Chapter Text
"You’re kidding me."
You might as well cross off "third speeding violation" on your bucket list.
Not only that, but it was the same police officer who stopped you. It’s not like you mind, though. It was shallow to say, but his looks made up for his attitude.
He started knocking on your window and gestured with his finger to tell you to lower it. "Mr. Kennedy," you said with a smile, "it’s nice to see you again."
The police officer stared at you; he lowered his face with a deadpan expression. "How many reminders do you need for it to get into that thick skull of yours?" He pointed his thumb behind him. "Get out."
You froze. "Hold on! I didn’t even go that fast, like last time! You have to understand..."
It was obvious he didn’t care. He stood with his arms crossed and waited for you to either make a move or say another word.
"Mr. Kennedy… I can’t be late for work this time," you sighed as you got out of your car.
He took his handcuffs out, and the coldness of the metal made you jump. He relayed a message into his walkie-talkie before leading you to the cop car. "Have you ever thought about getting ready early? You don’t seem to have any sense of urgency when it comes to time."
You scoffed, "As if you know anything."
"The scattered makeup on your passenger chair tells me everything."
He pushed your head into the back of the car as you got in. You wondered how you were going to get to work while attending your little brother’s teacher-parent meeting now. You slammed your head against the front seat of the car and groaned. How could you get out of this situation now?
"How old are you again?" The officer asked while driving.
"25," you mumbled.
"25, and you’re driving like this. Unbelievable."
"How old are you to be talking like this?" you laughed.
"27."
"And single?" That was definitely on impulse.
The cop turned his head around and emitted a long sigh. "I don’t think you understand the gravity of this situation."
"No, Mr. Kennedy! I do." You shifted your body so your face could be more visible to him. It was difficult when your hands were stuck behind your back.
"Please don’t put this on my record, Mr. Kennedy. I’ll do anything."
He glanced at you. "…Anything? Don’t act so absurd. You’ll be okay if you follow what I say."
"No, I’m serious!" You pushed yourself further so you could be in his peripheral vision. "You don’t know how desperate I am. You can’t find someone like me who can say something like this."
"Even if I did accept your offer, I’m a cop." I have the honor to uphold, and your idea of "special treatment" is most likely not worth the risk."
Despite the plastic screen separating you two, you tried to make yourself more visible. You couldn’t tell the impression he had on you when his long, blonde bangs were covering his face.
"Okay, hypothetically, though, would you?"
He laughed in disbelief. "Are you serious?" He moved his mirror to get a better glimpse of you. As much as you challenged him, the only thing keeping him from declining your offer was his uniform. He didn’t deny it; a pretty face like yours was quite persuasive.
He paused and then decided to pull over in an empty parking lot.
"Are you considering my offer?" You asked with a bit of excitement. You might just make it in time for work this week.
"This is purely hypothetical, right?" He asked. His whole body was turning towards you now, the clear screen preventing him from landing any moves on you.
"It doesn’t have to. I can make it happen right here."
He scoffed—that was pretty rich coming from you. "Alright, let me make this clear. You will provide any treatment in exchange for...?"
"In exchange for my third traffic offense not being on my record," you said as a matter of fact.
He thought for a while, then asked, "What special skills do you have? Talents?"
"All of them, at the moment. Which one do you want me to have, Mr. —?"
"Leon. It’s Leon."
Leon knew the consequences if he got caught, but he also knew how he never really followed the laws himself. He sat back in his seat, hesitating whenever a second of pleasure was worth this job. It's not like he had anything to lose; he knew his boss couldn't imagine a serious assignment without him.
After all, this cop job was just so he and his boss could compromise on his so-called "leave" from the D.S.O. Plus, he was still hungover from last night, so he could care less about trying to arrest people.
He was starting to struggle with his impulses. To him, this opportunity is too good to pass up, and considering how desperate you were, both parties would benefit from it anyway.
He walked out of the car so he could get in the back with you and closed the door behind him. His sudden approach made you back into the corner of the car. He inched his face towards yours, and you could feel the slight breathing from him that brushed the skin of your neck. Leon's physical charge at you set off a moment of instant intimacy.
"Alright then." His voice came out hushed and steady. "Hypothetically… Do you think you can keep up with me?"
Your eyes shot open. "W-what?" You started to feel threatened by the way he was shadowing you, especially because your hands were restricted.
