#leachim

He should have seen that coming. Leon hummed to himself, turning the request around in his mind. He couldn’t — no, he shouldn’t trust a creature of the night, greedy beasts that they were. But, whether due to the exhaustion of the battle creeping in his bones, or his very flesh itching to return to his Sara as soon as possible, he could not find a way out of the deal.

“Do I have your word that you won’t hide me anything?” he attempted, and he didn’t need for Joachim to laugh at him to feel very stupid. He could almost picture Mathias in the corner of his eye shaking his head in disapproval.

“Oh, I’m in your eternal gratitude, my shining knight! Why, but of course I won’t turn my back on the hero who rescued me!”

Leon may have not been as sharp as his friend, but he was no ingenue, either. “Do not mock me, vampire.”

Said vampire only offered him a jagged, sardonic smirk. “I need to take Walter’s head more than anything else. For the time being, I need you alive and aware more than I need you joining that pile.” Leon’s frown furrowed further at the clawed finger pointing at something macabre cloaked by the shadows, then beckoning him. “Now, come.”

Normally, Leon would bristle at the brusque tone. He was a noble until but a few hours ago, and while he ever hardly cared to have his boots kissed, he was in no habit to be spoken to like a servant. But what other choice did he have, now, in the realm of a creature who stepped away from humanity?

Slowly, but not hesitating, Leon approached the vampire once more. His hands this time did not fling vials of holy water to scald Joachim’s flesh, but flitted to unlace the collar of his shirt.

An inhuman sound ripped out of the vampire’s throat, a rumbling growl that Leon only ever heard when followed by wolves howling.

What was he doing…?

No, Leon promised. Joachim did, as well. He was not powerless, and most importantly, he was not so cowardly as to take back his word.

So he canted his head back, secured one hand on his hip, and waited with a leaping heart and bated breath for the vampire to quench his unholy thirst.

He wondered if Joachim could hear it. Smell it, even. Leon swallowed away his unease, picturing behind his eyelids the gentle face of his beloved Sara, glowing and smiling and ready to embrace him once more. He was doing this for her, he burrowed to the bowels of the castle for her, he’d do anything—

Joachim was not gentle. Leon had anticipated this. But as much as his body was trained to predict and prepare for pain, it was still powerless against the electric shock that coursed through his nerves, exploding from his throat.

The cave, the sewers, the entire castle were no more. His world had condensed down to Joachim, gulping and sucking and gnawing and digging his claws through Leon’s coat; in his ears no longer rushed the trickling water, but his own blood, flowing from the wound into Joachim’s hungry mouth and wet, eager tongue that kept delving in the holes ripped open by his teeth, uncaring of Leon’s ragged breath and hisses of pain, wanting more and more and more.

It was as savage as a dog devouring a slab of meat. It was as intimate as a lover leaving open-mouth kisses. Leon hadn’t so much as brushed Sara’s lips yet, waiting to be blessed with the sanctity of marriage; and yet here he was, offering his body and life to a creature who tried to kill him.

Joachim pressed himself flushed against Leon’s chest. Like he feared that something would take him away from him. Revulsion roiled somewhere down in his gut – revulsion was what pulsed between them, it couldn’t be nothing else, at that depraved display of a vampire’s gluttony.

That was enough. Leon had warned him.

His fingers had gone numb, and were shaking; it was only through muscle memory that he grabbed his crucifix, and held it close to Joachim’s back. Not enough to hurt the creature, but enough to freeze him on the spot, reminded that he was not a threat for Leon. And if anyone were to step inside, they would find a curious sight, that of a knight all but embracing the predator hunched over him.

(What was he thinking? Was the vampire getting inside his head?)

“You had your fill,” Leon panted, with a dry mouth. Between the rushing water and Joachim’s assault on him, he found himself parched.

Thankfully, for him and for the vampire, Joachim heeded his words. With a sigh that bordered on the obscene, he slid out his canines, leaving a throbbing sore spot on his throat.

The sight of his crimson lips tugged something in Leon’s gut. He didn’t stop to consider what it was, but he felt the urge to lick his own cracked lips.

“I haven’t felt this alive in ages,” Joachim grinned, with stained teeth akin to a hound after a hunt. “Thank you, human.”

“My name is Leon Belmont,” he reminded him, fastening back the crucifix at his hip. He let the collar be, lest it got stained with blood. “And I’ve kept my word. Now, will you help me?”

“You want to take revenge on Walter, don’t you?”

