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Knowing that he could be called in at any time and sent to die in a foreign land away from everything he’s ever known and loved made tender moments with his beloved worth more than all the riches in the world combined. They’d met face to face with the wicked nightmares humanity was capable of manufacturing, the likes of which haunted them day in and day out like buoys drifting just beyond the shore of respite, reminding them that if they went too far, they might never come back.
Peaceful days off were far and few between, but they were more than welcome. With Leon on temporary leave after a particularly tedious mission and Luis waiting on the results of a recent project, the two were left to their own devices. Lounging around on their sofa while still in their pyjamas was a tradition for them, even while they waited on Ashley’s arrival for a week of quality time as a group again. It was nice. It was domestic. It was something neither had ever considered a possibility for their futures.
Luis smiled as he kissed the corner of his lover’s mouth, laughing softly at some stupid comment Leon had made. When they’d ended up with Luis laying on top of Leon, they didn’t know, but they hadn’t stopped being affectionate with each other since.
“You’re beautiful,” Leon turned his head and whispered against Luis’s lips.
“Go back to making dumb jokes,” Luis pecked him again.
“Can I not be funny and romantic?”
“No,” Luis grinned as he eyed the man beneath him. “You're the funny one. I’m the romantic one.”
“So you do think I’m funny.”
Luis stifled a laugh by resting his face against Leon’s chest, feeling stupidly giddy over what should’ve been a mundane interaction. Then again, neither had been afforded the boredom of mundanity in years, so was it really that stupid of him to feel so euphoric over being with the man he didn’t think he’d live long enough to love this deeply?
“I think you’re hilarious ,” Luis rolled his eyes, turning his head to press his ear to Leon’s chest. He listened to his heartbeat, relieved that it was still strong and healthy. It was reassuring.
“Look at me,” Leon muttered.
Luis raised his head and was pleasantly surprised with a sudden kiss. It was short and sweet, but he took it as a challenge. He stole one from Leon just as Leon had stolen one from him. Leon smirked before smothering Luis’s face with several more kisses— one on his nose, another on his cheek, on his forehead, his other cheek, so on and so forth— until the man was pushing him away. Leon smiled as though he’d won a prize.
“Nevermind. You’re not funny or romantic,” Luis stuck his tongue out in a childish gesture. “You're a pain in the ass.”
“You’d know better than anyone,” the blonde winked at him.
Luis nearly burst into a cackle, but he was interrupted by the shock of being flipped onto his back so that now he was the one pinned against the couch with Leon on top of him. Wide-eyed and starstruck, Luis melted right into the next kiss Leon welcomed him into, shutting his eyes as he took it all in. It felt great to be held by his waist while he was pressed between the sofa and his boyfriend. He matched Leon’s pace, smiling through their little session, completely in disbelief that this was his life now.
The kissing didn’t lead to anything more, but it’s not like either man was aggrieved by this fact. Kissing alone was more than enough. Not every touch had to lead to them sweaty and spent from vigorous activity. Sometimes all they needed was the languid, unrushed pleasure of kissing to feel at peace with each other. It was slow. Steady. Agreeable. It went against the fast-paced and chaotic nature of their lives. Spending time together doing something as simple and tender as kissing for the sake of kissing and not as a means to get something more from each other was heaven on Earth to them.
They would’ve continued their moment had there not been a knock at their door.
“She’s early,” Luis pulled away, biting his lip.
Leon frowned at their front door.
“ Too early,” he mumbled.
Another knock was followed by someone shouting the couple’s names from the other side.
“Are you going to get that?” Luis smirked.
“I could leave her out there until five.”
“God help you if you leave Ashley locked out of our apartment for three hours just because you want more kisses.”
Leon chuckled lightly, climbing off of Luis to get the front door. Luis sat up and watched him go, ghosting his fingertips over his lips, unable to suppress the joy that came with knowing he could kiss Leon any time he wanted. Just like that. And they’d both enjoy it. His cheeky grin only widened when Ashley came barrelling into view, her arms wide open for a hug. She’d completely ignored Leon to make a run for Luis, which might’ve offended the agent if he didn’t know he would’ve done the exact same thing if he were her.
Indeed— knowing that at any second this could be ripped away from them made these moments sweeter than ambrosia and much more precious than gold.