Rude.

Shaking the thought from your mind, you forced yourself to pay attention to the task at hand. You had to at least try and pass this final. Scolding him would have to come after, while you were studying for the second and final test of the day. Before too long, you’re scribbling answers down with only a slight tinge of uncertainty.

You finish just in time, turning in your exam and escaping the stuffy lecture hall in a hurry. You didn’t stop until you stepped out the main doors of the building and into the bright midday sun.

You notice the bike first, parked on the curb. The sleek black Ducati that you’d recognize anywhere. A smile curls at your lips as you spot the owner, his back facing you with arms crossed and head hanging low. Despite that, you’d recognize those leather clad shoulders anywhere.

“Leon.”

Your voice rings out across campus and you can see the man shift from his spot against the bike. Head snaps up, his tired eyes turning to see you jogging towards him. You can see the smile tugging at his lips as he pushes off the bike, moving around it to meet you as you approach.

“There you are, baby. Sorry I lost my phone at work.”

So he hadn’t forgotten

Arms wrap around your waist as you reach up to kiss him, the annoyance from earlier slipping your mind as you press your lips to his.

“You know, you’re giving off creepy old man vibes, right.” you tease softly, “Hovering around a college campus like this.”

“There’s nothing creepy about just wanting to see you.” he shrugged casually, letting go of you to reach for the helmet on the back of his bike and holding it out to you, indicating that he wanted you to leave with him. Eying it hesitantly you shake your head.

“Lee I’ve got an exam in two hours.”

“So?” His words are punctuated by silence as he urges the helmet into your hands.

“So I need to study, and from the looks of it you need to sleep.” you finally say, trying to push the helmet back towards him.

“I can sleep later, let me help you study over some lunch.”

You pause for a moment before your hands close around the motorcycle helmet. “Fine, but if I’m late you’re paying for the class next semester when I have to take it again.”

Triumphant, he doesn’t say anything more as he mounts the bike. You slip the helmet over your head, settling behind him with your arms wrapped snugly around his waist as you pulled yourself close to his back.

It had already been a day since the two of you had completed your last mission, sharing the best hotel room that the D.S.O. was willing to shell out on the other side of the country. Hunnigan had promised that the two of you would be back in time to spend Christmas in the comfort of your own home, but now? They decided to wait until 11pm to let you know that you wouldn’t be making it home in time for the holiday at all. 

It wasn’t as if it was the first time they left the two of you stranded like this. 

“Apparently, everyone else gets the pleasure of a half day. They forgot about us.” 

You groan, falling dramatically into the plush of your own queen bed, face smushed into the low quality hotel comforter. Leon can’t do much past helplessly watching your plight in silence for a few minutes before sitting himself on the edge of your bed, a comforting hand finding a perch on your shoulder blade. 

“It could have been worse.” his words weren’t as comforting as either of you wished they could have been, but it was enough to make you right yourself into a seated position beside him. Even if it was just to shoot him an annoyed glare. 

“Easy for you to say.” you grumble. 

“Yeah, yeah.” He rolls his eyes in response, standing up with a pat to your shoulder. “Just take a shower, get some sleep. We’ll figure out what to do about this in the morning.” 

Inhaling sharply through your nose, you nod. “Yeah, you’re right. Nothing we can do about it now anyway.” 

You begrudgingly stand, sulking your way to the bathroom to wash away the disappointment and wind down for bed, and when you emerge clean and in a slightly better mood, Leon is nowhere to be found. 

Strange.

—

You awaken the next morning to the sound of shuffling. Eyes peel open in the soft morning light, the curtains having been drawn open in order to allow the sun to shine into the dingy hotel room, brightening it up ever so slightly. Letting out a soft groan, you let your eyes fall shut once more, remembering exactly where you are in the moment. 

“You awake?” Leon’s voice rings out. “Merry Christmas.”

You flop onto your side, prying your eyes open once more to see him seated on the edge of his bed. He hadn’t returned back to the hotel room by the time you had fallen asleep, so part of you was surprised to see him here clad in a green sweater. As you right yourself, he holds something out to you with a halfhearted smile. “Here.”

Bleary eyed, you take the red bundle and inspect it further. It doesn’t take much to identify it as another sweater, the matching pair to the one he already had on his frame. Brows furrow for a moment as your sleep ridden brain slowly begins to piece things together. 

