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“It is absolutely a Christmas movie.”
“You are full of shit!”
“It happens during Christmas, it’s a Christmas movie.”
“You know it’s one of my favourite films, but it’s not a fucking Christmas movie.”
Claire finished tying her hair, and flicked her ponytail around her shoulders for emphasis as she shook her head.
“It’s got almost nothing to do with Christmas,” she continued. “It just so happens to be set during Christmas, because John needed a reason to actually come home.”
“No,” Leon argued, “Die Hard is a Christmas movie because it’s got the same themes all Christmas movies have.”
“Santa and presents?”
“Family and love,” Leon explained dramatically, shoving Claire playfully with each word. “John has the true spirit of Christmas.”
Claire doubled over with laughter at that, and Leon joined her. Luis observed their antics with a grin; the only reason they were watching the movie was because he’d never seen it, and instead of watching it, the two of them had to start play-arguing about it. It was the same as always.
On the screen, John McClane was trying to inform the police of the dire situation. Luis was having difficulty paying attention to what was being said, but he got the general idea of the scene.
“Luis is supposed to be watching the movie,” Claire said, suddenly remembering he was there too. “Not listening to you be a dumbass.”
“We are literally watching this movie for Christmas,” Leon protested.
“We are not watching this movie at all,” Luis piped in before Claire could. “You two are running your mouths while I am watching this movie.”
Claire giggled and Leon shook his head fondly. He threw an arm around Luis’s shoulder and kissed his cheek; a rare public display of affection that Claire patiently ignored.
“I’m watching it too,” Leon muttered. “Just had to set the record straight.”
“Whatever,” Claire dismissed, “you can be wrong.”
Leon chuckled at that, but thankfully dropped the topic. Luis settled in against Leon’s side, resting his head on Leon’s chest with a sigh. Leon pulled him closer. Claire snatched the blanket from them, but they didn’t mind.
The rest of the film passed in silence from the three of them, which was good, because Luis was absolutely hooked. By the time the credits rolled, Luis blinked feeling like he’d been in another world for a second there. He glanced over at Claire, who was grinning distractedly at the TV; then he looked up at Leon, who had his eyes closed. Luis nudged him and Leon inhaled sharply as he opened his eyes, sitting up slightly.
“I wasn’t asleep,” Leon said.
“Right,” Luis drawled.
Claire stretched her arms above her head and yawned.
“I should probably get going,” she said. “I gotta finish wrapping Jill’s gifts.”
“Cute,” Leon muttered. “ I’ve already wrapped all of Luis’s.”
“I actually work a nine to five job,” Claire said, sticking her tongue out at him.
Leon threw a pillow at her that she easily caught.
“I haven’t finished wrapping your gifts,” Luis whispered, grinning sheepishly.
Leon pecked him on the lips.
“Don’t worry about it,” he whispered back.
Leon stood as Claire got up to leave, and helped Luis stand too. Ever since that night in Spain, Luis’s back had plagued him with pain ranging anywhere from annoying to debilitating, depending on the day. Recently, due to the cold weather of Washington DC where they currently lived, his back had been stiffer than usual. But summer heat brought more muscle pain, so he wasn’t exactly complaining. Luis stood with a groan, and gave Leon a kiss on the temple as thanks.
Claire finished putting her boots and coat on, and Luis walked over to hug her goodbye. She stopped him before he approached, and pointed up at the ceiling where a bundle of small branches with green leaves and white berries hung.
“Careful,” she said, “you guys have mistletoe everywhere.”
Luis snickered.
“Leon likes when I kiss him but he hates asking for it,” Luis replied quietly. “But don’t worry, I know you wouldn’t be afraid to ask.”
Claire laughed, and held her arms out for a hug. Luis embraced her tightly, squeezing extra hard as he knew she would be out of town for a while visiting her older brother Chris for the new year. When they separated, Luis planted a kiss on her forehead, and she beamed at him.
“Will that do?” he asked, jabbing her in the side.
Claire pinched his nose.
