okay." You bumped your shoulder lightly against him. "I've noticed."

The comfortable silence returned. The sounds of the camp drifted lazily through the warm evening air, softened by the distance until they became little more than background noise. A breeze stirred the leaves overhead, carrying with it the familiar scent of pine, smoke from the campfire, and freshly cut grass. You looked out towards the cabins scattered beneath the trees.

It felt strange. Only a few months ago, this place had been unfamiliar. Now, it already felt like leaving home. You wrapped both hands around your drink. "Only a few days left..." Beside you, Leon followed your gaze towards the campers running across the field. A small smile touched his lips. "Yeah." Neither of you spoke again for several seconds. You weren't sure either of you wanted to acknowledge what came next.

Eventually, you sighed quietly. "I don't really want to go back." Leon understood what you meant. Back to alarms, schedules, classes, early mornings, paperwork, responsibilities. The version of yourselves that always seemed to exist for everyone else. He nodded slowly. "...Me neither." The admission came so quietly it was almost carried away by the breeze. You glanced at him while his eyes never left the camp, the place that had somehow given both of you more than a simple summer.

"I'm gonna miss this." You smiled softly. "The camp?" Only then did he finally turn to look at you. There was something wonderfully honest in his expression. "No." He said with a small smile. Your heart skipped. He wasn't talking about the camp itself; he was talking about the mornings spent teasing each other over breakfast, the hikes, the quiet walk through the woods, the late evening on this very porch, the kisses under the stars.

The anteroom doors hissed as you and Leon stepped in. You awkwardly stood beside each other, both covered in part of Leon’s…genetic material. 

The doors hissed again, on the other side this time and in walked Sherry Birkin, wearing a face mask and latex gloves. 

“I’m honestly glad to see you both in one piece,” she said, placing two stacks of dark grey clothes at a safe distance from you. “We have to cremate your clothes to reduce the risk of contamination. Leave them in the bin over there and put these on.” 

“Underwear too?” you asked. 

“All of it,” she said, clearing her throat, eyes flicking between you and Leon. “Leon, you’ll go straight into quarantine.” 

Leon nodded. 

“Do I quarantine too?” you asked. 

“Depends,” Sherry replied. “We’re gonna swab your…mouth, I think.” She wrinkled her forehead. 

“Yeah, her mouth,” Leon confirmed and Sherry flinched, holding up a hand. 

“You’re like a father to me, Leon. I don’t want to—I really don’t need to—” she broke off. “I didn’t want to know that about you. Like ever.” 

“I know,” Leon said. “I’m really sorry.” 

“I mean it’s kinda my fault,” you murmured. “I made him beg.” 

Sherry and Leon stared at you. 

“And…climax,” you added, barely audible and cleared your throat when you realised that was probably a little too much information. Sherry crinkled her nose, turned on her heel and walked out of the room, a shudder racking through her on the way out. 

“That was unnecessary,” Leon said, turning away and slipping his shirt over his head. Oh, so now you were concerned with giving each other privacy all of a sudden? 

You cleared your throat, turning around as well. “What was I supposed to say?” You slipped your shirt over your head. 

“Not that,” Leon grumbled and you heard the rustling of heavy fabric. 

The tiles covering the walls were sort of reflective and you got a great look at a particular back, a whole lot of muscles dancing under scarred skin with every movement. You swallowed, as your gaze trailed lower and you tore it away at the very last moment, your cheeks becoming hot. 

His taste still lingered on your tongue. The truth was, you couldn’t wait to taste him again. 

You cleared your throat and got rid of your bra, cupping your breasts as you threw your clothes into the bin in the corner, careful not to turn too far so Leon wouldn’t get an eyeful. 

Like you had. You creep. 

You slipped into the shapeless crewneck Sherry had brought with her, the fabric brushing over your already taut nipples. Leon paused in his movements, you saw it from the corner of your eye. 

He wasn’t also looking at the reflection, was he? 

While you waited for the medical staff to come pick you up, Leon and you awkwardly stood at opposite ends of the room. 

“Maybe we should,” Leon started. 

“Totally,” you chimed in without looking at him. 