“Just change into it and we can have some breakfast,” Leon ushers, motioning you towards the bathroom as he stands, turning his back to you rather suspiciously. 

You shrug, tossing the covers off of your body before placing your feet onto the cool, carpet covered floor. Standing, you glance towards the man once more to find him glaring at you, a finger pointing towards the bathroom in a silent command. 

“Fine, fine.” you grumble softly, shuffling your feet as you make your way into the bathroom to wash the sleep from your eyes and dress yourself in your new gifted sweater. A pretty little red cable knit number that you probably would have put back in favor of something with a little more festive flair, but it was definitely more pleasant to look at than the dull black you already had on. 

The moment you left the bathroom, you halted in surprise at the sight before you. The first thing that caught your eye was the miniature tree placed on the desk in the corner of the room. Lights twinkled around it, reflecting off the small red and green baubles that decorated the branches. Tracing the perimeter of the room, you noticed the cheap paper snowflakes plastered to the window as well as a cardboard santa propped in the opposite corner as the tree. Leon had turned on the dinky television, now playing some stop motion animated christmas film you hadn’t watched in years. You hadn’t even made it to the “breakfast” spread atop his bed by the time you could feel yourself grinning from ear to ear. 

“I take it you like it?” Leon perked up at the sight of your smile, unable to hide the one that was growing on his own lips. “I know it’s no Kevin Mcallister at the Plaza Hotel, but I figured it was better than nothing.” 

You nod, turning to meet him with bright eyes. Without warning, you throw your arms around him, catching him by surprise. It takes a moment, but his own arms fold around you. You squeeze him tightly in your arms before taking a step back, face warm in embarrassment at the sudden physical contact shared between the two of you. He doesn’t seem to mind it however, instead leading you to the impressive selection for your holiday breakfast ( what appeared to be a variety of snacks emptied from the local gas station’s shelves ).

“How’d you manage this?” you question, taking a moment to sift through the pre-packaged pastries and snack sized bags of chips.

“Well, you seemed to be really disappointed about this situation so I thought I’d do something to make it better.” he started, propping himself on the edge of his bed. 

“Not why, how?” you snort softly, nudging him with your hand before sitting down beside him, packaged cookie in hand. 

“Oh, well after you went to shower I got the idea for all this. Spent half the night hunting for somewhere that was even open. Thank god for gas station convenience stores.”

You can’t help but laugh. “You got everything from a gas station? Even the tree?” 

Leon nods, reaching behind him to pluck out a bag of chips for his own meal. “Remind me we need to take that back before we get picked up. They made me pay an arm and a leg for it and still want it back.”

You nod, silently taking in the hotel room around you that suddenly seemed to be much less miserable than it had been last night before turning your gaze back to him. “I don’t have anything for you.”

He shrugs, “I don’t need anything, just knowing you’re not miserable is enough.” 

You smile softly once more, attention turning to the colorful characters on screen. Taking a bite of your cookie, your head falls to his shoulder. 

The scene was still vivid in his mind. Your front door slightly ajar as he pulled up to your house. Leon had immediately been put on edge by this. The overwhelming feeling of panic however, didn’t set in until he noticed the bright red smear across the white painted wood.

Inside the house wasn’t much better, turned over from top to bottom. Every single one of your meticulously placed photos and knickknacks were strewn smashed on the floor, broken glass, plastic and porcelain everywhere. All decorated with a spattering of red. The same scene played out in each and every one of the rooms. It didn't seem to be a run of the mill robbery though. Nothing of value was missing, nothing besides you.

The worst part was the way your phone went to voicemail every single time he called.

“Hello?”

Leon’s torn from his thoughts at the sound of the voice on the other end of the phone. Chris Redfield.

“Answer the phone any slower?” he’s snappy, frustrated, scared.

It must have been obvious, with the way the concern laced into Chris’s words. “Leon? Is something wrong?”

“She’s gone, Chris. The house is a mess and her phone just goes straight to voicemail. Someone was there, and I think they took her.”

The word vomit just spews from his lips as he switches lanes again, white-knuckling the steering wheel as icy eyes dart around. He’s not sure where he’s going, what he’s looking for. He’s not sure of anything anymore.