“Sure,” she replied. She turned to Leon with a smirk, extending a hand. “Leon, your turn.”
Leon groaned and mumbled unintelligible complaints as he shuffled his feet over to Claire, letting her pull him into a hug. He hugged her back just as enthusiastically, and scrunched his face when she kissed his cheek.
“You two stay safe, alright?” Claire ordered, her hand on the doorknob. “I don’t want to be reading your names in the newspaper this weekend.”
“Whatever,” Leon muttered.
“I’ll keep him out of trouble,” Luis added.
Claire smiled at them one last time before heading out. Luis sighed when the door closed behind her.
“That was fun,” he said, glancing over at Leon.
Leon was smirking at him.
“What?” Luis asked.
Leon pointed at the ceiling. Luis didn’t have to look up to know what he was pointing at.
Luis rolled his eyes. “You know you can use your words, Sancho.”
He didn’t let Leon reply before he wrapped his arms around Leon’s shoulders and pulled him into a searing kiss. Leon held Luis around the waist, tugging him closer and exhaling contentedly through his nose. They stood there for a while, holding each other and kissing tenderly, before pulling away to breathe. They stayed close, resting their foreheads together, and just soaked in each other’s warmth. Leon kissed Luis again and stepped away, looking Luis in the eyes.
“Did you like the movie?” he asked.
“I did,” Luis admitted. “It’s not usually my thing, but it was fun. And McClane is…”
Luis let out a low whistle and waved his eyebrows. Leon scoffed and pulled away, rolling his eyes as he went back to the living room. Luis smacked Leon’s ass as he walked away, causing the man to jolt in his step as he laughed.
“Not as fine as you, of course,” Luis called.
“Sure, you can cook dinner tonight,” Leon replied.
Luis cackled as he followed behind Leon.
~
They ended up cooking together, as Christmas Eve dinner was a tradition Leon had when his family was still alive, and one he was fond of starting back up now that he had a family again. Ashley arrived within the hour, thankfully without any company, as Leon was perfectly capable of protecting her; but rather than help cook, she entertained herself with sampling every morsel as they went. Leon repeatedly had to tell her off for it and make her rewash her hands, and Luis would sneak her some more when Leon wasn’t looking.
“I like hanging out with you guys on Christmas Eve much better,” Ashley announced from her seat on the kitchen counter.
Leon had to get comfortable with cooking around her, as she couldn’t be dissuaded from sitting on every surface that was not meant to be sat on. He ruffled her hair as he passed her by, and she giggled before fixing it.
“Why’s that?” Luis asked, helping Leon season some meat. “Does your father not have Christmas Eve traditions?”
“He does…” Ashley trailed off with a sigh. “Or, well. He did, before he was president.” She took a sip of the beer Leon gave her. “He hasn’t had time for any of them since. I honestly doubt he knows I’m not home right now.”
Leon gave her a sympathetic look and patted her knee with a clean hand.
“That’s alright, Princesa,” Luis replied. “You have us.”
Ashley beamed at him.
Once dinner was finished, they all ate together and told stories of their time since they’d all last been together. Ashley updated them on her remaining classes before graduating, which she was very excited about. It had taken Leon weeks to talk her out of changing her major to study bioweapons or pursue a career as a government agent like she’d wanted to do after they’d first met. Leon felt she wasn’t taking the decision seriously, and Ashley had felt like he was treating her like a kid. Eventually, Ashley became disenchanted with the idea, especially after witnessing the hoops Leon had to jump through just to get Luis pardoned and allowed to live freely with Leon in his apartment.
Luckily, Leon’s friendship with Claire allowed Ashley to meet her, and talk about the real good TerraSave was doing, rather than the nonstop fighting Leon did. Leon was relieved when Ashley called to tell him that she wouldn’t be pursuing a job for the government, and would instead focus her efforts on other NGOs like Claire’s that would help make the world a better place, once she finished her schooling.
