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It was all Krauser's fault, really. If he hadn't been such a jealous bastard, and hadn't been so intent on ruining Leon's life, then none of this would have happened. Not that they were complaining about the outcome, of course. You could argue that it was actually one of the best things that had ever happened to them.
She was beautiful, with soft, brown hair just like her daddy. She giggled and burbled whenever they held her, reaching up to tug on Toby's nose. She was a miracle.
Dr. Jarvis, or Xander, as he'd introduced himself, had created her from the DNA samples he'd taken from them on their honeymoon. The doctor had meant her to be a nuisance, a virus-laden monstrosity that would wreck their lives and their reputations, but she was far from that. One of the only mutations that really stuck was heterochromia. She had one brown eye from Toby and one blue one from Leon. There were some discolored patches on her skin as well- mild vitiligo, as Dr. Chambers had put it. Rebecca was fascinated by the girl, a full human made from the DNA of two men and birthed through a process not unlike that of the C-Virus clones.
Xander had gone into explicit detail while documenting their child's birth, proving to them that it was their flesh and blood. He had intended for the DSO to fire the new parents for supposed negligence, but instead, little Carmilla Cardoso won over the hearts of the whole agency. It was mostly because of Sherry, who gushed over her new goddaughter. She traded off babysitting duty with Claire, either helping Toby around the house or making up for Leon's absence.
The DSO was slightly more gracious with their assignments, mostly keeping Leon on domestic cases. They still required him to go out in the field, though, and that terrified him. It was bad enough that he had to leave Toby behind, but Toby and his infant daughter? For the first few missions, he'd been an anxious wreck. It felt like everything that could possibly go wrong had done so, leaving him fretting about getting home to his family in one piece.
It was worth it, though, as she grew older and they began to settle into their new routine. Toby was a wonderful father, and a wonderful husband. He kept all three of them together like glue, caring for Carmilla when her other dad was gone, or caring for Leon when he came home battered and worn. It was a group effort, of course. That was what made them a family. What a joy it was for Leon to come home from a long, scary mission and fall asleep on the couch with his head in his husband's lap and his daughter on his chest. Carmilla was always overjoyed to see him, yelling out "baba!" and waving her arms until he scooped her up and snuggled with her.
He loved her more than life itself.
She kept growing, almost too quickly, turning into a sweet, soft spoken toddler. She still clung to her fathers, crying for them if they were separated for too long. It was hell on Leon, knowing he was away from her so often. Toby had broken down and told him one night, detailing how she cried and begged for her baba to come home whenever he was away. She didn't understand, she was still too young. It made him begin to hate himself again, in a way that he hadn't in at least a few years. He was failing his family- what sort of man let himself be distanced from the only things that really mattered in life? They deserved better.
It must've shown, because when he came home, unshaven and gaunt, he was greeted with Toby, alone.
"Hey," he said, "Milla's asleep. C'mon." Holding out his hand, he pulled Leon through the kitchen, taking his gun belt and keys. It seemed as if he wasn't surprised by how unresponsive Leon was. "Hands, sugar." He was gentle as he eased shaking fingers out of leather gloves and set them aside as well.
Every move was slow, predictable. It gave the fried nerves and adrenaline scorched reflexes inside Leon's head a chance to rest. His composure faltered when Toby gently massaged the marks on his wrists from the gloves.
"Toby." He whispered. "I love you." Tears streamed down his face unbidden, and there suddenly wasn't enough oxygen in his lungs. He was drowning in every emotion he'd suppressed while deployed, and they all hurt.
"I love you too. It's alright, honey. You're okay." Toby helped him out of his jacket before pulling him for a hug. He was warm, and smelled like fresh laundry and soap. He used a shampoo that had a pine smell to it and it had become something that Leon associated with his husband. One of his team members had apparently used something similar, and he'd been horribly distracted by it.
Of course, when that man was ripped apart by an enormous, mutated monstrosity, that made it worse. He couldn't keep his brain from making the jump between reality and delusion, Toby's face morphing with the dead agent's. It wouldn't stop.
"I can't do this anymore." He whispered, reaching up to cling onto his husband's shirt. "I'm so tired."
Toby didn't say anything for a moment, his fingers combing through greasy auburn hair. Leon's dye job was fading, his roots blond and vibrant.
"I'd give anything to have you safe, you know that. Will they let you go?"
"I don't know."
"There's no harm in trying." Toby told him. "Let's get you cleaned up, we'll look into it tomorrow, okay? I promise." He used his sleeve to wipe his husband's face. "We'll figure something out. I'll move mountains if I have to."
"I just-" Leon hiccuped. "I can't. It doesn't- there's nothing that feels good about it anymore, it's all just… death. I can't handle it."
"You've done more than your fair share, honey, it's alright. C'mon, I'll shower with you." Toby guided him into the bathroom, helping him shrug out of his clothes. Bruises dotted his skin, mottled purple and blue patches that lit up in pain whenever they were touched. Leon trembled, stubbornly wiping at his eyes. He needed to calm down, else he wind up having a full-blown panic attack. Toby helped him into the shower after removing his prosthetic arm. The electrodes didn't work well in water, but he'd learned to be proficient enough without it.
"Can I see her?" Leon whispered, his voice barely audible above the spray of the water.
"Yeah. She didn't take her nap today, so she's pretty tired."