“I want to skin the bastard alive, hang him upside down and make a cloak out of his flesh,” Joachim snapped, glaring at him with curled lip like daring Leon to be shocked and appalled.

And maybe, had he met the vampire a few days prior, Leon would have recoiled against the harsh language. He had never been one for needless torture. But the picture of Sara trembling in fear in a corner of the castle — where was she? A dingy dungeon? Walter’s own quarters? Just wondering it boiled Leon’s blood — filled him with a terrible sense of calm. She could not wait any longer. Nothing else mattered.

He could have joined Joachim with little reluctance.

“… right. And… I get that,” he confessed, to himself more than the vampire. “I get that need to take back what was taken from you. We are on the same side.”

Unfortunately, the rousing speech did not impress Joachim. “I’m not going to lower myself to a human’s level!”

“Frankly, my friend, I doubt you can sink any lower.”

“Why you…!”

“I think,” Leon continued with a hand raised, “that with my skills and your powers, we can defeat Walter more easily. I will save my Sara, and you will… do whatever you plan to do. I won’t interfere.”

He didn’t mean to stick around for long anyway. He had a wedding to initiate. They were to unite under God’s light as soon as possible, for he could not imagine nor he wanted to imagine a life without his beloved. He couldn’t wait to run away from that accursed place, and return home with Sara and help Mathias rise from his bed again and—

Oh. Mathias would know how to negotiate with a vampire, would he? Leon had never been the brains of the team. But he had to make a convincing proposal. What could Joachim need… Ah, easy.

“Naturally, your help will not go unrewarded. If blood is what you need, I can offer you a meal,” he attempted, pointing at his throat for good measure. Truth to be told, his guts were twisting at the thought of allowing a creature of the night to feast on him — was it a sin, to give himself away to such a beast? Would he be tainted before marriage? But he had no choice. Sara would forgive him, surely.

“Hah! And what can stop me from draining you dry and return to my former glory?”

Not a smart strategist, this one. So far he had done little but taunting and threatening, which even Leon could rebuke against. Not for the first time, he wondered how old he truly was.

“I happen to have holy artifacts with me.” He patted his belt, where his trusted crucifix hanged next to the whip. He could have sworn he had seen Joachim shy away from the sight. “Do you wish to die as you are returning to life?”

“… very well. I will tolerate your assistance, human. However, I know something that you don’t.”

“What is it?”

(you can also ignore this ask!)

I liked this idea so much that I didn't just choose 49...

…out of necessity.

... but there you go :3

7- how much time did it take each of them to notice their feelings for the other and how long did it take for them to act on those feelings

A while, probably. In the "Joachim survives and helps Leon kicking Walter's ass" what if, the two start off as strained allies, only kept together by their mutual goal. In my beautiful mindpalace i.e. the wip i'd like to finish, it was what happened to Sara that softened them up to each other. Joachim attempting to comfort Sara, even awkwardly, but empathizing with a fellow victim of the vampstard, would show to Leon that the guy may be bristly and arrogant but not outright cruel, and in turn Joachim might be touched, in his own way, by how loving Leon is to everyone, both Sara and himself.

For obvious reasons, it won't be until after Sara's death that the two might make a move. Depending on when, it could either be a bad attempt from Leon's part to cope with her death, or a second chance at affection. I don't think Joachim would be bothered either way.

8- are they naturally compatible or do they make an effort to try and understand the other

lol. lmao even. dem bitches argue

Joachim has a... hard personality lol. He's both a traumatized victim and a selfish self-important brat. Leon would have to have a lot of patience with him, and I don't think he's as endlessly loving as Rosaly :P he knows how to put his foot down. But I can imagine them eventually making the effort to mellow out around one another.

11- is there anything they keep hidden for themselves and refuse to share with the other

Mhh. I wonder. Leon doesn't have much to hide from Joachim, and he might confess about the title of baron he threw away from Sara's sake without any shame. Joachim is the more interesting party here, because would he ever open up about his past with Walter, and his experiences? He comes across as so proud he might never do it, more interested in his new life as Lord of the castle.

But also, I am an emotional bitch and I love when characters open up and maybe I want Joachim to be able to trust someone and having his trust validated 🥺

12- would you consider them to be functional or dysfunctional

It could be both, depending on the direction you want to take them!

They def have dysfunctional traits. As I said, Joachim is traumatized and angry, and Leon would still heavily grieve Sara. At worst, the two might use each other to cope with their issues. But I can also imagine them genuinely coming to care for one another, and while they'd never be overtly sweet, they could be a positive influence in each other's lives :3