“Keep this private,” he went on. 

 “And not tell anyone, yeah,” you replied. 

Leon cleared his throat, crossing his arms in front of his chest. You did the same, shifting your weight from one leg to the other, then back again. 

Finally, the doors opened once more and someone from contamination control guided Leon out of the room. You let out a heavy breath and relaxed your shoulders a little. 

Shortly after, one of the doctors came in and  motioned for you to follow them to the infirmary. 

Watching the medical staff from the DSO take turns in microscoping a sample of the mucous membrane from the inside of your cheek was probably one of the more mortifying moments of your life. Because you knew they would see something wiggling around in there. 

Maybe more than one. You had no idea what Leon’s sperm count was. 

Probably a lot. You had never seen this much cum before. Or maybe that was the plant. It had enhanced every sensation for him, so why wouldn’t it affect his sperm? 

If it affected his sperm, maybe you were contaminated after all. Your face anyway. What if you had actually hooked up? Would the plant enhance your senses too? 

An image flashed in your mind. Leon hoisting you up against the walls of the shipping container, the cold metal biting into your back at every thrust. You had your hands buried in his hair as you took him deeper and deeper until you cried out his name and—

“You’re all clear,” the doctor announced, looking at you over his clipboard. You jumped, being awoken from your daydream so crudely. “We couldn’t detect any infectious material, so you’re free to go.”

You blinked. “That can’t be right. Are you sure?” You pressed your thighs together, your folds slick with arousal already. 

“No, you’re good.” He signed off on a document and opened the door for you. 

You shook your head. “No, I-I’m pretty sure I was infected too.” 

“And I’m 100% sure you weren’t,” he replied, smiling at you, softly. “No need to be nervous.” 

Yes need to be nervous. Nervous as hell.

But you echoed his smile and stepped out of the medical examination room. Rubbing your forehead, you walked up to the elevator and frantically pushed the button. You could still hear Leon in your mind. The way he had hissed through his teeth, followed by helpless moans falling from his full lips. You wanted to kiss those lips so badly. Horny spores or not, a guy who was that vocal and filthy during a blowjob knew how to kiss you senseless.

He probably also knew how to do a whole lot of other things expertly. Agent Kennedy was very skilled in general. Granted, he had also had plenty of time to practice. He was what? In his fourties? Fifties maybe?

Old enough to make the blowjob even more problematic than it already was. 

The elevator doors opened. One of the two female agents inside broke off mid-sentence when she saw you. 

“Sorry,” you whispered, squeezing in beside them and pressing the button for the gym in the basement. You needed to get some of this energy out. You really couldn’t live like this. You felt like you were about to burst into flames. 

The agent that had listened to the other one raised an eyebrow and looked over inquisitively. The other woman shot her a warning look. 

You wrinkled your forehead and tore your gaze away from them, staring at the little ball of light dancing from one story to the next. 

“So how big is it?” the one with the raised eyebrow leaned in to whisper in your ear just before you reached the lower levels. 

Your head whipped around. “How big is what?” 

“You know, Agent K–” she stopped as the elevator doors opened again, Leon standing in front of them. 

You did a double take and looked at the buttons in the elevator. Instead of down, you had gone back up for some reason. 

“I thought you were in quarantine,” you squeaked. 

Leon stepped into the elevator. “They cleared me pretty quick.”

“That’s great,” you whimpered, his shoulder just inches away from yours in the tight space. “Where to?” 

“Gym,” Leon replied and pressed the button for the basement again. 

A nervous smile crept onto your lips. 

“Where are you going?” Leon asked. 

“Gym,” you croaked. “But if you’re going to the gym too, maybe I’ll give it a miss this time.”

Leon shrugged. “It’s big enough for the two of us to share.” 

The agent behind you snorted a laugh that turned into a wince, as the other one rammed an elbow into her side. 

The gym absolutely wasn’t big enough for both of you. Whatever Leon did, even if he was at the other end of the room, you were incredibly aware of his presence at all times. No amount of weight, no amount of cardio stopped your fantasies from running wild. What had started with you bent over his desk, had turned into you bouncing on his cock looking down at his blissed out face as he came inside you. Before it had a chance to turn into passionate missionary and breathy moans between whispered sweet nothings, you decided that it was time to clear your head. 