When everyone had finished eating, they all did the dishes together, and then collapsed on the couch to watch a movie, the same way Luis and Leon had with Claire just a few hours prior. Ashley had brought the tape for the film Elf, a newer Christmas film that Ashley said was now her favourite. Neither Luis nor Leon had seen it yet, so they were excited to watch it too. Predictably, Leon found it hilarious, Ashley giggled along with her favourite parts, and Luis was mostly amused with his friends’ reactions.
When the movie finished, it was just past ten, and Ashley received a call informing her there was a van parked out front to bring her home. Leon escorted her out and Luis finished putting things away and getting the television turned off. Leon returned just as Luis began to enter the living room again, but he stood patiently in the entryway to the kitchen, where yet another bundle of mistletoe hung. He grinned when Leon noticed him, and Leon shook his head with a chuckle.
“I love you,” he said, taking long strides to reach Luis as quickly as possible.
Luis opened his mouth to say it back, but Leon stole his lips before he could, his hands cupping the back of Luis’s neck tenderly as he kissed him. It was a long and loving kiss, and even when Leon pulled away to breathe he dove right back in again, not letting Luis get a word in as Leon kissed him relentlessly. Luis eventually shoved Leon’s chest lightly, leaning back so Leon couldn’t chase his lips.
“I love you, Leon,” he whispered.
Leon smiled so beautifully at him that Luis got the same butterflies he’d felt when they'd first met. It was so easy to fall more in love with Leon every single day, and Luis was addicted to it.
“I don’t want the night to end,” Leon said, wrapping his arms around Luis’s waist, “because then Christmas will be over. But I also can’t wait for you to open your gifts.”
Luis laughed, tucking his head into Leon’s neck as his shoulders shook with joy.
“I feel the same, mi amor,” Luis replied, kissing Leon’s collarbone. “But we’ll have plenty of Christmases to enjoy, together.”
Luis lifted his head as he spoke to meet Leon’s eyes, and Leon beamed at him.
“Yeah,” he breathed, before pulling Luis into another kiss.
Luis sighed against Leon’s lips, playing with Leon’s hair as he melted into Leon’s embrace. They kissed for a little longer, until Luis pulled away again.
“I still have one last gift to wrap for you,” Luis said, “in the bedroom. Give me a few minutes before joining me.”
Leon squinted at him as he stepped away.
“If I come in there and you've tied yourself up with ribbon…” Leon began.
Luis laughed at the idea, as it somehow hadn't occurred to him.
“I wasn't going to do that,” Luis admitted. “But… Maybe I should…” he added over his shoulder as he went into their room, causing Leon to chuckle.
Luis closed the door behind him and sighed anxiously, his smile falling. His gift was far more serious, and scary. He prayed he was making the right choice.
Luis removed the small case from where he'd had it hidden in his bedside drawer. He grabbed wrapping paper from their closet, and tied it with a small red ribbon instead of taping it. He debated where to put it for now, feeling paranoid that Leon would guess what it was instantly from its size and shape. He finally placed it carefully under the bed, opting to grab it in the morning when Leon was distracted.
He opened their bedroom door and whistled, and Leon stuck his head into the hallway. Luis smiled, and gestured Leon to him with a finger. Leon shut off the lights in the living room and followed Luis to the bedroom with a goofy smile.
They fell asleep curled together, just like always, and Luis felt the anxiety slowly seep away as he became more sure than ever that this was what he wanted.
~
Leon awoke first, which was normal. He pressed a kiss to Luis's forehead and extracted himself from Luis's grasp, and made his way to the kitchen to start breakfast. He tried to be quick, wanting to be at least mostly finished before Luis woke up.
Leon had a special gift for Luis this time that was making him feel restless and anxious. So, he tried to let it out through cooking.
Leon knew what he wanted. He'd known since he first kissed Luis under the mistletoe over a year ago that Luis was important to Leon in a way that he hadn't felt with anyone else before. And he'd known since Luis tried and utterly failed to make Leon a cake for his birthday back in March that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Luis.