Had he gotten too cocky, too lax in his security? Everything had been going so well since Ashley. He had been saving people. What the fuck went wrong? Fuck, he should have pressed the issue harder when he asked you to move in with him. At least there he could have kept a better eye on you, kept you safe. This wouldn’t have happened.

Leon was spiraling.

“Are you still with me, Kennedy?” Chris’s voice broke through the haze again.

"Yeah." Barely.

"You sure she was at home? She's probably just not answering your calls."

Chris didn't know you, didn't know that you didn't just ignore phone calls, especially not his calls. You weren't just ignoring him.

"I wouldn't have called you if I thought she was just ignoring my calls. The place was torn up Redfield. Whoever it was, was looking for something. There was blood fucking everywhere." His words came out more aggressive than intended.

They had to, he needed to get his point across.

“Okay, yeah that’s bad. But I can’t just get clearance to do anything..”

“I’m not asking you to deploy the BSAA. I’m asking you to help me” Leon cut him off.

The silence that hangs makes him regret calling Chris. Had he made a call to the wrong Redfield? He should have just called Claire. She wouldn’t have hesitated so much, wouldn’t have wasted so much time. That was if she even picked up the phone.

Either way, for once, he couldn’t do this on his own. Not like this.

"Go home. I'll meet you there. We'll figure this out okay? Don't do anything stupid Leon."

"Yeah."

---

Your head is aching, forehead damp with sweat or blood ( you're not sure which ), feet sore and bloodied from stumbling through the shattered glass on your living room floor. Eyes are covered with a thick blindfold, and the room is dark and quiet.

All alone with your thoughts. Thoughts of how you ended up here. How you had been so distracted, unable to notice the men coming in through the unlocked front door. One snatching you up as the other set out to look for something, smashing everything in his path. Your screams fell on deaf ears, feet being dragged through the mess on the floor as you struggled to break free.

Until a sharp pain to the back of the head forced you into unconsciousness.

There's the sound of shuffling, metal clinking, and there's something pressed to your ear. A phone? There's a few moments of trilling rings before a voice answers with a panicked "Hello?"

"Leon?"

Your voice is hoarse from the screaming earlier, and tears sting at your eyes.

"Baby where are you?" You've never heard him sound like this, scared.

"I don't know, Lee. Help me. I don't know where I am. It's dark and I'm scared."

Before he can respond, the phone is pulled from your ear. The scream ripped from your throat as his voice was cut off by the phone being hung up. A sharp laugh caused a shiver to course through you as you struggled against your bindings.

"Think that got his attention, hm princess?"

________________________________________________

“Jus’ one more, please sweet girl.” he grunted into your ear, causing you to babble incoherently.

“Lee please, no more. ‘S too many. Need a break.” Your voice is whiny and weak. 

He adds more pressure to your already overstimulated clit, causing another sharp whine from you, tears building up behind your eyes. 

“Can’t take more.” Leon’s eyes flashed mischievously, smirk pulling at the corners of his lips as he removed them from their place on your shoulder, disregarding the blossoming bruise he had been so carefully crafting there. “Sweetheart, you talk too much. Need you to shut up.” his voice is thick in your ear.

Suddenly the grip on your throat was gone, instead moving upwards to shove two of his fingers into your open mouth as his hips snap forward particularly hard. They press firmly against your tongue, leaving you only able to moan and whine against his hand, lips closing around his fingers desperately as the tears in your eyes begin to spill down your cheeks.

“Much better. Promise just one more and I’ll stop.” he murmurs, finding a new spot on your neck to start marking as his hips continue to slam into you from behind. The circles on your bundled nerves speed up as he becomes more desperate to make you cum just one more time.  It’s just enough to send waves of pleasure through your body once more, muffled cries escaping around his fingers as you come undone once more around his cock, leaving his thrusts to falter as he follows your lead over the edge.

As the two of you come down from your highs, he slips his fingers from your mouth, wrapping his arm around your waist to support you as you slump against him.

There’s a laugh from the other man. “It won’t kill you to try something new every once in a while, rookie.” Chris claps a hand to the blonde’s shoulder. “Besides, this isn’t so bad. Pretty sure the girl at the bar’s been eyeing you since we walked in.”

“I doubt it.” Leon rolls his eyes, downing the rest of his drink. Despite his words, his eyes move to scan the direction Chris had indicated, unable to see much in the dim lighting. “I don’t see anyone even glancing in my direction.”