You walked over to the wall and stretched out your hands, bringing yourself into a handstand, eyes closed. You breathed in deeply, feeling your chest expand as you focused on balancing yourself on your palms.

On your next exhale, you shifted your weight onto your left shoulder, carefully lifting up your other hand and stretching one leg out to the side at the same time. Maintaining full concentration was crucial, or else your wrist would wobble and you’d topple over. 

Another inhale. 

No Leon, no dicks, just breathwork. 

Heavy breathing. 

Panting. 

Moaning and panting together. 

Your wrist wobbled and you set your other hand back down, leaning your legs back against the wall. You groaned. This wasn’t an infection, this was a curse. Satanic, evil, from hell. 

“Do you mind if I correct your form?” an annoying, grating voice sounded from beside you. 

Nostrils flaring, you closed your eyes again. “What do you want, Kyle?” 

The young agent tapped at your feet and you lost your balance. Before you face planted, you elegantly brought yourself back up into a standing position, hands propped against your hips. 

“Except for disrupting my training,” you went on, eyebrows raised. 

“Guilty.” He shot you a charming smile. “I came over to ask you something.” 

“Sorry, I don’t know where they keep your balls, Kyle. Haven’t seen ‘em,” you said and extended your arms again, ready to get back into a handstand. 

“You’re so funny,” he replied and nudged you in the side playfully—breaking your concentration. “That’s one of the things I like about you.” 

“Oh god,” you breathed, watching him. Kyle was an attractive guy, dark hair, angular face, tall and broad shouldered like all agents. Eyecandy, if you will. 

“So, uh, I was wondering if you ever wanted to grab dinner? With me?” 

“Why do you want to get dinner with me all of a sudden?” you replied. “We don’t speak outside of meetings.” 

“Well, I want to change that,” he shot back immediately. “Let me take you out.” 

You opened your mouth to ask him what the hell had gotten into him all of a sudden, but you didn’t get a chance to. 

“What she meant was ‘no’.” Leon stepped up behind you, you didn’t even need to look to know exactly where he was. It was like your body had an invisible antenna. Wherever your goose bumps pointed at, that’s where he was. 

Kyle inhaled to say something, then looked between you and Leon and abandoned the thought. 

“Your form’s actually great, there’s nothing for me to correct,” he said and walked off. 

You turned around to Leon. “I didn’t say no.” 

“He calls you agent TG,” Leon said, face stern. “The ‘T’ is for throat. You don’t want to get dinner with him.” So Kyle knew too, for some reason. As did the agents in the elevator. A shudder racked through you, then anger.

“What’s the ‘G’?” you asked and Leon crossed his arms in front of his chest. 

“Goat.” 

You sighed. “Why are they even concerned with contamination control? The only thing that spreads like wildfire around here is gossip.” You furrowed your brows. “And it’s not your decision to make who I have dinner with.” 

“You made the decision. I translated it for him,” Leon said. 

You held up a hand. “This is seriously overreaching. Just because you came in my mouth doesn’t mean you get to be jealous.” 

Leon scoffed, but avoided your gaze. “I’m not jealous.” 

“Good. Because you have no reason to.” 

He shrugged. “Well, I’m not.” 

You stared at each other, none of you moving an inch. Leon should be getting back to his training but he didn’t. A drop of sweat slid over Adam's apple and disappeared into the collar of his shirt. 

“If you wanted to take me out to dinner all you had to do was ask,” you hissed. “Not come over and be all territorial.” 

“I don’t have time to take you out to dinner,” he said without missing a beat like he had already considered that option. “I eat at my desk, I’m married to my job.” He tilted his head. “At least until we find out where they exported those plants to.” 

“And I’m not going to bring you lunch, so there was no need to clarify,” you hissed, not entirely unfazed by him rejecting the implied date. 

Leon cleared his throat. “Good.” 

You nodded. “Fantastic. You’re like a hundred years older than me anyway.” You wiped your hands on your pants and got back into a handstand. 