"I-I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand what you’re saying." But you did. Since when were cops so driven by their desires?
"Do you have any plans tonight?" His voice was weirdly seductive; perhaps it was the tension between you two that made your heart beat a little faster.
"Tonight…?" You looked outside, trying to guess the time. "Tonight may not be possible. But..." You looked back into Leon’s eyes; they were darting straight at you, and you couldn't help but turn away. "I’m free right now." Leon's presence refused to let your muscles relax as he started to get comfortable fitting himself into the empty spaces around your body.
A nervous grin grew on your face as the thought of committing something as reckless as this with a cop brought something out of you. At this point, you couldn’t care about your work; they were bound to ignore your absence anyway. It invoked a sense of fear and danger you were lacking in your current life, which thrilled you even more.
Leon could tell you were down for whatever would happen next. The unexpected commission made the excitement in your eyes widen and intensify.
"You’re not that good of a cop, are you?"
He laughed. "Who said all cops have a moral standard?"
"Alright, then hypothetically, what happens if we get caught?"
Leon moved back and leaned against the side of the car. "We moved past this "hypothetical" thing a while ago," he sighed. "Are you not ready to commit to your offer?"
You shook your head profusely. "No, I am. I’m just worried about what will happen to you."
He tilted his head, the type that picks and teases at you. "I’m still a good cop with good intentions. Do you think I’m not tempted by the way you’re looking at me right now?"
"So what’s it going to be?" He once again towered over you, his face close enough to feel his breath hitch as he began to close the distance between you two. His hand grazed the curve of your neck up until the tip of your chin. He lifted your head so you could get a better view of the eagerness on his face that grew when you suddenly felt daring. "Are we going to sit around all day and not have fun, or are you going to give me that "special treatment" I’ve been craving for this whole ride?"
———
You walked out of your brother’s school, holding his hand and his backpack. It was nearing the end of the day, and the sun was starting to set.
"Hey, Big Sis?"
"Yeah, Ani?" You kneeled in, so your brother’s neck didn’t keep straining itself. He was still eight, so you were commonly mistaken for his mother. It's not really your fault that he was an accident.
He pointed at your chest. "Did you really get bit by a mosquito? You have a lot of marks here."
You immediately pressed your hand on your chest to cover any evidence of a barter. "And here too."
You also covered the side of your neck.
"Did you really go to the park without me?" Ani’s tone was deeply stricken by sadness, and his big eyes began to water. You forgot to mention how sensitive your brother was.
When you arrived at the parent-teacher conference, your brother was happy to see you. Though he was suspicious of what you were doing while he was at school. "Sorry," you apologized to his equally suspicious teacher. "Y'know, parks these days… must be a meeting spot for mosquitoes."
"I’m sorry, Ani," you said as you took him into your arms. "Your big sister had to take Mimi out for a walk." You mumbled as you felt bad for lying like this.
"But I thought Mimi hated walks! She’s a cat!" He began to wail and turned the heads of the mothers coming out of the school in your direction. "H-Hold on, Ani! Sometimes, Mimi—"
"And your hair is messy, and your clothes are messy, and your face is messy!"
You were taken aback by the things your brother pointed out. You were slightly offended, but your appearance was indeed off-putting. You even told Leon to mind the way you looked just in case it took longer than you'd hoped for, which it did, and he still ignored your wish. After your session with Leon, you attempted to recreate your makeup look as if nothing illegal had just transpired a few moments ago, but the smudged lipstick that stained the side of your lip left its mark from how rough Leon was with you.
You sighed long and said, "I’m sorry, Ani. Your sister is a bad person, but I promise to bring you to the park this week." You showed him your pinky as he began to calm down. He wiped his tears with his wrists and forearms and sniffed the snot back up. He held his pinky up and intertwined it with yours. It is truly your fault that your brother acts the way he does that it starts to make him feel spoiled.
"Y/N," a man’s voice called out.
You turned your head; a familiar figure was standing behind you. "I didn’t expect to see you here."
You stood up and brushed the dust that had caught onto your jeans. "Me too," you said, a little quiet. "Are you here to pick up your sister?"
He nodded. "Yep. She's in daycare right now."
The silence between you two was deafening. None of you knew what to say next, especially when you labeled each other your "ex".
"Well. It was nice seeing you. Maybe next—"
"Y/N?"