“Fine, don’t trust me.” Chris rolls his eyes in turn and shrugs. “I’m not sulking in the corner all night with you though. Jill should be here any minute, just try and do something fun while I’m gone.”

Before Leon could protest, the other man disappeared into the crowd with a casual wave.

He was going to need another drink.

At least one.

—

Elbows propped against the bar, you bring your drink to your lips as someone pulls out the stool next to you.

“I hope you don’t mind if I sit here?” His voice pulls you from your thoughts, and you glance over to him. “ It’s the only spot open.”

He had caught your attention earlier, your eyes glued to him since he had walked into the club. Up close, you had a better look at his handsome features, pretty blue eyes framed by a fringe of dirty blonde hair and a jawline you couldn’t help but want to run your fingers along. He’s shifting his weight from one foot to the other, eyes darting to look anywhere but directly at you.

Cute.

“Go ahead.” red painted lips curl upwards as you gesture to the seat. “I won’t bite you.”

A relieved smile blooms across his face and his shuffling stops as he slides into the seat, doing his best to catch the attention of the busy bartender so that he could order.

“First time here, no?” you break the quiet between you after his drink is placed in front of him, curious.

His brows raise as he sips at the overpriced old fashioned. “Is it that obvious?”

“Has been since you walked in the door.”

There’s a sudden look of realization at your words, and his face is suddenly tinged pink. You let out a stifled laugh at the reaction, only causing the blush to spread a little bit further down his neck.

“Don’t worry, you just need to relax a bit.” you reassure him with a smile.

“You’re not the first person to tell me that tonight.” he chuckles slightly, letting some of the tension in his shoulders drop. “Chris wouldn’t stop saying the same thing.”

“And he’s right. You should.” your eyes glimmer in the dim lights as you lean a little closer to him. “Lucky for you, I’ve got a few ideas to help you out.”

He’s flustered again, thanks to the mixture of your proximity and the suggestion in your tone. Sputtering into his drink, his eyes widening in shock. “I…” his voice trails off as he glances away from you once more.

“Oh, calm down.” you straighten back up with a laugh, easing some of the closeness between the two of you. “Just teasing a little.”

The words do little to lessen the blush on his face as he stares into his drink. “Right. I knew that.”

“Sure, I’ll believe you this time.”

He falls quiet for a moment, sipping on his drink as the flush ebbs from his face slowly. “The name’s Leon by the way. Leon Kennedy.”

His eyes finally find yours again as he speaks and you nod, offering both your name and your hand to him in turn. Leon hesitated for a moment, before taking your hand in his firm grasp. Your lips curl upwards, hand lingering in his as your eyes glitter mischievously.

“Well, Leon.” Your words are slow and deliberate. “I think I’ve got the perfect way for you to let loose a little bit. C’mon.”

You quickly down the rest of your drink with your free hand as your fingers tighten around his. Slipping off of your barstool, you tug at his hand. Confused, he reluctantly finished his own drink before following you as you led him towards the dance floor.

“Oh, no. No, no, nope.” Leon blurted out the moment he realized. “Not happening.”

“Yes it is, I promise it’ll be fun.” you stop somewhere in the mass of already dancing bodies, pulling him closer and guiding his hands to your waist.

“I can’t dance, I’ll just embarrass myself and you.”

“Nobody’s paying attention. It’s easy. Besides, I’ll do all the work. Just follow my rhythm okay?”

Despite his protests, Leon’s hands remained on your waist albeit rather stiff. Taking this as a good sign, you drape your arms over his shoulders and inch a little closer. “Just move with me and try to have a little fun. It’ll come to you.”

Hips move, and you ignore the fast pace of the pulsating music to instead ease him into the movements. It didn’t take very long for his tense shoulders to relax under your touch, the hands on your waist slipping lower to grip at your hips. Satisfied with this reaction, you pick up the tempo, matching that of whatever was blaring over the speakers. He has to take a moment to adjust but quickly corrects, tugging you closer to him.

Before long you’re pressed close to his body, his chest against your back as your hips grind into his. Fingers dig into your hips to keep you in place and you bring a hand to his neck, pulling his face a little closer as a smile blossoms across your lips.

“I told you it was easy.”

—

“Oh fuck.”

The words spill from your parted lips, back pressed against the car door uncomfortably as his tongue drew messy circles around your clit as fingers pressed into your thighs.