"Hm." He forced out a smile. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, sugar." Toby kissed the side of his husband's head, rubbing his back in slow, even circles. "I'm glad you're home. Let's get you clean, then we can cuddle up in bed, yeah? I missed getting to hold you."
Leon was about to reply when a shrill cry of "Daddy!" interrupted him. Toby gave him a quick kiss on the nose before stepping out of the shower and putting on his bathrobe.
"I'm coming, baby girl." He called. Leon watched him, tiredly running a hand through his hair. He continued to wash himself after a minute, determined to spend time with his two greatest loves. More than likely, Carmilla had woken up from a nightmare and was desperate for some coddling. Toby was amazing at chasing away bad dreams, Leon knew that first hand. He looked down at the bottles of shampoo arranged in the corner of the tub. Feeling indulgent, he picked up Toby's pine soap, dumping some into his palm before scrubbing it through his hair. If he could spend the rest of his life coated in that smell- in Toby's smell- he'd be happy.
Leon sighed, tipping his head back and letting the spray beat against his scalp. He rinsed the shampoo out before quickly soaping up the rest of his body and washing away dirt and sweat. The sooner he got clean, the sooner he could crawl into bed and sleep. That thought motivated him to finish up. He wrapped the towel around his waist, taking his laundry down the hall and tossing it into the washing machine. It could wait till morning. After putting on clean boxers and one of Toby's t-shirts, he headed back down the hall towards Carmilla's room.
She was crying softly, clinging to her daddy and hiding her face in his shoulder. Toby was rocking her back and forth in his arms, cooing to her and kissing the top of her head.
"See?" He said. "Baba's here. It's alright."
"Hey, baby." Leon brushed her hair out of her face before kissing her forehead. "Did you have a bad dream?"
"Mhm!" Carmilla sniffled, holding out her hands. Toby helped her move into Leon's arms, and she settled down after a long few moments. Quiet whimpers filled the air, broken by soft hushing from the two men. Their doting was neigh involuntary, spurred on by their need to comfort their baby girl.
Leon held Carmilla tightly, rocking her back and forth. She didn't know it, but their embrace was just as calming for him as it was for her. He stroked her hair, feeling the stress seep out of him as tiny hands clung to his clothes.
"It's okay, baby, I've got you." He whispered. "Do you want to come sleep with us?"
Carmilla nodded, still sniffling and hiding her tears in his chest. Leon scooped her up, carrying her to the master bedroom. A gentle touch to his lower back informed him that Toby was right behind him.
"I'll check the house, okay?"
"Okay." Leon set Carmilla down on the bed, taking a minute to find one of her blankies while his husband locked the doors and turned off the lights. "Here you go."
"Baba?" Carmilla took the offered blankie, waiting until Leon settled into the comforter before she crawled back into his arms. He gave a hum of acknowledgement, exhausted by the act of lying down and finally relaxing.
"I don't like it when you go." Carmilla snuggled up to him, tugging on his shirt. "Daddy says you go on long trips to fight bad guys, and I get scared."
"I know, baby." Leon kissed her cheek. "I'd stay home with you all day if I could."
"Daddy said he gets scared too."
Leon blinked, staring up at the ceiling.
"I know." He said after a moment. "I miss you both every day that I'm gone. You and Daddy are my world, baby."
Carmilla seemed to mull the words over, nuzzling against Leon's chest. She didn't look up when Toby came into the room. He shut off the light and put away his prosthetics before crawling into bed with them and joining the impromptu cuddle pile. His fingers were gentle where they snuck beneath Leon's shirt and rubbed at his waist, giving him a sneaky bit of extra intimacy. When that wasn't enough, he leaned in for a long kiss.
"Daddy, will you tell me a story?" Carmilla interrupted them.
"I told you one earlier." Toby said.
"Another one? Pleeease?"
"Alright, but you and Baba both need to sleep, okay?" Toby relented, unable to resist wide, pleading eyes. He cleared his throat before settling down amidst the pillows and blankets. Carmilla shifted in Leon's arms, making sure she was securely snuggled between her dads.
"Once upon a time, there was a prince who traveled far and wide in order to protect his kingdom." Toby began, reaching out to stroke Carmilla's hair and soothe her even further. "He worked hard, doing his best to care for his people. Sometimes, his journeys were scary, and monsters tried to stop him from making it home. The prince fought hard, even when the monsters closed in on him. See, he had a secret weapon. At home, safe in his castle, his daughter was growing up to be just as strong and brave as he was. Every day, the prince prayed for protection for his little girl, and every day, his love for her grew. That love was better than any sword or shield, and it kept the prince safe through many fights."
Toby glanced up, smiling when he saw that Leon was looking at him, his eyes soft with emotion and obviously near tears. Leaning in, he nudged his nose against his husband's, pressing their foreheads together.
"The prince had a husband, too. Even though they were often away from each other for weeks at a time, the husband loved the prince more than anything in the world."
"She's asleep." Leon whispered, rubbing Toby's cheek with his thumb. "You can stop flattering me now."
"Never." Toby's smile widened before he stole a quick kiss. "Get some sleep, sugar. I'm glad you're home."
"Me too." Leon closed his eyes, already looking forward to the morning's promised domesticity. He was sure that if his husband continued to spoil him, he could come up with a fantasy just as cliché as the fairytale he'd just heard. "Hey, Toby?"
"Mhm?"
"Tomorrow, I want to tell the bedtime story."