You both shifted your heads in the direction of where the voice came from.
"Leon?"
He walked over, holding something that looked to be yours. "I was assuming you’d be here. I guess I was right."
"Yeah, maybe because it’s the only elementary school in the area."
Leon shot a dirty look at your ex. "Sorry, I don’t come here often. I’m busy traveling outside of the country."
Your ex rolled his eyes. "What, is this your new boyfriend?"
You were surprised by how pushy your ex was, but then you remembered why you left him in the first place. Leon showed himself with a basic white tee and loose jeans with a light wash. He must have finished his shift. Even if it was his uniform, your ex would've still treated him the same way.
"You’re my sister‘s new boyfriend?"
All three of you looked down. Leon grinned as if he were scheming to start something. "Are you her little brother?" He asked, pointing at you. Your little brother nodded eagerly.
"Alright," he said, crouched down in front of your brother, though he was still a bit taller than him. "Do you think your sister and I look good together?" Your brother thought for a moment, placing his finger on top of his lip to insinuate he was thinking. He nodded, and Leon smiled in return.
"I think you’re cool-looking." Leon laughed. "I must be better than her last boyfriend, huh?"
"Yeah, good luck with that," her ex mumbled under his breath, though Leon could hear from a distance.
You pulled Leon up by the back of his shirt’s neck and took the jacket that was in his hand. "What do you think you’re doing?" You whispered as you pulled him to the side. The situation was already awkward as it was, and it was obvious that Leon started it to amuse himself.
He lowered his head, so you could hear him. "That’s your ex, right? You seem reluctant to prove that you’ve moved on."
A puzzled look came across your face. "I don’t need you to advocate for me, Leon. And I don’t need you to be near me anymore."
Leon crossed his arms and sighed, "What? Embarrassed by what happened a while ago? Don’t expect me to leave you alone when you can’t figure out how to drive properly."
You gave a half-hearted chuckle. "You’re lucky my brother is here."
"Yeah, and too bad you’re still dickriding your ex."
You stood there with your mouth hanging open as Leon walked away. You couldn’t believe how unapologetic Leon acted; his little jabs at you still cut deep. You decided to act like you didn’t just get insulted, and you turned to see that only your brother was there. "Ani? Where did he go?"
Your brother shrugged and pointed at the school. "He said to tell you he’s happy for you, though."
You rolled your eyes and took your brother’s hand again. "Let’s forget this ever happened, okay?"
———
A few weeks passed after that incident. Meditation wasn’t enough for you to think more optimistically, and it only made you feel regret for your reckless actions.
It was a school night, and you needed to get your brother into bed as soon as possible. The days that have passed were filled with guilt that won’t leave your conscience alone, and you found sleeping to be for the best. At this point, you had to be considered in a coma based on the concerning amount of time you stayed in bed with your eyes closed. The other hours were either spent taking care of your brother or going to work at your grandparents’ pottery shop. You were lucky that your parents would keep you and your brother afloat, but you decided to move in with your grandparents in case everything went south.
This specific week, the small cottage your grandparents’ owned was all for you and your brother. They were invited to a missionary trip your local church has been raving about, though you could care less as you didn’t know who you were spiritually anyway.
You cooked a homemade bowl of macaroni (though all you did was boil the pasta and pour the cheese packet on it) and changed your brother into his pajamas. You read that one bedtime story your brother demanded and immediately tucked him into bed, despite how whiny he was for a warm cup of milk.
"I hate you! I hate you!" He kept crying, and you ignored him completely after leaving his bedroom door ajar.
You passed out cold on your grandmother’s bed, and your subconscious could hear your brother still wailing. "Shut... the fuck... up," your mouth said with its last source of life. Good thing you were a deep sleeper.
"Ooh, 10 p.m. call? Finally, something different." Leon turned on the engine of his car and found himself driving into an old neighborhood. In the dark, each house looked as if it could star in a classic horror movie until he pulled up to your grandparents’ house.
"Thank goodness it’s this house," he sighed as he walked to the cottage with a sense of urgency. Your grandparents also noted the unusual nature of the neighborhood they lived in and made the biggest effort to make their entrance a little more welcoming for younger generations, especially since they were still a little more active than the majority of the people living in the area.