This was becoming a familiar sight, the two of you sprawled in the ever so slightly too small backseat of Leon’s beat up Jeep after one too many drinks. You had slipped him your number that night, before he could be swept away by his original companion. Since then, he had been calling at least weekly to meet up.

You never declined.

And it usually ended with your dress hiked up to your waist and his face buried between your thighs.

Who knew the awkward guy you met at the club, the one that swore he couldn’t dance, was a natural when it came to eating pussy?

“You look so pretty like this.” eager, icy eyes stare up at you as Leon pulls away from your dripping cunt for only a moment before diving back in with a soft groan. “ ‘n you taste so sweet.”

Manicured fingers weave their way into his hair as lewd mewls escape you. The tug on his scalp only acts to encourage him, lips closing around the bundle of nerves as he inches you closer to the edge.

“Fuck, Lee ‘so good.” breathless, you manage to whine “ ‘m gonna cum.”

He hums against your clit, his grip leaving one of your thighs in order to slip two of his fingers into your slick, clenching cunt only adding to the already overwhelming sensation of his tongue.

“You can do it, pretty. Jus’ let go.” he urges, fingers moving, curling to find just the right spot causing you to buck your hips upwards.

Fingers tighten against his scalp as you feel the tightly wound knot within you snap, vision blurred as your orgasm washes over you in waves. Teeth sink hard into your lower lip, barely able to hold back the stream of whiny swears that spilled from your lips as you came undone around his fingers.

Leon stayed buried in your pussy as you rode out your high, eagerly lapping at the mess you made until you released your grip on his hair. There’s a dorky smile plastered on his lips as he finally raises up, wiping the mess of slick and saliva from his face with an arm as he leans in to press his lips to yours.

he’s always wanted to be a dad. Carlos grew up in a large family & he very much wants one of his own. He wants five, you end up with three ( 1 girl & twin boys )

absolutely had to be the one to set up everything for the nursery. Painting walls, building the furniture, even setting up the decor you had picked out together. He was terrible at it every single time and you had to help.

during the pregnancies, he was always insisting on doing everything for you, to the absolute extreme. ( “No, let me pick it up love.” “Carlos it’s a cereal box I can handle it.” ) It often hinged on annoying despite his helpful intentions.

he’s the type to pace around the delivery room the whole time. He almost got kicked out a few times because he just wouldn't settle down.

100% cried holding each of his babies for the first time. It’s manly alright.

did not expect to be a very good girl dad, but surprisingly enough he was. lots of tea parties and trips to the ‘beauty salon’ to be had.

the twins were born around the time your daughter was two. he was very excited for boys because it reminded him of his brothers.

complained all the time about the kids pulling on his hair but refuses to cut it ( “It’s part of my charm” ) so now he’s often got it pulled back in the dorkiest little ponytail. he insists it’ll look cool once it grows out

definitely a baby wearing dad. one in front, one in back and the toddler in hand leaving you with all the diaper bags as he struggles to keep the eldest from running off.

the most energetic children. he can barely keep up with them. It gets worse as the twins get older because suddenly there’s three tiny humans running in three different directions.

heavy advocate for toddler leashes.

he accidentally taught the kids to swear. there’s never a day you don’t have to scold him because he’s laughing so hard because there’s a tiny “ass” or “fuck” being shouted somewhere in the house. (“It’s not funny Carlos!” “It is a little bit.” )

Until you came along, a ray of sunshine through the storm. He’d always remember the first time he saw that sweet smile of yours. Leon was halfway through his second bottle when you approached his corner table. Shy and sweet, you could barely keep eye contact with him as you spoke, looking back to the gaggle of friends that had encouraged you to approach the handsome man in the corner you had been ogling all night. No matter where you looked though, that smile never faded from your pretty lips. 

 It doesn’t matter how bad of a mood he’s in or how deep into a bottle of Jack he’s found himself, there’s always a soft spot in his heart for that bright smile you seem to have permanently etched into your face. Despite the fact that he knows better, that it was the same smile you gave to the whole world, Leon convinced himself that it was only for him.

Unbeknownst to him though it wasn’t the same one you gave to the world. It was indeed a genuine smile you crafted just for him. Or better yet a series of them, tailored to every specific situation that you may have needed them for and given only to him. He wasn’t the easiest man to deal with, but every time you offered him a comforting word, a sweet favor or even just the smallest of loving glances he seemed to soften for you. To show you a glimpse of a man that existed before the horrors of the world tore that hope away from him.