“Twenty-one,” he murmured absentmindedly, eyes trailing over your body, his jaw tight. “I’m twenty-one years older than you. And seven months.” 

Your breath hitched. “You know when my birthday is?” 

Leon pointed at your left flank. “You’re favouring one side when you do core exercises. You’ll always fall over like that.” 

Your arms gave out and you crashed down. Cursing, you sat against the wall and massaged your wrist. 

Leon had already walked back over to his side of the gym. 

A week went by. A week full of awkward debriefs of what happened between you and Leon in that shipping container and a week full of pretending the other one didn’t exist. So, business as usual. Except this time, it was also a week of you making yourself cum multiple times a night to the thought of you repeating what had happened in that shipping container. And expanding on it, which only made you avoid him more. 

But working together also meant that you sat in a meeting room with him for the nth time this week. They had located another warehouse full of plants and the sooner you destroyed the specimens, the better. So they called in your unit to assign roles for the upcoming field mission. 

You sat in the chair, avoiding looking at one particular agent and waited for your assigned task with Leon. 

K was the eleventh letter of the alphabet. And you had just gotten done with number 10. You sat up a little straighter in your chair, ready for your name to be called out next to Leon’s. 

“Kennedy, you’re with Agent Williams on this.” 

Kyle nodded. “Yes, sir.” 

You nearly jolted out of your chair. “What?” 

“Is there a problem?” one of the senior agents asked. Your stomach sank. 

“What about me? Who’s my mission partner?” you asked, sounding a little more pathetic than you intended. In the shipping container, Leon had told you under—well, duress—that he made sure to be teamed up with you every single time. Because he wanted to protect you. Because he didn’t trust anyone else with keeping you safe during a mission. 

“You’re actually our back-up for this one,” your supervisor said and continued on with the briefing. 

“Back-up?” you mouthed, eyebrows shooting up. Your head whipped around to who you thought was responsible for this. 

But Leon’s face was unreadable, stoic, if it weren’t for the muscle in his jaw twitching as he looked at the slides with the mission information. 

After the meeting, you were absolutely fuming as you walked up the hallway. Your kitten heels clanked over the tiles and you felt utterly ridiculous in your business casual attire, pencil skirt and everything, when what you actually wanted to do was break into a full sprint and barge through Leon’s door. 

Now you had to open it slowly like a civilian. 

“You’re here,” he said, looking up from his reports. 

“Why did you put me in the agent graveyard?” 

He slid a pair of glasses off his nose and tossed them onto the desk, rubbing his eyes. “That’s not what’s happening.” 

You stepped a little closer. “How is that not what’s happening? I’m being quiet fired.” 

“I don’t think we should work together again,” Leon murmured and closed the files on his desk. “So I requested a new partner. I didn’t know they were going to put you in the agent graveyard.” He winced at his own last words. 

You ignored the jolt of pain in your chest. “So, I am in the agent graveyard.” 

“Temporarily, I’ll get you back out of it, I promise.” Leon said and looked at you. 

“But you’ll never work with me again, because I sucked you off?” 

“You know how I feel about you. I told you in the shipping container. And I know how you feel about me,” Leon whispered. “I don’t think either of those feelings are appropriate for the workplace. Or a life or death situation.” 

Your cheeks became hot. Because of how angry you were or because of him admitting his feelings for you without being under the influence of anything, you weren’t sure. 

“It was actually very appropriate for the life or death situation you were in, Kennedy.” 

He gnawed on his lower lip. “Thank you for saving my life. And I’m sorry you had to do that.” 

You shrugged. “I enjoyed it.” 

Leon swallowed, hard. “I enjoyed it too. Which is why it’s so inappropriate. Me being infected made you do it.” 

“I offered,” you said. 

He huffed. “Because you didn’t want to let me die. Not because you wanted to give me a blowjob so badly.” 

“No, I would have let you die,” you said. “I wanted to give you the blowjob.” 

Leon’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re very blunt.” 

“And you’re conflicted.”

Leon watched your every movement as you rounded the corner and leaned your ass against his desk right in front of him. Can you blame me? It’s a good ass. 

“Because you’re twenty years older than me.” 