Leon surveyed the house before knocking on the front door, though it only took one tap for it to slowly creak open. "Never mind," he mumbled under his breath. It wasn’t as bad as the things he’d seen before being forced into a cop position once again. At least this time there were no brain-hungry cannibals, though the department made the effort to give Leon the least important assignments.
A high-pitched alarm continued to ring throughout the house as he snuck in before stabbing his foot against a chair. He swallowed the pain back in, too scared to make any noise in case there was a criminal inside.
The house was completely shredded to pieces. Chairs were knocked over, vases lay on the floor in pieces, but there was still no sign of an intruder.
It was unusual for most of the damaged things to be as high as knee-length. Maybe it was an animal?
Through the loud ringing of the alarms, Leon made out a low cry, one that came from a room in the hallway.
In a swift motion, Leon pushed himself through the door and shone his light onto a figure sitting in the corner with its back facing him. Leon swore he recognized the back of the person’s head.
"Hello?" He said it in a loud voice to overpower the alarm. "Are you okay?"
The figure turned its head around before seeking refuge by running and grabbing onto Leon’s legs.
It was your little brother.
"I’m sorry!" He kept crying; the snot from his nose was sticking into his pants and stretching itself when the boy lifted his head to see Leon’s face. "My sister is stupid!" Leon managed to decipher the type of cry that made your brother breathe a few times before choking out a word.
Leon’s mouth began to form a smile. He found this situation even more amusing.
"Yeah, hold on." Leon placed his flashlight on the side of his neck and flexed it to the side so both of his hands were free. He picked up your brother and moved him around in the air to see if anything harmful approached him. It was as if your brother was an object; his head was pointing down. "You’re Y/N’s little brother, right?"
Ani gasped. "You’re my sister’s boyfriend! You came to save me," he sobbed while extending his arms to reach Leon.
"Do you know where your sister is? Did you see any bad guys?"
"No."
"No? For both?"
Your brother nodded. "I tried to run away from home." Your brother’s crying made it hard for Leon to even comprehend.
"I'm not sure what's causing you so much trouble, but your sister would be very worried if you left."
Your brother shook his head. "I hate this house! I want to leave!"
His little arms grabbed onto Leon’s cheeks. It started to make sense. The mess, the chair near the door, and the lack of communication through the phone were all, unsurprisingly, caused by the hands of your brother.
"Do you know the code to stop the alarm?" Leon asked as he yelled into the boy’s ear. To be frank, Leon didn’t know how to solve issues like this. He lied when they asked if he still remembered his rookie training. Walking into a house alone without backup was probably the wrong move, too.
The boy shook his head again. "I know my sister left the code on the inside of the alarm for Grandma and Grandpa." Your brother eventually calmed down as Leon kept reassuring him that all would be okay. The child led Leon to the alarm and had him punch in the code "1956".
The alarm shut off, and he immediately wrapped his arms around Leon. The whole place looked as if it had been ransacked, yet it was made by the hands of one child. Leon sighed, "I’ll have to get going soon, kid." He rubbed the boy’s head and got up. "What’s your name?"
Your brother realized the outcome of this situation; he grabbed Leon’s leg and tried to pull it toward him. "My name is Ani," he grunted as he kept lunging back in an attempt to keep Leon there. Leon grabbed Ani’s neck collar from the back as if he were a grocery bag and laughed, "You like me, don’t you?"
Ani started to flail in the air. "Of course! You’re way cooler than my sister’s last boyfriend. You’re a policeman who saved my life."
Leon thought for a moment. What were the chances of him being assigned another call? It’s not like they kept him busy.
Leon placed Ani on his side, placing him on his arm to carry him. "Alright then, little buddy, how about we watch a movie?"
——
You woke to the sound of gunshots in your house. You scrambled for your glasses, as your eyesight was exceptionally bad. They were the few things your parents left you with.
"Ani?" You called out as you hurried out of the room.
"Shhh," Ani replied with his finger on his mouth. Confused was not enough to describe the emotions you were feeling at the moment.
On the television, there was an action movie, some sort of film directed with only the intention of using explosives and guns, a few bottles of beer on the table, and—
"Leon?! Again?"
You approached Leon, who was lying down with his eyes closed, blackout drunk, with your little brother, who was sitting on top of the lower part of Leon’s body.
Your face was filled with disgust. Not only was this a local cop, but he passed out on your couch while on duty. Though you stood there still trying to figure out what happened for him to even be here.