But you knew as well as anyone that trauma could do that to a person.

You knew he needed someone to keep him grounded, to remind him that there was always sunshine after the storm. You were determined to never let him see that smile fall. 

And you almost succeeded.

—-

The apartment was quiet, but Leon knew you were home due to the fact your car was parked out front. He was home early for once from whatever god forsaken mission he had been sent on this time and all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball next to you. Figuring you were napping, he crept through the hallway as quietly as he could in order to avoid waking you. 

But the sounds behind the bedroom door stopped him in his tracks. Heavy breathing partnered with choked sobs and the muffled sound of an angry voice on the other line of a cell phone. 

“You’re not supposed to have this number. I made sure of that.” Your voice is cracking, trembling on the other side of the door. “How did you get this number?” 

He’s caught off guard by the fear in your voice, and not waiting a moment longer, he’s pulled open the bedroom door. Just in time for your cellphone to whizz past his head, exploding into pieces as it collides with the wall. 

“Leon?” Your first instinct is to hide your face away from him, hands flying to cover your face  so that he couldn’t see the tears staining your cheeks. This wasn’t supposed to happen. You hadn’t expected him to be home so soon, but you also hadn’t expected the angry phone call from your ex-boyfriend either. Realizing your facade was over, you could do nothing more than pull your knees to your chest and sob into your hands.

“Sunshine, no no no. I’m here.” his voice is soft, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling you into a firm hug, moving your face from your hands into his chest. 

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. You were the one that was supposed to comfort him, not the other way around.

“You shouldn’t have to see this.” You choke out, words muffled into his jacket.  

He sighs, one hand moving to smooth over the hair on the back of your head as he shakes his own. “I’m not leaving you like this.” he said softly. It was his chance to return the favor for everything you had done for him. 

And that was all it took to open the floodgates, letting the emotions of what had just happened spill out through your eyes as he rocked you in his arms, cooing sweet words into your ear as he did so. He didn’t ask you to tell him what was wrong, part of him not wanting to know what it was that could cause your sweet demeanor to falter and the other part knowing that if he knew he’d make an impulsive decision. 

Instead he let you cry, because you needed to.

“Hm?” a hum of acknowledgement crackles back towards her as tired eyes turn from the cityscape below to the blonde girl who had suddenly come to life beside him.

“You’re telling me you weren’t paying attention?” her head tilts, gentle smile blooming on her features as she meets his gaze. “We’re landing soon, home this time.” 

Managing a half cocked smile and a huff of a laugh, Leon shook his head while shifting his attention towards her. Stiff joints groan in protest at the ever so slight movement. The hours of inactivity after days of absolutely no rest in the days prior left his body far more sore than he’d like to admit to. 

“Left that up to you. Thought you’d want some practice.” he quipped, trying to keep his energy high for Ashley’s sake despite the screaming ache that radiated deep into his bones.

“Right, gotta be tip top shape if I’m going to be your replacement.”

She giggles, and he lets out another soft chuckle, pleased enough with her reaction. “Just tell me when we’re on solid ground again.” 

“Sure. You can count on me, Leon.”

-

Feet connect with the solid asphalt surface of the hospital’s helipad, and Leon lets out an audible sigh of relief before reaching a hand out to help the young woman off the helicopter. He’s careful, right hand in hers while the other braces her upper arm to make sure that she makes it off of the aircraft without issue. 

“You okay?” The familiar question slips from him as Ashley’s hand leaves his, the hand below her shoulder hovering for a moment longer before dropping heavy to his side.

“I’m good.” She nods, brushing her hands over her disheveled clothing. “Just ready to go home.”

“You’re almost there.”

Before either of them could say any more, they’re surrounded by the flurry of suits that had been waiting for the chopper to touch down. Muscle memory takes over as he steps in front of the girl, every instinct in his body telling him to protect her despite the miserable state he was in. He scans the faces as they approach, brows furrowing as he tenses, one arm raised to cage her behind him and the other hovering over the pistol strapped to his thigh. Ready for anything.

“Welcome back Agent Kennedy, Miss Graham.”

