Headcanons for metaltango? :)
Some of these ended up being NSFW so just a heads up... oh and a lot more angsty than I originally intended I think I accidentally wrote a mini-fanfic
I'm a sucker for religious imagery and accurate depictions of religious trauma, especially in the context of queerness (this is all Gerard Way's fault) so I think at the time that Leon and Krauser met, Krauser was still catholic while Leon had already left the church. Krauser had never really put much thought into the religion itself though, his family was catholic so it was expected of him to continue that tradition, just like Leon's family, but Leon had been out of it for years.
Contrary to how a lot of fanfics depict their relationship, I think it was actually pretty sweet . Krauser was Leon's first, and while he was a little nervous, but Krauser took care of everything.
Due to them both being in the US military, and at the height of DADT too, their relationship had to be a secret. They didn't really go on dates, or do a lot of the stuff other couples did because they didn't have that privilege. A lot of their relationship was lingering glances and soft touches after hard training sessions, quickies late at night after sneaking around, and subtle gifts like Krauser giving Leon knives.
They were each other's gay awakening in a sense. Leon had known he'd felt some type of way for men, but he was always too afraid to act on it. But after Raccoon City, what more could he possibly lose? And while Krauser had slept with plenty of women, thinking that he'd eventually enjoy it the way other men did, nothing compared to sex with Leon.
Their relationship was never perfect-- Krauser didn't really know how to be in a relationship and while Leon knew that they couldn't be out, he knew that in the future he'd want more than sneaking around and passing touches. In other words, it really wasn't meant to last. They both wanted different things.
After Operation Javier, they got very close before they fell apart. It was essentially the calm before the storm. With the rest of the unit dead and them being off base, they were able to kiss and hold each other more, but it was out of fear that they might lose one another. And when they finally got back to the States, after Krauser's arm had been treated and he'd been dismissed from the Army, it fell apart. Krauser pushed Leon away because he was understandably upset by what had happened, and although Leon tried to help, Krauser had pushed too hard and he didn't want Leon's help. With Krauser having been dismissed and the rest of the team dead, Leon was now alone, and it was a hell of an adjustment. Krauser was the one constant in Leon's life, the one person he could always count on, the only joy he got in this hell, and now Krauser was gone.
A few months later Leon finds out that Krauser was killed in a car accident (he's not actually dead, I'm just going with the Krauser having faked his death canon from the OG re4). He was absolutely distraught, and although his relationship with Krauser hadn't ended on the best note, he still cared a lot for him. Part of him was still in love. And Leon's heart broke all over again. He helps organize the funeral, and although he tried to keep it together, he was a mess at the funeral too.
Before he and Chris became close, Claire was the only one who knew the truth about Leon and Krauser's relationship.
Even after what happened in re4, Leon still kept the necklace Krauser had given him. He still wears it from time to time.
It's still hard for Leon to talk about Krauser both because of his betrayal and because of how many times he had to mourn the loss of the man.