"Ani, go to bed," you demanded in a hushed tone.
"But—"
"Now."
Your brother was surprisingly compliant and moved back to his room without another whine. Maybe it was your reaction to seeing Leon there that scared him the most.
As your brother closed the door after him, your arms reached for the pillow under Leon’s head, and you violently began to slam it on his face.
"Wake up! What do you think you’re doing in my house?" You yelled as Leon awoke, desperately using his arms to defend himself from your attacks. "Y/N, I can explain," his words tried to reason out, but you kept throwing blow after blow to his face.
He took hold of your pillow with his empty hand that didn’t occupy a beer and stole it from your hands. "Look around before you start beating me." His voice was still groggy from the sudden wake-up call, and he took a swig from his beer before saying, "Your brother activated your security system while you were asleep. They sent me here because no one picked up the phone."
It was difficult to look around when everything was dim, though it felt right to feel guilty. It was hard to keep your brother contained, and it always left you to pick up after him and his shenanigans.
"Okay, but that doesn’t explain the beer." You said, ignoring your subconscious.
Leon looked at the table that had collected a few bottles before attempting to down the one in his hand. "You stress me out," he said plainly. "Consider this as a payment for keeping your brother busy while you were sleeping."
You took the bottle from his hand and shoved your finger into his forehead. "You think you can just walk into my house and take all the beer from the cabinet? Who do you think you are?"
Leon let out a light chuckle and removed your hand from his face. "The police."
"Bullshit."
"Does this uniform look like bullshit to you?"
You walked away and fetched a paper bag to dispose of the evidence. No one in the house drank beer like your grandfather. He would save money from the pottery shop to invest in the best beer the neighboring shop could provide. The area had shops that were all family-owned.
"Where’d you get this brand? It’s really good." Leon blinked a few times to adjust his vision and stared at the label "Bianchi".
"It’s my grandfather’s friend’s liquor brand. It’s family-owned. It was only last week that they tried their hands at beer. They’ve always specialized in white wine."
"Mhm, that makes sense."
Your eyes glanced at Leon.
"Bianchi translates to white," he breathed. "I’m Italian."
You nodded and continued to let your hands busy themselves with the junk on the table. You wondered where Leon found the movie playing on the television since you only had DVD and cable; it was quite violent for an audience such as your little brother.
"Must be why you’re so direct," you laughed as you finished up the task at hand. You decided to leave the bag on the table, too tired to decide where to put it.
"Italian stereotypes, huh? Where’d you learn those?" Leon laughed, knowing you’d finally relaxed. He sank into his seat as his eyes wandered to the single wingback chair where you sat. You were holding the beer you took from him and taking a sip.
The movie was loud, yet the silence was even louder, somehow making the air around you much colder. It was also your fault for wearing a tank top and the shortest shorts you could find in your closet; they were too comfortable to not change out of. That one-hour nap you took started to kick in, making you too lazy to yell at Leon to get out.
"Not sure. "I just heard about it." You stared at his holster that was on the coffee table, then back at his face. Is this not a fever dream?
"What else did you hear?" Leon asked, his voice full of curiosity.
"Um…" You raised yourself and placed the beer bottle on the table. "Not much. Just that they’re romantic and always sure of themselves." You looked back at Leon. "It doesn’t sound much like you, though."
"Oh really? Which part?"
You raised your eyebrows and shook your head, laughing. "The romantic part."
You got up, turned off the television, and made your way to the record player placed beside it. "Isn’t this cool?" You turned to Leon as you ran your hands on top of the cold metallic part of the gramophone. "My grandparents found it again in their basement, or maybe it was the attic. I keep forgetting." Your words were starting to become slurred and low-pitched. You retook your steps in place to steady yourself in case of a sudden collapse from your lack of sleep.
"Hey, are you okay?" Leon asked as he approached you, his hands now on your waist to help keep you stable. The sudden touch of his warm fingers chilled the nerves of your skin; it felt nice. Your hands followed the line from his arms to his hands, and you squeezed it to tell him not to let go.
"Yeah, I'm just tired. Are you tired? You’re also wobbly," you pointed out, to which Leon chuckled.
"No, I’m just really drunk."
"Oh." You looked down to where Leon’s hands were occupied and realized how close his face was to yours. Your nose twitched. "Yeah, I can smell it in your breath."