Shoulders stoop slightly and tense muscles relax, the arm he had raised to shield the younger woman from potential danger dropping to his side as he recognized the voice. 

“Hunnigan.” he nods, eyes turning up to meet hers. 

There’s no longer a need for the established codenames now that they’re on home soil, however being addressed as ‘Agent’ made him far prefer the comfort of condor. However, it was nice to put a face to the disembodied voice feeding him information through the earpiece he had shed once in the safety of the chopper.

“Miss Graham if you would come with me.” One of the secret servicemen took hold of Ashley’s arm now that Leon had backed down. “We’ll get you checked in and then you can see your father.” 

Green eyes flicker in excitement before flying in Leon’s direction, waiting for his instruction. A showcase of the trust she had placed in him over the duration of their time together. 

“Go.” he met her inquisition with a nod, giving her the permission she was seeking. 

She nods in turn, fingers curling around the silver pendant dangling from her neck as she hesitates for a moment. 

“Thanks, Leon.”

Before he could answer, an arm is hooked around her shoulders, leading her rather hurriedly into the depths of the hospital with the other two secret service members and leaving him alone with Hunnigan. She quickly began dumping information on him, ushering him to follow her off the windy rooftop and into the hospital himself. 

He didn’t have the energy to listen to everything she was saying, picking up only pieces here and there. Something about mission debriefing in the afternoon ( something he dreaded simply due to the fact he’d have to wear that crumpled suit in the bottom of his closet he hated so badly ), a mess of updates about the island’s explosion, vague words of thanks from President Graham and …..

“You and Ashley are going to be staying overnight, just to make sure there’s no lasting effect from the plaga.”

That was the last thing Hunnigan spoke as she ushered him into an empty examination room, the door closing quietly behind him.

-

The door to the exam room creaked open just as he finished unclipping the utility belt from his waist. Leon unceremoniously dropped the belt onto the pile of gear he had already collected in one of the spare chairs in the corner of the room, not quite ready to break the quiet lull and stream of thoughts that he had found comfort in during the wait.

“Getting comfortable Mr. Kennedy?” 

His eyes snap to the closing door to the sudden appearance in the doorway.

You.

Lively eyes glitter in amusement as you watch him shed his gear, presence lighting up the room almost immediately, melting away some of the tiredness that dared to try and consume him whole.

“Or should I say, Special Agent Kennedy?”

Lips pull into a displeased frown. That title again, even in that sugar sweet tone you always seemed to use with him it rubbed him the wrong way. He hated how it sounded in general, but coming from you seemed to make it sting. 

“Just Leon’s fine.” 

 “I know.” Your eyes slip to the paperwork attached to the clipboard in your hands, and a small smile appears on your face. “You’ve told me that before.”

“Consider it a reminder.” His words are growing more  playful than pointed now.

“Just being professional.”

The slight frown fades from his lips as he takes in the curve of your smile, the sparkle in your eyes as you tease him. Warm, familiar. It helped to put him at ease far too often in the bland white hellscape of the hospital he had found himself in far too many times over the past few years. After every too-intense training session or grueling mission, you were there with caring hands and a day-brightening smile that he couldn’t help but pretend belonged solely to him. 

And suddenly he was reminded how that look was the last thing he pictured in that chamber as Ashley was forced against her will to turn his own gun on himself, and again when he nearly succumbed to the will of the parasite. Each and every single time he danced too close to death in the cold hell he had found himself in during his time in Spain, his thoughts flickered back to you and how much he wanted to make his way back home and into your care despite everything. 

And now that he was here, everything didn’t seem quite so bad. 

“You know the drill, ‘cmon.” Your words cut through the quiet, patting the paper-covered padding of the examination table. “Up on the table.”

“You’re the boss.”

Leon nods, stiff shoulders pulling into a shrug as he backs up to the table. He offers you a fleeting half-smile before hoisting himself up and settling on the cold, uncomfortable surface with a dramatic sigh. The padding did nothing but irritate the sore ache already plaguing the base of his spine and he hunches slightly.

“Gonna be honest, Leon.” You take a moment to note his condition, leaning against the counter with furrowed brows. He shifts slightly under your warm gaze, suddenly too conscious of the way you seemed to be looking over him. 

“You look like shit.”

“Ouch.” He chuckled, head shaking ever so slightly as his body released the tension that had built up during the silence. “Is that a professional opinion?”