Leon sighed. “Twenty-one, yeah.” 

You ran a finger over the smooth mahogany of his desk. Your favourite fantasy out of all of them. Being bent over and fucked senseless, right here. It made you cum on your fingers in no time. “And you have no time to take me to dinner because you’re married to your job.”

Leon nodded, still watching you. 

You pushed yourself up onto the desk, kicking off your heels until they clanked on the hardwood floor. Leon leaned forward in his chair ever so slightly. 

“You’re always eating at your desk.” 

You didn’t break eye contact with him as you  reached under the hem of your skirt, pulling your lace thong down, until it hit the floor too. 

Leon’s lips parted, pupils blown wide, as his gaze fell between your legs. 

“What are you doing?” 

You spread your legs wide enough for him to see you, glistening and swollen, inviting him in. 

“Bringing you lunch to your desk.”

Leon’s eyes glazed over. “You said you wouldn’t do that.” 

“Guess we were both lying then,” you breathed, your heart hammering against your ribcage. If he rejected you this time, you could never show your face around here again. But you were already a back-up agent, so what did it matter?  

Leon’s breathing became flat. “Are you sure?” His eyebrows were knitted together in pure agony.

You pushed your skirt up a little more and spread your legs wider. “Yes, I’m sure.” 

Leon dropped to his knees and gripped your thighs. You bit back a gasp of relief. 

“Agent Leon Kennedy, folding under no press—” 

Leon yanked you closer to the edge, throwing your legs over his shoulders in one smooth motion. You yelped in surprise and propped yourself up on your elbows, watching his face disappear between your thighs. 

“And you’re very bratty for someone who’s about to beg me for more, junior.” 

You scoffed. “People who are this cocky, usually aren’t good in bed. Oh fuck.” Leon didn’t give you any time. He latched on to your clit with uncanny precision, making you whimper right out of the gate. 

Leon chuckled and you felt like maybe you had bitten off more than you could chew. You hadn’t considered the twenty-one years of sexual experience he had on you. This was not a level playing field. 

Leon let go of your clit and pressed an open mouthed kiss to your labia, licking up and spreading them with his fingers. He eagerly lapped at your centre, hooking his arms under your thighs and pulling you even closer to him. 

A lewd moan fell from your lips and your fingers threaded through Leon’s silky hair. None of your fantasies even came close to the feeling of him pushing into you, curling his tongue, as you felt him exhale in a breathy groan. 

“Fuck, you taste so good,” he whispered and went back to sucking on your clit, flicking his tongue against it. 

Your head fell back and you rolled your hips against his face, silently asking for more. Leon didn’t need to be asked twice. A finger pushed into you, sliding in effortlessly, your silky wetness covering him to the knuckle. 

How did he know this was exactly what you wanted? He had no business reading your body like that the first time he ever touched you. 

You mewled, your nails biting into his scalp, as you desperately tried to hold on to something. Biting back a helpless whimper, you clamped your thighs around your lover’s head, but he pushed your thigh back, opening you up wider to him. 

“Oh fuck, Leon,” you sobbed, breathlessly, desire coiling tighter and tighter in your abdomen with every stroke of his tongue and fingers working in unison. 

Leon shushed you, reaching one of his hands up, sliding under your shirt and pulling the lacy cup of your bra down, exposing your hard nipple to him. 

Your eyes fluttered shut, as you continued to moan like a whore, squirming under his touch, panting, calling out his name so he wouldn’t stop. Never stop. You wanted to experience this until the world ended. 

Your back arched off the desk and Leon didn’t stop you from clenching your thighs around his head this time, answering your moan. 

“That’s it baby, oh fuck, come all over my face.” 

A high pitched moan racked through you and your hips bucked, you were moments away from shattering. “Oh god, Leon.” Another moan, louder than the last one. 

Leon leaned back, the lower half of his face glistening with your juices. He was panting, struggling to regain composure. 

“You’ll have to be quieter, people are already talking.” 

Your head shot up as your orgasm ebbed off and you shimmied closer to him, looking for the tiniest bit of friction to keep you edging closer to pure ecstasy. 