You pulled his hands off you and dropped them to his sides. "How far back does your music taste go?" You traveled through the selection of music your grandparents saved from their youthful moments and pulled out a vinyl that had Dean Martin on the cover. The dust sprinkled off the cover as you pulled out the disc and placed it on the record player.
Your fingers gently took hold of the tonearm and moved it to the last track, remembering how strict your grandma was when she watched you skip to the next track.
"‘O Marenariello." Leon smiled. "Because I’m Italian?"
Is it not suitable for this occasion?"
Leon sighed and offered his hand, his head lowered and his posture bowing as if his presence were inferior to yours. "Then… May I have this dance? Mio angioletto?"
Your eyes widened as you felt your face turn red. You were taken aback; Leon's unexpected question caught you off-guard. You felt a warm sensation creep up your face as you realized how hard you must be blushing right now. His low yet soft voice began to linger within the room's atmosphere as the music in the background added to his flirtatious manner. You were suddenly feeling the effects of this laced air you were breathing in.
"I… don’t dance," you responded as you struggled to look for words and into his eyes.
"C’mon," he said as he took hold of the tips of your fingers, worried you were too afraid to commit. "Don’t be nervous; follow my lead."
You thought for a moment. The lyrics from the song must have been hypnotic as you intertwined your hands with Leon’s without another thought.
"I know I should’ve asked beforehand, but… can I hold you here?"
His hand was hovering over your waist as he held your slender hand close to his heart. Your eyes were fixated on the way Leon stared at you; his eyes were different from last time — less lust and so full of wonder. Perhaps it was the alcohol that changed him and relieved him of his stress, allowing him to appreciate the person that was now in front of him.
You giggled and guided his free hand to the curvature of your waist. You didn’t drink much, but you felt your whole body go into a trance. Your hand grazed the back of his shoulder, while the other received a light kiss from his lips. His warm breath tickled the ends of your fingers as he pulled your hands away in preparation for a dance.
You gave him a surprised yet satisfied look as you felt yourself let go of the tension that had separated you two for the night. Leon grinned. "What do you think? Am I not romantic enough yet?" His low yet soothing voice scratched the inside of your ear, and you felt the ends of your lips lift.
You rolled your eyes and followed Leon’s movements, which made your hips sway to the rhythm of the music. A sly expression carried onto his face as he slipped his fingers between the gap of your shirt and the top of your shorts. He pulled you closer so you could get a taste of his passion for leading you in this dance.
"Don’t look at me like that," you whispered as you buried your face into the space between his neck and shoulder. Now the grogginess was truly taking over.
"Your eyes tell me otherwise." He leaned his head toward your ear so you could hear him properly. Your heart was fluttering like crazy, and it was hard to tell it to calm down. "You enjoy me holding you like this, don’t you?"
You lifted your head to face the music, and you let out a cheeky grin that was fueled by the adrenaline rushing through you.
"I’ll take that reaction as a yes." He spun you in place and gathered you back with both of his hands on your waist, pulling you close enough to be parallel with his body.
Your arms were on the sides of his neck now, both of you even closer than you were before.
"Which part of my romantic act did you enjoy most?" His eyes were staring intently as he felt his desires and interest begin to get the better of him. "The flattery or the cheesiness? Or maybe a mix of both?"
You giggled in the type of airy and feminine tone that made you seem so innocent and pure in Leon’s eyes. "All of it, Leon. You're a natural at this... It must’ve been the alcohol, huh?" You jokingly sighed as if being in this position was a handful for you, and you garnered a good laugh from Leon.
"You know, your brother is probably fast asleep right now." He said this as his hands began to inch lower, and a mischievous grin grew on his face as he was hinting at something he had in mind.
You tilted your head. "So?"
Leon raised both of his eyebrows and looked at you with an exasperated expression. "You’re clueless, aren’t you?"
"Yeah, and half awake."
Leon decided not to push it and instead gathered you into a hug. He stroked the back of your head and played with parts of your hair that caught his attention as he admired how well it suited your face. All of a sudden, Leon felt his brain spin in his head; his body took a rough landing on the couch with you still in his embrace. You couldn't break out of it. You were exhausted, and the drinks that Leon took in had taken a toll on him as well. His faint snoring and the warmth that Leon hugged you with made all things peaceful again, and maybe everything would be okay in the midst of this mess.