“Just a friendly observation.” 

“I’d hate to be your enemy.” 

Your brow arches, turning away to flop the clipboard down onto the counter with a clatter as you’re suddenly more interested in the aforementioned patient paperwork again. 

A pitiful attempt to hide the amusement dancing behind your eyes. He takes notice, lips curling upwards as he shifts, elbows resting on his knees to lean forward as a small surge of pride swells in his chest at the way your head shakes as you try and hide your reaction.

His triumph is short-lived however, as you compose yourself and take one last glance at the provided information. As you turn towards him, Leon straightens back up and watches as your hands absentmindedly move to the stethoscope draped around your neck. Fingers curling around the tubing as you take a few steps closer, attempting to look as serious as possible. 

“So, what exactly happened this time?” you question, pulling the stethoscope from around your neck. 

“Caught a nasty bug while we were in Spain, everything went to shit from there.” Leon offers a small shrug and a half smile as he speaks, certain that your documentation had everything he could tell you about the plaga already. 

This earns him an exasperated groan, and a playful thump on the shoulder. Nothing too serious, just a small jolt to his already throbbing deltoid, yet Leon clutches the spot with a dramatic whine. “Pretty sure there’s rules against abusing patients.” 

You brush off his complaints with another shake of your head. “I know about the parasite, it’s everything else I’m curious about. You’ve never been this beat up before.” 

“Hostile locals.” his words trailed off, unable to give you the whole story despite so desperately wanting to. “And others.”

“Right,” You nod, and he’s grateful that you don’t pry. “Keep your secrets, mystery man. Just let me do my job.”

“Not stopping you.” A hand raises in mock surrender as brows raise defensively.

“Good.” You clip the metal Y to your neck in one smooth motion, drawing his attention to the way it slopes into your shoulders for a moment before catching himself. 

“It’s been five minutes and I haven’t even gotten vitals because you keep distracting me.”

The drum of the stethoscope slips into the front pocket of your dark blue scrubs as you close the distance between the two of you. A gentle hand closes around the wrist of his raised arm, guiding it down as you lean past him to reach for the blood pressure cuff attached to the wall behind him. 

It wasn’t as if this was the first time you had been this close, he had gotten used to it over the years. Used to the fresh linen scent of your clothes, the warm vanilla scent of your skin and the warmth of your fingers; Leon had trained himself not to react to any of them and yet here he was, forgetting all of that as your scent filled his senses and your touch melts away any of the remaining aches.

His breath catches heavy in his throat, mind blanking completely as you work. Entranced by your practiced movements, he’s acutely aware of the way his heart hammers against his rib cage and his sudden silence. 

“That’s odd.” you murmur after a few moments. “Everything is reading normal besides your heart rate. Has it been like that for long? Could be a side effect of the parasite.” 

You’re mostly talking to yourself at this point, blissfully unaware of the effect you had on him. 

The simple act of a gentle, caring touch after one of the most taxing missions of his career sending him spiraling back to that bumbling rookie from so many years ago. Unable to form a complete, coherent sentence he simply shrugged, met with a sharp bob of your head as you turn to walk back to the counter in order to jot down your findings in his records.

The moment your fingertips left his skin, Leon could feel the cold ache creeping slowly back in as your warmth fades from his form.

Impulse kicks in this time and he moves to snag your wrist in his hand, unwilling to part with the comfort your touch brought with it. 

Wanting just a little more.

You let out a curious hum, as he pulls you back to his side, closer than you had been only moments ago. Heart thrumming in his throat, he hesitates for a moment before tugging you to meet him at eye level before leaning forward ever so slightly to close the distance between the two of you. 

Lips meet; soft, sweet and warm. He doesn’t linger more than necessary despite so desperately wanting to, just long enough to convey all the thoughts he can’t seem to form into words. 

Hoping that you understand the feelings behind the motion.

The first thing he notices when he pulls away is the pretty flush in your cheeks, the next being how tightly he’s gripping your wrist.

“Sorry.” It’s the first thing he’s able to vocalize in the aftermath of his impulsive behavior. Reluctantly, Leon releases the grip he has on you, averting his gaze ever so slightly.

“Don’t be.” 

His eyes move to meet yours, flickering to the smirk curling on your lips as you take a small step backwards. 

“Just let me finish my job, and we can talk about this later.”

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