“Why do you give a fuck about other people?” You panted, eyes rolling back in the back of your head, as you tried to catch your breath. “Keep going.” 

Leon chuckled, ran his tongue over his lower lip and dipped his head back between your thighs again, continuing right where he had left off. You softly squeezed his tongue with your inner walls, inching closer and closer. 

“I can’t wait to feel you do that around my cock.” Leon moaned shamelessly, making you clench down on his fingers this time at the finality of that statement. 

“I’ve been thinking about nothing else,” you panted. “You fucking me, it’s all I can think about.” 

Leon groaned, pressing his forehead against your vulva, as if he needed a moment to recalibrate, continuing to work you with his fingers. 

You whimpered, your lower abdomen becoming tight. “Oh god, Leon.”

“Oh fuck yes,” he breathed, licking up your folds and eating you like he was starving for it. The sounds of pleasure filling the office were beyond obscene. You didn’t care who heard. 

Until Leon paused his movements. 

“No,” you whimpered, once again left right at the edge of sanity. “What are you doing? No, don’t stop.” 

Leon bit back a laugh and your brows knitted together in fear as you realised he did this on purpose. He was toying with you. 

“I thought you should know what that feels like.”

You whined, tugging at his hair, but he leaned back, looking at you with a smug grin. “If I were you, I would make you beg. But I’m a lot nicer than that.” 

You helplessly kicked your feet, desperately trying to make him come back to you, getting the job done. “Fuck you, Kennedy.” 

He clicked his tongue, scoldingly. “I think you can do better.” 

“Don’t do this to me.” 

He raised an eyebrow at you, rolling his thumb over your clit agonisingly slowly, watching you suffer. “I’m being very nice to you right now.” 

“Fuck, Leon, please,” you whimpered, “Please don’t stop, I’m sorry, please, I need you.” 

“Yeah, that’s more like it,” he murmured, biting his lip, taking his sweet time observing your wet flesh as he dragged his thumb over it again, rubbing your clit in tight circles. 

Somewhere between Leon being the nicest person and him being the meanest person alive, you had sunken down to lay flat on the desk, squirming, thrashing under his touch, at the overstimulation without release. 

His mouth found your centre again, fully making out with your pussy and a shiver racked through you, the tiny hairs on your skin standing to attention. You were so close. 

Leon moved away from your clit and you sobbed. 

“If you stop again, I’ll kill you with my bare hands,” you whined, stretching out your hand, white knuckling the other end of the desk, your breath coming ragged, a single drop of sweat trailing down your knitted forehead. 

But Leon didn’t stop. He knew exactly what he was doing as he pushed two fingers deep into you, caressing your clit with his thumb. He hoisted your hips up higher, his mouth moving lower, tracing over your taut skin and you nearly blacked out. 

A gasp turned into a high-pitched moan as he teased your rim with the tip of his tongue. 

“Oh god, Leon, I–” You started pulsing around his fingers, gripping the edge of the desk tighter, chest heaving. “Oh my god,” you choked out as he licked you in broad strokes. 

With the next skilled stroke of his tongue, you were gone. 

Crying out his name, you clamped your thighs around his head, your heels digging into his back. Leon moaned against your hot flesh, continuing to eat your ass you through every wave of electricity coursing through you, rubbing yout clit, making you last longer, intensifying every sensation. 

“Oh holy fuck, oh my god.” A string of curses fell from your lips, as you came harder than you had ever before, panting, barely able to process the multitude of stimulation. 

You pressed your head against your arm, squeezing your eyes shut, mouth agape, probably letting the entire DSO know what Leon was doing to you, but you didn’t care. All you cared about was Leon making you see God. 

Leon pulled you back up into a seated position and pulled you to lean against him. Weakly locking your arms around his shoulders, you sank against his chest, your entire body shaking. 

You were still trying to catch your breath as Leon rubbed gentle circles over the small of your back. 

“We still haven’t kissed,” you whispered breathlessly. 

“First kisses are for first dates,” Leon panted. “What are you doing Saturday?” 

“Going on a date with you?” you breathed, burying your forehead in the crook of his neck.

Leon nodded. “Yeah.”

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