He'd just gotten home from buying the ring two weeks prior, to find Luis hanging up several bundles of mistletoe throughout their apartment. Leon had told Luis before how he wanted to have some so he'd have an excuse to kiss Luis, and Luis had evidently taken that very seriously. The gesture, coupled with Leon's decision to finally man up and buy the ring, was enough to threaten tears as Luis had greeted him from atop a stepping ladder. He knew what he wanted.
Leon just didn't know if Luis would feel the same. Luis hadn't lived anywhere else since they'd gotten to America, he hadn't gotten to explore the world free of Umbrella and the cult, he hadn't even gotten enough time to meet more people before he'd decided to give Leon his heart. Leon felt like he was limiting Luis, that someone as beautiful and bright as Luis deserved to be loved by someone much better than Leon. But Leon still hoped to God that Luis would choose him, too.
Leon just finished plating their breakfast when Luis emerged from the bedroom, his hair mussed up from sleep and wearing an oversized shirt that was definitely stolen from Leon. Leon smiled as Luis approached, feeling his chest tighten at the sight of his man.
“Good timing,” Leon called, nodding to the kitchen table. “Breakfast is ready.”
“I could smell it,” Luis remarked, sidling up next to Leon and kissing his cheek. “Eres perfecto,” he whispered.
Leon scoffed at him.
They ate quietly, enjoying the sound of birds outside as the sun filled their apartment. It had snowed yesterday, but now the sky was bright and blue. Luis had gotten up at one point to make himself tea and Leon coffee, and by then the excitement of Christmas morning had settled in. They hurried to brush their teeth before returning to the living room to open gifts. Leon made sure to pull Luis into a kiss first, tasting the refreshing spearmint on Luis's tongue from his toothpaste.
They sat next to each other on the couch and took turns opening their gifts. Leon felt like he could hardly pay attention to any of the gifts he was getting, so nervous about the gift he'd be giving Luis last. He did his best to appear normal, but Luis noticed that something was off. He always did.
“What's wrong, Leon?” he asked gently, a concerned furrow to his brow.
“Nothing,” Leon replied, smiling. “Just worried you won't like something I got you.”
“Oh?” Luis raised a curious brow, his eyes scanning Leon's face. “Of course I will like it, it's from you.”
Leon pressed a kiss to Luis's shoulder to keep himself from saying anything further.
Leon opened his last gift from Luis and began anxiously reaching behind him, but stopped when Luis put a hand on his arm.
“I have… one more gift for you,” Luis said.
Leon paused at how quickly Luis's demeanour turned bashful. Luis leaned over the side of the couch and pulled out something from beneath it. He cupped it in his hands before holding it out to Leon. It was small, and shaped like a rounded square. Leon took it slowly, watching Luis the entire time. He pulled off the ribbon bow at the top, and the wrapping paper unfolded from around it.
Leon broke eye contact with Luis to observe it carefully. It was a small brown box with hinges. He pulled it open and found a ring inside; but not just any ring. It was the ring Leon had found in the basement of Luis's house, and then returned to him once they'd escaped Valdelobos. It was gold and had a red gemstone set into it, with various engravings on the sides. Leon frowned, confused as to why Luis would be giving it back.
“This is-” Leon began, but Luis interrupted him.
“My grandfather passed it down to me when I was a boy,” Luis said. “He told me it had belonged to my mother, and that she would have wanted me to have it. That I was to someday give it to the woman I wanted to marry.” Luis chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don't think he'd mind if I gave it to you instead.”
“Why me?”
Luis's smile fell, and he frowned at Leon.
“Because I want to marry you,” Luis replied, his tone making it clear that he found Leon's question stupid. “I'm asking you to marry me, Leon.”
Shit.
Thankfully, in that instant, every last bit of anxiety was zapped out of Leon and replaced by pure excitement and disbelief. He shook his head, unable to hold back a smile.
“You asshole,” Leon said, reaching under the pillow behind him.
“Excuse me?”
