#govrnsword

starter for @govrnsword because they liked my plottin' call <3

PALE  FINGERS  TAP  AGAINST  the  table  top  of  a  small  round  table  at  the  local  cafe  near  her  work.  She's  been  here  before  and  it  was  why  she  had  chosen  it.  It  felt  familiar,  safe.  Somewhere  she  could  breathe  for  just  a  second  as  she  tried  to  process  all  that  had  happened  within  the  last  few  weeks.  Things  that  had  happened  that  were  very  not  safe,  nor  familiar  in  the  slightest  and  had  turned  her  world  upside  down  once  more.

It's  not  too  crowded,  and  she's  waiting  for  another  familiar  thing.  A  familiar  face,  this  time.

One  that  had  helped  her  in  that  nightmare  of  a  predicament.  One  that  had  saved  her  countless  times.  One  she  had  saved  as  well.  Someone  who  knew  more  than  her  vague  understanding  of  what  the  hell  had  happened  and  what  was  actually  going  on.  Someone  who  could  hopefully  shed  some  light  on  the  mess  they  had  gotten  involved  in.

“  -  there  you  are,  Leon!  ”  she  breathed  out  in  relief,  keeping  her  voice  quiet  in  the  slow  lull  of  the  afternoon  cafe's  driest  hours.

“  I-I  wasn't  sure  what  you  liked,  so  I,  uh,  j-just  got  you  a  black  coffee  and  a  bunch  of  sugar  and  creme  packets  on  the  side,  ”  she  added,  stumbling  over  her  words  a  little,  sliding  those  things  over  to  his  side  of  the  table.

There is a familiar petulance on Scott's face. He looks fully matured and biologically speaking he is. But he has never been through his terrible twos or his trainwreck teens. This has been his first taste of freedom and of pushing boundaries knowing he is in a safe space to do so.

So, when Leon pushes back with love, Scott doesn't feel like he has to hide his reaction. It sucks being told 'no' and having something confiscated even if it's for his own good. At least it's only a frozen food dilemma. He still has a lot of room left to learn, to grow, to experience. And he's somewhere he can make a mistake or react without a painful punishment.

Arms folded, Scott rolls his head and regards Original Kennedy. There might be a mild stinkeye — it's good practice, eventually there will be an actual teenager in the house. "Is that why Claire keeps you around?" He's willing the dad bod into existence.

“Get a room, damn.”

water. lukewarm with mixed electrolytes, in a tall glass set on the nightstand of his side of the bed. having him home more often than he'd been for months and months again felt good, as bittersweet as the sight of his sleeping figure was. at times she hadn't been too sure where his mourning had began and where hers had ended, as both had grown from the same root, but what she'd known for a certainty was that he had no longer reeked of alcohol. through her front row point of view it'd seemed like saving his very own self had been leon's hardest battle yet, and admittedly, accepting the fact she wouldn't be able to carry him to the finish line had been beyond painful. claire could only be what she had from the very beginning; a trusted companion with a heart too big for her body, in both good and bad. she'd brought that glass of water for him before leaving for work.

water. now, in present time, there was half a glass of it in her hand. she'd somehow managed to gulp down the other half while leaning to the kitchen counter and listening to the sounds of olivia's saturday morning's cartoons coming from the living room, and watching leon likely checking his messages while drinking his coffee. claire could feel the 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 combination of excitement, trauma's worry and nauseousness squeezing her by the throat, for this was the first slow morning they'd had for a while and she'd decided to tell him about their possible evening star. with her brows arching in a way they often did when something cordial was about to roll from her tongue, and a smile tempting her mouth, she left the glass on the counter and cleared her throat.

❝ hey — about that shopping list ❞, she began casually in an attempt to offer lighthearted hints she 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 he'd undoubtedly catch, ❝ add a carton of that super sweet mint ice cream to it. or maybe two, for the kids. ❞ back when expecting olivia it'd pretty much become a joke she just might be born with mint green hair, for this particular ice cream had been claire's biggest craving.

her lips quivered as she waited.

Claire hands over her laundry basket with a bright smile. Leon can find several items of his own clothing stashed away for a wash, none of them have been worn by him. "Knock yourself out, sunshine." He can reclaim his wardrobe, sure.

If he's a smart man he can have so much more.

" do you think we could take a break ? " she didn't want to ask a part of her felt bad for it , yet there was a moment where they weren't being chased left or right , the adrenaline had wired completely out of her system momentarily ( * & she knows they shouldn't , that the efficient way is to push forward ) but the weight of exhaustion is evident on features / even if she tries to ignore it because she imagines he is doing the same.

" just for a moment ... I know we should keep going but I think we could both use one. "

even if it not so present on him , but in small glimpses that she manages to catch ; when she's not even sure how long they been running for now between places .. Ashley knows it must be taking a toll on him too even if he persisted that he's fine.

He'd come to the station alone. Alyssa and Jim were split off from him a while ago; he'd lost them after they escaped that subway tunnel, got sidetracked. He wasn't fast enough. But he'd arrived to find Marvin and Rita still holding down the fort - demanding to know where he'd been, of course, which was too long of a story to tell with the enemy at the gate. One by one, his fellow officers died. The station was overrun. Marvin was bitten.

Rita managed to get one of the trucks running, and came back for him. He was supposed to leave with her, but he just couldn't. Marvin had come crashing out of the front door, injured. Ordering them to leave without him. Kevin didn't hesitate; he leapt out of the back of the truck as Harry drove away, Rita calling after him, yelling for Harry to go back. But he didn't. He couldn't. And Kevin knew it.

Marvin had really given him hell for it. Called it hare-brained, foolhardy, suicidal - all true. But he couldn't leave Marvin to just fend for himself, and he said as much. From there he began helping fortify parts of the station, in case more survivors came looking. But every fortification was torn down. Every safe spot he found, overrun. Kevin was wearing down.

In theory, everything was well and good, but he'd been fighting like hell since the 23rd; night shift really sucked that night, given the end of the world seemed upon him. It was now the 29th. At least, he was pretty sure it was. He was slowing down. Evidenced by how many hits he took during his time at the station. The armor plating in the front of his uniform was cracked, coated in blood. Several other areas of his uniform were torn or otherwise damaged.

He probably wouldn't make it much longer. Not fighting like this. He could hardly rest, he'd probably wake up to something gnawing on him! He'd just have to go back to the main hall and take a minute regardless; a minute wouldn't hurt. But right as he was about to open the door from the west hallway - he heard gunshots, and a voice, though he couldn't make out the words.

Door was flung open, and he ran in to see- Marvin, dead. He shook his head, correcting his aim to hone onto the one standing over him. But he faltered immediately. It couldn't be. Not now...

"Shit- Leon? Tell me that isn't you!"