He handed his wrapped gift to Luis, still grinning even as Luis looked at him scornfully.
“Open it,” Leon ordered.
Luis did so. Leon didn't wrap it spectacularly, as he was actually pretty bad at wrapping gifts, but it took Luis longer to peel the paper off with the tape than it had taken Leon; and he noticed Luis's hands were also shaking. When Luis finally opened it, his eyes narrowed at the box. He glanced up at Leon, who nodded him along. Luis pried open the small box carefully, and gasped when he saw what was inside.
Leon had spent too long agonising over the perfect ring to get Luis. He didn't want it to be stupid, or too gaudy, or too plain. He'd asked Claire and Ashley for help, separately, but neither of them knew Luis like he did. And Leon wanted it to be special.
Luis lifted the ring from its plush holder, and raised it to his eyes to inspect it closer. It was gold, but had silver embellishments that swirled throughout. The gem was a pale yellow diamond that had been tinted purple underneath. As Luis held it up, Leon watched it gleam in Luis's eyes. His smile widened.
“Will you marry me, Luis?” Leon asked, finally having a pretty good feeling what the answer would be.
Luis dropped his hand, cradling the ring in his palm as he gazed at Leon with wide, misty eyes. Luis scoffed, shaking his head as a tear rolled down his cheek. Leon felt his own eyes sting at the sight.
“Of course I will marry you,” Luis whispered. He looked up at Leon, smiling beautifully. “Of course.”
Leon cupped Luis's face with his free hand and leaned in, capturing Luis's lips with his own as easy as breathing. Luis fell into him, and Leon made sure he had a secure grasp on the ring Luis had given him before wrapping his arms around Luis. They tasted each other's lips for a while, slowly and tenderly, breathing each other in. Leon felt his soul unravel at Luis's touch, and Luis lovingly held him and put him back together, became a part of Leon. He truly couldn't live without him.
Luis pulled away first, and Leon could hardly see through the tears in his own eyes. He wiped at his eyes and found Luis in the same state. Leon laughed and wiped Luis's cheeks. Luis smiled, leaning into Leon's hand.
“I, uh.” Leon cleared his throat and smoothed a hand down his face. “I'm probably bad at showing it, but I've never been happier than I am right now. I was so scared you'd say no.” Leon held up the ring in his hand. “Guess I was foolish to worry.”
Luis beamed at him.
“I worried too,” Luis admitted. “I knew if you said no I'd just never get married.”
Leon laughed and pulled Luis into another kiss. Luis smiled against his lips, and giddiness burst in Leon's chest. He had to pull away to wipe his eyes again, groaning in mock frustration. Luis giggled, and Leon looked up at him in awe.
“You still haven't put the ring on me,” Luis pointed out.
“Right.”
Leon sniffed and set the ring Luis gave him carefully back in the box on his lap, and took Luis's hand in his own. He slid the ring onto Luis's left ring finger gently. Once it was secure, Leon raised Luis's hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.
“My turn,” Luis said, gesturing to Leon's ring.
Leon handed it back so Luis could place it on him. Leon was worried it wouldn't fit, because it had belonged to someone else before him; but Luis's mother must have had thick fingers, because it fit perfectly. Luis mimicked Leon and placed a kiss to Leon's knuckles, grinning up at him. Leon smiled back.
“I love you,” Leon said.
“Te amo, Leon,” Luis said back.
They fell into each other's embrace, and Leon pulled them both down to lie across the couch together. Luis snuggled against Leon's chest and Leon ran a hand through Luis's hair, kissing the top of his head.
Leon never thought marriage would be for him. It hadn't taken too many girlfriends for him to realise he just wasn't into women romantically, and his parents’ dream of him settling down with a nice woman someday was wasted on him. Then once he'd started working for the government, he was absolutely certain he'd never have a chance to fall in love with anyone, or that anyone he did fall in love with would die in his line of work.
That all changed with Luis. Everything felt different with Luis; everything felt right.
Leon glanced down at the man in his arms, and the ring on his finger, and smiled.